Train up a Child

I'm not sure what Deving thought, but I am postive that he was quite impressed.

Well, we have just 10 days until we leave. Guess what we have been doing lately? You guessed it... packing and storing, packing and storing, and packing and storing. It really is a bigger job than one might expect. And once we get to Costa Rica we will be unpacking and moving in, unpacking and moving in, and unpacking and moving in. And the moral of the story is, don't expect too many posts during this time :).

Thanks for all of those who left kind comments about my Grandpa's passing. We were able to drive down to NC for the viewing and funeral, and they were both very nice.

Notice verse nine.

Grandpa's three daughters say "goodbye."

My brother Benjamin was the pianist for the funeral.

Home in Heaven

Two posts ago I shared a couple of pictures of Grandpa Kaufman, my spiritual hero. Tonight, Grandpa is in heaven. He passed away peacefully at 11:12 this morning. All five of his children were with him, and he woke up from a 24-hour coma about three minutes before he died. My mom said that he recognized those with him, and that it was a beautiful moment.

We will be heading down to North Carolina early tomorrow morning. The viewing is tomorrow night, and the funeral is Saturday morning.

I will really miss Grandpa's prayers.

My mom is the first child, I am the first grandchild, and Devin is the first great-grandchild.

"Tis the Season"

Today was the first day of deer season in PA, and yes, I shot my deer. I was hunting with Missy's two brothers and dad, and we saw more deer than we have seen on opening day for quite a while. I can't upload the picture of my deer right now, but here are some other pictures for all you hunters.

Happy Thanksgiving

In a few hours we will be eating turkey, lots and lots of turkey... (I still think that the Pilgrims should have shot some wild boars instead of turkeys). Then tomorrow we will be eating turkey leftovers, lots and lots of turkey leftovers... Then on Saturday...well, you get the picture. I can assure you that I won't be taking cold turkey sandwiches into the woods with me Monday. Anyway, if I don't get these pictures from our last visit with our grandparents posted now, you probably wouldn't ever see them. Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

My Grandpa, My Hero

"O.K., I have had enough of pictures!"

A Thoughtful Card

Some friends that we met during deputation, Br. and Sis. Eckroth, just sent us this card for Thanksgiving. It is a perfect example of becoming involved in a missionary's life, which means so much to us missionaries. Thank you, Br. and Sis. Eckroth.

Commissioning Service

Life is busy, busy, busy right now. We got home late last Friday from our visit to North Carolina and Virginia. On Sunday we had our commissioning service, and yesterday we had Thanksgiving with my side of the family. I have tons of pictures to share, so it's catch-up time.

Our commissioning service was very special for both Missy and me. Br. Steve Mowery, our missions director from our Penn View days, was the special speaker. Br. Steve Hight drove in all the way from Indiana to do the actual commissioning, and several of our family members shared in music. We want to say a special "thanks" to each one who participated.




I want you to notice the picture above and the picture to the left. My mother-in-law is crying at the thought of me leaving, and my sister-in-law is giving me a big hug. See, their true feelings do come out, even though they would never tell you just how special I am.

Winding Down

We are in West Virginia, and last night was the first of our final three deputation services. In a little while we will be heading to North Carolina, where we have a service and will be spending time with my grandparents and my mom's side of the family. Wednesday we head up to Virginia for a last service and a visit with Missy's grandparents. This will be our last time to see our family living down south, so we are looking forward to it. Devin has been doing well, but he is getting tired of traveling. Here are a couple of pictures from our services last Sunday.

And from a couple of days ago...

I Don't Know... I Can't Think of a Title

As a Christian, have you stopped today and thought of how many things haven't and won't change even though the election didn't have the outcome you may have desired? Something to think about.

I'm sorry to say that my blogging has been falling by the wayside. With just 54 days until we leave, other things are taking our attention. We spent a good part of today going through stuff and deciding what to store, what to take, and what to get rid of. Tomorrow we will be washing our windows, blinds, and curtains in preparation for my cousin and wife to move into our trailer once we leave. But instead of continuing to bore you with our agendas, I will post some pictures our our little guy.

Devin isn't worried about gas prices.

E-mail the "LA Times"

I just dropped the "LA Times" a note, asking them why they won't release the Obama/Khalidi tape. I found their address, readers.rep@latimes.com, on Fox's website. Maybe you would like to write to them also.

A Scary Evening

Thank the Lord for His protecting hand over my mother (Hannah McDowell) this evening. She was hit pretty badly on her way home from work, but it could have been a lot worse. Although she does not have very serious injuries, she is in a lot of pain. This evening after she returned from the ER, she started coughing and felt a pop in her side followed by excruciating pain. They think that she might have a broken rib. I'm sure she and Dad would appreciate your prayers.