Sunday, May 22, 2011

Winding down and coming home for the summer!














































As we head toward the month of June, the school year is rapidly coming to a close. Things have not, however, slowed down. Time seems to be whirling by, and it feels like we are busier than ever. The baby is doing great, growing like a champ,and giving us a run for our money at times. We still feel so blessed to finally have a son. Carissa has recovered nicely and is feeling good. The girls are all doing great - enjoying school, learning how to swim and really showing a lot of progress in their language acquisition.



This past month was also a month of firsts. We had our first visit from a family member (aunt Christi!), and while she was here we also took our first trip out of our province. We had an opportunity to visit one of the most famous scenic areas in China, a city called Yangshuo. We had a wonderfully relaxing time lazying on a raft down the Li river, exploring a cave with hotsprings, and bargaining at the local market. It was a blessing to be able to share this amazing and fun time as a family.



We also had a first in ministry related activities. This past friday we had our first 'youth activity'. We had 15 young people attend (more than I was anticipating). We were able to rent out a local gym and had a fun time just hanging out and playing with the kids. This was followed by a time of worship and then a short teaching. Please keep this new ministry lifted up, as it is so important to reach this young generation - the world is aggressively pursuing them and temptations are everywhere.



The saturday night foundations class is also going well. We have a steady group of around 15 who are coming week after week, and we are really beginning to see some growth. Please continue to keep this lifted up as well, both for the H.S. to be with Steve and for protection in general.



We have been blessed to be able to buy tickets to come home for the summer and show off the new baby. We will be flying into JFK on the 27th of June and will be in the philly area for about two weeks. Then we will travel down to South Carolina for two weeks, then back up to philly again until we fly back out on the 9th of August. We would love to see as many of you as possible, if any of those dates work, save us some time!



We are thankful for -


-A sweet visit with Steve's sister Christi


-Health of the new baby and mama


-New ministry opportunities



Our requests are-


-Continued wisdom from above


-Finishing the school year strong


-Getting all necessary documentation for the baby in order to leave on time



We greatly appreciate all of your 'thoughts' toward us - on our own strength we can do nothing,


Steve, Carissa, Ruthee, Vaylah, Dayuma and Abishai



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