The First Week at the Middle Age Training

So here we are in sunny, hot Southern California. We have travelled over 7,000 miles and burned more gas that I care to think about. We arrived last weekend at our new home for 3 1/2 months and are still getting settled. We have a 2 room suite (one for sleeping and one for studying and living, with all the furniture, sheets, pillows and blankets provided along with a bathroom, and our own outside entrance. There is another training couple living in another part of the house and a family is living in another section. We all share the kitchen, but Stan and I and the other training couple only need it on Sunday nights and Monday for breakfast and lunch. It is very comfortable except for the fact that it is very hot. But we do have a portable air conditioning unit and a fan that we couldn't live without right now. It will eventually cool down, but these are the typical September days that I always remember from growing up here.

The family who live where is very interesting. He is Norwegian by name and character but Korean by birth. He was adopted as a baby from Korea and raised by typical Norwegians. He has the name of Jens (pronounced the J like a Y) Austbo and has a real Norwegian accent, but I have to close my eyes when he talks because the face and the accent just don't go together. His wife's name is Ruth and she is from Malaysia and speaks Chinese -- English, too. They met in Norway in a Chinese restaurant where Ruth was working. They are a very nice couple with 2 cute young kids and a Yorkshire terrier names Boaz. He must me Ruth's dog....We all had breakfast together this morning since it was a holiday. I cooked: pancakes, sausage, eggs, strawberries and cantaloupe. We spent the time to get more acquainted with each other -- like finding out what people did for jobs.

We have completed the first work of the training, which is actually called pretraining where we spent a lot of time in classes that make sure we are spiritually ready to make the most of this training. I can tell you now that there are five main aspects of this training. They are the "goals" so to speak. In order they are: To experience the divine life of God and to live by it, to know the truth and to learn to speak it, to be able to present the gospel in a clear and complete way, to learn to serve in a practical ways with a good attitude (like helping in the kitchen and cleaning bathrooms), and developing a good character. If we achieve all this in 3 and a half months then I can guarantee you that you won't recognize us when we return!! So we are hoping to return for the second and last term in March.

There are people here from all over the world, even though there are only about 100 of us. Some of the represented countries are China, Korea, South Africa, Belize, Nicaragua, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand. The training is given in 4 languages: Spanish, English, Korean and Chinese with a pretty even spread among the 4 groups.
The meals are pretty good. They try to do things as healthfully as they know how. We have unlimited fruit, raw nuts and reverse osmosis water along with our regular meals.

We are getting to know our fellow trainees. The youngest is 26 (hardly middle aged) and we aren't sure who is the oldest and no one is asking -- but there are a number of white heads in the class. We have seen a lot of old friends (there was a conference this weekend) and making a lot of new ones. For those of you who know her, we had some time with Catherine Chen last night. She is getting settled in San Diego.

One of the most interesting things about being here is the variety of people we are meeting. There is a young Iranian dentist who is one of the trainees, a brother of the church in Pretoria -- where Joanna and Cobus are....yesterday we had a dinner with a family from Romania. They have 12 children!!!! All grown now but several of the younger girls are still living at home. They are all beautiful with big brown eyes and very sweet. They said they loved growing up in a big family....there was always someone to play with. You could tell that they had much love for one another.

Our "real" classes start tomorrow, along with a lot of reading and studying. I am not sure how the schedule will work, but we are finished each day by 2:30 but there are meetings on some evenings. It is really nice not to have to worry so much about cooking. But we do have to keep our rooms clean at all times. That's one aspect of the character part.

I will have to let you know more after the regular classes start. So for now, I think that will do it!

Nearing the End of the Trail

Our days in the Phoenix area are drawing to a close. We leave on Saturday morning to make the 6 or so hour drive to Anaheim for the training. There is a little nostalgia and a little relief. Nostalgia because this long sojourn across the country is coming to an end, and relief because this long sojourn across the country is coming to an end!! It is time to settle down for a while, but we are very content with the way all the details of the trip turned out. We really do sense the Lord's blessing and care for us in every detail. It has been the trip of a life time. Funny thing, though -- we keep having trips of a life time!! Many years ago we took the kids and drove all over Europe for 3 weeks and up to that point it was the trip of a life time. Then a few years ago we went to South Africa to meet our prospective son in law and that again was the trip of a life time. Now, with upcoming and ongoing trips to South Africa the novelty is no longer there so we had to do something really brave and now we have done it. I wonder what is next? Only the Lord knows what is in store for us, but we look forward in anticipation to more adventure ahead.

I have a few statistics concerning our trip. We have made stops in 24 cities (1 was for dinner with some old friends), traversed 14 states, stayed with families or couples in 15 churches where we received loving hospitality, stayed with 4 family members (more loving hospitality), 4 motels or bed and breakfasts, and slept in 23 different beds. Our stay in the Phoenix area has been different because we actually stayed in 2 places here. (We stayed with a very nice family in North Phoenix both weekends we were here so that it was more convenient for fellowship and the Lord's Day morning meetings). We have seen how beautiful this expansive country is in all its variety of topography, weather and flora. We have appreciated the fearlessness of the early pioneers who crossed some of the most foreboding geography we have ever seen. We could only wonder at their strength of character to do such a thing. We have learned more to rest in the Lord's arrangement for each day, no matter what it brought.

One would think that staying here in Phoenix for 2 and a half weeks would lead to some level of boredom, but that has hardly been the case. There has been more than enough to do. Besides doing all the cooking and shopping, there have been endless errands to run, van maintenance (new tires and special locks--in preparation of Southern CA), coming to the library to do wireless Internet (Stan's mom has dial up), business and personal financial details to attend to, things to buy in preparation for the training, correspondence to keep up with, and visiting time with Stan's 93 year old mom and taking care of some of her needs. We are finally in a place that has a Bally's gym so Stan is going when ever he can. And in the evenings we like going to the pool in the complex, but the water is more like a bath tub than a pool. We had the wonderful opportunity to have my cousin Kaye and my 91 year old Aunt Kathy over for dinner. I made a coconut cream pie to commemorate the event. It was fun to reminisce about old times and experiences together.

For those of you who remember my unfortunate foot accident, it is slowing getting better. The more I keep it on ice the better it gets. That is one advantage to staying someplace longer -- I am able to sit on the couch with my leg up and my foot on ice. I can wear my shoes now, but still haven't tried on the new pair I got in Albuquerque the day before the fall. I read that bad sprains take 6 to 12 weeks to heal. I think I am in my 7th week, so I am getting there. I still limp slightly and it is hard to walk any distance, but it is improving.

Words just can't express our thankfulness to the Lord for all that He did to make this trip possible. Every detail is a cherished memory. All the variety of people we have met, the open homes and hearts, the experiences of living by faith and all the care that we have received is an everlasting memorial to us to express His love for us and His desire for His purpose.

So the next time I write will be in California, probably after one week of the training which begins on August 31.

Idaho and beyond

It has been a while since I wrote because we settled in at Nampa for a while. We had a very refreshing stay at my brother's and sister in law's house in Nampa, ID. We actually got to unpack, hang up our clothes, and put our undies in drawers. It was the first time to do that since we left!! I also got the chance to spend along sessions with my foot on ice -- especially the first week. We spent quite a bit of time with the saints in the church in Boise, and were invited over for dinner 5 times in 2 weeks -- not including the first weekend with the Collinses in Boise the first weekend we were there. Most of them were families we have known from another time or another place but they usually had others over that we didn't know, so we felt like we got acquainted with a lot of people there. It is a very friendly and warm church that has a lot of care for each other. They also just sent a campus team to Austin to be trained. Boise State University is across the street from the meeting hall.

We had a lot of fun with Dave and Carolita (my brother and his wife) eating ice cream, cooking, celebrating birthdays (Dave's and mine), their anniversary, cleaning up after workers on their addition, eating ice cream, cooking new recipes like pineapple flambe and Navaho fry bread, laughing, eating Hagen Das, and having lots of good fellowship. There just isn't enough room to tell you about everything. Nothing dramatic or very unusual, just a lot of good times. Stan finished the pergola but there wan't anything else to do since the workers on the addition were behind and is wasn't ready for Stan to do the cabinet they wanted in their new dining room. So maybe another time...But we kept ourselves busy around the house doing odds and ends that need to be done. Did I mention that we tried different flavors of Hagen Das?

We left Nampa this past Monday morning and got to Salt Lake City where we spent the night with a very sweet Korean family with 3 teenage daughters. We had a great night's sleep in a nice room in their basement. In the morning another couple came over for breakfast and our hostess sent us off with bags of strawberries of grapes. We drove a long day down to Flagstaff, AZ but along the way we saw some spectacular scenery in the Vermillion Cliffs region of Northern Arizona. We got to Flagstaff and spend the night with a couple we had known in Huntington Beach in the 70's. It was a short but sweet time with them and their 21 year old son. We liked Flagstaff but kept moving. Our hosts had recommended for us to take a little time to go through Sedona, which we did and were very glad we had the time to do it. The red rock formations were icredible. If we were rolling in money we would have liked to take a helicopter tour of the area, but we aren't so we didn't. So we went out to lunch and are now heading toward Chandler, AZ, outside of Phoenix. We will be staying with Stan's mom for 2 weeks and will be participating in the church life there as much as possible. There are a lot of things to do there, like getting some new tires, shopping for clothers for Stan, getting caught up with correspondance, getting together with some family members and working off all that ice cream!!

Right now, as I write, we are driving through the bleak rolling hills of the desert in Cental Arizona. It is filled with seguaro cactus which looks like giant cigars sticking up into the air. I hope to add some pictures....

That's all for now. Our next stop in Anaheim for the Middle Age Training.

Farmers? A toy tractor?? On the farm in Roosevelt County, Mt

Resting in Idaho

I am sitting in Nampa, Idaho, at my brother and sister in law's home. My leg is propped up with ice. My toe is much better but my ankle is still a little swollen and warm. I am more than ready for some time off and Stan is more than ready to do some work. He is out in the back working on a pergola over their hot patio. We aren't sure how long we are going to stay but it could be a couple weeks or more. It all depends on how much needs to get done. So we will continue that thing called flexibility.



While we were in Great Falls, Stan ended up spending the one full day there being sick with food poisoning -- one of the risks of eating in restaurants a lot. We had a good time in Great Falls, being with old friends there. We lived there in the 70's and 80's so it was good to connect with people again. We have made other visits there in the past but it has been 5 years -- and this is the first time we have gone back without our kids!!



We spent one night in Idaho Falls on the way to Boise. It could have been made in one long day, but we really aren't into breaking any records. It was a good thing that we didn't because we were so involved in conversation on the way to Idaho that we missed a turn and ended up almost one third of the way to Bozeman before we realized that the topography just didn't look right. We turned on the GPS and found out that we had gone almost 40 miles beyond the turn off!! So we turned around and ended up taking another route back to the interstate that was a beautiful back road. We were in the mood for Mexican food when we got to Idaho Falls so we checked for Mexican restaurants on the GPS (a wonderful feature on ours). We were driving around quite a bit before we found a Mexican restaurant that looked healthy and clean. We were very happy with the one we found along the Boise River where the falls are located. Great food and even better prices. The next morning we went to breakfast with some saints who live there.



In Boise, we spent 2 nights with some saints in the church there and went to the meeting the next day. We will have a lot of opportunities to spend time with them. We found out that there is a home meeting in Nampa on Saturday nights with some people that we know from the past. For those of you who know him, Harold Alvarado who used to meet in Virginia Beach when he was in the Navy is in the Boise area now. We were surprised to see him. He is married and has a young son now -- retired from the Navy and working as a mail man. There are others, too but I don't think any of you know them. So Thursday and Saturday we have plans to be with the saints there. We will be going to as many of the meetings in Boise that we can.



I don't know how much worth writing about will happen while we are here, but I will try to check in with you and at least let you know that we are still here. I will continue to baby my ankle and getting some rest. I didn't realize how tired I was.

The Farm Visit

We are driving through the rolling green and golden plains of Northern Montana as I write this. Hopefully there will be the time to post it Great Falls when we get back. We have had an incredible and memorable 3 days of driving through Montana and visiting the 2 family farms. We left from Helena after spending a night with Stan's brother, Steve. Then we dropped the van off in Great Falls and drove 8 hours to the farm near Plentywood (check your maps) on Highway 251 between mile markers 42 and 43. We spent almost 3 hours with "Billy" who is 78 years old who is farming the land there for the family. This farm is the one that Stan's grandpa homesteaded before he was married. The original barn built in 1909 is still in great shape. They used to have barn dances on the second floor, and, in fact, Grandpa and Grandma Galloway met at a barn dance.

Billy showed us the land, the wheat that is growing, his equipment and buildings. There is a natural gravel pit nearby on the property so I picked up a collection of colorful stones and later bought an old coffee jar to put them in. The Durham wheat will be ready to harvest by the middle September, which is later than usual, due to the weather being colder and wetter than usual. The winter wheat will be ready in a week or two. Hopefully the good weather will hold, the rain will come at the right time and it won't hail. The water actually adds more weight to the grain which means more profit. We have had a crash course on wheat farming. I can now recognize wheat flowers, healthy heads, wheat berries, winter wheat and Durham wheat.

The next day we went to the Medicine Lake, MT, to the land that Grandma Chloe homesteaded as a 19 year old girl. It is on Highway 16 right on the line of Roosevelt and Sheridan Counties in Roosevelt County -- on both sides of the road. We spent the afternoon yesterday looking at the tractors, combines, warehouse and assorted equipment with Paul and Janet McCabe who are distant cousins. Paul and Stan have the same great grandfather -- I think they are cousins 3 times removed. They are a wonderfully hospitable couple who opened their home for us and tooks us all over the area and explained all the workings of the farm to us. They farm their own land along with our family land. We also drove through the old town of McCabe which is named after Stan's great Grandpa, but since there are only about 6 people living there, it is almost a ghost town. The post office and most of the buildings are empty and falling apart.

The farm quipment on the Roosevelt farm is state of the art. Paul says he has a weakness for the latest and geratest technology. When planting, they don't even have to steer the tractor. Everything is done by GPS and all the rows are perfectly straight. Cousin Paul says it is boring now and he can nap while it does it's thing. All he has to do is remember to turn it around at the end of a row!! Maybe someday he won't even have to do that!!

I was so impressed with the beautiful colors of the sky and fields. The blues, greens, and gold, along with the white fluffy clouds were captivating to me and a feast for the eyes. I couldn't take it all in. I wish that I had had some water colors with me to try to capture the soft colors blending together on the horizon. But I don't think I have the skill anyway. The gently rolling hills were different from what we expected, but we were there at the best time of the year in a year that has had rain at the right times. Winters are typically from November to April and the snow comes and stays for that time. Trees are few and far between and mostly have been planted as wind breaks for the farm houses. It made me think of Little House on the Prairie stories.

One thing that is interesting about that region is the accent of the people there. Most have Scandanavian roots and you can hear it in their voices in the up and down inflections in their speech. I didn't notice it so much when in lived in Montana, but now it is so obvious. Either my ear is more sensitive or the regional accent is getting stronger, or both!!

So many have asked us if we are considering moving there to farm, and the answer is a very stong no! We will leave the farming to the experts. But it is a nice place to visit.

We will be spending 2 nights in Great Falls and then leave for Idaho where we will spend 2 nights with the saints in the church in Boise and then on to Nampa (outside of Boise) where Stan will work for my brother and sister in law for several weeks. I am looking forward to settling down for a while. The one and 2 night stands are tiring. I probably won't write again til we get to Nampa next week. But maybe our plans will be changing. Stan just came in and told me that he doesn't feel so well.....like he has food poisoning....one of the problems with eating in so many restaurants. I need to go take care of him.

Albuquerque to Colorado Springs and Beyond

I just did another post about the inward sojourn so make sure you read it after this below.

Before leaving Albuquerque we made a manditory visit to Trader Joes's. We do have our priorities. Our supplies from Nashville had been exhausted so it was time to stock up again and to buy gifts for our hosts along the way. We won't see another TJ's until we get to Phoenix next month. We couldn't possibly buy enough since we don't have much cold storage, but we did the best we could!!

So we bade farewell to Albuquerque and the saints there and headed north. When we got to Santa Fe we wanted to drive thru the old section so we got off the interstate and wandered into town. Lots of adobe and quaint shops and restaurants, but we stayed in the car due to the limiations of my injured foot. We kind of spontaneously decided not to go back to I 25 and opted to go thru Taos. It was the home of Kit Carson. Again, lots of adobe and quaint shops and restaurants. It was here that we learned that GPS's can't read your mind. We intended to go a particular way and thought that was what the GPS was doing -- but, of course, it wasn't. So we ended up doubling back through Taos to take the route we wanted to go. It turned out to be a very scenic but not very efficient route. We were following a stream down the mountain after miles of twisting and turning though the mountains. We were able to pull over briefly so I could put my foot in the stream but it was not cold enough to feel really good. We spoke vaguely of stopping to spend the night in one of the small towns we passed through but we decided not spend the money. So we pressed on to Colorado Springs. We eventaully got there by about 9:30 to the saints' house. They then took us to another home north off Colorado Springs in Monument so that I wouldn't have to navigate their stairs. We spent 2 nights with Ed and Pam Karned in their walkout basement and at a 7,000 foot elevation. All the next day I spent on a couch with my foot up and an ice bag on it. It looked pretty swollen and terrible by the time we got there so I was very thankful for a day to nurse my wounds. It was a turning point in the healing progress. That night they invited some saints over and we had dinner and got to know each other. It was a very sweet time of fellowship.

Wednesday morning we hit the road again and headed toward Grand Junction, CO. The scenery was beautiful, but Stan told me I slept through the most spectacular part of the trip!! At one point we were at 11,000 ft. We stopped for a picnic lunch in an historic little town called Georgetown which had been a silver mining town after the civil war until the early 1900's. I would have loved to poke around a little and go into some of the museums and houses but between my foot and time constraints, we couldn't.

We arrived in Grand Junction at the home of Eldon and Betty Case whre they took us to Golden Corral for dinner -- just like home! Afterward they drove us around the town of 48,000 in a valley that has been irrigated to become a major growing area for peaches. The next day we went fruitstand hopping and we bought some peaches and cherries to take to Utah.

The drive from Grand Junction to Roy, Utah (where we are seeing our nieces and Stan's Mom) is a vast, high desert with some incredible rim rock formations. It is hard to believe that people used to cross this region in covered wagons!! We are in Roy now and are having a wonderful time with the family. Kathy, our niece has 7 kids that she is homeschooling.

We leave for Montana tomorrow and to visit the family farms so I won't be writing until sometime next week.

The Inner Sojourn

I will be writing about the events of our trip right after this, but I wanted to let you know what is going on in a more inward way. Not only are we having a wonderful time travelling, seeing beautiful country and spending time with the saints, we are also being touched in inward ways concerning our growth in the Lord. One of the main matters is flexibility. At a time in our lives when we are capable of growing older and more settled in our ways, the Lord has graciously unsettled us on this trip. Being in different parts of the country, eating different food, staying with a variety of people has caused us to be broadened at least a little. Like I stated briefly before, learning to be one with all the believers and caring for each one without preference is a tall order that only the Lord in us can fill.

In considering our future, not only do not want to be set, settled and occuplied, we don't want to be old, opinionated and narrow. Our desire is to follow the Lamb wherever He goes and to be useful to Him. And this is just the beginning of our sojourn-- one month this week.

We have experienced so much care from the believers along the way. Generous hearts, open homes and some pretty comfortable beds!! So many expressions of care: a bag of goodies for the trip, invitations to meals, the sweet young sister who bought me a loaf of Ezekiel bread when she found out that's what we eat, many invitations to stop in homes on our return, a restaurant gift card for a national chain, the free car wash, a cash gift -- so many expressions of love and support through the members of the Body. By having the saints minister to us in these practical ways it makes us more aware of how we can minister to others. Sometines we forget how memorable and meaningful small kindnesses can be.

I am sure there will be more reflections as we go along, so stayed tuned for "The Inner Journey."

Lots of Drama

It is our final evening in Albuquerque. We leave tomorrow for Colorado Springs where will stay for 2 nights. But first I need to tell you about what has happened since we have been here. Everything was going along quite swimmingly until Thursday when I walked out of the door onto the patio outside our bedroom and didn't see a step there. I fell and unfortunately I will still wearing my flip flops so I really mangled my big toe on my left foot. The foot that I have always hurt through the years. It might be broken, but I don't feel any need to go to the doctor since they don't do anything about it even if it is. So it greatly curtailed my comings and goings. Fortunately, we had been to Old Town Albuquerque the day before, but I haven't been to any of the training meetings since it happened. I have tried to keep it up with ice on it. Stan went to a thrift store and got me some crutches since I couldn't even walk. BUT, "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Because of this "accident" I was able to care for a young sister in the church here who has hepititis C whom the doctors have given up on with their chemotherapy. It is all very complicated and dramatic and I can't really write about all the details, but all here at at the house could see the Lord's hand in all of it. It is kind of a joke now to say: "And it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't hurt my toe." So I am experiencing "this present lightness of affliction."

We have had such a good time with the couple we are staying with -- Benjamin and Jacqueline Bianco. They are a very interesting couple. He is a formerly Jewish entrepreneur who was born in Egypt and educated in London who got saved 10 years ago at the age of 65 and she is a former opera singer who has led a very dramatic life. They really love the Lord and have a governing vision of God's economy. Their home is beautiful (there is a fountain in the foyer) and is filled with Spanish Colonial antiques (she used to own a gallery selling these kind of things. We are very comfortable in our suite. Jacqueline has been intent on giving me singing lessons and says that it is a shame that I never learned to sing properly, so she is attempting to make up for lost time -- evening singing in Italian -- which I have done before, but it has been a long time. We have been eating lots of garlic and drinking lime spritzers and having a good time getting to know each other. Lots of laughing and good conversation. I am really appreciating all the variety in the Body of Christ and learning to be one with all the members no matter who they are and what they think. It is very good for me to be broadened in this way.

Now for the big drama. The other night, after I had wrecked my toe and after I had had a very emotional appointment with the young girl with hep C, I went into our room and found that the dog had opened up my suitcase, pulled out my clothes and found the very large unopened 3 pound bag of 60% cocoa chips in the floor, ripped open and 3/4 gone. It was the very large Russian wolf hound named Tamara who had done it. I was devastated since chocolate is a poison to dogs. Everyone else was gone at the time but when they got back I was a little panicky and said that she needed to go to the vet and explained the situation. They didn't seem worried about it since she had eaten chocolate before and hadn't had a problem. So we all went to bed, but early in the morning she began throwing up all over the place. We never knew when we were going to run into a pile of semi digested chocolate. So after 2 days of this, she seems to be doing better. Eventually she has gotten it out of her system and just enjoyed a bowl of rice cooked in chicken broth. I have even supplied some probiotics for her. Of course,I have been feeling horrible about the whole thing because I should have put the bag someplace else -- she had already eaten a half of a bag of granola I had left out a day or two before. So, I won't be giving that bag of chips to anyone as a hospitality gift.....

Right after my accident we went to lunch with Beverly Bayonet. We were supposed to get together with Janene but it hasn't worked out. But tomorrow morning before we leave town, we will be meeting her for a little while. And we haven't made it to Trader Joe's yet, so we will do that after we see Janene. I need to get my list ready because we won't see another one until be go to Phoenix in mid August.

So Stan, at least, is enjoying the training. The couple we are staying with had been to the live training the week before. I hope to get caught up online eventually. Our phones are not doing well here, so I am not sure how well they will work for the next few weeks while we are in Colorado, Utah and Montana. So if you try to call and can't get through, you will know why. I will return messages when I can.

OKC to Albuquerque

Hello from hot and dry Albuquerque. But I still have more to write about OKC. We ended up staying a day longer and were very happy to have another day with the saints there. We went to breakfast at the home of some of a couple there. The husband took Stan to his car wash that he owns and had the guys there hand wash the van at no charge. They also cleaned the floor of the cab with Armoral which made it very clean and shiny and also very slippery. So we are very careful when we get in and out of the van. Eventually it will wear off. After breakfast we then went to this brother's quick lube place and they changed the oil for us at the employees' discount. While we were waiting for the van to be done we walked next door to a place that was under construction. It is part of a chain of restaurant/grocery stores that is taking the OK area by storm. They have over 300 stores. The electricians were working on it and they do all of the stores so they took us on a tour of the place and explained that the guy who owns these stores raises all his own beef for the hamburgers and has dairy cows to make all the ice cream. He sells these things in the grocery section, too. So on our way to NM we stopped at the last "Braum's" before we left OK. It was a little early, but we had had a small early breakfast. We got some delicious hamburgers and a real chocolate malt made with real ice cream. It was fun to see the place completely built since it was exactly like the place we had seen the day before with just the framing and the roof.

But back to OKC. Our last night we went to dinner and a home meeting with a young family with 4 kids in the church there. We have known the brother/father since Great Falls, MT days. In fact the last time I had seen him he was about 8 years old. He has changed a lot since he is 34 now. It was nice seeing how he has matured in the Lord.

So back to our trip to NM. We stopped for gas after we got into NM and I went in to pay in advance since it wouldn't take our credit card outside. Stan filled up the van and I tried to pay for it with our credit card. But it wouldn't take the card. A lady working there said it was because we were travelling and that I should call them. So I went out to get my phone and before I could get back into the cashier my phone rang and it was the credit card company wondering if I was trying to use the card. It seems that they were getting nervous because we were definitely breaking our pattern of spending. So I told them our itinery and we are using our card again. Fortunately, I had given them my cell number before we left. I should have told them what we were doing, too. In times past when we travel, we have always bought airline tickets to the place we were using the card so they don't think anything of it. This time someone was just buying gas across the country. I have to call again to extend it in October since they only do it 3 months at a time. A lesson learned.

So we arrived in NM just in time for dinner. It is amazing how that works out everytime we go to a new place. We are staying with a couple here in the church. They live in a beautiful Mexican style home that brings back a lot of memories of my time in college in Mexico. We have our own wing in the house with a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room. Tonight we start the training meetings again and will be here until we finish on Sunday -- probably leaving on Monday morning. We still aren't clear about where we are going next since we have a 3 day gap. We just keep looking to the Lord. We might go to Denver. We will let you know as soon as we know.

Oklahoma You're OK

Here we are in Oklahoma City. We arrived yesterday after spending a night In Dallas with some dear saints, Jim and Mary Speight. I had met them a few years back when I stayed with them for a few days after an herb conference in Dallas. We had a short, but sweet stay with them and also attended the first 2 meetings of the video training. It was hard to leave so quickly and I wish we had planned to stay longer, but we kept moving after going out to lunch. On the way here we stopped for gas, kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I had gone in to pay in advance -- they don't have pumps that you can use a credit card in -- and Stan struck up a conversation with a man who was pumping next to him. The man asked Stan what he did since we had the big work van with the ladder racks on it. Stan told him what we were doing -- travelling and working and heading to a Bible training in California. While Stan was speaking the man put his hand on his shoulder and started praying for us that we would be blessed in all that we were doing!! We were told later by friends that this is a proper welcome in Oklahoma.

We arrived in OK City just in time for the training meeting, but we actually saw a repeat of the second video we had seen in Dallas. During the break I saw someone we had known in Montana and hadn't seen in about 25 years!! We are taking hospitality with a young couple. Natalie, the wife of the couple used to be in Irvine and has spent quite a bit of time with Nathan and Crystal in their home when they lived there. Again, small world.

We have reached a kind of empty spot in our plans. We aren't sure where we are going after this. There is not enough time to go to Arizona and we finish the first half of the training tomorrow Sunday night, so we could potentially leave here on Monday morning. We have to be in Albuquerque on Thursday. So we are before the Lord as to what He would have us to do. This is the time where we walk by faith that something will work out. It is kind of exciting to look forward to what the Lord might arrange. I'll lhave to let you know when it happens.

Still in Houston

Yes, we are still in Houston!! But we are leaving on Thursday and going to Dallas. We will be taking the first meeting of the video training there and spending one night. Then we will move on to Oklahoma City where we will take the next 5 meetings. Then we go to Albuquerque where will finish the training. At least that is what we thing we are doing. Everything is always subject to change. We aren't sure yet when we are going to fit in Arizona. We have several options that we are leaving open.

Stan is working very hard and I am hardly working. Like I said before, the deck turned out to be a major job -- mainly because the person who made it did it wrong and it was about ready to fall down. But he is righting all the wrongs and they will have a much better deck after he is finished with it. My work is mainly in the kitchen, although I am seeing quite a few herb clients. But mostly, Heather is getting a very happy break from intense cooking for her three constantly starving children. She homeschools them and they are all Suzuki students (violin, guitar, and cello) so she keeps very busy. We are enjoying impromptu recitals after dinner.

We are also enjoying one of Texas' finest products: Blue Bell Ice Cream!! The favorite so far is Vanilla Moolenium Crunch. You see, we went to the store and we thought we bought some of it and got home and realized that is was the Chocolate Moolenium Crunch. :( So the next day Heather went back and got the vanilla one. But we are being good sports and eating the chocolate one, too. Sometimes you just have to learn to suffer.

Today, Stan is installing a French door for some friends of Dave and Heather's. Then tomorrow he will finish up with the deck. The weather here is beyond hot so he is constanly sweating and I am constantly trying to fill him up with liquids with minerals in them. This will make him appreciate Virginia summers....something he has never appreciated before. I, on the other hand, am spending most of my time in the comfort of the well air conditioned Farrell home.

We have gone to a number of meetings while here. Several in homes -- including the Lord's Table meeting on Sunday evening. The church here is about 500 so they even break up into smaller groups on Sunday morning so there were about 40 in the meeting we were in. They have everyone divided by geographical areas but in different rooms in the meeting hall. We all go over the same outlines and everyone shares from what they enjoyed from them. After that meeting we went to the home of some of the saints for a meal.

So we will be hitting the road soon. We will get back with you -- probably not in Dallas but in OKC.

Day of Rest

We finally had the time to upload some pictures. These are only a few, but we don't want to bore you. We spent a restful quiet day in Jackson. It was a much needed break. We stayed in the home of John and Rachel Hoekema and had meals at Dale and Debbie's. So since we had no responsibilities and a full day ahead of us we were able to do a lot of practical and organizational things. The only place we went was to the Post Office and to meals. The highlight of our time was getting together with an old friend of Stan's who was very instrumental in Stan's real experience of the Lord at the age of 23. Back when Stan was a hippie he was his neighbor and he used to spend time with him. Stan knew there was something different about him and it ultimately it was the final step in Stan's turn to the Lord. We spent almost 4 hours getting caught up with Larry -- it had been 20 years since Stan had seen him -- so we were able to hear all about everything we had missed.

On Wednesday morning we actually got to go to the Great Harvest Bread Store in Jackson. This is one of a chain that started in Great Falls, MT that we used to frequent. We were expecting to get one of their huge whole wheat cinnamon rolls, but they didn't have any that day so we had to settle for huge bran muffins instead. We munched them as we headed south on the interstate. We breezed through Louisiana stopping for lunch at the Blue Dog Cafe in Lafeyette and arrived in Kingwood, TX, at Dave and Heather Farrell's just in time for dinner. Great planning on our part -- we had yummy lamb chops.

Today Stan started working and Dave and Heather's deck. He thought he was only going to have to replace a few boards, but it turned out to be a much bigger project and he had to remove about a third of a large surface. We aren't sure how long we will be here or even where we are going from here. We are trying to figure out which church or churches we will take the LSM summer training on video. We do have time constraints and have to be in Utah by the 17th of July for a small family event. Eventually we will get it worked out.

Things will be uneventful for a while since we are settling in for about a week and Stan will be working. I am seeing a few herb clients and helping Heather with the shopping and cooking -- something that makes her very happy. So I am not sure when I will write again -- probably when something note worthy happens.

Our B&B cottage in Tennesee

the saints we ate dinner with in Nashville