Summer Daze ~ USA

I can hardly believe that our summer break is nearly over.
We start back to school next Monday, but it seems like we just got out.
We've had a very busy and fun filled summer.
Here's a pictorial look at our last several weeks.
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I headed to the States June 16th to help out with our mission's Pre-Field Orientation (PFO). I arrived a few days before it started so spent some time visiting friends and family in MN and IA.
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Two of my closest friends, Kathy Sproul and Kim Linn, and I went to Kim's family cabin in MN for two nights. It was so awesome spending time catching up with them without any interruptions.
What a blessing friends are!

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a childhood friend's wedding. It was about 2 hours south of the Twin Cities, and only 2 hours north of where my brother, Paul, and his family just moved to in IA. I figured "What's two more hours when I've come all this way anyway, and the roads in the States are so amazing." So, I drove the extra two hours and spent about 12 hours at my brother's house, visiting with family.

Paul & I

Paul & Angie Kimball
Megan, Isaac, Lucas, John, & only days before Baby Eliana was born

Dale & Lida Christiansen
Dale is a pastor in Austin, MN. What a blessing for both of them to be able to minister together using their gifts and talents for the Lord.

Karen & Lida
Lida and I roomed together at boarding school for five years.
What an honor to be able to attend her wedding.
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I flew to Memphis on Father's Day and was able to spend a day with my parents at my sister's house.

Grandpa with Tiana & Jeremiah, Kim's youngest two

Kim, Mom, & Me
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PFO for NICS started the next day. It was an amazing two weeks. I was a small group advisor for 5 gals heading to 5 different NICS school. I loved getting to know these ladies and hearing about their passion for teaching at an International Christian School.

~My small group~
Clockwise from the top
Allison, Karen, Shelli, Meredith, Stephanie, & Darci

NICS prepared 161 adults and 37 kids for ministry overseas in the 20 NICS schools around the world. Pray that the Lord will use these people in a mighty way to bring students to Himself.

Here are the four of us coming/returning to AVA.
Heather, Me, Christie, & John
Pray that visas will be granted to these three, so they can join our staff soon.
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I celebrated the 4th of July with Kim and her family.

We went to Bellevue Baptist Church, a HUGE church in Memphis, that was having a GIANT outdoor concert and fireworks show.

Tim, Josiah, & Jeremiah during the concert.

We enjoyed listening to a local band, the symphony orchestra from that church, and Big Daddy Weave. The Orchestra and the fireworks were in synch, creating a fabulous fireworks display.
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Following PFO, I had extended my trip so that I could have a heart procedure done. I've had a form of SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia) for many years. This had gotten more pronounced in recent years, so I saw a cardiologist shortly after I arrived in the US and decided to take care of the problem permanently.
After my procedure and during my recovery time, Kim and I decided to go on a whirlwind trip to MI to surprise my parents, who were up there for a mini-family reunion. My doctor okayed the trip as long as I got out and walked every hour.

We made the most of our trip by seeing various folks along the way.
We stopped and had lunch with our Aunt Kathryn in Nashville, TN.

We stayed Friday night with Kim's sister & brother in law in Indy.
It was great eating yummy jollof rice and visiting with Sam & Marie and their kids, Alice & TK.

The next day we had lunch in Ft. Wayne. Laura Polston, our student teacher at AVA this past spring, and her mom joined us from OH. It was great seeing her and hearing all about her plans for teaching this fall in WV.

We also called up a friend we grew up with in Sierra Leone to join us for lunch. Dawn and her family were on furlough from Guinea, West Africa, and she and her daughter joined us.
It was a great time of visiting and catching up...but our trip wasn't over yet.
We piled back in the car for a few more hours arriving around 4:00pm for the mini-family reunion in Howell, MI.

~First cousins~
Back row: Ben Shuh, Josh Shuh, Buddy Shuh, Will Shuh
Front row: Kim Kargo, Bonnie (Shuh) Rodriguez, Karen Cooley

Well, you can't tell we're related, can you?
Bonnie and I are 9 days apart in age and have always looked more like sisters than cousins.

We did surprise Mom & Dad with our arrival. We surprised them even more by informing them we planned to crash with them in their camper that night. It worked out great. However, because my flight left on Monday, we had to head home on Sunday. We left at 5:00am, and drove all the way home, 15+ hours (stopping every hour to walk, of course).
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It was a very productive and good trip to the States. It was longer than I expected, but I am glad to have that heart issue taken care of and I'm thankful for the time I got to spend seeing family and friends.