Noni and Kate

Mom waited through 4 boys to finally get her girl! I'd say she's in love! And we are loving having her nearby to enjoy every moment with Kate!

McGwire and Kael's 2010 visit

We had the awesome pleasure AGAIN to have our nephews here for a visit this summer. It was a great time and so fun for all of us adults to see the cousins reconnecting with each other. Kate, being the only girl was certainly getting more than her share of attention!! They leave today and we will miss them, but we look forward with great anticipation to next summer! Thanks boys for a great visit!

Being the Feet: What It Would be Like

The sun was hot that afternoon and yet as you stepped under the thatch roofed hut, the sun wasn’t so bright. You had to squint your eyes to make out what was right in front of you and you gradually realized that what you were squinting at was a man. But this man was unlike any you had seen before. And as you attempted to communicate with him, you realized any attempt you made would be futile at best.

The hot temperature, the strange sights and smells, this man speaking in a language so radically different than your own, all had you wondering how you were going to begin to share God’s love with this man and others like him. You were struggling to learn even the most basic of phrases in this tribal dialect and yet you knew that if you were going to make God’s story clear to him, you were going to have to do far better than ‘What is that?’

How is this seemingly impossible task going to be accomplished? How is this unreached man going to be reached?

I had the chance to coordinate this experience along with an incredibly gifted team of 8 others, to create this scenario for almost 1000 festival goers at Michigan’s Big Ticket Festival in Gaylord MI in late June. From current NTBI staff and students to former students and missionaries on their way to the field, all of us worked together to create a tribal village setting in the middle of this festival attended by over 25000 people in two and a half days.

After creating that tension that each person who went through our experience felt, we presented them with options, opportunities to gain the Biblical worldview and training needed to accomplish this ‘impossible’ task.

We pray that the list of approximately 2500 un-reached people groups that we posted on the walls of our tent eventually becomes a shorter because of people heeding God’s call and taking Him seriously.

That’s how the impossible will be made possible.

Being The Feet: What It Would Be Like

Photo: Ric Bruce 2010

Summer Fun!

Thank you to Auntie Rebecca, Anna and Noah for a great day at their pool today! The kids had so much fun and that was because of you all!

our little rock band!

So we watched the Mathew girls the other day and the kids all came upstairs telling us they wanted to put on a concert for us. Watch for yourself but I think we might be on to something here! ;)

Watch out, here she comes! She's a man eater!

Watch out boys. She means business! Dont' mess with this little girl, she'll tear you up! She's got teeth and she knows how to use them.

Today, even though Kate didn't get in the water, since we were going to the lake, I decided it was high time she sported her cute little bathing suit, given to us by my best friend Jolene (and Kallie too). I must say she resembles a sharpei puppy but, oh my word, she was cute! I also wanted to document her third tooth that came through the other day. The fourth is due any day now as are all the eye teeth! We don't do things slowly in our house! :O She is such a happy baby post months one and two and we are so thankful to have her in our family. This collage really captures her sweet personality but in the next two pictures, I'm posting you get to see what she's been working on should her two big brothers decide to turn on her and pick on her...

A perfect Saturday

So today was the first Saturday in, I don't know, forever that we, as a family had a totally relaxing day. We took off with Mom and her friend (our freind too) Andrea (from Missouri) at about 9:30am and headed South to Clark Lake. We've been there before but today was just perfect. The weather was warm but not too hot. The water was warm, shallow enough for the boys to go out in and not be scared, and there were tons of shells in the water and boy did we collect shells! It was amazing! So we hung out there for the morning, just really chillin'! Then we had lunch at one of our favorite local joints called The Beach Bar. Great sandwiches, wraps, salads and their creamy tomato soup is to die for! After lunch, we headed home for naps, which didn't go so well, but we'll forget that part and skip on to the amazing dinner my hunny and I made: Grilled pork chops, corn off the cob and cous cous. A-MAZING! So tasty. Mom and Andrea hung out with us again for dinner and then our good friends, the Hobbs came over for dessert. The temp was perfect, great music playing, kids sleeping after a long fun day and great conversation. RELAXED. That's what I'll call it and long overdue, I must say!