July is Hot, and other News

Home Assignment Update 009

If there are any readers left out there, it seems that June has become my annual month of fasting from blogger, for whatever reason. It is not as if there were not enough memorable events over the last two weeks to keep us hopping with news, they were full and fruitful months. It is amazing how fast the time goes by.

I will not upload a bunch of fotos... but only for my benefit in reviewing and thinking about where we have been and what God has done in our lives, I want to write a few thoughts.

There was a week of VBS in Harrison, NE. Wow, we love it at HBC and it was very exciting to make new friends with new believers in the church. 40 plus kids from day one left us asking if there were any more kids in Harrison to invite on the next day ... turns out there were only a couple. Meeting Gracia Burnham was like icing on the cake.

We had a great time with our family camping at Angustora in Hot Springs for three days. Well, mostly we tried to survive the harsh weather on the South Dakota Prairie. There are some great pictures of cousins on Facebook, check them out if you are interested.

There were weekend trips to churches in Wyoming and eastern South Dakota also during the first weeks of June. It was in Sioux Falls that Mom and Dad O. decided to meet us for a night. It turned out to be a memorable weekend.

There was a closing program VBS appearance in Chadron, NE where Gulligan's Island and the gospel were a great combination.

There was another VBS in Hot Springs, SD and it was fun to watch my brothers participate in leading the games that I used to lead. While a lot of great ministry was done, my job was daddy day-care along with Patrick Campbell. Memorable.

Sad goodbyes to a place we love... our kids had come to know Accouter Rental and Sales as home. We felt like we were leaving for the first time all over again. I think, personally speaking, that it was so memorable because we were included in the regular ministry of the church family, participating in various aspects of ministry. Thanks Calvary! We can't wait to have many of you with us next year.

"First Time Home Owners"

We bought our first home... and it follows us around quite nicely. Remember the memorable weekend in Sioux Falls? The timing, the vehicle, and the right camper were all together in the same place. It is a '91 Sun Light Discovery 180, pop-up camper with a hard shell (only the head space pops). Bunkbeds are a great plus, a fridge that keeps things cold, plenty of storage space, and some generous gifts to help outfit it (and finally an excuse for Denielle to go garage sailing). We are enjoying the mobile lifestyle and have managed to keep it cool on the hottest of the hot days. The most awkward part has to be the toilet that greets you right as you step into the door. It works well in emergencies.

Expect a "For Sale" post here in a few weeks when we are done with it!

Where was I? Next we landed in Dix, NE where it was our fourth and final VBS. It was also the first time out in the camper. We had a great time with the kids and enjoyed talking about Brazil, teaching
Portuguese, and telling Amy Bergan's story. Hot... and the Fort Collins fires spread their menacing smoke into western Nebraska. It was a little unsettling.

Over the mountains to western Colorado we went, celebrating a milestone birthday for the love of my life. God started some great things in our first meeting at MVBC. We'll see what God has in store for that relationship. We were only 20 miles from the border with Utah and Denielle really wanted to go but I told her that the camper would go no further.

We were so blessed by our time in the Grand Junction area. In the body of Christ there is a special bond that, even though years might pass between friends, still they are able to pick up where they left off and enjoy sweet fellowship in the gospel. We cannot take it for granted.

US Highway 50 became our good friend next as we headed east. A few days of restful camping, 8,000+ feet in altitude were just what we were hoping for. We didn't mind that we used the heater in the camper every morning. Fireworks in the park were also a lot of fun.

More of US Route 50, up and over Monarch Pass (why didn't we stop and take more pictures?), and we were soon into the flat lands of eastern Colorado. Let the heat waves roll... and we asked ourselves why we came down out of the mountains.

My Grandma is 90... and it was so good to see her again. We sweltered along with the rest of central Kansas for about a week. We were overwhelmed by a warm welcome from Berean BC and blessed by the opportunities they gave us to share what God is doing in our lives. A reunion with "old" friends was especially sweet. It was so good, we had to stretch it out to two days.

It was back to Colorado from there, though we didn't make it quite as high this time, and we avoided Route 50. It was fun to be in a city again, though the pocketbook did not enjoy the shopping that was nearby. Colorado Springs is a beautiful city. FBC is a warm and friendly church family. We felt like we were in Brazil again, there were so many hugs, handshakes, and welcoming friends. And we got to participate in a baptism/celebration. I could say more but our kids found new grandparents if we lived nearby.

We have landed again in western NE where we will spend the greater part of two weeks, enjoying fresh garden produce and family, among other things. We are wrapping up the final weeks of our travels now. The homestretch is getting shorter.

 Only a couple thousand miles to go!