Haiti Trip Coming Soon

Many of you know that I'm going on a 3rd mission trip to Haiti. I'm leaving this Sunday and once again I feel completely unprepared. I'm leading a trip with 12 other people going (3 adults, 4 college students, and 5 high schoolers). If you would please pray for our trip. Pray specifically that all barriers may be removed and that the Holy Spirit can accomplish God's will in the hearts of our group. Without going into the details there is a HUGE spiritual battle taking place within our group and I'm hoping that this trip becomes a decisive moment in many lives.

Once again we will be hosted by Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (www.nwhcm.org) for our 2 week stay. We will be spending 4 or 5 days in a very remote area of Haiti that the mission is starting to build a presence within. We're leading a VBS program at several sites and we are hosting a 2-day youth revival at the mission campus.

I've got my bug spray and sun-block packed. I'll post some pictures and give a report when I return. Thanks for your prayers!

4H & A Friend

Jessica worked all day on her 4H basket-
weaving project. She made this basket
that I thought was quite incredible.

Kyle had one of his "best friends" over to
the house just to play and hang out.

Cousins

First - Jessica, Leanne, and Kyle all had a chance to spend the night
with their cousins (and Leanne's sister). Then Megan and
Natalie were able to spend a couple of days with us.

We hiked a trail at Forest Glenn. Everyone had to have
a "walking stick." Notice who had to lead the hike also.

Luckily no one fell in the creek.

What a good lookin' bunch!

Our Hearts Ache

Many of you have no doubt heard this already. Wednesday a tragedy struck the family of Steven Curtis Chapman. Their 5 year old daughter, Maria, was accidentally struck by a vehicle in the family's driveway. The accident took her life. To add to the tragedy Steven's son was the one driving the vehicle.

Our hearts ache as we grieve for the Chapman family. We can find hope knowing that this faithful family will find peace in the assurance that Maria is now dancing in Heaven. We also find comfort knowing that their faith will undoubtedly give them the wisdom and the courage to help their son struggle through an extremely difficult pain.

Our prayers are filled with thoughts of the Chapman's ..... God bless!

Summer's Coming

It's not quite here yet but summer is coming quick. We had a cookout today with the Trusty's. They recently moved to Indiana and Michael took a Ministry position at a church about 30 minutes from here. It's really nice to have some good college friends close by.

Jessica and Charis did their nails and makeup.

Kyle and Micah played video games.

Jessica and Charis somehow convinced Michael to be their fashion model (victim).

Lightsaber battles! I wonder who thought of that?

We had a great day!

Thumbs Up

It's here! Chronicles of Narnia "Prince Caspian." We hit the theater opening day and caught a late matinée showing. Overall ....... Awesome! ... Two thumbs up! If you keep in mind that Aslan is supposed to represent Christ there are a lot of powerful lines in the movie!

Lean on Lodge

Well ... I just finished a two-day retreat with the other Minister's on staff at our church. A wonderful man we know from Bainbridge, Indiana has built a cabin on his property that he calls the "Lean-On Lodge." The cabin is meant for people to come, stay, relax, and enjoy some time away. Ray is a good Christian man who has raised three daughters (all of whom have graduated from Taylor University). The funny thing is Ray told them if they all went to Taylor and graduated from there he would tatoo the school logo on his arm. Ray was showing his new tat when we saw him this week.

Anyway the cabin is incredible and it was nice to spend the time away from the office. We were able to really take some time to discuss the ministry of the church and we even got in a game of frisbee golf.

Here's a few pictures of the cabin.




Ray built this covered bridge out of a semi-truck trailer. Very cool!


Lots of stuffed animals and miscellaneous stuff all over the walls. You're being watched!


What kind of retreat cabin would it be without a HUGE flat-screen high-definition TV?


Yes the loft has a Tiger skin, a hobo manequin holding cards, a stuffed coyote, and a poker table. What's so unusual about that?

10 Days and Counting

Kyle and I are counting down the days till the new Narnia movie is released. Can't wait.

Mother & Daughter Banquet

My Mom and my Grandma came down for our church's Mother & Daughter Banquet. Leanne was in charge of planning the banquet. She did a great job! Kyle and I helped serve and clean up and I heard lots of laughter and saw many smiles! I was very proud of Leanne and the work she gave towards putting on a great program!

Volleyball Ends

Hard to believe but Jessica's volleyball season is over. She had a great time playing!

It's not volleyball but Jessica wanted me to post this picture of her and Kate attempting to "share" the use of a pair of rollerblades.