Volunteer Valentine Party

One of our Highlights during the year is our winter volunteers.  We have a group of retired folk who come and help with maintenance items here on campus.  Last year we were blessed with a couple from North Dakota, Wayne & Judy.  They took it upon themselves to throw us a Valentine Party.  I never thought a party would be such a blessing but it was.  And, I've never walked away from a party with such gratitude before.  This year Wayne & Judy came back and did it again.  And again I walked away gleaming at how much fun I had,  and how very encouraged we felt. 

Dessert

When Judy throws a party, in order to eat, we have to work to get our dinner.  Last year our table had to sing a song with love in it.  This year our table had to write a poem containing at least one reference to Valentine's Day and one reference to Love, and had to be four verses long. Piper loves writing poems so we set her to the task but her brain was in need of dinner.  

So Ace stepped in and helped her out.

We were the last table to read our poem.  Don't you just love Cherry waiting patiently?  I'm pretty sure her fork is being used as a person.

Piper reading our poem.

Our gift is not one of rhyme

But is one of Valentine.

We may be kind of late,

But I want food on my plate!

I am getting in a mood 

that means I want FOOD!!!

I want to say something about Love

But it's hard when in my mouth 

there is a milk chocolate Dove.

After Dinner the games were started lots of laughter.  My favorite quote from Judy was if you want to win a prize there has to be pain.  Those were not quite here words but it was something along that line.  

Oreo cookie on the forehead game working down to the mouth.  I've seen this game all over the internet so I know you've tried it. Notice, Ace doing his usual stand and watch and not participate.  He's excuse, was he was still eating his cupcake.

It's the kids turn.  Notice, Gustie doing the same thing?  HA! Ace says she's not like him, but she's like me.  I think Gustie looks like her ma but has Ace's brain.

Sam, Aurora, & Stormie participate in a game.  It's two pop bottles taped together with gumballs inside.  The first team to get them down to the other end is the winner.

Each age group got a turn

Ace & Paul need to use chopsticks to move conversational heart from one bowl to another.  Time to be a missionary from China.

Here we have, Larry & Kim kissing for the "how many kisses can you give your spouse in 60 seconds game".  The lipstick the ladies put on, did not do a good job leaving its mark, so there was a do over request. However the audience voted that Larry & Kim put on the best show leaving them to win the prize.

A Visit to the Cotton Gin

Cotton Modules

loading on to the feeder

Feeder cleaning out stick, leaves, and debris.

Removing seeds

5,000 lbs of pressure to make a 500lb bale of cotton.  This bale can make over 300 dresses.

Samples of cotton are taken from each bale an are tested for length and thickness and given a Grade

Each bale is given a bar code that stays with it for life. This bar code tells all about the cotton, where it came from and its Grade.

A Big Pile of Cotton Seed

Cute babies dressed in cotton!

Going to see the cotton bales.  This is our large homeschool group.

Everyone was given some cotton to take home

And we were all given some cotton seed too.

Because of the loud noise our tour guide was hard to hear so the kids got board quickly.

Kids finding shade

Here it is, the life time identity of this cotton bale.

Hope you enjoyed the tour, we did!  Gin stands for engine in case you were wondering.  I liked this video on Cotton found on You Tube.  I wish there was a good video on Eli Whitney who invented the cotton gin but couldn't find one.

Our First Furlough

(OK NTM'rs, I know that "Furlough" is not the correct terminology,  but the new words just aren't working for our friends.)  SMILE.  

Our plans before we left Arizona was to visit family, friends & supporting churches.  Also to remodel the bathroom in our Lowell home along with doing some touch up outside painting and then renting it out to a prospected renter.  We also planned on making contacts with new churches in hopes of gaining more support.

Our first stop was New Mexico, to visit a church in Lu Luz.   It was during this stop that we were encouraged to sell our home in Lowell instead of fixing it up to rent. We also met a lady who was visiting her friends at this church.  She was from Michigan too and was interested in helping us with our home so we exchanged information and were very encouraged. We enjoyed our overnight stay at the Brock home which is always a blast.

Playing Simeon says with the Brock children

Cool Story

One of the things that encouraged us the most  in New Mexico was a man who told Ace, that our first visit back in March, was also his first visit to this church.  Ace not knowing anyone at this church approached him and shook his hand and took some time to get to know him that Sunday. Our seconded visit in May, this same man approached Ace and said that he had come to know the Lord as his Savior since our last visit and wanted to tell his grown son.  He wasn't sure how his son was going to take it.  When he called his son to tell him the news of his salvation his son was the one that said "Dad I got saved and am going to church" and asked him if he was OK with his decision. It sure is neat to see how God works everything out and what incredible timing He has.

Our AC was broken in our van so we wanted to go North asap.  The Brock's told us of a scenic rout and we enjoyed the frigid ice cold windy atmosphere up, up, up in the mountains along with the beautiful view.

FEBRUARY

We started February off with celebrating Groundhogs day with Dirt Cake. Yummy!

So many majestic views of the mountains and sky. It really makes up for the loss of green and color we don't get living here in the desert. I love the mountains peeking their tops out of the clouds.

Ace is always giving tours to friends who come through to visit. Our kids always have questions and are always asking what is behind that door? Not having time to answer their questions because he is busy giving the tour to company he decided to schedule a visit with the family



Front office Door

First stop is the bulletin board in the front offices that holds photos of all our Aviation missionaries. Gus is pointing to where her Grandparents live.

A detour first to see the Kodiak get fueled up.

These are mailboxes for all the countries we serve in. Each mailbox holds airplane parts that that particular country is asking for.
Sam!

Everyone gets to sit in an airplane and try it out.

Everyone gets to sit in a Helicopter and try that out too.

Then we also get to look at Daddy's project he's been working on, and frustrated with. Its a golf-cart that NTMA bought to help start the Kodiak and to help push the Kodiak in and out of the hanger. The Kodiak is a big bird and it takes a lot of men to move it.

Ace spent a weekend in Phoenix taking apart this school gym. A Christian school gave NTMA a gym for our campus. We just have to disassemble move it and resemble. Lots of work! The Sowers were here to help when everything came to a screeching halt and we found out we needed an inspection for hazardous materials and a dissembling work permit. Ugh.

Piper turned 12 years old.

February 22-26 we had Spiritual Emphasis Week. This is were we come together in the mornings and listen to a special speaker and sing Hymns and Praise & Worship songs and just be encouraged and refreshed to continue on with the fight.

Justin & Courtney are leaving us to serve in Indonesia. They were our classmates when we first arrived here in McNeal. They are the last of our fellow training student to leave here.

Piper is singing a Praise song and Cherokee is enjoying her a.m. snack during intermission.

This is what our family looked like the whole week of Spiritual Emphasis: sitting on the floor coloring, doing schoolwork, and listing to the Speaker.

The teenagers sang and played Praise and Worship music on Thur. & Fri. They did an awesome job. (Just a side note - The public schools here had a budget cut last year so now there is no school on Fridays.)

Our speaker was Greg Sanford we really enjoyed listening to his stories of his life growing up as an MK and also serving with NTM as and adult. He currently is helping NTM's Wayumi ministry. "Wayumi", you ask well just click on the word Wayumi and see for yourself.

Our next adventure was a scheduled working date. Ace and I planned on getting a babysitter and going to Tucson and running some errands followed by dinner together. As we were driving to Tucson he pulled out tickets to the musical "Fiddler on the Roof"!! Then he said that was not all.......He planned a night at a Bed & Breakfast! WOW! I actually got butterflies in my stomach. He even planned on a place for the kids to stay and packed my bags. Now a little bit about me, NOTHING gets past me I always discover surprises before they are given. This one I didn't even see coming. AMAZING!

On our way to our wonderful weekend Ace said he felt led to stop at the Hospital and visit our friend Billy Haslam who just retired from NTM last May. Recently his health has been failing and he was given two more days left to live. We wanted to stop by and say good-bye. We arrived 1/2 hour to late; Billy went home to be with His Lord and Savior. We were glad to be there to help his wife Loretta and comfort her during this time. The Memorial Service was in March and was a wonderful time spent in celebrating his life here on earth.

Our Bed & Breakfast the name Jeremiah Inn came from Jeremiah 9:2a "Oh that I had in the dessert a lodging place for travelers..."

Front view

Us eating our breakfast and the only picture of us during our whole weekend.

Our gorgeous view out our bedroom window

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful blowing March Winds!