The Petrified Forest is a forest in a desert….the remains of ancient trees which have now turned to stone.
Gil told the kids, The White Witch was here.
Very scientific, of course.
We visited Laura, Andy, and Aimee (and their families) in Arizona–three siblings from our college days, who also grew up as MK’s in a neighboring country to Liberia–so we have lots of mutual friends.
and of course….what would be a trip to Arizona without a visit to the Grand Canyon?
California, here we come!
When I was in sixth grade, I wrote a short story that took place in the Carlsbad Caverns. My mom had told me about them, and I was fascinated. I have wanted to visit them for practically my entire life.
Today was the day.
How can I possibly describe this place?
Indescribable.
Like something out of a fantasy novel.
Unlike anything I have ever seen.
Gil is a great photographer, but these pictures do not do justice to this experience. These caverns are 750 feet below the ground. The magnitude of the rooms under the earth was completely mind-blowing.
Once in a lifetime.
Such a creative, magnificent God we serve.
The formation behind us is called Rock of Ages. We learned that many years ago, when guides got to this place, they would shut off all the lights except the one on this stone. Then everyone would sing “Rock of Ages.”
Can you imagine?
In a cavern of that size, what that would sound like? Look like?
Someday, on That Day, maybe we’ll get the chance.
So much scope for the imagination. It gets into your bones and makes you a different person.
Oh, the great state of Texas. I find it interesting that out of the six families we visited in Texas, 5 of them formerly lived in California. Hmmmm….
Phil and Megan were part of the college group we led 10 years ago.
Tommy was part of it too. It’s been pretty neat to see the fruit of that ministry.
Mike and Laura were friends from our church in California.
Nathaniel and Wendy were friends from college.
Christine and I were also friends from college.
1998
2013
We haven’t aged a bit, haven’t we?
Don’t answer that.
We also visited the Cox family in Texas….the one family so far that we forgot to get a picture of. Argh.
Two more states to go….we are almost there! Moving into our apartment on Saturday!
So I’m getting behind in my blogging…..But here we go….headed west!
Georgia
visiting Steve and Danae and family
Steve was the director of HOPAC from 2005-2008 and we loved working under him.
visiting Dan and Janine and family–friends from California
Josiah was a Pterodactyl in Georgia. What does this have to do with Georgia? Nothing. He was just the cutest Pterodactyl ever.
In Atlanta, we visited the neighborhood where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, the church he preached in, and the place where he is buried.
Alabama
visiting Dan and Amy
Amy was a teacher at HOPAC and a leader in our youth group back in 2005-2006.
Last year in first grade, Grace did a big report on Helen Keller. So of course, everyone in the car was super excited to find that we were only minutes away from her house. It was a Sunday, so we couldn’t go in, but at least we got to see the outside.
Tennessee
Despite being in Memphis, we did not see Elvis. However, we did see Josiah and Lindsey. Josiah was one of our college students during the years we led the college group at our church. He is also brother to a number of our other friends!
Arkansas
Amanda and I were friends from college…she lived across the hall from me, and we’ve been in touch ever since. (That was….gulp….over 15 years ago.)
Our kids were very excited about visiting “the house with the 7 kids.”
They were not disappointed!
The kids told us today that they want seven kids in our family. “Because then you never get lonely.”
Heather was a teacher at HOPAC a few years ago, and we knew Quincy from college. We got to be a tiny part of their love story in Tanzania. They hosted us in their house that they had just moved into the day before. Now that’s hospitality.
“Aunt” Heather was pretty special to the kids in Tanzania.
We also visited Brian and Ruth, friends from my childhood in Liberia and Ethiopia. I had not seen them in 20 years.
Karen and Victoria and their family were wonderful friends for many years in Tanzania.
We’re learning things about the south….their love of BBQ, peaches, good manners and cotillions. (Yes, cotillions–as in, all the junior highers learn social dancing….how cool is that???)
And then there was Christa…who was a part of our lives since she was in 6th grade…and now she is a college sophomore. She baby-sat our kids for years….stayed with us a few times while her parents were traveling….so it’s pretty amazing to see her all grown-up and responsible and loving Jesus.
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