Travel Time...
We have just returned home (temp home in IA) from a week that took us from Creston, Ia to Manitowoc and Brookfield, WI to Rochester and Chatfield, MN and back to Ames, IA. It was a tiring trip for everyone, did I mention that I hate driving? Chloe and Cameron are doing much better than we anticipated as we travel to new churches each week. They love to talk to people (Hey, mom, everyone here speaks English!), and Cameron has had no trouble with the nursery as long as they have trucks.
Keiko is amazed at how big everything is, cars, houses, cups at McDonalds, people...
So far she is having a great time. I have started working on basic doctrine with her. We just finished Bibliology so she is writing a summary for me - in Japanese, good practice for me!
We hope to have more regular internet access now that I have purchased a wireless card for the laptop. Even the Rest Areas along the interstate in IA have wireless access! I should be able to update our webpage and add new pictures in the next few days. I also hope to have the first version of the webpage for New Life Baptist Church up and running soon (shinseibaptist.com)- haven't heard about New Life Baptist? It is the name of the new church we will be starting in Kikuyo, Japan. More info to come!
Back in the USA!!
And finally with access to the internet! We are just outside of St. Louis, MO at a Super8, on the way to IA. Our first two weeks have been mostly filled with jetlag and sickness, Cameron is still under the weather. It started with Melodie and made the rounds through everyone just as we were getting over jetlag. What a way to start the year!
Keiko is loving America so far, particularly southern fried food! Cornbread was a real favorite from the last week. I told her she would gain 50 lbs this year if she eats all that food without exercising, she said she would just have to stay in America if she gained 50 lbs, too embarrassed to go home!
Cameron has been thrilled to see all the huge trucks here. He makes sure to point out all the dump trucks, garbage trucks, fire trucks, etc. He has been very willing to go to the nursery at church as long as it was confirmed that there were indeed trucks to play with there!
Chloe has loved the attention from Granny and PawPaw. She is paying attention and has noticed quite a few differences between the US and Japan. She hasn't yet learned that Keiko is not here as her personal toy. We are working on that.
Melodie is starting to try to walk. My back is telling me to make her hurry and and get it! She laughs with joy whenever someone will hold her hands and help her walk around. She still has a few weeks to catch Chloe, who started walking at 9 months.
Susan has been exhausted, getting up at night with Melodie, getting over jetlag and then getting sick. Not too mention the others being more needy than usual as they get sick. She has tried to squeeze out some time to work on things for furlough but it has been difficult these first few weeks.
Because of the above mentioned sickness and jetlag, I have been responsible for most of the preparations for furlough. So, our video is not finished, waiting on Susan's lovely voice, but most of the rest (display, van, travel items, etc) is ready. We have the coolest van for the year! 13" TV, dvd, vcr, cd, cassette, mp3, radio, you name it, we can play it! Considering the fact that we will be in it for a big chunk of the year, it's a good thing.
And so furlough begins...
