A moment of peace and calm before the busiest month of our time in the USA!
Mom asked for a photo of Ellie and Reni. I wished at times that I had brought my 'good camera'...
Do you think they'll oblige me when we get back to Albania?
I was able to meet some of my high school friends for lunch one day!
Before hitting the road on our extended trip to the south and east, we made a visit to Gigi's and tried out the newest version of Catan Mom picked up. I think we were starting to understand it when we had to leave! Whew! Just a bit involved!
First stop on our road trip -- Lexington Shriner's Hospital for Reni's 'rough fit' in his new legs!
We were so happy to see two dear families... First up, the Mungillos...
Then, the Mazzas!
We stayed at our old stomping grounds, the student center at Asbury. The kids again requested to tour the Media Communications building which to them is really a free museum of movie props, to see all the newest additions to their collection.
Ellie is obsessed with the dream of going to university and wanted to experience what it'd be like to sit in class...
And sat on one of the 'sets'...
We drove from Kentucky to Toccoa, Georgia. First up was a visit with our friends, the Handworks.
Sadly, the only photo I got while we were there was this photo of Ellie and Nathan in front of the outdoor fireplace that Jess' dad built on their patio.
The photo was inspired by this quote affixed to the fireplace mantle (below)
We were happy to spend Saturday helping Jess and her family move out of their home while contractors worked to finish up some serious repairs and improvements to her home that have been on hold since her husband passed away 7 years ago. Nathan's packing skills were tested filling the moving truck and storage unit. A good number of the church members turned out as well offering us time to get to know more folks from Grace Fellowship, one of our supporting church's!
Our hosts were our dear friends, the Santor family. Their daughter Haley and son Tobin were busy working Saturday so we went to their workplace and enjoyed sampling the goodies with the treat of sweet ice cream cones!
Below, Reni sits with Andrew.
Sunday morning we worshipped at Grace Fellowship and Nathan shared a report.
Below, with the Santors, just missing their oldest, Cora, who has finished school and moved out west to work her dream job on a horse ranch!
After church we were thrilled to have lunch with our friend, Margaret! She drove down from South Carolina to see us! <3
Sunday after lunch we drove to Alpharetta for dinner with Shannon and Ben and Shannon's parents, Tony and Cheryl. Shannon was an Asbury student who served with us on a trip to Bolivia several years ago, then a few years ago Shannon and Ben came to Albania with Cru! Ben and Shannon have two little boys and so it was great to see them! Especially since Theo hadn't been born yet when we saw them two years ago!
Monday morning we visited the charming downtown of LaGrange, Georgia to have coffee with Will. Will was supposed to come and spend the summer of 2020 with us in the village... but you know what happened to travel plans in 2020. Sadly, he was not able to join us, and the time we spent with him in August told us we would have really enjoyed having him with us in Albania! But we are so happy to hear how he is doing as a youth pastor and know that his students are blessed to have him as their leader!
From LaGrange we drove to McDonough where we saw our dear friends, the George family.
You can see from this photo below how we felt about seeing these dear friends (who have friends with an amazing pool they made available for us to use!).
On Tuesday we spent a loooong day in the car. Thankfully Ellie has begun to fall in love with reading! And thankfully we have a library app that allows her to check out books on my Kindle!
Wednesday we hit the Mall bright and early to ascend the Washington Monument, thanks to tickets that my friend Jan secured for us! Believe it or not, it was my first time in the monument and it was sweet to tick this box off a significant landmark in one of my favorite cities in the world.
After lunch we visited the Museum of the Bible. Wow. We really enjoyed visiting this place!
The exhibits were so varied, but we enjoyed this interactive room with touch-screens...
One could research statistics on the most searched for words and most frequently shared Bible verses by language on the international Bible app (also known as YouVersion). The results were different for every language and I found to be a fascinating cultural insight.
This gentleman saw us before we saw him! This was our second time in DC where we met a fellow bi-lateral amputee. Both were grown men who wanted to chat with and connect with Reni. It's a club with a small membership! This gentleman's name was David!
Staying at Jan's home is always such a treat. She practices the gift of hospitality as well as anyone we know. She shows her love in fantastic homemade food, which for Ellie includes BROWNIES!
We then drove over to one of our favorite places on the east coast: the shores of southern New Jersey!
One night was not nearly long enough, but better than nothing at all. We were so happy to see Nathan Uncle Paul, Aunt Melanie, and cousins Elizabeth and Paul Jr (and his family). A special bonus was coordinating our visit to coincide with Mom and Dad Waggoner's visit. They hosted us overnight in their RV!
From New Jersey we drove back to Kentucky and had our 'tanks filled' by visits with so many dear friends. Of course, we didn't get to see everyone we had hoped to see, and I didn't get photos with everyone we saw or of all the things we did (like lunch with the Troyers and visiting First Alliance Church).
The childen's pastor presenting the check to Nathan during the second service.
The kids were thrilled to see their old friend, Nathan B, who is now a student at Asbury. He was a good sport while they treated him like a big brother.
With our friends, the Boyds! (below)
The ladies know how to make you feel like you're back 'home' when you're at your alma mater!
With Charlotte and her daughter, Grace.
We got to meet Bryce's new wife and daughter! (A lot happens in 2 years!)
Then we had dinner with our dear college friends, Amy and Susan and their loved ones!
Larry and Joy have been long-time friends from within our mission who have offered us so much support and encouragement over the decades. We were glad to have lemonade and cookies with them one Sunday after lunch!
Our last 'appointment' in Kentucky was sharing at the student fellowship on Asbury's campus where we served for 13 years before going to Albania. It's always very special and emotional. We got to meet a lot of new students, including some whose parents were our classmates several years ago! It was a very special evening and I can't think of a single photo I have from my handful that portrays the evening adequately.
From Kentucky we drove up to Ohio for two nights. First we saw Pastor Mel Truex and met his new wife, Linda! After losing his wife, Sally, 8 years ago, it was nice to see how happy this couple is to have found each other!
From Kentucky we drove up to Ohio for two nights. First we saw Pastor Mel Truex and met his new wife, Linda! After losing his wife, Sally, 8 years ago, it was nice to see how happy this couple is to have found each other!
Our friends, the Schranks, hosted us and we loved visiting Pack Saddle Fellowship in Kingston, great partners in the work in Albania!
The following day we drove down to San Antonio to see the Callaways...
...then we skipped over to see the River Walk in a rare day without kids!
The following day we flew home, wrapping up our whirlwind race through August! I don't think the human heart was designed to sustain so much love and support from so many dear friends and family in such a short time, but we have to make it last a looong time until we will see most of them again!
To everyone who hosted us, we are so grateful for your hospitality, your generosity, and for filling our hearts and minds with some great memories. To those of you who prayed, we are grateful for your prayers. We covered so many miles, met with so many individuals and never got sick!
