Sun and Sand

The Indian Ocean off of Turtle Bay (Watamu, Kenya) is wonderful. I don't do hot and humidity very well, since I don't tan (I turn less white instead). We're going snorkeling tomorrow to see if we can see dolphins and little fishies on the coral. Maybe more pictures after that. I'm uploading photos from our time in Nairobi up to the following site. Have a look at my online storage site and look at these photos. Keep coming back as I'm adding photos during the week slowly because of the lack of speedy internet connection. http://www.box.net/shared/0gh5ggkhb8

Breaking Bread

I broke bread this morning. It wasn't breakfast. It was a meal of celebration. A meal of friendship. Teammates and colleagues from Thailand, Kenya, China, Ukraine, America, Mexico, and England around a simple meal of some crackers and juice. A meal of remembrance. The writers of the New Testament sometimes call it 'communion' or 'eucharist' (meaning 'thanksgiving') or the 'Lord's Supper'. Both a solemn moment and a joyful moment it was. Jesus was with us.

Kao La Tamaini and the Giraffe Project

Tuesday was a 10 hour affair with Japheth visiting three primary schools, one girls secondary boarding school, a few micro-enterprises, vocational training, and visiting the three largest slums of Mathare, Kibera, and Korogocho. Mathare, the largest, has over 800,000 people in an area 1 mile wide by 3 miles long.

At the moment, all I can say, is, 'What an eye-opener!' But wonderful work being done by locals who care for their community. 39 children in a classroom, elbow to elbow in a space some 15 x 20 feet. A mum/guardian caring for children and extended family, sleeping 8 to a bed and 16 in a tin covered shack with tin walls that's some 10 x 12 feet.

My internet access is slow and I'm having trouble picking up e-mails and responding. The schedule is choc-a-bloc and we've been out in Niarobi all day (and again today, Saturday). I may have to wait to provide more update until we get to the Kenyan Coast.....

Nairobi

24 hours ago we made our way to BHX in Birmingham. While we waited in the departure lounge, who should we see but Roy from thethirdplace catching a flight to Portugal! We hadn't seen him for several weeks, and it was a serendipitous visit. We also met Rob from the GlobalScope team (campus ministry at the University of Birmingham) who was on the same flight to Amsterdam.

Once in Amsterdam we met up with Jonathan who would be on the same flight to Nairobi. He's team leader for the team in the Ukraine. We flew a KLM plane run by Kenyan Airways, and while I was a bit nervous about the idea of a quality Kenyan airline (yes, I was prejudging), the service was great. Even though my armrest controls for the movies was on the blink, Tam and I managed to catch one movie by switching seats. The rest was less than that, with an overnight flight, as we backed up on a bulkhead and couldn't recline our seats. I did get to eat all of Tam's snacks though!

The four of us were met by Ezekiel, our driver to Brackenhurst, and waited for the team leader from the GlobalScope team in Salamanca, Spain. And then the driving adventure began! Ezekiel pointed out the terminal where VIPs are welcomed into the country, including Barak Obama back in 2006. He also showed us the road works going on from the airport into Nairobi, in anticipation of Obama's visit at some point in the future. We saw Obama posters on the back of cars and buses, some covered by the belching of thick diesel fumes like I've never seen! We almost disappeared down one pothole Ezekiel managed to miss after getting out of Nairobi, and then we followed that by playing 'chicken' with a immense lorry full of gravel that took evasive action to miss a pothole right into our path!

Made contact after arrival with Japeth, at a school in Nairobi. While Tam's in her meeting with other team leaders from across the world, I'm going into the slum area of Nairobi where I'm representing a church from England who supports the school. I have no idea what it's going to be like, but I hope to have some stories and photos tomorrow!

Alan Hirsch

Tam and I spent last weekend at the Together in Mission Summer School. Tam is working on an MA in Missional Leadership, while I'm a tutor (teacher) on several topics (Church Planting, Church Growth, Missions History, Mission & Empowerment) and was there to attend the Master Class with Alan Hirsch (www.theforgottenways.org).

Alan is originally from South Africa, but has spent most of his life in Australia, planting churches, leading a church planters and leadership training organization. He's written a couple of books, and has recently moved to America. He was one of the speakers at the National New Church Conference in April of this year. He's a deep thinker arising not from academia, but as a practitioner.

I first met him several years ago when he was on a speaking tour in the UK with Michael Frost. I ran into him a couple of years ago while at a class at Fuller (he was teaching, but I was in another class), and we had a couple of meals together with another Aussie who was in the class I was attending. He also did a wonderful job on the Saturday morning explaining some of the finer points of rugby as we watched the tri-nations match between the Wallabees (Australia) and the Springboks (South Africa).

In this Master Class, what was one thing he said that captured my attention? Especially as it applies to what we're doing in thethirdplace? He brought me back to something about the church growth being seen in China. The dynamic there is not "how do we grow?" but 'how do we multiply?" Added to this is the view "every believer is a church planter, and every church is a church-planting church." Why is it the western church is conditioned to think so differently than this? Why can't I think this way?

One other statement by Alan: "Christology determines mission which determines ecclessiology." That is, what one thinks of Jesus then defines what I perceive I ought to do in response to him, and that then shapes what the church looks like in any given culture. What we often do, is have a view of church that we attempt to impose upon other people and cultures; it is a western view and is a kind of ecclesiastical imperialism.

Food for thought!

Bits & Bobs

A few things that have happened since writing last....

The 4th of July weekend had no fireworks, but I did play in an ice hockey tournament in Sheffield. We came 14th out of 15 teams with a 1 win, 3 losses, and 4 ties. Games were 15 minutes running clock. We obviously didn't do as well as we hoped but we had a great time. Pictured are some of the lads that played. From the left back row John, 'H', Colum, Roger, Chris, then Darren, Gaz, and Maggit, and Matt our goalie. We had two players, Shornie and Aaron go out with injuries. I felt and played better as the games progressed each day, and in the end had a great time. One funny story from the training session the week before the tournament. John, the fellow on the left in the back, said to me, "I can't believe you're a (expletive deleted) vicar and you play ice hockey. You play it well and you're a (expletive deleted) vicar." Thank you John, for the compliment.

The last weekend in June was the delegate conference of the Fellowship of Churches of Christ. The conference was held in Leicester at a school where Lighthouse Church meets. Lighthouse joined the Fellowship last year, and this year the conference was followed by an ordination service for Richard. Richard (and Dan, pictured) was a printer who increasingly sensed a call to leadership in the local church. He was instrumental in Lighthouse joining our network of churches.

The 3rd weekend in June we said farewell to Aaron, Diane, Reece, and Fin who will be stateside until their return to the UK in early April 2009. The going away party for them at Dickens Heath Village Church also marked DHVC being entirely on its own without outside leadership. Our church plant, conceived and birthed earlier this decade, has matured past infancy, toddlerhood and adolescence, and is now a young but independent adult. It leave us full of mixed emotions as does considering our own adult children. God is good. It's not about us, it's about Jesus. We love Aaron and Diane and boys, and they have been great teammates to us in so many ways. We already feel a sense of loss that their next placement upon return to England won't likely be with us.

Family, Friends, & a Bobcat

2008-06-14
The Thursday drive from Fullerton to Mesa was uneventful, but hot! The temps have been over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 107 yesterday. We arrived into Mesa and went to see Andrew at his workplace, and was treated immediately to his sense of humour. One of his workmates drew a sketch exhibiting his sarcastic wit, and it depicts Andrew precisely. It says “'Random big word.’ You probably don’t know what that word means!”

Our dinner evening with the small group was fun! Thank you, friends, for your hospitality and generosity to us. One of the couples there were Ona and Ruth, whose daughter Rachel is a sweetie and good friends with Jess. Jess stayed with them the first night, then joined us at Karen and Gary’s last night.

This morning, I had a treat. As I was sitting at the table, tapping away on the laptop finishing preparations for an presentation in the afternoon, a bobcat walked by an arm’s length away just outside the patio window! It walked through the back garden (English term ‘garden’, but actually desert flora and fauna), jumped on a wall and walked along like any alley cat, then jumped into the neighbours front garden. Alas, I tried to talk a photo with my phone, but I hit the wrong button and missed it.

Symposium Wrap-up

2008-06-12
We’re up early this morning, getting ready to finish packing. We leave Pasadena this morning to drive to Fullerton, pick up Jessica, then make the almost 400 mile drive to Mesa. By 4.00pm this afternoon we should be stopping at Andrew’s workplace to meet him. We’re briefly meeting the owner (click here for the company) who’s helping us with some banners for Dickens Heath Village Church and thethirdplace. After that, we’re meeting a small group from Central Christian Church of the East Valley (http://my.cccev.com) for dinner.

While my Final Project Symposium is complete, the work is just beginning. My deadline for completing the 150 to 175 page final project is October 2010. This is where all the studying of the Doctor of Ministry (click here) comes together, and there are a number of intermediate deadlines to keep, the first being August 15 for submitting a draft final proposal for review, the next being 15 October for formal submission. While each class has had immediate personal application and in our church planting ministry in England, the final project should have substantial application.

I have two topics in mind, and can’t yet settle on one or the other until I flesh them out further in the final project proposal format. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

Possible Topic One: A Strategy for Church Planter Assessment in the Fellowship of Churches of Christ in England. Thesis: The purpose of this ministry focus paper is to present an implementable plan for assessing potential church planters within the network of churches known as the Fellowship of Churches of Christ.

Possible Topic Two: A Strategy for Planting a ‘Simple Church’ Network in the West Midlands of England. Thesis: The purpose of this ministry focus paper is to present an implementable plan for planting a network of reproducing organic or home-based churches in the West Midlands of England.

The first topic has to do with helping produce a more national strategy to support church planting by coming up with a range of assessment means that help potential church planters start planting churches. The second topic is more local, and has to do with establishing and growing thethirdplace network.

Sushi

I'm supposed to be writing my final project proposal, but an evening eating out with Jess and her friend Katie took priority. We went to my favourite eating place in Pasadena, A'Float Sushi. Well, maybe not my favourite place, but one I visit everytime we come here for one of my DMin classes. As for the Final Project Proposal, since I've been waking up at 2.00am every morning since coming to the States, I'll have a few hours to write before meeting with my small group for mutual encouragement and critiquing of what we've developed.

Los Angeles

2008-06-09
There is a reason we’re in LA apart from seeing Jess. Tim is attending a Final Project Symposium for his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) studies. This 2½ day course, led by Dr Peace, is designed to help Tim write a proposal for his Final Project. The proposal is a key piece in providing a focus for thought, research, and writing with specific ministry application in mind. While the final deadline is October 2010 (7 years from start to finish), staged deadlines of 15 August and 15 October of this year for approval of the proposal loom large.

Dr Peace (click here for a description of a book he's recently written and here for more info) is a delightful man, and has really set me at ease about the ‘doability’ of the proposal and the deadlines. Two new points of thinking about it gave me a feeling of relief. The first was that the final project proposal is a tool to progress my thought, research, and writing; that is, the finished product isn’t hogtied to the proposal outline for the 125 to 175 page paper. Second, if I can think about the reading, reflection, and writing as a spiritual discipline that is integrated into my life over the next two years, it will go a long way to making steady progress and bringing it to completion.

2008-06-08
Sunday afternoon and being reunited with Jessica was wonderful! We can see her growth and maturity in so many ways. She finished off the semester with top marks, working two part time jobs of 25 plus hours a week and carrying a 17 hour class load. She has a variety of friends (we had lunch with her and Crystal, Miki, Danielle, and Cormack), and can navigate the Los Angeles freeways and traffic like an expert! She’s working full-time this summer in Investigations at Fullerton Police Dept as a police cadet, providing support to the detectives. Where did our little girl go?

Early Morning Travel

What were we thinking---getting up at 3.00am this morning to catch our morning flight out of Eugene? I guess booking with air miles didn’t leave us much choice, though it was originally scheduled for 8.00am departure instead of 6.00am. The flight changes are a reflection of the consolidation and shrinkage of the industry due to increased fuel costs.

We’ve had a great time the last couple of days. Tammy’s sister (Terry) and husband (Rodney) came down from Seattle with Uncle Bud (Tam’s mum’s younger brother) on Friday afternoon. Sitting around the lounge and telling stories was wonderful! Saturday’s get together with Rick and Margie included a full telling of stories from University days, some of which are even true. Rick was part of our wedding party. Joyce also took part in our meals and memories as a family friend. Joyce made Tam’s dress, cake, and flower arrangement for our wedding.

Speaking of which, we’ve finalised the travel details for Andrew and Jess, and we’re now beginning to plan a renewal of our wedding vows for our 25^th anniversary later in the year. This will take place in England with our Dickens Heath Village Church and thethirdplace family and friends, in December.

Birthday Greetings

I've been overwhelmed by the number of facebook and e-mail notes I've had wishing me 'happy birthday.' Thanks to everyone who's sent me a note! It was a quiet day without anything special to note, which is quite OK with me. Both the kids remembered and phoned (well done Andrew and Jess!). Tam's still looking for a gift for me that's been on our american shopping list, but hasn't been able to locate it yet.

Last Saturday, after the ice hockey game the Solihull Wolves played against the Coventry Chaos, H (yes, 'H' is what we call him; don't chuckle, I'm called 'Ned' or 'Flanders' from the lads' belief that I resemble the character Ned Flanders from The Simpsons!) had a special request. He wondered if I could find some peanut butter filled pretzels that he once enjoyed on a visit to America. Do you know, I have searched everywhere and can't find anything like this? America has everything but peanut butter filled pretzels! Maybe H will be happy with peanut butter filled cheeze crackers....

The America Trip Begins

2008-06-04
Mail awaited us upon our arrival in America at Tammy’s mum’s. Notable was the Christmas gift we purchased for Tam’s mum. Jess hand carried it back to the USA after her Christmas holiday with us, then mailed it to Tam’s mum over 5 months ago. Thinking it was for us, she simply set it aside. We enjoyed watching her open the digital photo frame, then watch the several hundred photos cycle through that we had loaded on it. A birthday card also awaited me from my parents. Funny how such a card can sum up a person, and both Tam and I enjoyed a lengthy chuckle as a result.

2008-06-03, evening
“We forgot to take photos!” That’s what I said to myself when I realized we had left an evening hosted by our friends Greg and Elvie for friends and supporters without visual reminders of our time together. While I lamented my lapse of memory for pics, I nevertheless gratefully praised God for the precious dozen present who represented significant input into our Christian formation. Greg took me under his wing some 25 years ago to co-teach a course on God’s incarnational mission to grasp people with his love for them. Along with his then wife, Arlene, they loved and encouraged early on as we prepared to move to England. Several days before we moved to England, we spent an evening with Greg and Arlene, Arlene’s last before being murdered the next morning. Some years later, after Greg married Elvie, we receive their mutual care and support.

Most of those present dated back to our days at University Street Christian Church in Eugene. Besides Greg and Elvie, there was Don and Dorothy, keen supporters of cross-cultural ministries such as ours. Paul and Jan, who influenced Tam long before she met Tim. Two of their children were in the youth group we led for a couple of years. One of them, Steve, died in a car accident on the day Tim was ordained at University Street (21 years ago almost to the day), and the events of that day still shape our view of ministry and service to others no matter what the circumstances. Ron and Jacqui (another daughter of Paul and Jan) were in attendance, long-time translators of the Bible in Indonesia. I still remember meeting Ron at Northwest Christian College and seeing in him a kindred spirit of love for Jesus. Mayretta, Ron’s mum, who came to University Street our last year there before we moved to Arizona. Dick, director of the Restoration Campus Ministry, a locally supported ministry to students at the University of Oregon, who baptised and married us in May and December 1983. Joanne, whose son was in our youth group, and had a riotous sense of humor. Oh, last, but not least, Bruce and Sally, with whom 11 of us (including Andrew and me) enjoyed a week of salmon fishing in Alaska in August 2006.

Alas, no pictures, but burned in our hearts are images of these special friends who have loved us, believed in us, encouraged us, and modeled a love for Jesus that still spurs us on after all these years. Our hearts overflow with love and gratitude for you!

2008-06-03, morning
After getting a lift to LHR (Heathrow airport) by Richard, we spent the next 20 hours occupying chairs either in airports or on aircraft. Tam and I arrived at her mum's in Eugene, late in the evening. It was a long day of travel from England, and it was wonderful to get here. I managed to get a meal in me, then retired to the settee to turn on the ice hockey game, which went into 3 overtimes before going to bed at what was the equivalent of 5.00am. A catnap or two in 24 hours isn't much, but while Tim did manage 8 hours sleep, Tam only got three. I'm feeling kind of tired now, and wouldn't be surprised to nod off while Tam and her mum are out shopping.

2008-06-01
After being with Dickens Heath Village Church in the morning, we made our way to Leatherhead (inside the M25, SW of London) for a wonderful evening with our friends Richard, Marian, Laurence and Rosie. Tam and I were so excited to see them! Richard and Marian became part of DHVC in the early days after we had publicly launched the church plant, and Tim baptized Marian not long afterwards. Marian became Tam’s prayer and accountability partner, and it was a sad day when they moved to London with Richard’s employment. The last time we had talked to them was July of 2007 when we phoned them while driving past the St Louis arch---a city they had lived in for a couple of years with a previous job. It was amazing to see how the kids had grown in the 18 months since we had last got together. We rejoiced to see them. What we didn’t know, while we had been stateside, was that they were instrumental in hosting a home group that morphed into a church plant that recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. Well done Richard and Marian, and thank you for your example and faithfulness as apprentices to Jesus.

Friends & Food & Faith

Anton and Sarah are wonderful friends. We've known them, along with their daughters Laura and Amy, a couple of years before the public launch of Dickens Heath Village Church. Anton is a sound and video expert, great at puns, and has named all the important bits of kit used for worship services (Daphne the Desk, for instance); he records and puts all the messages from DHVC on the church web site. Sarah has the gift of hospitality, hence our visit and meal with them tonight.

I was really encouraged by our conversation, for two reasons. First, we talked about how important it is to not just discern God's voice in our circumstances, but have a posture of obedience just as Jesus did, who said 'I obey my Father so the world will know I love Him' (John 14.31, CEV). Second, the crucial role of exercising trust in this obedience, learning to overcome our fears with a confidence that abandoning myself to God is the safest and most secure thing one can do.

As Tam and made our way home, so that I could make a bid on an eBay auction (and win, YES!), I reflected on a verse from the New Testament book of Hebrews. I used to narrowly think of this verse as simply applying to entering a relationship with the Father, but actually, it describes the ongoing Kingdom of God living one experiences in this relationship. 'Without faith, it is impossible to please God, because those who come to God must believe that He exists, and is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him' (Hebrews 11.6, NIV).

Thanks Sarah and Anton, for loving us, and showing us an example of loving God that we can follow.

A Brief Visit to Prague

A couple of weeks ago we managed a three day getaway to Prague. A couple from one of our supporting churches gifted us with some funds for use as we deemed fit. Tam did some digging around, and found some discount tickets. We traveled with our teammates Aaron and Diane.

The weather was delightful, and the architecture and history was wonderful. We walked miles and miles. A couple of highlights include explaining to our walking tour guide the Pentecost stained glass window ("I've never heard such a thing" she said) and being sobered by the box of tefillim (Phylacteries) in the Spanish Synagogue collected before Jewish residents were shipped off to camps and executed. Of 83,000 Jews in the region, 77,000 were killed, and their names are inscribed on a wall of another synagogue close by.

Our trip was another reminder of the kindness and generosity we receive that we do not deserve. We are grateful for the love so many show toward us!

Launch of The Third Place
Six of us gathered on a Friday night at the beginning of March to 'soft' launch The Third Place home-based church. You can read more about it at http://thethirdplacenetwork.blogspot.com/.

Launch of The River
Along with Dan and Amy, we travelled to Gillingham in Kent to assist in the Easter Sunday launch of The River ( http://www.the-river.org.uk/), led by Rob and Vicky who have vision and passion and dozen-strong team.

Nathan Arrives
Late last autumn a team of four arrived to begin Canvas, a new campus ministry to University Students here in Birmingham. Nathan, from one of our supporting churches in Virginia, arrived in March to join the team. Welcome Nathan!

National Leaders Day
On 1 March Trinity Lane Church in Hinckley hosted over 50 leaders from the Fellowship. The day was called by the National Leadership Team of the FCC to reflect on where we've been as a network of churches, and where we're going. The sharing from churches was inspiring; the diversity of what churches are doing in difficult and challenging circumstances to live out Kingdom of God values and be missional was awesome. Feedback from the day was very positive and we're planning for a follow-up in the autumn.

Back in the UK

OK, 'back in the UK' is a bit stale. We've been back since the 11th of October! But back we are, and delighted to say so. After some time of rest and recovery from furlough (it took me almost a month before I really wanted to talk to people -- I was 'peopled out' from all our speaking engagements), some painting and decorating of the upstairs bedrooms, reconnecting with many people, it was suddenly Christmas and the kids had arrived.

Andrew and Jess were here for 2 weeks and 3 weeks, respectively, and we had a great time. Their departure was sad, but signaled time to dig into some new projects. Our time prior to Christmas was essential for regaining a sense of the big picture of our work and ministry here, but now we're settling into new responsibilities and routines. In the days ahead I will tell you more.

Counting Down

Our return date to England draws ever closer. We've been settled into the Stafford, Virginia area for just over a week. Tim has a trip next week to Colorado for a church planters leaders retreat. Tam has a trip to Indianapolis the first week in October. And then just a few days later we're back in England!

What are we missing about England these days? Tam mentions our cats, our bed, and our furniture. Tim starts salivating, when asked, over thoughts of a Lamb Tikka Massala on the evening of our return. But both of us agree that some sense of routine and a return to our friends, where we can live out our call to help people walk in God’s ways, keeps us counting the days.

Where have we been recently? We did enjoy a brief trip to NYC at the end of July. Yes, food was involved, as you can see from the photo of Tim and Ruth enjoying some Malaysian fare. In the middle of August, we were back in Newport News, Virginia for a conference, and saw our friend Teressa -- she's an amazing woman who along with her husband Donnie supports our ministry in England by selling her paintings. At the end of August, after leaving Peggy's 126 acre farm in Salem, Virginia we headed for Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Our weekend in the Howard area was fantastic, and then we spent a couple of days in Kingston, NH with friends Doug and Sandi from our Oregon days some 22 years ago. Yes, Sandi, your cinnamon rolls are still the best in the world!

Road Weary

After 52 weeks stateside, we're now getting a bit road weary. The first week in July was our hardest week of travel, with a trip to Kansas and Nebraska from Virginia. We can now say we have logged about 31,245 miles by car (that's 600 miles per week), while having entered and exited 29 states. Fifty-four beds will have comforted our increasingly weary bodies, but only 1 pillow (we take our pillow with us where ever we travel!).

The good news is that our return to the UK is booked! We'll be counting down the 13 weeks remaining until our return to our own bed, our own stuff, our church family and many friends who we long to see and with whom we long to share how God has provided beyond what we could ask or imagine. But not yet.... We have a few more miles to go and more friends to see and more ministry assignments to complete.

One of our recent highlights was a 16 mile bicycle ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail with our long-time friends Ann and Paul. That's the longest we've biked in years, but fortunately it was all down hill. We rented bicycles from a company that took us to the top of Whitetop Mountain, and coasted most of the time. We even had a stop for lunch half-way down!

We're now in Salem, staying with our dear friend Peggy on her 126 acre farm. Yes, it is an absolutely delightful area. Like Abingdon, it's on the edge of the Appalachian Trail. The gentle mountains and ridges are full of wildlife. On the drive into Peggy's land, we saw a young two or three month old fawn. Within an hour of arrival, we watched wild turkeys cross a field. On the way out the next morning, we saw another yearling deer and rabbits. Tim is thrilled because there is grass to mow, and wood to cut with the chainsaw and split for the winter.

I can still remember Bob Hope specials where he would sing "Thanks for the memories..." On occasion, I’ll start to sing that tune or Barbara Streisand’s "Memories, like the corners of my mind, misty water-colored memories of the way we were." Inevitably, I’ll forget the words apart from the first two or three, and Tammy will beg me to give it up. Then she’ll go on to sing the correct lyrics in a much better manner than I can. Admittedly, Tam's voice is more pleasant than mine, but my version of the lyrics are funny...at least to me.

Anyway, I’ve felt for a long time that family holidays are important because they build important memories together and contribute to family bonding — even if the holiday doesn’t turn out as planned. A decade ago we had a great holiday to Scotland and the Isle of Skye; when we tried to repeat it the following year our car broke down in a campsite we had already visited, and it rained continuously on our too-small tent making it miserable for all of us.

We still talk about it, just as we talk about visiting Longleat House and Safari Park during our first summer in England 13 years ago. When we repeated that visit a dozen years later, just before leaving the UK for our current stateside assignment, we remembered the first visit while making new memories to remember....such as Andrew screaming "Giraffes" and finally getting his skateboard, albeit in miniature. I’m chuckling and thankful even now for such memories and the family bonding we experienced.

And so it was in Orlando last month when we met the kids there for a family holiday together. Whether it was the four of us crammed together (joined by Phill from England for one night) in a small hotel room with copious complaints of my snoring (replaced by Phill’s sonorous sounds for one night), or taking a group photograph around a bowl of fruit for our friend Vicki in Arizona, we built memories. And we bonded. And we were family. Together. And that too is a gift from God.
Photographs bring pleasant memories too. I mentioned in an earlier blog seeing our friend Julie in Dallas, for the first time in 24 years, who was in our youth group in our home church in Eugene. She managed to dig up a photograph from some aged archive and shared it with us. I couldn’t dig all the names up from my memory banks, but some of the youth sure imprinted their mark on me. And maybe we did for them too.

Such is our hope, and our thanks, for the memories.