go!
we're on the road today - after a stop in Columbia, SC for the night and a visit with one of Jessica's friends from college. Today we're headed to Macon, GA!
Daniel is not as easy to entertain in the car as he used to be, so breaking the trip up into smaller pieces is good. We all got some good sleep last night, so that will definitely help with today's travels.
Labels: travel
Ready, set...
this week we've mostly been getting ready for our upcoming "southern tour", since we're leaving on Friday. but since prep and packing aren't all that exciting to hear about, here's some interesting numbers I ran across in the Irish Times:
Europe in 50 years ...
... by the numbers
6.7 MILLION: The projected population of Ireland in 2060, up from an estimated 4.4 million.
77 MILLION: The projected population of the UK in 2060, making it the most populous country in Europe.
7 MILLION: The projected population decrease in Poland, which is expected to fall from 38 million at present to 31 million in 2060.
521 MILLION: The projected peak population for Europe in 2035, after which time it is expected to decline to 506 million by 2060.
30 PER CENT: The projected proportion of people aged 65 or more in 2060, up from 17 per cent at present.
48 YEARS: The projected median age for the EU population in 2060, up from 40 years at present.
Source: Eurostat report on population trends.
• The report is available at http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
© 2008 The Irish Times
Labels: Ireland, travel
Buena Vista
Last weekend we were in Buena Vista, VA, attending a reunion of a few of the guys that were on Seth's dorm at Liberty University. We had a wonderful time catching up with them and talking about what God is doing with each of us now - God truly is faithful, and it's so wonderful to hear what He is doing in the lives of others who love Him!
Labels: travel
Lynchburg
last Saturday we spent the day in Lynchburg, VA. We got to meet several folks and also had a chance to take Daniel to an amazingly cool kids museum/play place thanks to an inside connection! He had a wonderful time - so did we - and if you want to see pictures they are posted on our picture page.
Labels: travel
insurance
our monthly support need has risen slightly as a result of rising insurance costs. Part of the reason for the rise is because we now have three people in our family instead of the two that were originally calculated for. And even with the rise, the cost of our insurance on the field is going to be significantly less then what we are paying for it now. CrossWorld is able to act as their own insurance provider because of the number of missionaries they have, which makes the cost much more reasonable. CrossWorld also keeps a sizable emergency fund ready for big expenses (i.e, flying people back for critical surgeries, etc.) and covers any missionaries that are in the states through a Blue Cross/Blue Shield policy.
All that said, we are happy to report that we are still at 80% of our monthly support need, thanks to a couple of new committments. God is good!
Labels: our support
dollar comeback
the US dollar hit a six month high against the euro on Friday. Right now, one euro is worth about $1.47 dollars. Part of the reason for the dollar's gain is that many European Union countries are struggling economically. Ireland is one of them, as their "celtic tiger" boom of recent years has slowed to a "meow". But what's bad news for some of the Irish is good news for us, because our money is worth a bit more there now.
Labels: Ireland, our support
holy well runs dry
St. Patrick's well has dried up, and pilgrims are going to have to get holy water from a plastic barrel instead.
click here to read the article in the Irish Times
Labels: Ireland
DC
Friday and Saturday we were in the DC area getting to see some old and new friends and having a wonderful time with them! Daniel surprised us by skipping his morning nap on Saturday, but we rolled with it. With Daniel around, surprises are normal. So can you really count them as surprises?
Next weekend we'll be in Lynchburg (VA) so if you're there, we'd like to see you! The weekend after that we'll be in Buena Vista (also VA) and after that we'll be heading to GA and AL (possibly stopping in TN as well). Thank you for your prayers and help!
We have been encouraged to see a significant increase in our committed monthly support recently - we're now just barely below 80%! We're getting close!
Labels: family, our support, travel
pie, slime and potatoes
we recently found out that we were the subject of Vacation Bible School missions projects at New Providence Baptist in GA and Salem United Methodist in VA! That brings the total up to four VBS' this summer! Kids all over the place are learning about what God is doing in Ireland! Pastor Brian at New Providence took a pie in the face for us. Ken at Southwood got slimed. Jordan and Kourtney at Daleville Baptist got mash potatoed. Thank you. Thank you all.
Labels: our support
progress and more controversy
We're happy to report that we've hit 78% of our monthly support! Thank you to our team members, both new and old, for being the means of God's provision for us!!
In other news, we've continued to be the subject of letters to the editor in our local weekly paper (see posts from July 9 and 17). The tally now is 4 negative and 2 supportive letters over three weeks. Definitely a new experience for us, as we're not used to causing public controversy. Maybe we need to get used to it, though?
Labels: our ministry, our support
pagelift
our "movies" page just got a new look - hopefully it will be easier to use as well. check it out!
Labels: miscellaneous
