Settling Back into Home Life

We are grateful to be home and are enjoying getting back into the swing of things. We were missing life back here in Leavenworth with Grandad, Grandma, Nathan, Melanie, and Abigail. At home, we are always “running” into each other. Maybe Grandad and Grandma are coming back from their walk, and we chat a little, or Nathan, who is working on unloading his car, might come over to talk.

Our Saturday was filled with bus unloading, giving Uriah a bath, and house work. When we start taking everything out of the bus, we’re amazed at how much we put into it for our trip. Dad and Joseph are working on painting and installing trim in the house. It is beginning to feel like we are actually going to move in soon.

Jesse and Christopher washed Uriah last weekend, which was quite a job considering he had only been washed one the entire trip. With the leaky windows, a truck wash was not a thing we wanted to do :-) .
Jesse and Christopher washed Uriah last weekend, which was quite a job considering he had only been washed one the entire trip. With the leaky windows, a truck wash was not a thing we wanted to do 🙂 .
Christopher worked for several hours trying to clean the bugs off the front of Uriah.
Christopher worked for several hours trying to clean the bugs off the front of Uriah.
These are the drying racks for trim after it is sprayed. Joseph invented them. There is lots of trim that goes into a house!
Joseph cutting the trim into the correct sizes he needs.
We found our garden had produced greatly while we were away! I've been processing many of the vegetables to save for the winter. Sarah made green salsa (with the green tomatoes), and we also made salsa from the red tomatoes.
We found our garden had produced greatly while we were away (the above picture is only partially what we harvested)! I processed lots of vegetables to be used next year, and we even made green salsa with the green tomatoes.

Every Friday and Tuesday that we’re healthy we have Grandad and Grandma over for family Bible time. This Tuesday night we were especially excited because we were able to invite them back over, since we are now all well. We always look forward to our time with them.

It was wonderful to be able to go back to our church at the nursing home this Sunday. It is always such a delight to see the joy on their faces as we talk to them. Before we left on our trip we gave the residents itineraries of where we were going to be. We also wrote them postcards every Sunday so that they would be stay updated with our travels while we were gone.

Anna

“From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.”
Psalms 113:3

Uriah at Lake Erie

The conference Saturday was only a few minutes from Lake Huron. After the conference, despite being very tired, we stopped at the lake for a few minutes by the water. Here is a picture of Uriah departing the parking lot.
Uriah, departing the parking lot at Lake Erie following our brief visit there after the conclusion of our last weekend conference (October 18).

“Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. ”
Psalms 69:34

First Step in Conversion

I was waiting until the right time to actually begin any real conversion efforts on the bus but we had to abandon that plan. “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). After having the new “openable” windows installed in Columbus, OH we have had bad water leaks. So we took the bus back to the shop that did the work for them to remedy the situation.

We drove home on a beautiful day which ended in a heavy downpour. To our disappointment there were still leaks. Since leaks mean rust and corrosion we had to do something. I felt it was likely that most of the leaks were coming from the windows because they didn’t have a uniform thickness of wood on the inside for the retaining ring to press against, only some temporary shims. That resulted in lack of uniformly tight pressure of the window’s flange on the outside against the skin and hence places where the water could seep in.

So I felt the Lord’s direction to go ahead and take everything out (again…ugh) so the walls and ceiling can be stripped. (We are going to try to work around the refrigerator and the couches to avoid having to take the windshield out. We aren’t too good at that, yet anyway.) After stripping it down to the metal frame we will have a rigid foam insulation sprayed in place.

Jesse labeling the panels in the case that we have to put them back up.
Jesse labeling the panels in the case that we have to put them back up.
Taking the bus apart right now!
Taking the bus apart -- again!
Anna labeling the side panels.
Anna labeling the side panels.

Next change of plans… As the children were taking down the ceiling they discovered something else. We had paid to have each roof a/c unit specially framed out with welded metal tubing to maintain the integrity of the bus, since they have to cut the “backbone” of the bus to install the roof a/c’s. Long story shorter, we were disappointed to find that those special welded frames fell apart in the children’s hands when they took the ceiling down. “Thank You, Lord, for another chance to show Yourself mighty.”

In Christ Jesus,
Steve

Abigail Hope 1.12 — Pictures

Nathan and Melanie e-mailed us lots of Abigail pictures to post on the blog, so enjoy! We’re about to do our annual family photo, and it’ll be a true joy to have Abigail in the pictures (and maybe a challenge??!!); it’s been a long time since we had a little one around 🙂 . ~Sarah

A favorite picture of mine--Abigail looks truly delighted!
A favorite picture of mine--Abigail looks truly delighted!
Is that the camera again?!
Is that the camera again?!
A new "do".
A new "do"!
Can I help too, Mommy?"
"Can I help too, Mommy?"
Nathan and his little girl.
Nathan and his little girl.
With Mommy in the kitchen.
With Mommy in the kitchen.
Reading the Bible together.
Reading the Bible together.
Melanie and her little girl.
Melanie and her little girl.

A Taste Away from Home: Ham Delights

Ham Delights
the M Family, Virginia

Yields: Approximately 50 small Ham Delights

½ stick melted butter
¼ teaspoon mustard (yellow)
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon poppy seed
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small, finely chopped onion
1/3 pound shredded Swiss cheese
1 pound shredded ham (Can be shredded in a food processer)
About 50 small rolls (homemade or storebought)

Mix all the ingredients together. Cut open the rolls and spread the ham mixture inside. If you’re going to eat the ham delights right away, place them on a baking sheet and put them in 350 degree oven till they’re warmed through. If you aren’t going to eat them right away, wrap them (the roll with mixture) in foil, and put them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them, then put them in the oven. Enjoy!

Young Families

There were many young couples and families that attended the conference last weekend.

A little girl learns to drink water out of a water bottle.
A little girl learns to drink water out of a water bottle.
Discussing resources at the book table.
Discussing resources at the book table.
Men discussing the session.
Men discussing the session.
Mothers with their children.
Mothers with their children.
A little boy who was curious about the camera.
A little boy who was curious about the camera.

“As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.”
Psalms 127:4