Busy summer

When you only travel to the United States every three years, there are a lot of things to do!

It amazed us how many things we accomplished in three months:  visiting 11 different churches on Sundays, getting new passports, requesting police records for applying for residency in Guatemala, attending a nephew's wedding,  swimming at the pool, having coffee with friends, ordering clothes and books and car supplies on the Internet, going to dental cleanings and getting cavities filled, having physical checkups and eye exams, filling new glasses prescriptions, visiting friends, attending a free outdoor movie night at a church, watching fireworks in Oak Ridge, giving several presentations about our ministry to churches and individuals, watching TV in English, visiting aunts and uncles, visiting friends in Austin, Texas, visiting colleges, taking the SAT exam, reading books from the library, playing at parks, doing biology dissection experiments, printing new prayer cards, making a photo memory book of Chichicastenango for Carolyn, and decorating Carolyn's new room at her grandparents' house...

Our parents treated us to riding trail horses in the Smoky Mountains, visiting the Knoxville zoo, playing marble and card games, having a picnic, watching a meteor shower at midnight, roller skating, working puzzles, going to Grandpa's land, eating at restaurants, taking family photos, camping at a Tennessee state park, watching a play in a theater, and watching videos from Netflix...

And Michael's brother treated us to soaking in his hot tub, going to a movie theater, swimming in a pool with water slides, ordering pizza, enjoying delicious smoothies, and sightseeing in Washington D.C.

We're really thankful to our friends and loved ones for making our trip so special!

Presentations

While we were in the United States, Michael and I gave a presentation of our work in Chichicastenango to pastors, individuals, small gatherings, and churches.

Although asking for more funding isn't our favorite task, sharing about what we have been able to do is a blessing to us because it reminds us of God's provision and faithfulness.

College visits

We are missing our oldest daughter, Carolyn, who stayed in the United States with her grandparents (Heather's parents).  She will be homeschooling with her grandma for her senior year of high school this year.

During our time in the U.S., we went with Carolyn to visit four different universities.  They are all small, Christian schools that are not too far away from either set of grandparents.

Carolyn at Lee University in Tennessee.

Carolyn is growing and maturing into a beautiful woman of God.  We are so proud of her!

Prayer cards

We just returned to Guatemala after a three-month visit to the United States.  We hadn't been back for three years, and it was wonderful to visit with family and friends.  We were able to meet with many of our supporters, and we hopefully gained some new partners!

During our visit, our niece, Adrian Etheridge (adrianetheridgephotography.com), took some family photos, and we updated our prayer cards.

We want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to come to one of our presentations or otherwise get together with us.  We love and appreciate you!