Black Duck!

We were crazy blessed to spend this week in mid August with our K family in Minnesota...  What super JOY to get to do it for the FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY of our very own, very loved Mom and Dad K.  Dale and Mary, your example, care, love, support for us is more than we can express due thanks for!  You are enormous blessings in our lives and we love you "to the sky" (as Vivi would say!)

We had a fantastically fun week, even indulging in some restful afternoon naps mid all the excitement, and it was just Such a Gift to be with these people!!!  Matt has some of the funnest, most talented, and of course, downright zaney siblings on the planet.  I'm so blessed to marry into all this joy!

And like the perfect cherry on top of the Dale K crew... we got Dale's parents too!  Great Grandpa Harold and Great Grandma Marian.  Legacy and beauty rich in every wise and wonderful way!   Man, we love these people!!!

(These photos are out of order- and there are entirely too many of them to be blog appropriate I'm sure...  but this assortment of family fun is too precious a batch of photo joy to go light on....)

Marian told me on the way to Minn...  "I'm looking forward to seeing all of our family, but *especially* to meeting baby Evan for the first time!"

On the drive out to Blackduck we stopped to see Great Aunt Margaret....  another glimpse of the elegance and grace this family is so rich with!  What a beautiful lady!!

There was a bit of movie making going on one afternoon... and this is the kids' first peak and the final production of "Queen Princess Purple" (did I get that title correct?)

So this is what a "water trampoline" is...

Matt could jump (belly flop) onto the front of this blow up extension and the kid sitting out on the edge of it would fly...  about like this... except for the time the kid at the edge (was it Marian or John?) wasn't sitting out far enough and flew up and backward... landing right onto of Matt!

our fearless captain...

 Great Grandpa's line of firstborn males

a little bit of an odd shot on account of the pajamas and bed head and a few goofy smiles... but it's a keeper still!

so much love and loveliness among these precious ones...

oh!  these two lovely Marians...

such an exceedingly blessed heritage right here!  We're so grateful for these loved ones!!

And...I can't figure out how to get this actual photo in here... but here's a link to Heather's Facebook photo of the whole group of the Dale Ks!

August Ramblings

These super sweet friends....

I wish Eli was in there too but he's taking his own shots of this same scene....  This is most all of our summer baseball crew!  We're so grateful for Ryan and Eli coming to serve as summer helpers!

A few days before we headed out for 6.5 months, Marian asked if she could have an early bday party, to celebrate with girlfriends here since she wouldn't know many girls to celebrate with for her actual day.  We tried to keep it simple-  I made a cake and she planned all the games- and it was a very sweet time!  Happy 9th birthday Marian... and thanks for sharing your celebration with Holly for her 7th bday that you would also miss this month.  Kate D, you were missed at this party and we're so sad we missed your bday this summer too!  Love to you!

My teacher and Marian's...  how dear of these friends to want to celebrate with our kids!  I love our friends here!!

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And then we flew out....  1 day in Kazakhstan and then onto Amsterdam and home to the states.

we found an obstacle course to play at for a bit of our afternoon in Almaty...

heading up... to catch a view out over the city...

We landed pretty tired and had some of our best jet lag victory here.  I think we slept through every night without any crazy long wake ups.  We had just 2 days in Orlando until we flew to Minn to join the family for the post below....

We got back from Blackduck Sunday evening right before school started.  For their school uniform, there are a few options (red, navy, white, khaki) I went with what I thought would be a simple standard.  Matt explained to me that I dressed up our kids to look like little Target employees.  But they're cute- whatever they are!

First day of Kinder, 2nd grade, 4th grade and 5th grade at Libertas Academy.

They all came home from school saying that they loved it.  Yippee!!

This school seemed to me to be the best fit for our crew for what schooling includes for us in China and I didn't want their one semester to be totally disconnected with all the rest of their schooling that we work hard at.  So they get 4 classes on Mondays at Libertas and then their teachers assign work for them to do the rest of the week at home.  I think it's a good mix of school experience and mama time and self directed work as well as keeping them in Chinese and in math at their non-American levels.... so it's working for us.  I would have been thrilled to let them experience 2-3 days of school a week... but this is what we get, and I'm grateful for it still! 

And we had another "first"....  not only a big girl in her last year of single digits... but a birthday for a kiddo without a homemade cake from Mom!

We were already totally blown away by the crazy generosity of Steve and Lisa to bring our whole tribe under their roof for 3.5 months... and then this!!  We had a surprise delivery from our host of glamorous gourmet cupcakes for Marian's birthday!

We have been Totally Spoiled in this time here!  It's just crazy for me to think of it!  Here's Marian and John on the tube with Mr. Steve.   (Isaiah and Vivi got a turn next.)    It has been amazing to see our kids be so blessed with such experiences as this!  We all got to watch the professional water-skier, Ms. Lisa, and then both John and Isaiah got up waterskiing in just a few tries thanks to all their expert help and tips and squatting practice from "Grandpa Bart" too!  Marian had a hard first try and I hope she'll get back up on water-skis too!    And after this boating afternoon... dinner with these two favorite couples in Orlando ...  crazy.serious.joy.here!

summer camp, graduation & a few more pics

just cute kids... just playing on the street

Sorry you were only on your way to a smile, Isaiah, but you were sure very happy about that spicy nan and getting to hang with cool Eli!

oh these precious, treasured, loved, beautiful friends...

(and they're cooking for me in my kitchen!  Love that too!!)

Sweet little guys learning the tricks of base ball!

This little guy's name sounds like Asher and I definetely have a sweet spot in my heart for him!

She got up and rolling all in one afternoon b/c of help from this stellar big brother.  He told me "It's ok mom, I'll stay with her.  I won't let Vivi fall."   They both did fantastic! Love these two...

(Perfect hand-me-down blades from the biggies :) )

*** SUMMER CAMP ***

We have been so blessed by these two guys that came to help out this summer... truly an exceptional gift and blessing to our family!  And so super fun to have an extra connection now to both of their "homelands"...  all the people behind each of them that we love so dearly as well!

Ryan and Eli made a great obstacle course... the winning team got to eat breakfast first!

Last night (at home here) at the table we talked about our favorite memories from this summer so far and every kid said it was camp- getting to sleep in the same dorm/bunks with their friends, getting to play games and hike... and who doesn't love a huge heap of water balloons + water guns!!?!??

so many fun games...

This is one of my dearest local friends.  Her name sounds like it means "light house" but I haven't remembered to ask her if that's quite right.  I love her and all three of her kids and the niece and nephews that hang with her crew all the time... such precious ones!

new girls who were just visiting our complex....  so happy Marian wanted to invite them up for an afternoon of play at our house.  What delightful young ladies!

Their last day at "preschool" (which we've counted as much of John's first grade year since the grade-age schedule is a bit different here.) 

His darling graduation certificate...  We're so proud of you, John Timothy, for getting the deep end of local culture and language as you've played and learned at school here for the past two years!  We love you son!  Now onto 2nd grade in America!

.... on death and glory

Jamison and Kathryne Pal were killed in a car accident this past Sunday when the minivan they were in was crushed by a semi truck.  They were killed along with their three young children, Ezra, Violet and Calvin and their friend, Terry Sullivan, who was driving the minivan they were in.  They were planning to go this fall as missionaries for Christ's sake to the people of Japan.  

Our friend shared this news with us and included words from an email that Jamison sent to him just a few weeks ago:  

... I hope it encourages you whenever you read this--that God is answering prayer and is sending more laborers to the field...

A couple lines from Shai Linne comes to mind:

"Let me make this plain kids- God is the greatest
He never changes- His ways are blameless
For His own glory and at different stages
He raises up servants to make His name famous...

Behold the grace of God- stand to the side
The Spirit exalting the Lamb who has died
It can't be denied- this man we describe
Was simply a tool in the hand of his God"

Hope to see you in Japan soon!

Jamison

We are encouraged- whenever we read this or think of you Pal Family- that the Lord is doing and will continue to do great work in the harvest field of Japan and among all the people groups who do not yet know Him and in His bride, the church, as we reflect on the glory and joy that you are already enjoying with our Savior.    Eternity with Christ is worth giving everything we can, all that we have to give.  

May your story raise up a great army of lovers of Christ who will go, as you wanted to, to pour out your lives for the sake of truth and salvation and blessing for others.   Just as you lived, may the Gospel be the anchor we hold to, we fuel our lives by, and we aim our souls to celebrate for all eternity.  

~~~  Friends, I hope you can read this prayer that was prayed at their funeral.   May the Lord bring it all to be for His glory.  

Our prayers are with the larger family of these precious ones who have gone before us...  May Christ be your abundant, sustaining peace and even, miraculously, may He be joy for you as you look forward to the day to come and continue to further Jamison and Kathryn's legacy.