trip West

OK, plane tickets are purchased. We will be in Colorado from September 16th - 30th so all you westerners, mark your calendars cuz we wanna see you!

A FREE Saturday!!

So I get to work and look at my schedule and I'm not scheduled for Saturday! Score! I am ALWAYS sceduled for Saturday. Not that it's a huge deal, I don't really mind, but it sure is nice not to have to work it. So anyway, with our FREE weekend (since a free Saturday basically frees up an entire weekend) we are looking for something vacation-y to do. We won't be able to take a vacation this year so it would be fun to squeeze in a little trip when we can. We were actually hoping to go to New York City and see some freinds, but flights are too much dinero. We don't want to drive very far....which narrows things, but does anyone have any stellar ideas?? We were thinking Duluth for the weekend? Please share your thoughts with us! If we are going to miss a Sunday of church we want to make it worth it's while!

Oh, the pain!

It was time for the July disc golf adventure. Dan, Brian, Robbie, Michael, Grant, and I found ourselves at Acorn Park on Saturday morning. With so many of us, we needed to split into 2 groups. Grant, Brian, and I played together, with some great shots, some bad shots, and a lost disc. At the end of that round, Dan was way out ahead, as usual. Grant and Michael did well for not having played much, Brian did not play as well as usual, and Robbie was 2 strokes ahead of me. Brian headed home and the rest of us hit up Disc Golf Outfitters. When Robbie, Michael, and Grant finished buying their discs, we headed to White Bear Lake for round 2.

The second round of the day provided some drama. Dan continued his dominating play, Grant and Michael continued to learn the game, and Robbie and I had a neck and neck race to the end. When we reached the final hole, he was one stroke ahead of me. My drive was nearly perfect and left me with a long, but makeable, birdie putt. Robbie’s approach shot hit a bush, leaving me with a golden opportunity. My putt barely missed, leaving me with an easy putt to tie Robbie. I tossed my putter, it hit the chains, and bounced back out. It was a horrible sight to see my disc laying on the grass while Robbie danced in victory. Oh, the pain!

Please let me know if you want to join us for the next disc golf adventure in August. The date is still to be determined.

missionary stories

Last week we spent an evening with some M:MM friends and a couple who are home on their first furlough. They are a young couple from Chicago, about our age, who just finished their first term working with the Mandinka people in the southern part of Senegal. It was great to share a meal with them, get to know them a little bit and ask lots and lots of questions. They had their first baby over there in the hospital in Dakar (capital of Senegal) and Eden said the experience was great - as great as giving birth can be anyway! That was encouraging for me to hear. Pregnancy and childbirth seem scary enough to me without throwing in the added stress of a foreign setting. But she said she wouldn't have changed a thing about it.

I don't know what Tim and I expected, but the more M:MM missionaries we meet, the more impressed we are with this agency. Everyone is so normal and down to earth, easy to talk with and very cool. Though I think our hearts are still hoping for a placement with the northern Senegalese team, working with the Wolof people, we are excited to get to know the southern team as well. Everyone is just so cool, we want to work with all of them!!

It was also encouraging to hear conversation about the work in Senegal. It's easy to get bogged down with all the training we are in the midst of and to lose sight of what we're training for. Casting the vision is important. We want to be intentional about starting to think according to the African style of life.

It was a great evening with great food and great friends. We love M:MM!

Movie Review: Pirates of the Carribean: Dean Man's Chest

Three years ago I was surprised by the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. It was amazing, especially since it was based on a theme park ride. The sequel came with anticipation. Heidi and I saw the movie with Kent and Sally at the only theater in Fergus Falls. Unfortunately, an eight foot man sat in front of me, so I needed to move around to see the whole screen. Aside from that, I enjoyed the movie. There were some new characters, clever lines, great sight gags, and an undead monkey. Since the movie is a second in a trilogy, there were some open story lines and a cliffhanger ending, which sometimes feels a little unsatisfying. This movie will enter my DVD collection, which is about the highest recommendation I can give a film.

Sweet scenes: Jack Sparrow’s entrance
Jack’s payment to the fortune teller
The fight on the island at the end
Any scene with the 2 pirates from the first movie

Great line: Tia Dalma: I require payment.
Jack Sparrow: Look.
[shoots the monkey]
Jack Sparrow: An undead monkey! Top that!
Tia Dalma: The payment is fair...

Turd in the punchbowl: Having to wait almost a year for part 3

Heading up north

Tim and I are not really the cabin-every-weekend type but we sure love it when people invite us to their cabins every now and then. We were going to go camping with Tim's sister and fam this weekend but since the forcast calls for blazing hot weather we are going up to Fergus Falls to chill at Kent's folks cabin for the weekend. They actually live there now so it's more of a real home (with A/C for the men) on a lake. We're pumped to go!

As Tim blogged already, the BBQ was great, a lovely mix of new friends and old friends. Very fun times and we got to break in our new grill, which is pretty sweet.

Here's a little shout-out for Amberly who just returned for a "summer furlough" from her ministry in Osaka, Japan. She's been there 2 years and is going back for another. Can't WAIT to see you sister!! Lot's to catch up on.

For any of you out near the CO area, we have to be in Colorado Springs from September 17-25 for orientation to Navigators (MMM is merging with Navs) and a support raising training. If anyone would care to meet us for a little vaca that would be stellar! We are planning to take about 2 weeks off of work plus weekends to be out there, so mark your calendars. Hoping to do a little camping in the mountains either before or after. This announcement is especially for the Rectors, Irbys, Herders, and possibly the Manarys. We miss you guys!!

Tim's thoughts on a July day

 The Ghetto BBQ was great. People that did not all know each other mixed well, the weather was perfect, and we enjoyed some tasty food. We will likely do another one before the snow flies. Matt Carlquist gets special recognition for bringing a fancy salad with homemade dressing.
 We rented two movies from the RedBox in the past week. The first, Firewall, starring Harrison Ford, was a rip-off of The Fugitive and a complete waste of time. The script was lame and Ford is getting too old for these kinds of movies. The second, Glory Road, was kind of like Remember the Titans, only with college basketball. It is an interesting story, told in a family friendly way. Both Heidi and I would recommend it. If you rent it, be sure to watch the bonus documentaries. They are short and include interviews with the actual players and coaches.
 Heidi and I met up with her family for a cookout at Lake Nokomis on Sunday afternoon. Her parents found a quiet spot with some picnic tables and we had an enjoyable time. We finished the afternoon by walking around the lake. It was a beautiful day, too.
 I applied for a job at Habitat for Humanity that would be totally sweet. I would appreciate y’all to be in prayer about this.
 Heidi and I love our church. Bethel Christian Fellowship is a unique church and not so much seeker-sensitive, and we are blessed by it every Sunday.
 Heidi is the best. I totally love her. She is the cutest of all time.