Time is quickly ticking and in just a few weeks we will be heading back to Honduras to start our next term. Before we leave we wanted to get away and so something special with Hannah's family. So we decided to spend a few days in Columbus, Ohio. We heard the zoo there has been rated #1 in the country for the last two years. It is definitely one of the nicest zoos we have ever seen. A great place!

Our gang ready to explore the amazing zoo!

Daniel was excited to see the wetlands.

Joseph crawled out of a prairie dog hole and was almost eaten by a wolf!

The petting zoo was a lot of fun. Plenty of goats and sheep.

God's beautiful creation.

I think the petting zoo was Daniel's favorite part of the whole place. He loved it!

We took a train ride around the North American section of the zoo. We saw some moose along the ride as we headed into the Klondike.

Cute little Skyler enjoying the view of the fish in the Polar Bear's pond.

Look at all those fish!!

 



How did Joseph get to the North Pole? That kid is always getting into trouble.

These beavers were doing flips and showing off in the water. They were a blast!

I don't remember the name of this bird but we loved it's awesome colors.

Chillin' with the King of the Jungle.

Hey mom, look, it's Barbara Manatee.

I don't think I would trust this guide driving our Safari.

A little china man with his rickshaw.

We had an apesolutely wonderful time!

 

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Today was historical. After five grandsons, there is now a granddaughter! Leila has totally changed the dynamic of the family. We are so happy!! I just hope she survives life with all these boys.

Ron telling everybody that Liz and the baby are ok.

Aunt Hannah is as proud as a peacock!

Joseph doesn't know what to do with a girl cousin. But he is so happy



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In our travels this summer we have been so blessed to meet some of God's precious family. Glenn Hostetter and his family are one of those families. He is faithful to write and let us know that they are praying for us. He loves having missionaries in his home any time he can. We were privileged to be invited to their house for a wonderful Pennsylvania Dutch meal. Great memories!!

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We took two days to visit the Big Apple. It was nice to change pace a little. Joseph had never seen the Statue of Liberty and he was really looking forward to it. Here is a little bit of our trip.

Dan Dan chilling on the ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty.

Still thankful for our freedom. Though it seems to be eroding more and more each day, thank God for the freedom we still have.

We stopped by Staten Island and took a stroll on the boardwalk. There were lots of guys fishing. It was just a neat place to hang out.

It's always interesting to see the different vendors and entertainers on the streets. There were some really amazing artists in Times Square.

Times Square!

Here is a little tidbit that I learned. Did you know it is incorrect to say Grand Central Station? It is not a station it is a terminal. The largest train terminal in the United States. Don't call it Grand Central Station call it Grand Central Terminal.

The view from the top of the Empire State Building! Getting to the top was a feat in itself. The elevator went so high so fast my ears popped!

Little Italy!

We stopped and ate lunch at what looked like a Mafia meeting place. The restaurant served amazing food. This was my personal pizza, it was heavenly. Hannah got lasagna and she said it was the best lasagna she has ever eaten! An unforgettable experience.

It felt like we were really in Europe somewhere. Such a great place.

You really need to experience the sights and smells of Chinatown. Very unique.

One of the highlights for me was our visit to the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. It saw action in both World War II and in Vietnam.

NASA's space shuttle "Enterprise" is housed on the Intrepid.

One of Joseph's favorite things about the whole trip was when he was asked to be an assistant during a science demonstration. Now he thinks he wants to be a scientist.

 

 



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I was blessed to have a wonderful childhood. I grew up in a small town with lots of room to roam and close to a woods where I built forts, went fishing and made some great memories. My parents never moved until I was 21. So my roots went deep. The above picture is me in my fatigues, as a kid I loved G.I. Joe. I was the youngest of three boys but there are 6 years and 9 years between me and my older brothers. I had to play by myself most of the time since my brothers were so much older. So I had a lot of imaginary friends and a big imagination.

My older brothers and I. Look at all my curls!

My parents gave us a godly heritage. We were part of a great church where I heard some fantastic preaching and had Sunday school teachers that taught me right from wrong. This picture was taken in the old sanctuary of the church, since then it has gone through two building projects.

My senior year of high school and I got a bad case of chickenpox. I spent I think close to a week in the hospital. Some of the doctors had never seen a case like this. It definitely left it's mark.

I have talked so much about the woods and our old house to Joseph I wanted to take him and show him where I grew up. So the other afternoon we took an adventure together.

We started up the road from our old house at the bridge where I used to spend a lot of time fishing. The bridge is no longer in use.

We found this snake skin lying in the water. I'm glad we didn't see the actual snake.

Joseph brought his BB gun pistol. He really wanted to kill a deer or bear. We caught a glimpse of a deer but no bear.

 

This was a very special place for me. As a teenager I would often come to this spot in the woods and walk back and forth praying. It turned into a "prayer trail". You can still see the trail as it goes to the tree where Joseph is standing. I specifically remember leaning against that same tree and looking up through the leaves as I prayed for the people of Honduras. There were some good memories made here.

On this site is where I had my fort. Not much left now a few sticks still lying around.

Looking through the woods into the backyard of our old house.

Under this tree we used to have a sand box. We made cities of sand and drove our matchbox cars around the streets. Now it's all grown over with grass.

The old bean tree is still standing next to the house. I used to climb this tree all the time. We even had a swing on one of the big branches.

I rode my bike up and down this road all summer long.

It was nice going "back to my roots". It brought back so many good memories.



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We have been having a great deputation. By the time it is all said and done we will have done more than sixty services. At the beginning of the service Joseph usually speaks a little bit about the culture and has a show-n-tell about things he brought from the country. He does a great job!

It was nice to be able to attend the God's Missionary Church conference. I always enjoy seeing the other pastors.



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During our week vacation with my parents we stopped by Lancaster, Pa to see Noah at Sight and Sound. We really enjoyed it!

Get in the ark! Here comes the flood!

I am blessed with a wonderful family!

We had an incredible experience after the show. We met up with some people from Syria. They started talking with Hannah in Arabic and we soon discovered that this man's brother is pastoring a church in Fuheis, Jordan where Hannah grew up. A few years ago Hannah and I did an eight week missions internship in Jordan and I preached in this man's brother's church. It's such a small world!

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