Our August 2016

We've returned from our Royal Servants mission trip. Our August has been spent unpacking, visiting with family, doing laundry, a trip to TN and NC, fixing things around the house, seeing friends, preparing for this coming school year of ministry and lots of great time with Mitch and Alice at home.

Here's what we've been up to:

So excited to get home to her Dorothy dress

Lots of mail to go through after being gone

Alice missed her cousin Harper so much!

We love playing at JJ and Papas pool

And playing with JJ

And Papa

And grandmother Shirley

Lilla and Mitch

Alice went to her first movie!

Cookout with friends

Their first bath together!

Mitch got a lift...

....and she wanted a turn too

Alice went to "school" (2 days a month!)

Playing in the backyard

Rainer preaching and sharing about our summer

Walks around town

We had a tea party!

ROAD TRIP!

Date night in Knoxville... to see Jim Gaffigan!

A hike with Uncle B

A night out

Aunt Mere and Uncle B

Driving the boat with Poppy

Matching with Coston (and Cora)

Lake stylin'

Mitch prefers to play with a view

Cora, Alice and Coston

Cousin time

Swimming with Mimi

Alice loved the lake

Family pic

Swinging with Aunt Mere

With Mimi and Poppy

Mitch just hanging out

Alice loved jet skiing...

.... and kayaking with Uncle John

Cora and Mitch

Family Reunion!

Papa turned 90 this summer!

Bryan, Mere, Rainer, Lindsey, Mimi, Poppy

Mitch and Alice

Alice and Mitch love their Poppy and Mimi!

Costa Rica mission trip 2016 (part 2 of 2)

We are home! It was an incredible 9 weeks and we had a great team. God cared for our students and staff. He sustained us all through His Word and community.

Our team got to study the Word for an hour every day this summer. Then, the students and staff met to discuss what they were learning. We call this quiet time and discipleship-group time. It's awesome. God grew and changed a lot of hearts during this time. The students also memorized a lot of scripture. It was difficult for some of them, but the Bible tells us to hide the Word in our heart. This was just a part of each day on our mission trip.

Our key verse for the summer is 2 Corinthians 4:5 "for we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake".

We love our job, and doing this every summer. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's exhausting. But we love it. We love being with our team. Royal Servants helps make disciples who make disciples. We have the privilege of being a part of that!

Here is the last part of our trip in pictures....

Jake going for it

Playing games with students at a school in Santiago

Alice on a special outing to get 

ice cream with Mama and Dada

Dancing at a school in Santiago

Sara and Alice at a school in Cervantes

Building relationships in a classroom

Eating at the church in Cachi

Hello students!

Performing for a school in Cervantes

Friendly students

Building relationships by playing games 

in the classroom

Hola!

Grace, Lindsey, Laura

Alice, Lindsey, Mitch before 

leaving Cachi

Our wonderful hosts:

Pastor Alfonso and Grace

Before leaving for debriefing

The youth group came to see us go!

We started with debriefing after arriving in Jaco

Mitch's first time at the ocean

Sara, Mitch, Louise

Twin backpacks: Jonah and Kaylee

Dada, Mitch and Alice right before we headed

to the airport

Headed up to zipline!

Here we go!

Group photo before zipling

Love these people! Senior staff and nannies

Rainer and Sam Piper

The staff talks about the summer and

 their vision soccer ball

Ice cream with D-groups

Father Daughter date

Group photo outside national park

Sloths!!

Monkeys!

Madison and Ethan talking about Jesus

Praying before a Futsol game

Anna and Nikkie sharing the gospel

Kendall, Jordan and Jonah share in San Jose

Family and nanny lunch out in San Jose

Andrew and Lindsey at the market in 

San Jose with the wood worker

One last performance in church

Rainer preaching in Cachi

2:00 am at the airport in San Jose

Goodbyes are hard... Jonah and Alice