Thursday, August 22, 2013

You know you are old when......

Hello All,
Life is a adventure and the best part is not the destination it is the journey itself!  We have had a great tour of the East Coast to see some colleges that Trevor is interested in applying to.  Out of the 8 that we have seen, only 1 has been eliminated from the list.  All were amazing, but, as a friend recently said who went through the same process, we could just about start giving the tours because:  our school has the best program, the best food, the best financial aid, etc, etc!   The tours all kind of blend together now and have many similarities.  But, I am praying that he will apply and get accepted to one where he wants to be.

We are in NJ now, where I grew up.  My sister and I drove down to the house where we used to live.  Here is a picture of us in front of it.  Everything seems a bit smaller, not sure why!
 
 
We also got to go to the beach.  You know those games about "find the one that doesn't belong?"  Well, you could spot us from a mile away.  We live very near the equator in Africa yet we are the whitest whites on the beach!  We had a blast using the boogie boards but got a little too much sun - you would think that 3 coats of sunscreen would do it!
 







We were in Connecticut last week and got to stay with some very good friends.  Thank you again Wegiel's for the wonderful time!  We went down to the Nautilus to show the kids what a submarine is like.  It was the first nuclear powered sub and is now a museum.  You know you are getting old when parts from the sub you used to work on are now in a museum!  We were standing at one of the control panels, and Jim said, "This looks familiar."  We turned around and saw the name plate that said it was from one of the submarines he was on.  Now we can legitimately tease him!

Sallie at the control panel from Jim's boat

Trevor and me

Trevor and me (14 years ago)! 
He has grown and I think I have gotten a bit older.
 
Going through NY was a treat (and frustrating).  We couldn't pass through without seeing the statue of Liberty.  It took us an extra 2 hours we figure but it was worth it. 

 


 

Heading out to Michigan tomorrow (Garmin says 11.5 hours - factor in the kids and make it 13 without sanity coming out the other end)!  We plan to do the 50 lb shuffle next Tuesday with at least 11 bags and head out on Wed.  Please pray for us for travel (and sanity). 

Great photo of the moon this week!




Thank you all for what you do!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.




Saturday, August 10, 2013

Lopsided Chipmuck

Hello All,
We have had a great week - but can't say the same for people flying in and out of Nairobi.  They had a fire that got out of control and burned down part of the international wing last week.  Our friend Jennifer Myhre wrote a great blog about her experience in trying to get her nephews on a flight to Amsterdam a few days after the event.  Her blog is www.paradoxuganda.blogspot.com if you are interested in reading just what it is like in Kenya!  Sooooo typical Kenyan!

 
 
We went to visit some friends who live pretty close to here.  It was so nice to see John and Lynn.   They are such gracious hosts!  Can't wait for them to return to Kijabe in January. 
 

Timothy - too cool!

Sallie is having a blast

relaxing at last!

Trevor

What is he thinking?

Great time at the lake front
 
Thanks so much guys for a wonderful day!
 
We presented at Ainsworth Baptist Church last Sunday.  They are always so welcoming and generous in their support - both prayerful and financial.  They lovingly gave funds to help us put friends through school in Kijabe.  We now have enough to sponsor several people!  Can't wait to get back and tell them that they can go to school!  I will capture some of the telling on film and post that in September.
 
Trevor had his wisdom teeth pulled this week.  It went OK, and he is now recovering.  He still looks like a lopsided chipmunk 4 days later.  We are searching for a new trumpet for him and are going on Sunday (tomorrow) to try out 2.  We hope he will be recovered enough to blow a bit!
 
Today starts the week-end Taubitz family reunion event.  We should be able to see much of the family and the weather is wonderful - about mid 70's and no rain!  We will head out early on Monday to the East Coast in order to visit some Universities that Trevor is interested in.  He is working on college applications now and finally has his common app essay finished.  It is a slow but steady process.  We will see:  Colgate, Dartmouth, Amherst, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Brown and Princeton (in that order)!  Please pray for good travel and stamina as we get into high gear for this marathon.  I finally got hotels booked for the first 3 nights.  A friend gave me the recommendation of looking at airbnb.com and I found some great stuff - Thanks Janice!
 

Sallie got to spend some time with her cousin Lillie this week.  They had some crazy time at Vacation Bible School!
 
What is up with that hair??
 
Jim took the kids to a local car tune up show that previews the Back to the Brick show (that we will miss next week).  You can't come to Michigan and not see old cars in the summer!
 
this one is Dad's 40.









 



Hope you have a great week.  We are 3 1/2 weeks into our 6 weeks of furlough.  Time goes way too fast!  Please pray for friends that are traveling into and out of Nairobi in the month to come.  It will be an adventure for sure!
 
In His Hands,
Jullie T
 
Happiness is neither without us nor within us. It is in God, both without us and within us.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Down time = a Thing of Beauty!

Hello All,
We have had a week of doctors visits it seems - Trevor went, Sallie went and I went.  Glad we are all healthy (sort of).  Trevor has to have all 4 wisdom teeth pulled.  Please pray for him on Wed and the following recovery days!

We presented at church last week and all went pretty well.  They were amazing in their response to a call to help us with education for some Kenyan friends.  We raised over $1100!  Can't wait to sort it out and tell these very deserving people that they can go to school!  That is the fun part for me.

We are getting some down time this week.  Not much going on which is a welcome thing.  The weather has been nice - in the mid 70's and a little bit of rain to help cool things down.  I am starting to gather information about traveling to visit schools the week of the 12th.  Am having sticker shock with hotel prices!  We only need 3 days, but that will eat up a good chunk of the budget! 


We got some great news from Kijabe.  The road that was washed out from the mud slides is back open!  That was record time in our opinion.  It was the end of May when the slides hit and the bridge was reopened this week - Praise God!  Materials can now come that way for all the projects.


trucks crossing the bridge


its a beautiful thing!

We got to visit our dog Doodle last Sunday.  We are so continually amazed at the generosity of people.  Thank you Del and Theresa for taking her in (and for the Maple goodness).  It was so great to see her.  She tried to get in the car with us saying, "OK you're here.  Time to go home!"  But next year we will be able to let her in the door and head home.




Sallie and I were watching out the window this morning and saw a beautiful cardinal.  Love it that the birds here are unique!



We put the boys to work one day learning how to wash and wax a car properly.  That is a skill that everyone should know.  The car looked spotless, but I can't say the same for the boys!


Next week end is the Taubitz family reunion.  Glad we will get a chance to see everyone.  I can see a campfire and some smores in my future.

Please pray for continued renewal (it is in the process) and our presentation at Ainsworth Baptist Church tomorrow.  We are excited to get to tell them about all the goings on in Kijabe.

In His Hands,

Jullie T




There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.