Home Safe, Closing Out Our Trip

We're Home!
The last two weeks of our CA trip became kind of crazy with appointments, meetings, and speaking engagements. It's hard to believe how fast six weeks can pass by and just as hard to comprehend we've been back in Humidity...uh, I mean Ohio...for nearly a week. I return to my full-time duties at the hangar tomorrow. Karen actually returned to her hangar responsibilities on Friday.

Our trip finished well, Tucker and Tanner were happy to see us, and I think we've finally tied up all the loose ends created by the six weeks of visits, commitments, conversations, and travel. While we weren't able to meet with everyone we'd hoped, we met with everyone we could.

Special thanks to Doug and Chris for loaning us their home and car for the duration of our visit!

Foothill Christian Fellowship, Meadow Vista
Our return to Foothill Christian Fellowship, Sunday morning August 19th, was a wonderful blessing. We were warmly welcomed by our brothers and sisters, encouraged by their excitement over our work with MMS, and enjoyed the opportunity to share with the congregation. It was fun to reconnect with friends and church staff and to spend time talking after the service with several individuals interested in learning more about mission aviation and MMS' apprenticeship program. Special thanks to the Bickford family for picking up the reigns of Kans-4-Keith!

First Baptist Church, Grass Valley
That evening we were privileged to participate in First Baptist Church's College/Career gathering over at Bob & Cindy's house. We had a blast getting to know the young men and women that were there, shared about our ministry, and fielded some very insightful questions about ministry and missions.

Calvary Bible Church, Grass Valley
In a sense, our trip really started July 17th at Calvary Bible Church, my sending church in California, and then wrapped up there on August 26th as we participated in their Gather and Grill event after worship. It provided a great time to mingle, make some final connections, and say our goodbyes with many of our friends, supporters, and prayer partners. We spent the 27th preparing and packing for our trip home, and then drove to Sacramento Airport in the wee hours the morning of the 28th for a 5:30 AM departure (thank you United Airlines for canceling the flights with reasonable departure times).  While we arrived in Columbus safely, on time, without incident, and with our baggage...I do remember the days when airline staff were actually friendly and helpful. But then maybe that's expecting too much in 2012.

Tenth Wedding Anniversary
One of the major historical areas in that part of the country is the Empire Mine in Grass Valley. Preserved as Empire Mine State Historical Park, the Empire played a huge role in the hard rock gold mining history of California. There are over 320 miles of mine shafts that run nearly two miles deep under Grass Valley. The grounds of the mine are beautiful and, on the day of our Tenth Anniversary, they were celebrating "Miner's Picnic" a day of activities, food, vendors, music, period costumes, and mine related re-enactments.

It was a fun and unique way to celebrate our special day. The weather was perfect, the grounds were gorgeous, and Karen and I enjoyed each other as much as we ever had in our ten years together. She's quite the gal...

Karen in her dream car during Miner's Picnic.

 Here I am trying to strike it rich by panning for gold in the gold panning trough.

$3 worth of gold flake...please keep sending your prayers and your support...it doesn't look like we'll be "retiring" anytime soon on the gold I panned.

A view of a small part of the grounds...the walkway along the front of the "club house" lawn.

We finished up the day at the historic Holbrooke Hotel, Restaurant, and Saloon in downtown Grass Valley, where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner and overnighted in one of their wonderful period rooms (The Lyman Gilmore Room). The hotel was started in 1851, has had two US Presidents as guests, and is a landmark of California's Gold Rush history.

Holbrooke Hotel, Grass Valley, CA

Lyman Gilmore was a local aviation pioneer who claimed to have flown his steam powered aircraft before the Wright Brothers made their flight in Kitty Hawk. Unfortunately for Lyman, there were no witnesses for his flight. We were surprised by the room as the desk clerk picked that room for us without knowing our association with aviation, or that we'd been married in Kitty Hawk.

Thank You
As Karen and I enter our second decade of marriage and work toward our 16th year of ministry with MMS Aviation, we just want to thank each one of you who've played a role in our lives and in our ministry. May God's blessings be upon you as we continue to submit to His transforming work in our lives and rejoice that He's weaved your lives into ours!