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posted by Michael on 09/30/07

With our work on the fence coming to a close around mid June, we realized that we needed to begin in earnest on the new 360 square foot storage building. If we would be able to use Dad’s time off work around the 4^th of July to put the structure under roof, we now had only 3 short weeks to complete the foundation. One of those weeks we would be hosting a speaker from Colorado. We had yet to begin the excavation (making a flat place in West Virginia is always a big job), dig the footers, pour concrete, and get the block up and lumber delivered, all involving the schedules of other people, some of whom were likely to be booked already. Was it possible?

We were happy to find that our friend’s backhoe would be available! On June 15^th we picked it up but were unable to begin digging until the following day. Surprisingly, in one day’s work we accomplished the excavation and dug most of the footers. Although much could have gone wrong, things went very smoothly. Another friend was even able to lend us his transit, making it easy to verify correct elevations.

Monday and Tuesday we finished digging the footers, double checking their exact location, trimming the sides, and driving the pins.Our concrete contractor’s schedule was full, but since our job was so small, he finally agreed to fit us in. Wednesday morning the 20th we put gravel in the holes and that afternoon the concrete was poured! We were concerned that the activity of the concrete truck and workers on that day might conflict with that of the carpet people (another project). To our amazement the carpet people called just in time to move their appointment one day later!We did not have enough block left over from other projects to finish this one, and were expecting to have to order the block. But to our surprise and delight, a neighbor offered to give us some extra block that he didn’t need! Donald went to see them that same day, found that they were exactly what we needed, and brought them home. That evening we cut one more tree that we decided was too close to the new building. The next day, Thursday the 21st, we thought the block layer was going to look at the job. Actually, he DID the job! In a short amount of time he had all 52 block laid neatly in ten piers, simply using mortar that was left over from a bigger assignment. His schedule was packed tight, but that afternoon a window of opportunity had opened for him, probably the only one in a long time. If we had waited one more day to cut the tree, it would have been too late. It had fallen across where two of the piers now stood.Friday the 22^nd Dad and Mom left for Indianapolis Indiana. It was hard to believe all that God had put together in a single week! We were now ready to focus on a week of ministry with our dear friends from
Colorado. All things are possible!

8 Comments » | posted in Family News, Possessing the Land

posted by Esther on 09/29/07

Earlier this month a few members of our team visited the Oklahoma State Fair to share the message of salvation as volunteers with Child Evangalism Fellowship. We were set up in a simple, small, white tent with a poster inviting passers-by to check out the story of the wordless book. It was a two-part job. Both were out of my comfort zone for sure! The first was to stand outside calling over and over again asking people if they had heard the message of the 5 colored pages. The second was to sit inside and explain it to those who came in. But the Lord gave us the boldness to just do it even if we were a little scared! It was worth it, so rewarding and exciting to look back and realize that 13 people had seen their need and cried out to God for salvation that night! From the little boy to the college-aged guys to the teenage girl in tears, all heard the Bible’s message from the wordless book and believed! Studies show that it takes an average of 7.6 times before someone will respond to the gospel. You never know if the person you meet is at the 7 stage and just needs a .6.

There is so much more to our natural desire for excitement! What a thrill to share the gospel that will change lives for eternity! Way beyond the temporal, empty pleasures we saw all around us that night. The loud speakers, blinking lights, and smells of the fair don’t last long and loose their glamour in comparison to the glorious work of God.

8 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports

posted by Donald on 09/28/07

Take a section of the Rocky Mountains, cover it in subtropical foliage and set it on an island one hundred miles off the coast of China and you have: eastern Taiwan.

During the widely-celebrated Moon Festival (September 22-25) we had the chance to visit Hualien, Taiwan’s country vacationland. We returned on the 24th, just before the climactic fourth day, Tuesday, so most of our time was spent on the road: a road that reminded me more than once of our dear West Virginia byways. The one major difference was that we had the ocean on one side!–the downhill side of course. What a backdrop for a vacation. Despite the rain there were still new birds to see and inside the tour bus I enjoyed getting to know Jonathan Slater who works in Hualien. Our Taiwanese hosts made for excellent company too and shared a lot about their culture and their country.

What’s been interesting for me is to stop and make some comparisons with West Virginia. Taiwan is just about half the size (13,823 square miles compared to our 24,244) but whereas our highest point (Spruce Knob) doesn’t even reach 5,000 feet and anything over 4,000 is notable, Taiwan’s highest point, Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) is close to 13,000 ft. (3,952 m): almost three times as high. This makes it more comparable to the Rocky Mountain range. Yu Shan matches the highest point on the Canadian Rockies almost exactly and comes within a couple thousand of those in Colorado such as Pike’s Peak at 14,110 ft. (By the way there are five peaks close behind Yu Shan and two hundred more peaks around 10,000 ft and above–all toward one side of an island half as big as West Virginia! So that accounts for some incredible terrain. At Hualien’s eastern edge, the mountains drop right to the coast, meaning there virtually is no coast. Now, can you imagine what it took to try cutting a highway system along this side of the island? If I had a hat on I would take it off to whoever had a part in constructing it. It’s beautiful. Exciting to ride but beautiful–not too far from taking WV Rt. 33 to Harrisonburg–in a tour bus–with the ocean on one side. No ride at an amusement park compares. It was great. I will add though that the wild-ness and wonderfulness (of any mountain range) really don’t owe themselves to actual height alone, so “If on sea or land I roam still I’ll think of happy home and my friends among those West Virginia Hills”!

6 Comments » | posted in Family News

posted by James on 09/23/07

It’s hard to believe that autumn has already arrived! It doesn’t seem like a full year since I last heard the tell-tale sound of brown and yellow walnut leaves crackling underfoot. The mornings are cooler, the breeze is crisp, and the days are growing shorter. Though most of the foliage is still as green as mid-summer, blotches of color in the trees announce the wake of colder weather.

Capturing the feeling and essence of the changing seasons with a light-sensitive sensor in a light-tight box which produces a flat, two-dimensional arrangement of pixels can be a considerable challenge! Notwithstanding success or failure, I find it an enjoyable challenge worth confronting.

Whether a leaf is green and alive or faded and dead, it fulfills the role for which it was created. On the tree, a leaf works to produce sustenance through photosynthesis. On the ground, it provides sustenance through decomposition. The intricacies of creation are everywhere if we have the eyes to see them. “I sing the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food; He formed the creatures with His word and then pronounced them good. Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed where’re I turn my eye: if I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky!” – Isaac Watts

4 Comments » | posted in Photography

posted by Donald on 09/20/07

Between a visit to the university and picking up our remaining luggage, we spent some of our afternoon in Taipei at the beautiful Chiang Kai-shek Memorial and gardens, August 29th.

Taoyuan is a bustling city with many sights and sounds.

From tofu to corn on the cob there is much to be tasted in Taiwan.

8 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports, The Bright Side