fun with uncle ross

abram and ross at the zoo


"pushing over palm trees" in santa monica

ryan's brother was here for his spring break and we had a great time. beautiful weather and lots of adventures together. malachi is still asking for uncle ross to watch the cars movie or go for a walk...

grandpa verwys

christmas 2007

grandpa and malachi

the day of my last post was a sad day, it was the day that ryan's grandpa died. grandpa verwys was a man with a strong presence. when he walked into a room, you usually heard his voice errupting with greetings, stories, or advice. he was also a man of prayer and deep love for jesus. we were told countless times that he and grandma were praying for us daily. he also loved to sing and shared this talent with many. he was a man who lived with integrity, gave generously, was a great friend and an amazing grandpa. abram is named after his great grandpa, abram was grandpa's middle name. we hope and pray that abram's life is a testimony to the promise that we know that "the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep his commands. " this verse was one of grandpa's treasured and is reflected in our family already. we are thankful that grandpa's love for Jesus was passed to ryan's dad and then to ryan and now to our boys. ryan was able to say goodbye to grandpa over the phone the day he died, yet we are thankful it is a goodbye with the hope of eternity. we were able to be in mi with family for the funeral and visitation. what a celebration of a life well lived. so our sorrow is filled with peace and we are thankful for grandpa, who he was and how he taught us to live.

water

the two little buddies, malachi and micah love playing together and having fun. today while taffy and i were grocery shopping for our weekend to the mountains the boys got to play with eric, our friend and roomie. first the boys messed around in the park's drinking fountain and then they moved on to bigger things. i guess malachi just wanted to touch the water and then he slipped into the fountain...knowing malachi he probably thought it was a nice day to swim and since his mom wasn't there to stop him, well why not jump in. this is only the beginning to all the malachi and micah stories, to think abram and elijah will soon be big enough to join the fun, right now they just sit, watch, and learn.

home

the boys and i met ryan at the airport last night and welcomed him home. we waited at the bottom of the escalator, malachi held a little sign; "dad." ryan thought we would be circling outside; it was fun to see his face light up when he saw us sitting inside the airport. we are thrilled to have him home with us again after the longest saturday of his life. we are so thankful for an amazing trip and safe return home.



riding in a rickshaw

where in the world is ryan?

well ryan is still in india, sleeping right now most likely. we thought he would be home by now but he didn't get on his flight...long story short he will be coming home on saturday night for sure -we are anxious to see him and hear about his adventurous trip. it has been a great trip with lots of learning, exploring and seeing the ministry of Shalom for Asia. Our friends Pastor Shantilal and Grace were amazing hosts and their whole family embraced Ryan with open arms. Now they all want to meet, "the Rachel", so maybe I'll visit someday too.... Here are a few pics from our time without Ryan, we missed him a lot, but we have survived. you can still pray that ryan makes all his flights from india, to manama, to germany, to ohio, to ca. yea! we are excited to see him soon.

Destination India

Ryan called a few minutes ago and arrived in India (yes he got first class and was able to sleep 8 hours straight!), spent the night in the airport and flew to Ahmadabad to meet Pastor Shantilal, Grace and their family. He was welcomed by friendly faces, a sign with his name and the ministries' name Shalom for Asia, and roses. He will be staying in an apartment down the street from the family and will now begin his learning adventure. I'm thankful that we will be able to speak by phone when he is available and the time zones have us both awake. Malachi, Abram and I loved hearing his voice, we are missing him already but excited for the opportunity he has to visit Shalom for Asia and be with friends. Pastor Shantilal, if you haven't met him, is a very persistent man and he has been asking Ryan to come to India for about 3 years. Amazing, the day has finally arrived. The boys and I are looking forward to my mom coming tomorrow morning too. Please keep Ryan in your prayers for the next week and us too! We will keep you updated on the trip.

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