Farm Fun

We have been on the farm for 11 days and plan to return tomorrow, but the kids have certainly had fun and been spoiled! They got to ride grandpa v.p.'s tractors and mule/gator. They played in the haymouw and swung on a rope swing. They watched a fire and played with kitties. Then when I went to Sioux Falls for the weekend, they got spoiled by Grandpa and Grandma Beckering! They played at Grandma's school, they got to go to a cousin's birthday party and ride horses (even Kylie!), they played crochet, and made crafts, and we even went swimming with Grandpa and Grandma Beckering--certainly they did not lack anything to do. The demanding "I want" nature that all children have was probably fed even more this weekend with multiple people to aid them in their wants, so it will be an adjustment period when we return home and I am the only one to get their lunch or meet their other "needs." It certainly was a big help to be with grandpa's and grandma's this week with Dan being gone, but we are very glad to have him back.

He came back very tan and with a beard:) Last night Kylie was going to bed between Dan and I and she was just tickled to have him back. She kept saying, "mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy." And then she would say, "Daddy, beard, mommy touch it?" as she would rub his face:) Dan enjoyed his week very much. He felt good about the manual labor they accomplished for the orphanages they visited. He enjoyed visiting the sugar cane villages and playing with kids and young adults there (they played baseball and other games). He said it was beautiful country and beautiful people. It also was difficult for him to see the poverty especially in a handicap orphanage that he visited. Many of the birth defects that would be detected early here and easy to correct never get treated there. Some of the kids there would need to be chained to their beds or in cages because they would hurt themselves or others if they weren't--they lack the man power to care for them without the cages or chains. That was probably the hardest part of the trip for Dan. But he was encouraged by seeing the world wide church and people worshiping the same God in a very different country!

Unfortunately we still have a broken camera, but we did order one online last night, so we should be able to update you with some pictures relatively soon.