The Storks have left

There are many ways to note that summer is coming to a close but for me this year it's been to observe that the storks are gone. For the last three weeks they have been restless, flying around most of the day. I was noting how those "little" babies were not so little anymore and they all seemed to be practicing for the long journey south towards Northern Africa for the winter.

The end of the summer also means that school is about to begin again and many teachers, adminstrators and other workers are back getting things ready. Here in Tilza the kids also take part in getting things ready. Each student has to work at the school for several days each summer. Not sure what all they do have observed kids cleaning, digging in the flower beds, and generally making things look nice.

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I am looking forward to the Fall as it will be time to start language class again. I have learned lots over the summer but am still finding it hard to understand when someone is speaking to me and asks questions. Please pray that I will have "ears to hear"!!

What can a sweatshirt tell you?

Notice anything unusual about these pictures? -- Something they have in common?

In each one I am wearing my ACORN sweatshirt! All of these picures were taken this sumer. It really has been rather cool and quite often windy.

Besides the fact that I really like this sweatshirt - the way it feels
and looks, etc., the main reason I wear it is because it reminds of the Acorn Center in Corvallis where people are becoming adjusted to a new life - one where they have to learn a new language and new ways of doing things. Now I have a great deal more understanding of their situation and am happy that the Acorn Center exists to express the love of God in a tangible way.

The first picture was taken when my sister was here and we were making a big effort to clean out some of the rooms in the church and put things in order. Though you can't really tell from the picture - I am sorting the pieces to a flannelgraph set that Calvin church sent to the Tilza church a number of years ago. In the process of cleaning we found the book with all the stories that go with it.


In the second picture I am trying some of my Latvian with Ina the shopkeeper at the largest shop in town. She is also a neighbor of ours, just behind our property.


The third and fourth pictures are from several exploratory bike rides around Tilza when Lorrie was here. We would go out most every day and pray for the town and just learn what was here.

Lorrie was often taking pictures of animals becasue her grandchilden would be inerested but sometimes she would get a shot of me.


The last picture is of another shopkeeper who was so very helpful in working through some language exercises with me.

Birthday Celebration

Monday was Daniels Donis' birthday. As you can see, he is now 5 years old. His mom and Dad (Pastor Kaspars and Liene) had a nice party for him out side at the campfire area.

First we ate some delicious crab salad and potato chips and juice(which Daniels served us). Then several "kids" blew bubbles trying to see who could make the biggest one and which would last the longest.

After cake and ice cream we played games and everybody got these great masks/glasses in varieties of color!

A nice time was had by all!! Daniels especially liked one gift that was a set of pens to be used for drawing -- but he found it more fun to use them to put little dots all over his arm.

I was especially glad that the mosquitos were not a bother. Often they can be so bad that it would be hard to eat outside

Life at home.

While the girls have been gone this past week I was busy doing summer-type things: cleaning, mowing the yard, trimming the edges and exploring our property. In the winter one doesn't feel much like looking into all the nooks and crannies to find out what's there.

Our fruit trees (apple and cherry) are abundantly productive and we are able to enjoy the results. We did nothing to keep these trees growing well but now I can see that they are in need of some tender loving care. That would mostly be trimming - about which I know nothing. But I have learned from others that this is not the time to do such things. Anybody wanto to come next February/March to help with that task? :) We have 4 apple trees and those small green apples are delicious. So I think I will try to make some applesauce.

Berries are also abundant in our neighbor's yard. We have red currants, black currants, raspberries, and something else which I don't recognize.

Several friends came over and helped pick and I learned that it isn't hard to make jam from most of these berries so maybe I'll do a little of that, too.

I find it rather funny that I even want to try doing these types of things because I never even thought about doing them in Corvallis - or anywhere else I've ever lived. But one is never too old to learn.

Still enjoying short rides on my bicycle most every day. The weather is perfect: cool and mostly cloudy!!