Winding Down

The day was a real highlight, and we thank the Lord for it.

As the Day Went On........

The children thoroughly enjoyed the great variety of rides. The park also offers several animal shows. The dolphins were waving at us, and the seals had an amazing ability to balance!

Heide Park on "Pentecost Monday"

We had decided to take this last opportunity for a family outing at Heide Park, an amusement park a little south of Hamburg, and not quite two hours away from here. We have driven that Autobahn on numerous occasions, but never has it been so empty! In Germany most trucks are prohibited from driving on Sundays and holidays. The first picture shows Danika, Donovan, Dustin and Danielle waiting for Daddy to get the tickets. Our first ride was an old merry-go-round. The middle girl is Cassandra F.. We enjoyed the day at the park with Stephen K. and the Fueller family, as well as our teacher, Amber, Danae's boyfriend, Manuel, and three of the Matthia teens. Most of my pictures are of the younger group. The older kids headed off for the "Big Rides", and our planned group picture at our lunch meeting was rained out. We got pretty wet as it rained for several hours in the afternoon, but the lines were short and everyone had great time. ;)

Others From our Church Family That Were With us Today

Once again from top to bottom: The King Family, Amber, T. Höppi, Andrea, the Brüggemanns

A Day of Farewells

Today was the last Sunday in church for Danae and Dalene before they fly. As a farewell party we invited anyone who was able to come, to join us for dinner and the afternoon. It was a very good time of fellowship, and we were thankful to the Lord that the rain held off until the last guests were leaving around 7 p.m.. When we first got home after church today we took pictures of everyone. This first set from top to bottom shows our family, the Matthia family, Christian and Rebecca (with "babylein" due in August), and Hans, Paul and Svetlana.

Field Workers

Derek and Devon have been working for Kay since last fall. Generally they put in two afternoons a week. During this vacation they have been able to work every morning. Much of their time has been spent on weeding in huge fields. In the background you will notice many windmills that have "mushroomed" in the last several years. We have wonderfully strong winds that sweep over the huge flat fields and make it ideal for this form of energy transformation. The first set of mountains coming down from the North Sea (to the West of us) and the Baltic Sea (to the North of us) are the Harz mountains one hour south of us. Tonight we enjoyed a beautiful summer storm, including rain and hail.

Danielle Robyn : A Darling Addition to Our Wall

This is obviously a very biased title. :) Those of you who have visited our home may have seen the gallery of one-year-old pictures hanging over our bed. Yesterday we picked up Danielle's pictures which were taken a week ago and will now be able to bring the picture wall up to date.

Danielle Robyn : A Darling Addition to My Wall

Our Farewell Supper

This coming Tuesday Dalene and Danae will be flying back to Greenville to work for the rest of the summer. We took the opportunity last night to eat together at a very traditional German restaurant in our village. The first picture shows Danae and her dog Rookie Dane. Bradley and the girls standing in front of a huge wagon filled with dry flowers and veggies. Danae...getting eager for her food in a "non-fastfood" restaurant.

Nursery Ministry

Wednesday nights we have fewer children than on Sundays, but the responsibility of keeping children happily occupied during their normal bedtime is equally challenging. Here Derek is holding Jacob Brüggemann in the front and Joel King in the back. Derek and Danae gave their best to that end last night. Dalene taught the older group in the room next door, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures of her. Danielle was trying to go up the wrong way. :)

Girls Outing in Magdeburg

Andrea invited Dalene, Danae, and Amber to a yummy brunch on Wednesday morning. Later they walked part-way and rode the street car to a park on the east side of town. In the Rotehorn Park, the ladies claimed two boats for an hour of boating. I'm not sure what they are called in English, possibly a paddle boat. They move forward by pedaling as you would a bike. They enjoyed various wildlife, including the duck-family here, which was being chased by an otter. Dalene and Danae played interference by coming between the otter and ducks with their boot, until the mother duck had gotten them safely onto land.

Enjoying Time Together

Dalene, Danae, and Danika were invited to spend Tuesday afternoon with Amber, our teacher. They met at Matthia's house, where they tended to Lacey, Star (2 labs)and Misty (the mouse-chaser). The Matthia family is gone for a few days of vacation. Later they enjoyed fellowship in Amber's apartment. This year the rose bushes in front of our house are full of buds. Danika brings me in roses almost every day to decorate our table.

Vacation in May: From Ascension Day to Pentecost Monday

We are once again enjoying hot weather. We set up our inflatable pool on our deck. Derek and Danielle enjoy the trampoline.

Last, but not Least

From top to bottom: Bradley with Doreen (9) Dustin (7) Danika (6) Donovan (4)

A wonderful Evening

A Beautiful Sunday Evening Walk

Shortly before 8:30 p.m. most of us joined to go out for a walk. Our usual path takes us between homes, to the edge of our housing development, and down a "field way" between huge fields on either side. The sky changed from one spectacular cloud combination to another! The fields had grown significantly since our last walk about a week ago. The wind was beautiful, and the air was still warm.

24 Green Thumbs

I think just about every one of us has done something in our garden in the last days. Thanks to the good amount of rain, pulling weeds was almost fun :). We planted our squash seedlings, and the grass which has been growing got cut. In the warm sun, Danielle also enjoyed the little bit of water that had collected in the mote on top of the Little Tikes "castle" on our deck. On Thursday, and again today, our neighbors walked by with their 19 month old son. Ferdinand enjoyed playing with the kids, dogs, and bouncing on the trampoline. We are thankful for the good relationship we enjoy with this family. A little later in the evening they came back over with a "Bobby Quad" for Donovan and any of the kids who could still ride it. They had two of the exact same car, and wanted to share.