DC, Chicago & Home

Hello All,

Well, we have returned home to Costa Rica safe and sound. It was a tiring day with a 3am alarm but being able to be home in the afternoon was a blessing. We are finally unpacked and getting back into the swing of things here.

This week we want to share a bit more about our final two weeks in the USA. We spent a week speaking with churches on the Mid-Atlantic District ,which includes Maryland, parts of southern PA and also Delaware and DC. We enjoyed staying in the District Office building where there are two upstairs bedrooms.

We stayed here for 6 nights in a row – a record for us – we hadn’t spent more than that at any one place at one time this summer! We enjoyed being together as a family and even cooking some meals.

We had a great time with all of the churches on the district. The church in Hagerstown had just returned from a trip to Costa Rica and had we been there we would have been with them. It was fun to hear of their great experiences. Also, we enjoyed an Hispanic service in Baltimore, a concert at the Gracepoint Community church and an outside BBQ in Seaford, Delaware – just to name a few. What fun!

A side trip to DC was a blast for family. Lots of walking, museums, memorials, some more walking, a special tour of the Capitol, many train rides, sometimes on the right train and sometimes not.

It was a great experience and a great reminder of the great history of our USA. We also drove to the east coast in Delaware. We can now proudly say that we put our feet in both oceans this summer. (Someone reminded me that that feat could be accomplished easily in Costa Rica – but there are a few more miles involved in the USA!)

After the stretch in the DC area, we drove one very long day from Baltimore to Chicago with a quick stop in Ohio to show the van. We are so thankful to God for bringing just he right buyer to us for the van. We wanted someone who really could use it, who wanted it, who could even use it for ministry, and that is what we got! A pastor and his wife in Ohio bought the van. David drove it back to them on Tuesday (Pobrecito David…poor David) who had to endure a few more miles.

We just loved our van this summer. We could not have had a better vehicle for our needs.

We drove more than 12,000 miles this summer so the van kinda became part of the family. The kids will miss the cool DVD player and their reclining seats! Thank you Mission Auto in Coshocton, Ohio for finding it for us!

After having a final visit with Grandma Preussner, we packed, repacked, weighed the bags, packed again and finally had all the bags just right. Spirit allowed our bags with 50.5 lbs and we were very appreciative! God is good!

One more milestone took place last week. Joshua turned 15 years old! We are so proud of him. He is already back to school and basketball. First game is in a week!

Keep the kids in your prayers as they adjust to a new school year, especially Kayley who is making the transition to secondary school (6^th grade) which involves lockers, locks, moving classrooms and many changes.

Thanks for keeping up with us this summer! God bless you all.

Until next time!

Shelley and family