The Donkey is Hurting

People hauler, donkey, urban assault vehicle, toaster...it's been called many things. But the Nielsen van is in need of a new fuel pump and a few other miner things. We had it towed to a mechanic closer to home that's less expensive and it should be repaired soon. In the meantime, we (not all of us, because we would not fit) are driving our Taurus which has no heater core. Thankfully, we don't drive too far and it's not that cold.

What did you do for Thanksgiving?

We started off the day cooking turkey, ham, and all kinds of other food. We were joined by our old friends, Scott and Amy (Goris) Sutherland. Amy is from Willmar but they have lived in Kansas City since about 1995 or so. Scott and Amy were original Freshfire band with us. They have 3 kids that are Hannah's, Josiah's, and Sophie's ages. Scott posed as George Washington as he read the Thanksgiving declaration.

After we stuffed ourselves with lots of good food we headed for The Plaza to watch as David Cook switched on the Christmas lights. The plaza was stuffed with people. We found a place close to the front by the stage but as the show started hoards of people kept coming and we were getting mashed into the storefront windows. It was starting to scare some of the children as well as John and I. (All this to see David Cook) We decided to pick up the kids and head for safer ground further away. We wound up in front of a largescreen tv which was much better for all of us.

I have a video on Facebook of the real David Cook fan in the family.

It was fun to see and the fireworks works were entertaining. The entire event was short and sweet, so off we were to find hot cocoa and leftovers at home.

Getting out of the parking ramp was a different story. We were only up 1 level but it took us 45 minutes to get out of the ramp and when we did the roads were blocked off sending us in the opposite direction then where we had come from. We took a turn thinking we were headed back to HWY 71 but instead we were going north on an unfamiliar road. As we were trying to figure out where we were the trafficway we were traveling brought us onto 35W and our engine quit. We coasted as far as we could to get to the side of the road but the problem was...THERE WAS NO SIDE OF THE ROAD. We were on a bridge with a entrance ramp right behind us and we were stopped in the right lane of traffic with our flashers and light on. After about a 15 minute wait for help and praying like our lives depended on it, (because they did) the police arrived. The tow truck followed another 15 minutes later plus another squad car. We had 6 of the kids with us, Zach was leading a set in the Justice Prayer Room. The police loaded us into their cars and we all got off the freeway and into a unmanned gas station lot. Let me tell you, this was not the neighborhood to break down in. We were so relieved to get off that freeway.

We called our friends, the Dinsmores, who were at the JPR and they came to pick us up. The van got towed to the nearest car dealer to where we were. We have no idea what is wrong with it, we'll find out tomorrow.

So, this Thanksgiving we feel very blessed to have friends who are there when you need them and a God who protects. We are all safe and sound and warm. Bless you all.

A Small Army at Work

It's amazing what a small army can accomplish. They set this up in a matter of 15 minutes. It took another 3 hours to untangle the lights and change the burned out bulbs and all that fun stuff.

Big Announcement

Everything shifts on a regular basis here at IHOP-KC. And so are we. After months of consideration we are shifting out of the Broadcast Manager position. Our hearts are longing for the prayer room and sadly when working on operations staff at IHOP it is really hard to get into the prayer room. We want to spend the next season anchored to the wall as a family. This is a really important time for prayer in our country and world. It is a step of faith but it's why we came here. It will also be a financial shift for us but we believe this is an act of obedience and we will be blessed for it. The transition will take effect in mid January as the new track of Media Apprentices starts. John will be delegating his duties between 6 or seven people. He's done a great job with this program but it's just time to move on.

Trip To Minnesota

After IKEA we went to Willmar to meet the new pastor of our home church. That night Zach and Rachel went to youth group. John was able to share and pray with the worship team before the meeting. Zach played with his old friend Ryan, the beast. (He was playing the role of the beast in Beauty and the Beast at WHS. Excellent!)Thursday was spent running around St.Cloud. John was on the air with Praise FM in Osakis. He helped with the share-a-thon. The kids and I met with my Dad for lunch to say good-bye before he heads to Arizona for the winter. Then we went shopping and got Rachel a new haircut for her birthday. That night we drove back up to Alexandria, MN picking up John on the way. This was an adventure in itself because I had never been to Praise FM before and it was dark outside and it was snowing. I made a new driveway across their frontyard. Sorry, Dave! The kids and I were laughing so hard we were crying.

Friday John worked at Praise FM again while the kids and I drove back to Willmar and we did more hanging around town, shopping, and saw Beauty and the Beast and the Willmar High School.

Saturday was filled with visiting old friends and catching up. Saturday night we were able to have a time a worship and prayer in the chapel at church. Hannah was our photographer. It was very special to worship together as a family, I'm so proud of where the Lord has brought our kids.

Sunday we headed back home to Kansas City, exhausted. These are scenes from the car ride. It's winter already.

An energy plant outside of Council Bluffs, IA . We think it looks cool at night.

We arrived home around midnight and collapsed.

Sweet 16

Rachel turns sweet 16 November 7th. Happy Birthday princess!

Can You Say...IKEA

One of our favorite stops in the Cities is IKEA. It's just fun.

He's always been a little fruity.

A cup of tea, please.

It's like kids at a playground.

On the Road to Minnesota

Tomorrow, after we vote, it's off to Minnesota. For our friends we'll be seeing, please call us or we'll call you. We haven't finalized some of our plans, hopefully I have all your phone numbers. We haven't forgotten you, I just haven't had time to connect all the dots. I'm looking forward to getting to my sister's house in time to watch some of the election coverage. Oh Lord, have mercy on us.