Beacon of Hope

Some of you may be aware of Heidi's activities in Moçambique before she met me. One of the many things she did there was to partner with another young woman named Angie to start a ministry called Beacon of Hope. The intent was to help prepare some of the orphans for life as an adult in MZ by taking them to a residential farm (which BoH purchased) away from the orphanage to train them in various life-skills from interpersonal relationships to farming and other trades to allowing them space to finish high school (a rarity in MZ). They themselves are also involved in various service efforts to the surrounding impoverished community. The need for many many more ministries like this is paramount in MZ and other places in the developing world. Angie has run this ministry very well with some very promising results in the lives of the children she cares for.

Various factors have come to bear upon the feduciary aspect of the ministry and it is in dire need of some new funding (which we just found out from and emergency email she sent us). I'm posting this in hopes that some of you out there, after becoming aware of the ministry and the need, will decide to help her out either with a one time gift or on a more permanent basis, both of which are needed urgently right now. Click on the link above for more information on the ministry and how you can help.

On a similar note, I would like to recommend two books by Tom Sine for those who are looking for a good read: Mustard Seed versus McWorld and The New Conspirators. Pick up a used copy, read it and pass it on. I hope to do a minireview of them sometime soon.

Kevin and Evie in D.C.

as mentioned before, we were able to see some dear friends of ours a couple of weeks ago. below are some pics that they took while they were here. Their daughter is Ellie--cute!

4 more days in DC

I'll miss the toddler park and the zoo and sidewalks! It's so great to take Aedyn for a walk around the block; sidewalks, with a grassy area between the walks and street are ideal. I'll miss the international dinning options. We didn't see DC sites up close. We only had weekends together and we wanted to keep Aedyn's sleep schedule consistent. We want to bring the kids back in 7 or 8 years and do the tours when they can enjoy it. 

Eric has 2 finals this week and we will drive home right after his Friday morning test. We'll be glad to have our space, especially the deck and yard. I'll also have the other computer so I can post more pictures. 

missing you, too.

We love DC!

We are really enjoying staying in D.C. Eric is happy with the tropical medicine class and is doing well. His commute is longer than we had all hoped but he's getting lots of exercise. Aedyn and I go to the toddler park every morning and take a walk around the block every afternoon. The afternoon walk is sans stroller because Aedyn loves the freedom to explore. Sticks, bugs, rocks, the cracks in the sidewalk and the flower beds around our neighborhood have all been thoroughly explored, some tasted. We are living just behind the Washington National Cathedral in a truly lovely neighborhood. Highlights so far include great Indian food, a service at the cathedral, meeting up with great friends (Kevin, Evie and baby Elli along with Evie's parents and some GREAT pizza & Mark and Kate who hosted us for wine& cheese and kebabs on the grill.) We went to the zoo where all the animals were taking siesta and we drove around Capital Hill and looked from the car. We hope to see some of the Smithsonian this Saturday and eat some more international food. We've had Italian, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican and plan on Brazilian, and Spanish. Aedyn LOVED the Indian buffet. Eric and I ate so much for lunch there that we couldn't eat the rest of the day. 

this post written by heidi

Washington, D.C.

We have been here in D.C. for two weeks now. Some of you were confused to hear about "D.C." since I had been talking about Maryland before arriving. Well, the course I take is held at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (or something that ends up being USUHS) in Bethesda, MD, across the street from the NIH. We are staying, however, in a basement apartment in D.C. For those who are familiar with the area, we are in Woodley Park. Heidi will get some pics up later. Where we are so much better than the hotel that I would have been in if we didn't find this.

I get up to run at 5 each a.m., am home and stretched out by the time A gets up at 6, make us all breakfast, and head out for my course at 7 a.m. for the 15 min walk to the metrorail, 15 min ride to the Medical Center stop,and 15 min walk to the USUHS bldg. Lectures from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. (often with lab practicums in the afternoon), and then home just on time to see A before bed.

We have been able to eat good food and see some D.C. sites, but by far my favorite part has been seeing M and his girlfriend K, and seeing K, E, & their daughter E and their parents R & D. Thanks for visiting with us guys!

Three Weeks Later . . .

The tree was removed, a large check was written, and Eric put up new gutters. We had another pre-natal visit and heard the baby's heartbeat again (such a beautiful sound) and Eric wrapped up his first year of residency! 

Then we began a big roadtrip, 3000 miles with a 16 month-old ACTIVE boy. We visited Eric's family in the Zion area and met friends for lunch one day in Chicago. Then we drove on to western Iowa then to western Nebraska for Heidi's family reunion. We had a great time with all the family. Aedyn loved being with cousins and second cousins and grandparents. Eric and I needed to see everyone, too and we are really happy with the time we got to spend with all the family. The drive home took 3 long days but Aedyn did pretty well. Today he and I (Heidi) have nasty colds but having one's own bed helps. New we have 3 days to prepare for a month in D.C. Eric starts the military tropical medicine course next Monday in Bethesda. We're looking forward to seeing the capital. Pictures of our recent adventures will be up soon. Probably.