Holiday Inn Dubuque/Galena, Ia

... edification as well as evangelism<br>*For ECS India as it is "launched" to oversee the ministry in that country<br>*For the courses and RDs to reach people; in some parts of these countries it is dangerous to be an active Christian<br><br>Health<br>*Jim is recovering from 1NC (one nasty cold) and Sharon is 8 weeks out from major surgery, but feeling good; please pray for health and strength especially...<br>*for ears not to plug up (or ear drums burst ...

The morning after the wedding and we all (Mark, Kym and I) wake up fairly early as we have to pack and check out. Bloody Kym woke up without a hangover which I was stunned at cos she was fairly sozzled the night before. We skipped brekky today opting instead for eating at Alicia and Nate's hotel (we planned to go there anyway).<br><br>Packing was a mission for all but we got it done and got the car packed successfully. We headed into downtown Des Moines one last time to see Alicia ...

... Catherine at Globeaware told me on my way to Machu Picchu they have a lot of pick pocketers. I know I will be ok, but it makes me think. I am really excited to see Jose - it has been almost 10 years. I am excited to spend time with the kids. I am excited. So I head to my last day of work. I also have a bunch to do. But tomorrow I go. Here I come Peru.<br>

... on the Great River Road and it wasn&#8217;t long before I crossed into Missouri. Very similar to Mississippi, delta&#8217;s, levy's and they goe on forever. The towns are spaced out so at one point I was looking at the gas gauge nervously (even though I had 5 gallons in reserve). The bright spot for me was when I spotted a 7-11 as I got closer to St. Louis, it had been a while since I had a Slurpee.<br><br>The most beautiful ...

LOCATION: Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 3800 Arboretum Dr. | 6:30pm | No Admission<br><br><br>(Enter from the west on Hwy. 20. Go to stoplight with Olive Garden on right. Turn left on JFK Road. Proceed through town two miles. Turn right on 32nd Street, left on Arboretum Drive. Enter Arboretum to south side.)<br><br>RAIN SITE: Hempstead High School

MerryChristmas Family and Friends, Well as most of you know I took and adventure of a lifetime this October to Costa Rica. It is in the spirit of that adventure that I write my holiday greetings. Sometimes we need to step away from our crazy life to realize how lucky and grateful we really are. I spent one week on the Village of Pairsmina on the Caribbean coast. It is really an island surrounded by a river and the ...

... bear going forward but looking back. The more I think about it I am looking back at the former life of Jill. What still confuses the heck out of me is what I am supposed to do now. How I am supposed to be. There has to be a way this new Jill can live in her old life. Many have done it before and will do it again.

... am not sure what they mean. Yesterday I went on Google and the logo had a bear with a map and behind him was a direction sign - one said Peru and the other China. To me it represented not knowing where to turn. Or maybe try to deciede if I should go back or take another path. For me I don't know if my looking back is at Costa Rica or if looking back is my old life and now I need to move forward. Then I am listening to the ...

After more than 24 hours of travel we arrived at the Dubuque Regional Airport and were met by Jim's dad and Christina. Our home and our bed looked good. After 8 hours of sleep and a shower I'm feeling human again. The trip was fine until the last few hours. We're home for 5 days and then off to a missions conference in the Bahamas. Christina's excited that she gets to come with us!

... Monte banana plantation, where we observed the immense amount of work that goes into "making" the banana you enjoy with your breakfast. The bus trip cumulates at the port of Cano Blanco, where we transferred to a boat that carried Kara and I through the black-water canals (the color due to a toxin put into the water by a local species of palm) and to our jungle lodge. The canal journey serves as a tour of the surrounding rainforest and a "Highlights of Costa Rican ...