Category: 150 Days

Today, we read parts of the Declaration of Independence to the girls and talked about our country's freedoms. Happy Independence Day! 

***We have committed to give our family rest each Sunday. Read more here.

We ate at a restaurant today for lunch. At the table next to ours sat a young man and his mother. They were both outgoing and struck up a conversation with us. It turns out, the mom had brought her son there for his 22nd birthday.  He had a cognitive disability and was excited to […]

One of our favorite things we get to do as we travel is spend time with friends. This evening we had dinner at some friends' house in New Jersey. Our girls had a blast playing with their two similar aged boys. Before we arrived at their house, we stopped by Panera Bread and picked up some […]

Stephanie's brother and sister in-law just had their first baby. It's a boy! They live in Oregon so we are looking forward to meeting the little guy later this year. To say "congratulations," we wrote them a letter and included a gift card. We wish we were nearby and could bring them a few meals. That was […]

October 2 is our World Vision sponsored child's birthday. He lives in Zimbabwe so it takes the mail a bit longer to get to him. World Vision always sends us a pre-made birthday card that we are invited to sign and mail back. The card is then delivered to our sponsored child for his birthday. In addition to signing […]

Today, the four of us visited a medical facility that provides "quality health care to the uninsured." It looked just like any other doctor's office, but one thing was different - it is free! The Clinic was founded in 2002 with a goal to provide necessary medical treatment to people that do not have health insurance. Patients […]

Congratulations to Annie from OR - this week’s featured giver and prize winner (gift certificate for Four at The Old Spaghetti Factory). Annie’s story: I don’t necessarily like to say what “I” give. I feel very privileged that I was given the vision and the passion to bless families who have babies born too early to […]

***We have committed to give our family rest each Sunday. Read more here.

We were coming back from a day in NYC with friends who live in New Jersey and pulled into a gas station for fuel and a restroom break. A man driving a Toyota Camry stalled his car less than a 100 yards from the pumps. He had completely run out of gas. I saw one of […]

A friend called me this morning with questions about his computer. He recently started using Apple's OSX and wasn't sure how to sync his MP3 player to iTunes or burn his music from his existing music collection. I walked him through each step. Sometimes we forget that skills that seem second nature to us can […]

The campground where we are staying has a family center. It is a favorite place for our girls. Inside, there is a section just for kids. It has toys, puzzles, and books specifically for younger children. Today, we picked out some of the girls' books that are no longer on their most-liked list and donated them to […]

Up until now, we have only volunteered with, toured, and interviewed non-profit organizations. We have learned from people who are serving children, the elderly, the hungry, and even prisoners. We have asked questions about funding and management. We have evaluated the impact of each organization and what it takes to serve their cliental. Beginning on day #151, we […]

As we drive across America, we get to see many different places. Out of our windows we've passed swamps, mountains, and beaches. Some have been uninviting; others breathtaking. Every so often Kayla will look out her window and shout, "Daddy! Mommy! look! Isn't that beautiful?"  She is right - America is beautiful and we are blessed to […]

This afternoon, I went on a tour at a non-profit behavioral healthcare organization that offers a wide range of services for children 3-years-old through senior adults. It was founded in 1952 by a group of Mennonite men who chose public service instead of joining the battlefields of WWII. They discovered how horrible living conditions were for people in psychiatric institutions and they birthed […]