BACK IN CESIS!

We are back in Cesis after a spending the month of September in Athens, Texas. We had scheduled this trip home so that we could spend time with our family and more specifically, attend our son Adam's graduation from the Art Institute of Dallas. We had to leave Latvia a little earlier than planned because of visa difficulties but the extra time in Texas was great.

What did we do while we were in Texas? Here is a partial sample:

1] Survived one hurricane (Ike)

2] Braved the traffic of Austin, Houston and Dallas on several occasions

3] Ate Mexican food 13 times.

4] Ate several cartons of Blue Bell Ice Cream (is there any other kind?)

5] Had a major operation performed on one of our dogs. (Everything turned out great!)

6] Attended a college graduation (Yea Adam!)

7] Spoke at Mission Emphasis at FBC-Athens

8] Attended a 50th Wedding Celebration (congratulations to the Finchers!) and a Texas BBQ

9] Worked on our boys' cars to get them ready for winter

10] Watched a couple of Dallas Cowboys games (on TV!)

11] Networked with college coaching friends on trying to get some of our Latvian players scholarships

12] Went on a great barge ride one night around Lake Athens. (Thanks to our friends Lee and Susan)

13] Met with the good folks at WorldConneX to update their involvement in our activities

14] Worked a few hours on our lawn to try to overcome some of the neglect inflicted upon it while we have been away

15] Scoured every Goodwill Store that we came across in search of cheap books to bring back for our enjoyment (English books are hard to find here and expensive)

16] Packed, re-packed, and re-packed again trying to get everything crammed into our baggage. (We still left some things behind.)

Whenever we get discouraged in Cesis, God always helps us to focus on something that recharges and fills us with enthusiasm. This time, that encouragement came from our family, our friends and our church at FBC-Athens. It is always a thrill to again be a part of a church that is so mission minded and generous with God's blessings.

Thanks to everyone for a great trip. You always help us to realize how important Cesis is, not only to us, but also to you.