According to the Flight Tracker at Delta Airlines the flight which Tyler and the rest of the team have been on since last evening has landed! :)
[By the way, I am so grateful for the internet with features that tell you such things....]
So they're now in Johannesburg, South Africa.
As I write this on Saturday at 1:30 pm, it is 7:30 pm there.
The plan is for them to stay overnight at the hotel there at the airport, then tomorrow morning at 11:05 am their time (5:05 am EST), they will board a British Airways plane for a two hour flight to Livingstone, Zambia. From there they'll drive to Choma where they will be staying for most of the coming week, and get settled in to their new surroundings.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Africa Bound....
....Tyler and the team are Africa bound!!!
Here are some photos from the airport here in Grand Rapids as they were getting ready to leave.
His plane flew out of Grand Rapids around 2:30 this afternoon. He'll arrive in Atlanta around 4:30 pm, then leave Atlanta at 8:05 pm this evening and fly overnight and all morning tomorrow to Johannesburg South Africa, where he will arrive around noon EST tomorrow, which will be 5 pm there in Johannesburg.
The team will stay overnight tomorrow (Saturday) night in Johannesburg then have a short flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Livingstone, Zambia at 11am-1pm on Sunday, their time, which will be 6am-8am EST Sunday morning. Then they will travel by bus to the place they'll be staying for the week, Choma, and then the real adventure will begin!
There are 10 members on the team from KCC (Kentwood Community Church), 6 teens and 4 adult leaders. This is a tremendous opportunity for all of them, and one that Tyler has been planning for and excited about for over a year and a half!
Please keep Tyler and the entire team in your prayers during the time of this trip. He'll be back home on June 22, ten days from now.
Meanwhile, I'll keep the blog updated with what activities they will be involved in, based on the schedule we were given, and any news I hear as they are away.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Graduation Season
Two of my nieces graduated from High School this year.
Here is Ariel with her parents, Dave and Louise.
And here is Roshanah with Tim, Tyler, Emily and me.
Ariel, Shanah and Tyler were born each within 6 months of each other. Ariel first in July 1991, then Shanah in September, and Tyler in January 1992.
Here is Ariel with her parents, Dave and Louise.
And here is Roshanah with Tim, Tyler, Emily and me.
Ariel, Shanah and Tyler were born each within 6 months of each other. Ariel first in July 1991, then Shanah in September, and Tyler in January 1992.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Unsearchable
"Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is UNSEARCHABLE."
~Psalm 145:2-3~
Back on June 1st I read this verse in a devotional book....and the word "unsearchable" stood out. In this day of computer technology it would appear that nothing is "unsearchable". Truly, there is nothing that we cannot find out in a matter of seconds at the tips of our fingers on our computer or phone screens.
Do you need to know if there really is a place called Timbuktu? Google it. In less than 20 seconds you will have over 2 million possible sites where you can discover all you needed to know about Timbuktu - and much more. You'll learn that not only is "Timbuktu" a city in western Africa, but it is also a board game, and the name of a Maryland seafood restaurant.
Do you have physical symptoms and want to know what medical condition you may have? Google the symptoms, or simply go do a search on WebMD. Who needs the doctor? We have the internet, we can search this ourselves. And once we know what we have, we can enter a new search for how to treat it and make ourselves well and comfortable once again.
Honestly, is there anything that we cannot find out by searching on the internet? Whenever I don't know something - I go do a search. What power. What a tool. What knowledge we as a human race possess!
Yet, there is at least one thing that we cannot ever gain the answer to.....something that even Google...perhaps we could say 'especially not' Google, or Yahoo, or Wikipedia, or anything else!... will not ever fully comprehend or express, and that unsearchable thing is: How Great God Is!
The verse above states it very well..."his greatness is unsearchable"; and as another translation puts it "His greatness no one can fathom."
The first few verses of Psalm 139 say it this way:
"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."
Even, though we will not ever be fully able to grasp or describe the greatness of God, the best place to even begin to get a gain an understanding of His greatness is to do the search by opening up the Bible, and learning more about Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
And then to take the next step of applying the power he offers us into our daily lives. That also allows us to have a window into HOW GREAT he is, despite our human weaknesses and frailties.
As 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, "He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How UNESARCHABLE are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!"
~Psalm 145:2-3~
Back on June 1st I read this verse in a devotional book....and the word "unsearchable" stood out. In this day of computer technology it would appear that nothing is "unsearchable". Truly, there is nothing that we cannot find out in a matter of seconds at the tips of our fingers on our computer or phone screens.
Do you need to know if there really is a place called Timbuktu? Google it. In less than 20 seconds you will have over 2 million possible sites where you can discover all you needed to know about Timbuktu - and much more. You'll learn that not only is "Timbuktu" a city in western Africa, but it is also a board game, and the name of a Maryland seafood restaurant.
Do you have physical symptoms and want to know what medical condition you may have? Google the symptoms, or simply go do a search on WebMD. Who needs the doctor? We have the internet, we can search this ourselves. And once we know what we have, we can enter a new search for how to treat it and make ourselves well and comfortable once again.
Honestly, is there anything that we cannot find out by searching on the internet? Whenever I don't know something - I go do a search. What power. What a tool. What knowledge we as a human race possess!
Yet, there is at least one thing that we cannot ever gain the answer to.....something that even Google...perhaps we could say 'especially not' Google, or Yahoo, or Wikipedia, or anything else!... will not ever fully comprehend or express, and that unsearchable thing is: How Great God Is!
The verse above states it very well..."his greatness is unsearchable"; and as another translation puts it "His greatness no one can fathom."
The first few verses of Psalm 139 say it this way:
"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain."
Even, though we will not ever be fully able to grasp or describe the greatness of God, the best place to even begin to get a gain an understanding of His greatness is to do the search by opening up the Bible, and learning more about Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
And then to take the next step of applying the power he offers us into our daily lives. That also allows us to have a window into HOW GREAT he is, despite our human weaknesses and frailties.
As 2 Corinthians 12:9 states, "He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."
Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How UNESARCHABLE are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!"
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
And the report on speech therapy is....
...good news! He likes it. Dad likes his new therapist, Dee. Their personalities 'clicked' at the initial meeting last week. Beyond the initial consultation not much interaction has happened yet, but so far, it's positive news. He'll be going back!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Married for 59 Years...
Happy Anniversary today to my mom and dad, Paul and Ruby Davis! On June 2, 1950, Mom and Dad were married in Battle Creek, Michigan! Fifty-nine years is a long time! Congratulations!!! God has certainly been good to them...together after all these years!
Here are the lyrics to a song that I wrote for them, nine years ago for the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. It sort of tells 'their story'.
TWO HEARTS
A little girl from Oklahoma
Moved to Michigan.
Mom and Pop and brother loved her
She meant the world to them.
Grew into a fine young lady,
precious ruby rare.
Charming grace, radiant beauty,
Gentle spirit beyond compare.
A little boy, son of a minister
in a West Virginia home
With sister Nel and brother John
Life was filled with so much fun.
Music called him, and he answered;
Moved to Michigan.
Went to study, met a beauty;
Won her heart and she won his.
Two hearts, One love
Carried them through the years
Down life's road together
In storms and sunny weather;
God's love has guided these two hearts.
A travel trailer for a home,
So many miles they roamed.
One week here, another there,
Sung the gospel everywhere.
Some years later, came a daughter,
Made a family.
Three hearts to love, three songs to sing;
How they made God's praises ring.
Year have changed things
But still remaining
Are golden memories.
The best is yet to come, they say
"Heaven will be mine someday"
Where God leads them, they still follow
Blessings overflow!
How many souls they've led to Jesus
Only Heaven knows.
Two hearts, One love
Carried them through the years
Down life's road together
In storms and sunny weather;
God's love has guided these two hearts.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Countdown to Africa.....11 days....
No, I'm not going, but I wish I were! However, my son, Tyler, is going! He and nine others, mostly teens, from our church (Kentwood Community Church) are going to Zambia for a week of missions work. The dates of their trip are June 12-22.
It's going to be an incredible, life-changing experience for them all, I am sure!!! Tim and I went in April 2008 to the same area of Zambia where they will be going, and I can truly say that the people they will meet, the scenery they will see...the things their hearts will feel...it's indescribable.
In addition to getting my son all ready for international travel, I am getting fifteen various musical instruments ready to send as gifts from our church to the Choma Music Academy, a music academy in a small Zambian city where children can learn musical skills. Our KCC teens will take these instruments with them and deliver them personally to the children at the academy.
The photo above shows some of the children who attend the academy, which is led by Richman Syabambba, who is pictured in the photo below along with his wife Regina. The Syabambbas became dear friends to Tim and me when we met them in 2008. Richman is an amazingly gifted musician himself and is doing great things in Zambia!
So, as you can tell, Zambia, Africa is on our minds and hearts a lot these days as we prepare for Tyler's trip. It is exciting!
I'll be sure to update you as the trip takes place and especially after Tyler and the group return!
It's going to be an incredible, life-changing experience for them all, I am sure!!! Tim and I went in April 2008 to the same area of Zambia where they will be going, and I can truly say that the people they will meet, the scenery they will see...the things their hearts will feel...it's indescribable.
In addition to getting my son all ready for international travel, I am getting fifteen various musical instruments ready to send as gifts from our church to the Choma Music Academy, a music academy in a small Zambian city where children can learn musical skills. Our KCC teens will take these instruments with them and deliver them personally to the children at the academy.
The photo above shows some of the children who attend the academy, which is led by Richman Syabambba, who is pictured in the photo below along with his wife Regina. The Syabambbas became dear friends to Tim and me when we met them in 2008. Richman is an amazingly gifted musician himself and is doing great things in Zambia!
So, as you can tell, Zambia, Africa is on our minds and hearts a lot these days as we prepare for Tyler's trip. It is exciting!
I'll be sure to update you as the trip takes place and especially after Tyler and the group return!
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