Resting, Rejuvenating, and Recommitting

The kids with their cousins on the Grimm side...enjoying some fun at a local park in Newton

At the Des Moines Zoo watching the Lions...Elizabeth's little stuffed lion is happy

Alexandra (with G'ma Grimm) trying to feed a dinosaur at the zoo

Kester got to play for the White Sox in Newton

We enjoyed a day at a state park near Ankeny

We rode the train in Boone, IA...looking out the window over a big bridge

Riding the train and enjoying a breeze on a hot day...the weather reminds us of a certain place!

Family and Friends,

This summer has been really good for us as a family, giving us a chance to spend quality time together and with other family members.  In the past month we have been busy with the following:

-Attended Kester's baseball games with the White Sox and made new friends
-Attended a full week of VBS in Newton ("Pandamonium" theme)
-Spoke in three churches locally about Mission Haiti
-Visited the Des Moines Zoo
-Visited the Des Moines Science Center
-Visited Red Rock Dam in Pella
-Visited a State Park near Ankeny
-Attended the annual hog roast (without hog this year) at Cory's sister Mara's home in Iowa City
-Enjoyed a visit from the great-grandparents as they passed by from Sheldon, IA, to Michigan
-Attended the Newton parade, band concert, and fireworks on the 4th of July and stood a few rows behind Governor Branstad as he made a speech to the crowd
-Lots of bike riding (G'ma Marlys is preparing for RAGBRAI)
-Landscaping and painting with Grandpa
-Kester has begun taking piano lessons
-Going regularly to the library (Kester and Elizabeth knock out several "chapter books" each day)
-Visited a handful of old friends who happen to live in this area

In short, we have been a pretty normal American family this summer, and it has been a nice break for us from the life we live in Haiti.  The life we live in Haiti is the life we prefer, and this is our calling from God at this time, but our summer break has been a nice change of scenery for the time being. That is something we all need now and again.

I (Cory) had a nice visit with my long-time mentor, Michael Ginn, this past Sunday.  He is also my uncle, married to my Mom's youngest sister.  Michael is the one who got  me started memorizing Scripture all those years ago, and we always enjoy sharing a great conversation full of laughs and deep insights from the Word.  I went to hear Michael preach at a church in Des Moines, and afterwards we went to get lunch together and sat for a couple of hours. 

(side note:  I just finished memorizing the Gospel of Mark and have begun working on Acts.  After that all that remains to finish the New Testament is the Gospel of Matthew)

I came away from that meeting refreshed in the work God has for me at this time.  As I shared with Michael some of the plans for the Bible School in Haiti, I could see he was very supportive and even envious (in a good way) of the things we are doing.  Just talking through some of those ideas with someone who could understand the passion behind it was very energizing.  I felt like God used that encounter to help me recommit myself to the plan.

This coming Saturday we will sit down with Mike and Pam Plasier (the directors of Mission Haiti) and talk through the goals and plans for the coming year.  That will be a good opportunity for us to get on the same page with each other concerning everything that is going on.  With a ministry like Mission Haiti, so much happens from day-to-day and it is easy to get out of the loop in a hurry.  I'm sure we will discover that the Holy Spirit has been speaking to all of our hearts in similar ways.  That is always how it is with us and the Plasiers which is why we are doing what we are doing in the first place.

This Sunday we will be sharing stories and pictures in Alcester and Sioux Center.  The meeting in the evening at Sioux Center has been changed to 5PM, so plan accordingly!   

We eagerly look forward to spending time with family and friends in NW Iowa, Sioux Falls, Alcester, and other places for the remainder of the Summer.  Please continue to pray for us as we pray for you.

God Bless,
The Grimm Family Adventurers