Family Christmas 2007

This was the first time in our family history that we were not all together at Christmas. Due to the wonders of technology, and Jason's computer savvy, Michael and Emily were able to join us though. It was not exactly the same, but since they could see and hear everything we were doing, it was pretty close. And this was only the second time that we had Christmas at our home. The first time was 18 years ago, right after Justin was born. We had a wonderful breakfast and after a couple of false starts with the internet hook-up, we got down to the business of opening the presents. A few pictures below.

The guys just before opening presents.

The annual Christmas tree pic, minus Emilywho was participating via Skype.

Number one son doing the honors-handing out the presents.

Joel trying to guess what's in the package. Dad is the best at that trick.

The guys jamming after Justin got a new pickup for the acoustic guitar.

My favorite photos from the Wedding!
We finally got the video put on DVD. I will try to post some clips here later.

We visited Spring Arbor College with Justin, who is exploring his College options. Although Spring Arbor is an expensive place to attend, we found out that Justin earned a Presidential Academic Scholarship worth $6,000 per year over 4 years as long as he keeps his grades up. Don't know if this will be his choice, but it's an honor nonetheless - and a great reward for all of Justin's hard work.

The annual Thanksgiving feast with the Holders and the Muffetts!

Schatzi 2007

Joel's 14th Birthday Pictures

Great Britain Final Report

We left the Bible College of Wales on Friday right after lunch. Eleven of us crammed into a bus with all of our luggage and set out for the trip. Along the way, Dion from Bulgaria kept us engaged with stories about Bulgaria going back to the days before the fall of the Soviet Union. It was amazing to hear about the revival that occurred in his country after communism. He became a Christian during this time along with thousands of others. His desire is to one day return to his country. We became great friends throughout the weekend. The conference was a wonderful time of teaching, fellowship, and encouragement. There were folks from the UK, America, Bulgaria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and China. There were leaders who had been serving the Lord for many decades along with quite a few who were just beginning their service in the churches in England. The recent BCW graduates were prayed for by the older leaders. It was wonderful to be a part of this generational experience. We heard great messages and spent some time with old and new friends. James was asked to speak for the final session on Sunday, right before the time of communion. After lunch on Sunday (we ate like kings the whole weekend), Steve and Helen Watts gave us a ride to the Birmingham airport. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and after a coffee at the hotel, we retired to our room for the evening. We were up early on Monday for the very long plane ride back home. I think we both watched two movies!! As I end this report, I want to say a special thanks to Karyn Coward for being our taxi driver to and from the airport. Also, we're so grateful for Fil and Rebecca Schwartz for allowing Joel to stay with them. Oh, and Jennie Visscher blessed us by helping take care of Schatzi (the dog) all week. We had a great time, and although the trip was a bit tiring, we were encouraged and refreshed by the Lord the whole time. Thanks for everyone who prayed for us while we were away.

Picasa Web Albums - James - Great Britain Final

Picasa Web Albums - James - Great Britain...

Britain Trip - Continued

The link below contains pictures from our final morning in Swansea at the Bible College. We slept in a bit on Friday after a full day of sightseeing on Thursday. While James was playing chess with Chris, Margot took the camera and spent some time wandering around the campus taking pictures. It really is a beautiful place. We know now that the pictures really don't do it justice. Everyone at the college says the same thing. "You have to see it for yourself." After packing our stuff, we had lunch with the students and faculty before saying goodbye. It was great to see Chris in his new element. We are extremely proud of our number one son. He's doing great, and is thriving in the challenging but rewarding BCW environment. It was great being introduced everywhere as Chris' parents.

Picasa Web Albums - Britain 2

Picasa Web Albums - James - Great Britain...

Picasa Web Albums - James

Picasa Web Albums - James

Britain Trip Report # 1

Ok everyone, I finally have a little time to give an update. After a long red-eye plane ride over the Atlantic and a brief stop in Amsterdam, we were greeted at the Cardiff, Wales airport by Chris and Nicola one of the Bible College of Wales employees who agreed to be the driver for the 1 hour trip-going and coming from Swansea. We didn't get much sleep on the plane and were very tired, but managed to stay awake for the drive to the Bible College. I was so tired that sleep was more important than lunch. Margot, however, decided to grab something to eat and then she took a long nap as well. That evening, though still very tired, we attended the small church meeting that meets at the college. The pastor opened the meeting with, " Tonight we get a double portion of Muffetts." Christopher led the worship, and did a great job, and then I was the guest speaker for the evening." It was exciting to see Chris in his newfound leadership role here in Wales. Everyone was wonderful, and it was great to see our friends from Lansing who are attending the college as well as meet many new people. After the meeting, still tired, we went to a local pub with a few folks and then went back to the college and crashed for a long and deep night's sleep.

On Thursday, we hopped on the bus and did some sightseeeing with Chris and explored the local area starting with a castle in a neigbboring town called Mumbles, including a lunch in a wonderful restaurant near a century-old pier and lighthouse, and ended with the Swansea Museum. After a great supper at an Indian restaurant (Chris' favorite) near the college, we finally trudged back up the hill and now have a bit of time to reflect. Margot is hanging out with Amy Rathbun and I am here typing.

The area of Swansea and the surrounding community is much bigger than I had imagined. The city is quite large, and the college is really much closer to the town than I thought. The Swansea Bay is beautiful and the scenery and countryside is gorgeous. We found out that Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins are both from here. The whole area is quaint, with a mixture of the very modern with the very old. I guess that sums up the entire UK.

To see all the photos click here:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/jem156/TripToGreatBritain

We're heading to the midlands of England tomorrow, so I hope to have more tomorrow sometime. Now for some sleep!

James

Trip to Great Britain

Ok, this is the first post as Margot and James get ready to leave for Wales and England. We're packing and checking all the final details. I plan to keep a journal of our trip here. Karyn Coward from our church is taking us to the Detroit airport, then we fly all night and arrive in Wales in the morning. Tired already. Well, got to get all our stuff together now. I will give more details later.

James