2013 Week 3: Visitors and Visits

Sunday slipped by photoless.
However, I discovered some lost photos from the previous Sunday taken at Gina's house. These two are my favorites. Her new front door by Sam's Custom Woodworking inscribed in Hebrew: Barak shem Yehovah (Blessed be the name of the Lord.)

 DIL Karen and one of the sweet little guests at Gina's 3 King's Day party.
 

I'm on my own now most evenings during these six weeks of robot build-season. I was glad to have several  dinner opportunities. Monday night, of course, it was at Stephan's.
Nanxin entertained us with more Chinese stories. She says there are hundreds because their culture is so very old. The ancient stories are reduced to four word sentences. So when someone says "Fox borrows tiger's power" everybody knows what it's about. The mighty tiger walking through the forest had never met the fox. When fox claimed to be the king, tiger challenged him. But clever fox said, "I'll prove it to you, just walk behind me." As they went all the animals fled.

Tuesday we had two visitors.
Mike S. from OM (the mission we worked with for many years)  stopped by for lunch and fellowshipon his way through from OH to Indy. Of course we took him to Ivanhoe's.

He brought us some OM materials including a bracelet made by women rescued from trafficking. I love it.

We were delighted to have Sara's husband Steve spend the night after dropping Jared off at school.
Sara sent delicious pumpkin bread, at Mike's request ;-), 'cause she's always posting food photos.

Steve left the next morning after we wearied him with many questions and stories, but no euchre this time.
We were having such great conversations that I didn't get the camera out until it was almost too late.

Leah invited me for dinner Thursday--fun time, delicious food, house redecorated. She has been digging out old treasures and hanging art on her walls.

 

I brought one portrait of Skye home to frame it.

My mother invited me to join her Friday for a church dinner and missionary speaker, so I drove up to Winona Lake in the afternoon.
When I visit her church I reconnect with people from the ancient past. The Covers were missionaries in Argentina when I returned as an adult and taught in a Christian school for several months. He helped me start a journalism club and guided in the production of a few school periodicals.

When I visit my mother I stay overnight in her extra bedroom. As I was driving away Saturday morning I realized I had not yet taken a picture for TLMacdonald Photography's weekly challenge--this time a panoramic, so I stopped and tried that feature on my camera.

Winona Lake on a wintry sunny day

And now it's good to be home again!

One more thing, I promised to let you know about the YouTube video of the chapel service where Mike spoke. It was posted this week: January 7, 2013 Taylor University Chapel.