Getting Closer...

We are now just about at 70% of our support goal which has been encouraging especially as we get closer to being parents.  I have said it before, but we truly have had such a great time in this season with all kinds of people.  For instance last weekend we had the opportunity to go up to Enumclaw, WA to share about the ministry of MAF.  One of the first people we met at dinner, before we headed to the Saturday night service, was a guy by the name of Rob.  I love Rob.  He flew C-82s back in the day, which is the plane that was in the original Flight of the Phoenix movie.  It did not take much talking with Rob before I found out that about twenty years ago he walked around the perimeter of the United States to raise awareness and funds for MAF.  But it gets better.  He went on to tell me that during the time he was walking around the U.S. he got a new knee and heart valve.  Wow!  I couldn't believe it.
The more we hung out the more I realized what a heart Rob has for the Lord as well as MAF.  It was such a treat to have met Rob and have him introduce us as we shared our hearts before the congregation there in Enumclaw.  We left on Sunday encouraged and with several more life long friends to share this journey with.

With Rob

So what are we doing now?  Well, we are a little ahead of the game, but we are preparing to pack our crates which will be kept in storage for about a year and then shipped to Papua via sea freight after we complete language school in Java.  It is so much fun putting our lives into 270 cubic feet.  It's a big puzzle using all of our worldly possessions.  We technically don't have to be packing yet, but because Gracie is due in four weeks, and we will start training at MAF the first week of October and then I (Will) will get more technical training on the planes I will be working on in Indonesia through the middle of January.   If we don't do it now it might be a little more difficult with a newborn...or so I've been told.
So what kind of picture could we give you to look at without actually having our crates yet?  The plan of how we will cram our stuff into four wood boxes.  The fourth crate is the only important one, but to give you an idea of what the first three look like I have included the schematic of crate #1.  Oh, I will include crate #3 as well because it has our oven, which will produce some awesome eats.

Crate #1

Crate #3

Crate #4

Last week we took a break from packing and visited the Nike Hangar "Nike Air" thanks to a good buddy of mine who provides superb maintenance support for the Nike fleet.  Our tour included the hangar bathrooms, the machine shops, and two G5s all of which were cleaner than an operating room.  This picture is going to double as a belly update pic.

Phil's G5

Everything's great except for Frank

Nan getting hydrated and coming back to life

While at the doctor on Tuesday, Nan was able to get a couple liters of IV fluid pumped into her after a bug wasn't allowing her to keep anything in her body.  Then she was whisked away in a wheel chair as I followed to the labor and delivery floor for a quick tour of where our baby girl will come into this world.  After being monitored for a little while at "Triage" we were released being advised of the importance of a liquid diet after having an empty body.  So what does my beautiful wife request when we are on our way home?  Pizza.  We didn't do it, but it did put a smile on my face and then I knew she was definitely feeling better.  Another clue of when I know my wife is feeling better after sickness is when she goes into white tornado mode.  What is white tornado mode?  It's when my wife cleans and organizes kind of like right now as I am typing.  Don't worry, I do all the heavy lifting.

Gracie at 32 Weeks

While at the doctor on Tuesday, we had an ultrasound and found that Gracie was a bit low on fluid so we went back today, now that Nan is hydrated, to make sure she's good to go.  Well, she was still a little low, but still in the normal operating range.  If you are still reading this entry its more than likely because you just want to know who Frank is and what he has to do with anything.  Well, it is the type of breech position which Gracie is in right now.  We really want a natural birth as much as possible so for her to come out bottom first would definitely not be helping mom out much.  She has several more weeks to grow and move around still, so we are not too worried. 

Two more tidbits of information we found during the ultrasound is that Gracie already has extremely chubby cheeks at 3.5 pounds.  I am willing to bet two of her pounds are in her cheeks.  Although we didn't get a good still picture we briefly saw her in 3D to verify the chubbiness.  Another characteristic she has thus far is hair on her head.  Considering both Nan and I needed a haircut upon delivery it didn't really surprise us much.

One last note.  Today to avoid all the construction traffic at OHSU we decided to take the $57 million dollar tram that goes up the hill to the hospital.  If anyone is on the fence about coming to visit after we deliver it would definitely be a good excuse to come ride the tram.  If you visit us you get free tickets too so there is no excuse.  Take a gander...

The 12 ton car

View looking over the Willamette River

View from the top

Another view from the top

Safely in Vancouver, WA

Note:  12,000 miles not driven on motorcycle

After 12,000 miles of driving in the car we realized yesterday that we actually could have made it to Indonesia...but they still have yet to put that bridge in. As we finally settle in back here in Vancouver, more than ever am I genuinely thankful for everything that people have done and are doing for us.  As we prepare to bring Gracie into the world and go to serve the people of Indonesia we cannot do it alone, so we thank you for your support no matter what role you have played.  Also, the fact that we arrived back here to Vancouver safely is a blessing considering all the miles of road we covered with baby in womb.  As you might imagine the bathroom stops were frequent, but being with the most beautiful girl (soon to be two) on the planet made for some memories I will never forget.

Yesterday after church we moved all of our possessions from a friends garage in Hillsboro to the home of our friend in Vancouver.  Here we will sort, pack, and inventory our belongings preparing them to be put in the crates that I will make.  After the crates are constructed and filled they will await shipment to Indonesia.

Please pray for Nan.  As I write this she has got some kind of a bug that has made her pretty sick.  Please continue to pray about what your role may be as we look for prayer and financial partners.  

Recently we have been meditating on Acts 20:24...


"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."