The Chili Fundraiser last Saturday raised $1526!! Some liked the chili "Hot and Spicy" and others liked it "Wimpy" but all agreed it was a great day for chili, and Thanks to all who helped!

This next week is spring break for Cedar Rapids schools, so I have a week of working on storage packing and moving preparations. We need to find new housing for May and beyond? until we obtain fully funding for our African Mission. Progress is being made, yet the Living Link pledged support is coming slow. We are ready to go! My bus driving ends the first week of June... not sure what can be found for employment then?

We have begun plans to be at the North American Convention in Anderson in June, and it would be great to be fully funded by then... it could happen! We would like to plan the Summer, but there are so many unknowns... The Lord has it in His hands, wish He would let me in on the plans.

We had a wonderful time in Portland during the Warner Pacific College Alumni Weekend and the weather was sunny and warm. We shared the stories that made WPC special to our lives and celebrated with those being honored for their service to the church. The campus has seen some wonderful improvements over the last 25 years since we were last there. We cheered on the Knights basketball teams to 3 out of 4 wins (time for "free-throw" practice! after the one they lost). Reminisced with Richard Craghead one of the key professors directing my studies at WPC years ago. We met several other professors, area pastors and retired alumni that touched our lives in some way. Staying over the weekend we were able to worship with the Lynchwood Church of God and specially thank them for their investment in our lives as WPC college students. It was truly a blessing having Pastor John Kuykendall pray a blessing over us as ones sent out from that congregation. We met several we had worked with in our internship and was privileged to see Norma Webber, whose husband was the pastor we served under developing the leadership in us that would help us serve the church over the 26 years since. We had worked with the Davidson boys and now were privileged to hear some of their girls sing and they have wonderful voices. A couple of other youth we had worked with Brad and Cindy invited us to a Thai lunch with their family. We even met Kathy from my home church in Willmar, Minnesota, who I had not seen for almost 30 years. We were so blessed renewing contacts with so many at the church there. In the afternoon we had the opportunity to meet with Mt. Scott Church of God missions team and hear the report of one who had served in Uganda from there. With many other contacts made we returned to Iowa's snowy landscape to get on with the work we currently have.

This coming Saturday, the Ellis Park Church of God is hosting a "Chili Fund Raiser" to raise support for our mission to Africa. Several of the local "chili specialist" will be providing their special recipe chili for the event running noon to 4 pm with a silent auction.

This month is very important in our fund raising as the nurse that Lori will be replacing, Rebecca Pierce, will be leaving KIST the end of this month and we need to get there as soon as possible. The home we have been privileged to live in will be needed in May, so we will be needing new housing then as well. My bus driving job ends in early June with the end of school, so we are hoping to be close to full funding then.

In just a few weeks we will be heading to Orlando, Florida to celebrate the wedding of our middle son, Aaron to Holly his college sweetheart. The April 3rd wedding in Florida sounds so good after a long cold and snowy winter in Iowa. It will be great traveling with our oldest son Adam and his family.

Well it's time for me to prepare for the "wheels on the bus to go round and round" and yes the kids I drive go "up and down" plus other directions... Wonder what the school fed them for lunch today?