Mom's with tears in their eyes watch their 5 year old AK students bounce up into my bus on my first load to school.  Then for the next load, the upper class HS students come dragging out all bleary eyed and as they get on the bus is that a "happy dance" I see the mom's doing?  Well my 1999 bus has one more "problem" today, the turn signal lever came off in my hand two turns from the school where I drop my final load of the morning; and the other drivers thought I was nuts making hand signals out the drivers window as I got it back to the transportation center.  I have a 2006 bus for my afternoon route that is a wheel chair lift bus, which is thankfully not needed at this moment for the wheel chair students I pick up have improved to be able to "walk" on to the bus with assistance.

Lori and I have been keeping busy assisting those who are still working at recovery from the flood that covered about 10 square miles of Cedar Rapids two years ago.  This week we have been working on landscaping at home of a handicap couple who have just got back into their refurbished home.  Many neighboring homes that were not able to be repaired have been torn down.  The whole "time-check" area is still in need of rehabilitation and some of it will not return to housing (a "green-space" will be created).  The Ellis Park Church of God continues to provide a "tail-gate" meal ministry every Sunday noon in this area, as it has for the last two years.  Serving 30-40 each Sunday with a touch of Jesus' love in this need filled area of Cedar Rapids.  People trapped in drugs, alcohol, sexual ... addictions are served with kindness and the message of hope.

We continue seeking to finish our fund raising process that has taken longer than expected.  We have less than 40% of our funding needing to be pledged (about $25,000) for each of the three years we plan to be in Kenya.  The costs for us to be in Kenya are equal to want would be needed in the USA, but then you must add the cost of international travel and specialized training.  We will need to learn the language of Swahili ... Jambo!  Lori flies to Kittanning,  PA tomorrow for a Faith Promise missions weekend.  She will meet up with Rebecca the former nurse at KIST there for her last "official" missionary presentation for Global Missions.  We have been praying for a job near Rebecca's VA home to open for her as she leaves the mission field ("for a while") to care for family needs.

And if you think that leaves me with nothing to do this weekend, you have not seen my "Honey Do" list... and further "down-sizing" is needed to be ready to go to Kenya.  Thanks for your prayers, encouragement and support.