Things have been extrememly busy since my last update. I am sure I have told you previously that we were renovating our kitchen and bathroom and have been working quite hard at it - that is now done and the good news is that it was all done in time. Time for what, margaret would have been asking, well in time for the surprise visit of Ron, jen and Kate Buchmeyer - our bestest mates from Florida. Margaret and Jen are close close buddies and so before we left Florida I started putting plans into place to make sure they came over and that it would be a surprise for Margaret. I don't know how we achieved, because everyone else in the world knew that they were coming, however, on June 8th, Margaret got the surprise of her life when she arrived home from work only to find Ron and jen in our front hallway. She was shocked and the tears of happiness soon rolled down her cheeks. It was extremely cool - stressful somewhat in terms of arranging it, but cool nonetheless.

So for the last two weeks we have been hosting Ron, Jen and Kate and considering our house ain't that big, we have coped very well. we have spent a lot of time chilling and chatting and catching up as well as going on long drives so the Buchmeyer's could enjoy some of the beauty of Northern Ireland. We took a trip to the North Coast and to Dublin and basically just had a lot of fun with each other. There are lots of pictures below for you to see. It was a special time with special friends and proved to us all that distance is no barrier to the love that exists in a true and deep friendship.

Just before their arrival, we celebrated Eva's 1st birthday on June 6th. During the week we had three parties to accommodate all friends and family and each occasion was special in ti's own way. Eva got overloaded with gifts and toys and as was inevitable, just played with the boxes. However, now she is playing with the toys as the boxes have been put away! About a week after her birthday, Eva took her first real steps all alone with no help. She just decided one day that she would walk across the room to get something she wanted. She does it so well that you could swear she has been practicing while our backs have been turned. Erm... our backs are never turned, we are great parents!!!! She is also starting to recognise more words and responding to them as well, she knows how to make Elmo do the chicken dance and is learning that the remote changes channel and volume on the tv. She is pushing at the power button on the TV and I think her next trick will be turning it off on us. I think she might decide to do this during a crucial moment of the world cup finals!! She is growing so fast - I really don't know where the year has gone.

Other than all this - things have been pretty cool. I have had a couple of preaching appointments and have felt they are going well. I have found myself almost trying to fit into a mold since coming back from America in terms of my preaching - trying to gauge what style certain people might want me to preach in and have not been myself as much. The last couple of times I have preached, I have tried to be myself more i.e, read less notes and interact more with listeners. I feel much more comfortable away from detailed notes and have felt more freedom as I put less in front of me. I have heard from Queens that I am being place on a waiting list for entry this year and will not find anything out for certain until August/September. It's a bummer but we trust that the right way will open up for us.

The next major thing coming up is the youth trip that is coming over from Port St Lucie. I am totally pumped about them coming over here and excited about the impact it will have on their whole lives. Mission changes lives and mixing it with travel only increases the impact. I will be giving a couple of their training talks when they come over and then will be touring around their mission sites and seeing them all in turn. It will be an exciting and fruitful trip for them.

There are plenty of pictures below for you to peruse. Enjoy them.

Blessings