The Month of JUNE...............

I  got to see some of my ASIA friends L-R Kath,Me, Herm, Dewey and Kenny

^ Kath and I doing what we love best.......BOW shopping

^ Yea baby!!!!!!

Bible School........

I had fun teaching 3rd grade...small class but lots of fun. Items represented:

*Mosses in a basket  *Take up your mat and go home * Good Samaratin *Zacheus

^ Gideon, Me, Shania and Liz

Brad and Christine's Hitchin'  ~ Illinois

^ Christine would be my 1st cousin on Dad's side

So happy for you Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!! You found a goot one

^ Para-planes flew by and dropped candy

^ I CAUGHT THE BRIDES BOQUET...hmmmmm.... ( 1st cousins  Bethany, Me, Chris & Cynthia)

^The Lovely Diener sisters

^ The typical Helmuth Siblings

This 'n' That.....

^Me and Louise poppin a wheelie

^ I missed my river!!!!!!!

Rock Climbing........

Parla invited me to go rock climing back at HONE QUARRY along with some other friends

I actually made it up the first time w/out falling

^Will ~ tackling the LEDGE

^Parla watching and taking pointers

And she's off

Thanks Parla,,, i'll be waitin for that call to go again sometime

I missed these beauties too,,,,,

^ I'll end with this cutie pie .... anybody guess who she belongs to?

yall come back now y'hear

China Earthquake.....

Yes, I was part of the BIG shake that went on in China. Chengdu is located 50 or so miles south of Wenchuan (the Epicenter).

I had just got done teaching the children and had to go to the supermarket for grocheries.  2:30pm I was on the 2nd floor of TrustMart, basket of grocheries in hand.... started going down the escalator when all of a sudden i heard rumbling and screaming,, i didn't feel anything because I was moving down toward the 1st floor. I looked around only to see a RUSH of Chinese people screaming and running straight toward me, i started to pick up my pace a lil and looked up.... there was a escalator casing that was going up to the 3rd floor,, it was swaying and shaking. My first thought was "we got hit by a plane or we are being bombed" I RAN down the escalator (grocheries still in hand) trying to make my way to the exit door,, ran past the checkout counter, then realizing i should just DROP my basket and run faster. As i was running I looked up to the ceiling, I thought the roof was going to cave in any second.. everything was still shaking and I could hear stuff crashing to the floor. The electricty then went out,,,by that time I was almost to the exit. There was enough "outside" light shining in that we  could see where we were going. I finally made it out in the open, I looked up top of the building to see what hit it,, there was nothing in sight, but I saw the buildig sway,,, i looked around and all the other buildings were swaying and the glass was trimbling... i finally realized then that we were having an earthquake. The ground was still shaking.  I tried to make my way through the crowd and head back to Geoff and Becki's. Hundreds of Chinese peole were crowding in the middle of the streets (the only somewhat safe place from the apartment buildings all around). It was somewhat funny to see some of the garb the people were wearing,,, some in their PJ's, chefs that came from the kitchen, and ladies that just came out of a spa treatment w/ their faces caked w/ cucumber lotion.

I made it to Geoffs and was so releived to see that they had made it down from their 7th floor apartment building. The kids were were anxious to see me and so eager to tell me THEIR SOTRY of what happened. After the BIG quake, we experience many more tremors small and large that kept our nerves on edge!

^ A Big crack running up the middle where two apartment buildings were joined.

The college campus (real close to where I lived) was packed w/ people. Many people put up tents, laid out blankets and slept here for the night. It was another area that was open and away from tall buildings.

^Don't even think about having  "personal space"

^All of us who camped out.

The night of the earthquake we all decided to sleep out on the soccer field, a lot of the campus yards were all taken. This picture ^ was taken the next morning (there were lots more people than that,, sleeping out there on that field).  During the night around 3-4:00 we felt another BIG tremor- I never knew the ground could shake like that!

Around 5:00 that morning it started to sprinkle and then rain. We decided to go back to our apartments and trust that we would be ok. I thought I wasn't going to get any sleep in my 3rd floor apartment,, but I did.... I did feel tremors off and on,,,, it made my heart sink to my stomach, I held still for a while and asked myself,,, should I wake up Bev ( my roommate) and dash down stairs toward teh street? I waited it out and managed to fall into a deep sleep, which Lord knows I needed it!

^some Tibetans used the Soccer goal for a tent

^ Some Chinese getting ready to put up tarp for a shelter from the rain.

^ The next morning after the earthquake

During the whole time, we heard that the earthquake started in Wenchuan, where Chad, Jenny and Matthew Graber lived. We hadn't heard from them untill about 3-4days after the quake. What JOY filled our souls when we found out that they were safe and found!

^Chad, Jenny, Matthw Graber and myself (taken in Wenchuan a few weeks before the quake happened)

Our group and some other friends just staying together and not really knowing what to do next.

^ Through all the panic and greif, there were still smiles of hope.

These next pictures I had taken from my two visits up in Wenchuan. Every time I look through them I have to wonder... "how many of these people are still alive".

^ This is the college where Chad and Jenny taught English in Wenchuan

^Like we did, many took refuge on the soccer field that was on the college campus in Wenchuan.

^Overlookin Wenchuan..... "For the God of the mountain ...is still God in the vally... the God of the good times...is still God in the bad times"

I'm thankful to God for his grace and mercy for sparing me and my friend through that horrible quake, but thousands are dead and still missing, why did he spare me and not them? I may never understand, but God is good and his love endures forever!!

To those who don't know, I'm back home in VIRGINIA. THe earthquake was NOT what brought me home. I had intentions on flying home May 15th to surprise my family and particularly my sister HANNAH for graduation. I must say- I gave them along with many others quite a SHOCK!!

I had mixed feelings about coming home. It felt as if i was leaving all the bad behind me. I'm so greatful that I'm with my family right now!! I never knew how the distance really made my heart grow fonder for my awesome family!!!!

Y'all come back now y'hear!!!

I'll post more pics later of the surprise