Share This
New Friends We’ve Been Given
We are hearing echoes and seeing beauty in many forms, in both expected and surprising places. We especially love the beauty of these new friends we have been given.
-
- Antonia and Stephan put up with our noise and chaos at every stage of our journey to and from Ha Long Bay. We hope to see them again on a return trip to Germany!
-
- Our day trip group in Ha Long Bay — with Charley, Tam, Cecille, Antonia, and Stephan.
-
- We’re grateful for the Howell family’s eagerness to help our search for a beach spot … and play in the pool.
-
- Jack and Mark gave J a crash course in Vietnamese on the train.
-
- Easter lunch with the Carlsons, the Flaas, and the Christensens.
-
- Peter, Suuzanne, and Sahale treat our boys to life riding without a roof.
-
- Just another day with Dave, Karen, Sahale, Suuzanne, Peter, Wesley the monkey, Kid the monkey, Lady Snowball, and a homemade Pirate flag.
-
- Hosannah passes forward her Free Burma Rangers-tested backpack to a future ranger.
-
- Monkey helps lead the Free Burma Rangers.
-
- Chillaxing with Ayana, Rachael, Amy, Annie, and Dan near the Burma border.
-
- Allan shares the Gospel late in to the night.
-
- Free Burma Rangers and our team of admirers.
-
- Blooming Night Flower keeps an open door for children in her village and travelers like us.
-
- Turns out, we have many friends in common with Jennifer, who helps connect a Seattle church to world missions.
-
- Amy, Hosannah, Ayana, and Annie after being doused with water and face paint during a village festival.
-
- Karen and Dave have changed our lives with theirs.
-
- Our boys greatly admire Jonathan for good reason.
-
- The Lady Basketball Game team, so kind to at least one non-basketballer.
-
- Richard writes children’s books about many of the places we’ve been.
-
- Khem guides IJM efforts to seek justice for the forgotten in Thailand.
-
- Friend-of-a-friend Naoma spent her morning with us at a Nairobi water slide.
-
- Esther helped control our chaos in Nairobi.
-
- Vige’s cousin and friend give us a tour of his one-room apartment in Gatina.
-
- New friends — and footballers — outside Light and Power in Nairobi’s Gatina neighborhood.
-
- We finally met John at Akiba School.
-
- Edith heads the Akiba School with faith and an ever present smile.
-
- J’s storytelling students on graduation day.
-
- Dave, Lucy, and Josh are awesome, giving everything they have to serving alongside those who need them.
-
- Lucy’s family hosted us for dinner on the grounds of a Nairobi prison.
-
- Fille is in 10th grade at Sonrise School. Her favorite subject is NOT math.
-
- Pastor Frank and his wife Peace are dear friends of TFCA.
-
- Doctors Caleb and Louise welcomed us into their home in northern Rwanda, sight unseen.
-
- Rafiki shared his own story with us at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
-
- Natalie directs World Relief’s child development programs in Rwanda.
-
- Nicholas awed us with his generosity, expertise, and heart for peace. He is a hero of Rwanda and of ours. His organization Ikirezi is bringing hope to hundreds of orphans and widows.
-
- Myal is director of World Relief Rwanda.
-
- Courtney of World Relief scored some Cool Points by letting the boys try on her motorbike helmet.
-
- Emily cheerfully gave her entire day to touring us around World Relief work sites. Don’t be fooled by the sweet smile…. she drives a mean off-road 4×4!
-
- Aloys manages World Relief’s water filter project.
-
- Cathedral of Joy church family north of Dar Es Salaam
-
- Holly in Dar Es Salaam: Baker, Impersonator, Missionary Extraordinaire.
-
- Emmanuel, Simon, and Ken — our amazing safari guides in Tanzania with Royal African Safaris and Nomad Safaris. Kind, brilliant, hilarious.
-
- Horsing around on Istiklal street in Istanbul with Daniel and Michael and their dad Bill.
-
- English teachers Dan and Megan did NOT keep the Turkish puppy. But they are still good people.
-
- Anya and Amanda in Antalya. Women with vision!
-
- Marvin, Anna-Kate, and Talya insisted we eat at a Turkish restaurant built in a tree. The Knoll Dr. treehouse is of a much higher standard, but the company was outstanding.
-
- Christmas dinner with our new “family” at James and Renata’s house!
-
- Christmas Eve service with Jaye and Marilyn.
-
- James and Renata graciously endured our chaos in their home for over a week at Christmastime. They are new family for us! Iliyas is a young friend of theirs, and now ours.
-
- We were interviewed by a friendly CBS news crew in Sirince, Turkey.
-
- Ali and Nurcan hosted us for dinner in their home after meeting on the western coast of Turkey.
-
- Fatima and her son live as nomads in the Sahara desert. They offered us tea and a visit in their tent.
-
- Ismail was our amazing and energetic Moroccan tour guide to the Sahara.
-
- Farida gave us a locals tour of Fes, Morocco.
-
- Dou-Dou and Af-Af went above and beyond for us at our Riad in Meknes, Morocco.
-
- Max and Brooke and Buckley quickly became new friends in Casablanca. They invited us to stay with them before we had even met.
-
- We celebrated Thanksgiving (and a few more days) with Jason, Angie, Lilia, Caleb, Micah, Andrew, and Arianna in Limoux, France. They welcomed us with kindness and generosity when we were low.
-
- Friend-of-a-friend Andreu graciously toured us around Barcelona during his daughter’s naptime.
-
- Mateo spend many chilly hours on the Adriatic with Wake giving windsurfing instruction and encouragement.
-
- Kharmen showed us incredible hospitality in Croatia. She cares for her elderly mother, counsels the town’s children, and feeds her leftovers to the village’s stray cats.
-
- Ivan and his wife referred to us as “America”. They run a friendly little market in the coastal town of Viganj, Croatia. It is the only store open year-round.
-
- Bozo (“Borzhou”): “People are just people, no matter what country they are from.”
-
- Sweet calf friend at the cow competition day in Wengen, Switzerland
-
- Kind shopkeeper in Bern who gave the boys outrageously loud noisemakers. And laughed.
-
- Lakes Christian Center homegroup at Si and Di’s house
-
- Michael, Robin, Annie, Lucy, and Sam — new dear friends in Bowness, UK
-
- Curious, and slightly aggressive, fell ponies in Kendal, UK
-
- Judith, volunteer coordinator with Friends of the Lake District in Kendal, UK
-
- Crew for parachuting teddy bear fundraiser at St. James Muswell Hill, London
-
- Allen on the roof of St. James Muswell Hill, London
-
- Fun new sword-fighting friends Phil, Katherine, Robert, Owen, and Megan camping in Kent, UK
-
- Making friends playing cricket and football, camping in Kent, UK
-
- Landlords Gabriela and Ofer in Beynac-et-Cazenac, France
-
- E’s penpal Evan and family in St. Nazaire, France
-
- David and Rebecca hosted us in Bannalec, France
Recent Comments