More Christmas pics from California

Pat sure made a friend

Christmas California style

Not really a sign of Christmas

Ah, finally we found it....a beautiful Christmas tree...and a beautiful son!

Christmas in California

Here is the first installment of Christmas pictures 2008.
We are spending time with Andraus and Amy in Ventura, California.
What a delightful time. We sure love our kids...a lot!!

Palmtrees...and Christmas lights!!

The Thurmans....the Doc and his lovely Doc wife....
...the Dad and the Mom

The Day it Snowed

Our little budgie was quite taken by the snowflurries outside the kitchen window

The wind was blowing hard all day...and we enjoyed being inside

Does this mean a WHITE Christmas?

Not only strong winds out there....it is also COLD!!

That white stuff building up in the back yard.

We do love candles..... this special SNOW DAY was also the 3rd of Advent!

Not much snow....but VERY COLD! Brrrrrrr

.......and very pretty

My Husband

Well, I just had to post this picture....some of you have already seen it....but it is my favorite...a sunset at the beautiful Oregon coast with my lovely hubbie!

Christmas coming to our house

A Saturday in December

Can you believe it....December 6 already? Today my house has been filled with a mixture of cleaning agents (washed the kitchen floor) and cookie smell (yes I did some baking)....our tree is up (I will post pictures....) and a few decorations are up. Have decided to not deck all the halls this year; just the tree and a few beautiful candles here and there....and it is starting to feel like Christmas...again. The temperature is slowly falling and it froze last night....some of our lights are up on the house....but we have time. Tomorrow our Growth Group is hosting a dinner at an apartment complext in Rockwood....we as looking forward to making new friends in an area of town we don't know very much about....then next Sunday we have our annual Global Outreach Christmas party here at the Thurman abode....and then we will end the party season with our Growth Group Christmas bash....and then we will most likely go to California to spend Christmas with our kids....well, I'll be back with pictures later on.

Global Outreach Weekend

This was Global Outreach Weekend at our church.... Lot's of great people participating...grand service...awesome challenge...superb visuals....and overall a very good weekend....thank you GOD!! Here are some of our friends who came. Kym showing off some African craft...brother praying for one another....and friends who came from far to be with us....I call this our 'Three D experience...." that is folks we talk with over cyperspace most of the time....suddenly they are here with us...how awesome is that!!! Thank you everyone who made this a very special weekend...thank you for your help, your input, your passion and your vision and committment to the GREAT COMMISSION....you are wonderful!!!

Another African Journey

No, we don't have another team going back to Africa right now.....but one of our guys from GSCC will be on his way on Friday to serve. Pastor Bob will join a team from another church in another state and together they will teach and train at a Pastors and Leaders seminar in Sudan....we are praying...and we trust you are also...we will keep you posted as we hear news....otherwise..here are things you could pray for:
***Travel mercies and good connection....we just heard that their routing in Africa has changed slightly...pray it will all work out.
***Health, strength and stamina....no bad tummies.....
***Good communication....clear teaching and good connection with those who come to attend.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus

Never have the words from Hebrews 12:1-3 been more applicable.....

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart..."

Fall in Our Garden

Yes, there are still some poor little tomatoes left out there

The leaves are still pretty

And then there was that single rose in all her glory

Front yard Birch Tree

November 7, 2008

Gresham, Oregon

Prayer

I don't know about you, but talking with God about things is something that is becoming more and more special to me....no, not that I have a special time set aside, but more of my inner person finding itself engaged in conversations with my heavenly Father....
I am not trying to be someone or boasting by any stretch of the imagination....I have so much to learn about this deep, inner communication with God...I guess it is more like learning "practising the presence of God" in every aspect of my life. I have found that when your family and friends are scattered all over this globe and you don't really have that day to day communication or even the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with them...talking to God about them seems to be the only way ....and "casting our cares on Him" is a good thing. I am too far away to physically care for my family in Sweden, too far away from our kids....and then there are all those global friends of ours....Oh Lord how we miss them!! I am so thankful to my Father for His very intimate care for us...and for our families and friends. May I learn more and more of what it is like to REALLY PRAY and INTERCEDE!!

November

November...just the word brings feelings and thoughts of FALL....and today it is FAll out there...a little dark (thankfully we just got day light savings time today), rain, wind and still some colorful leaves fighting hard NOT to make it to the ground. We have been truly blessed this fall with beautiful colors everywhere.....and very few storms....Football is on every channel mixed with election ads...one nastier than the other. Cannot for the life of me understand why some candidates think that being ugly will make them look good??? What is the psychology behind that?? Well, another two days and it is all over....and life goes on. Whoever wins this election will have to combat this present time with all it's problems....what a job!!! And we know the bottom line don't we??....That without the Gospel there can never be any real change....that is why the theme for our Global Outreach Weekend and Thanksgiving Offering is just that..... THE GOSPEL - REAL CHANGE...

Wow!!

Celebrating 35 years of marriage, October 27, 2008

Another Week

Wow....another week has past since I last wrote. Incredible how much happens around here...life is full to say the least.
Yes, it is another Saturday morning, it is just getting light out there....Pat has a fire going and I just got a cup of coffee.... a good time to pray for friends around the world....and know that we can rest in HIM...whatever else would we do in a world that seems to be going crazy in so many ways. With election ads filling the air waves....and the slandering being at it's peek....with economic scares coming at us from all directions......what are we left with????? The Lord. And we tend to forget in our self sufficient ways that He is always there...yearning for us to DRAW near.......now it seems we are forced more than ever to PRAY....
A good thing. A real good thing.
And we are not only praying for ourselves and our situation.....No, we are praying for friends, family and dears ones around the World......
...for our friends in Central Asia who are waiting to hear if there is yet another move in their immediate future...
...for our guys in Africa waiting to hear if they were able to fly out of where they have been for a week.....
...for our son and his wife as they sit by the bedside of Amy's Mom.....
...for friends who are being wrongfully accused of something that is not true
...for friends who are struggling in their marriage
...for a friend who is out of work
...for a friend who lives in a wartorn area ....who has been very ill knowing full well that he had no chance of finding any medical care in the area where they are at this time....
... for another friend who is facing disappointments at this time, but resting in the Lord with a deep assurance that HE is in charge....
...for friends around the globe....and family near by
....and being forever thankful that the Lord is ever present...thank you God!!!

Saturday Thoughts

Just because one does not write on ones blog does not mean that there is anything to talk about....oh no there is plenty. It is just that time kind of runs out....BUT here I am, it is Saturday morning. A friend is coming around a little bit later to just chat.....so I actually have a quiet morning. There is a fire in the stove and soon I will make myself a cup of coffee. Pat is talking on the phone to our son who is on the road driving up to Central CA. His mother in law is very ill and his wife is by her bedside....we are praying for this dear family at this point...and rest in the fact that God is in charge. Have been awake for some time now praying for our folks in Africa....wondering how they are. Today they are transitioning from one country to another....and we are waiting to hear how that went. Trust you all have a good weekend.

Retreat

Well, I just got back from a Women's Bible Study Leaders Retreat....49 of us gathered for a Friday evening and Saturday morning....a GREAT time of fellowship, interaction, Bible truth, prayer and good ideas....now we are ready for the year and ready to dive into the studies in the book of Romans. Wish you all could be part of this .....

There is a NEW BLOG in town

Check out the new blog.... www.africaupdates.blogspot.com This is the place where we will update you on what our AFRICA team is up to....providing we hear from them that is...we will keep you posted.

Just Me

Found this on Bekah's blog this morning....so I thought it might be a cool thing to try...

Rakel, middle aged older sister to Inga-Maj, Kerstin, Annika and Ulrika.
...who loves palm trees, the sun and a white sand beach....(what am I doing in Oregon?)
...who feels thankful and blessed for a wonderful hubbie and a meaningful life
...who needs coffee and quiet in the morning...along with a cheese sandwich
...who gives above and beyond to that which is required of her (duty)
...who fears heights, snakes and too many rainy days (well, I don't like them)
...who would like to see her Swedish sisters more often
...who is a resident of Gresham, Oregon

Try it! Here's the template..First NameOne Key adjectiveBrother of sister or (fill in)Lover of (name three things)Who feels (three things)Who needs (three things)Who gives (three things)Who fears (three things)Who would like to see (three things)Resident of (what city)Last name

Back in Oregon

At first I had posted some more pictures from Florida...then I decided that enough is enough...so I deleted the pictures I just posted....we are now back in Oregon and back to work and life in this corner of the woods...lot's of exciting things going on.....among them the famous Oregon rain...actually nice to see again.. Never thought I would say that....but I did.

Florida....

They are here!!

Before we go on to let you in on some Florida sights...I want to post a couple of grand pictures....as our friends SETH and TRINA arrived back in Oregon on Monday night.

Two African Sisters

The Newcombs and their new little addition...meeting Aunt and Uncle for the first time.

What is it with KEYS ??

It started with a quick glance at the end of my desk...no they were not there. Funny I thought, I had just seen them there....my lovely set of "hundred keys" (or so it feels). Well, lunch with friends and co-workers was calling and I did not think more of it...until I got back and looked around...strange. What could have happened? Was I so stressed out that my mind was going blank on me? I did not like it one bit. Especially since Pat and I were scheduled to head out the next morning for the regions beyond and some vacation....in Florida of all places. There seemed to be too much to do...and now my head was going blank!! Oh no.

Most of the afternoon was spent trying to both finish important aspects of my work and also trying to figure out what exactly had happened to my keys...I am usually able to re-create, walk back in time, visulize and voila...find things. Not this time. In desperation I headed to the weekly Tuesday Global Outreach prayer time....let everyone know that I needed to find my keys....and we prayed...went back to work...and came to the strange conclusion that my bundle of keys must have disappeared between 11 and 12 .....and I knew exactly what happened in my office at that time....long story... I found my keys...they had been picked up by mistake by a person who was in my office between 11 and 12...thinking they belonged to someone else...well they did not...so after work Pat and I headed over to our friend's house and found my keys on their kitchen counter...thank you God for answered prayer!!

And you think that this key business is over...wrong.....Wednesday morning, Pat and I were headed to the airport and a friend of ours ...same friend....came to pick us up...what a blessing to have friends!! Well, it was 4:30 AM and it was dark....and we were putting one of our suitcases in the trunk....and oopps...the trunk closed and in there were the keys...what do you do??? Well, imagination kicked in and in the dark ...with flashlights and a wisegrip....(hope no neighbors were awake thinking we were hot wiring this car) we unscrewed the back seat and went into the trunk from inside the car...found my suitcase and the missing keys.....and off we went to the airport....

What a day it has been.....tomorrow I will tell you more about this beautiful place where we find ourselves...it is totally above and beyond....until then good night.

Is My Head Still There?

Good question after such a full week. Lot's to think about and lot's to ponder. After Sunriver and hours of input every day, we came home to a Memorial Service for a dear friend...a gentleman who together with several other saints from our church have had a profound impact on many lives around here...our included. What a testimony! Once again my head was filled with thoughts of gratitude...and oh so many friends were there to celebrate this remarkable life!! Then it was back to work....and lot's of details, administration, ideas, remember this, remember that, write e-mails, skype, phone calls, arrangements....and by the afternoon, my head was buzzing....how much can a girl take in any given day?? Then another e-mail...and I was mush. Amazing how just small words can create havoc within...well, this one did....and my head is still buzzing.....well, the end of the day is in sight and with that should come the arrival of one of "our kids"...back home again after a year and a half out and about. Fun stuff...and hopefully a good nights sleep, just to wake up to another day in the office...but I am holding out. Wednesday morning, vacation time. Pat and I are headed out for a little adventure...more about that later...and hopefully we will get a little bit of R&R...finally.

Challenging

Although this picture is a little foggy....there is nothing foggy about our week in Sunriver. It is extremely good and very challenging. Great teaching, awesome fellowship and lot's of things to think about....also times of rest.... swimming, biking, walking...sleeping and reading....and of course morning visitors like this...

Crazy and Refreshing

On Sunday we drove over to Sunriver in Central Oregon where we will spend the whole week. It is so beautiful here...warm, sunny, peaceful and refreshing. We are also being refreshed spiritually as we are sitting under some incredible Bible Scholars this week...listening, being challenged and just taking it all in. This is kind of crazy, because I feel like I just "abandoned ship" as our little department at work is hosting the Next Mile conference this week.

But some time a girl just have to do what a girl has to do...so me and my hubbie are here...in Sunriver this week.

Missing Family

Andraus and Amy in Southern California

Jonathan home with the Lord

The Girls in Sweden

Don't know about you...but some days I really miss my family.

CAMPING