Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." Psalm 90:1-2



There comes a time each day when we must pause from the noise and clutter of the day's stresses and trials and remember who sovereignly sits on the throne of the universe. Lord, you have been the rock that has held countless men and women of ages past through the thickest trials and storms. So too, You will be faithful to those whose hearts are fully Yours. With this we find perfect rest in You alone.

What was she thinking?

Well, it's my (Brooke's) last big commitment before we leave for Austria ---VBS. I am the songleader-who-cannot-sing, recruited more for my ability to handle large groups of children hyped on sugar than that of sounding beautiful.

We didn't count on my mom not consulting us for a reasonable week to let her appendix rupture, go septic, lose her kidney function, hit the ICU and hook up to dialysis.

The mom who fed me missionary books with my lunch and never missed a gymnastics meet.

The grandma who will talk for hours on the phone and always has snacks.

We are so thankful that her kidneys are now working and we hope to see her released from the hospital in the next couple of days. After all, when you go septic during VBS, you end up with a hundred children praying for you and when children pray ...

Thank you, VBS'ers! And thank you to all who have prayed and those who will continue to pray for her complete healing and all the financial issues that come with the package.

Elk Lake

Our trip to Elk Lake has become a yearly tradition. This past week we spent time at the fire department lake cabin visiting with friends and family while enjoying a time of much-needed relaxation.

The boys have come to love this place! Their days were spent swimming, catching tadpoles & snakes, exploring the creek and playing with friends who came up for the day. With a big snowfall this year, the water was higher than normal and a little on the frigid side. Here you can see that Sammy wasn't quite convinced that he wanted to get into the cold water.

Surprise Day

(Steve and the boys at Wildflower Park)

The day after Father's Day, we headed out to cash in on Steve's "Good for One Surprise Day" coupons from the boys. We blindfolded him and drove him all over town doing boy-picked activities. We hit the park for lunch and baseball, the pool, the passport office, pizza and milkshakes. The boys enjoyed it so much themselves, that they were asking to have the same thing happen to them on their birthdays.

As always, the boys were inspired to make far more coupons than Steve could ever cash in. He has been "couponed" for bike rides, wrestling, water fights, ... you name it. I think he's still trying to whittle down the coupon pile from last year.

A mommy tip ...

... a tip that you already knew --- When you have eight children for the day, you don't put spaghetti sauce on the pasta that the one and two year olds will be eating ...

(butter-covered Silas and our little butter-covered friend, "Dandylion", at dinnertime)

Sammy's first bike ride

Grandpa and Grandma Vossler visited for the holiday weekend and we had a wonderful time. We spent Saturday in the backyard, relaxing. Grandpa and Daddy pushed Sammy around on Eli's big bike, with the end result of little Sam learning to ride a two-wheeler. Here you see his maiden voyage on asphalt.

Final Preparations

It's hard to imagine that in under two months we will be loading luggage and four boys in an airplane pointed towards Vienna, Austria. With plane tickets purchased and passports in hand we are now on the home stretch. I can only imagine that, with a myriad of little details to remember, this time will only but accelerate. Our flight leaves from Portland, Oregon on September 3rd and we will be making Guntramsdorf, a small village just south of Vienna, our home for the following three months. During this time we will seek to integrate into a local Austrian church, work in a nearby refugee camp, practice on our German, and enjoy our surroundings. We are grateful for the opportunity to join, for these three months, what God is doing in Austria!