11 More Weeks!

29 weeks down, 11 weeks to go!  We can't wait to meet our little boy!!  It is so hard to believe how quickly the time has passed.  As reality has been setting in about the fact that we are having a baby in less than three months, we have begun the process of transforming our office/spare room into the baby's room.  Jeremy and his brother Nathan moved out the furniture a couple of weeks ago, and now we are slowly setting up the room for our son, piece-by-piece.  Last weekend, Jeremy assembled the dresser/changing table.

Today, I washed and sun bleached all the cloth diapers that family and friends generously passed on to us.  (I needed to take advantage of the hot sun while we still have it.)  Hand-me-downs is one perk to starting a family a little later than family and friends!

We have been blessed by so many people passing on things they are no longer using- pre-fold cloth diapers, a mini crib, an infant car seat, and 0-3 month clothing.  Thank you!  If he were born today (which we hope he isn't because he needs more time to grow), he would have all his basic needs met- food, diapers, a place to sleep, and clothes to wear.

Well, I won't continue to bore you with details of our preparations, but I'll take a moment to warn you- this won't be last baby post.  It is the beginning of many, many more to come.

Dust Storm Rolling Over Phoenix

As many of you know, Jeremy and I flew back to Oshkosh, WI to represent Spokane Turbine Center at the EAA Air Venture Fly-In at the end of July.  We had a layover in Phoenix, AZ before continuing on to Milwaukee.  As we were waiting to board our plane, we noticed the weather changing and the sky becoming more cloudy.  Well, we barely got out before the Phoenix airport was closed down due to a dust storm rolling over the city.  What a spectacular view from the air!  We had never seen anything like this before.

If you want to see some pictures of what this looked like from the ground, check out this link: http://www.weather.com/news/arizona-dust-storm-20120721

Summer 2012 Newsletter

Cherry Family Reunion

Every summer, my family spends one week in Cannon Beach, Oregon at the Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center.  We enjoy the beautiful Oregon coast, time together as a family, no cooking or cleaning, great teaching from the speaker at the conference center, and time to rest and have fun.  It is one of our favorite vacations- physical and spiritual rest and refreshment as a family.  Here are a few highlights from our trip this year...

Great teaching all week from Luis Palau! He spoke about imitating the life of Paul, who imitated Christ.  We came home encouraged and challenged.

The Cherry Family! Those silly little boys decided to make faces instead of smile.  Oh well. They're still cute! 

Our nephew Daniel enjoyed exploring the tide pools near Haystack Rock.

The weather was cool and cloudy most of the time, but we had a few sunny afternoons...perfect for walks on the beach.

Why walk when you can ride on Uncle Jeremy's shoulders?  Our nephew John never missed an opportunity for a ride.

We had to visit and hike around one of our favorite places in Cannon Beach- Ecola State Park.

Kodiak 100-Hour Inspection

Since Spokane Turbine Center's training is now done until August, Jeremy and Ken have been conducting the Kodiak's 100-hour inspection.  This inspection must be completed in order to continue using the aircraft for training.  They have been putting in long hours for over a week and need to have it completed by Friday, July 6 so that the plane can be used by Quest Aircraft Company for training during the month of July.  Pray that they will be able to continue to think clearly and remember all the little details in order for it to be done well and to be finished on time.  Thank you!

This Month at Spokane Turbine Center...

It is hard to believe that it is already June and that another training cycle has begun.  For the next three weeks, 12 mechanics from 4 different mission organizations are here in Spokane for the maintenance specialist course.  This training cycle includes four courses: the PT-6 Comprehensive Overview, the Hot Section Inspection and Line Maintenance, the G1000 Line Maintenance, and the Kodiak Systems.

During this training cycle (June 7-28) , would you join us in prayer for all the missionaries who will be taking the course as well as for the STC staff?  Here are a few specific ways you can lift them up in prayer...

Mechanics:

• Safety for their families at home who are in various places all around the world.
• To retain as much information as they can.
• To apply the information learned during their training to their daily operations at their home bases.

STC Staff:

• To teach and communicate the material and course work clearly.
• To be an encouragement and a support to the mechanics as they learn a lot of new information.
• To continue to stay healthy.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well."  (Psalm 139:13-14)

Baby Toews is on the way!!  Jeremy and I are excited to meet our precious gift that God is entrusting to us around December 7, 2012!

Psalm 139 has long been one of my favorite chapters of scripture.  Over the past 14 weeks, it has taken on an even deeper meaning and significance for me.  Each week as we read about how our baby is developing, see ultrasounds of little Toews, and learn how the Lord created women to provide the nutrients to sustain this little life in the womb, we are in awe of our Creator!

So far, the pregnancy is going really well.  The doctor had some suspicions about a condition that I might have that often causes premature birth.  In order to confirm that, he and an ultrasound technician have had to do extra ultrasounds.  It turns out that the baby and I are healthy, and because of this whole process, we had multiple opportunities to see our baby!  So fun!  One can't explain seeing the heart beating, watching arms and legs moving around wildly, identifying facial features and bone structures, and witnessing the baby doing somersaults (inside me- crazy!).  We are already proud parents!  

13.5 weeks