Another day in Oregon, without too long of time on the road. Today, the boys and I were able to begin with a wonderful, home-cooked breakfast with our hosts Owen and Joyce of the Newberg congregation. They have a wonderful little country home where Owen restores tractors and where they raise their own beef and pork; that's right, we had some of the best bacon and french toast ever to begin our day :)
And then we got to know Pastor Matt Ingalls better over a cup of coffee at the Newberg Bakery--great town here. Pastor Matt was a college buddy to our friend/future teammate Josh Weiger; and his wife Abbey knew Meghan & Rachel (formerly Chapman) from the 6th Avenue congregation. I love the heart and vision he has brought to the River Street Church of God. We've just got the coolest congregations supporting us--full of genuine, sincere believers offering wonderful service to their communities. It's awesome--I love conversations like this and I've had them all summer.
Then, the boys and I hit the road (short trip) to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Several people in Oregon had encouraged us to take the boys there, and even contributed to help pay for the entrance fees. I was pretty pumped - anytime we get to look at military aircraft and history, I'm ready. I am a proud grandson of a WWII bomber pilot and I love any chance of meeting veterans and seeing things that he may have experienced.
To make the experience all the cooler, Evergreen hosts the "Spruce Goose", the famed air-boat invention of Howard Hughes--nearly all made of wood (because the government wouldn't free any metal for the project at the height of WWII), and boasting the widest wingspan of any aircraft ever, it is an engineering marvel. My dad first told me the history of this goliath when I was a child and to have the opportunity to see it was more than exciting.
But that's not all...
Terry Shrout of the Salem congregation took the boys and I to a baseball game last week. While there, Terry introduced me to a friend of his who happened to be the Executive Director of the museum. He gave us his card and encourage us to call him upon our arrival. We did, and are we ever glad we did. He met us and gave us a VIP guided tour, taking a hold the exhibits, showing the boys how and why things worked, and got us behind the glass and into the Spruce Goose for an inside tour of this massive plane. Titus got to sit in Howard Hughes' captain seat as we had this picture taken, too...
What a day--really cool stuff. So, surrounded by jet fighters, WWII bombers, air and space replicas and restored projects all day, I had to go back in the music archives to pull out the theme song from "Top Gun" -- eat your heart out Patrick ;)
In the evening, we were able to share the River Street's simple supper with the community they serve, and then share with some of the congregation about the ministry they are supporting in Europe and Middle East. One cute little girl up front shared that she was bored near the end of the presentation--classic moment--and during the prayer time for us, she began by praying "Thank you for this food". She stopped, embarrassed by the little laughter in the prayer circle; but she came back up and prayed near the boys, "help them grow up safe." Special moment.
A wonderful day among wonderful people -- we are so blessed.
Thank you for your continuing interest and prayers...
And then we got to know Pastor Matt Ingalls better over a cup of coffee at the Newberg Bakery--great town here. Pastor Matt was a college buddy to our friend/future teammate Josh Weiger; and his wife Abbey knew Meghan & Rachel (formerly Chapman) from the 6th Avenue congregation. I love the heart and vision he has brought to the River Street Church of God. We've just got the coolest congregations supporting us--full of genuine, sincere believers offering wonderful service to their communities. It's awesome--I love conversations like this and I've had them all summer.
Then, the boys and I hit the road (short trip) to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. Several people in Oregon had encouraged us to take the boys there, and even contributed to help pay for the entrance fees. I was pretty pumped - anytime we get to look at military aircraft and history, I'm ready. I am a proud grandson of a WWII bomber pilot and I love any chance of meeting veterans and seeing things that he may have experienced.
To make the experience all the cooler, Evergreen hosts the "Spruce Goose", the famed air-boat invention of Howard Hughes--nearly all made of wood (because the government wouldn't free any metal for the project at the height of WWII), and boasting the widest wingspan of any aircraft ever, it is an engineering marvel. My dad first told me the history of this goliath when I was a child and to have the opportunity to see it was more than exciting.
But that's not all...
Terry Shrout of the Salem congregation took the boys and I to a baseball game last week. While there, Terry introduced me to a friend of his who happened to be the Executive Director of the museum. He gave us his card and encourage us to call him upon our arrival. We did, and are we ever glad we did. He met us and gave us a VIP guided tour, taking a hold the exhibits, showing the boys how and why things worked, and got us behind the glass and into the Spruce Goose for an inside tour of this massive plane. Titus got to sit in Howard Hughes' captain seat as we had this picture taken, too...
What a day--really cool stuff. So, surrounded by jet fighters, WWII bombers, air and space replicas and restored projects all day, I had to go back in the music archives to pull out the theme song from "Top Gun" -- eat your heart out Patrick ;)
In the evening, we were able to share the River Street's simple supper with the community they serve, and then share with some of the congregation about the ministry they are supporting in Europe and Middle East. One cute little girl up front shared that she was bored near the end of the presentation--classic moment--and during the prayer time for us, she began by praying "Thank you for this food". She stopped, embarrassed by the little laughter in the prayer circle; but she came back up and prayed near the boys, "help them grow up safe." Special moment.
A wonderful day among wonderful people -- we are so blessed.
Thank you for your continuing interest and prayers...
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