Saturday we had a Symanzik Family Reunion. It was really enjoyable to reconnect with relatives and friends.
Hannah and Kirsten - good friends and cousins!
Picnic scene!
Ben and Michael playing in the sandbox - cousins and friends!
The cousins!
Playing on the trampoline
What's a picnic without lots of food, fun, friendship, eating...?
We arrived in Michigan May 24, late evening.
Some of our friends from our sending church were there to greet us! What a welcome surprise!
Since then we have been busy visiting with relatives and friends, shopping, enjoying cool weather, spoke at our sending church, etc.
Kirsten got her ears pierced today.
Both girls were treated to new clothes by one of their aunts.
Ben is spending an overnight at a friend's house.
We've all had our teeth cleaned. The lack of fluoride in water in the Philippines seems to be causing problems with my family's teeth!!! So we will be shipping back flouride rinse for all of us to use.
Our coming week has scheduled a family reunion, time with friends, sharing at a supporting church, etc.
The plane we flew on.
Layover in Moscow, Russia
My sister, Sarah, met us in Houston during our layover there.
Cousins together
Flying a model rocket
Fishing in Grandpa's pond.
Kirsten with her cousin, Hannah, at their hydroponic strawberry
farm.
Mikayla helping Grandpa freeze rhubarb!
Hi!
We've been enjoying visiting with our relatives, friends from our sending church, etc.
It's refreshing to be cold! Michigan is having a cooler than usual late Spring. Temps are 40f at night to around 70f during the day.
Yesterday we shared in a Sunday School class at our sending church and also a brief update during the morning service.
I really enjoyed being able to sing in the Praise Band during the evening service also!
I hope to post some pictures soon!
Hi!
After a 44 hour long journey we arrived Sunday night at Detroit Metro Airport. What a wonderfully pleasant surprise it was to have a "Welcome Home" group of friends from our sending church waiting to greet us when we went to collect our luggage!
Monday we enjoyed time with relatives and were cold in the 68 - 74 degree weather!!!!BRRRRRRRRR!!!
My sister-in-law thought it funny when Mikayla and I were 'oohing and aahing' over the automatic doors; wide, big carts; cleanliness of the store; the fact that the check-out conveyor belt actually worked; and the fact that no one was staring at us while we grocery shopped! It was very fun to shop for groceries in a US store again!!!
Today Kirsten awoke with croup and a fever of 101. Pray she heals up from this soon.
Mikayla also is running a low-grade temp and is stuffed up.
Ben is just tired.
So am I. I plan to go to bed in the next hour or so.
Hopefully I can post some pictures soon! I need to have Kurt do it as we are using his laptop while we travel and I'm not sure how to do it on this Mac he has!
Thanks for your prayers! It is so good to be here for a while and reconnect with family and friends!
We are leaving today (Saturday May 23) at 3:15p.m. local time.
I probably won't be posting another blog until Monday or Tuesday.
Thank God for answered prayer!
Our paperwork arrived on Friday around noon!
Kurt woke up this morning fever-free; still a bit sore but yeah for fever free!
Please pray for our kids - Mikayla had to say good-bye to three friends who are moving away and won't be back for 9th grade or probably ever, and is a bit sad today about all that.
Pray for safe travels for us.
We are so looking forward to seeing family and friends again soon!
Arlene, James, and Jerard are all set up to stay here while we are gone. What a blessing our voice pulse phone is as it will be a local call from where we are staying to here to talk with our guys and Arlene.
Prayerfully, in another two years we can come back to the states with James and Jerard, once the adoption is finalized!
See some of you soon!!!
Thanks for your prayers!
