Spring 2014

We've been on the road for the past 3 1/2 weeks, and it is so good to be home.  It's a lazy Saturday in Oregon...the dark gray of the rain clouds makes a beautiful backdrop for the verdant green.  We'll have some work to dig out the garden (it's about 2 feet high in grass), but I did find Tyson's two strawberry plants today, and the rhubarb looks good.

I'm thinking there are a couple of things from this trip that I don't want to forget.  First, some ideas for our homeschool year next fall.  I've never been good about having the kids do their own quiet time.  As Tim and I sat in a workshop on journaling, I realized the information could be applied to our family.  I plan to buy a little journal for each kid, and have them spend 15 minutes each morning reading a bit in their Bible, writing a few sentences (depending on ability) or drawing a picture about what they read, and praying.  Why do the simple plans always seem so brilliant?

Another school idea involves a more structured writing plan.  I plan to have each of the two older children choose a subject related to our history study for that week and write a paper (again, length depends on ability) on the subject.  We can cover different writing styles (persuasive, fiction, etc) and it will hopefully help them to not fight writing so much.  If it's just an expected part of each school week, they will (again, hopefully) just do it after a while instead of whining and complaining.

And some moments I don't want to forget from this trip:

• Baptism of Jesalynn and Natasha, done by my dad.
• Spending Easter (baptism day!) with Peytons, Deckers, Voths, and Griffiths
• When you travel with Tim, you can expect to take the road less traveled (Deer Trail, Colorado, and Venango, Nebraska)
• Our last day in Nebraska:  Big City Burrito, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, creperie...all enjoyed with Tim's parents.
• Jumping on the trampoline with the kids.
• All of the meetings (most planned, some not) with friends and supporters--too many to name.
• The joy of being HOME.

Rainy Days

I'm looking out my window, watching the rain and ignoring the dinner dishes.  Summer's end is definitely on it's way here in Oregon.  And I can't say I mind--considering that each time I look at the Kansas forecast, the temperature has been near 100 degrees.

We've had a good summer.  Now we're reaping bounty from our garden and preserving it, working back into the school groove, and looking forward to our first Oregon fall.

Tyson is in 6th grade this year, Jesalynn is in 4th, and Natasha is doing first grade work.  We'll participate in a homeschool cooperative, which I think everyone is looking forward to.

Gwen is teaching piano lessons this fall, both at home and at a studio in Dallas.  It's been nice for her to get to do that again.  Gwen will go with Tim to the STEER missions conference in North Dakota in October, and the entire family will go with him to Seattle at the end of October.  We're all looking forward to that trip!

Work-wise, Tim is enjoying work and still learning the ropes.  He has also gotten to cook for some large groups, which he enjoys.

So, that's the news from Oregon.  It's beautiful, and it rains.  Come visit!

Home Again, Home Again...or Not!

Tim and I are back from a five-day trip to Texas, where we worked to promote Village Missions at the LifeLight Texas music festival.  This was the first year for the event, so we weren't sure what to expect.  Despite rain, wind, and fire ants, we were able to share about Village Missions in over 170 separate conversations.

We took a new marketing idea--baseball cards depicting 10 of our churches.  Each card has a fact or a story about a church on the back, along with a way for the reader to get a little more involved with Village Missions:  signing up for our newsletter, watching one of our YouTube videos, or asking for information on how to donate.

Now we're home for about a week and a half, then off to a California/Nebraska/Idaho trip until the end of June.  In California we'll attend a regional Village Missions conference, meeting many of the western families and getting to know the missionaries we serve.  Then we'll head out to Nebraska for two Sundays of sharing Village Missions, plus a time for us to share with friends and donors (details below).  Our trip home will see us heading through Idaho for another regional Village Missions conference--meeting more missionaries and their families.

If you live near Scottsbluff, we'd love to see you on June 18 for our "Bring Your Own Chair" event.  Just join us at Tim's parents' home (80157 North Street, Scottsbluff) from 4-7 pm.  It's a come-and-go sort of thing.  We'll serve dinner from 4-7, and share about our ministry at Village Missions at 6:30.  We hope you can come--whether for just a few minutes or the entire evening!

Tim has been working on a tree house in our new front yard, and the kids are loving it!

Update

We wanted to make sure you all have our current contact information:

9015 Bethel Road
Rickreall OR 97371
503.835.0445
griffithsgang@gmail.com

We are settling into our new home, just up the road from the missionary house we stayed in when we first arrived here.  It is a newly built 3-bedroom with beautiful views to the east and west.  We are so thankful for the family we are renting from and for the opportunity to rent from them.  If you'd like to see a photo tour of the house, come check out Gwen's FaceBook page.

Tim is busy working on increasing name recognition of Village Missions and finding donors for Village Missions.  This month he has a 12-day trip to Kansas City, Topeka, and Dallas, Texas.  It has been neat to see how God has worked out timing for appointments, both with current contact and with new contacts.  Tim will be able to stay with a handful of friends along the way and meet many new potential supporters.  Yesterday we found out that the pastor of the church Tim will be at the first Sunday (April 14) is related to someone we knew from InFaith (American Missionary Fellowship) and that Tim recently ran into.

Please pray for the ministry of Village Missions, and for Tim as he strives to help Village Missions.  We also would appreciate your prayers as Gwen and the kids work to finish out the school year.

January-February 2013 TAGG Team Monthly Update

Updated Contact Information

As we prepare to move to Dallas, Oregon, we wanted to update you with our contact information.  We'll be living in a temporary "missionary house" for the first few months.  We are so thankful to God for providing this home for us, and for the Domes family who has made this home open to us.

After January 1, our address will be 8380 Bethel Road, Rickreal OR 97371.  Our email address (griffithsgang@gmail.com) and Gwen's cell phone (785.443.2460) will continue to be a working number.

We covet your prayers as we head south to Florida for vacation, then home to pack the moving truck, and then on to Oregon.  We'll keep you updated!