Driving in Wales

Duane has done all the driving for us in Wales. Flying in to London and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road through rush-hour traffic, darkness and rain...in the first few hours! He has done great! This is what it looks like.

Hay on Wye, Wales

In the heart of Wales is a little town with 36 used book stores. That is what it is known for - used book stores. In fact, many of the bookcases sit outside. Take a look at the pictures above. Clive was so happy that we were interested in going. I told him if he needed an excuse to go, I'd be happy to be his excuse! It was cold and drizzly, but boy did we have fun! I found a few treasures - small ones, of course.

When God picks you up and sets you down in a place you could not have even dreamed up - that's what I call God knowing your heart's desires. Even though you never thought to ask! How good God is to me!



We crossed this one-lane bridge on the hour drive to and from Hay on Wye. A river rushes under it, and sheep graze on a green meadow next to it. The sheep came running to me when I took this picture. They were hoping I was there to feed them.

A Day in Oxford

A dream come true for me. A bonus prayer answered. A day in Oxford with our new Welsh friends, Clive and Pat, who navigated and enjoyed the day as much as we did! Thank you, Lord! Here's just a couple of the photos.

The Eagle and Child - the pub where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein and their comrades would get together, have a drink and discuss the manuscripts they were writing.


Clive, Pat, Duane and Me in Blackwell's Bookstore in Oxford.


Christ's Church College. Oxford has 39 Colleges of which this is biggest. We toured the cathedral so I will post pictures of that soon.



More to come...

Tredegar, Wales

Above is the Tredegar clocktower in towncentre. Below is the coffee shop called "Stepping Stones", a place for people to be refreshed and hear about the gospel. The church owns and runs the shop. That's me and Jeff Williams. Duane and I are staying with him and his wife, Diane. They are awesome hosts.



Alan, Duane and Anna in the park. The weather was so unpredictable. It could be sunny, windy, drizzly or raining in the same hour!

Birthday girls

Happy Birthday to Mary Bartlett! She turned 17 on March 18.



Marianne Frevert turned 22 on March 19. Here she is between her sister, Marcy and their mom. The roses were from Nici.

Gold Country Worship Conference

Nevada City, CA
Snow storms, power outage, worship with great friends. This conference was not to be forgotten. Our van barely made it into the conference center parking lot before it had to be towed in the rest of the way. Ted Shultz was ready and waiting with his tow cable. It was great to see him again, the Greens, Bob Scott, Bob and Barbara Huddleston and all the Ft. Bragg crew that was there. God blessed the weekend and gave us desert rats a taste of true northern Californian weather.

Carianne, Amy and Sarah Green


Duane got pelted with snow balls.

The steps were slick with ice.

Duane came home very sick and slept in front of the fireplace. Chevy, our cat, stuck close beside him.

Jason and Whitney

It's official. Jason and Whitney had their first 'official' date on Friday, February 1, 2008. About time, you say? It is a blessing to see how they have taken their time and sought the Lord in this relationship. They shared these photos with me. What a cute couple!

Jason turns 20!

It's midnight on January 16, 2008!

Jeremy Hartley graduates Bible College!

December 15, 2007. A happy day! We are so proud of Jeremy for finishing well and graduating Eternity Bible College in Simi Valley. Francis Chan and all the EBC faculty placed hands on Jeremy and prayed over his life. It was a very emotional ceremony. Francis is on the right. Jon Marshall, Theo 3 teacher, is on the far left.


Jeremy and Danny Gardner. It is a joy to see Jeremy and Danny's relationship. Jeremy follows Danny as Danny follows Christ.


It was a good photo opp for the girls too. Whitney, Noel (Jeremy's fiance), Cathy, Anna and Nici.

Fellow classmates: Waseem, Jeremy, Jason & Nici.

Whitney turns 21

on December 12, 2007.


Whitney, Nici, and Anna

CC Phelan Ladies Christmas Brunch

Jeri Anderson and me. On December 1, 2007 I had the privilege of speaking at Calvary Chapel Phelan's Ladies Christmas Brunch. It was a blast! Loree, Elaine, Ali, Nici and Whitney came with me and made it that much more fun!

Those McCorkle kids and grandkids

Looking back at the end of 2007, so many wonderful things happened, I want to chronicle a few of them.

In November, Brock's brother, Brent and his wife Kim, and their 5 kids came to visit Brock & Tricia. We met them at Soup Plantation in Pasadena the evening they were headed back to Texas. What a wonderful memory. It was the first time Nana had been with Brock and Brent and their families in a long time. And the new addition of Corinne made it all the more special.



Two incredible ladies. Tricia (Brock's wife) and Kim (Brent's wife) and baby Corinne

The funniest thing happened when we said goodbye. Brent was not about to drive back to Texas without taking half of the pumpkin cake that Nana baked. He was determined not to miss the treat of Nana's famous pumpkin cake. Well, famous to Brent and Brock. We were lucky they didn't brawl over it! :)

Desires of the Heart

Nana's House

I love it when God works in unexpected ways to give you the desires of your heart. I witnessed Him do this for Nana this week. It was a beautiful thing. After a year of living in a mobile home and working hard to give it her "Nana" touch, she bought a small cherry wood (fake) fireplace. It was all she could afford, but what she really dreamed of was a life size white mantle fireplace that she could decorate for Christmas. Nana loves white. She priced the mantles and decided she needed to be content with what she could afford.

God blessed her with exactly what she dreamed of. A friend's brother was getting rid of their white mantle fireplace and needed a good home for it. We couldn't think of a better home than Nana's house. She is thrilled. We are amazed at how God fit everything together to bless a godly woman who moved 1,500 miles away and gave up so many of her favorite things to live close to us. He is giving her new favorite things. Her journey of contentment has been an example to me. God is so faithful!

Christmas in November

Today was the Christmas Boutique and Luncheon at Grace Chapel. Nana, Nici and I hosted a table. Nana did the decorating, I provided some of the dishes and Nici won a hostess door prize! Nici was a big blessing to the speaker, Shawna Marie, as she helped to sell her CDs. These are just a couple of the many pictures taken today. I think I will need to start a Women's Ministry blogspot to post them all. Here's a glimpse at our table. Nana did a beautiful job.



My sweet friend, Elaine Engel, and her daughter Ali sat at our table and were such a blessing and help to me.

Corinne Michelle McCorkle

Brock & Tricia now have a beautiful daughter, Corinne Michelle McCorkle. They never waste photo opportunities! Although she never opened her eyes, Corinne experienced her first pumpkin patch. I cannot wait to meet her!

More playtime

It wasn't even cold.

Playtime for Big Kids

This is what happens when college kids "play." They open their laptops and everyone huddles around.

Dave & Kathy's wedding

It was a happy day when Dave Schroeder and Kathy Moxey got married on October 28, 2007. See all the smiles?


Marcy Frevert
CJ Johnson
Braden & Alyssa Magnusson
Uriah, Whitney & Ryan