Hurricane Irene Passes

Sue says:
Hurricane Irene passed by the Washington, DC, area last night with gusts of up to 54 miles per hour (90 km). It dropped about 5 inches (125 cm) of rain too.  This morning Jeff took some pictures of trees that fell on campus.

 

This pine tree's shallow roots couldn't hold on any longer after the ground became so saturated. The tarmac in the background is where the two college vans were parked before the tree fell. The dean of students felt he should move the vans to open space before the storm hit. He is so thankful he did.

This pine tree is just inside the campus fence. Power wires are what's propping it up. It's surprising that the campus still has power. Most places of worship canceled service today because they had no electricity.

This third fallen pine was healthy. The foliage sticking up in front of me still is alive.

Reports are still coming in about Irene's further progress. We're thankful it wasn't any worse in our area. By mid-afternoon the clouds have cleared and the sun is shining brightly. 

Bible College and Seminary Classes Begin

Sue says:
Here you see us standing before the front doors of Washington Bible College. The college and Capital Bible Seminary are located on the same 63-acre campus in Lanham, Maryland, just inside the Beltway around Washington, DC (at 2 o'clock if DC is the center of the clock face).

Classes are off to a strange start this week. Tuesday we experienced the Mineral, Virginia-centered earthquake. That event damaged our college library and chapel. Now Hurricane Irene is predicted to bring quite strong winds and rain. Beyond those things, though, everyone seems glad to get started with the new term.

The Intercultural Studies Seminar Jeff teaches contains students from both the college and seminary. There should be some lively interactions as we look at Christian missions in the modern world.

Tomorrow the Global Outreach Fellowship meets.This group of students will work with us this year to plan the week-long missions conference to raise student awareness of both short- and long-term missions opportunities within the US and abroad.

Hitting the Road Again

Sue says:
We're packing up our new-to-us used car to head to Maryland. We feel like freshmen setting off to their first year of college. We'll have many of our possessions packed in our car as we set off for new adventures.

It's been wonderful to visit family and friends the last six weeks. We look forward to new duties and relationships at our new assignment as missionaries-in-residence at Washington Bible College/Capitol Bible Seminary. 

Back in the USA

Sue says:

What a joy it has been to be able to participate in family events and reconnect with church folks back in the US. In California, we were on hand to celebrate my dad's eightieth birthday with my parents and brother and his wife. It was great to be able to meet with supporters from different locations there too.

In Virginia too we have been meeting with family and supporters. It is often possible to get together with our sons and their wives on the week-ends. One recent week-end, it was fun to take our grandsons to the park.

We're thanking the Lord for His help in finding a car of our own. This week, we are finalizing buying a used Hyundai Elantra. It seems to be just the car to meet our needs.