Joel's Grand Gala

Joel turned six on July 11, 2009, on the same day that Grandma Farnsworth celebrated her birthday in PA! Of course, we missed her here at our celebration.

Joel requested breakfast at Denny's. He quickly made his selection: the Jr. Grand Slam.
Joel was glad that PIBC/PIU colleagues May and Anne helped us to celebrate his birthday and graduation.

We decided to combine Joel's birthday party with a short kindergarten graduation ceremony. Joel read the poem "Growing" courtesy of our friend Joyce:
When I started kindergarten I couldn't have felt smaller, but I've been growing, growing--and not just growing taller! I've learned to read and learned to write; I've learned my number, too, and there are many other things that I have learned to do. Kindergarten's over now, but I am not afraid, because I know I'm ready to enter the first grade!


2009 kindergarten graduate Joel is flanked by two proud parents. We thank God for his good work and progress. Above all, we thank God that he is part of God's family and a kind friend to everyone he meets.
The kids take time for the paparazzi.
Joel relaxed for a moment with Faith, Holly, Delsha, and the food.
The kids enjoyed playing with each other.

Joel blew out the proverbial candles with a little bit of help from his friends.
Joyce and Del were a big help, as always. Service with a smile.
Here's a picture of the Spanish-speaking contingent from the party. From left to right are Alfredo, Benny, Rafael, Martha, Maria Fernanda, Monica, Francesca, Margarita, Amelia, and Marisol.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goodbye Guam, Alii Palau!

Image
Here is a recap of the final days of our friends Hiob and Leah and their children Micah and Jireh in Guam. They have returned to Palau where Hiob will serve as senior pastor of the Koror Evangelical Church. We all started together at PIBC back in fall 2006 and we have worked together, laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and grown together. Although it is hard to say goodbye, we know that they will be a blessing to the Church in Palau, and we find comfort in the words of the Michael W. Smith song "Friends": friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them. Amen! We had a BBQ in their honor on campus at the beginning of June before the Thai mission team left. Delight posed with Micah and Hiob during a break from barbecuing. He is a fantastic barbecuer. Notice he's even holding the tongs, to a barbecuer what a hammer is to a carpenter. As always, everyone enjoyed the food, the centerpiece of any Micronesian celebration. Before our friends left,
Read more

Amelia says, "Goodbye, Long Hair!"

Image
Amelia finally had her hair cut after six years of no cutting. She likes her new haircut and enjoys combing her own hair for the first time ever. She wants to donate her hair for child cancer patients, and we are pleased that she wants to share with others. Here are some pictures before and after.
Read more

GOOD THINGS HAPPENING 3

Image
 A little background to this story.  I have been a fan of The Waltons from the beginning of the series.  In 2017 I attended the 45th anniversary celebration of the show in Schuyler, Virginia, the small hamlet where the series' creator Earl Hamner, Jr., was born and raised.  Perhaps I can share a bit more about that in a future post. During that weekend in March 2017 I met Reen Christie Bula (a/k/a Tammi Bula), who played John-Boy's love interest Marcia Woolery in the early seasons. Here is a shot of Reen and me, As well as a shot of all the cast member in attendance at the reunion with the exception of Michael Learned who went to bed early due to a play appearance the following day. During the weekend Reen, her husband Gordon and I shared time together, and she shared with me her testimony, how she came to the Lord through the witness of friends (she was working as an RN at the time) and how she saw the sign of Pi in the sky one day which prompted her to check out John 3:14-16
Read more