Pennsylvania

We have been in Pennsylvania for the past few days. I spoke at the SMBI WATER Training week. Someone asked me if that has something to do with swimming, but it doesn't. It is the training week for the short term mission program that is organized by Sharon Mennonite Bible School.

We spent Thursday night in Clarion, Pennsylvania and I attended a meeting regarding leadership development on Friday morning. Last evening we attended the Summer Bible School at Fairhaven Mennonite Church in Myerstown.

Today we have been with my sister Romaine and her family. My other siblings are coming over for the evening this evening.

This afternoon Dallas and I went hiking for an hour or so on the Appalachian Trail, which is close by here. It was a very nice hike in what they call the woods here. The trail follows the top ridge of the Blue Mountains in this section of Pennsylvania, so it is rather easy walking.

And he is....A General Surgeon!

We were in Chattanooga, Tennessee over the past weekend to attend the celebrations related to Hans' graduation from his general surgery residency. He has spent the past six years in Chattanooga doing his residency. During that time he made some good friends there and completed his residency.

Bethanie was home from Haiti, so she was able to attend too. Jennifer and Darren came in from Washington State. We were all there except for Elaine. She has a Summer job and stayed behind in Sioux Lookout to start her job.

The residency graduation things started with some presentations on medical subjects on Saturday morning. Hans had the final presentation of the morning.

In the afternoon we were going to stroll around the riverfront park, but our plans changed. When we arrived there the back wheel on our car, which had started vibrating, starting clunking. It soon became obvious that there was a problem. Two of the studs on the one back wheel were broken. That left two. We drove to a tire garage. By the time we got there, another one had broken. That only left one. The garage we went to was closing in ten minutes. We had our car hauled by truck to a Ford dealer. There we had the brake drum and studs replaced on that wheel.

Saturday evening there was a reception for the graduating chief residents. Hans and three others were completing their residency. It was a very nice reception. Hans received his certificates at that ceremony.

Sunday afternoon there was a barbecue at the house of one of the doctors. It was good to see the people that Hans has been with the past six years. Some of the doctors there have been good role models for him and have helped him to determine his next steps.

Today he and Bethanie headed toward Houston with his car and a U-Haul truck. They plan to arrive there tomorrow. Bethanie will fly from there tomorrow evening to return to Haiti and Hans will be settling into his new apartment there.

Here Hans is beginning his presentation on Saturday morning.

Hans, Edith, Bethanie and Jennifer talking with Dr. Moore at the reception on Saturday evening.

Here is Hans with Dr. Stanley on the left and Dr. Moore on the right.

I kind of hate to post this picture of a Ford needing a lift, but it was true.

And she is.......a Driver

Elaine had her sixteenth birthday on Monday. She was fortunate because Edith and Bethanie had planned a trip to Dryden for that day. That meant that she could take her drivers exam on the first possible day of her life. She has been studying the manual and reviewing the information.

Well, she went for her exam on Monday. She got all the questions right on the sign exam, and only missed two questions on the other exam. She walked out of the Drive Test office with her level 1 drivers license. With a level 1 license she needs someone with four years of driving experience to drive with her for the first year. Next June she can take the next test, and if she passes move to a level 2 license.

She has been driving some and is doing quite well. I think she will be a good driver. She has driven the car a few times, which gives her the added challenge of shifting a manual transmission. Let's see now, which pedal is the clutch?

Here she is with the keys and her license just before her first drive on the road.

This is her birthday party a few hours later.

Bethanie is Here!

Bethanie arrived here in Sioux Lookout on Saturday afternoon. We are having a wonderful time, and are enjoying her presence. Yesterday we went canoeing in the evening. It was a beautiful, warm day with very little wind. It was ideal for canoeing.

Soon after we set out from the dock, we saw a cow moose swimming in the water. I scrambled for my camera, but the only picture I got was of the back 1/3 of the moose as it went into the bush. I guess I won't post that picture. If you want to know what it looked like, go find a horse and look at the back 1/3 of the horse. It will be pretty similar.

Today Bethanie, Edith and Elaine went to Dryden. Bethanie is visiting friends there and having her annual dentist appointment. Today is Elaine's 16th birthday, so she is planning to take her driver's exam. If she passes, she gets to drive part of the way home. I really wanted to be there too, but I have too much to do before we leave for the States on Wednesday. I just didn't feel that I could spend a whole day in Dryden.

We are planning to leave on Wednesday to go to Tennessee. Hans is graduating from his general surgery residency. This coming weekend there will be several events to celebrate his completion of the six year residency. Jennifer and Darren are planning to come as well. We are looking forward to having almost everyone in the same spot again. Elaine isn't able to go because she got a Summer job at Cedar Bay. She begins work on June 22.

We stopped on this rock point and had a picnic supper there. I'm not quite sure what was so interesting in the water, maybe minnows?

This is the lake on the East side of the dock. We didn't see any moose in this lake this time. It was beautiful though.

Cornerstone Christian School Awards Program

Last evening was the end of the school year banquet and awards program for Cornerstone Christian School. Elaine completed grade 10 and Dallas completed grade 8 this school year. They both did well this past school year. Elaine is starting to get that sense that the end of high school is in sight.

We had a great banquet, with lots of food, and the the awards program. Joe Cospito shared a challenge with the students before the awards were given out. He had a good challenge. The main point was that sometimes the thing you want more than anything else in life, you are already holding in your hands. Unfortunately, we often recognize the truth of that when we are a little older, but it is hard to grasp when you are a teenager.

The students shared about the trip to the International Student Convention in Missouri. It sounded like they had a great time, both at the convention and traveling to and from the convention. Next year the International Student Convention will be in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I don't know if they will be going to that one or not.

Now we are into the Summer routine. Dallas has been helping me pack and label boxes for Cuba. We had about 80 boxes of things that were not supposed to freeze, in our shop for the Winter. We are now getting those over to the container so they can be packed for shipping. We want to build new doors for our barn and clean up some more things around here this Summer. Hopefully, boredom won't set in for Dallas before the Summer is over.

Elaine is finding out on Friday if she has a job for sure this Summer. It looks pretty promising right now for her. Monday is her 16th birthday. She will be going to Dryden and is planning to take her drivers test so she can get her level 1 drivers license.

This is a picture from the banquet last evening.

Here are some of the students waiting for the awards program to begin.

More students waiting for the awards program to begin.

Special Events

This seems to be the time of the year for special events. We are getting close to the end of the school year, and other events are happening as well. Elaine completed another year of piano lessons and her recital was last evening. She did really well with the piece that she played. It was the same piece that she played for the International Student Convention.

This evening we went to the RCMP musical ride presentation. The RCMP has a group of 32 horses that they use for demonstration purposes. They have a presentation they give and we were fortunate enough to have them come to Sioux Lookout. It was looking like it might rain all evening, but the rain held off and we didn't get wet during the presentation.

We might actually be getting Summer soon. I cut my grass for the first time today. I have everything planted in the garden except the tomato plants. I am still waiting another week or two for those.

Dallas finished his school work for the year today. Elaine will finish tomorrow. The awards banquet and program for the school will be held on Monday evening. Then I am sure that it will seem like Summer.

This is Elaine at her piano recital. The recital was held at the Sacred Heart School.

This is part of the RCMP Musical Ride program.

This part was called "The Charge". It basically consisted of all 32 horses charging from one end of the field toward the othe end.

Return of the Teens

Elaine and Dallas returned last evening around 10:00 PM. The school van had a mechanical problem in Wisconsin Saturday. They were able to get it fixed and get back on the road before noon on Sunday. They arrived back at the school safe and sound. It is great to have them back home again.

Dallas has his arm in a sling and a soft cast. He doesn't have any pain unless he flexes it straight out. He said it didn't stop him from getting involved in pillow fights and rolling down hills. So, I guess that is an indication of how little it hurts.

At the A. C. E. Convention they have an International Student event where the students from countries other than the United States get together, learn to know each other, and swap souvenir items from their home countries. Elaine had taken a lot of Canadian items to trade. Dallas bought some along the way. Dallas came home with a tee shirt from Puerto Rico. Elaine came home with flags from South Africa and a collection of other items.

One of the things Elaine brought home was a $100,000,000 bill from Zimbabwe. I read that the inflation rate in Zimbabwe near the end of last year was 13.2 billion per cent per month, or 516,000,000,000,000,000,000 percent per year. The price of everything was doubling every 1.3 days. If our North American governments keep bailing out banks and manufacturing companies with billions or trillions of borrowed dollars, perhaps one day you and I will be able to carry a bill like the one below except it will be issued by the United States or Canadian government.