Bend

We are finally off on the adventure! We left Seattle Friday afternoon - straight from soccer camp (which made for a bit of a funky drive) - packed tight for the trip to Bend.

This morning we made an early assent of Pilot Butte, on the edge of Bend, for a glorious 360 degree view of central Oregon (you can see that Chicken did come along...). It was our own little worship service (we offically went to Saturday night church last night @ Eastmont with Chrissie's family).

Tomorrow we are off to Shasta, for a few days of floating and mayhem with the cousins.

Thanks to all of you who sent us off with so much love and encouragement. We will miss you all dearly, but we like to think of ourselves as ambassadors on this trip - carrying our relationships with you all across the globe!

Our Trip Itinerary

So here's the plan of our travels... so you know where we are, and when. We've added some links to websites related to the places we'll be, when there are interesting ones to check out:

August 24 – Leave Seattle for Bend, OR (Chrissie’s family)

August 27-31 Houseboat at Lake Shasta with Chrissie’s family

Sept. 4 – Leave Bend for road trippin’

Sept. 5-12 Yellowstone National Park

Sept. 14-17 Boulder, CO with Chris’s college friends (Bill, Will & Beth)

Sept. 19 – Oct. 15 Waverly, IA (Chris’s dad and extended family)

Oct. 20 – 25 Back in Bend, OR

Oct. 26 Fly to Washington DC (Chrissie’s cousin, David)

Oct. 30 Fly to London (meet up with Chrissie’s parents)

Nov. 8 Fly to South Africa

Nov. 9-22 Port Elizabeth
We’ll be visiting the Sapphire Road Primary School (and the boys will be attending there for two weeks) – http://www.sapphireprimary.co.za/
Our friend and colleague, Dr. Ed Taylor (University of Washington) helped found an organization that partners with a group of Port Elizabeth Schools – http://www.molocare.org/.

Nov. 22 – Dec. 1 CapeTown: Our Seattle friends, the Cathcarts (Ernie, Katrina and Aisha), are joining us for the balance of our South African time.
We'll be visiting the Mt. Hope Worship Centre, a partner church of ECBF's - http://mounthope.co.za/index.html

Dec. 1-8 Johannesburg

Dec. 8 Fly to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (former neighbors, David, Susan & Nolie)
David and Susan teach at the International School of Tanganyika – http://www.istafrica.com/

Dec. 15-19 Crater Highlands Trek
We’re trekking through the Ngorongoro Crater – http://www.safarimakers.com/climbs_treks.htm

Dec. 21 Fly to Amman, Jordan (hook up with Chrissie’s cousin, David, and cousins Steve, Lana, Matthias, & Levi?)

Jan. 2 Fly to Bangkok
Visit Katie Thorleifson, friend from Hawthorne Elementary in Seattle, teaching at Ruamrudee Intl. School - www.rism.ac.th

Jan. 7 Fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia (friends and mentor John & Kathy Morefield)
John works with Cambodian principals – Here’s an intro to the work from a few years ago - http://www.newhorizons.org/trans/international/morefield_01.htm

Jan. 21 Fly to Delhi, India

Feb. 1 Train (?) to Bangalore, India (friends Tim & Chitra, Rajan, Rani, Asha, Shalini)
Tim is the Executive Director of Rural Development Institute, an organization working on land reform issues world-wide - http://www.rdiland.org/OURWORK/OurWork_India.html

Feb. 14 Fly to Hong Kong (friends Andy & Ari Olson) Andy teaches at the International School in Repulse Bay - www.hkis.edu.hk

Feb. 18 Fly to Japan (Chrissie’s cousins Steve & Lana)

Feb. 25 Fly to Honolulu (Chrissie’s cousin Tammie, meet up with Chris’s dad?)

Mar. 3 Fly back to Bend, OR

March – mid-April – Hangin’ out in Bend, OR
Snow time, catch up on home schooling

Late April - back to Iowa to help plant corn?

May – Road trip through California, Southwest

June – Back to Seattle!