The Great Forest Park Balloon Race

Today was a very fun, though tiring, day. The girls and I went to the Great Forest Park Hot Air Balloon Race. This was St. Louis' 35th annual Balloon Race and there were thousands of people there. (Last night was the Balloon Glow, where they light up all the balloons in the dark. It's supposed to be awesome, but it was pretty cold and windy last night, so we decided not to go.) Don had to study today, we we ate an early lunch and headed off to Forest Park. We wandered around petting the dogs, getting Hannah's face painted, snacking on freebies, rolling down hills (Hannah, not me), talking to sem friends we ran into, meeting new friends, and eating grass (Elizabeth, not me). Finally, when it was about time for the race to start, Don was able to ride his bike over and join us to see the balloons launch. To say the least, it was very cool.

Here's how it works: the first balloon to launch is the Energizer Bunny Hot "Hare" Balloon. The balloon is 166 feet high - 15 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and the tallest balloon in the country. Its ears alone are 60 feet tall, which is the size of an average hot air balloon. It takes 30 million BTUs to power him up into the air - or the equivalent of 50,000 gas grills cooking half a million burgers. Once it's off the ground, the other 70 "hound" balloons begin to inflate and take off. Whichever balloon lands closest to the bunny wins. It was so fun seeing the different colors of balloons, the different shapes, hearing the burners lighting, and watching dozens of balloons floating right over our heads. Check out the slide show below:

In other news, Don is still working hard on Greek. He's using electronic flash cards, write on/wipe off grids, and study groups with friends. Hannah is thrilled beyond belief that her Noni will be here in a week. Also, she starts preschool this week - Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-3. Elizabeth is still a happy fun baby. She loves Mommy so much she wakes up 2-3 times a night to visit with me (well, not me so much as my boobs). zzzzzzzzz oh wait - what was I saying? Oh yeah, Bethie isn't sleeping through the night and it's driving me bonkers. In the next couple days, we're going to set up the air mattress in the den for Don, warn our neighbors, and tough out the crying. Hannah was about the same age and (according to Don's memory) it only took about 2 nights of crying and she began sleeping through the night, which she's done ever since. So pray for us!

I've been getting involved in some Bible Studies and classes...in fact, one of my prayers lately is that I don't over-schedule myself, something that would be very easy to do around here. I'm taking After the Boxes are Unpacked on Monday nights. This is an 8-week study helping women to settle in and adjust to changes - whether first year or fourth. Then on Tuesday mornings, I'll begin a Beth Moore study (Believing God) at St. John (our field work church). This one works out great because I'll have an hour or so after dropping Hannah off at preschool and then I'll go to Bible study with Bethie. Then Thursday nights is one of either Today's Light (reading through the Bible in 2 years), a mothers' class, or a wives' class (differs depending on the week). The last two are taught by Myra Richardt, a pastor's wife who moved here from California in part to be able to teach these classes to sem wives. She opens her home and teaches solely from the Bible. I attended the first mothers' class this past Thursday and already gained so much from her wisdom and ideas. What a blessing! (Oh, and these classes don't include any of the Tuesday night wives' classes offered by the Seminary or attending MOPS twice a week at St. John. And that's not to mention squeezing any tutoring in there. See what I mean about over-scheduling?)

Finally, I want to say a huge "Hi" and "I miss you" to my (former) MOPS group at St. John's in Bakersfield and WarmLine (also of Bakersfield). When I realized the other day that MOPS had had their first meeting of the year, I felt really sad. I didn't realize how much harder the move and transition would be on me once everything "back home" kicked into gear again. It's so hard knowing that two groups that were such a huge part of my life have both moved on and I'm not there to participate. So I just want everyone to know that you're all in my prayers and in my heart. I wish I could be there and I miss you tons. That's about all I can say, except thanks again for reading, for your prayers, and your support.

Love to all,
Stacye and the ballooners

And our Field Work Church is... (revised post)

DR: St. John in Ellisville, Missouri! Along with three other first-year seminarians, I have been assigned to St. John for my field work congregation. As we discussed in a previous post, St. John worships about 2,500 souls per weekend, making it one of the largest congregations nationwide in the 2.5 million-member Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

But size is not the ultimate (or even primary) determining factor for whether or not a church is healthy (indeed there are many smaller, healthy churches in the nation who are making a tremendous difference for the Kingdom); rather, Scripturally speaking: zeal for Christ and for reaching the lost, and an unwavering commitment to the Holy Scriptures and Christ's command to "Go, and make disciples of all nations" are some key defining factors...and St. John holds true to that.

St. John has 8--yes, that's right, 8--services throughout the week, including one of them offsite at a local brewery, Schlafly Brewery. The strategy with the Schlafly service is that, by preaching and teaching off campus at a site where an unchurched crowd is more likely to go, we can share Christ's love and message with people who might never step foot on a church campus.

St. John is definitely one of the more "contemporary" Lutheran churches in the St. Louis area, and perhaps in the nation. Yet the church does also provide two traditional services each week for those who prefer hymns and organ music for their worship.

I must admit, the Warehouse service at St. John Ellisville--the most contemporary service they offer--put me out of my comfort zone. But it wasn't (isn't, and won't ever be) about me. It was (is, and forever will be) about Jesus, and about the people in that room who desperately need to know Him. And if that contemporary style is a better spiritual conversation-starter for those lost souls than one with hymns and organ music, then I need to be OK with it. Church isn't about me, and it isn't about serving me and helping me to feel comfortable. After all, "even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve," (Mark 10:45) and "to seek and save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).

St. John in Ellisville also has a preschool and elementary school, which we will visit next week and where we are prayerfully considering enrolling our eldest daughter for preschool.

As our "Field Work Church," St. John will serve as our family's official place of worship for years one, two, and four while we're at the seminary (year three is our internship--or, "vicarage"--year, where we could end up at any church in the nation for one year, before coming back to seminary in St. Louis for our fourth and final year in the Master's of Divinity program). St. John will also be where, for about 8-10 hours per week, I will participate in and support the life of the congregation--not as layman, and not as an ordained pastor--but as a student-worker living in the "gray area" between laity and ordination. That means I might help with everything from serving communion, to teaching a bible study, to participating in outreach events, to attending and observing board meetings, you name it. All the while, I will primarily be working under the direction and supervision of one of their Associate Pastors, Pete Mueller.

We also have several assignments to complete over the course of the time we're at our Field Work churches. These practical assignments include everything from studying and reporting on the demographics of the community and the congregation, to interviewing a cross-section of parishioners, to setting personal and ministry growth goals.

We believe it is God's will for us to be at St. John, and we look forward with a combination of eager anticipation and to-be-expected first-year butterflies, as we await what He has in store.

Thank you so very much for your ongoing love and prayerful support. We could not do this without you, and without God's encouraging work through you.

Love and blessings,
Don, Stacye, and the girls

Angel Food Ministries

I am so touched by a website I just visited, I had to write a blog entry to let everyone know about it. Sometime last month, I noticed a flier posted near the Food Bank here on campus. Something called "Angel Food Ministries" was advertising a huge food package that could be purchased for $25. I mentioned it to Don, but with everything going on (our trips, trying to settle in to our new lives here), we never did anything about it. Shortly after, one of Don's classmates mentioned it again. Then, today, just as I was about to call to learn more information, I clicked on a link in an email I got and Angel Food Ministries was the first thing staring at me. Whew! Okay God, I get it!

Long story short, I'll be driving to a local Lutheran church tomorrow to write a check for $43 and place my order for the following:

4 lb. Chicken Leg Quarters
24 oz. Beef Back Ribs
1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
24 oz. Bone-in Pork Chops
1 lb. Ground Turkey
18 oz. Stuffed Manicotti (Cheese)
12 oz. Smoked Sausage
Betty Crocker Seasoned Potatoes
7 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
16 oz. Green Beans
16 oz. Baby Carrots
2 lb. Onions
1 lb. Pinto Beans
1 lb. Rice
7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
10 ct. Homestyle Waffles
1 Dessert Item
AND
Family Convenience Meal Special from Golden Cuisine
(Five Delicious Dinner Entrees: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Roasted Chicken Dinner, Meatloaf Patty & Gravy, Fettuccini Alfredo, Country Herb Chicken. Includes five breads, five skim milks, ten margarine cups, and five desserts.)

I encourage you to check out their website. I was almost in tears reading about the ministry. We'll be able to take advantage of this amazing blessing while we're here at seminary, sometimes for as low as $25 per month (the above list is supposed to feed us for 2+ weeks). When you combine all this with the Seminary's Food Bank, we will be spending virtually no money at regular grocery stores. (We'll have to buy milk and other dairy products and some fresh produce, but that's about it.) I'd like to further encourage you to support this awesome ministry, but I didn't see any way to support financially on their website, except to become a host church (distribute meals). Hey all you St. John's members out there...maybe if the word gets out, St. John's may become a host site? The closest host site I could find was Lancaster and there is nothing in the Central Valley...food for thought (get it?).

Anyway - it's late and I really should go to bed! Don starts Greek tomorrow (Tuesday) - keep him in your prayers. Love to all - thanks for reading and praying. We miss you!
Love,
Stacye (the food lady)
and Don, Hannah, and Elizabeth (the food eaters)
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P.S. Last night we were ultra-adventurous and rode the Metro into Downtown (Laclede's Landing) with some friends for the Big Muddy Blues Festival. Very fun, even though we got the girls home waaaayyyy too late. Oh well - sometimes you just have to get out of the regular routine and do something different. Now it's time to buckle down and get serious about Greek. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, something, something, something, Omega! Do I pass? Think Don'll let me tutor him?

New Slide Show

It's time to add some new photos. Most of these are from our trip to Texas to visit the Marmolejos and witness the twins' baptisms. There are a few other ones on there - the captions will explain most and we'll do another blog update soon with more details about our fun, wonderful visit to Texas. (Short version: It was really hard to leave our good friends. We miss them!)

Today is the opening Convocation for the new school year - our first official act as a seminary family. Don will dress up in a suit and sit with his class. The girls and I will go and sit in the back - we'll see how they do! Thank you for keeping us in prayer as we oficially begin this adventure God has planned out for us. We pray that you are blessed - we feel like we are!

In Christ's love,
The Rays
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When I am weak, then I am strong

Friends and Family,

DR: My seminary orientation is complete, and I now look forward to Elementary Greek, which begins on Tuesday. I have Dr. James Voelz as my professor; he wrote our text book and is legendary among Lutheran circles and the seminary community for his thorough, entertaining, witty, and informative teaching style. I have heard that mini-basketballs regularly fly throughout his classroom (occasionally catching a glancing blow at an unsuspecting seminarian) and a stuffed weasel or two may even make an appearance. Having studied Greek in Bakersfield before coming to the sem, I know that having a moment or two of humor to punctuate our intense studies will be a blessing.

Dr. Bruce Hartung, one of the Deans of Ministerial formation, spoke to us recently about the formation of pastors. That is a word--formation--they use a lot around here. They aren't training us technical methods of *how* to pastor, per se. Rather, the entire experience--from living in authentic community with each other, building relationships, allowing the rigors of classes/studies/family/work shape your soul--work together to *form* us as pastors. They have promised us we won't be the same people we are today four years from now.

Dr. Hartung especially focused on the "darker side" of seminary life in his orientation. We were reminded that--as future leaders in the Church--Satan has a huge target on our backs and on our families' backs. The evil one does not want us to be here, and he will use whatever tactics it takes to wear us down. Many current pastors, in their private moments, may indeed agree that their faith was weakest and their temptations strongest during their time at seminary.

Dr. Hartung had us write down on a 4x6 card what we believed our greatest areas of vulnerability and temptation are, then cover them with a cross, and submit them to him anonymously. He and the faculty will pray over the cards, and pray for a hedge of protection for us from the evil one. We also broke into small groups to pray for each other, and share our struggles with one another.

Pastors (and seminary students) are real people. Just because God has drawn us into this kind of ministry does not make us any holier than the rest of the souls sitting in church on Sunday morning. As Dr. Hartung reminded us, we are people who struggle with the same temptations and struggles our parishioners face: money issues; alcohol issues; relationship struggles; lust and temptations to sin sexually; fighting off laziness and sloth; dealing with arrogance and pride; encountering ridicule, discouragement, and depression; you name it. We are not immune. In fact, we are probably more vulnerable, if anything. Whatever area(s) we most struggle with in our lives and in our Christian walk, we can be sure Satan will tempt us most intensely right there.

And so, as it is with you, it is of the utmost importance we know what our greatest vulnerabilities are, name them, and cover them with the cross of Jesus Christ. We must share our weaknesses with one another, pray for each other, and love one another through Christ Jesus. Life this side of Heaven can at times be a great struggle in the midst of great blessings.

We see and hear the stories all too frequently: pastors, friends, neighbors, co-workers who gave in to great temptation...and whose lives and ministries and churches were in many cases ruined as a result. Sinning is fun, for a time. And that is perhaps one of Satan's greatest weapons: that it all looks like fun and games, on the surface. Getting intoxicated. Flirting with your office secretary. Keeping a little more money for yourself this time. Investing our lives in stuff rather than God and His people. Watching TV to "escape." It all leads to ruin. The Bible says, "He who tills his land will have plenty of food...but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty." And that poverty can be spiritual, emotional, physical/financial/material, relational, or any combination thereof.

The only way out is to look to the Risen Christ--who was crucified, dead, buried, and resurrected! He has won the battle! We have victory in Jesus! Look to Christ! We must be honest with ourselves and with each other, humbly sharing our greatest vulnerabilities, praying over them, finding accountability partners to help us in the struggle, and tell others about the irreplaceable rest and peace we have in Jesus Christ. There is nothing greater than a life lived in Christ Jesus. Satan doesn't want you know that. He wants you to think your beer, your affair, your TV, your money, your stuff, your ________________ are more worthwhile and interesting than Christ. "It's OK," Satan says. "Just this one time. You're doing so well in the other areas of your life; you deserve it. Go for it." Satan is a liar. His path leads down to death. Don't buy the lie.

Be God's; stay close to Christ. And let us know how we can be praying for you, as we run this race in Christ Jesus together. You can email us via the email link at the top right of our homepage. We'd love to hear from you.

In His Love and Service,
Don

On your mark, get set...

DR: And we're about to go! We had our first day of seminary orientation today, which included lunch with the faculty and talks from various professors and advisers who will shepherd us along the way.

One thing I found out today that will make our next couple of weeks somewhat full with anticipatory excitement: on Friday, September 7, I will found out which church will become my "Resident Field Education" (RFE) church. What this is is the church somewhere in the greater St. Louis area that will become our "church home" as a family, and where I will serve approximately 8 hours per week during my first, second, and fourth years at seminary. The goal is to provide me with some practical exposure to "real church work" while taking classes. I will work under the supervision and direction of a pastor at that church, doing potentially everything from teaching bible studies, doing visitations, or whatever else they need me and want me to do; I've heard the field work experience can vary greatly depending on the church and the nature of the supervising pastor. We will keep you posted!

More news to come soon, as we just got back from Texas visiting our good friends for their twin boys sons' baptisms...check back soon!

Thanks so very much for your ongoing loving and prayerful support--you are indeed a blessing to us!

Love and blessings,
DER on behalf of our family

The Warehouse and The Butterfly House

DR: We continued this week with our weekly excursion to St. John Lutheran Church (Ellisville, MO), which we've elected to make our temporary church "home" until I am assigned to a field work church (which may or may not be St. John Ellisville...we will find out in early-mid September).

As we've written in an earlier post, St. John Ellisville is one of the largest LCMS churches in the country, worshipping about 2,500 souls each weekend (as a point of reference, St. John's in Bakersfield worships 650-750 souls a weekend). Among other things, the worship experiences at St. John Ellisville are dynamic, the teaching is edifying and encouraging, the church appears to be well-lead and well-administered, and they place a very high priority on ministry to children and youth.

On the way in to the main sanctuary today, we unexpectedly ran in Dr. Utech, a seminary professor in the practical theology department here, who also serves as the Director of the Field Education program. That means he is the one who works with congregations in the area to place guys like me into field work churches, so we can gain more practical church experience while we're going to school. He suggested we try the Warehouse service and meet Pete Mueller, one of the pastors on staff.

So we took him up on the suggestion. The Warehouse worship was a new and different experience for us. We enjoyed it. Very contemporary worship style in a relaxed setting.

The service was packed (about 200 souls in the small-to-medium space), literally standing room only. They have round tables in the back where you can sit with your family, munch on a bagel, and sip a cup of coffee while you worship. Lots of contemporary music (contemporary praise songs, Third Day covers, etc) lead by a worship team whose lively songs book-end a biblically-sound and devotional-feeling sermon on prayer. Exposed ceilings and air conditioning ducts, stamped concrete floors, stackable chairs, and not a necktie in the house! Pastor Pete sat on a stool for most of the service and wore loose fitting pants and shirt with Birkenstocks. The gentleman who served us communion wore khaki shorts and flip-flops.

Needless to say, the Warehouse ain't your mama's church! Translated, God and His everlasting truth does not change, but each generation may desire a different style and need a different conversation starter about spiritual matters. Indeed, it was a new and enjoyable experience for us that promises to launch St. John Ellisville and Jesus Christ into the hearts and minds of the next generation. Praise the Lord!

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SJR: Surprise, surprise! The weather here yesterday was really nice (!) so we decided to go to Faust Park. It's about 25 minutes away and they have a great kids' playground, a carousel, a historic village, and of course, the Butterfly House (the main attraction, I think).

Hannah had fun feeding the ducks and playing on the playground before our picnic lunch. Then we walked around the historic village. It's rather small, but has some neat houses. The oldest structures are 150 years old! Then we went to the Butterfly House. We started inside with a 17-minute movie about butterflies. Then we went into the conservatory where they have about 1500 butterflies. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was just shocked at how many butterflies were flying around. They're absolutely everywhere - flying right next to you and landing on you (sometimes). My favorite was the Blue Morpho. I was going to tell you how darn hard it was to get a picture of one, but I found this photo and the explanation says it all. There is a glimpse of one in the slide show below. Enjoy the pictures!

Back home from Tennessee

We arrived home from Tennessee yesterday. We had a great visit with Grammies (Don's mom). This was our fourth visit since she moved there in '02 and it was so weird driving our own car instead of flying on an airplane. Hannah enjoyed herself - she was mystified by the "upstairs" - she doesn't remember ever being in a 2-story house before! This was also our first time not visiting in December so we got to see the trees in her one-acre backyard filled with leaves - it was very pretty.

One of the days we were there we went into Nashville and did the "touristy" thing. First stop was Opry Mills, a huge outlet mall, to look for new tennis shoes for Don. But oh-so-important (much more important than shoes, don't ya know!) was a ride on the carousel - there are pix in the slide show below. True to outlet mall lore, we did find a bargain: shoes for Don and new tennies for Hannah (light-up blinkie Dora shoes, of course, for only $12.50). Throw in a Dora hat and socks (thanks Grammies!) and our girl was a happy camper.

Next stop was the Opryland Hotel - one of my favorite spots in Nashville (though I've only been to about 3 places in Nashville...). The hotel is huge and beautiful. It has three huge atriums (atria?) that house restaurants/bars, waterfalls, rivers (including a river boat ride), fountains, tons of plants and trees, and various levels of walking paths and skywalks to explore. We've been before at Christmas and the decorations are spectacular. It was fun to go this time since Hannah is old enough to run around, find fountains, throw in pennies, and just enjoy herself. If you have a minute, go here and check out some of the photos. Here are photos from the trip:

After wandering around the hotel for about three hours, we headed out to dinner at the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery. We've been there several times before and always enjoy it. By then we were all exhausted and looking forward to heading home. Once we got home, Stacye taught Grammies how to do Sudoku puzzles, and then it was finally (!) bedtime.

We had an uneventful drive home and are resting up before we have to start packing for our first airplane flight with both girls. We head to Texas to see the Marmolejos and meet the new twins on Wednesday. Keep us in your prayers for safe travels. Thanks for reading and y'all have a good weekend!

With lots of love,
The Travelin' Rays

Happy Anniversary

Don and I celebrated two anniversaries this week. August 9 was the 11-year anniversary of our first date and August 11 was our 6-year wedding anniversary. Yesterday (8/11) we went to a new student reception for my alma mater, Claremont McKenna College. It was hosted by another alum, Jake Zimmerman. Jake was a Senior when I was a Freshman and he is now a lawyer and Missouri State Representative. We went to a restaurant called Soda Fountain Square in downtown St. Louis to meet incoming students, their parents, current students, and other alumni. It was really fun to have a new connection to my beloved CMC - I loved college and look back on my 4 years with the fondest of memories.

After the reception we went to P.F. Chang's for dinner. Friends from home gave us a gift certificate which we have been saving. Our anniversary seemed like the perfect time to use it! We had a delicious dinner - only the second time we have "eaten out" since Grammies (Don's mom) left over a month ago.

Then we came home and collected Hannah from the downstairs neighbor who babysat for us. We put the girls to bed and waited for our overnight guest. Amber H., the daughter of friends from church in Bakersfield, is engaged to one of Don's classmates. She's in town for the weekend for a wedding and is staying the night with us last night and tonight. It was great to see a familiar face from home and the four of us were up until almost midnight talking.

Finally, as promised, here are photos of our trips to The Magic House. We had a great time - we've been twice so far and still haven't seen the 2nd or 3rd floors. Hannah loves it there and since it's all inside, we'll probably go there quite a bit when it's hot, rainy, or too cold to go outdoors. The first day we went it was just the girls and me. The next weekend we took Daddy back and saw an artist blowing glass. He planned to blow 1,000 glass balls that will be suspended from the ceiling of the Magic House's new addition next year. Hannah got to choose the colors for one ball and the artist's assistant carved her name into it. How cool that a little piece of Hannah will be a part of the Magic House for years to come!

Thanks for reading our blog - it's great to feel a connection with our loved ones back in California (and scattered elsewhere in the US). We love you and praise God for you. Your prayers and support help keep us going. Keep in touch and God bless,
--Stacye, Don, & the girls

Bethie has a....

...tooth!

She cut her first tooth on Friday, one day before her 4-month birthday. Her second one will be coming soon and she's having a much harder time than Hannah did. She's got drool, a fever, drool, fussiness, drool, a runny nose, drool, a cough, drool, diarrhea, and oh yeah, drool. We had a rough night last night - I was up with her from 2:30 until about 5:30 (she dozed a little, I didn't). She's sleeping quietly now, but I'm holding my breath to see how the rest of tonight goes. So keep her (and mom!) in your prayers that this phase will pass quickly. Thanks!

Love,
Sleepless in St. Louis

Questions and (hopefully the right!) answers...

DR: Praise God, I passed my New Testament class yesterday afternoon with an A- overall. Our final exam was rather difficult, as I myself and many friends in my class can attest. To give you a taste of the level of detail we were tested on: we were required to know which cities Paul traveled to on which of his missionary journeys (in what order), covering which chapters of the Book of Acts, and knowing what he did (and said!) on each of those journeys, and who he was with on each one...and that was just the Book of Acts, not to mention each of the four Gospels and the 22 other books and letters of the New Testament!

Internal dialogue at about 2:35pm Central Standard Time yesterday afternoon, in the midst of the test (loosely based on a true story, names withheld to protect the innocent): "(reading the test question to self) 'Question 15: Choose the best answer--oh, great, that's means there's more than one that's right...I hate these kinds of questions--the Apostle Paul enjoyed long, moonlit walks on the beach at: a) Ephesus, b) Jerusalem, c) Miletus--he went to Miletus? Where's that? I don't even know how to pronounce the city!--d) Malta, or e) a) and c) only.' Hey, that wasn't in the study guide! And who is Paul? And why do I need to know this, anyway?! Come, Lord Jesus, quickly! And bring Excedrin! And the answers to questions 3, 26, 12, 48, 23, 96, 14, 7, and 39 would be helpful, too."

OK, so they didn't ask us about Paul's moonlit walks, I must admit. And yes, I do know who Paul is, thankfully. But if there ever were such a question, I'd guess it would be d) Malta...because it's an island in the Mediterranean, presumably with lots of beaches...and it's where Paul, Luke, (and 274 other men--see Acts 27:37) were shipwrecked on the way to Rome...and where they stayed for three months (Acts 28:11)...and where Paul got bitten by a snake (on his left hand, some scholars suggest--see Acts 28:3 and footnote on 12.1b, subset 3, pg. 1245 in the Concordia Study Bible)...OK, OK, I'm a little tense. Still "downloading" all of my newly-acquired NT knowledge. Deep breath. The test is over. You passed. (end of positive self-talk)

I described this level of intense study to Stacye the other night--using our recent cross-country trip as an analogy--I said, "We just drove 2,100 miles, from California to St. Louis...just like I've read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation before. I knew that we stopped for gas and food occasionally along the way, just like I "knew about" Jesus' ministry in the four Gospels. But taking this New Testament class was like driving all the way to St. Louis and then having someone ask me, 'At what time, on what days, and at what gas stations did you stop? And other than 'needing gas,' what additional extenuating circumstances, if any, influenced your decision to stop each time (choose the best answer): was it a) your bladder suddenly threatened to exceed the size of the Grand Canyon, b) you had to get out, stretch, and wake up your be-hind (and in the process of doing so, the only thing you woke up was your daughter), c) the Holy Spirit moved you to do so, d) you couldn't resist taking a picture of the world's largest thermometer in Barstow, or e) all of the above.'"

Needless to say, there was a lot of detail on the New Testament final exam. [And by the way--for the record--we did not stop to take a picture of the world's largest thermometer in Barstow. Though a) and b) and--Lord only knows--perhaps c) were indeed reasons we stopped along the way.]

So, do I "know it all" now? Heavens no! But I do have a much richer and deeper understanding and appreciation of God's Word, after having spent an intense 4 weeks going through it, literally from Genesis to Revelation. (We covered all of Revelation in one hour, by the way. Can you say, "Deer in the headlights!?") My faithful classmates and I are all glad to have acquired so much new knowledge...and we're equally (if not more, if I am to tell the truth) pleased to have finished the classes!

We now move on to Greek. Truth be told, I am really looking forward to it, though I know it will be a lot of hard, intense, sweat-it-out kind of work. Starting in early September, I will be taking Greek full-time (the seminary doesn't let us take anything else concurrently, because they know it so intense and demanding on its own). I've been told we will have 2-3 hours in-class, Monday-Friday, and another 4-5 hours of intense homework each night for 10 weeks. Then starting just after Thanksgiving, we will take Hebrew--also full-time--for 15 weeks consecutively.

You're welcome to come visit me in the asylum afterwards. I'll be in the room with the padded walls.

These classes and exams may be difficult. But thank God for faith in Jesus Christ. We don't always have to know the answers in life, we just have to trust that He does. I just wish tests at the seminary were the same way.

Thanks for visiting our blog and for your continued support. We pray God's love and richest blessings for you and your family. Remember: God sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Why? Because He loves us, and by believing in Him, we can have eternal life in Heaven.

And in the end, that's the only answer that matters.

DER

Experiencing all the fun St. Louis has to offer

If you remember, in a previous post, we were debating about whether to go to MoBot or the Magic House on Friday July 20. We thought probably the Magic House because it's mostly indoors and the week had been hot. Surprisingly, Thursday started cooling off and Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we opted for MoBot so we could enjoy the beautiful weather. Hannah had a blast playing in the Children's Garden, climbing on the ropes, going down slides, playing music, and especially playing in the water area. See the evidence below!

As Don already reported, that next Sunday we visited St. John Ellisville for worship and ended up signing Hannah up for their Vacation Bible School program. It was a great program and we may go back next summer too. She told us after the first day that they played Duck, Duck, Goose, but she "didn't have the choice to run and go in the tea pot." I tried to clarify the statement, and she confirmed that she didn't get to go in the "mushroom pot." Here's a shot of their chapel time with the horse that Hannah just loved.









Here's a photo of Marc & Anissa Marmolejo's twin boys - they are way too cute and growing strong. We're going to visit them in Texas at the end of August - can't wait!

Braden and Jaxson Marmolejo

My Mom is awesome and sent us money for a shelf/organizer for Hannah's room. Now it is much less of a disaster and Hannah enjoys that fact that she can find her toys when she wants them. She loves playing dress-up with her many necklaces, bracelets, purses and hats. Here's a photo of her and her shelf - she told us she dressed up "to go to a meeting!" She might liven up a church board meeting with her outfit, that's for sure!





















Finally, we came across a baby photo of Don when we were moving in. We think he's about 1 year old (maybe his first birthday?) and we were instantly struck by how much Elizabeth looks like him! After hearing for 3 years about how much Hannah looks like me and her Noni (but not her daddy), now Don has a daughter that looks like him. (We think Hannah has Mommy's looks and Daddy's personality...while Elizabeth has more Daddy's looks and Mommy's personality...what going to happen if we have a third child!!??) Anyway, let us know if you agree about the resemblance:

Don took his mid-term for his New Testament class yesterday and did well. He gave a presentation today with another student on 2 Corinthians, which he chose because of its emphasis on Godly stewardship. He feels blessed that his first seminary presentation focused on God's direction for how we're to use the resources He entrusts to us.


Time to go make dinner. We love you all and miss home, though we're also thankful that we're settling in here and enjoying all the fun stuff there is to do (we went to the Magic House today - more on that later!).

God's peace and blessings,
--Stacye & co.
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The New Testament in a Whole New Way

DR: Hi there! I am happy to report that I am half-way through my New Testament class...well, almost. On Monday, we have a mid-term exam, which will test our knowledge of the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. Then, on Friday (8/3), we take our final, which will cover the entire New Testament.

I described to Stacye and another friend of mine last night what it's like to study the New Testament and Old Testament--from a seminary professor--in such a compressed amount of time.

It's like drinking from a fire hose, and then being asked to describe the individual drops of water I've swallowed...and in what order!

The amount of detail we are required to absorb for our exams is rather daunting, but through ongoing prayer and focused study, I continue to learn new and amazing insights about God's Word each day, so that as a pastor and teacher, I can faithfully share the Gospel and equip others to share God's message of eternal life...so that all may know Jesus.

As the Apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:10-11, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

It has been such an incredible blessing to study God's Word full-time, and I'm only in my first month on the job! It is only because of the blessed support we continue to receive from our friends, family, and the seminary that I am able to focus full-time on my studies at this time; a tremendous blessing indeed. Thank you for your continued support, through your gifts and prayers. We are incredibly grateful!

Do also continue to let us know how we can be praying specifically for you and your loved ones. Many people have done so, and it is a blessing and privilege for us to be in prayer for you. We pray together as a family every day, and we keep an updated prayer list prominently displayed in our house, as a reminder to lift you up to the Lord each day. You can call us or email us with your prayer requests (or even just send us a quick "hello"), at rayfamilyblog@gmail.com.

We'll write more very soon...Stacye tells me there are pictures coming...so bookmark us (if you haven't already) and check back often!

God's grace, love, and richest blessings to you!
Don & The Beautiful Trio

St. John('s)!? In Missouri?!

Greetings in Christ Jesus!

We had the opportunity to worship today at St. John Lutheran Church in Ellisville, Missouri, about 20 miles west/southwest of Concordia Seminary, where we live. With about 4,000 members (according to an elder we met today) and approximately 2,500 souls in worship on a given weekend, it is one of the largest churches (if not *the* largest church) in the national Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).

We enjoyed it so much (as did Hannah) that we signed Hannah up for their Vacation Bible School (VBS), which starts tomorrow!

The worship was terrific and the people we met were quite friendly. Rev. Dr. Stephen Hower preached on "Fear and Courage" as found in Joshua 3, where Joshua leads the new generation of Israelites across the river Jordan into the Promised Land. The message was particularly enjoyable for Don, who had just finished studying the Old Testament and had the Book of Joshua fresh on his heart and mind.

The music team lead the congregation in song that filled the sanctuary and your soul! Hannah had a huge smile on her face and was dancing in the aisle--literally--as the praise team sang away! (We were sitting in the very last row up in the balcony, so she didn't create too much of a distraction!) :-) (Interesting side note: their "stand-in" music leader was a young lady who is on summer break from Concordia Irvine, where she is studying in--you guessed it--their music program).

St. John Ellisville has an elementary school onsite; a "Next Generation" emphasis, with dedicated spaces for youth and young adults; a small bookstore; and a cafeteria downstairs that the school uses during the week, which the church uses during weekends for wedding receptions and breakfast/brunch service before and after church. The buildings are multi-level and built immediately adjacent to one another--connected by internal hallways--so the footprint of the entire campus is remarkably small for as much punch as it packs. Take a look at the satellite image (from Google Maps) here and you'll see what we mean.

This is the third church we've visited in three weeks--each of the ones we've visited have been as different as you can imagine, and each a blessing to the community in their own special way. We may continue to "church hop" until Don gets assigned to his field work church in the Fall; from then on we will worship there, whatever church that may be (there are about 150 LCMS churches in the greater St. Louis area).

Tomorrow, Don starts his New Testament class, which will run for two weeks. About 5 weeks from now, Fall classes start...and that's when Greek begins and the intensity of seminary academic life will really begin to kick in.

Thank you for your continued love and support. Do let us know how you are doing, so we can be praying for you--you can click the email link at the top right of our website and send us your prayer requests there; we'd love to specifically be in prayer for you, your family and loved ones.

God's love and richest blessings,
DER, SJR, HGR, EJR :-) :-) :-) :-)

"Mr. Ray got an 'A'"

God is good! Don got an A- in his Old Testament class! They took the final today and he scored 90/100 (you know, nothing is perfect this side of Heaven...and truth be told, no one in the class got a perfect score). He starts his New Testament class on Monday, which will eventually include an oral presentation on one of the epistles.

DR: It is such a blessing to be in God's Word for as long as I get to be each day; there's just nothing like it. My first professor, Pastor Mark Hoehner (who serves in his "day job" as Senior Pastor at Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church, about 30 minutes north of the seminary) said on Day One of our class, "You have to stay in the Word. And that doesn't just mean for your job, or for sermon preparation; you have to read it for yourself. Spend at least 90 minutes to two hours every day in the Word, and God will fill you and prepare you for ministry." Wonderful advice, and I took it to heart, starting the very next day. Hearkens back to John 15:1-8, "I am the vine and you are the branches...if a man remains in Me, and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing..."

God is so good.

Thanks again so very much for your continued love, prayers, and support. We love you.
Don, Stacye Jo, Hannah-boo, and Bethie :-)

Chugging along

No, not chugging beer, though Don may feel like it about about this time tomorrow. Tomorrow (Thursday), is his first chance to take the Old Testament exam. I've been quizzing him on the major and minor prophets and he also went to a study group last night. So pray for him along with me that he passes his test with flying colors and doesn't have to go back to class on Friday.

If he has Friday off, we'll probably go find something fun to do here in St. Louis. Probably either the Missouri Botanical Garden (MoBot) or The Magic House (St. Louis Children's Museum). We feel really blessed because the MOPS Steering Team at St. John's chipped in and bought us season passes to MoBot and our good friends the Josephson and Martinez-Ekegren families bought us season passes to The Magic House. These are two very popular St. Louis destinations and they're great for families and kids.


We visited MoBot when we were here last fall and really enjoyed it. We were there all day and still didn't see it all. They have a great kids' section and a lake where kids can feed huge koi fish.

Hannah playing in the kids' section of MoBot in October of '06

We've never been to The Magic House but have heard great things about it and are really looking forward to our first visit. I'm thinking we may go there on Friday because it has been really hot and humid these past few days. Almost everything at MoBot is outside, but much (or all?) of The Magic House is inside. Wherever we decide, we'll take lots of pictures and post some of them soon.

Join us as well in welcoming Jackson and Braden Marmolejo, the 2-day-old twin sons of our dear friends, Marc & Anissa. The Marmolejos live in Texas now and we miss them tons. They are Hannah's godparents and we are godparents to their daughter Isabella. We are planning to go visit them in Texas in August and can't wait. Please keep them all in your prayers for continued good health. Congratulations and God's blessings to all 6 Marmolejos!

Also - today is my mom, Jill's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom - we miss you!


Another wonderful blessing - a friend from St. John's Bakersfield sent us a huge box of diapers for Elizabeth. Thank you so much for your love and support - we are truly grateful.

With love,
Stacye & the samily (as Hannah says)

Updates and pictures

Finally - an update!

Don is in class right now - today marks the half-way point of his Old Testament class already. He's also having his first one-on-one meeting with a seminary advisor - a "getting to know you" visit, which marks the first in a series of several visits like it over the next few years that the seminary will use to aid in Don's pastoral assignments and his ultimate placement.


I just uploaded lots of recent pictures from my camera to our computer, so I'll use those as an outline for my post. Ready? Here we go!
Fourth of July

Here's our big July 4th celebration - sitting around the apartment! Actually, we had planned on going downtown for the celebration and fireworks, but it was supposed to rain and the fireworks didn't start until after 9:00. We decided not to risk the rain and keeping the girls out 2-3 hours past their bedtime, so we stayed home and watched the downtown fireworks on TV. Exciting huh?









Elizabeth rolls over! (Cue the crying.)

Here's a picture of her first trick. Bethie is doing the same thing her big sister did - she rolls over from back to front, and then cries frantically because she can't figure out how to get off her face. Pretty much any time she's left on her back, she rolls over. She only rolls toward her left side so far - she needs some practice I guess.





Our first summer storm


Daddy was in class and we kept hearing loud thunder and seeing lightning. Finally the skies opened up and Hannah and I just had to go outside and experience the rain. Our porch collects quite a puddle of water when it rains, so Hannah's favorite part was splashing and playing in the water. (After the storm, we use the push broom to push a waterfall of water down the stairs - fun!) I took this picture shortly before I found Hannah on all fours trying to drink the rain water. Yes, you heard me right - trying to drink from the puddle. I guess when you're three and you've never seen a rain puddle before, it makes perfect sense (remember, we're from Bakersfield, where .10 of an inch is a flood). Shoulda taken that picture!

Our view

On the left is the view out the den window - Don's "study view." On the right is the view out Hannah's (eventually both girls') bedroom window. I can't wait to see it in the fall! Our apartment is in a great location - on "the circle" so we get less traffic, positioned to get great cooling cross breezes, and with this awesome view out the back windows. God's creation is just beautiful!

The Zoo
The girls and I had our first real outing since we've been here. We went to the awesome, free St. Louis Zoo. Can you believe the third-highest-rated zoo in the country doesn't cost anything to get in?! And it's less than 2 miles from our house! If you get there in the first hour the zoo opens, the Conservation Carousel and the Children's Zoo are also free. I had hoped to go to both, but by the time I made a wrong turn and wound a ridiculously long way out of my way, we only had time for the Carousel. Now that we know how to get there and where to park, next time we'll try the Children's Zoo and report back on that.

This elephant fountain was one of Hannah's favorite parts of the zoo. She loved kneeling on the ledge and putting her hands in the water.

Well, Don will be home soon and I've got to start on dinner. It was fun updating you - we'll do more soon. Love to everyone - we miss you! Keep in touch - please comment on the blog so we know you were here, or call or email. God's blessings to all,
--Stacye & co.
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Eureka!

Good news! We found the toilet paper, we can usually find our shoes, and we haven't yet needed an alarm clock!

Don will need an alarm clock on Monday, July 9, when his classes begin (although his first class starts at 12:45pm...so if he's still asleep by the time noon rolls around, we're in trouble...) Don will be taking Old Testament for two weeks, 4 hours a day in class plus homework and extensive reading, and then New Testament for two weeks, the same.

We've learned that there are only about 95 guys in Don's first-year class, the smallest Concordia Seminary has had in the last 5-7 years.

We went to our first community barbeque last night, which happens every Friday during the summer. Everyone who wants to come brings meat to grill and a dish to share, and we sit under the huge shade trees outside our apartment and enjoy each other's company for about 2 or 3 hours. It was a lot of fun, and the kids got to run around and play while the moms and Pastor-to-be dads jib jabbed about life. God is good, and the seminary community is very welcoming and warm; we are blessed to be living on campus and getting to know such great folks so quickly.

We will write more soon...still settling in to the new digs, but life is beginning to feel somewhat normal again, after all.

God's love and richest blessings to you and yours--
The Rays

Somewhere...

"Somewhere" is our favorite word around here lately..."Where are my shoes?" "Somewhere."

"Where did we pack the alarm clocks?" "Somewhere."

"Do we have any toilet paper?" "Somewhere..."

I think we'll be using that word quite a bit for the next few weeks or so.

We are settling in, though, which is nice. The kitchen (which is bigger than my kitchen in Bakersfield) is mostly unpacked. The girls' room is unpacked, though totally disorganized. The computers are up and running, including the internet. Everything else is about half-way unpacked. We'll get there eventually, I suppose.

Tonight we took Grammies to Fitz's for dinner (though she ended up paying, so I guess she took us). Even though Hannah hasn't had a real nap in about two weeks, she was a jumping bean during dinner. Don asked her, "Where do you get all this energy from, girl?" and her response was, "I got it from Christmas." Ha-ha.

Well, I think I need to head toward bed - I'm exhausted and we have a busy day tomorrow. We're planning to keep unpacking in the morning and head down to the waterfront/downtown for July 4th celebrations at Fair St. Louis. It'll be a long day, but fun too. We'll try to post some pictures on the 5th for all to see. Take care and we love you all,
--Stacye, D, H, & E

Getting Acquainted

We had our apartment walk-through today - our first glimpse of our new home for the next 2+ years. The apartment is upstairs and we share a balcony with our next-door neighbors, who we met today. The husband and wife are really friendly and he has just finished his first year, so they'll probably be a great source of information when we have questions. They have a boy and a girl, about 8 and 10, respectively. Hannah just made herself at home, walking into their house, playing trains with Alex in his room, and sharing popsicles.

Our apartment is actually really nice - the girls' bedroom is larger than Hannah's room back in Bakersfield. And since our building was built to ADA standards (as our neighbors told us), the bathroom is bigger with a linen closet and (best of all), we have a ramp down to the basement instead of the steep, scary stairs that I've been afraid of. (Our washer, dryer, and storage will be down in the basement and I've been really nervous about carrying loads of laundry up and down the stairs during freezing weather.)

One thing, unfortunately - we hadn't realized that our kitchen, though bigger than the one in Bakersfield, doesn't have a dishwasher... So that should be interesting. I told our neighbor, "Paper plates, here we come!"

We came out the first time to visit in fall of 2004. Most of the students and wives we met started in summer or fall of '05, which means they're now 3rd-year students and headed out on their vicarages (internships).

One couple we definitely clicked with back then were from Tracy, CA. We met them again when we were here last fall, but didn't expect to see them this year because of they were supposed to be out on their vicarage this coming year. However, we saw them tonight and learned that he has deferred his vicarage and they'll be living a few buildings away from us in The Woods. So that was really nice - to see someone we know, from close to home, who can help show us the ropes. God is good!

More to come soon...bookmark and share our blog website address with friends and family and check back often, as we will continue to provide updates regularly.

Love and blessings,
Stacye & Family

The end of the beginning of the beginning

The beginning to the beginning of our seminary adventure has ended! Thank God for a blessed trip! We've arrived! 2,100 miles, 7 pit-stop cities along the way, a trip to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon, 10 days on the road, and a partridge in a pear tree, we made it to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis earlier this afternoon.

Our first item of business in town? Don (our Pastor-to-be) enjoyed a Cardinal Sin.

Well, actually "Cardinal Sin" is the name of a milkshake made by Ted Drewes, St. Louis' world-famous custard stand. The "Cardinal Sin" is frozen vanilla custard with hot fudge and lots of tart cherries mixed in. Yum! Our visit to Ted Drewes fulfilled a promise to a good Bakersfield friend of ours who gave us a send-off gift with one string attached: that we use a portion of the gift for a visit to Ted Drewes! (You know who you are...thank you! Wish you could have been there with us to enjoy it with us!)



Hannah also enjoyed her very first ice cream (well, frozen custard) cone at Ted Drewes!



We are staying in the on-campus dorms tonight and tomorrow, and will move in to our new apartment (pictured below) on Monday. Don's mom, "Grammies," and his eldest brother, "Uncle Dan," are due to join us to help move-in and enjoy the sights over the 4th of July here in this wonderful city.

Our apartment building, which we'll move in to on Monday.

Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support. We know God blessed and strengthened us on our cross-country journey because of your prayers. You are a blessing to us. Feel free to call, email, write, and pray as God leads you.

We love you,
DR, SR, HR, & ER

The Show-Me State

The good news? We made it to Missouri! The bad news? Apparently the state is now closed. :-)

We're in Springfield, Missouri and it feels great to be almost done traveling. We arrived at about 3:00 this afternoon and will head out on our final leg tomorrow morning. Tonight, we're just relaxing in the hotel after doing some laundry, checking out the hotel pool, and walking next door to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. The girls are both asleep and Don is headed that way fast.

Yesterday we went to the Omniplex in Oklahoma City, as Don mentioned in an earlier post. We had fun - for the most part. There were a lot of neat exhibits and fun things to do. However, all the traveling is catching up to our Hannah-boo and she was not very fun. She had several melt-downs and the visit just wasn't what we envisioned it to be. One fun thing we did do, was to try building an arch like the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. We were successful!

There's a section of the Omniplex called "Gadget Trees." It's essentially a playground area with a teeter-totter, a tree house called "Newton's Clubhouse" and a 2-story tall structure called "Archimedes' Tower." Kids were using a pulley system to haul soft foam balls up to the top of the "tower" and other kids were retrieving them and using a small catapult to launch the balls off the top and down into a board with holes cut out of it (like a bean bag toss on steroids). Hannah wanted to throw some of the balls, so she and I began the trek up to the top of the tower. We wound around and around climbing stairs and finally reached the top. We waited in line and finally got our hands around some of the balls coming up in the buckets. I tried to lift her up to reach the catapult and she freaked out. She wanted to go back down and throw the balls from there. At that point, I just laughed and laughed. We had gone all the way up to the top to get balls when all she wanted was just to grab one another kid threw, stand next to the board, and throw balls in from there. Life is so much simpler when you're three! So we got two balls and rode a very long, very twisty slide down. I almost got stuck and got a friction burn on my knee and elbow for my trouble. But Hannah was happy to chase after foam balls and throw them in the holes. The things we do for our kids!

Later, she said her favorite part was the slide, so that was good. She also enjoyed running around aimlessly on some gymnastic mats, painting her face with crayons, and playing with a sound machine that used foam spheres (like from a bean bag chair) to make sound waves visible (very cool machine).

Don wanted me to be sure and mention how pretty it is out here. Everything is so green and while we were driving, all we could see was rolling green hills and tons of trees.
Don says that this is some of his favorite scenery and he really enjoyed the drive. Most likely, tomorrow will be more of the same. About 210 miles to go - and then we'll never feel like getting in the car again.

Two good things to look forward to this week - the rain is supposed to stop for Monday through Wednesday (so our prime moving-in days will be dry) and Grammies (Don's mom) and maybe "Uncle Dan" (Don's oldest brother) will be here from Monday through Friday. It will be great to see them, have some help with the girls and the unpacking, and get to show them around St. Louis. If it's not raining we'll probably head to the waterfront (the Mississippi River near the Arch) for the 4th of July festivities and fireworks. Bonus: the 4th of July is Hannah's baptism birthday and also Elizabeth's 3-month birthday. How time does fly!

We miss everyone and thank you for all your prayers - our trip has been surprisingly smooth and uneventful. God's blessings to all our loved ones - we couldn't do this without your support.

With love,
--Stacye, Don, Hannah, & Elizabeth

We're "OK"

We've arrived safely in Oklahoma City, OK! We left Amarillo, TX this morning and expected to arrive in OKC in the midst of a downpour (some sections of the outlying areas around OKC have been flooded). But apart from a few storm cells here and there along I-40, it was a beautiful day!

We checked in to our (intended) hotel just south of downtown, but Don decided to check us out faster than you can say "bad neighborhood." Yikes. Unfortunately, booking hotels in advance on the Internet doesn't allow you to experience them firsthand until you arrive. And we only allowed ourselves to "experience" this one for about 10 minutes. Thankfully, we found a much nicer place uptown and will be here for two nights.

Earlier today, we took two hours and visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial, site of the former Murrah Federal Building that convicted (and since-executed) mass murderer, Timothy McVeigh, blew up with a truck bomb in April 1995. 168 lives were lost, including 19 children, as you may recall. Visiting the memorial and the accompanying museum was a very moving and heart-felt experience. They have done a wonderful job celebrating the lives of those who perished and of telling the riveting stories of the survivors and rescuers. You can't help but be moved by the experience.

A few of the empty bronze-and-glass chairs, each one

representing an individual who perished in the OKC bombing.

Hannah at the Oklahoma City National Memorial reflecting pond.

The 168 empty chairs are in the background on the grass,

on the footprint where the Murrah Federal Building stood.

Outside, there are 168 bronze-and-glass empty chairs, laid out in nine rows, representing each of the 168 victims who died, with each row representing the floor of the building they were on (see above photo). The chairs are fronted by a shallow reflecting pool (see above photo) and several other symbolic trees and gardens. They've done a wonderful job with the site. We highly recommend visiting the memorial and paying the extra few dollars to tour the museum inside, if you're ever in the area. May God bless and give peace to all the individuals and families affected by the tragedy.

We'll write more as we continue on the journey! Thanks for your continued love, prayers, and support as we begin this seminary adventure.

God's love and blessings,
D, S, H, & E

The journey continues!

We write to you from Amarillo, Texas!

After visiting the breathtaking Grand Canyon on Sunday, we stayed the night near the park and drove 8 hours yesterday to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then continued from Albuquerque to Amarillo today. We soaked in the incomparable and majestic Southwestern landscape along the way.

Somewhere along I-40 in Arizona

Earlier this afternoon, we took a dip in our Amarillo hotel's pool and no less than 10 minutes after we got out, the skies opened up with lightning, thunder, and literally sheets of rain which continued for over two hours! Amarillo probably got more rain in that 2 hours than Bakersfield gets in two years! (And God gave us a free car wash, much-needed after 1,200+ miles logged thus far...even the bugs that hit your windshield are bigger in Texas!)

Tomorrow, we continue on to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where we'll stay for two nights and plan to visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial. We'll also experience the Omniplex, a hands-on interactive museum for kids and kids-at-heart. We pray for dry skies and safe roads. God continues to bless us so richly on this trip!

As promised, though a bit out of the order of our actual trip, we did want to include some photos from our visit to Disneyland and California Adventure last week. We all had a lot of fun! It was Hannah and Elizabeth's first time meeting Mickey Mouse and experiencing the Magic Kingdom in person!

Jill, Christopher, Stacye, Hannah,
Elizabeth (in stroller), & Don at Disneyland

"Unca Dave" (Don's SoCal brother), Don, Hannah, Elizabeth,

& Stacye awaiting the beginning of Fantasmic! at Disneyland

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Is it bigger than a breadbox?

Yes. It's huge. We saw (a very small sliver of) the Grand Canyon this afternoon (Don, Hannah, & Elizabeth's first time visiting and Stacye's 2nd? 3rd? time seeing it in person). Having two kids in tow in a stroller somewhat limited our ability to do and go and see (apart from the fact that we're pretty gosh darn tired)...but we soaked in the breathtaking vistas of the South Rim as much as we could. Seeing the Grand Canyon reminds us of what an awesome, majestic, powerful, intricate, beautiful God we love and serve!

We also had the blessing of going to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure on Thursday and Friday of last week with Stacye's mom, Jill, and her brother, Christopher (on Thursday), and Don's brother, Dave, and his girlfriend, Anna (on Friday). It wore us all out, but it was a lot of fun and we got to make some great memories together as a family (pictures to follow soon...check back on the site soon!)

Tomorrow, it's on to Albuquerque, NM...then Amarillo, TX...Oklahoma City, OK...Tulsa, OK...and our final stop in St. Louis! Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We love you.

Love,
Don, Stacye, Hannah, & Little-bit

Off we go...with joyful and heavy hearts

People have asked us many times, "Aren't you excited?!" The honest answer is "yes, very much so" and "no, not really at all."

Yes--we are excited to pursue what we prayerfully believe is God's will for our lives at this time...yes we are excited to soon be living in St. Louis, a diverse and culture-rich big city that has a lot of free or inexpensive fun and interesting things to do for a family (did you know that Forest Park, which is immediately "next door" to the seminary, is larger than New York's Central Park??)...yes, we are excited to see exactly how God will use this experience called seminary as part of His master plan for us and the world. Yes, we are excited to see people's prayerful and financial support come forth, as added encouragement that we are on the right track for the Lord.

And, no...leaving you--our family and friends--is incredibly difficult. Family in Christ and family by blood: brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. Tears, hugs, thank you notes of love, phone calls, prayers, more hugs, goodbyes, "see you laters"...that is very difficult for both giver and receiver.

But we take real comfort in what Jesus says, in the midst of our sadness, "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life" (Matthew 19:29). Wow!!!

And we know there is a real cost to following Christ--to following God's will for our lives...Luke 9:57-62 says, "'As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, 'I will follow you wherever you go.' Jesus replied, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.' He said to another man, 'Follow me.' But the man replied, 'Lord, first let me go and bury my father.' Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.' Still another said, 'I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.' Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.'"

As we prayed last year about whether or not to sell our house (which we subsequently did) and whether or not to actually do this "seminary thing," the Lord put several Scriptures in front of us, "...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33) and Luke 14:25-27, "Many people followed Jesus. Then He turned around and said to them, 'If any man comes to Me and does not have much more love for Me than for his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My follower. If he does not carry his cross and follow Me, he cannot be My follower.'"

God made it clear to us through His Word that, if we wanted to follow His will for our lives at this time, that it was necessary for us to sell our house and leave behind family and friends. Not easy then. Not easy now. Not easy--ever.

But we know that God is with us. As Hannah told us tonight as we said goodbyes to family and friends, "But Jesus is with us...He lives in our heart. And if mommy or daddy is ever sad, I will give them a hug..." (That one made dad cry!) Yes, she is right, He never leaves us. And so He goes with you as well. God is right there with you--just as He promises, just as He says He will forever be--even when it might feel like He's far away.

We pray that He gives you and us peace during this time of transition and change. And we look forward to what His future plan holds in store for all of us and for His Kingdom.

May God bless you richly...and give you the peace that only He can give. We love you so very much.

Don, Stacye, Hannah, & Lizzy-boo

Getting Ready to Leave...

Stacye here...

Just wanted to write a little bit before things go totally crazy around here and I run out of time. We leave in 10 short days - I really can't believe it. Everyone keeps asking, "So, are you ready to leave?" and the answer is, "No!"

Besides the emotional upheaval of leaving the place I've called home for the past 25 years, we still haven't started packing or anything. We need to sort through all the stuff we brought to my mom's house and figure out what is ours, what is hers, what goes into the POD storage unit, and what will fit into our car for the drive. And believe me, not much is going to fit into the car! By the time we put in Elizabeth's stroller and play pen (for sleeping) there isn't much room left. I've joked that we are allowed 3 changes of clothes each and that won't be far from the truth.

People also ask if I'm excited for the move and I always answer, "Yes and no." I am excited to live in St. Louis - it's such a cool city with tons of fun stuff to do. I'm also excited to get the difficult details and work of packing out of the way. I'm dreading the drive in many ways and I kind of just want to get it over with. Finally, I'm really excited about our trips to Disneyland and California Adventure (see Don's post below). It's going to be so fun to take Hannah to "Mickey Mouse's house." But, I'm definitely not excited about saying goodbye, leaving my family, friends, and church, and starting over. No matter how fun it'll be to meet new friends and get to know the other sem wives, no one can ever replace my loving family and the awesome friends I've met.

Well - Elizabeth is crying so I better wrap this up. We'll write more as we have more to report. Love to all -
--Stacye
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P.S. I thought I should do one of the other things we've promised to do on this website - post pictures of the girls. Here's a recent one:

A date, a Dodge, and debt-free living!

So, we've decided on a day: June 21. That's when we're packing up the Dodge and traveling east (ironically enough, to arrive at "The Gateway to the West"). And it's not exactly due east...we're actually planning to go to Disneyland and California Adventure for two days, and then heading east.

After all things Disney, our first stop is Kingman, Arizona and on to the Grand Canyon, then Albuquerque, NM; Amarillo, TX; through Oklahoma City, OK; and then either through Tulsa, OK up to St. Louis or through Little Rock, Arkansas to Memphis, TN to St. Louis. Either way, it promises to be an adventure, all 2,400 some-odd miles of it! Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we're planning on arriving in St. Louis on June 30 or July 1 (Don's classes start July 9).

And the blessed, trustworthy (and paid for!) '97 Dodge is running quite well: recently, we've invested in a new transmission ($3,000), a new paint job (it was starting to rust!) for another $975 (Earl Scheib is our new best friend), and then another $880 yesterday to put in all new belts and hoses, plus a new O2 sensor, air conditioning unit, air intake service, and more!

We figure $4,800 out-of-pocket is not a bad investment, considering that buying a gently used car would probably sack us with $400/month in payments and higher insurance for the next 3 to 5 years. In 12 months, we would have paid out that same $4,800...and still have car payments for another 2-4 years. Not our cup of tea. Being debt-free and freed up to give greater resources to God's Kingdom...it's a wonderful life!

We won't win any "cool car" contests any time soon, but "having more and better stuff" has never been our goal. As my brother says about himself, "I don't own a lot of stuff...because if I do, it starts to own me." True. And Jesus says, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).

So, stay tuned for The Ray Family Road Trip as time draws closer. We plan to post to the blog as we journey east, headed for The Gateway Arch. Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Love and blessings,
The Rays