Airport Excursion

As I mentioned yesterday, we had the opportunity to go on a little field trip Wednesday morning. The company my Dad works for has their buildings situated on an old air force base. For a private pilot, it was just about a dream come true to be able to work right next to an airport. J He stays pretty current on what’s going on there, small as it is today.

He found out about a WWII airplane fly-in being held at their airport this past week. We decided that it’d be neat to go and see the planes, as they were offering up-close tours.

So Wednesday morning we all headed out the door early. We actually were going to the doctor’s office first, as I’ve battled a sinus infection all week. Once we finished there, we headed to the airport.

There were a fair number of people there, including kids, which surprised me a bit being a school day, but maybe they’re homeschooled like us. J We paid the admission fee, and then headed out to see the planes.

At the airport that day, they had a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator. Both of these planes were bombers during WWII. I was pretty disappointed to find out that the P-51 Mustang had left already. We know a veteran who flew those as well as P-38’s during WWII. He was actually bombed down over Italy while flying a P-38 and was a POW for several years. His survival was miraculous, as he had shrapnel embedded in his head following the crash, and no medical help as a POW. When he returned to the States, he was told that he’d never marry due to his injuries. He became the father of 5 children, and the grandfather to many more. J

We started off by going through the B-17. Josiah was especially intrigued by the plane, because one of his favorite movie trilogies is “The Last Chance Detectives.” It’s about a group of Christian kids who have their own detective agency, and their headquarters is located in an old B-17.

Photo Credit: Betsy.

We believe that the 3 swastikas painted on the side indicate how many German planes this B-17 bombed down. It had 140 yellow bombs painted on the side. Usually these indicate how many missions the plane flew, but it may also indicate how many bombs it dropped. Either way, this plane did a lot in its day!

I was amazed at how cramped it was inside. I am only 5’6” and I was ducking and hitting my head quite a bit. I can’t quite imagine what it was like for full-sized men to work in there on bombing raids.

Underneath the B-17 is a small round gunner’s compartment. Unfortunately, if the planes had to make an emergency landing (on the belly of the plane), the man inside usually was crushed. The men who flew these planes were extremely brave, as this plane was known as a bit of death-trap because it was fairly slow.

Then we went and toured the B-24 Liberator, named the Witchcraft. This plane was a behemoth with a huge bomb bay. An interesting thing about this plane was that the gunner situated in the back of the plane had no access to the pilot and co-pilot due to the bomb bay in between them. So if you were in the back, you were stuck.

Photo Credit: Betsy.

There were several military jeeps on display. The gentleman who restored this jeep told us a lot about it. It was used in Italy during the war, and he found it at a junk yard. It took him a year to restore it. He has done a beautiful job, and it was fascinating to hear about how sturdy they were built. (Side note: Seeing these types of Jeeps always makes me think of the movie “White Christmas” because of the opening scene.)

Photo Credit: Betsy.

Unfortunately Daddy couldn’t make it for the tour because he had meetings up until 11:30 that morning. The planes were due to fly out at noon. He decided to come over and join us to watch them take off, as it’s not often that you can see planes of this era fly. What we didn’t account for was the near hour of pre-flight time! Thankfully the weather was nice, so we didn’t mind sitting around for awhile. It was interesting to watch them walk the propellers and load up the people who had paid for a ride.

Once they got all four props going, it got LOUD. I cannot imagine 20 or 30 of these planes all starting up at once during the days of the war. It would have been a sight—and a sound—to behold!

The B-17 letting off exhaust as it started its engines.

We watched them finally take off around 1:00 p.m. Since it was getting late, we went out for a quick lunch with Dad. He took us down the road to a little coffee shop that also has burgers and subs.

 

The burgers were great! They serve them on Texas toast. I of course had to have mine with all the fixings. J

We were all glad that we had the opportunity to go to the airport and learn a little more WWII history. I love airplanes and flying! Excursions like this make me think more and more about getting a private pilot’s license . . .

 

Preview

This past Wednesday, we had the opportunity to go on a little field trip. It seems with our family that where there are airplanes, we will find them! J I guess a lot of us are a little flight-crazy. J

I will post more about our adventure tomorrow, but does anyone want to take a guess at what type of plane we’re standing in front of? Or at least where it was used and what era it came from? Leave us a comment!

Blogger Challenge Day 9: A Picture of Your Friends

I could never post just one picture of my friends, because there has never been a time when I’ve had all of my friends together in one place. I don’t believe that will happen until we’re joined together in heaven one day, as my friends are all over the world!

 

Some of my very best friends were the ones I went to Haiti with this summer. We started off as mere acquaintances at the beginning of the trip, and came back best friends and feeling like family to each other.

These dear friends are like cousins to me! But we’re scattered from Japan, to Michigan, and to Texas. We’re hoping to reunite this summer.

I so miss my fellow worship dancers!

We also miss Pastor S very much.

R (far left) and Mr. Chris (in between me and Ben) went with us to Haiti this summer and became dear friends to us. Ben and I look forward to seeing Mr. Chris in Haiti this summer!

I miss C often, especially the way she could make me laugh until my sides ached. J

The R family was such a huge encouragement and blessing to our family. We’re hoping they’ll come and visit us sometime soon (hint, hint! J)

Ben and I both miss our Sunday school teacher, Mr. M. We enjoyed skyping with him and the rest of the class last week though.

Hardly a day has gone by since we moved that we haven’t talked to, emailed, or texted my dear Uncle Paul and his family. They rank right up there with our flesh-and-blood family; Mom even calls Aunt Noelle her sister. J We are so blessed by their friendship!

And of course, we are slowly making new friends down here in Texas.

Our youth group is a fun-loving bunch and we are getting to know people better.

And this is only a small portion of the many friends I have been blessed with! I wish I had room and time to post about all of them. I am so blessed!

 

Skyping with the Michigan Youth Group

This past Wednesday, our youth group here in Texas didn’t meet due to Spring Break. Our youth group in Michigan still met since their Spring Break is later (I guess that’s because spring arrives a little sooner down here. J) We had been trying to do a Skype video call with them ever since we moved down here, but it didn’t work out for different reasons.

 

We finally found that this past Wednesday would work for all of us! So our family packed up the iPad and trekked over to McDonald’s (living out in the boonies means that our internet is too slow to Skype well.) Unfortunately since our town is so small, the McDonald’s is also quite small. There was really no quiet corner for us. So we ended up doing most of the call outside despite traffic noises and children playing on the outdoor playground.

 

It was so good to “see” all our youth group friends from up north again! We visited with them for an hour and a half! We got to tell them all about Texas, and they filled us in on all of the goings-on up north. We miss them all a lot and look forward to seeing them this summer when we go up to visit!

 

Blogger Challenge Day 8: A Place You've Traveled To

Those of you who know me well, know that I couldn’t possibly talk about just ONE place I’ve traveled to. J That might mean I’d have to pick a favorite, which is another thing I can’t do very well! I have done a fair amount of traveling for someone my age, and I always enjoy adding a new place to my list of “Places Traveled.”

I have been in 15 States in the U.S. One day I would love to say that I’ve been in all 50. I’ve also been in several other countries on various trips. . .

My first experience in another country was when we went to Puerto Rico back when I was 9 years old, to visit my Great Grandmother. We also did some sight-seeing, including this fort in Old San Juan. Sorry for our grimaces; we had never walked so much before, and the temperatures were in the 90’s. As you can see, there also wasn’t much shade.

The next year, Dad, Mom, and I traveled to the eastern mountains of Mexico on a missions trip with our church. That experience was very eye-opening to me. I hadn’t fully realized the type of poverty so many people in our world live in.

For Roma and Rubia’s birthday 3 years ago, we went to Niagara Falls in Canada. We almost laughed at the fact that most of us had never been in Canada even though we lived in Michigan, less than two hours away from the border.

This past year we went on a Caribbean cruise with my Mom’s side of the family to celebrate my Grandparents’ 50^th wedding anniversary. Our first stop was in the Bahamas. One thing that disappointed me a little bit was knowing that the part of the island that we saw was the “tourist” part, not the “real” part. On all the islands there was a bit of a façade for the tourists, but you know not everyone lives that way.

I loved St. Thomas, another stop on our cruise. We didn’t get to see much of it, as we drove to the other side of the island so that we could take a catamaran out to the island of St. John.

Visiting St. John had to be my favorite stop of our cruise! Floating above crystal clear waters, sails billowing overhead, with the hot sun warming your skin feels amazing! Especially after spending several hours snorkeling among all the tropical fish and sinking your feet into the talcum-powder-textured white sand at Honeymoon Bay and Beach.

St. Maarten was nice, but we had been a little spoiled the day before. The beach on St. Maarten was a bit more crowded and louder, but it was still a beautiful island.

The most recent trip I had outside the country was to Haiti on my second missions trip. As most of you probably already know, it was a life-changing experience. Literally. I am drawn to the country like a magnet. Ben and I plan to return for 4-5 weeks this summer, helping lead short-term teams down there and spending more time learning the culture.

*What is a place that you have traveled to that sticks out in your mind? Share in the comments!*

Carrot, Egg or Coffee . . . ?

A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how hard things were for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. Next she pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled out the coffee and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” replied the young woman. The grandmother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. Grandmother then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally grandmother asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. Then she asked, “What’s the point, grandmother?”

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water—but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans, however, were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. “Which are you?” she asked her granddaughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft, and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough, with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?

—Author Unknown…thanks to Lauren-Mae, for posting this first!

~ posted by Betsy ~

My Grandpa

~Posted by Josiah (Tribute written to share at the funeral)

It was hard to lose my Grandpa. But I know he is in heaven, and I will see him again. I was thinking, and I remembered once when we came here my Dad walked in the house and ran in my Grandpa’s room and jumped in bed with him! And my Grandpa just said hello. J I miss him a lot and can’t wait to see him again, and I’m glad I will see him again.

"Monumental" Movie Review

“Monumental” is a powerful documentary created by Kirk Cameron. In it, he takes a hard and honest look at America’s past and our forefathers. The documentary starts off looking at the current state of our society. The picture is pretty bleak. Families are falling apart, divorce is becoming more common, and things like teen pregnancy, suicide, and drug use are on the rise. We are $15 trillion dollars in debt. He compares America to the Roman Empire. America has reached the top, and is standing on the brink of her fall.

Cameron says that we have forgotten what made our nation great in the first place. The Pilgrims knew what a bad culture was like, but they didn’t duck and run. Cameron then travels back to England to take a good look at who the pilgrims really were and why they really left England.

What he discovers is not the history lesson you received in school. They weren’t a merry little band of families that wanted a new adventure and new land. At the time, you could be burned in England for possessing an English Bible. The persecution was coming from the government which controlled the church, which then controlled the people. Leaving the church was tantamount to treason.

The pilgrims decided that if the church in England couldn’t be made holy, then they should separate themselves (why they were called Separatists.) They tried to escape to Holland, but the ship captain was double-dealing and they all ended up in jail. But they didn’t allow that to stop them. Time and again they tried to escape the tyrannical rule of the King of England. They ended up in jail many times and their families were broken up and separated.

Over and over, doors kept slamming on their attempts to leave. They weren’t simply trying to escape the persecution; they wanted to have religious freedom so they could freely read and study the word of God (in their own language) and then RETURN to England and set the people there free!

They finally make it to America, by the grace of God alone. These people were incredible! As one person in the documentary put it, the parents were willing to lay face down in the mud so their children could walk over them to a better future. They sacrificed everything so that their children would benefit later. They truly possessed generational vision!

The movie documents the incredible faith of not only our forefathers, but also our founding fathers. You will be amazed at the revision of our history in schools today, and the attempts to downplay the faith of our ancestors. These were men of incredible courage and deep faith in God.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the film:

“If we are to lose our lives in this endeavor, at least we know that our cause is just and our cause is honorable.” –William Bradford

“Their perspective was ‘Do the right thing over the long haul and in the long run, God will bless it.’” –Marshall Foster

“There’s nothing like bones to remind you of your heritage.” –Marshall Foster

The movie culminates at an incredible monument that clearly shows the beliefs of the Pilgrims, and their formula for forming America.

One of the ending quotes of “Monumental” says that people think the American culture cannot be reversed. But the Renaissance and Reformation did just that centuries ago. They moved forward by going back. The American culture is not lost. But the change begins in our own homes. Are we living like the Pilgrims, with a generational vision for our children and for the United States of America?

This is a documentary that I would highly recommend for ages 13 and up. It gives an excellent overview of American history from a Christian perspective, and how we can return to the principles our country was founded upon.