Ps&Ps Furlough Blog (alias "the Reilly PLog")

Just for a change of pace--and for this period of Home Ministry (summer '07) --the Ps&Ps is going into the Blog stage of life.

Jump to previous posts   NOTE:  We are catching up, but we are still slightly behind in postings.  In other words, more life has happened since the informe below; it's just not yet documented.

August 1 ....well, we're back in Costa Rica.  The summer has concluded, and so will this blog.  Our next publishing will be back to the traditional Ps&Ps, we believe.

But to conclude our travels, the last week was stuffed with visits and visiting.  We visited at the home of Glen and Linda Fawcett; they graciously loaned us their pickup truck for our summer adventure.  We also got together with the Jacobs, the Bonenbergers, the Biddingers, the Kendalls, the Aguilars (from Costa Rica), the Shaws, Barb Loach, and so many people we missed this time that we plan to pencil in right away next time (Lord willing). 

A highlight of the time came for Tia when Mrs. Helen Amstutz invited Tia out for  a tearoom lunch--along with Lois Jacobs and Eleanor Taylor.  Sweet.  Besides our photos on the right, be sure to check out Minifurlough07.

July 27 ... Quite the week, but aren't they all.    For pictures, click here.

We had excellent visits here and everywhere.   Tia's Dad and his wife came up for a few days ....we traveled to northern Ohio to visit one of Tia's college roommates, LeeAnn, and her husband Jim.  We had great visits with the Myer family and the Myers family (really!), and a good Bob Evans lunch with Pastor Mounts (Southgate Baptist, Springfield, OH).  Some of our visits have even been by telephone--but they have all been fantastic.

July 22 ....still in Ohio, and with many friends.

We have had so many visits and get-togethers in the last ten days. 

Relatives coming and us going...including a week-long visit with Grandma Esther! (click here for a visit to the Air Force Museum with us).

The last two churches visited for sharing the ministry:  Southgate in Springfield, OH, and Grace in Cedarville, OH.

When we arrived Sunday morning at Southgate, after the thirty minute country drive, Tara sat up surprised.  "That's all?" she asked.  "That's all it took to get here?!"   Happy moments! :) 

And at Grace, it seems that this summer has a missionary fly-by pattern.  Not only did we come in for a quick landing, but at least five other missionary families have either passed through or arrived for furlough during our stay here.

During our visits with friends and family, one highlight occurred during our visit at the Fosters.  Having encouraged the girls to go play outside on their beautiful acreage, Colleen decline citing the fact that there was a groundhog out there.  Dale jumped up, looked out the window, exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell me?"  He ran out of the room and soon we heard the loading of a shotgun.  His wife, Glenda, continued her lively chit-chat with a brief notice to cover our ears.  A moment later, we heard the expected ka-boom, and three minutes after that, another one.  Shortly after, a beaming Dale re-entered:  "That was 14!"

We also enjoyed fellowship with the Hartmans, the Jacobs, the Millers, the Kendalls, the Bonenbergers, and a great Sunday School class at Southgate -- Prayer Force -- who invited us for an excellent cookout after church.

We can't even mention all the small intimate conversations we've had with old and new friend, the many special gifts that have been received from friends and family.   Thank you all so much!

Pictures were sent to us from our Hainesport church family and our visit with them on the 25th of June.  To see that good collection of memories, please check out Hainesport '07.  

 

Hold cursor over photo for caption.  Click on thumbnail for an enlargement.  Minifurlough '07 has more photos.

I Thessalonians 5

 

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely;

and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Brethren, pray for us.
 

July 14 ....Back in Ohio again. 

As our friend Chuck Hartman put it so aptly, we're "drive-through missionaries."  Either that or it's a "Fly-by Furlough."

At any rate we're enjoying a lot of great visiting

...some formal, some just

   passing by...

...passing by the front porch or

   passing through the town      

   library (hi, Buffie, Beth,

   Michelle and Paula!).

After our NJ weekend (see below), we returned to visit with the DeWitts, the Hartmans, the Baits, the Kendalls, the Hendersons, and others. 

A highlight: Tia's Mom is spending a week with us right now.  Time to pull out the dominos!

Sean and Katy have been busy working at their part-time jobs at the hardware store and at Chuck's cafeteria respectively.

July 7...and now we find ourselves back in New Jersey--just can't ever get enough of our home state :)  After a great week of getting together with Tia's family in Ohio--they came to visit us, this time--we traveled here back to New Jersey to visit to other great supporting-family churches--more about those visits next time.

Last week, Tia's sister Shelly Kuzmic, her husband Greg, with their four kids Sarah, James, Hannah, and David, came to spend a week with us.  We scrunched a lot into that visit.

It began with a presentation at Cornerstone Baptist Church, Springfield, OH, which was special to us because our cousins, the Kuzmics, were there.  That's a rare treat.

Our family at Cornerstone is very missions-minded, and we thoroughly enjoyed their fellowship during services and afterwards.

The weekend following brought us back to New Jersey.  For the morning service we worshipped with Calvary Baptist in Little Egg Harbor.  A group of 30 had come from this church last year to minister in Costa Rica, so this was a rich reunion; for lunch, many of us got together at the youth pastor's home (Mike and Michelle Dellaperute).

For the evening service we shared at our church Faith Baptist in Trenton, New Jersey.  We love how interested they are in ministry!Their missions committee spent an hour with us discussing the work and needs thereof.  ALL very encouraging.

 

June 27...totally different weather here in Ohio.  New Jersey seemed more often cool than hot; here in Ohio, muggy and warm.  Yes, we're back "out west."  Our journeys in New Jersey were sweet and FULL of friends.  We enjoyed presenting at Franklin Lakes Baptist Church, and at Hainesport Community Baptist Church where we had a church lunch and an intense Q&A (we learned more about our kids that afternoon--wow! Thanks for asking those questions, Hainesport).  Then we drove out to the Quakertown/Bucks County-PA area, and visited with our "family" at First Baptist Church, Perkasie. 

 

Between all the church visits, we also had great reunions with Kevin's family at his mom's 75th birthday party, and with friends such as the Mahaffeys (see Minifurlough) and the Santanas and the Gaumers.  We also took Grandma Reilly into the city to visit the American Museum of Natural History (http://hisnet.net/reilly/nyc_amnh.htm).

 

AND CONGRATULATIONS TO US!  We celebrate 21 years of marriage on June 28!

 

June 20...last day of spring, a rainy day in Hackensack, NJ.  Since we last left you, we have filled four days with friends, family, and some good-old-fashioned down time.

 

Saturday, June 16, was a day of relax.  The kids enjoyed a great time with the kids living next door--the youth pastor's five kids, and Kevin went to spend the day with his mom Vera in Morris Plains, NJ.

 

Sunday, June 17, we spent at First Baptist Church, our sending church in Hackensack, NJ.  Kevin preached in the first and second service, and in between, we enjoyed fellowship and ministry with the Spanish Sunday school class.  In the evening, we shared our ministry in Costa Rica via song, testimony, and power point presentation. 

 

Katy, Colleen, and Tia shared praise songs in Spanish, via voice, piano and guitar.  Tara shared information about Costa Rica after Sean shared his own experience growing up as a missionary kid.  (In the morning, he had had to do an impromptu translation into Spanish for the Sunday school class.)  Kevin finished up with details on our ministry, prayer requests for the ministry and a charge from 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.

 

In between service, we spent an excellent time with good friends Eddie and Viti Santana.   That's always a great Spanglish experience:  Eddie is from Cuba and Viti from the Dominican Republic.  There's more than just two languages going on in this mix!

 

Monday, June 18 was also spent with friends:  with the Wards from next door, and the Santanas, we were invited by Mike and Tammy Goras for a cookout at their home.  Delicious food, and excellent company!  Thank you, guys, soooo much!

 

Tuesday, June 19 we traveled down to Greenbrook, NJ, to visit Tia's aunt Elaine.  Aunt Elaine provided another great cookout, some Moosetracks ice cream (Tia cannot believe that Aunt Elaine remembered that she loves that flavor!), and time with six-month old Alyssa, who Aunt Elaine baby sits for full time.

 

Today, we look forward to visiting with our family at Franklin Lakes Baptist Church, about a half hour up the road.  Please pray for our family as we minister today, and as we attend a family gathering on Friday (for Kevin's mom's 75th birthday), and as we minister and travel on Sunday (two churches, and back to Ohio).

June 15.  Last week (June 5), the six of us flew from San Jose to Fort Lauderdale to Detroit.  From Detroit, we drove down to Cedarville, Ohio, where we have a house . . . sounds simple enough.  Unfortunately, the originally-two-hour-yet-suddenly-a-one-hour layover was not sufficient for us to make the connecting flight, and along with four other families, we ended up living inside the Fort Lauderdale airport for nine hours.

We did have a good time as a family, in spite of the hassle, and the rest of the trip went very smoothly.  We arrived at the Jacobs’ house in Cedarville at midnight, and the next day were able to move into our own house, where our friends had delivered our furniture (moved from being stored in our garage) and dropped off some basic staples.  THANK YOU!

June 6 also brought us the gift of a borrowed 4-door pickup.  Thank the Lord for the generosity of friends!    And just dropping by the local coffee/wireless shop brought the sight and hugs of another friend who offered Tia and Katy the choice of whatever they wanted while they downloaded their email.

That evening was fellowship time at Grace, our church in Cedarville, and how fantastic it was to see so many friends there!  And how those kids have shot up in two years.  Wow.

The rest of the week included many shopping excursions, meals with friends, Kevin visiting the Veteran’s Administration in Dayton (paperwork and medical adventures), Sean meeting with ROTC officials and Financial Aid counselors at Cedarville University, and touching base with family and friends via telephone.

PRAISE THE LORD:  Kevin was able to get in for a doctor's examination he's been waiting to have for about a year (updating medical situation with the Veteran's Administration).

June 10:  fellowship at the Shaw's with many new and old friends, played a mean game of Taboo, and got a glance at their 49 goats, 2 donkeys, 3 llamas, 7 dogs, and 4 cats.  Missed a great photo shot of a Boston terrier sitting in the driver's seat of one of the visitor's cars with a sipper cup in his mouth. 

June 12, Met with Pastor Craig, who came to pastor at Grace just when we left for Costa Rica.

On June 14, we traveled out to Hackensack, NJ.  On the way we stopped and visited with Mom Reilly.  And again, upon arrival in Hackensack, we were welcomed with the generosity of friends here through food and board.  We met our next door neighbor, in the mission house, the new youth Pastor and his wife--George and Laurie Ward--and their five children.  Our kids are enjoying that! 

On June 15, Kevin spoke at the Hackensack graduation.  That went very well, and again, we are just enjoying so much seeing old friends.  One highlight of the graduation was also a flashback to life in Paraguay:  our friend and coworker Dani Baez currently lives in New Jersey with his wife-of-one-year, Christina Mish, and they both were at the graduation.  Afterwards we went out for a healthy fare at a New Jersey diner. 

By the way, we decorate home ministry with as many stops to New Jersey pizza parlors, Dunkin Donuts shops, and Greek/Italian diners as possible!

We appreciate your prayers for our family.  Thank you again and always.

Kevin gives the charge to the class of 2007, Hackensack Christian Schools

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I didn't really know how badly I needed to see you until I got here! -- Tia

 

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