Apart from our quarterly snail mail newsletter, I also sent a monthly email out (in this case it was for the last two months since I missed August due to our extended travels). In case you don't receive our email updates and might like to read it, here it is (once again I don't know if this will show up properly in the automatic Facebook note):
August and September 2009 Update
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
October Snail Mail Update
For those who don't receive our snail mail update and yet might want to read it (this will automatically post on Facebook but it may not show up in FB due to the format involved) :
McManus October 2009 PL
McManus October 2009 PL
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Next Beginning (Home At Last!)
Wouldn't want the last blog post entitled "The End" to be the last thing you think of when you think of us. So...we're beginning here in San Juan del Rio once again.
I have to admit...we're not really beginning much of anything today. We're mostly unpacking the mounds of clothes (we buy enough for the four of us for the next year or so...probably less for the boys since they seem to grow out of everything we buy them within hours of the purchase). Even with leaving 6 boxes of books in Dallas, we managed to bring about 100 books with us! Wow...the office is now a wreck once again. I've got mail, cords, cables, shoes, auto oil and filters, yarn (not mine!) all over the floor in piles and the table tops are indescribable. I'm working on it, ok?
Anyway, thanks very much for praying for our border crossing and trip. We needed your prayers! The crossing went awry on our part b/c we were up rather late...all week long...including Wednesday night. We planned to get a few hours sleep and wake up in time to get to Kohl's at 9 a.m. to spend our free Kohl's cash. We earned $60 worth and we wanted to use it up and unfortunately, the first day we could use it was yesterday.
Well, Beth set the alarm on her iPod but forgot to turn the sound up! We didn't hear a thing and we woke up at 9 a.m.! So, we hustled up and still went to Kohl's but not till about 10:30.
We finally reached the border at 11:30 and were greeted with a green light. They still waved us in to be checked but Beth is a miracle packer and can make a very organized and efficient packing look very disorganized and like something you wouldn't really want to touch or look into very much. So, after about 30 seconds the military customs guy with the predictable flabbergasted look on his face that says ("Why don't you people pack right?!?"), we were done with that potential complication.
Next, we went inside the building to get our car sticker and check our papers back into the country and there were no lines at all. Just some soldiers getting some photocopies of documents and the copy guy worked me in around them. No hurry there...those guys have real weapons all over them...rifles, pistols, knives...I can wait just fine!
We made it out of there in record time and were happy that it was only about 12 noon when we were heading into Reynosa. Despite being super careful about sticking to the speed limit and in the process being run over by ever semi, bus, car and even old ladies with walkers, we found ourselves being flagged by two cops on foot to pull over. They made a big deal about how I was speeding...I was not and was risking our lives just by driving the unbelievably slow limits...I realized that these guys probably weren't even real police! What a scam! So, I held my ground and finally protested that here we are as missionaries trying to help the Mexican people and we give free classes and....oh what's that? We can go now? OK. Adios! No way was I giving those two any money. Had I realized they weren't real cops, I wouldn't have stopped...however...they had picked their spot very well and had I not stopped, I would have had to run one of them over and that's not a good idea.
Anyway, other than that and my ensuing paranoia of speed limits and police cars all the way home, we had no other problems. We got home at 11 p.m. and I was up till about 3:30 a.m. unpacking stuff and mostly sorting it out. It's unbelievable how much stuff we cram into the truck when heading home. Of course, we get home and thing of stuff we should have bought...you know some people are never content! Ha-ha! No really, we're quite content with all that we were able to bring and that God graciously provide the funds to purchase all these things. Many of them inexpensive, but still, it was a great couple of months for us (as these trips go) and we're thankful that we survived and are home safely.
Well...time to get back to work. Lots to do!
I have to admit...we're not really beginning much of anything today. We're mostly unpacking the mounds of clothes (we buy enough for the four of us for the next year or so...probably less for the boys since they seem to grow out of everything we buy them within hours of the purchase). Even with leaving 6 boxes of books in Dallas, we managed to bring about 100 books with us! Wow...the office is now a wreck once again. I've got mail, cords, cables, shoes, auto oil and filters, yarn (not mine!) all over the floor in piles and the table tops are indescribable. I'm working on it, ok?
Anyway, thanks very much for praying for our border crossing and trip. We needed your prayers! The crossing went awry on our part b/c we were up rather late...all week long...including Wednesday night. We planned to get a few hours sleep and wake up in time to get to Kohl's at 9 a.m. to spend our free Kohl's cash. We earned $60 worth and we wanted to use it up and unfortunately, the first day we could use it was yesterday.
Well, Beth set the alarm on her iPod but forgot to turn the sound up! We didn't hear a thing and we woke up at 9 a.m.! So, we hustled up and still went to Kohl's but not till about 10:30.
We finally reached the border at 11:30 and were greeted with a green light. They still waved us in to be checked but Beth is a miracle packer and can make a very organized and efficient packing look very disorganized and like something you wouldn't really want to touch or look into very much. So, after about 30 seconds the military customs guy with the predictable flabbergasted look on his face that says ("Why don't you people pack right?!?"), we were done with that potential complication.
Next, we went inside the building to get our car sticker and check our papers back into the country and there were no lines at all. Just some soldiers getting some photocopies of documents and the copy guy worked me in around them. No hurry there...those guys have real weapons all over them...rifles, pistols, knives...I can wait just fine!
We made it out of there in record time and were happy that it was only about 12 noon when we were heading into Reynosa. Despite being super careful about sticking to the speed limit and in the process being run over by ever semi, bus, car and even old ladies with walkers, we found ourselves being flagged by two cops on foot to pull over. They made a big deal about how I was speeding...I was not and was risking our lives just by driving the unbelievably slow limits...I realized that these guys probably weren't even real police! What a scam! So, I held my ground and finally protested that here we are as missionaries trying to help the Mexican people and we give free classes and....oh what's that? We can go now? OK. Adios! No way was I giving those two any money. Had I realized they weren't real cops, I wouldn't have stopped...however...they had picked their spot very well and had I not stopped, I would have had to run one of them over and that's not a good idea.
Anyway, other than that and my ensuing paranoia of speed limits and police cars all the way home, we had no other problems. We got home at 11 p.m. and I was up till about 3:30 a.m. unpacking stuff and mostly sorting it out. It's unbelievable how much stuff we cram into the truck when heading home. Of course, we get home and thing of stuff we should have bought...you know some people are never content! Ha-ha! No really, we're quite content with all that we were able to bring and that God graciously provide the funds to purchase all these things. Many of them inexpensive, but still, it was a great couple of months for us (as these trips go) and we're thankful that we survived and are home safely.
Well...time to get back to work. Lots to do!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The End
Tomorrow (Thursday) should bring the end to our trip which began when we left San Juan del Rio on July 3. We're so happy to be heading home! However, there is the small matter of crossing the border, dealing with customs (as needed), getting the vehicle sticker, checking our missionary visas back in, 600+ miles of driving, an unknown number of military and police checkpoints, and only God knows what else we might face on our journey. So...we appreciate your prayers for us, our safety, a trouble-free car, smooth crossing and checkpoint passing. It can be a stressful day so we appreciate knowing friends are praying with us throughout the day. THANKS!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
On the Road Again
We've finally reached the end of our time here in Dallas. The past week we've just enjoyed some time here at the CAM Center apartment getting a LOT of shopping done, car maintenance and a few visits in as well. We rested a good bit and feel pretty good. The trip has topped 9,000 miles and we'll be over 10,000 trip miles by the time we reach home.
The Highlander is holding up well. The oil is changed now for the third time this trip (not including the one the day before we left home!). The timing belt, water pump and serpentine belt has all been replaced as routine maintenance so we hope we're in good shape for many more miles to come.
On Monday we're only going a couple hours so we can visit with supporters and good friends at Fort Hood. On Tuesday we'll be heading to McAllen on the border and we'll probably stay two nights there so we'll have time to pick up our Mexican auto insurance policy (which ironically we always buy in the U.S.) and to pick up any last minute things we may need to purchase before going back. There's so many things we can't get down in Mexico, we try to be sure to pick up as many of the most important things as possible. There's some optional goodies in there as well, of course!
We sure would appreciate your prayers as we drive the 1,000+ miles home and for our expected border crossing on Thursday morning. We're anxious to get home and settled and back to work and ministry. I hope to post more regularly on our blog here once we get back into routine.
Thanks for praying for our safety in travel and a smooth crossing.
The Highlander is holding up well. The oil is changed now for the third time this trip (not including the one the day before we left home!). The timing belt, water pump and serpentine belt has all been replaced as routine maintenance so we hope we're in good shape for many more miles to come.
On Monday we're only going a couple hours so we can visit with supporters and good friends at Fort Hood. On Tuesday we'll be heading to McAllen on the border and we'll probably stay two nights there so we'll have time to pick up our Mexican auto insurance policy (which ironically we always buy in the U.S.) and to pick up any last minute things we may need to purchase before going back. There's so many things we can't get down in Mexico, we try to be sure to pick up as many of the most important things as possible. There's some optional goodies in there as well, of course!
We sure would appreciate your prayers as we drive the 1,000+ miles home and for our expected border crossing on Thursday morning. We're anxious to get home and settled and back to work and ministry. I hope to post more regularly on our blog here once we get back into routine.
Thanks for praying for our safety in travel and a smooth crossing.
Monday, September 14, 2009
We've Lassoed Ourselves Back To Dallas
We left our home in San Juan del Rio on July 3rd and subsequently left Dallas, TX on July 17th for an 8,000 mile loop that took us up to northern Minnesota, over to Philadelphia, down to central Florida, across the Gulf Coast and back to Dallas on September 11th. We'll be here in Dallas for about a week as we take care of errands, shopping, meetings, car maintenance, and any other sort of thing that pops its head up and experience tells me that something will.
Aside from the expected road weariness...we've fared very well...had a great time and enjoyed so many memorable (and positively memorable!) visits with lots and lots of family, friends and church families. Praise God for keeping us safe, providing for our every need and blessing us with such great friends and family!
We got a few pics of one my sisters and her husband and one of my Indiana nephews who happened to come down while we were visiting my folks. We weren't really too good about taking photos on this trip but at least we got a few pics with my folks in them. We only see them for a few hours every couple of years so these are important memories for us and the boys. Also, there's another photo here of curious interest but I'm pretty sure this one wasn't related to any of my relatives. (I may have taken this one somewhere in Washington, D.C....ha-ha...but then again maybe it was just a rest area in Florida) :-)
Aside from the expected road weariness...we've fared very well...had a great time and enjoyed so many memorable (and positively memorable!) visits with lots and lots of family, friends and church families. Praise God for keeping us safe, providing for our every need and blessing us with such great friends and family!
We got a few pics of one my sisters and her husband and one of my Indiana nephews who happened to come down while we were visiting my folks. We weren't really too good about taking photos on this trip but at least we got a few pics with my folks in them. We only see them for a few hours every couple of years so these are important memories for us and the boys. Also, there's another photo here of curious interest but I'm pretty sure this one wasn't related to any of my relatives. (I may have taken this one somewhere in Washington, D.C....ha-ha...but then again maybe it was just a rest area in Florida) :-)
Friday, September 04, 2009
Florida Fun
As we wind down our home assignment we planned to be in FL to meet with a few supporters here and see my parents and two sisters who all live in central FL. We took advantage of the location to take the kids to EPCOT on Tuesday and to Disney Quest on Thursday. Had the weather been better yesterday we would have gone to a water park but we couldn't count out storms throughout the day so we opted for the indoor arcade park. If I never see another video game in my life, I'm sure I'll be grateful.
My dad will reach 82 in a couple months and my mom is closing in on 80. They can't really handle a week long visit but since we don't see them very often, we decided to break up our visit with them into a few hours on Monday and then take this break with the Disney attractions. We'll visit with them again today, tomorrow and Monday for a few hours. This will allow them to not get exhausted by our visit but also allow us to see them a few times.
The boys liked Epcot. Dayton was chosen by the Japanese candy artist to make whatever animal he wanted out of some sort of candy substance made with rice flour (?) and corn syrup. He chose a golden dragon and she did a great job. It was a little hard to get it home unscathed as we carried it through over 4 hours of rain at the end of the day, but the plastic cover kept it in pretty good shape. My sister took a photo of it for us and if I ever get that photo, I'll have to post it!
We were then chosen as the "First Family" in the American Adventure exhibition and it didn't really mean anything but we did get a privileged seating in the rotunda and then in the auditorium.
Disney Quest is a 5 story arcade with a number of virtual reality games which the boys enjoyed. Beth and I went on a few of them but generally once was enough for us. My head still is a bit woozy from all the noise and visual stimulation. Had the weather been better we definitely would have done a water park or done something outdoors somewhere. The boys had a good time though, of course.
We plan to leave my parents' home by about midday on Monday and head for the panhandle of FL and Metairie, LA and then Dallas by the 10th. We'll glad to see the end in sight for this trip. We left Mexico on July 3rd so yesterday marked 2 months on the road. Just about 3 weeks left before our arrival home. We have about a week's worth of important details to take care of in Dallas otherwise we'd be home even sooner.
I hope to have some photos soon but we need to pack it up here this morning and head back to DeLand where my parents live.
My dad will reach 82 in a couple months and my mom is closing in on 80. They can't really handle a week long visit but since we don't see them very often, we decided to break up our visit with them into a few hours on Monday and then take this break with the Disney attractions. We'll visit with them again today, tomorrow and Monday for a few hours. This will allow them to not get exhausted by our visit but also allow us to see them a few times.
The boys liked Epcot. Dayton was chosen by the Japanese candy artist to make whatever animal he wanted out of some sort of candy substance made with rice flour (?) and corn syrup. He chose a golden dragon and she did a great job. It was a little hard to get it home unscathed as we carried it through over 4 hours of rain at the end of the day, but the plastic cover kept it in pretty good shape. My sister took a photo of it for us and if I ever get that photo, I'll have to post it!
We were then chosen as the "First Family" in the American Adventure exhibition and it didn't really mean anything but we did get a privileged seating in the rotunda and then in the auditorium.
Disney Quest is a 5 story arcade with a number of virtual reality games which the boys enjoyed. Beth and I went on a few of them but generally once was enough for us. My head still is a bit woozy from all the noise and visual stimulation. Had the weather been better we definitely would have done a water park or done something outdoors somewhere. The boys had a good time though, of course.
We plan to leave my parents' home by about midday on Monday and head for the panhandle of FL and Metairie, LA and then Dallas by the 10th. We'll glad to see the end in sight for this trip. We left Mexico on July 3rd so yesterday marked 2 months on the road. Just about 3 weeks left before our arrival home. We have about a week's worth of important details to take care of in Dallas otherwise we'd be home even sooner.
I hope to have some photos soon but we need to pack it up here this morning and head back to DeLand where my parents live.
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