The journey begins

And... I'm on my way. It's already been nearly three weeks since I left home and returned to Walla Walla. Home is here, too, but I left a part of my heart behind me. I'm loving the new experiences and spending so much time with my family, but I will never ever forget the family I have in Inchy. Leaving home is easier said than done!

Forever family (Photo: Schane Johnson)

Love these people! (Photo: Schane Johnson)

My first week at home, I got to live with a bunch of guys. My mom wasn't home yet from a trip to Colorado, so I got to relieve the bachelors of KP duty and cleaning the house. They constructed a room for me in the family room out of bookcases and my dresser and bed, and after I got around to putting all of my unneeded earthly possessions in another corner, it turned out to be quite cozy. I have the best view in the house, too!

My mom finally returned, and so we all enjoy having our family back together again. She and I have been spending some time outside in the garden, planting and weeding and setting up hoses and sprinklers. The garden out back is actually made up of eight large plots, and four we share with other families. It's neat to get to know more people just through having them in our back yard on occasion!

I've already been quite involved with the youth group here. There are so many youth here (it's a multi-college town, after all!) and it is special to spend more time getting to know each of them rather than just the general hi-and-bye that happened when I used to come for a weekend visit. Since my family lives in town, people drop by quite often and so life is never boring!

Last weekend was the Pathfinder Fair - which was basically in my backyard. Very cool! I was gone all day Sabbath but on Sunday I headed over to the academy and got to see several of the old-timer directors and district coordinators. The kids are all different, but it's so special to me to see those dedicated leaders still all about kids. It's their life, and they aren't stopping anytime soon. They have such a huge influence and impact in those kids' lives. It made me remember just how much I love Pathfinders! My main goal of visiting was to watch the drill teams do their performance, so I joined the crowd. Drilling and marching is one of my very favorite parts of Pathfinders and I used to call commands for a few teams way back when. And... certain people in this conference know that, hehe. So, when they turned up short on judges, they spotted me and asked me to judge. Yay! I got to have an eagle eye on those kids' performance, and I really enjoyed it. Many teams did quite well!

As for mission plans, those are coming together well. Last week I got my ticket to Cambodia! It definitely seems more final now. I will be leaving on Sunday, August 25. This week, I was also officially accepted into AFM's missionary training program, and so I'm looking forward to that! That will begin July 15 and go until August 10. Things are happening and I am excited to see what God has in store!

Day-to-day life is different for sure. I've gone running in the mornings with Joey several times and have walked 4-5 miles a couple times now in the evenings. The road by our house is so beautiful out towards the wheat fields! I've also worked in the garden, helped my grandpa prepare his family history book for publishing, practiced my violin, and done some long-distance proofreading for YD. Life is simple and yet there's still plenty that goes on!

Here are a few pictures of recent happenings:

Balloon stampede - the balloons took off behind our house!

Kenny headed out to the Pathfinder Fair on Sabbath morning

Little onions, part of a bigger onion plant!

Sunshine on an evening walk

Kenny's babies (my charges while he's gone camping)!