Much Needed Rain

We had RAIN this morning, almost a quarter of an inch.  Who would have thought after this spring that the rain would stop for weeks.  We had a good day at church, it was great to be back after missing last week.  We had hamburgers for supper and were joined by Phil and Anna's family, Nolan, mom and Nancy. After dinner a good group of volley ball players arrived but Ruth, Sarah Reinhard, and I played games at mom's until late.  Another storm arrived which dropped another 2 tenths of an inch so all together today we got almost a half an inch of much needed rain.
The campers out West visited the Grand Canyon and sent back these updates and photos.
8-10-19 Day 12 Saturday Today was our big Grand Canyon your day. We enjoyed pancakes and sausage at the campsite and threw the football around a little with two teen boy Bavarian neighbors. We parked at the Market Plaza and took the blue line bus to the transfer point and then the red line to Maricopa Point. From there we took in the spectacular views along the Rim Trail walking to Powell Point, Hopi Point and Mohave Point. We then took the bus to Pima Point and walked to Hermits Rest which was the end of the line. We saw different birds but no condors as we had hoped. We then went back to Bright Angel trailhead and walked along the rim in the Village area and then took the bus to the van and back to the campsite for a lunch of soft tacos. About everyone took a nap after lunch and around 3:00 we took off in the van along the Desert View trail. We went to the Desert View Watchtower and looked around at stunning views, we took photos and sang. A young African American couple took photos of us and we learned that they are Christians from California. That point and Lipan Point both had good views of the Colorado River. The kids sang You Lift Me Up at Lipan Point and we sang How Great Thou Art in the van afterwards. That sight gave new meaning to “when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur.” We got to Mather Point about 10 minutes before sunset and again took in some beautiful sights but it was not in God’s pleasure for us to see condors today. His sovereign will is not for our personal entertainment and we praise Him for the beauty of His creation and the fellowship of His saints. Supper was spaghetti and corn with pudgy pies and s’mores around the fire. With last night’s rain the air was fresh and we enjoyed perfect weather today. After the desert we all have a new appreciation for cooler temps and vegetation! - Sean

8-11-19 Day 13 Sunday We packed up and left early today, leaving the campground around 8. With eggs and bacon tucked away and a long drive ahead of us we settled in to listen to church as the spotty signal would allow. We made one stop at a souvenir town for gas where the inside of the gas stations were lined with huge geodes and other gems and stone souvenirs. After a long drive we stopped at the Saguaro National Park to look at the cacti, and then went on to Tuscan. Sean and Heather and the boys stayed with Jerry and Shirley Miel and the girls stayed in a rental duplex that some friends of the Miels owned. We had a very nice dinner visiting with Linda Winterland, Lyn Bigelow, and Jerry and Shirley who all had history in Haiti at some point or another. It was nice to have showers and laundry once again! - Hannah