We spent our last week with some dear friends on Ft. Myers Beach. Carole (right), her sister, Sue (left) and their mom, "Gram" made us feel like part of the family! Carole is my mom's best friend and many of my childhood memories are of us hanging out together. We are really psyched because Carole is going to visit us in Bocachica in July for the first time.
Carole and her new granddaughter, Hannah... she is soooo sweet!
Carole and her family.
We were able to share at my childhood home church, First Baptist Church of Alva...here we are with the pastors, Bro. George and Sis. Anita. 
The Hansen's and the Birkhead's... we go waaaaaaayyyyy back... since before I was born!
The Lanier Family are like family to me...
One day I mentioned that I had a craving for some swamp cabbage and the next thing I know Bro. Jim is taking us through the woods, chopping down a palm tree to make some for me!! It was a lot of work but it sure was good!!
This is Billy and April Richard... April is my best friend from my childhood...we've known each other since Kindegarten.
Billy is with the K-9 unit of the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. He always prvides us with lots of interesting adventures and stories.
One night he took Jorge to work with him and he got to witness a chase after a burglery had been reported! This is Jorge and Axel, Billy's dog who is trained to locate people and drugs!
Axel showing off his titanium teeth! He is a really sweet dog and it is so cool to see how well trained he is!
Jorge with Billy and April's kids, BJ and Ciara, who we have known since they were in the womb!
Jorge with the Forever Young Sunday School class at Crossroads Baptist in Ft. Myers... they have been supporting us monthly for many years!
Jorge preaching at Crossroads.
Long time friends, Mrs. Cook and the Berry's.
Jorge with Pastor Roger at Crossroads.
We stayed at my Dad's house for a week in Hawthorne, FL...near Gainsville, and had a great time catching up with him. 
Dad took us to Poe Springs one afternoon...it was beautiful but the water was sooooo cold! 
We got a tour of the University of Florida campus in Gainsville.
We visited my Granny in Bradenton, Florida ... here we all are with Dad's other daughter, Lucy... she's the spoiled one.
Dad's neighbor, Andy, took Jorge and Martin out on his air boat!
Northern Florida has a beauty all it's own.
Jorge got to learn to drive the air boat.
On our way south to Ft. Myers we stopped by Inverness, FL to have lunch with our friends, Dick and Clara Barkley. Dick and Clara and I did our Discipleship Training School together back in 1990 on board the Anastasis (we went to Germany, Greece and Turkey together on outreach too!) and then we served together on board the Caribbean Mercy.
Our first stop was in the mountains of northern Georgia to visit our friend Janice Garrard...we used to work with Janice during our Mercy Ships days, on board the Good Samaritan and the Caribbean Mercy. Janice also spent a couple of months with us in Bocachica back in our early years. We had a great time catching up!
We went to walk around downtown Charleston and saw a sign announcing the arrival of some Tall Ships in the harbor and lo and behold, when we got there it was the Colombian Naval Ship, "La Gloria"!! We went on board for a free tour and talked with some of the crew! You might not believe this but it even smelled like Colombia on board the ship and it made us homesick for Bocachica!
In Jacksonville, Florida we visited our friends and supporters, John and Anika Magwood! We used to work together on board the Caribbean Mercy and we hadn't seen each other in 11 years. It was such a blessing and an encouragement to hear their stories of God's faithfulness to them in the last years! 
The Helms family...Nancy and Less... Daniel, Charlotte and Patrick! We had a lively evening of good food and even better fellowship! The next day we were able to share about the ministry with their church family.
As always, it was a treat to meet with Sheldon and Deborah Southerland!! Mr. Southerland and I met about 20 years ago ... in high school he was the director of one of the schools I attended. He also helped to perform mine and Jorge's wedding ceremony! They are now the pastors of Friendship Community Church of God in Greensboro.
It's our pleasure to introduce you to the Southern Family...left to right: Jordan, Thom, Kyle, Tina and Alyssa. They are just the sweetest family and God has used them greatly over the years to bless us!! I went to high school with Tina and Thom and I are from the same church so we go back a good 23 years or so. We had the privilege of spending a lot of time with them while we were in Burlington. They invited all 5 of us to spend 3 nights at their house...they gave us all their beds and basically spoiled us! We can't say enough wonderful things about them!
Thom has led 2 teams to Bocachica so far and is organizing another one for early next year... we can't wait!
Breakfast with the Southern's.
Through the Southern's we have been connected with Antioch Community Church (www.antiochchurch.cc ) in Elon. On Wednesday evenings they usually have home group meetings but this particular night several of the home groups decided to all get together at the church for a covered-dish supper and then to have us share about the ministry. This was the night that God totally surprised us with an offering of $11,400 for the clinic construction!!
HIKING AT HANGING ROCK
The Southern's invited us and some other friends to go hiking at Hanging Rock, which is near the Virginia state line. We had a great time and a good work-out that day!
You can see why it's called Hanging Rock.
Conny...on top of the world!
Me and the girls...
Valerie (standing beside me), who served for 2 years in Bocachica, flew down from Ottowa, Canada to spend a few days with us... it was just like old times being all together again!
Bbbrrrrrrr!!!
ADIOS CONNY & ERIKA
We were sad to say goodbye to Conny and Erika... they left from Greensboro on May 14 to return to Bocachica... we have missed them a lot! We had SUCH a special time together, it truly was a gift from God for us all!!
