Chicago Mission Trip:

Last week we took the youth group to Chicago inner city to help a local church make some improvements in their sanctuary and kitchen area.  This was a fun trip for the kids and a very humbling experience for all. We slept in the church so each project had to be completed daily and cleaned up so we could sleep.  During the afternoon we provided a mini version of our VBS for the local kids in the park.  In the evenings we showered at the local homeless shelter.  On Wednesday we worked in the homeless shelter helping with plants, serving meals, cleaning the dinning room area and making beds.  The people are PGM are wonderful to work with and very pleasant to all who enter.  We then spent a day of relaxation on Thursday with a taxi boat ride, navy pier, bike rides, and shopping michigan ave.  We ended up in millennium park and then went to the top of the Sears tower to walk out on the ledge.  The teens were awesome as always and a lot of fun to hang out with.

Fall Tulips

A fall tulip blooming in the yard.  I planted these bulbs 2 years ago and this is the first year they have come up in the fall.

Perl Harbor USS Arizona memorial

Perl Harbor USS Arizona memorial.  We have tried to educate our children on the history of our country and the sacrifices that were made before us to give them the freedom they take for granted today.  Our service men and women do not receive the appreciation from our government or the people they keep alive. Interesting enough look who is the first to be called when the country is threatened.

Old Church in Boston

Old Church in downtown Boston.  A beautiful place to visit with old and new buildings everywhere.  The history that resides within Boston is remarkable and the fact that it is still standing and not torn down by new building development is incredible in itself.

Longest Home Run to date.

The longest home run in fenway park landed on a guys head where the red chair is located.  The hit was 502 yards  by Ted Williams and no one has come close to that record for several decades.

Old Church in Boston

Boston is an amazing city to visit.   The historical buildings engulfed within the new buildings really stands out.  This old church built back in 1800's stands in front of the new buildings and holds it own very well.

Fenway Park

Fenway Park in Boston.  Daniel and I went to the park to see one of the original ballparks where history was made and is still being made today.  Not like New York where they tore down the original park and rebuilt to handle more people, but to keep tradition in place today and let people appreciate tradition.

A walk in the cave

I liked the colors provided in this water fall over 600 feet down in the cave.  There are still places that have not been explored in this cave which makes it even more intriguing.

Marvel Cave

Marvel Care in Branson Missouri Silver Dollar City.  The light comes through the hole at the top of the cathedral room.  You walk down over 500 steps to the bottom and look up at this little hole of light.  The room is so large they say the statue of liberty can fit in it.

German Statue

A statue in Germany.  It reminded me of Kansas City when walking along the main streets.  About every block was a statue with either water or displaying a war figure.

Brugge Hospital

This is the hospital in Brugge.  If you look at the two arches near the bottom there is a boat entrance for patients.

Statue in Brugge

We were going by quickly, but the statue caught my eye displaying two arms connected with a strong hold grip.  I never found out what the statute meant, but it is sitting right next to the water and has a fence around it to prevent the geese from getting near it.

Church in Brugge

Another beautiful church in Brugge.  I liked the reflection of the colors on this one.  We began the day with clouds and rain, but right as we got in the boat to take the tour the sun came out and the sky was clear.

1776 Church

This church caught my eye when you look close above the door you will see what year this building was built.  It is common to look at the buildings and find the year it was built right in the brick of the building. 1776 the year our country was began.  This world was already established and the buildings are still standing.

Boat in Brugge

As we started our tour or Brugge, there was a boat sitting next to the building which I thought had an interesting look.  Brugge is a place where the buildings are over 400 years old and you get around by boat or walking to most places.

Old Steam Engine

Old steam engine pulling us on a ride through the mountains in South Dakota.

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1880 Train Station

An old 1880 train station deep in the heart of the mountains.  This was a very scenic ride through the mountains being pulled by one of two only steam engines still running from that era.

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Crazy Horse in South Dakota

Crazy Horse in South Dakota was an interesting trip for the entire family.  This is one place we all agreed we would like to visit again in another 10 years to see the progress.

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Knoxville Sunset

Now this is what fishing is all about.  Watching the sunset with a beautiful reflection in the water and being the only one out there as the day ends.

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Knoxville train bridge

Knoxville Tennessee has a river that goes around down town area and some very interesting bridges.  This bridge was right by the college campus and used for trains to cross the river, but the old stones outlining the support beams and the old steel look caught my eye on this one.

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