For Eric and Jared and I, it was good to now visit a place we’re familiar with. We lived in Chiang Mai 15 years ago, and both the girls were born here, although they were very young when we left. We celebrated Gianna’s 17th birthday with a nice dinner and longtime friends. It was a …
Uzbekistan
After leaving Tajikistan, we spent one day and one night in Uzbekistan and went to Magic City. It was pretty cool. It was a big outdoor shopping mall, but all the streets and buildings were themed after different places in the world (kind of like Disneyland). We went in an upside-down room and a maze …
Czech Republic
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is the one of few major European cities to have survived World War 2 relatively unscathed. This, together with its rich history, makes it an architectural beauty. Centered around the Vltalva River, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its …
France
We drove into France one day to visit a town that is said to have inspired the set for the Beauty and the Beast movie. And we could see why! Walking into Riquewihr, this old walled city from the 13th century, was certainly like walking onto a beautiful movie set, with a central fountain, brick …
Germany and Switzerland
Kandern, Germany is a quaint town situated right next to the borders of both Switzerland and France. We enjoyed visiting our longtime friend here, as well as her wonderful friends. One day when it was pouring rain, Jared shared that he had prayed it would rain at least once in each country we visited this …
South Africa
In each country we visit, the first phrases I try to learn are a greeting, and how to say thank you. Afrikaans, the language of South Africa, has the easiest “thank you” for me to remember. Everywhere we went we told people to “buy a donkey”, because that’s how you say “thank you” in Afrikaans! …
Rwanda
What an extraordinary country this is! We began our stay with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which our friends highly recommended. It’s difficult to put into words the horrific history that is portrayed here, where the ruling Hutus brutally massacred the Tutsis in 1994. It’s incredibly sobering to see humanity at its absolute …
Uganda life and Fun facts
We stayed in the city of Jinja, which is where the source of the Nile River is found. On a boat ride there in Lake Victoria we saw the source as a spring bubbling up like soup in a great cauldron. Birds Along the shores, we enjoyed great views of several beautiful bird and other …
The Little Children
We went to a center for young single women with children. The women live at the center and are provided food, Bible lessons for them and their children, and skill training such as sewing and gardening. The first day we went, we performed a puppet show for them and their babies and toddlers. When we …