Overland Park Arboretum

Instead of just walking in the neighborhood on Tuesday, we drove to south Johnson County to visit the Overland Park Arboretum.  It wasn't too hot when we got there, but by the time we left it was almost 90!  

They had a special exhibit of "moving sculptures" which were amazing and the Monet Garden flowers were beautiful.  There were 20+ gardeners working to add even more flowers--we were told that a group of master gardeners works every Tuesday morning taking care of the plants all around the special gardens.

Family Time

Over the past several weeks we were able to spend some time with extended family and get to know some of our great nephews and nieces.  

We traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday, April 27, and connected with our nephew, Aaron, and his wife, Ally.  They are the proud parents of three boys, Hudson, Max and Rhett.  We had never met Max, who just turned three, or his month-old brother, Rhett.  Aaron is an assistant athletic direction at the University of Arkansas, so we got a short tour of the baseball stadium and indoor track.  We enjoyed going to their favorite pizza place and playing at the park around the corner from their home.  We watched Hudson's last spring soccer game on Saturday morning and then headed home after a stop for donuts.

On Saturday, May 5, we took a day trip to El Dorado, Kansas, to spend time with our niece, Camillia, and her family of eight.  We made it there in time for breakfast at 10:00 a.m. We played games, played music, went on a "tour" of their farm and got to know the names of their animals (dogs, cats, cows and a horse.) It was a sweet time of fellowship.

Fill in the blank

As we posted almost a month ago (read it here:http://parrisinelsalvador.blogspot.com/2018/03/news-from-el-salvador_8.html), we are retiring from the mission field and returning to the US in July. We know the transition will not be easy, so please pray for us as we navigate the new waters we will see. Right now we are dealing with and I quote, "This is the final _______ here in Central America." We filled that blank several times already, i.e. campaign in Honduras, campaign in Nicaragua, Easter Sunday. It will be filled a million little ways over the next three+ months.

Nevertheless, we stand on God's promises and faithfulness as we seek to glorify Him during this time of great change.

Last trip to Nicaragua

As usual, the team treated the translators to lunch at Pizza Hut. It's always a great time of food, fellowship and testimonies.  Pastor Scott Betts (Crossroads Church, Bensen, NC) called us to come to the front so they could pray for us.  It's no surprise that it was emotional for all of us.

Click here to see the video

News from El Salvador

This coming June will mark the completion of our eighth year as missionaries in Central America. We are grateful to our home church, Abundant Life Church in Lee's Summit, Missouri, for supporting our ministry here. It has been a privilege to serve with Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, and we are grateful for the prayer support we have received from our family and friends.
As we were called by God to serve here, we have always felt that our retiring would likewise be led by God's calling. After much prayer, we want to share with you that we will be retiring and returning to the States on or about July 8.
We ask for your continued prayers during this time of transition, and we look forward to God's further calling on our lives back in the States.

Welcome Back

Jon took us to the airport in San Francisco at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday night--our red-eye flight was supposed to leave at 12:30 a.m.  For some unknown reason it was delayed until 1:20 a.m. We got off the ground and on our way about 1:30, and landed in San Salvador a little before 9:00 a.m.  Good news was that immigration and customs lines were very short.  Guillermo was there to pick us up and we made it "home" about 10:30 a.m.

You may remember we had a not-so-good return last October when the power to the apartment had been off for an extended period.  This time we left everything turned off and unplugged hoping that it would all start up when we got back.  However, it seems that nothing is ever quite that easy here.  

We came home to a refrigerator that wouldn't cool, a truck that wouldn't start and no internet service.  Little by little things are being repaired and getting back to normal.  Elmer came by late Thursday afternoon and put more coolant in the frig.  Guillermo brought over a heavy-duty electric charger on Friday morning to get our truck battery going again and I spent an hour on the phone with our internet provider troubleshooting the internet.  As of Saturday night, all three things were working, although the internet is still spotty and slow.  

It was awesome being back at VidaNueva, hearing Pastor Steve preach and catching up with all our friends.  We have a week here at home and then three consecutive weeks of campaigns.  

Three Special Days--Day 3

Sunday after church and a quick snack at home, we headed to the Palo Alto Children's Theater production of the Ugly Duckling for our special day with A.  She was a bit hesitant at first, but was really enjoying herself by the end.  The production was targeted to kids ages 2-6, so there was lot's of crowd participation in the form of animal noises (we were pigs in our section), songs and several dances.

After the play we went to Sweet Tomatoes, her favorite restaurant.  She told her grandpa, "they have lot's of good desserts."  After two bowls of clam chowder, corn bread, various salads and a couple of small pieces of pizza, she had her chocolate ice cream topped with sprinkles.

Three Special Days--Day 2

Saturday we drove to the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts for our second day with M!  She didn't want to know anything before hand so we were inside the theater before she realized what it was.  The King and I was the perfect Broadway musical for us to enjoy with her--just enough humor, great songs and amazing dancing.  

Of course, the theater has photography restrictions, so this is all we got.

 

Three Special Days--Day 1

We spent Christmas in Kansas City and not in California with our grandkids.  This year we decided (and their parents agreed) that our main Christmas gift to each of the grandkids would be doing something special together.  We found something that was age-appropriate for each of them and also something we thought they would love doing.

SAFARI WEST--This was a perfect gift for the boy who loves, loves, loves all animals.  It was more interactive than a zoo.  They had more than 900 animals across their 400 acres of land.  We had a 45 minute walking tour to see flamingos, cranes, ibis, guinea fowl, cheetahs, monkeys, porcupines, fennecs and more.  The next part was a 2+ hour riding tour through the park.  The safari vehicle had five seats, four on the lower level and one on the upper level.  They also had a rotation system which allowed everyone to take a ride on the top level.  We were "up" while driving through the giraffe and antelope pens--so cool.  Our tour guide, Leslie, was a walking animal encyclopedia; no question was too tough for her. There were zebras, bongos, kudus, impalas, cafe buffalo, warthogs, red river hogs, rhinos, elands, sables, gemsbok and more!

Here are a few pictures of our day!  It will long be remembered by all three of us.  The final picture is J's amazing drawing of many of the animals we saw and of the jeep he rode in.