Following are some of our favorite things along the way!
Our first district tour was in North Central Ohio. We got to stay with Jim and Kathy Radcliffe, friends from PNG and the ones with whom we share so much, including granddaughters and friends like Lincoln and Betsy Stevens.
The Church of the Nazarene is in 162 countries of the world! That's impressive!
We became very fond of flags this home assignment.
So grateful that Ray and Becki Neu surprised us at our first deputation service.
They came to Vanuatu in 2013 to Tell the Story. Read more here.
Did you know that northeast Ohio is the covered bridge capital of the world?
We visited several while we were in the area.
We loved the beautiful mangoes that you can buy for a dollar in the USA! They would cost much more in VU where they grow.
We enjoyed the signs we found in various homes and places that we visited.
Flags at the Medina Church of the Nazarene made by the children of the church.
Kathy and Mike Pelley and their daughter Grace have been beside us on our journey since we became North Central Ohio Nazarenes. So thankful for Kathy's ministry as District NMI President on our home district and for their blessing to missionaries in so many ways!
Jim and Sandy Sycks have been our friends since 2002 when we based in Coshocton, Ohio, for our home assignment. They shared their home with us again for a few days and found some papaya and mango to help us feel like we were home in the tropics!
We visited wintery Wisconsin District after leaving Ohio. It had been many years since we had visited this district last. We almost missed our speaking engagement on Easter Sunday because we got headed in the opposite direction when we started out in the morning. We bought a road atlas after that and set down some rules about plugging in the next address to the GPS!
Our next stop was Winnipeg, Manitoba, where we stayed with Russell and Patti Boyes who served in PNG with us. Patti is the local NMI President for her church and had scheduled us nearly two years before. They blessed us in many ways during our stay with them.
Patti took us to the symphony - something that Sylvia hopes to enjoy when she comes back to this side of the world. It was fantastic!
Do you see how the colors in Sylvia's dress matches the table runner for our picture display? That was totally unplanned!
We are always so pleased when we get to speak with the children in a church. David was just five years old when God spoke to his heart and asked him to be "His" missionary. 
When visiting in Canada we were introduced to maple leaf cookies.
We loved them and bought some to share with our kids when we met up with them again!
We traveled through Saskatchewan after speaking in Regina to the interesting sounding city of Medicine Hat in Alberta. We had a wonderful time with the Nazarenes at the church there.
Drumheller is the dinosaur capital of the world! We had a good visit with the Nazarenes in Drumheller and our hosts provided us with a tour of the town and entertainment by their lovely Golden Retriever.
Sylvia, the selfie queen, was glad to meet Jolene who is the new NMI President at her church where we shared an international dinner together with the international Nazarenes at Skyview Church in Calgary.
We had a few extra hours to stop in at Lake Louise in Banff National Park on our way south to Lethbridge. The lake was still frozen for the most part, so the beautiful reflection photo was not possible this time. It would be fun to return and enjoy this beautiful place for a little longer.
We woke up on Sunday morning to a winter wonderland!
We were glad that the snow didn't stick on the roads.
We met up with this beautiful pastor family on a side trip north to Edmonton.
Jennifer (Farthing) Blake was on the first Youth In Mission trip to Vanuatu in 2004. She returned in 2005 with a Point Loma Nazarene University Loveworks team. Now, she and her husband Jonny co-pastor the Southside Nazarene Church. Such a blessing to spend some time with this family!
[You can read a short paragraph about the first trip she made and its impact in Vanuatu at this link.]
We were so blessed to stay with John and Laurie Watton at their home near Rocky Mountain Home, Alberta. We first met John in PNG, but became good friends following Cyclone Pam in 2015 when he came to help us with disaster relief in his role as Asia Pacific Regional Nazarene Compassionate Ministry director.
We learned several furloughs ago what a joy it is for us to go out of our way to visit friends as we travel. But, Rev. James and Joy Johnson were not out of the way at all! It was truly a blessing for us to stop for the night at their Montana country home. James was the Field Strategy Coordinator for Melanesia and South Pacific Fields for many of our years in Vanuatu. He helped the Work and Witness teams that came to build our home. And, he and Joy hosted our son Wesley as he helped them build their Montana home.
We got home in time to celebrate Mother's Day with Sylvia's mother and our son, Wesley. So thankful for the blessing of a godly mother!The days were warming up, tulips were in bloom, and Wes treated us by taking us to the Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Botanical gardens are one of our favorite things!
...we quickly drove to the other side of the state to meet Isaiah Gene Potter when he was just barely 12 hours old!
Next morning, we drove to Jeffrey's church and shared with his congregation about Vanuatu!
We were happy to spend a few days with Kristen's parents, and we were happy for a few days to be Abu and Grandpa!
Our next stop was Warwick, New York, where we stayed with Metro New York District NMI President, Rev. Yelssy Manza and her husband, Paul, at their home in the woods. They took us for a hike near the Appalachian Trail. 
Our home base this furlough was Sylvia's parents' home in Michigan. We enjoyed being able to gather around the dinner table with her dad and mom and the family.
We spoke on all three districts in Michigan this time! It was a blessing to get better acquainted with these lovely people. We loved hearing about the community outreach that the Nazarenes at Grand Ledge, MI, were doing. 
It was our delight to meet Rev. Judy on the Eastern Michigan District and her daughter. We enjoyed staying in their home and getting better acquainted. Her enthusiasm for missions was such an encouragement to us!
After 10 weeks of deputation speaking, we were excited to fly to Alaska for some time with our oldest son and his family, and our youngest son joined us! We went salmon fishing, bike riding, played on the playground, read books together, ate out, cooked together, and lots of other things!
After flying back to the lower 48 states, we were able to take Sylvia's parents to visit their newest grandson, and namesake of her father. And, we enjoyed a few more days of vacation this time at the Lake Huron beach. 
Our next stop was the great state of Texas! We were welcomed to Dallas by our friends and colleagues, Jim and Linda Dortch, who came to Vanuatu last year to teach English to our Bible college students. They opened their home to us and treated us like we were part of the family and gave us a great tour! This is what Texas is known for - longhorns and cattle drives.
We had never visited Pilot Point, where in 1908 people from across the USA joined together to celebrate the birth of a new denomination - theChurch of the Nazarene.
We were honored to be the missionary speakers at the North / East Texas District NMI Convention. 
The people of N/E Texas District made us feel so loved! We enjoyed getting re-acquainted with some old friends and meeting many new friends! It was our joy to spend a little time with General Superintendent, Rev. Carla Sunberg and her husband, Rev. Chuck Sunberg while Carla officiated at the District Assembly. They were first appointed as missionaries in 1992 to Russia when we were first sent out to PNG. 
It was a joy to share with the children who came to the District Assembly and NMI Convention. We always hope and pray that God will use us to inspire and call some to serve Him in missions. You will notice in the picture that the murals on the walls in the children's department are upside down! That's because when Jesus comes into our lives he turns our world upside down!
We were able to visit several churches on the district during our two weeks. It was our special joy to attend the Lone Star Cowboy Church in Nevada, Texas! We were their first missionary speakers, and they really "showed us the ropes." We liked the Cowboy Commandments, the saddle pulpit, and the horse trough baptismal! 
After we shared a meal together and introduced our work in Vanuatu, they let us ride on their horses in the corral behind the church! 
Later that week, they took us to a rodeo nearby where the pastor and several church members rode their horses in the parade. 
We moved to Dr. Scott and Gloria Nelson's home for the remainder of our stay in Texas. 
Gloria's parents were our partners in mission while we served in PNG and Vanuatu. George Miller and his new bride, Jeanne, drove down to spend the weekend with us. We cried together over George's loss of Nancy, but all who know George, know that he loves to laugh, and so does Jeanne! So blessed to be with these friends! 
Scott and Gloria have a lovely home with a fantastic view. It was a wonderful time of rest and renewal! 
We have known Ken and Beth Freed since 1976 when we were very young and finding our way at that beautiful campus.
It was a joy to visit some of our favorite places like the Hotel del Coronado and Cabrillo Point Lighthouse and cliffs.
On Sunday morning, we headed to Mission Church of the Nazarene, one of our "home" churches. Before it moved to Mission Valley, it was located at University Avenue. David knelt to pray at that altar as a 5 year old boy acknowledging God's first call for him to be a missionary.
It was there that we met during our college years, became good friends, and got married to each other. Our two oldest sons were dedicated to the Lord at that church. And in 1992, we were sent out by that loving congregation to our first mission assignment in Papua New Guinea. It is hard to describe the joy we felt as we acknowledged the partnership we felt with the Mission congregation - their many years of investing in our lives, their prayers and offerings. Indeed, the Lord has dealt bountifully with us!
In the afternoon, we drove to downtown San Diego where we gathered with a new congregation, Living Water Church of the Nazarene. We arrived early to get acquainted with the pastor and his people. As people came through the doors, they came with shopping carts and other conveyances filled with all their earthly belongings. Most of the people who attend the church are homeless, but are finding the church a place where they can gather for fellowship as the Body of Christ. We shared communion together and a lovely Thai meal after the service. It was a place where we felt the presence of Jesus. 
We enjoyed quite a few thunderstorms while in Colorado Springs. The clouds were very impressive!
We began our long ride back to Vanuatu refreshed and ready to re-connect with our friends there.
And, we're here, enjoying some incredible sunrises on our morning walks. We thank the Lord for his care and protection over us during our home assignment and trust him for this final term of service!
"Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you!"
Psalm 116:7
