Pablo & Judi Kauffman

That's right, our visas have arrived! Imagine the commotion in the Israelite camp when the cloud lifted, indicating it was time to move on: Excitement - where to now? Reality - packing and getting ready. In our case, we plan on leaving April 2. Did it take the Israelites, even without cell phones and Skype, that long to get ready to leave?? This is a good time (the Lord knew it all along!). Since the last post we were able to take in a "Sharing the Hope" seminar in Grand Rapids, MI. On the way, we stopped near Dayton, OH for a 24 hr. retreat at Innkeeper Ministries, a wonderful place for pastors & spouses to get away and be renewed. The night before the seminar we were able to spend in Clarksville MI with Jim & Mary Sutter pictured here, dog-sitting the winter with Hansi who belongs to Lloyd & Mary.

After the seminar we decided not to go back to OH that night, as a hundred-year record snowfall had been broken for a 24 hr. period (20.4 in.). So we stayed the night in Goshen, IN with Shery Hostetler and her dog, Nitche, both of whom we had known from Ecuador days.

The next day we were able to get back to OH and spend a wonderful afternoon with the family.

This snowman is a product of frustration (before we heard our visas had come). Plus, I don't remember having done this as a child. So, here's a jolly good fellow that should last awhile. The closest guess as to the date of his natural demise gets a free order of churros con chocolate when they visit us in Spain!

So, what will the lifting of the cloud bring in the next three weeks? Stay tuned...