go bobcat

Chuck & dad

2011-06-10T13:56:00.001-06:00

Bath Time

2011-06-05T08:13:00.003-06:00

The House

2011-06-01T20:18:00.004-06:00

Here's the house.

This is looking into the kitchen.

The living room.

The view.

The kitchen from the other side.

The fireplace.

The nursery.

The master bedroom.

We are so excited to be (mostly) settled.

lamb riding

2011-05-20T18:44:00.001-06:00

And this is what Charlotte looks like now...

New Place

2011-05-20T18:33:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of our new place. We start moving in next Wednesday.

From the driveway.

From the golf course.

It's official. We've moved. Past tense. Well, almost. We start moving in this coming Wednesday. It's a 2 bed, 2.5 bath with a bonus room. It's an old place, but the interior has been recently updated. And it really is right next to a golf course. There is a complex nearby with a grocery store, Lowe's, some restaurants, a CVS, and a post office. It's about 15 minutes to work and a little over an hour to the Wilsons.

Once we're all moved in, I'll put up some more pictures...

Mornings with Charlotte

2011-03-05T18:27:00.002-07:00

I LOVE my little girl. I think she is just so cute in this picture.

Pictures!

2011-03-05T18:21:00.001-07:00

I just put up the last four months of pictures on Picasa. Now I'm all caught up.

Enjoy them by clicking here.

Charlotte's first 'words'

2010-11-23T23:35:00.002-07:00

Our little girl is growing up so fast. And I think she's going to be a talker.

Cousins

2010-10-29T18:22:00.002-06:00

Henry hanging with Charlotte.

Cute Photo

2010-10-26T21:03:00.000-06:00

Father & Daughter

2010-10-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

Me and my homegirl just chillin'.

Chuck's First Hike

2010-10-26T20:33:00.002-06:00

(And ours in a while.)

Here I am holding Chuck on a mountain top near Evergreen, Colorado. What a beautiful day.

It really was a beautiful day for a hike. It was about six miles and all three of us did really well.

The mountains are getting snow now. Loveland & A-Basin each already have one lift open. So, we have to hike while we still can. Then we'll ski. Not a bad trade-off.

Colorado Girls

2010-10-21T22:03:00.001-06:00

Eat your heart out, Katy Perry.

A girl at work showed me this spoof. Enjoy.

Caution: Blue Animals

2010-07-29T00:41:00.004-06:00

The blue horse (with beaming red eyes) rearing outside the airport.

The blue moose roaming through a restaurant.

The blue bear peering into the convention center.

Is it just me or is it a little weird that there are so many statues of blue animals around? What do they mean? Should we be worried? Please comment if you know of any other large blue animal statues.

Downtown Denver Stroll

2010-07-28T23:42:00.006-06:00

Here are some sites on the Downtown Denver Stroll.

We recently got a hiking book at REI and the first "hike" is a six mile walk through Denver. So, we tried it out.

We started our hike/stroll at REI; kind of appropriate.

This is the landmark ship-style 'Millennium Bridge.'

We really liked the famous Tattered Cover Bookstore.

Union Station is near the:

Old Spaghetti Factory. I wonder if the trolley is a connection...

The fancy Tabor Center.

Larimer Square. One of our new favorite places. There is a cafe called 'The Market' where you can get really good chocolate croissants and 'hot drinks.'

The Denver Performing Arts Center is doing 'The South Pacific' soon. Do you think I should take Catherine?

The Denver Convention Center has unique architecture.

And it has a gigantic blue bear statue next to it. I thought it was worth a pose.

The Denver City & County Building in the center of town.

There was some. . .interesting modern art outside the Denver Art Museum.

For the last leg of our walk, we dodged cyclists along the Cherry Creek Trail. And became very thirsty.

Whew, we made it all the way back to Commons Park.

...which is right next to REI, where it all started.

This hike/stroll really helped us get the lay of the land. Denver is a beautiful city. Some of these places we have already visited again multiple times. I guess now we should probably go on a real hike.

Registered at Target

2010-07-19T12:14:00.003-06:00

Hey, it's us again. The Rencks. Just checking in to let you know that we are registered at Target for our baby. And we can't wait.

Avoid This Independence Day Party

2010-06-30T15:59:00.002-06:00

I don't want to be feed.

MOM

2010-06-26T19:55:00.002-06:00

My mom came to visit us and we showed her around. This was at the Museum of Natural History. Note the sweet dinosaurs in the background. We also took her to a big, fancy mall here and we went to her old church. Come back soon, mom.

Red Rocks

2010-06-08T09:49:00.003-06:00

We went to check out the Red Rocks natural amphitheater just outside of Denver. I really want to go to a Dave Matthews Band or U2 show, but neither of them are coming this summer. John Mayer is coming with Owl City. Anybody want to come with us?

The Aquarium

2010-06-07T07:43:00.001-06:00

We visited the aquarium. The animals were very good about letting themselves be seen.

The Hanks

2010-06-06T22:12:00.001-06:00

We had the Hanks over for Friday night dinner and music.

a place to call home

2010-05-28T10:05:00.004-06:00

new (old) car

2010-05-17T22:23:00.002-06:00

Not Disneyland

2010-04-20T14:54:00.005-06:00

Catherine went to Bethany to lecture to the students at BMMC about physical therapy. On the way back, she took the boat ride. She described it as an awful version of a Disneyland water ride. As you smack against the waves, your rear hits the seat very hard and water gets splashed all over you. Note the tarps everybody is holding. Those are raised to block some of the spray.

Friday Night Music with the Wilsons

2010-04-08T17:02:00.004-06:00

Pretty much every Friday night we go over to the Wilson's apartment and sing songs. This is Catherine, me, and John ripping it up. It's a really great tradition. You should try it.

Easter in Georgetown

2010-04-08T16:49:00.005-06:00

This is the crew who participated in the epic hunt of 2010. I don't know who got the most eggs since the kids smashed them on adults' heads as soon as they found them. Don't worry, they were hollowed out beforehand. They did have glitter and rice in them though. I mostly just ate candy.

They have an interesting tradition here in Guyana on Easter Monday. Everyone goes to the sea wall and flies kites.

Mashabo

2010-04-04T23:01:00.008-06:00

Gary flew Catherine and me into the bush.

We rode on this 'mule' back and forth from Bethany to Mashabo; about an hour one way.

Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Renck hard at work.

The doctors.

This is the spring where we would bathe. Notice the scum around the sides. We would take turns watching for caimans while the other one washed.

Even though we were camping in the heat and roosters would crow from about 3:00 to 5:30 am, I had enough energy to extract teeth all day. God gave me patience and endurance to work out some of those root tips with no suction, poor lighting, no handpiece, while wrenching my back. We enjoyed the fellowship of the brethren from Lewiston, Idaho.

sign

2010-03-26T20:51:00.002-06:00

Mahsabo

2010-03-19T14:26:00.002-06:00

We are going on a mission trip next week to Mashabo. Mashabo is a village in the interior of Guyana. We are going with a group from Lewiston, Idaho who are doing some construction. But we are going to practice exodontia on its citizens.

Visitors

2010-03-12T07:32:00.004-07:00

Catherine's parents came to visit us.

We have had a great time showing them around. We've shown them all the places we frequent. Thanks for coming.

Coziness

2010-02-27T07:32:00.003-07:00

This post is dedicated the Wilson family. They talk about making a cozy home more than any other people I've ever met. And they are really good at it. This is a picture of our living room. The coziest room in our home. What do you think?

Handyman

2010-02-27T07:24:00.003-07:00

First of all, I am not a handyman. Or at least I haven't been up until recently. I did a few things around the house in our apartment in Loma Linda, but since we've been here, I've learned a lot. Mainly, I've learned that I like anything that involves power tools. Especially projects where I get to use Bessy, here. My power drill. Most of the walls here are made of cement, so she and I had to drill holes for everything that's hung on the walls.

House-Warming Party

2010-02-27T07:19:00.002-07:00

We should have had a house-cooling party since it's always so hot here. We had everybody over for cupcakes and homemade ice cream. So, here's a big shout out to Andrea Stout and Emily Cutting who got us a shiny new ice cream maker for our wedding. Thank you.

Swimming

2010-02-27T07:09:00.004-07:00

Swimming at Buddy's!

There is a pool at the fanciest hotel in town. I think they just changed the name to 'Princess Hotel,' but 'Buddy's' is what we call it. It's out towards the airport and I'm pretty sure that's where all the airline flight crews stay. But anybody can go swimming there for a fee.

New Pictures

2010-02-24T04:24:00.003-07:00

The January pictures are up. You can look at them to the right of the page in the slideshow.

As a follow up, the bars on the kitchen window are in place and the fence is up (except for the gates which were supposed to be put in yesterday).

re: not cool

2010-02-10T04:59:00.001-07:00

So, the follow up story is that I spent the whole day trying to make our house safer. We put up a light on the back of our house (where the break-in was). I put more bolts on the front and back doors. We put up curtains over the windows in the stairwell and the spare bedroom.

So now it should be safer. And I we're trying to track down someone to put bars on the window. And we're going to have a fence built around our house right away.

not cool

2010-02-09T04:45:00.004-07:00

So, it's about 11:00pm here.

One hour ago, we had just finished watching The Two Towers. I was trying to convince Catherine to watch a few minutes of Return of the King and then headed downstairs for some pudding.

Just as I started down the steps, we heard a crash. We looked at each other and both tried to think of what glass dish, or something, could have fallen. I raced down to see the damage.

I found that one pane out of the kitchen window over the sink had been broken and glass was all over the sink and floor. The pane adjacent to it had been broken out a couple of months ago my some school kids on the other side of the fence throwing rocks. So, I figured someone had thrown another rock and we'd just have to deal with the mess.

Then the curtains started to move.

Usually, we leave the curtains to the side, but for some reason this night, Catherine decided to draw them.

I started shouting, 'Hey, hey, hey!' And sure enough the curtains fell back. I was stunned and afraid. What seemed like minutes, but was probably less than ten seconds passed. I went to the closet under the stairs and got a mop as Catherine ran to grab the machete. I grabbed a crowbar out of the closet instead. I approached the window and pulled back the curtains.

The window had been opened.

What I saw through the curtain was probably the criminal reaching through the broken glass to open the window.

Catherine came downstairs and handed me the machete. I took it and held onto the crowbar.

She saw the curtains move again and started screaming. I ran out the front door and around the house yelling. Moments before I was frozen with fear. Now anger and adrenaline made me ready to beat somebody up.

There was no one there. I came back in the house and Catherine, by that time, realized it was just the wind.

I went out to talk to the guard at the gate of the complex. Mind you, our fence sucks and there is a thoroughfare coming through the church grounds, passing right in front of our house, and then on to the hospital that many people use in the day. No one watches it at night. And there's been a big hole in the fence behind another missionary apartment building for months.

By the time the guard and I got back, the neighborhood had come to see what all the yelling was about.

Before long, Jerry came with a couple workers to board up our broken kitchen window.

As far as I know, it's the only window on the grounds that doesn't have bars. Whoever tried to break in knew how to find a weak spot.

And, in running around in the dark, I realized how poorly lit our apartment is.

So, please pray for us.

I'm going to track down getting bars on that window starting first thing tomorrow.

I would also like to take a moment point out that every other house I've seen in Georgetown has a fence. It may be a shanty on stilts, but they have a fence. How come we don't have a fence?

We thank the Lord that no one got hurt. And now, hopefully, all these lame problems will be fixed.

Moving In

2010-02-07T16:20:00.003-07:00

Container

2010-01-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our container is here.

Pictures will come soon.

we're back

2010-01-21T04:31:00.002-07:00

We made it back safely to Guyana.

They say that our container will be here for unloading 'by Friday.' Now we all know that means absolutely nothing. Please, no one get your hopes up. It could still be a month. Or more.

'bye NW

2010-01-16T11:06:00.003-07:00

Thanks mom for making it a great trip home. I love you, you know.

We've been in the Northwest for a number of days visiting family and friends. It sure has been fun to see so many loving people. We've gone skiing a few days in typical Northwest weather, but still had fun. We were very lucky to get to spend so much time with my sister Laura's family. She has some cute kids. We even went to a Chiefs/Americans game with them. Great game; no fights though. I know. What! I got to eat at Taco Bell plenty of times and repeatedly enjoyed some great coffee.

It has been a great trip. Now we just need to make sure we have everything we need to take back with us. And figure out how to fit it all in our luggage.

the only way to fry chicken

2009-12-30T20:45:00.001-07:00

View Larger Map

We are now in Louisville for GYC.

Anybody else dreaming of a white Christmas?

2009-12-19T08:14:00.002-07:00

We are in Maryland for Christmas and the snow is storming.

Christmas

2009-12-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Team Bobcat is headed home for Christmas and can't wait to see everybody.

Thanks for all the good times, RJ

2009-12-09T04:06:00.002-07:00

Archaeology

2009-12-03T18:48:00.004-07:00

The other day, sister Sealy and I were cleaning out a little more of the dental clinic. It's a daunting task, so we take it a little bit at a time. While we were digging under the sink in the lab, we found some interesting things. One thing, I got excited about, was the portable dental unit. I had heard rumors about one floating around. Some of the rumors said it had been in one of the storage containers out back and that a missionary pilot took it with him when he left the country two or more years ago. Anyway, there was one under the sink. I haven't figured out if it works or not, but it's there. The other thing we unearthed (pictured above) is an old dental handpiece. It would be called a slow-speed now, but I think in its day it was the only speed. I was pretty sure that we wouldn't be using it. Ever. So I threw it out. But, first I took some pictures.

So, I felt like I was finding an ancient artifact. I hope no museums get angry with me for throwing it away.

Free Dental Clinic

2009-12-03T18:44:00.003-07:00

Last Sunday, Catherine and I went to LBI, a town East of Georgetown, for a free dental clinic. It was sponsored by Colgate, Pathfinders, and the local SDA church. ~200 patients were seen for extractions, cleanings, simple fillings, and fluoride treatment. Some of the local dental technicians who were helping out were a little rough on the patients, but they got the job done.

Skype

2009-11-26T18:22:00.004-07:00

How did missionaries do it before Skype? Thank you Skype, for helping us stay connected to our loved ones while away from home.

Our First Anniversary

2009-11-23T09:27:00.004-07:00

We just got back from celebrating our first anniversary in Barbados. It was so good.

Mexican food does not exist in Guyana. So, for our anniversary, we seized the opportunity and went out for mexican food. I hadn't realized how much I missed chips and salsa.

Catherine enjoyed long walks on the beach with me.

We had our first chai lattés in months. Yum. And I called my mom since my phone automatically picked up the local wireless carrier. I love you mom.

Monkey Video

2009-11-16T03:52:00.003-07:00

This video was taken a few days ago when we were at the sea wall.

on the floor

2009-11-16T03:47:00.004-07:00

I found this on the floor of our house yesterday.

(dollar placed for scale)

Sea Wall

2009-11-15T05:51:00.005-07:00

Yesterday after potluck we all piled in the van (which is called a bus here) to go to the sea wall; one of the few things to do in Georgetown.

Catherine and Daven smiled for a picture.

We arrived and piled out of the bus/van.

This an upscale restaurant on the other side. Crazy.

We didn't go to eat, so we just ogled the monkeys instead.

'Hey, do you have any peanuts?'

The kids played on the playground.

They had a couple of Toucans in a cage. Those things move really fast. I don't recommend feeding them by hand.

A narrow jetty extends out from the restaurant. As we walked out there, the stench from the trash became overwhelming. I couldn't smell any salt in the air.

Raised walkways connected the different places you can sit and eat.

Jerry pointed as a fish swimming near the jetty.

The Rencks in the sunset.

A view of the Georgetown coast.

Looking back at the restaurant.

Georgetown in the sunset.

Trash on the beach.

We left ask dusk approached. The locals were just starting to arrive. Saturday night is a big time for hanging out at the sea wall. Apparently they stay out there partying until 5:00 am.

Cuffy

2009-11-15T05:41:00.002-07:00

This is a statue of Cuffy. He is a national hero who lead a slave rebellion in 1763.

homesick

2009-11-13T08:12:00.003-07:00

I'm homesick. I miss my hometown. Spokane is really a great place. 'Lots of good memories there. Riverfornt Park. Riverpark Square. Old Spaghetti factory. The Centennial Trail. My home church.

I miss my house. I grew up there. I played in the field. Went sledding down the hill in winter (and summer). I built forts downstairs. Walking to 'the point.' Ice skating on the pond. Driving the six-wheeler. Watching movies (sometimes all night with forty people). Swimming. Laura's wedding. Driving down the hill. Having people over after church. Jamming all day long. Lots of good memories.

But mostly, I miss my family. This is the only picture of all of us together. And we'll never have another chance to get another one.

phones

2009-11-12T18:19:00.002-07:00

I just bought mobile phones for us to use in Guyana. I bought them online and am having them shipped to Maryland and we'll pick them up at Christmas. The phones sold here are way too expensive for what you get. They had to be GSM phones on the frequency of 900 MHz. I had to study up before bought them.

work

2009-11-06T10:29:00.001-07:00

I'm working now. Life is better when you have a job.

Mango

2009-11-04T16:55:00.002-07:00

I bought 20 mangoes for $5.00 today.

watch this video

2009-11-03T18:28:00.002-07:00

it's here

2009-11-03T16:12:00.003-07:00

Waiting

2009-11-03T05:21:00.003-07:00

Seven weeks and counting. Still no work permit. No end in sight. Please pray for us.

Carmen Sandiego

2009-10-27T19:26:00.006-06:00

I've leaned something since I've been down here. Now I know what creole is. I remember playing Carmen Sandiego on the computer in third grade. It was either that or the Oregon Trail and you can only die from dysentery so many times before you need to change it up. It was really fun hunting too...anyway. Carmen Sandiego. I remember being a gumshoe and catching my first henchman. You always had to know what type of food they liked. I was never really sure what tex-mex or creole were, I would just try to remember these strange names of food.

But now I know what creole is. It's a big pile of rice on a plate with other random foods. Usually kale or okra and something else.

It could have been so much easier if I had only known back then...

Craig's List

2009-10-26T05:49:00.002-06:00

Eric Grove just emailed this to me. What a good idea...

What? Another Package?!

2009-10-23T06:14:00.006-06:00

The Wrights just sent us a package filled with goodies! We were so excited that waiting for the people at the post office to do their thing didn't seem like that big of a deal.

And now that I think about it, the three-hour game of 'Blitz might have had something to do with the sugar high we got from polishing off the bag of gummy bears in one sitting...

Dutch Blitz

2009-10-22T20:33:00.003-06:00

After dinner tonight, Catherine and I played Dutch Blitz for about three hours. Man, that was fun.

No

2009-10-22T16:04:00.000-06:00

No work permit.

No scrubs.

Work Permit

2009-10-21T18:10:00.005-06:00

The word on the street is that my work permit is coming tomorrow. It might actually work out well, because I will also be picking up a package from my mom tomorrow containing scrubs.

But I'm not holding my breath. Things happen at a more relaxed pace here. It could still be a while; for either.

But it could all happen tomorrow.

I guess I better be ready to drill. And treatment plan. And diagnose. And do extractions.

"Pedal to the metal, commander."

Houses

2009-10-20T06:27:00.002-06:00

Like I promised, here are a few more pictures of typical Guyanese houses. Notice the first level is mostly a carport. These houses are near where we live in a nicer part of town. Most houses don't have basements because of all the rain.

We are still waiting for my work permit. Please pray that it comes soon.

Immitation

2009-10-17T12:39:00.004-06:00

This store is in the same mall as the escalator. It's called "O Navy." And they sell...Old Navy clothing. They also have some Aeropostale. Items cost about the same as they do in the States.

Actually, all over town there are a lot of store and brand names that are rip-offs of American names.

Escalator

2009-10-17T12:33:00.004-06:00

This is a picture of "The" escalator in Guyana. It's downtown off of Regent Street in one of the shopping malls. It only takes you up one story.

The Zoo

2009-10-17T12:23:00.003-06:00

The Guyana Zoo is close to where we live. They have quite a selection of animals including Harpy eagles. I have more photos from the zoo in the Photo Archive to the right.

Internet

2009-10-16T20:00:00.002-06:00

We finally got our own wireless internet up and running. We called it TARDIS. Our neighbors are happy we're not taking up all their bandwidth anymore.

Internet Cafe

2009-10-13T07:45:00.003-06:00

Two nights ago, there was the biggest rainstorm that we've had yet here in beautiful Georgetown, Guyana. We have a metal roof, so when the rain came pouring down we had a hard time hearing the Stargate SG:1 episode we were watching. I could see the lighting flashing through the curtains. And the thunder, ka-chow, it was loud. It shook the whole building.

Long story short, our neighbor's modem got fried with all the power surges.

Little did we know, we would soon be going through facebook withdrawals. We only made it one day before we had to come to an internet cafe and check our email, facebook, and blog. Thanks to everyone who has been writing us and helping stay connected. Yes, I am making light of it, but really, it is so wonderful to feel connected to friends and family.

I am still waiting on my work permit. I heard we may only have a week to wait, so we'll see. Once we have it, all of our stuff that's been in storage in Los Angeles can be shipped to us. The fastest we've heard it taking for a shipment to get here is two months. We've also heard that even after it gets to the dock in Georgetown, it can sit there for six weeks while locals decide how much should be paid for customs.

So we need some prayer for all of that stuff. In my devotions, I keep reading about how God made Abraham wait, how God made Jacob wait, how God made the children of Israel wait in Egypt. Maybe I'm just supposed to be patient and wait.

Thanks for checking up on how we're doing and for your prayers.

Architecture

2009-10-09T19:09:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Guyanese houses. Most are two-stories with most of the living area upstairs. Some are actually on stilts with nothing for the first story. People park their cars under their houses. Some have an enclosed stairwell leading up.

Our apartment has the kitchen downstairs and everything else upstairs.

Mail

2009-10-09T19:04:00.002-06:00

Catherine's sister Emilie and her husband Kameron sent us a package and we just got it! We are so excited and are so thankful for all the goodies inside. Thanks DeVashers. You rock.

Horses

2009-10-09T17:05:00.003-06:00

This is a view from the front balcony of our apartment. They just let horses roam free here. I've never seen an owner, but my neighbors say the owners are around. At first, it's great to see the magnificent beasts near where you live. Then you realize that the horses' owner is never going to come back to pick up the feces that was left on the sidewalk leading from your front door.

Oasis

2009-10-09T16:54:00.004-06:00

The aptly named coffee shop, Oasis, is located on Carmichael Street here in Georgetown. It has a similar feel to cafés in the U.S. They have free wi-fi and computers you can pay to use that are connected to the internet. It's a popular place for expats and a good place to get a decent cup of coffee.

View Larger Map

It's the one with the blue roof.

Painting

2009-10-07T19:28:00.005-06:00

Since we don't have work permits and can't work yet, we painted two and a half rooms in our apartment.

Skype

2009-10-02T10:18:00.002-06:00

We are hooked up and ready for Skype calls. Call us sometime.

Google Talk and iChat are also acceptable.

Frogs in the Toilet

2009-10-02T09:40:00.006-06:00

There are frogs in our toilet. When we first got here, we noticed there were a couple frogs swimming around in the tank above the toilet. Occasionally, I see one in the bowl when I flush. They hop into the shower sometimes, while it's in use. We've found a couple of them dead on the floor. Recently, we lifted up the lid to look in the tank and counted ten living frogs.

That was it. We got a chlorine tablet in an attempt to encourage them to find another pond. They probably just think it's nice to have cleaner water and have it be more like a pool.

Goodbye USA

2009-10-02T09:28:00.003-06:00

My mom drove Catherine and me to the airport for our flight to Guyana. We stopped and got some Taco Bell on the way. Mmmm, boy. Then we checked in at the airport and were assisted by a very helpful airline representative. He let us check a slightly overweight bag and an extra bag for no additional charge. What a blessing! Our flight was uneventful. I think I mentioned earlier that one of the bags didn't make it to Georgetown. Well, it's here now and we are very thankful.

Another funny story from our flight to Guyana:

As we were boarding our plane that was to take us from GEG to SLC, a steward saw us with our guitar & mandolin. We was very short with me and demanded that I give him the guitar since it would not fit in the overhead compartment. I wanted to clarify that I did not want it to be depressurized. He said something that made me think that it would, but I must have misunderstood him since he went on to grumble about how he was going to find some room in the coat closet. All was well and he handed me the guitar back as we deplaned.

We grabbed a bite and headed to our next flight.

As we were boarding our plane from SLC to JFK, who was there standing at the front of the plane as we entered? The same surly steward. He said something like, "You again?!" and took my guitar. As we exited the plane and handed me the guitar, he made a joke about the coincidence and seemed to be in a better mood after finding the humor in the whole situation. We asked him if he was flying to Guyana next...no, he was not.

Adam & Diana's Wedding

2009-10-02T08:40:00.004-06:00

Here is just a smattering of pictures from Adam & Diana's wedding in Bellingham, Washington. Since I have such a slow internet connection I can only put up a few. We had a wonderfully good time at the wedding. It was so good to see so many friends and to cut up the rug during the reception. Thanks for having such a fun wedding you two.

Seattle

2009-10-02T08:35:00.002-06:00

While we were in Seattle, we went to Pike Place Market. We met up with Catherine's friend from academy, Rande.

The 'Bucks Starts Here

2009-09-30T18:03:00.005-06:00

Now I know a lot of you are coffee snobs and don't think much of Starbucks, but for the rest of us, this is where it all began.

We also visited the first REI. However, we didn't make it to the first Costco. Seattle, what a town.

Gig Harbor

2009-09-30T10:19:00.004-06:00

Not too long ago, Catherine and I visited my sister's family. They have a really cute kid and a very nice house. They live in the Puget Sound, minutes away from diving and kayaking. So, they're pretty happy. Thanks Lindy, Shawn, and Garrett (Liesel, Bubbs, and Tigress) for having us stay with you. We miss you.

Early Morning Drive

2009-09-29T13:42:00.003-06:00

This is a view of Mount Spokane taken from my house early in the morning on our drive to the Seattle area.

Beautiful Spokane

2009-09-29T13:34:00.003-06:00

Here's a couple shots from beautiful Spokane, Washington. You'll notice that interspersed with posts about our current situation, there will also be posts about our adventures just prior to leaving the country. One shot is of the falls in downtown Spokane. The other is from the parkade also found in downtown Spokane.

Our House

2009-09-22T18:12:00.000-06:00

View Larger Map

Our house is the one with the red roof.

Liberty Lake

2009-09-22T16:13:00.003-06:00

My sister Laura took us out on the lake while we were still in Spokane. We had a great time and miss all of the Fischers a lot.

Catherine's First Haircut

2009-09-21T10:24:00.002-06:00

Catherine cut Bob's hair. And this is how it looks without any styling since his American Crew is in the missing bag.

Buying Things

2009-09-17T17:56:00.005-06:00

To all those who like shopping, be prepared.

Shopping in Georgetown takes a while to get anything done. Today, I went to a hardware store to find a few things. There were three or four people behind a counter to help me find the items I needed. After a while I asked them where the towel racks were. They said the towel racks were in the Bath Department. This meant, since I was done at this counter, they tallied up my items and gave me a paper with a number. Then I went to the Bath Department and the Appliance Department and got two more papers with numbers. The workers brought my items to the counter for me. Then I went to the cashier, payed, and she gave me a receipt for each department and a receipt with the total on it. Then I went to the next stop where someone gave me all the items I had purchased (except one) and stamped all the receipts (except one). On the way out, another person checked my stamped receipts, like at Costco, and marked them with a pen. Then I walked around the corner to the storage area and gave someone my final receipt. After a long, sweaty wait, they told me that item was out of stock.

But, at least I was able to get two fans today. They're Lasko fans and work like a charm.

And I also got the best travel book on Guyana. So, go buy it (I think you can find it on Amazon). It's published by Bradt and written by Kirk Smock. It's the only travel book I know of that is only about Guyana. All the other ones I've seen are about South America with only a few pages on Guyana.

We Are Here

2009-09-16T13:08:00.003-06:00

Thank you for your prayers. We made the trip safely and only lost one bag. (And, I guess, the airline might still find it.) We are settling into our new place here in Guyana. The construction on it isn't quite complete, so we have some things to do. We picked up some essentials in town and we are making a list of other things we need. One of the first things is A/C. We have one window unit in our bedroom. So, we were able to sleep well last night. But, we find ourselves spending much of our time in the bedroom when we're home since it's too hot anywhere else.

I met with the Dental Board of Guyana this morning to apply for my dental license. Once I have that, I can get a work permit. Once I have that we can get visas for one year. And then, I will start working in the dental clinic.

We thought we'd get here without being able to work and without our shipment with all our stuff and find ourselves board. It turns out there is a lot to do.

Embarkation Day

2009-09-14T09:19:00.003-06:00

Thus ends the pre-embarkation month(s).

The airport(s) await, beckoning us come, fly.

Thus begins the next chapter.

Maybe I'll call it "Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire."

Wait, I think that one's been used.

I have a lot of pictures from all of our west coast adventures, but they'll have to wait until I have some more time. We had a so many good times with our friends and family. Most recently, we were at the amazing wedding of Adam and Diana Farnsworth. It was terribly fun. And now we are doing some last minute packing/rearranging before we go to the airport.

Thank you for your prayers. My faith keeps being stretched with so many last-minute arrangements that seem like they're not going to work out. Be they have been. Catherine got put through the ringer getting our immunizations figured out. One pharmacy had one thing. Another pharmacy had one other thing, but they couldn't give it to us since their travel pharmacist wasn't going to be at work until Tuesday. Long story short, it was a lot more confusing than it needed to be and Catherine figured it all out. She is amazing. But then you already knew that (and so did I).

Don't worry...

2009-09-07T14:22:00.003-06:00

...Spokane is a safe place.

At The Fair

2009-09-07T09:48:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the great pictures Laura.

The Great NW (final leg)

2009-08-28T13:52:00.010-06:00

Goodbye to all of our Loma Linda friends and family. Above is Sabbath afternoon at the Bell's. They gave us all a tour of their wildlife reserve. Thanks to the Dunbar's for hosting us during our transitional times.

Thanks to uncle Bruce and aunt Claudia for letting us stay with you and for taking us out to eat.

Mt. Bachelor was a must-see place for Catherine.

The gorge near Redmond (in Peter Skene Ogden State Park).

Yep, it's a deep gorge.

Home at the pool with the Malotts.

Hailey eating with aunt Catherine.

Mt. Spokane.

These are the places where Bob grew up. Memories all around. The drive was wonderfully uneventful. We made pretty good time, but also took some time in Bend, Oregon. We even drove out to Mt. Bachelor. The Rencks spent many spring vacations skiing there.

Now we are in Spokane for some Renck family time. Then we are seeing Adam & Diana get hitched.

And then, it's off to Georgetown.

Family Time

2009-08-16T19:54:00.002-06:00

There really is nothing quite like gathering around the computer to watch video clips with your family. Thank you YouTube, Hulu, and Google Videos.

Here's my East coast family. Thanks everybody for all of the good times. Don't forget about us after we leave the country.

Next up: West coast family time. Check in soon for updates about the other side of the family.

Blogtastic

2009-08-08T20:31:00.002-06:00

We are on the East coast now visiting Catherine's side of the family. Thus begins the first half of our pre-embarkation month.

Also Important

2009-08-02T23:35:00.002-06:00

Farewell IWM

2009-08-02T23:20:00.002-06:00

Thanks for making it memorable everybody. Keep us posted on your lives. We'll be keeping you in our prayers.

Here are some of the people Catherine and I met while at Andrews University for the Institute of World Missions.

About Guyana

2009-07-29T13:11:00.015-06:00

Guyana is a small country on the northern coast of South America.

Our mission post is at the Davis Memorial Hospital in Georgetown.

Kaieteur Falls is a notable landmark.

And if you're interested in the local history of the Seventh-day Adventist church here is a link to an interesting story.