Back in the U.S.A.

 I cannot believe it has been a week already since we flew home to the States.  It has been a busy week and I do not feel like we have stopped much at all since we landed.  We have been working hard to get settled in and adjusted.  So far things are going well.  

We have a beautiful mission home to enjoy while here that the Lincoln Baptist Association provides.  We have used this same mission house for every Stateside Assignment we have had so it feels like coming home.  We have a vehicle that we can affordably rent thanks to the Macedonia Call Foundation.  We were greeted with plenty of food and snacks to get us started and some gift cards to buy additional supplies.  We have been well taken care of and we feel greatly blessed!!!

Here are some photos taken over the past week.

 

We had a 3:00 a.m. alarm set on our flight day.  We had our team driver pick us up and take us to the airport.

Waiting to board our first flight at the Guatemala City airport.  We flew from Guatemala to Dallas to Jackson.

                                                                 Next stop, the U.S.A.!!

                                                            Volcano view from the airplane.

We saw Fuego erupting in the distance.  We are going to miss those volcano views.

We flew on American and I was so excited they served Dr. Pepper on the flight.

                                                       Arriving at the Jackson, MS airport.
 

 

My friend Malinda greeted us there. I was very happy to see her!

She brought us a few treats to enjoy.  One of those was this caramel cake.  It is divine!!  I have eaten a lot of food since arriving home but this cake has been, by far, my favorite thing.  It is so good!

 

That evening we had a meal with David's family in Crystal Springs.  It was a welcome home meal combined with a 21st birthday party for our nephew Sawyer.  It was great to see everyone and hug them.

 

The next morning my mom drove down to see us.

 

The boys playing outside.  We have a basketball goal and they are loving it.

She spent the morning visiting and then after lunch took the boys home with her for the night.  That gave us time to get everything unpacked and put away.  We made a visit to Wal-Mart and spent about two hours walking around.  It was nice to shop and get settled in without the boys.  

She took them to eat at a local Mexican restaurant that night for supper and then to prayer meeting at her church.

We went out for a Mexican meal ourselves.  This was the first of four times we have eaten Mexican food since getting home.  

 

When unpacking groceries I noticed the sticker on these bananas.  It made me smile. 

On Thursday the boys had dentist appointments in Jackson.  It was an initial visit to see what dental work is needed and to make a plan for future visits while we are home.  Needless to say, we will be spending a lot of time at the dentist over the next several months.  

 

After their checkups we did a little shopping.  Cruz bought himself these shoes with his own money.  He loves them!  Me, not so much. lol

 

That evening we met the Browns for supper in Crystal Springs.  Here is Sara Madalin with the boys.  

 

 

We love these friends! It was so good to catch up with them in person.

 

On Friday we visited with David's dad and stepmom. They will be moving to Oxford later this week so we were glad to see them before they left. That evening we all went out to eat at a local restaurant in McComb.

the boys with their cousin Larsen

David with his sister, dad, and stepmom.

 

 

On Saturday evening my family gave the boys a surprise birthday party at the Mexican restaurant in Hazlehurst.

 

They both got a cookie cake.

 

 

They got a few gifts but mostly money filled cards so they can have some spending money to get things they want while we are home.  

 

my mom with the boys

 

Playing in my dad's new Jeep.

 

visiting with my mom after supper

 

We enjoyed our first worship service on Sunday morning at a local church in Brookhaven.  That afternoon we dropped the boys off in Crystal Springs for their first summer camp experience.  They were excited.   We will pick them up later this week and I cannot wait to hear all of their stories.  

That evening we visited my dad and took him out for supper.  We then visited my mom and aunt before driving back home.

 

We had a work call on Monday morning and then we headed out for a day trip to Natchez.  We had a wonderful time exploring the city.  I love all of the antebellum homes and historical sites.  It was a fun, relaxing, quiet day! 

 

We walked the trail alongside the Mississippi River.  The views are so pretty.

 

We ate lunch at Fat Mama's Tamales. This was my Gringo Pie.

Later that afternoon while visiting downtown,we stopped by the Natchez Coffee Co. for coffee and dessert.

 

Before returning home we drove over the bridge into Louisiana.

We spent some time at the Vidalia Landing Riverfront Park.  We sat and enjoyed the views for a while. It was quiet and peaceful. 

We plan to catch up on some rest this week while the boys are at camp.  I had ordered all of my homeschool materials for the upcoming school year before we left Guatemala so they are starting to arrive.  I plan to get those organized this week as well.  

Thank you for praying for our travel and adjustment.  It has been a smooth transition so far. We are very happy to be back home for a while.  It has been refreshing in every way!  We love Guatemala, but...