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| Dinner with Joanna Tan (of Calvary Jurong BP Church days) in Montreal, Canada 16 June 2014 |
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| Kor shares a story at the weekly Friday night prayer meeting for Chinese nationals held at the home of Bro George and Lydia Tong in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada 20 June 2014 |
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| Christy, Geoff and John help entertain a new Mandarin-speaking friend |
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| John learns how to make a quick-and-yummy lasagna from Grand uncle George and grand auntie Lydia |
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| John and Geoff meet Senior Pastor Rob Nylen of Rivercross Church on Sunday 22 June 2014 |
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| Reunion of Sunday School mates: Mum, Dad and Uncle George outside the completed gymnasium of Rivercross Church at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada |
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| Pot Blessing at home of Mr Bing Feng where students from mainland China gather for Youth group and fellowship |
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| A balloon affords so much fun, especially in the company of a new friend |
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| Newly-made friends from Oklahoma: Reagan and Patti Norris |
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| Christy chats with the daughter of the proprietor of the Chinese take-away in a small New York town 26 June 2014 |
Our plans were laid by God as we made unscheduled stops and we met up with the most unexpected friends from the past. Kor and Pat had hosted Brother John Lopez and his elder children Joshua, Caleb and Breanna when they went to Chiangmai, Thailand a few years ago as they went for missions in Cambodia. Dad and Mum had also shown hospitality to Joshua who had flown to Singapore before. So on the 26 June, 2014, we were the guests of John Lopez and his family in Tallmadge, Ohio enroute to Warsaw and Winona Lake, Indiana. Grand auntie Grace Lopez housed us all for the night. But before that, we went to see the Lopez farmstead.
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| The house that John Lopez and his family is building from scratch...nine years and counting, Deerfield, Ohio |
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| The patriarchs of the Lopez and Heng households embrace after a word of prayer in the unfinished house that Bro John is building |
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| This is the Philip Heng clan and part of the Lopez clan: Back row (left to right): Dad, Moriah, Josiah, Joshua, Arunie Vandenhautte, Bethany, me, John Second row: Kor, Mum, Charissa, Grace, John, Brenda holding Micah, Pat Front row: Geoff, Isaac, John-Levi, Christy (Not in picture: Caleb in Michigan and Breanna in Papua New Guinea) |
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| Breakfast at Auntie Grace's home before we set off. Christy got to see the horses being fed too...but no one had a camera to capture it... 26 June 2014 |
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| With Steve of World Missionary Press in New Paris, Indiana, the place we order our gospel booklets from 27 June 2014 |
Then after a night's rest, we were on the road to Goshen, Indiana to meet up with Richard and Ruth Heldenbrand whom we knew from our days in Warsaw, Indiana in 1983 to 1985 when Dad went for his sabbatical. Dad and Mr Heldenbrand were classmates at Grace Seminary whilst their sons Sam and Dan were our schoolmates and classmates at Lakeland Christian Academy.
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| Hospitality by the Heldenbrands 27 June 2014 |
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| Poring through old photographs and showing Geoffrey the way things were in the 1980s |
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| Grand aunt Ruth answers Christy's queries |
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| Kor's graduation day from LCA in 1984 |
Since it was such a last-minute decision to swing by Warsaw and Winona Lake, we used technology as best we could to trace our friends. A google search turned up Ms Esther Moeller's contact details and we managed to visit her at her cozy home along Wooster Road, a stone's throw from Merrywood Trailer Park.
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| Ms Moeller waxing lyrical about the latest inventions in missions 27 June 2014 |
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| The Good News Caboose - a mobile venue for Children's Club meetings |
Ms Moeller encouraged us by sharing what God was doing with outreach to children, the Amish, through Ken Anderson films, and even missions through aviation!
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| Ms Moeller shows us a lovely faberge egg done by her 90-year-old friend |
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| One for the album at Ms Moeller's place |
Down by the lakeside was the venue of our next reunion. The class of 1988 had four people: Felicia Mikesell (Harvey), Karina and Charissa Heng and Carmen Conley. The class of 1985 represented by Nathaniel. We had a lovely lunch at the Boat House restaurant. The entire waterfront housing area has been revitalised and is now quite upmarket.
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| Lunch at Boat House Restaurant 28 June 2014 |
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| Carmen and Felicia take a selfie |
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| Looking for our old summer house on the island next to Winona Lake. The house, along with all the other old houses have been long torn down. |
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| MasterWorks Festival performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah at the Rodeheaver Auditorium where we used to play second violin with Felicia for the Spring and Autumn Concerts in the Warsaw Community Orchestra |
Mrs Anderson, Nancy Anderson's mum had persuaded mum to let us join the Warsaw Community Orchestra since we played the violin. So each wednesday evening, we would join the undergraduates and anyone from the community or who lived in the vicinity who could play an instrument. Mum and dad would do their round of grocery shopping at Owens and Krogers (with their clipped savings coupons!!) before fetching us home from orchestra practice.
Warsaw was hosting a summer Walk-and-Wander sculpture exhibition by Seward Johnson so right outside the little ice cream shop was a sculpture of a police officer issuing a parking ticket which we decided to have a little fun with.
Taking full advantage of the sunset at 9pm, we went for miniature golf at the Fun Centre at Paige's Crossing! A mother and her two daughters were waiting at the carpark and blessed us with three tickets for miniature golf free-of-charge! She said she had gotten it on a group-on. We did 18 holes till nightfall at 9.30pm!
We left Winona Lake, Warsaw and headed northward to Grand Rapids, Michigan for yet another reunion. This time we met up with Esther and Anna Rapa who were in Singapore in the 1990s and in Chiangmai in the early 2000s for the Grand Rapids Extension Programme. Esther now works at World Mission which prepares the audio Bible for distribution worldwide. It is dubbed "the Treasure" and is loaded in many languages. Nathaniel and Attila, the techie on the premises had a lot to talk about. We caught up with Esther and Anna, who is now a criminal lawyer, over a simple lunch.
Then we went to Ionia, Michigan where we met Caleb Lopez, the second son of John Lopez. He kindly allowed us to stay at his rented place. We visited him at SMAT - School of Missionary Aviation Technology where he is currently studying to be an aviation technician preparing himself for a ministry overseas.
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| At either a Spring or Autumn Concert at the Rodeheaver Auditorium |
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| Charissa, Felicia Mikesell, Cheryl Myers and Karina |
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| The outside of the building looks the same but the inside has been carpeted and refurbished |
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| A selfie with a sculpture of a violin (what else?!) |
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| Dan's final resting place at Pleasantview Church |
The site of the old Lakeland Christian Academy still exists! Felicia drove us to the tiny campus where we had a chance to reminisce. The buildings are in the same location although much worse for the wear. We had spent two years at this tiny Christian school from September 1983 to June 1985. There were about 90 students and a handful of staff members. It was at this Christian school we grew in our faith because the teachers walked the talk from Mr Carl Haner, the school administrator to Mrs Thomason, our 8th grade form teacher to Mr Fritz Wester, the 9th grade teacher and Mr and Mrs Smith who taught us Math and English respectively. Coach Linda Horton who taught the upperclassmen typing and who coached girls' volleyball, basketball and softball was someone I greatly respected too. To this day, I even remember the "shakinah" or "glory of the Lord which filled the tabernacle of the Old Testament because Mr Wester had shared with us at morning devotions about it.
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| Building B and Building C |
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| The basketball court and soccer field |
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| With dad and mum at LCA in winter 1984. Those nice warm blue winter coats were a birthday present from dad and mum. Most of our clothing for those two years were from the donated items at Grace College, the Salvation Army thrift stores or garage sales. It was nice to have a store-bought item of clothing once in a while! |
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| With Coach Linda Horton outside building A just before basketball season started in 1984 |
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| Building A - I had stepped out one freezing morning, slipped on the frozen doormat, fell and ripped my pants! |
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| Outside Building C where we used to have our English lessons with Mrs Smith and Algebra and Geometry lessons with Mr Eric Smith |
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| We drove around the new LCA campus nearby |
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| Charissa shares simplythestory with Clarissa, Felicia's middle daughter and Felicia at the Harvey home |
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| I had a craving for Arby's roast beef burger! It is smaller than I remember it! |
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| The sign we used to see from highway 30 which meant we were very near home!
The adults were not the only ones who had people to meet up with. Nathaniel's family took a drive to Valparaiso, Indiana to visit Ms Michelle Fredericks who was John and Geoff's first-grade teacher at International Christian School in Chiangmai, Thailand. She is residing in Portage, Indiana.
Nathaniel also had a chance to meet up with his high school classmate Rodney Brehany who hails from South Africa. He is now a chiropractor practising in Warsaw.
Pete and Beth Gross who served the Lord for a spell in Mexico, now own Bibles and Books and they hold a hispanic Sunday Service at their premises. This is where we found ourselves that Sunday morning 29 June. It felt a little like Sesame Street because that was the only place where we had heard Spanish spoken in our childhood years! As we sang choruses, I had not realised that El Salvador literally means "the Saviour"! It was a joy to see the grown-up children of Pete and Beth serve alongside them on instruments, Will on the drums and Nathan on the bass guitar. The congregation was made up of young people and young families. You could sense the warmth of Christian fellowship as the Americans reached out unabashedly in the love of Christ to their Spanish-speaking counterparts.
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| Kor and Pat and family with Pete and Beth Gross |
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| Kor, Pete, Beth and the Singies |
Sunday afternoon was also spent with Felicia. It was by God's design that she was in Warsaw for a short spell this summer! The Harveys have just relocated to San Antonio, Texas this past year! So it was our pleasure to catch up some more over excellent chocolate and peanut butter ice cream!
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| Ice cream goes down well with good friends |
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| The Warsaw library was where I had borrowed The Hobbit! (it was because I thought the title sounded cute!) |
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| Charissa and Felicia ham it up with a police officer |
Taking full advantage of the sunset at 9pm, we went for miniature golf at the Fun Centre at Paige's Crossing! A mother and her two daughters were waiting at the carpark and blessed us with three tickets for miniature golf free-of-charge! She said she had gotten it on a group-on. We did 18 holes till nightfall at 9.30pm!
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| So Charissa shows her mettle on the course |
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| Flea is in excellent form |
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| And the winner is... |
The next morning Monday 30 June, we met up with Kip Cone, who is now a pastor at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church. He was the president of the student council at LCA when he was a senior. His family had served for a while in Germany but are now back in the USA.
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| One for the album |
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| The children are fascinated with the whipped cream in their hot chocolate |
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| Charissa shares Simpythestory with Kip |
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| It was a blustery summer morning for a big breakfast |
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| Varsity Basketball Boys 1984 Back row from left: Coach Tyger Propp, Larry Harvey (whom Felicia married!), Trent Biller, Pete Gross, Sam Heldenbrand and Jeffrey Mathisen. Front row: Phil Doron, Kip Cone, Nathaniel Heng and Phil Yoder |
We left Winona Lake, Warsaw and headed northward to Grand Rapids, Michigan for yet another reunion. This time we met up with Esther and Anna Rapa who were in Singapore in the 1990s and in Chiangmai in the early 2000s for the Grand Rapids Extension Programme. Esther now works at World Mission which prepares the audio Bible for distribution worldwide. It is dubbed "the Treasure" and is loaded in many languages. Nathaniel and Attila, the techie on the premises had a lot to talk about. We caught up with Esther and Anna, who is now a criminal lawyer, over a simple lunch.
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| A simple lunch prepared for us by Esther Rapa 30 June 2014 |
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| At World Mission where the audio Bible (the Treasure) is being prepared and distributed worldwide. |
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| Esther showing us around |
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| Charissa sharing Simplythestory with Anna |
Then we went to Ionia, Michigan where we met Caleb Lopez, the second son of John Lopez. He kindly allowed us to stay at his rented place. We visited him at SMAT - School of Missionary Aviation Technology where he is currently studying to be an aviation technician preparing himself for a ministry overseas.
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| Chitchatting and winding down before bedtime. Yes, it's about 9pm in the evening! |
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| The boys slept in the living room |
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| This model of an airplane does not fly. |
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| The work areas where the aspiring technicians and pilots learn about all aspects of airplanes |
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| The trainee and the tourists |
We were invited to dinner by a couple from Caleb's church, Rick and Kim Poole who own a house from the American Civil War days! They are turning it into a Bed and Breakfast.
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| Our gracious hosts, Rick and Kim Poole 1 July 2014 |
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| Rick prepared burgers on the grill and we had pizza burgers! Check out the spinning jenny behind Nathaniel! |
As the USS Silversides submarine was berthed nearby in Muskegon, Michigan, we decided to go and visit on 1 July 2014. We were redirected by road works to the shoreline of the beautiful Lake Michigan. Nathaniel pulled kerbside to take a quick photograph of the whitecapped waves and people who were para-sailboarding when....the van gets well and truly STUCK!
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| The sight Kor wanted to capture on film.. |
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| The van's rear right wheel sinks into the "sugar sand" collected at kerbside! |
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| A kind passer-by tries to help us heave-ho but to no avail |
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| Even the police stop to help us after attending to another emergency |
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| Mum catches forty winks in the meantime |
This kind lady, Ruth Olson stops to give advice whilst walking her grandson to sailing class and stops to chat on her way back. Almost eighty, Ruth Olson doesn't look her age. Mum and I have to go to the restroom and we head to the public restrooms when Ruth kindly invites us to use the ones in her home nearby. The house used to be a school house! Dad met Mr Tom Olson and later led him to receive Christ as his personal Saviour! Our meeting had been indeed divinely orchestrated from the detours to get to the USS Silversides to the sand-trapped van! God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.
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| Mrs Olson and mum outside the Olson's lake front home |
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| A new friend and brother-in-Christ, Tom Olson |
So I want to end with the lyrics from Michael W. Smith's hit from 1983, "Friends".
Friends
Packing
up the dreams God planted
In
the fertile soil of you
I
can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means
a chapter of your life is through
But
we'll keep you close as always
It
won't even seem you've gone
'Cause
our hearts in big and small ways
Will
keep the love that keeps us strong
And
friends are friends forever
If
the Lord's the Lord of them
And a
friend will not say never
'Cause
the welcome will not end
Though
it's hard to let you go
In
the Father's hands we know
That
a lifetime's not too long
To
live as friends
And
with the faith and love God's given
Springing
from the hope we know
We
will pray the joy you live in
Is
the strength that now you show
We'll
keep you close as always
It
won't even seem you've gone
'Cause
our hearts in big and small ways
Will
keep the love that keeps us strong
And
friends are friends forever
If
the Lord's the Lord of them
And a
friend will not say never
'Cause
the welcome will not end
Though
it's hard to let you go
In
the Father's hands we know
That
a lifetime's not too long
To
live as friends
And
friends are friends forever
If
the Lord's the Lord of them
And a
friend will not say never
'Cause
the welcome will not end
Though
it's hard to let you go
In
the Father's hands we know
That
a lifetime's not too long
To live
as friends
To
live as friends
Though
it's hard to let you go
In
the Father's hands we know
That
a lifetime's not too long
To
live as friends
No a
lifetime's not too long
To
live as friends
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