Finally!  Don’t get me wrong.  Thoroughly enjoyed the time stateside, but it’s gonna be great to sleep in my own bed after five weeks in other beds.

Hello all!

As many of you know (and have seen), we are presently in the States for summer vacation.  I suppose this is one of the perks of working for a school, although I will assure that we put in a full year’s worth of work in the 10 months of school year!

We spent last Monday traveling back to Kansas (from Colorado) with Rick’s parents.  It was nice to have all the time on the road to chat, catch up, and laugh.  We spent Monday night in Overland Park, KS and then flew Florida on Tuesday afternoon.  We had a lay-over in Dallas which was extended (the connecting flight was delayed), but we were able to chat with several very interesting people, so at least is was interesting.

We have spent the last week in Florida with my parents.  We spent the first couple of days in the pool, paddling around and enjoying the sunshine.  We spent one afternoon in Tampa, visiting with Amanda and Craig Black.  Her parents live in Tampa, so we took advantage of the opportunity to see our Quito friends in a Floridian environment.  We went to the peir, ate lunch, and watched the birds beg for food.  We even saw a dolphin in the water as we walked back to our car.

On Sunday we heard a sermon from one of my favorite pastors, my dad.  He began a six week sabatical today (Tuesday), so that was the last sermon he will preach for a couple of weeks.  He and my mom will both take this time to seek fresh vision and guidance for their church and their ministry.  I have to admit that I like the timing of their sabatical, as it also give us more time with them while we are here.

Monday was spent shopping for the last few things on our list (walking shoes, t-shirts, etc.).  I have purchased several (read ‘many’) shoes while we are here, but figure they will have to last me at least until next summer (or longer), since shoes in Quito are pretty expensive.

We spent today at Homosassa Park (great name!).  We got to see a lot of different birds and animals that are native to Florida, as well as a hippo named Lu who was declared a ‘naturalized citizen’ so that he could stay in the park many years ago.  We all came back a little tanner, a little warmer, and ready for a nap.  It has been so wonderful to be able to spend time with my parents, catching up on family news, and just enjoying each other’s company.  We are hopeful that they will be able to come to visit us in Quito some time in the next year or two.

We will be in Florida until this coming Friday, when we fly back to Quito.  Rick will start a three-week, intensive Spanish course (five days a week, 8am - 3:30pm) the following Monday.  I will be at home or at the school, preparing for the beginning of classes.  Due to a decision made by the minister of education, classes will be starting a week later than planned, but staff and teachers still have to be present during that week for in-service trainings and prep-work.

Thank you, once again, for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  Please pray for us in the days to come, as we travel and as we leave our families behind once again.  We know that we are doing the Lord’s will, and we are finding our comfort in Quito, but it is still hard to be so far from the people we love.

May God bless and keep you all,
Rachel Sams

Hello friends and family!

I know that I promised to try to continue the weekly emails over the summer months, and I still plan to!  I don’t think I realized how challenging it would be to actually sit still long enough to put thoughts in an email for you all!

We have been in the States since June 19th.  We started out in Olathe, KS.  We spent our first few days catching up on our American eating (Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, Taco Bell, etc.) and seeing a lot of friends.  Rick sang on the worship team at Oak Hills (our home church) on Sunday, and it was just like old times.  As I looked around the congregation, it really shocked me to see how much some of the kids had grown since we left.  It was so surprising (although I don’t really know why) to see kids who were toddlers when we left, who are now in kindergarten!  Time seems to have snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking.

One thing we weren’t quite prepared for was the heat!  We have grown accustomed to the temperate weather in Quito (about 65-75 degrees year round) and the low humidity.  Summer months in KS are quite the opposite!  I am sure that our time in FL will be similar, too.  We were able to go to the lake with the Miller family twice (Rick loved riding on the jet skis) and the water was so refreshing.  We are grateful to them for sharing their lake house, their boat, and their jet skis with those of us who tag along.

Rick and I, both, were able to spend time with friends that we haven’t seen in a long time.  We saw several friends from college days, as well as from our days as newlyweds.  It is fun to see how and what they are doing now, as well as meeting their families and kids.

We spent July 3rd at a family get-together at Rick’s cousin’s house.  Just about everyone was there!  The kids played in the pool, while the adults sat on the porch and enjoyed the breeze.  We were able to meet one new addition to the family, baby Merrit, who is 5 months old.

On July 4th we headed out to Rick’s parent’s home in Springfield, MO (about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Olathe, KS).  We have spent plenty of time eating and napping, since we arrived. :)  On Monday (yesterday) we went to Branson, to the Branson Belle.  It is a large, paddle wheel, boat with dinner and a live show.  The food was wonderful and the show was very entertaining.  I think every one’s favorite was the ventriloquist with the ‘talking’ dogs (Todd Oliver).  We had a lot of fun!

On Wednesday (tomorrow) we will drive to CO to see Rick’s sister and her family.  On July 14th, we will drive back to Kansas City, KS and catch a flight to FL where we will spend time to my parents.

As you can see, we are doing a lot of traveling!  We are really enjoying that opportunity to catch up with everyone and seeing our families.  Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.

May God bless and keep you all,
Rachel Sams