Time Flies...

It has been five years since I had the privilege of teaching this class of freshmen at Beijing Institute of Technology.  They were scheduled to earn their undergraduate degrees in May 2018, so most are doing graduate work now, some have stayed in touch and are kind enough to express their appreciation for the things learned in English class...

...about their second language, life and our reason for being. 

"We have no greater joy than to know that our children are walking in the truth." (3 John 4)

Tim's Engaged!!

They dated for four years, two months and are now engaged to be married at a TBD date following their May 2016 graduation from Appalachian State University.  Those pictured below (plus the father of the bride-to-be, who took the photo) were all at the Somerville home in Montreat to share in the excitement the evening after the proposal and acceptance!

One Month Out

Just because we've been gone from China for a month now, it doesn't mean we're done with that part of our lives... as evidence, I submit these photos... the one at left of a group we had dinner with in Jacksonville last week that included Cory Zhu, the Chinese-American former student of Grace's who stayed with us three days in June ...the other, from one of mine (pictured front and center) who spent part of his summer in New York (and sent this picture with a note saying he has had a great time in "my" country.)

Lana's Ashes

I obviously lack the skills to get a good panoramic photo with my borrowed iPhone, but this poor attempt will give readers some idea of the specialness of yesterday's ceremony in which we finally fulfilled my late wife's request to have her ashes spread in the woods behind our old church in Gainesville, Florida... plans are to erect a gazebo on the site by the first week in October.

All Five Kids!!

Rare have been the occasions in which all five of our 'kids' have been with us; Saturday's event brought them, our grandson Josh and all but Bonnie's husband, Andrew, in the category of "significant others"!

Site Prep

Rick employed the right equipment for clearing the area where we plan to put up the gazebo (the first week in October), and the crew pictured below along with Mary Alice Dennis spread the mulch...

The ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25th on the prayer trail in the northwest corner of the Westside Baptist Church property at 10000 West Newberry Road... join us if you are in the area!!

Honoring a Request

My (Greg's) first wife, Lana, requested that her ashes be spread in the flowers around a gazebo off the prayer trail at our home church in Gainesville, Florida...

Since she left this earth April 9, 2008, the fulfillment of that request is long overdue, but this is the week!  We plan to clear the site and clean up the trail in preparation for a short ceremony July 25th!