Cute Kids...

if I may say so myself! :)

A Trip to the Sinai..in Asia??!

We took a little trip to the Sinai this past weekend. It's always nice to get out of the city and breath fresh air and see stars. We drove through some amazing scenery...wow...God is so creative! The most fasinating part of the trip was that we crossed over into Asia, stayed on the Red Sea looking over Saudi Arabia in an area that some believe to be the place that Moses crossed over with the Israelites...and we were near a Bedouin village...just typing that amazes me! We are so grateful for the experiences that God allows us to enjoy.

It was a little windy...
The Red Sea...with Saudi in the background and where some believe Moses crossed...(and where we made a sand castle!)
Bedouin lady making bread dough...
Her name was Selma...
Mariah and Madison posing with her...
Meredith making her bread...just imagine if we had to do this everyday..we would starve!
Matt had to have a turn...I love his concentration face!
But this was definately Madison's cup of tea... or slice of bread..:)

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We loved this sign and even went back to see the camel races but they didn't have them at the time they were advertised...:)
But we did find a camel hanging out in the street...and Matt almost had a head on collision with one!

Soccer is BIG Here...

Madison and Matthew Ray proud to be Egyptians!

Meredith with her very cool friends/teammates, Dana and Kinzi

The same day that Egypt played Algeria in a playoff for the World Cup, Meredith's school played a local Sudanese school...We were just as excited about Meredith's game as we were the Egypt game! We were sad to see Egypt lose but super excited that Meredith's team won!! Go Crocs!!!

Madison and Matthew Ray's Belated Bday Party

Well, we were a little late this year getting to the actual party for Madison and Matthew Ray...people visiting and an appendectomy threw us off this year. :) I was determined to make a really cool rainbow cake this year. I don't think I could have made it without Mariah's help but it turned out great! We had a full house and everyone had a great time!







Check out this super cool surprise...

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The Biggest Surprise EVER!!!!

So, everyone knew but me....but it was the coolest surprise ever! Mariah came to see me. I didn't even recognize her because I was so not expecting her. Matt tricked me into going to the airport to help with some other friends that were coming. I wasn't feeling well that day and really didn't want to go but at the last minute I agreed. I think the pictures really speak for themselves:





Ahhh...I love her!

Meeting Needs...

This past week has been an amazing week around here in these parts! We just sent off a group from the States that have been with us for the past 9 days. They were here helping us with our ministry to Autistic children and their families. I have to say that they were ONE AMAZING TEAM with so much talent. We saw 18 children and trained about 15-20 shadows, parents and teachers each day. They were able to ease some parent's minds and were also able to give them the tools they need for their children.

Training Time:

Mervat, one of our translators and a dear friend to our family:

Julie and Vicky with Stacey and Matthew Ray
April with Vicky and Julie


The team also spent time playing with our kids and loving on them:


And....while they were here we also celebrated my (Stacey's) 38th birthday at the NEW Outback Steakhouse. It was such a fun time of relaxation in the middle of an intense week.

Don't ask...but just know that this is pure talent (I'm just sayin:)







THANKS GUYS! WE LOVE YOU AND CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO COME BACK AGAIN!!!!!