He's Back!!!

He finally made it home for R'n'R!

I think they look happy!

I was proud of all our Medfordites that stopped by to thank him for his service!

A moment that I do not think most of us could even imagine!

It was wonderful to watch.

-The kids ready with their welcome home signs--they sure love their brother-in-law!

Caleb trying to be helpful with Michael's luggage:)

They have a little less than 2 weeks together!

Pray they have a blessed time!

A Big Decision and a Move

Michael and Erinn have some big news.

Besides looking forward to his leave soon.

Michael has just reenlisted!

Here you see him at his ceremony on his field of duty.

They will be transferred to.......

You guessed it, HAWAII!

Think they may deserve a little R-N-R on this beautiful island after spending most of their first year of marriage apart!

Congratulations both of you. We pray that God blesses you abundantly as you continue to serve Him where ever He leads you.

Veterans Day

So what did our Veterans Day look like?

We prayed for Sgt. Michael Graber with the US Army in Ir*q.

We waved flags!

We prayed for Specialist Ryan Fowler of the US National Guard.

We went to the Veterans Day Parade.

We prayed for my cousin Chandler Wolph serving with the US Army in Korea.

We talked of what freedom means and the safety our soldiers bring us.

We prayed for my brother-in-law, David Ness, formerly of the US Navy, now serving as a consultant in Afgani*tan.

And we united as a group to show our support of their bravery.

I cannot get these to line up, but hopefully you understand:)

Veterans Day Idea

Here on the bottom is our Michael all geared up and on top is my brother-in law, Dave, in another hostile territory.

Just thought I would send out and idea that my kids and I have done for the last 4 Veteran's Days.

Since my young ones came from a country at war, and Caleb had vivid memories, I thought it was a good idea to talk to him of our love and respect for our service men, both those serving now and those whom have served.

Good thing I taught him early on as he has two new brother-in-laws who are service men and have both seen active duty:)

Caleb has learned to respect and honor, not fear. Not an easy thing for a child who has had military men point guns at him just for asking for food!

So on to an idea we wanted to share.

Each Veterans Day we bake cookies, bread, or some such thing and deliver them to men we have met in our neighborhood who are veterans. We have brought cookies to numerous WWII vets, Korean vets, and some of the present hostilities vets.

Each year we get to see the surprise on these men's faces as the see someone honoring them! This should not be. I am honored to have had them serve for me and my family, and I am thankful I can show a kindness especially on this day that is meant to honor them, not just be another vacation day.

Let me know what you think and if you take some 'sweet' action this Veterans Day!

A View From?

Such a beautiful sunrise!

Kinda like David's beautiful picture in eastern Oregon.

But....

This comes from a little farther away!

Yes, the other side of the globe!

Michael has sent some pictures home.The land of Bible times.

A mix of beauty and war.

3rd ACR

This short video is of Michael's unit in Ir*q. We have had many people ask what they are doing there since they hear on the news that we are pulling out of Ir*q. This short clip will answer some of those questions.

Remember to keep our military men and women in your prayers!

Today is..

...a good day to remember and be thankful we live a nation that pursues freedom and honors heroes!

Pray today for the families of the many who lost their lives on this day.

Pray for our nation to make wise decisions regarding our freedom and the fight for it.

Pray for those who daily put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free; those in the mili*tary, the police, the firemen and so on.

I ask specific prayer for Michael and Erinn on this day, as it can be a day of targeting the mili*tary.

Also, my brother-in-law, David, is presently working in Af*ganistan non-mili*tary with computers, but also in dangerous situations. And my sister Sandi, as she stays home caring for two energetic little boys by herself for a year.

I know there are so many more, but these are the two that are daily on our hearts.

If you have a loved one you would like to add to the prayer list, leave a comment, and we will happily be praying for more!!

God bless on this Patriot's Day!

Saying Good-Bye

Today was the sad day that Michael and Erinn had to say good-bye!

Less than 2 months after their marriage, Michael is deploying to Ir*q for his second tour.

Yes, they knew it was coming. And yes, it is still very hard!

They would appreciate your prayers in the coming year of separation.

Erinn will be traveling back here on Friday and staying here, while she finishes her last year at SOU. We will love having her and being able to support them both in this way.

A Promotion..

A huge congratulations to Michael on his promotion to Sergeant!!


Way to go Michael, we are so proud of you an honored to soon (7 days) have you as our
son-in-law!!


The US Mil*tary is lucky to have men like you in their ranks, as are we having men like you serve our country so faithfully!!

Memorial Day 2010

We had a beautiful celebration of Memorial Day at our local National Cemetery.

Fly-by in bi-planes!!
We are VERY thankful to all the men and women who have served to keep our country free!!

May God bless all those who are presently serving and keep them safe!!
Ryan F.
Michael G.
David B.
David M.
Andy W.
Chandler W.
Just a few of our close friends and family that are now serving.

Praises!!!

With joy we get to announce the wonderful answers to prayer that our daughters and soon to be sons-in-law had this week!!

Danielle and Ryan have been on a prayer journey reguarding some funds they were waiting for from the mili*ary. This week they heard the funds are on the way!!

Also due to the mili*ary they were waiting on papers that they needed for housing. They did not come and they did not come. Danielle had given notice to move out on May 1st and had no where to go. We were all praying like crazy. Two days ago they were able to rent an apartment without the papers and she moves in Saturday!!

Erinn had a safe trip to Texas to see Michael for the first time since the engagement!

And yesterday with very little notice, Michael went to boards for a promotion with flying colors!! You can bet we were all covering him with prayer for this unexpected test. Looks like he will be de*loying with a few more responsibilities. Congratulations Michael!!

SAFE!!

We are happy to report that Michael, Erinn's boyfriend, is safe! He is presently stationed at Fort Hood where the terrible shooting took place this afternoon. Our pastor's son, David, who is also stationed there is also safe.

We ask for you to pray along with us for the many families whose news is not so joyous tonight. As of last report there were 11 dead and 31 wounded, 2 of them seriously. May God love surround those families and grant healing to those wounded.

Danielle and Ryan's visit

Danielle and fiance Ryan were blessed with his 10 day leave from his tour in Kosovo! While she did have to share him with his family, she was extremely happy for the time they had together. He left on Sunday, not to return till late November.

They were blessed by my aunt and uncle with tickets to the Angels game--right behind home plate!! She was amazed at how much more exciting the game is when you can actually see the ball instead of being in the 'nose bleed' section.

I believe this picture is at Disneyland, as well as obviously the one below. As a serviceman, Ryan was given free admission and Danielle was half price, so they spent 3 wonderful days just relaxing together. It is great that many places are recognizing the service these hard working men and women are giving our country.

And the traditional Disneyland picture--The Happiest Place on Earth! I think they believed that just because they were blessed to be together.

She's in Texas!

Erinn called to say she safely made it to Texas this afternoon.

Wondering why she might be there? Well I guess it has to do with special man! She is excited to be there, to say the least!

By the way Michael was promoted early. He is now Specialist Michael Grabber!! Congratulations to you Mike!

They have a busy week scheduled. Last thing I heard had something to do with The Alamo on The Fourth of July!! Should be an exciting time for them both!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Remembrance 2009

We were blessed to be able to attend a memorial service to honor those who have served our country in military service. There were about 200 people in attendance at our local National Cemetery. We want to remember all those who have given of themselves to protect our freedom.

We also want to remember those who serve us now.

Here is PFC Ryan Fowler with Vice President Biden, whom he met while being part of his security detail in Kosovo.

Below is PFC Korn, PFC Graber and Specialist Woodford in a picture taken while serving in Iraq. They are all currently stateside.

PFC Fowler is Danielle's fiance and PFC Graber is Erinn's boyfriend.

We lift these men and all those serving in our military up in prayer for their safety physically, mentally and spiritually.

A Tribute to Wounded Warriors

I was having trouble getting this in the right way, but you can click on the link and see the video anyways!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0mm4u2VzDs

A beautiful tribute to all our warriors serving to protect our freedom. And a good reminder that whether we agree with this war or not, we need to be behind those who are on the front line doing their jobs for us!

Ryan is off

Today Danielle's fiance, Ryan, left for his year long deployment in Kosovo with the National Guard. He will be meeting up with his unit in Germany where they have been doing some training, while Ryan has been having surgery and recovering. His unit most likely be the last in Kosovo, as they will be turning things over to the nationals whom they are training.

Join us in praying for all the men and women serving in our armed forces all around the world, and for all the family they leave behind.

Thank you to our Military

Thank you to all those serving in our armed forces!

We pray for your protection!

Here is Erinn with PFC Michael Graber of the 3rd ACR. The division has just returned from a tour in Iraq. They will be 20 months stateside.
Erinn was blessed with a weekend trip to Texas to see Mike and welcome him home.