Curlee Connection

Christmas Outreaches!!

2011-12-11T06:07:00.003-05:00

Always a good time of year to hold some special events to tell folks here what Christmas is all about. Page invited some kids over to bake some Christmas cookies and to tell them the Christmas story. It was a fun night. Continue to remember the people here in Taiwan -- that they will see why Jesus had to be born!!

Winter Sports

2011-12-11T06:02:00.004-05:00

Milly, Wade, and Hunter are all enjoying various sports this winter. Milly and Wade made the girsl and boys JV basketball teams. Wade is actually coached by his dad!! Pictures of Wade will follow in some later posts. Hunter enjoyed a great softball season. His 6th grade team competed this past weekend in the 6th grade tourney and won it!!

Levi is still playing soccer each Saturday and continues to love it.

Milly voted MIP!!

2011-11-18T23:27:00.003-05:00

Milly had a fun time this fall on the swim team. She had never swam competitively before the season began but her times improved each meet. In fact, she improved so much that her teammates voted her the Most Improved Swimmer for JV girls this year. Congratulations Milly!!

Mustangs Win Soccer Tourney

2011-11-06T05:58:00.003-05:00

Wade's JVB soccer team won the annual JVB soccer tourney this past weekend. Wade, who is a defender, played great for all four games. In fact, no team scored one goal on the team during the entire tournament. Wade was selected to the All-Tourney team along with his two of his teammates. Way to go Mustangs.

6th Grade Boys Win A Championship

2011-10-23T04:02:00.002-04:00

This past weekend Hunter's 6th grade team played a final end of the year tourney in volleyball. All the boys played great, including Hunter, and brought home the 1st place plaque. See Hunter and two of his teammates -- Noah and Josh!!

Milly and Page back from the Philippines!!

2011-10-17T06:53:00.003-04:00

The girls made it back. They had a great time but were completetly worn out. They did a bunch of stuff in a short amount of time. Milly swam every day with her swim team (see photo) and also loved on some orphans!!!

Page in the Philippines

2011-10-13T07:18:00.002-04:00

Page with one of the many children that she is helping take care of this week in the Philippines.

Boys week!!

2011-10-12T04:27:00.004-04:00

With Page and Milly gone this week the four boys have been having some fun. We do miss Milly and Page and look forward to them coming back though. One thing that has been fun is "no vegetable week". So far we have watched a lot of football (see TV picture above of Bears vs. Lions game), went to a movie, eaten at BK twice, Chili's once, and gone bowling. Looking forward to going to a theme park on Thursday and a golf range on Friday!! Page and Milly return early Sunday morning!!

The Mud Girls

2011-10-11T21:50:00.002-04:00

Page and Milly are having a great time in the Philippines. They are working hard. Picture above is of them after digging a ditch for 4 hours!!

A week off of school!!!

2011-10-10T03:26:00.004-04:00

This week -- we have no school. Each year during this same time (around Oct. 10) we have our fall break. October 10 is when the Republic of China (Taiwan) celebrates its birthday. Today is a big one -- 100 years for the Republic of China.

Milly and Page Headed to the Philippines

2011-10-01T08:59:00.002-04:00

They leave on Oct. 9 and will be back on Oct. 16. They will be joining some other students on the swim team as well as some adults. They will stay at the same place that Milly went over the summer. Please pray for safety and receptive hearts as they share God's love. Thanks.

Wade and Soccer

2011-09-26T07:37:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts for the last month or so. To say we have been busy would be an understatement. Hopefully, things will slow down now that school has been underway for several weeks.

Milly and Wade are both playing sports this fall. Milly is on the swim team and has improved tremendously. She will be going to the Philippines with Page and other swimmers in a couple of weeks. We will update that trip for you soon.

Wade is playing JV-B soccer. He is really improving too and is a steady force on the defense. The team is 4-0 so far.

School closed on Monday!!

2011-08-28T09:10:00.003-04:00

With the approaching typhoon coming Morrison decided to close school. Typhoon Day!!

Typhoon Headed Our Way!!

2011-08-28T04:57:00.003-04:00

I know many of you reading this have had to deal with Hurricane Irene. Well, here in Taiwan we have our own typhoon that we will need to deal with. It is expected to hit Taiwan some time on Monday morning. This typhoon is a slow moving one so a lot of rain is expected. We should be ok here in Taichung as we are well protected by mountains.

First Day of School!!

2011-08-15T07:28:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of school here at Morrison. Good day for all the kids. Shout out to Hunter who now is a middle schooler with a locker. He was excited (see picture of Hunter and all his buddies). This year Milly will be a junior, Wade a freshmen, Hunter a 6th grader, and Levi enters 3rd grade.

Ghost Month in Taiwan

2011-08-14T04:46:00.006-04:00

The seventh lunar month marks Ghost month here in Taiwan. Today was the 15th day of ghost month and many folks were out burning money and had food sacrifices set out to appease the ghosts. Top picture is the local temple, middle picture is a family burning paper money and bottom picture is a neighbor of ours who set out food, etc. for this special day. Please pray for a spiritual break through for the island of Taiwan.

Basketball Camp!!

2011-08-14T04:36:00.003-04:00

Last week all three boys participated in a basketball camp at Morrison. It was a lot of fun. Levi's team won it all against Hunter's team in the finals of the younger division. Levi was awarded the most outstanding camper for the week!! Wade's team played for the older division championship as well but lost by 2 points in a very competitive game. Wade earned most improved for the week. Above are a couple of pictures taken by their proud mom.

Sports and English Camp

2011-08-04T08:53:00.004-04:00

Last week Page helped out at a Sports and English Camp on the Morrison campus. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun too. Page coached tennis, taught English, and was a leader of a "family group". Hunter and Levi participated in the program too and Keith helped Page teach English. Overall there were around 120 campers. Fifteen or so made decisions for Christ. It was a great week!! Above are Page and Keith's English students.

Back from the Philippines

2011-07-31T07:35:00.004-04:00

We made it back safely from the Philippines. We had a great time on our 10 day stay. Milly had many opportunities to play with orphans and show them Jesus' love. Wade played a lot of basketball. In one game at half time he shared his testimony. After every game he passed out tracts. Keith coached the team (See team picture above).

Philippines

2011-07-14T20:25:00.003-04:00

Keith, Milly, and Wade are headed on a mission trip to the Philippines today. They will be gone 9 nights. Please pray for safety and many opportunities to share Jesus' love. Thanks.

Back in Taiwan!!

2011-07-13T08:27:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed our 30 day vacation to the States. It went by fast. We were on the go the whole time as we were at the beach, then to High Point, then to the mountains, back to HP, then to Southern Pines, then back to the beach, then to Gastonia. We enjoyed seeing and spending time with family and friends. We also realized how much our kids perspective on things is just not the same as ours was growing up. Here are few comments we heard....

Milly asked her mom in the car at night as Page turned her bright lights on in NC -- "Mom how did you make your lights so big??" Apparently we never need our bright lights here in Taiwan.

Wade asked his dad -- "Dad -- how come the light switch is inside the bathroom?" Light switches are commonly outside the bathrooms here in Taiwan.

Finally as we were saying goodbyes to the Murrows -- Levi commented, "This is something we just do." He was referring to saying goodbyes a lot.

We did not hear a comment from Hunter like this. Only comment from Hunter that stands out is "Mom - do you think I am tan for my age?"

Funny stuff!!!

Fun at Isle of Palms

2011-06-12T20:31:00.002-04:00

We made it back safely to the US for our 30 day vacation. We will be spending time with family and friends over these next 4 weeks. This week we are with Page's family at Isle of Palms Beach in South Carolina. Pictured above is Levi and one of his cousins -- Branton.

Wade's 8th Grade Recognition

2011-06-04T01:55:00.004-04:00

Wade made it through middle school!! Last Wednesday the school recognized all 8th graders. It was a cool night. Pictured above are all 34 8th graders. Bottom picture - Wade is almost up to his Dad's height.

Milly's Sweet Sixteen Birthday!!

2011-06-04T01:53:00.002-04:00

Milly had a sweet sixteen pool birthday party last weekend. Her real birthday is not until June 26 but she decided to celebrate it early so all of her classmates (she has several friends that dorm) could come to her party. It was a fun night. Hard to believe she is 16!!

Hunter's Soccer Team

2011-06-04T01:50:00.003-04:00

Hunter played on a 5th grade soccer team recently. They had a great time. Above is a picture of the team and also Hunter in action.

Saying Goodbyes

2011-05-31T09:22:00.002-04:00

A tough part about living here -- overseas at Morrison -- is saying a lot of goodbyes. It is common for us to say goodbye to close friends every year. This year is no exception. The Robarts will be leaving next Monday, June 6 to head back to the States for good. They have lived here for 6 years and have become good friends. Vaughn and Keith are close as they have coached basketball with each other for the past several years. They will be missed.

Junor/Senior Banquet

2011-05-15T08:33:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday night, Morrison held its annual Junior-Senior Banquet (JSB). The juniors honored the seniors in a nice way by hosting the banquet. It was a lot of fun!! Pictures above are Keith along with other coaches and junior/senior varsity bb players, Keith and a senior student (Seul A), and Keith and his lovely wife, Page.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-11T07:51:00.002-04:00

Page enjoyed Mother's Day this year. She woke up to some beautiful flowers picked by Keith along with a Starbucks card from Wade. After church we went out to eat at Fridays. On the way home we stopped at a plant nursery and Hunter and Levi picked out a pretty potted plant for Page. Finally, for dinner we went to the Night Market (one of Page's favorite places to go). It was a fun day. Picture above was taken at Fridays. As you can see -- the sun was very bright as you see all the squinting.

Easter Outreach Pictures

2011-05-02T09:10:00.005-04:00

Page, Milly, Hunter, and Levi went to a local park on Easter Sunday and shared the reason we celebrate Easter. It was a good day. Above are some pictures of it.

Great time in Kenting!!

2011-04-21T06:07:00.002-04:00

We (all the Curlee gang and Page's parents) headed to the beach (Kenting) over our Easter break. We had a great time of bathing in the sun and eating a lot. One high light was going to the most Southern tip of the island. It was cool to see where the China Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet.

Page's Parents are Here!!

2011-04-11T08:54:00.003-04:00

Page's parents -- known as Papa and Nana to us -- arrived here safely last Friday. They are staying here with us for almost three weeks!!!

Levi's Concert

2011-04-11T08:50:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, Levi had his end of year music concert. It was a cool production. Levi sang out loud and even played the drums in a couple of songs.

Dorm Party!!

2011-04-03T07:36:00.004-04:00

Milly enjoyed a school dorm party on Sunday night. Even though she does not dorm she was invited to participate in "Blind Date" night. Part of the night was spending time in the mud, getting wet, and having eggs cracked on you. She looks gross but had fun.

2011 Field Day

2011-03-29T07:13:00.004-04:00

All of our boys enjoyed their field day this past Saturday. They all performed great and brought home quite a few ribbons. Great shots above of them in action.

Band Concert

2011-03-29T07:07:00.003-04:00

The Spring Band Concert was last Friday night. Milly, Wade, and Hunter all performed very well. Notice that Hunter is much taller than Milly now. Last summer Milly was taller than Hunter!!

Keith in Malaysia

2011-03-24T10:16:00.002-04:00

Keith is in Malaysia this week at a teacher's conference. He is staying in a very nice resort and enjoying warm weather and a beautiful view of the ocean from his hotel room. He heads back to Taiwan this Sunday.

Soccer Shots!!

2011-03-20T04:54:00.003-04:00

Both Hunter and Levi had soccer games this past Saturday. They both played in two to three games. They won some and lost some. Good shots of them in their soccer uniforms.

March Madness!!

2011-03-19T04:21:00.002-04:00

Although we live far away from March madness we still try to predict who will win it all. This year Milly and Page did not want to pick but all of us boys did. So far, Keith is winning but still a lot of games to be played.

Outside Service

2011-03-15T08:52:00.004-04:00

We had to hold our worship service outside this past Sunday. God blessed us with a beautiful day!! It was a great day of worship. Above are some pictures of the service.

Hunter turns 11!!

2011-03-12T06:45:00.002-05:00

Hunter will turn 11 on March 13. On Saturday, March 12 we had a birthday party for him. All the kids enjoyed a scavenger hunt, cake, ice-cream, and a fun game of tag football. It was a fun day. Hard to believe but Hunter was 5 when we moved to Taiwan.

Church on the Move!!

2011-03-06T06:39:00.004-05:00

Literally!! We rent out a local middle school for our church services. The room we normally rent out is being renovated for the month of March. So, we have had to move to another room that we have used in the past. However, this next Sunday we are unable to meet in that room. So, we decided to have church at a local park. Pray that those that normally don't hear the message will be able to hear!! Above -- see our sign to point people to the right direction -- which could be in a lot of different locations.

Champions!!

2011-03-04T03:51:00.003-05:00

As stated in an earlier post, Morrison Varsity boys won the Far East tournament for the third straight year. It was a great year!! Not only did the team win the championship but also finished 35-0. Above is the team photo.

Back from South Korea

2011-02-27T06:59:00.004-05:00

Keith returned safely back from South Korea. The varsity boys basketball team won the Far East tournament for the third straight year!! Keith had a great time but is glad to be back at home!!

Keith Headed to South Korea

2011-02-18T03:59:00.003-05:00

Keith is headed to Daegu, South Korea to help out with the varsity boys basketball team. They have their ending tournament there. Morrison is favored to win it all but it will be tough with all the teams gunning for them. We will post an update after he gets back on next Saturday, Feb. 26.

High School Banquet

2011-02-13T02:07:00.009-05:00

Morrison had it's annual HS banquet on Saturday night. It was a lot of fun. Milly had a great time. Keith and Page also went and enjoyed seeing all the students dressed up. Above are some pictures before and after the banquet. Doesn't Milly look beautiful!! (So does Page!!)

Back to School!!!

2011-02-06T07:05:00.003-05:00

We have had a nice break but it comes to an end. The kids and Keith all report back to school on Monday. Page also will begin her weekly routine this week. Pictured above is Milly along with several of her girl classmates.

New Year's Company

2011-02-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

Caitlin and Gabrielle are sisters that live in the Morrison dorms. They did not go back to stay with their parents who live in China over this Chinese New Year so we have kept them. They are great girls and we are glad that we have gotten to know them better. They will report back to the dorms on Sunday afternoon.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T00:34:00.003-05:00

Chinese New Year is today. This begins the Year of the Rabbit. We have all this week off of school and work, etc. It has been a fun week. On Monday we went to Nine Tribes -- an amusement/historical area in Taiwan that highlights the original nine tribes of Taiwan. The picture is of Keith, Page, Milly, and a friend's baby that they are keeping over Chinese New Year for an orphanage. In the background --see rabbits for the Year of the Rabbit. Happy New Year!!

Undefeated Season!!

2011-01-23T04:00:00.003-05:00

Keith's JV basketball team just concluded their season this past weekend. The team had a great year and won all their games to finish a perfect 17-0. In addition to the unbeaten streak they also won two tournaments!! Now, Keith will help out the varsity finish out their season. By the way, the varsity is undefeated too.

Basketball Weekend!!

2011-01-16T02:51:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was a basketball filled weekend. Here are the results of every one's basketball tournaments.

Wade's JVB team played in 4 games this past Saturday in Kaoshiung. Wade played well and scored in each game. He scored double figures (10 points) in one of the games. The team was in a tough pool and went 1-3 on the day. Wade's season is over and ms soccer will begin next.

Milly's JV team played in Taipei this weekend. Milly played tough defense. The team made it all the way to the finals but lost by 2 on a last second shot. See Milly's team above with another picture of Milly in action. Milly's season is over too.

Keith's JV team played and won the island wide JV tourney. Their team is now 12-0 and plays in another tournament next weekend to conclude the season.

It's COLD!!

2011-01-12T06:12:00.002-05:00

This week has brought very cold temperatures to Taiwan. Normally, we do not have too many cold days here in Taichung but this week has been really cold. The temperature right now is 10 degrees Celsius (around 50 degrees Fahrenheit) but it feels much colder with the wind, the humidity, and the fact that we have no heat. We are hoping that this cold spell leaves soon!!

Wade's Day

2011-01-09T05:53:00.003-05:00

Today, Jan. 9, is Wade's 14th birthday. He had a good day. We went to Chili's for lunch and the tradition here at the Taiwan's Chili's is to stand on a chair and the waiters and waitresses sing "Happy Birthday" to you as you hold a cheese cake.

This weekend, Wade's basketball team competed in a tourney in Taipei. They played well and finished tied for 3rd place with a 2-1 record. Wade played hard even though he was not feeling his best.

Happy Birthday Wade!!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T01:11:00.003-05:00

We brought in 2011 (the 100th year of the Republic of China) by eating at a nice Indian restaurant, playing board games at a friends, and finally watching fireworks explode out of Taipei 101!!

Christmas Pics

2010-12-26T02:44:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures of our celebration. The bottom picture is of the kids upstairs awaiting the ok to come downstairs to begin the opening of the presents. The top picture is of the family right before we headed to some friends house for a Christmas party. Again, Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas from Taiwan!!

2010-12-24T03:52:00.004-05:00

We hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas break this year. Our tree is up and Page is especially busy with all the cookie making for our village friends. We will celebrate tonight (Christmas eve) by eating dinner at a friend's house. Tomorrow we will open up all the many presents that we have received from many of you. Again, Merry CHRISTmas!!

NC team here in Taiwan!!

2010-12-23T04:29:00.003-05:00

As stated earlier, we had the privilege to work with a fantastic group from our home club in NC. They presented Christmas to four different groups. They did a fantastic job and many seeds were planted. Pictured above is the "team" right after they arrived in Taiwan. The other picture is Keaton Spillman about to go on as "Joseph".

Visit from Green Street Team

2010-12-21T02:07:00.002-05:00

We had a great visit from eight of our friends from GSBC/HPCA. They arrived on Sunday, Dec. 12 and left on Tuesday, Dec. 21. We were all very busy with 4 outreaches. They also got to see Morrison in action. It was great seeing our friends and sharing our lives with them. We will post some pictures very soon.

Basketball Update!!

2010-12-10T07:52:00.002-05:00

A quick basketball update. Keith's JV boys team is 4-0. They have a couple of games left before the Christmas break. Wade's JV-B team is 3-0. Unfortunately, Wade still can not play due to a broken thumb. He is hoping to be back after the Christmas break. Milly's JV girls team is 0-2 so far but are playing hard. Read the latest in the school announcements.

Feng Yuan HS- 57 Morrison-33. Our girls did a great job working hard until the end of the game against a scrappy Feng Yuan HS team. Rebecca Huang was our high scorer with 10 points. Julie Brown chipped in 8 points and had 6 steals. Teresa Chen also had 6 steals for the game. Fun stat: Our shortest player was also our third leading rebounder with 6 in the game… great hustle, Milly Curlee.

House of Blessing Fellowship

2010-11-27T07:53:00.005-05:00

Our church (House of Blessing) had a fellowship at our house on Saturday night. It was a great time of good eating and even better fellowship!!

We even played a game of charades. See top photo!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-25T07:38:00.003-05:00

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a great spread of food and enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with a few of our co-workers here in Taiwan. On the kids last day before the break, Levi was the main actor in a Thanksgiving play for his 2nd grade class. He did a great job with his lines. Again, happy Thanksgiving!!

Wade to the doctor AGAIN.

2010-11-22T08:18:00.002-05:00

Wade has had a tough school year. Counting today's visit to the doctor he has been 12 times since August. Mostly for his eye but today during ms softball practice he dislocated and fractured his thumb. The doctor says he will be out at least for three weeks. He will probably miss the rest of ms softball and some of hs basketball.

Bible Study at Our House!!

2010-11-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we hosted Milly's class to dessert and Bible study. Everyone had a great time as you can see by the picture. The top picture is the front of our house. Look at all of the shoes!!

Morrison Basketball

2010-11-18T06:59:00.002-05:00

Morrison basketball has begun. We are going to have a very busy basketball season. Wade will be playing JV-B (8th and 9th graders), Milly will be playing JV, and Keith is the head coach for the JV boys and helps out with the Varsity boys team. We will keep you updated on the progress of the teams.

Wade's Final Soccer Tourney

2010-10-31T03:16:00.003-04:00

Wade has been enjoying playing soccer this year. He starts at sweeper for the JV-B team. The team played an end of your tournament this past Saturday in Kaohshiung. The team played in the championship game but lost 2-0. It was a fun season but now Wade is focusing on basketball which starts next week.

Global Leadership Summit

2010-10-31T03:10:00.005-04:00

Keith attended the Global Leadership Summit (see his name tag above) in Taipei this past week. He had a great time. It was held at a church. The speakers all spoke in English and then there were subtitles in Chinese. It was a great line up of speakers: Bill Hybels, Jim Collins (Good to Great), and Andy Stanley. Although the speakers were great, the coolest part was to witness 500+ Taiwanese praising God in song before the sessions began. Quite uplifting.

Still Here!!

2010-10-28T09:05:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. We are doing fine and will look to post pictures of Wade's soccer tournament this weekend.

Family Picture!!

2010-10-16T09:23:00.003-04:00

Here is our latest family picture. It was taken at Green Island right before we were going snorkeling.

Back from Green Island!!

2010-10-09T01:38:00.003-04:00

We made it back from Green Island. We had a great time -- although the weather was very rainy most of the time. The highlights included motor scootering around the whole island, great snorkeling, and enjoying salt water hot springs (one of only three in the world).

Going to Green Island!!

2010-10-04T04:07:00.003-04:00

This week is fall break for Morrison Academy. We decided to take a few days off and go to a tiny island off the east coast of Taiwan -- called Green Island (See map above). We have heard that there is great snorkeling, exploring, etc. on this island. Also, you can ride a motor scooter around the island in 20 minutes. We leave on Tuesday and will return on Friday. We will take a 5 hour train ride and then a 45 minute boat ride to get there. For your reference we live in central Taiwan on the west coast -- near what the map says is Changhua. We will post pictures once we get back.

Shopping in Taiwan

2010-10-02T07:36:00.003-04:00

We love living in Taiwan. However, it can be frustrating at times. Like today when Keith went out to buy shampoo (a certain brand that Page likes) and milk. We have two grocery stores near our house so Keith went out by foot to get these simple items. The first store did not have any milk and only had conditioner -- no shampoo. The second store did not have the shampoo either and only had whole milk!! Upon hearing this Page responded by saying, "Welcome to my world!!"

Hunter and Levi -- Soccer Stars!!

2010-09-26T04:58:00.005-04:00

Well, we don't know about stars but they really like playing soccer each Saturday morning. Every Saturday morning at 9:00am both Hunter and Levi compete in an intense soccer training called TIFA (Taiwan International Football Association). It is usually really hot but both really like playing!! Pictured above is Hunter wiping sweat from his eye and Levi getting ready to take a much needed break.

Milly's Concert and Wade's Soccer

2010-09-26T04:53:00.004-04:00

Since school started all of our weeks seem busy but this past week was especially busy as Milly had a band concert on Friday night and Wade competed in an all day soccer tournament on Saturday. Milly plays with the high school band and they sounded great!! Wade plays stopper on the JV-B soccer team. They won the tournament and are currently 4-0. Wade must be trying to make some kind of statement with his different color of socks.

We Survived!!

2010-09-19T04:53:00.002-04:00

We survived our first typhoon of the season. Church was called off and we had a lot of wind here. Several branches were torn off trees but besides that no noticeable damage. Kids are disappointed because they will be in school tomorrow.

Typhoon Coming!!

2010-09-18T02:01:00.002-04:00

Our first typhoon of the year is coming!! It is unusual to not have had one hit the island yet. It is supposed to hit on Sunday morning. We will let you know how everything turns out.

Sophomore Girls!!

2010-09-12T06:56:00.003-04:00

Pictured above are a few of Milly's school friends. The picture was taken in our front yard. A few of the girls live in the dorms while the others live with their parents in Taichung.

Get Real!!

2010-09-06T07:20:00.002-04:00

That is the theme of the sophomore Bible study this year. Keith and Page, along with another family -- Otey and Cheryl Enoch, will lead the Bible Study this year. On Sunday night we had our first meeting at our house. The students ate, played games, ate, studied the Bible, and then ate again. It was fun night!!

Missing Football!!

2010-09-03T05:54:00.004-04:00

Keith is a bit down this week because football is starting up back in the US. Although we can keep up with it with no problem, it is not the same as being there. Here is hoping that NC State has a great year!!

More on Class Retreats!!

2010-09-02T09:54:00.002-04:00

Milly had a good time on her class retreat. Above is Milly and some of her classmates forming a human pyramid.

Friday Night Retreats!!

2010-08-29T10:02:00.003-04:00

Last Friday night each class in the high school had retreats. The freshmen and sophomores (Milly's class) stayed overnight on campus while the juniors and seniors went overnight off campus. Keith was asked to speak at the Junior retreat -- see picture above. The Juniors stayed at a rustic campground -- Bamboo Valley Bible Camp. Both Milly and Keith said their respective retreats went well.

A Cool Thing about Taiwan!!

2010-08-28T06:28:00.003-04:00

Well, there are lots of cool things about Taiwan. One is the convenience of everything. On Wednesday, Keith left the house at 5:00pm to take Wade to the eye doctor and then to get a haircut. Keith and Wade arrived back one hour later with a haircut and a visit to the doctor. Total cost for both was only $10.00! Actually haircut was more expensive than the doctor's visit. Now that is cool!!!

Page's Monday

2010-08-26T05:48:00.002-04:00

Page had a cool Monday. She helped drive a volunteer team to Sun Moon Lake which is a resort/tourist place about 1.5 hours from Taichung. She and the team distributed materials to Chinese tourists. Chinese tourists are beginning to travel more and more to Taiwan. Please remember those that received the materials!!

Tough Week!!!

2010-08-22T08:54:00.004-04:00

We all made it through the first week of school OK. We were all very tired by the weekend and happy that the weekend did arrive. We did have a couple of setbacks. On Wednesday, one of Wade's eyes was very red and irritated. We thought it was allergies but after taking him to the doctor discovered it was a serious bacterial infection on his cornea most commonly found in tropical places. Not treated it could be very serious. He now is taking drops and it looks like it will heal OK. Hunter had a tough day on Saturday. His soccer has started and while playing goalie a ball was kicked pretty hard. As he went to stop it his wrist bent back pretty awkwardly. He felt for sure it was broken. After an X-ray, it just revealed a serious sprain. He will be fine but is having a hard time moving it right now. Thanks for praying for Wade and Hunter.

First Day of School Picture

2010-08-16T08:38:00.002-04:00

Page always takes the first day of school picture. This year is no different. See picture above that includes Hugo. Hugo did not start school -- although he needs it. This year Milly is in 10th grade, Wade is in 8th grade, Hunter is in 5th grade, and Levi is in 2nd grade.

Back to School!!

2010-08-15T05:40:00.003-04:00

It is here!! Back to school begins tomorrow (Monday, August 16). All the kids seem excited and so does Keith. Actually, Keith has been officially on his job for the last two weeks. Page is excited to be able to finally get some time to her self and to finish unpacking the crate.

Basketball Camp!!

2010-08-15T05:34:00.004-04:00

Last week the three boys enjoyed a whole week of basketball camp. Hunter and Levi participated in the morning sessions and Wade in the afternoon. All three took away the following awards.

Levi -- MVP for short players

Hunter -- his team won the whole championship

Wade -- Best in station work

Our Newest Addition!!

2010-08-06T21:30:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple pictures of our newest family member --- Hugo. Page and Milly went to the Pet-Adopt place here in Taichung and came home with him. As you can see, he is really cute. He is around 3 years old and he was found on the streets of a city right next to Taichung. You can tell he had never seen grass before but already after just one week seems to like it. He also seems to be great with kids.

Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage!

2010-08-01T09:07:00.004-04:00

We (Keith and Page) recently celebrated our 20th anniversary. We went to Kaohsiung City (second biggest city in Taiwan) and went to a place called "Love River". We stayed in a really nice hotel and had a great time. Above is a picture of our hotel and below that is the view we had from our hotel room. We had a GREAT time!!

Back from the Beach!!

2010-07-25T04:40:00.004-04:00

We had a good time on our family vacation to Kenting (the beach). Above are some pictures of the fun!!

Headed to the Beach!!

2010-07-19T10:13:00.002-04:00

We are headed to Kenting (the beach) tomorrow. We are excited to be going and look forward to some R and R. We will post some pictures of our vacation when we get back.

Back to Chinese Classes!!!

2010-07-14T01:04:00.002-04:00

Four out of six of us are back into Chinese lessons. Keith is reviewing all things that he forgot while in America. Milly and Wade have begun Book I of Chinese Made Easier. (Although there is no Chinese Made Easy but this book does seem easier than others we have used.) Hunter is reviewing the Chinese phonetic sounds and beginning to say simple sentences. Levi decided to wait and take Chinese when school starts back. Page will start back after all kids are in school.

Levi's Day

2010-07-11T08:34:00.002-04:00

Levi had a good day on Saturday -- his 8th birthday. He decided to have a bowling party at Tiger bowling. He invited a few of his friends and the whole family. We had a great time -- pictured above is Levi and one of his many strikes!!

English Camp!!

2010-07-08T03:24:00.003-04:00

A team from the United States (nine from Iowa and one from NC (Maghan Spencer) have been here in Taiwan at Morrison for the past two weeks. The first week they helped out with the youth at TMF (see previous posts). This week they are hosting an English camp for local high school Taiwanese students. Both weeks have been a huge success. Thanks for remembering this team and those they are working with.

July 4th!!

2010-07-05T08:08:00.004-04:00

We did celebrate July 4th by shooting off some store bought fireworks and eating homemade ice-cream with several families. Pictured above is Hunter with one of his good friends, Mathias.

Conference this Week!!

2010-07-03T07:22:00.004-04:00

This past week we had an island wide conference at Morrison with like minded folks. We had a great time of fellowship. We were challenged by being reminded that we were created to make God look good (bring Him glory). We were especially busy as we (Keith and Page) took care of all the logistics from determining which families would stay in which dorm rooms to what classrooms different workshops would use. Our kids also had a great time as two teams from the States put on the youth and children's programs. Maghan Spencer, from High Point, NC, is here and helped with the youth!!

Our Crate Arrived!!

2010-06-29T10:22:00.003-04:00

We shipped out our crate on May 7th from High Point, NC. Today (June 29) we received all of our stuff!! It will take us a little while to get it all into place but it all looks like it made it in good shape.

Milly's Birthday!!

2010-06-29T10:18:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday we all celebrated Milly's 15th birthday. She wanted to go to Friday's (yes the same Fridays you have in the US). So we ate lunch there and she opened her presents. She had a good day.

Page's Birthday!!

2010-06-24T03:17:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone that made Page's birthday special. She received several phone calls, e-mails, and lots of facebook messages. We celebrated her birthday by going out to one of her favorite restaurants here in Taichung -- "Bollywood". Bollywood specializes in India food.

Now it is Hot!!

2010-06-21T21:26:00.002-04:00

Last post, we talked about how the rain was keeping things cool here in Taiwan. Well, the rain has stopped and now the temperature and humidity has risen!! This is the Taiwan weather we are used to. Thankfully, we do have air conditioning.

Raining!!!

2010-06-13T01:57:00.002-04:00

We don't mind an occasional day of rain but it has been raining a lot since we arrived in Taiwan a little less than 2 weeks ago. The weather forecast looks like more of the same until Wednesday and then it looks pretty good. One good thing about the rain though -- it has kept the temperature way down!! Pictured above is the view of the rain along with our van. Morrison (where our kids go to school and Keith works) is pictured in the background.

Meeting Up with Friends

2010-06-13T01:50:00.005-04:00

Saturday night we had Nick and Gloria and their two kids (Zach and Amelia) over. (Sorry, we don't have a good picture of Amelia but she is super cute!!) They brought us Chicken soup as a welcome back gift. It was good to catch up with them and we look forward to spending more time with them in the months to come.