Merry Christmas!!!

We have enjoyed our Christmas here in the States. On Christmas Eve we went to Keith's Dad and step mom's house in Southern Pines. Today, Christmas Day, we went to Keith's mom and step dad's house -- which is near where we live in High Point. On Saturday we will head to the mountains to spend some time with Page's family.

Above are some pictures of our Christmas -- Keith reading the Christmas story (notice the glasses -- the Bible had tiny print), Page modeling her new scarf (notice the haircut), and finally the kids awaiting to see what Santa brought.

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!!

Five Inches of Snow!!

We did get snow here in NC. Our kids were so excited. We went to the Murrow's (good friends of ours) last night and went sledding. That was fun. Today, we messed around in it some more. It was a tremendous blessing to see snow again. Pictured above is Keith with Hunter and Levi. They played some tackle football in the snow. Wade went sledding with a friend while Milly went down to the local park. Page decided to stay inside.

Snow on the Way??

One thing that we hope would happen while we spend these 10 months in the States is snow. Well, today we woke up and all the forecasters are calling for 90% chance of snow!! Hunter and Levi were especially excited. We will post some pictures if indeed it does snow.

Excellent Video

This video does an excellent job of explaining the spirtual state in Taiwan!!

Great Thanksgiving!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed being with Page's family in Clemson, SC. We also enjoyed State's victory over the Tar Heels. It has not been a fun football season for Wolfpack fans but Saturday's victory was a nice way to end!!!

Visit from Family

Page's brother (Will) and his family (wife - Missy and 4 kids -- Webb, Mary Campbell, B, and Maggie) came to see us this past weekend. They are big time Clemson fans so all the boys went to the State-Clemson game while all the girls stayed in High Point. Unfortunately, the Clemson family left happier than the State family.

We are still here!!

I know that you have not heard from us lately but we are still here in NC -- busy as ever. Hunter and Levi finished up their upward football seasons. They both loved it and had outstanding seasons. Wade tried out for the middle school basketball team and made the "B" team. Milly is working hard in school and is trying out for a drama production. We (Keith and Page) continue to share almost every Sunday about Taiwan and how folks can be involved in our ministry. We will post some pictures soon!!

Fall is Here!!!

This is our first fall back in NC in four years. We love all the colors!! Milly, Wade, Hunter, and Levi enjoyed picking out pumpkins at a local pumpkin patch.

Wade's Soccer Team in Championship!!!

Wade's soccer team advanced to the championship game on Thursday. The HPCA middle school team has had a great season. They have won 8 straight games and their overall record is 11-3. They play Greensboro Academy on Thursday for the conference championship. They split during the regular season. It should be a great game. Pictured above is Wade and a couple of his teammates walking off the field after their semi-final victory.

We are COLD!!!

After living in Taiwan for 4 years we became quite content with the sub-tropical climate. In fact, according to the Central Weather Bureau in Taiwan it was around 88 degrees today. Well, here in NC it is a different story. Tonight it is supposed to get down to 33 degrees. Our kids were amazed to see frost on the ground this morning and even more amazed that they could blow smoke from their mouths!! We have been cold these last couple of days BUT at least we have heat inside here in NC.

Football Stars!!

Well, not really but Hunter and Levi are having a great time playing upward flag football this fall. Both have scored numerous TD's and have had a few interceptions as well. They have a couple more weeks left in the season.

Back from VA.

We had a good week in Va. Although it was fun we were all glad to get back to our home in NC. It was rough for a family of 6 with a teenage daughter sharing one bathroom!!

A highlight for the kids was playing football after school let out each day. The place that we went to had a lot of open fields for football. A highlight for Page (and the rest of us) was going to a Travis Cottrell concert. (See picture).

Headed to Virginia

Our family is headed to Va. for some training. We are excited to go back to the place that we lived for 10 weeks in 2005 before we headed to Asia. We will be back in NC late Friday night.

Slides and Music

Labor Day in the Mountains

We enjoyed spending labor day weekend in the mountains with Page's folks. We enjoyed the cooler weather, fishing, climbing rocks, gem mining and all the other things that we did. However, the best part was spending time with Nana and Papa (along with Henry).

Keith and Wade go to State game

Keith and Wade went to the South Carolina at NC State game. It was the first game since 2005 that they had seen live. Although South Carolina won 7 to 3 it was great to be there!!!

Next week the whole family will see NC State play Murray State!!! We are hoping for better results.

Wade's soccer team

Wade made the HPCA middle school soccer team and is enjoying playing. They have had two games so far and are 1 - 1. Wade is a defender. Above is a picture of the team at halftime. Wade is #11.

Slideshow of Morrison

This is a slideshow that we put together to show as we go around to speak to people about Taiwan. It is mostly of our kids and their activities at MCA the past two years. We hope you enjoy.

Keith Turns 43!!

Keith celebrated his 43rd birthday by going out to one of his favorite places -- a Japanese restaurant called Fire and Stix. Keith's mom, step-father, grandmother, and aunt along with Page and the kids went along. It was a great night of fun. Above is the birthday boy being song to.

First Day of School at HPCA!!

Today was the kids first day of school at High Point Christian Academy. All of them had a good day and we are so very thankful that HPCA is here and our kids are attending. Above is the annual group photo of the 1st day. Hunter and Levi are also pictured in their respective classrooms. The camera was not allowed in middle school or high school -- according to Wade and Milly.

Settling In!!

We have been in our new/old house for over a week. As many of you know, we moved back in our house that we lived in over 4 years ago. While we lived in Taiwan, we rented out our house and it was in really good shape when we moved back in. It took us a day or two to find everything but Page has put everything back in the same place as it was.

Also pictured above are our cars that we will use for the next 10 months. Our home church is allowing us to use the sedan pictured while a church in SC is letting us use the white van. We have been very blessed.

The kids begin school next week. They will be at High Point Christian Academy (the school where Keith used to work). We have had a great time reconnecting with friends and family!!

In America!!!

We arrived in North Carolina last Saturday night. Our trip was great -- no long layovers in the airports, etc. However, our luggage did not arrive when we did. It arrived a day later.

We spent a few days with Page's folks and now are getting settled in our High Point house. We will post some pictures soon of our "new/old" home. All the kids seem to be doing well.

Headed Back to America!!

Today, August 1, we head back to North Carolina. We will leave our home here in Taichung at 10:00am. We are scheduled to land in Charlotte, NC at 10:30 Saturday night. So, a little more than 24 hours. We will post once we get to America.

Page's Thoughts on Taiwan vs. America

Page will miss several things about Taiwan. Below are listed a few.

1. Good and very inexpensive medical care
2. Taiwan open markets -- with fresh vegetables and fruit.
3. Delicious mango's!!
4. Morrison/missionary community here in Taiwan.

Although Page is going to miss Taiwan, she is really looking forward to these things in America.

1. Seeing people she loves.
2. SHOPPING!!!
3. Living in our old Parkway house.

Packing Up!!

We are packing our bags for America!! In December 2005 we headed to Asia with 19 bags (weighing 75 pounds each). We will come back to America with 11 to 12 bags (weighing 50 pounds each). So, we are bringing a lot less back. However, we do have a lot of stuff we will be leaving in our house here in Taiwan.

Hiking in Da Keng

Last Friday we went hiking with some good friends of ours. The Enochs, co-workers with us, and their son Peter. Nick and Gloria (the two Taiwanese along with Zach and Amelia) also went with us. This was our goodbye to Nick and Gloria. They have become good friends to us and have a precious family. The bottom picture is how we looked before the hike. (We were too tired and hot to take a picture of how we looked when we finished). The top picture is the city of Taichung -- where we live among the other millions of people.

Milly's List

Below is Milly's list of the good and bad of leaving Taiwan and going to America.

Things Milly will miss about Taiwan...

• She has freedom to walk everywhere here in Taiwan.
• Taiwan has amazing, cheap teas that she loves!!
• Her entire life!!!

Things Milly is looking forward to about America...

• America has Taylor Swift clothes
• She will get to buy a laptop
• Seeing people BUT this is hard because she will have to tell them goodbye next June.

Less than a week...

We have only 6 days before we head back to the States for 10 months. Hunter and Levi have already expressed what they will miss about Taiwan and what they are looking forward to about the States. Below is Wade's list.

Wade will miss --

1. Food in Taiwan (Fried dumplings, fried fish paste, and pearl milk tea).
2. His friends
3. MCA (Morrison Christian Academy)

Things Wade is looking forward to about America --

1. American Food (As you can see, Wade is really into food right now!!)
2. Seeing relatives (especially Sam)
3. Going to NC State football and basketball games

Renovations Complete!

Well, sort of. They are done enough to move in. A few little things still have to be completed. However, we will be moving in tomorrow -- Monday, July 20 -- as planned. Next week they will install one of our bathroom sinks and they have to replace a couple of windows. It has been real interesting renovating a house in a 2nd language!!

The house looks great!! Above are a few pictures.

Moving, moving, and moving!!!

During these next couple of weeks we will move 3 different times!!! We have made our first move. We had to move into a company guest unit because they took all of our air-conditioners (no central air here), ceiling fans, and curtains to move to our new house. That move was not too bad as we did not need to move our furniture -- just clothes. We will be in the guest unit a total of 10 days. Next week, our renovations on our new house are supposed to be done and we will move into our new place on Morrison campus. After settling there, we will move back to North Carolina for the next 10 months. Wow, a lot of transition!! Please remember us during this time. We will post a picture of our new renovated house soon.

More about English Camp

Above is a group picture of the camp Keith helped with a couple of weeks ago. A volunteer team from California, as well as some other co-workers on the island, helped teach English to these high school/university students. It went great. We worked with a local fellowship here in Taichung and we had 5 students commit themselves to Christ. Thanks for your prayers!!

Back from Gu Guan

Keith made it back safely from Gu Guan. It was a great trip!!! Many lives were changed. Keith will share more later and add a few pictures.

English Camp in Gu Guan!!

Keith will begin his work at an English camp sponsored by a local church this week. The camp will take place outside of Taichung in a small city in the mountains called Gu Guan. There will be close to 40 university students. There is a team from California plus some other m's on the island that are helping to run the camp. Please pray that the students who have not yet trusted in Him will do so at this camp. Thanks!!! Keith will return to Taiwan on Friday, July 10 -- Levi's birthday.

Renovations Half Way Done!!!

At least that is what they are telling us. It has gone smoothly for the most part. They are finished with all the ceilings and are preparing walls to paint and by the end of the week they should be tiling the kitchen and bathroom walls and floors. Our goal is to be done with renovations by July 18 so we can move on July 20. We will see if that is doable in a few weeks. The top picture is a view to our living area. We have removed a fireplace that will give us a lot more room. The bottom picture is the kitchen. It is ready to be tiled now.

19 Years Of Marriage!!!

We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary today. It is hard to believe it has been that long but it has been -- as we were married on June 30, 1990!!! We celebrated by going out to Chili's and then went shopping to buy some Chinese shirts to take back to the States with us.

Hunter's List

Here is Hunter's list of pros and cons of going back to America for 10 months. He defintely is the most excited kid of ours to be going back.

What Hunter will miss about Taiwan

1. Friends
2. MCA (Morrison Christian Acadmey)
3. 7-11 at every street corner

What Hunter is looking forward to in America

1. Clean roads
2. Seeing relatives and friends
3. HPCA (High Point Christian Academy -- the school the kids will be going to next year)
4. No more Chinese meals
5. Seeing it snow
6. Everyone will speak English.

End of an Era

Sort of. Page and I have officially completed our formal language study for the first term!! Looking back, it was certainly difficult but well worth the struggle and study. We both passed "the test" given by our company. We also both can converse and understand simple Chinese. Chinese is a very difficult language to speak and it is our hope that we will not forget too much during the 10 months we spend in the States. When we get back next summer, we both will study part time in hope to improve and to be able to speak and understand more difficult concepts in Chinese.

Milly Turns 14!!!

Milly turned 14 years old today!! Milly wanted go to Friday's for lunch so after she opened up her presents that is what we did. She loves getting presents (just like her mom!!). It is certainly hard to believe that Milly was just in 4th grade when we decided to work overseas. Now, she is heading into 9th grade. We are proud of the young lady that she is becoming!!

Celebrating Page's B-Day

Page had a quiet birthday celebration today. First, Milly cooked her mom pancakes!! That was a treat. In the afternoon, all 6 of us headed to the dentist for our 6 month cleaning. It cost a total of $10 (US) and took all of 45 minutes for all of us to have our teeth clean. Pretty amazing, although cleaning teeth here is not as thorough as Dr. Gentry in High Point. After our dentist appointments we went to one of Page's favorite restaurants -- "Bollywood" -- an Indian place. Finally, we made a trip to Swensen's for ice-cream. It was a fun day. Thanks for remembering Page.

NC State Apparel in Taiwan!!!

Today for Father's Day Page and the kids gave Keith two NC State shirts -- very nice shirts. One day a few weeks ago, Page was shopping at a market and saw these shirts sitting out. She excitedly bought both of them. We have spotted other ACC teams apparel before here in Taiwan. We even saw an ECU (East Carolina University) jacket but no State things. We are glad that NCSU material has made it to Taiwan. Go Pack!!!

What Levi will miss about Taiwan...

Each Sunday night Keith takes a family member out after dinner to spend some one on one time. This also includes Page. Tonight Keith took Levi. He chose to go to 7-11 for his dessert. While sitting outside 7-11, Keith asked Levi what he will miss most about Taiwan and what he is looking forward to the most about America. (We leave for America on August 1 and will spend 10 months there before returning to Taiwan.) Below are his responses.

Levi will miss --

• his friends
• going to 7-11 and getting things (Each time he enters 7-11 the ladies who work there give Levi candy for a hug!!)
• riding a motorcycle with his dad.
• his house

Levi is looking forward to America because --

• he will see his grandparents
• he will have a new house
• America has good TV with no Chinese commercials
• he will get to go to the beach

Renovations Have Begun!!

As we stated in our earlier post, one of our projects this summer is to oversee the renovation of our new home here in Taichung. The workers have been at it very hard and have begun tearing out cabinets, ceilings, carpet, etc in our new home. Pictured above is Page's new kitchen. It should look much better in another month.

Renovating Our New House

Now that school is out we (Keith and Page) have two big projects to do before we begin our time in the States. (By the way, we leave for the States on August 1 and will stay there one school year -- until June 1, 2010). One of the projects is to renovate the home that we will live in when we return. Our goal is to finish the renovation in about 5 weeks then move in all of our furniture before we leave for the States. The place is nice but old. It is located on the Morrison campus and was built in the 1970's. It is actually a SB owned house. The kids will love it with access to a yard and the campus. Pictured above are the living room, kitchen, and laundry room. We will post pictures of our newly remodeled home in late July -- hopefully.

Back from Taipei --

We left for Taipei on Sunday afternoon and returned back to Taichung today -- Tuesday afternoon. It was a good trip. We went to get our stateside physicals and also renew our kids' passports. So, we had a purpose in going. We also had a good time walking around our old neighborhood (remember we lived in Taipei for 1 1/2 years). In addtion, we were treated by some of our good friends to dinner on Monday night.

Great Descriptions of Hunter!!!

Hunter's teacher this year had every student write a short description of each other. Here are the descriptions of him written by his classmates --

• generous


• pro at soccer


• writes interesting stuff


• encouraging


• good at running


• a hard worker


• good singer


• a good teacher


• loves to run


• very smart


• nice swish


• fun to play with


• stands up for people


• good at music


• good at shouting loudly


• good cello player


• good at fellowship


• helps people a lot


• a good listener


• isn't that loud anymore


• good at being nice to little brother


• good humor


• And Ms. Neff, his teacher, describes Hunter as "passionate, tender-hearted"

School's Out!!!

School is officially out!!! We are all excited to have summer officially here!!!

Milly was part of the 8th grade recognition ceremony. It was a very nice ceremony and a party/talent show was put on afterwards. Pictured above is Milly's 8th grade class (the class of 2013) and pictured below are the girls of Milly's class singing a song together in the talent show.

Keith and Page feel way too young to have a high school daughter!!

Dragon Boat Festival!!!

On Thursday, we celebrated Dragon Boat Day. This is the day that ushers in the summer. The whole island had the day off, except for Morrison. So while Keith worked and Milly, Wade, Hunter, and Levi went to school Page took the opportunity to go to a near-by mountain and hike in a bamboo forest with some of her friends. Pictured above, is a neat tree house (made of bamboo) and Page among her friends.

Levi Baptized!!!

Levi was baptized today at our church, House of Blessing!! Actually, he was baptized at Morrison's pool because our church meets in a local Chinese middle school. Keith was honored to be able to baptize him. Six others, 4 children and 2 adults, were also baptized. It was a great day!!

Levi's Soccer Team

Levi's soccer team recently competed in the Taichung's Mayor Cup Soccer Tourney. Levi's team played great and reached the championship game. They played a team they lost to earlier in the tournament by 2 goals. As the final horn sounded the game was tied 0 to 0. They had a shoot out and Levi helped his team score but the other team ended up with one more goal. So, they finished second. Levi had a good time -- although he was a bit disappointed in losing in the championship. (He gets his competitive nature from his mom!!)

Hunter's team also competed but they lost in an earlier round. He had a good time too!!

Basketball Fun in Taipei

Milly and Wade recently competed in middle school tournament games in Taipei. They both had a great time. Milly's team played hard and improved through out the tournament. Wade's team, coached by Keith, came in 2nd place out of 10 teams. Wade hit a game winning 1/2 court shot to win the first game!! It was an exciting day.