Oklahoma

In early October we decided that we needed to take some time off from our work here with the Tarahumaras so that we could visit family, friends, supporters, churches (not necessarily in that order). We left Creel on Oct. 10 and began our journey which stretched to over 4500 miles in 31 days. We knew that the Lord was leading us to do this; however, we did not see how our costs would be covered. We planned our time to maximize the number of people we could visit, but our plans were not set in stone and we tried to keep a positive, flexible attitude.
We visited my niece, Ana, and her family. I loved holding and feeding her new baby girl (who was only 5 days old when we met).
After visiting Ana, we began the drive to Oklahoma via Tijeras, NM and Canyon, TX. We visited with new friends and old friends and we renewed acquaintances. Driving on to Oklahoma our first destination was Claremore, OK - but to get there we had to pass through Oklahoma City, my hometown, and I got us lost very easily. Amazing that after living there for the better part of 32 years, I forgot my way!
We spent 8 days in Claremore with our friends, the Crawfords. Ray & Cathy blessed us and pampered us. Their church replaced the tires on our truck as well as the clutch. They did so much to bless us - through their friendship and by spending time with us. Cathy took Jaynie and me for pedicures, a treat that I had not experienced in over 15 years and one that Jaynie had never known. Ray took Jose Luis skeet shooting with the men of his church. But aside from all of the things we did together, it was the time spent visiting that meant the most.

Skeet shooting

Jaynie's new hairdo - after suffering with straight hair, she decided she wanted to get a perm so that it would be curly. It was a bit harder than Jaynie imagined, but she was pleased with the results.

After leaving Claremore, we headed to Oklahoma City to spend a couple of days with my sister and her husband, as well as to visit my home church and a couple of dear friends who had recently returned from missions in other parts of the world. We also went to dinner with 2 friends from First Church who treated us to Mexican food at Tarahumara's Mexican Cafe. I had been craving spicy food and I got it there. Thank you, Brenda & Terri, for a great evening.

Our family enjoys visiting the OKC Zoo every time we are in the area, and this year was no exception.

Near the tiger area, there is a small bamboo forest perfect for getting a feel for life this way.

Somehow I did not download all of our photos onto the computer before Jose Luis erased them, so these are the best photos of the lot. However, we do have so many photos of animals at the OKC Zoo, the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX, and the Living Desert Museum/Zoo near Carlsbad, NM.