Laguna Beach, Simi Valley & Sun Valley, California - Nov./Dec. 2014

Laguna Beach, CA is a must see by anyone wanting to see the sights along the Pacific Coast.  The weather was beautiful for the 3rd week of November and the flowers were gorgeous - even the state parks along the coast revealed beautiful scenery while the rest of the US was beginning to experience the dreaded winter months.  It is amazing how houses are built close to the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean - now I know why flood insurance is so high.  Wayne did a close inspection of the makeup of these mounds and pulled out a few boulders…….this is why you hear about so many mudslides, etc. in California.  Here the bike trails were awesome along the beaches.  It was hard to believe it was November.

We were able to visit the Capistrano Mission and the surrounding sights.  Amazing historical beginnings of these now huge metropolis’s with the church going in to small gatherings to educate the children and meeting spiritual needs of the local people.  If only we still realized how powerful God can be in our societies…….instead we have pushed God to side and said “we can do it ourselves”.  

We ate at some pretty incredible restaurants and did most of our Christmas shopping because the variety of stores in Newberry Springs, CA is nil!  Sometimes we just have to venture into the big cities to make sure America still exists out there!  A dose of the traffic told us that living out in the desert (middle of nowhere) and serving Jesus is still the best place to be!!!!!

Roy & Sue Anderson accompanied us to Simi Valley and Sun Valley the 3rd weekend in December.  It was so much fun to just act like we were “double dating” and just enjoy the sights that were close by once again.  Do you miss Ronald Reagan as much as we do?  We miss him even more after visiting the Reagan Library in Simi Valley - a must see if you ever get to the Los Angeles area.  We have been told that out of all the presidential libraries this one is the best.  We were even able to go aboard “Airforce One” and “Marine One” - never new that is what the helicopter was called.  

Before leaving that weekend we ventured over to Sun Valley to hear the Saturday Matinee of the Christmas Cantata at John MacArthur’s church - Grace Community.  Now that is what I call an “uptown” experience!!!!  They do it up right.  At one point there was even a smaller choir echoing in the back of the auditorium.  The children’s choir was about 60 children - incredible.  So well behaved and well trained.  Two hours non-stop of professional, well pleasing to our Lord music.  A gorgeous stage and stately………just a little taste of Heaven here on earth.

We are now in the Flagstaff, AZ area enjoying our daughter’s family.  Sarah & Vince brought into this world our third granddaughter - Abigail Grace - on December 28th.  She is beautiful and God has given us an adorable group of granddaughters.  They are precious in His sight and both sets of parents are diligently bringing them up in the admonition of our Lord.  Praise Jesus, we are blessed beyond measure.

Evangeline (Big Sister) kissing Abigail (Little Sister)

We will be in the area - Camp Verde, AZ for the month of January working a SOWER project - Rainbow Acres, a home for disabled adults.  I will not hold back when I tell you - it’s COLD!  Burrrrrrrr………14 inches of snow in Flagstaff last Thursday and 4 inches in Camp Verde and the temps are well, let’s say, way down there!  We have learned to keep a faucet dripping at night in order not to have frozen pipes………it happened, only once, and unthawed quickly with no damage!  Thank you Lord.  So, that being said we have learned that coming from the Mojave’ Desert was not as bad as it seemed - at least it was warm and sunny!!!!!