The May Family

2012

2012-02-05T19:52:00.006-05:00

October 6, 2011 we welcomed a bundle of joy, our first Grandson!!
He is so sweet and a total joy to us and his parents. Dan is still working hard at Boeing and is also attending Embry-Riddle University online for a degree in Professional Aeronautics. I am at Summerville Medical Center. We are looking forward to a May Family Disney Trip with all of Dan's Mom's children and their families that is coming up in March.

God is so good to us. He amazes me! He is so worthy to be praised!

2011-07-25T22:48:00.006-04:00

Well a lot has happened since our last post. We bought a house in Summerville, SC. The picture is of a window in Charleston, not our house...just a pretty picture. Danny and Hannah are expecting a baby boy in October....cannot wait!! Jack joined us in SC but is returning to FL for school next month. Dan is working crazy hours at Boeing and I am getting ready to work for 8 weeks at a Advanced Wound Center (AWC) in North Charleston. I usually work part time floatpool in the hospital and they also float me to the 2 AWC that belong to the hospital system.
It has been crazy hot here, I think even hotter than Florida. One final thought...its 5 months until Christmas!!

Battery Park Charleston

2010-10-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

The Lataillades

2010-05-16T14:22:00.000-04:00

Our church was blessed this weekend by the teaching of Patrick and Barbara Lataillade....

for those who wanted to see more wedding pictures

2010-05-08T08:46:00.001-04:00

http://tpgriffin.smugmug.com/Weddings/Dan-and-Hanna

quick update

2010-05-02T14:15:00.006-04:00

The Latest and greatest with the Mays
Dan is finishing out the year at Calvary Chapel Sarasota Christian school with his great group of 6th graders. He is seeking an A & P position to start when school is over, we would like to stay in Florida, Georgia or South Carolina area but are willing to go wherever the Lord wants us....please keep this in your prayers.
Kate (me) has been at the wound care center for 1 year this month and enjoys working day shift with weekends off.
As you can see in the picture Danny has gotten married! He married Hannah Weissend, now Hannah May, on April 10th at the Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes in Farmington New York, Jack was his best man. Hannah is such a wonderful young lady, we are blessed to have her join our family. Once settled the love birds will be living in Jacksonville Florida while Danny finishes his Flight Engineer training at the Naval Air Station.
Jacques has been working at his job at a local grocery store for over 2 years now and this year he made the the All State Tournament Basketball Team for Florida, where he played in a starting position. He maintains an all A honor roll while working and playing athletics. He will graduate in the first ever graduating class of Venice Christian School! It will be a lovely ceremony on June 5th with his graduation party to follow the next day at our church Calvary Chapel of Venice. He has at last decided on a college. He will be attending Florida Christian College in Kissimee, Florida!! He will be majoring in youth ministry and criminal justice and will play on the basketball team and will be just less than 3 hours from Danny & Hannah.
God is good....ALL the time!

quick update

2010-01-06T07:21:00.005-05:00

Happy New year to all! It has been a while since our last post, so we thought we would let everyone know how we are doing. Dan is working as a 6th grade teacher at Calvary Chapel of Sarasota school, while I am working at a wound care center. We had decided after we left Agape Flights to wait a year so Jack could graduate and be able to get the Bright Futures scholarship Florida offers its graduates with good grades. It is now 6 months until he graduates and we are praying about what God has for us to do for Him. We look forward with excitement to see what that may be.
Danny is in Pensacola at the air station there, he is studying to be a Flight Engineer. We will be getting a daughter this year as Danny is getting married. Jack is doing well in school. He is having an awesome basketball season and has been elected as class president. He is praying about his college options.

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

What a great but exhausting weekend!

2009-08-05T09:13:00.018-04:00

Dan, Jack & I, along with Grandma Sharron, Aunt Kelly & Courtney, and Andy, Lynn, Hannah, Jack & Laura Weissend all went to Chicago to attend Danny's graduation from Navy Basic Training. The ceremony was powerful and moving. Danny's division won Hall of Fame. We all stayed at the same hotel so we hung out and got to know each other better...it was a great time.
The big news of the weekend was that Danny proposed to Hannah and she said yes! So we are getting a Daughter in love. (I much prefer this term than in law) We went out for an engagement party dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse and some stranger paid for Danny's (who was in uniform) dinner and thanked him for his service to our country. Danny answered "My pleasure" what a fine young man he is...another tearful moment. Danny has asked Jack to be his Best Man which (also) had me tearing up....it was a very emotional weekend for all I think....lol. Slide show of photos to come.
Hannah is a very sweet girl who loves God! She is coming to visit us and Danny (mostly Danny I am sure...lol) in a few weeks and we are looking forward to getting to know her better. Can't wait to see you Hannah!
Danny is now in Pensacola FL for his A school. Dan is at Pensacola Christian College getting trained in the Abecka curriculum until Thursday night...hopefully he can have dinner with Danny one night.
For those of you who don't know Dan will be teaching 6th grade as well as teaching Math for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Calvary Chapel of Sarasota's Christian school. We are praising God that Dan has a job! We are staying in Florida for Jack to graduate this coming year and we don't know whats next...But God does...please keep us in your prayers.

Update

2009-07-21T06:55:00.002-04:00

We did not get to see the launch because of weather conditions, but we had fun being with Russ and Rosemary and we know what to bring and where to park for next time.
Dan is employed! Praise God! He is now a 6th grade school teacher at Calvary Chapel Christian School in Sarasota, FL.
Only 10 days until we see Danny! Not being able to call him up and talk to him whenever we want has been hard.
Have a Jesus filled day!

Space Shuttle Endeavour viewing/Danny's phone call

2009-07-11T09:58:00.007-04:00

Good Morning! Dan, Jack, Russ & Rosemary Sandman and I are going to Titusville to see the shuttle launch! It is set to launch at 1939 (7:39 pm). We have never seen a launch before!I am really looking forward to it. Please pray for good weather so it is not cancelled.
We got a phone call from Danny this morning and he is no longer sick(Praise God!)...he is doing well at Navy Basic Training...We miss him soooo much. He shares he can make his bed perfectly now...lol. He asks for letters from everyone ...PLEASE...they are a huge encouragement to him and keep him going...only 20 days until graduation!! We can't wait! There will be a nice sized group going to his PIR (graduation) Dan, Jack and I, Grandma Sharron (Dan's mom), My sister Kelly and her family, and the Weissend family.
I will post pictures from the Launch later. Have a terrific Saturday!

PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR EDITTED ADDRESS FOR DANNY @ BOOT CAMP

2009-06-16T16:52:00.001-04:00

Danny's mailing address

2009-06-12T16:03:00.004-04:00

Here is Danny's mailing address at Navy boot camp:

SR MAY, DANIEL R.
DIV 262 U.S.S. HOPPER
BLDG 7104
RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND
GREAT LAKES IL 60088

PLEASE SEND HIM SOME LETTERS I HAVE HEARD THEY ARE LIKE GOLD AS THE RECRUITS OR SO FAR REMOVED FROM CONTACT WITH US CIVILIANS...LOL

a quick sum up of late events

2009-06-06T14:58:00.007-04:00

This picture is a blast from our past...what a handsome group of gentlemen... proof that Jack was once the shortest one in our family...lol.
Wow! it has been a while sine we last posted...We have been very busy! There is too much so in the words of Indigo Montoya I will sum up.
Dan and I went to Missouri to visit the Niesen's and had a great time they are doing well and the kids are getting big! Dan is still looking for a job but getting tons done on the home front, he installed a reverse osmosis system, a water softening system as well as various smaller jobs...I Praise God Dan is so multi talented!! I, Kate, got 14 inches cut off of my hair which I am donating, I also have a new daytime job at a wound center which I am loving!! No weekends and holidays off plus I work with a great group of people! Danny is on Day 2 of Navy boot camp in Chicago, IL. Jack is back at Albertsons grocery store and is looking forward to his senior year, he has some exciting plans for his future decided. We have moved our new address is:
5358 Illan Rd.
North Port, FL 34291

We believe God is preparing us for serving Him in a different way...we are excited to see what He has coming up for us! God bless!!

New York Trip

2009-04-27T18:13:00.006-04:00

We went to NY to visit Danny for his 19th birthday, which was April 26th. We were blessed with a unseasonably (for them) warm and sunny stay.

We arrived very early Friday, we got to meet David and Sharon Banks who have graciously housed Danny during his time at Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes School of Ministry. David and Sharon, THANK YOU for welcoming us into your home (not to mention caring for our boy...er man) it was such a blessing to get to meet you and spend some time with you.

Later in the day we met Hannah, who is a very sweet young lady who Danny is very attached to...and her very nice family. We had dinner at their home and shared a time of fellowship (we hung out...lol). On Saturday we headed to Niagara Falls. It is an amazing and beautiful site...we walked out on the observation deck overlooking the falls, it was so windy and the mist truly drenches you! We also walked over to Goat Island. On Sunday we went to CCoFL for second service. Pastor Scott Galatin gave an awesome message. Then the amazing Banks hosted a birthday lunch for 11 for Danny, again thank you.

We were so blessed to be able to spend some time with Danny. We love you buddy and we are so proud of the godly young man you are becoming. Go Navy!!

An end of a chapter

2009-04-13T17:56:00.003-04:00

We have been blessed to have spent the past 2+ years serving our Lord at Agape Flights. The past few months we have seen in various ways that this chapter of our life was ending. Last Thursday was Dan's last official work day at Agape. We will be spending this week saying goodbye to our friends there and closing out the remaining tasks. At this point we do not know what is next, but trust God to show us when the time is right. We are a bit anxious about Dan not having a job, yet are excited to see what is around the next corner. We could not sum up the experiences we have been a part of in a shot blog, but a condensed version would sound like this: We have laughed, cried, prayed, seen lives change, made new friends, witnessed miracles, served, travelled, trained, witnessed births, witnessed rebirths, ministered, been ministered to, and blogged. We would not trade the experiences or the relationships we have had at Agape for anything. Rejoice with us, for we serve a Great God!!!

King Air emergency landing in Eleuthera Bahamas

2009-04-02T10:42:00.009-04:00

Yesterday late morning Agape's plane, pictured to the left, encountered some difficulties when the right engine seized up and started smoking over the Bahamas. Pilots, Jeff and Steve, had recieved training recently on how to handle landing with only one engine should it ever occur. God is so good! They were able to land the plane fully loaded with cargo for the missionaries without incident. Praise God! Dave Spangler a missionary in the Bahamas came to the rescue and allowed his plane to to be used to get the cargo to Haiti and the D.R. Thank you Dave for your generousity!
It appears as if the engine will have to be replaced. Dan, Harvey, and possibly a few of the aircraft mechanic volunteers will most likely be heading to Eleuthera on Tuesday to begin the process of replacing the engine in preparation to bring "Grace" as named by Harvey home. Please keep the mechanics in your prayers as there is no hangar and they will be doing all the work on the tarmac with what they can borrow or bring with them. We will update as we know more.

Short Update

2009-03-21T14:05:00.007-04:00

Hi all! It has been a while since our last post. We have been kind of at a loss for what God has for us, as our relocation to the D.R. with Agape Flights was cancelled a few weeks before our planned departure date. It seems that what was to be the plan has majorly changed. Because of these changes our friends, John and Sarah Niesen, have left the field to return to Missouri and the mission house in Santo Domingo has been closed. We are currently in prayer and seeking counsel on God's will for us. We are (still) more than half packed and are eager to serve Him in whatever He has for us. We are going to Greenville, SC next weekend to counsel with our Sr. Pastor, and we also have been seeking the counsel of our Sr. Pastor here in Venice. We thank you for all your prayers, please keep us and our Pastors in you prayers as we seek direction. We will post after we return from Greenville. The picture above is Dan speaking at Calvary Chapel of Bradenton here in FL. God bless!

Home? again

2009-02-18T08:31:00.003-05:00

Well, I, Dan, returned home last Friday from the Dominican Republic. I had many revelations while there. First, the little spanish I know is very inadaquate for serving. I could survive with what I know, but could not minister (Donde es el bano?). Next, working up close with the missionaries, we saw God is truly doing great things in the DR. Finally, the plans we had to minister there do not seem to be needed at this time. Kate and I would love to serve God in the Dominican Republic, but more importantly, we want to do what God wants. We do not believe that our plans to move there and serve are His plans. So, the question mark in the title is not a typo, but the reality of what we feel. We are seeking God's will for our lives, but are not sure what or where the next step is. If you visit our house now, you would see a family living out of boxes, since we were packed to leave. We are continuing to serve at Agape here in the states as we wait for the next step. Please pray for us and direction in our lives.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic photos

2009-02-08T22:08:00.004-05:00

I have posted a new slideshow with some pictures from my trip to the DR. I am sure Dan will have some more when he comes home on Friday...Yes John he IS coming home. It is so nice to get to spend some time with Sarah and the kids...they were missed. I hope you all (y'all) enjoy the pictures. I love and miss you Dan...see you on Friday! God Bless!
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

quick update

2009-02-05T16:49:00.002-05:00

I (Kate) returned home late Tuesday night with Sarah, Evie (2), & Ransom (5 months). It was an uneventful flight..Evie and Ransom were troopers..Praise God! Then we drove 3 hrs home to Venice. Dan and John will return around noon on Friday Feb 13th.
Our time in the DR was busy, with helping the Niesen's prepare for their return to the US, closing up the mission house, helping with the distribution center and getting to know the missionaries in Santo Domingo. There will be photos to follow in the next few days. God bless!

Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference and DR trip

2009-01-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

Good Morning! This photo of our family was taken at the Calvary Chapel South East Pastor's Conference in Merritt Island FL this last week. The conference, which Danny was able to attend with us, was awesome! It blessed our family immensely. Unfortunately Pastor Chuck couldn't make it in person. He did however speak via the internet.
Dan and I will be in the DR from tonight until Feb 3. We are going to assist the Niesen family as the close Agape Flights Santo Domingo Mission house. Please pray for the Niesens, our family and Agape Flights during this time of transition. We will be leaving Jack in FL during this trip...Thanks to the Dolby family for welcoming him into your home...we appreciate it! Jack, We will miss you and we are so blessed by the young man you are!
Our family's relocating to the mission field will be after Jack finishes this school year. I will post a longer post about this later. God bless!

Preparing for whats next

2009-01-16T08:53:00.003-05:00

Well, it is Friday and we are preparing for the whirlwind activities of the next few weeks. Tomorrow we will be picking up Danny, Sunday we will depart for the Pastors conference at Merritt Island, and next Saturday we will depart for the Dominican Republic. Kate and I are looking to the Lord during this time to renew our vision and purpose in ministry. Please pray for Wisdom and courage as we accept His Will for our family.

Another day in sunny (or not) Florida

2009-01-13T15:53:00.003-05:00

Well, the cold front has finally arrived. Temps are dropping out of the 70's and it is raining pretty hard. Sharon, Dan's mom, left this morning. We had a great visit with her. Jack is visiting Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando today. We are getting excited about Danny's arrival this weekend. Pray for him, he believes that his wisdom teeth are coming in(ouch!)

Dan has kidney stones..He is doing ok though..now

2009-01-09T02:18:00.007-05:00

The early morning hours on Thursday found Dan and I in the Emergency room. Around 4 in the morning Dan awoke with some pretty severe pain and some nausea and vomitting, after trying to tough it out for almost 2 hours he could take no more. When we got to the hospital they put an IV access in and gave him a liter bolus of fluids and some pain medicines. Because he was so young (in Venice Florida, where the median age is 65, 40 is considered young) and 80% of kidney stones pass without surgical intervention the MD opted to not take a CT scan. Dan started to feel better and he was sent home with a few parting gifts (a prescription, a urinal, a strainer and a specimen jar). Then around 4:30 pm I picked up Dan's Mom from the Fort Myers airport. I call her the incredible shrinking Grandma because every time I see her there is less of her (almost 100 lbs less!).I will take some photos of Sharron (not the stones) this weekend and post them.

Jack was not arrested!

2008-12-28T14:04:00.008-05:00

Jack's Government class went to Port Charlotte to observe a felony trial with their teacher Mr. Casey Roberts. Mr. Roberts, a former Police Officer, arranged for them to observe the trial. Jack wants to go into criminal justice and found it very interesting. Thanks for making it possible Mr. Roberts. Tricia, Thanks for the pictures!

What has Jack done???

2008-12-23T19:51:00.005-05:00

Any ideas?? Details to follow.....

Delayed Thanksgiving and Basketball pictures

2008-12-20T09:58:00.004-05:00

I apologize for this taking so long...We have been muy (very) busy ... I also have a picture of my friend Travis, who I will dearly miss, and May bin #1 ready for shipping to the D.R.! Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!! God bless

Jack puts in 21 for a W

2008-12-16T21:45:00.002-05:00

Heritage Christian School Panthers recorded their first win against West Florida Christian 45-29. Jack scored 21 points to help his team taste victory for the first time this year.

Finally....we have visitors!!

2008-12-16T11:38:00.002-05:00

We moved away from our family back in 1994 to South Carolina. Since then we have lived in North Carolina and Florida. for the past Fourteen years we have hoped that we would get to see our family and friends come visit, but it happened rarely. Now as we prepare to leave the country, we are having a great time as Kate's sister and family, Dan's brother and family, Dan's mom, and possibly a few others come and visit.

Anchors Away for Danny

2008-11-22T09:47:00.010-05:00

Danny has enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He will enter into naval service on June 4th, 2009. Which was his Papa Bob's birthday, he would be so proud that Danny was following in the Sherrill family tradition of naval service. Please keep Danny in your prayers as he is hoping to meet the physical requirements for either Navy Seal or Search and Rescue Diver. He has some hard work ahead of him but if it is God's will it'll happen
He has also applied for a ROTC scholarship. If he is granted the scholarship, he will enter into service as an officer after completing his bachelors degree rather than on June 4th.
Danny will be continuing his studies at Calvary Chapel Bible College this academic year. He will be coming home to spend some time with his family and joining us for the Calvary Chapel South East Pastor's conference January 17 - 22nd. We can't wait to see him, he is greatly missed !

Rachael is with Jesus

2008-11-19T10:47:00.013-05:00

Please pray for Bob, Angie and Katie as they mourn the loss of their precious Rachael.

RACHAEL OLIVIA GLEASON

March 25 2006 -- November 19 2008

Rachael left the loving arms of her parents at 6:12 am and is now in the loving arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus. It was a long night again watching her suffer. Her pain medication was doubled then tripled. Angie and I encouraged her to just let go several times during the night but she is very stubborn. I wonder where she gets that from.We have a very surreal calm right now. My daughter died less than half an hour ago and I have no doubt that she is running and laughing right now. I can't wait to see her again. I know she will be there in heaven waiting for us. We were privileged to know her and better people because of what she taught us. We praise God for the time we had with her. I will update again tomorrow. Love Bob

Rachael update...Please pray for the Gleason family...

2008-11-18T07:39:00.008-05:00

This is from Rachael's caring bridges page from just a few minutes ago.

It was a long night. Angie and I talked about a lot of things. These are hard things to decide on. We decided not to have another blood transfusion. She is having some pain and its time to end it. We know where she is going and look forward to the day when we see her again, whole and healed. We are going to let Katie say goodbye to her and attempt to explain what is happening. This will be a long and difficult day. We ask that everyone please not come to visit today and please try to limit calls to Angie and I. We love you all and we will grieve together in the coming days. But we need some time alone and ask you to please respect that. We will update this site if and when something happens. Please be in prayer for the Fisher family who lost their baby boy yesterday morning. There is a link to him on our links page. Love Bob

Gleasons...we are praying for you all.....

Rachael update...don't stop praying.

2008-11-15T17:55:00.008-05:00

This is the latest on little Rachael.

It is with much sadness that I share our latest news. We heard from the doctors at Sloan Kettering in New York. Rachael's disease has reached a point where they cannot treat it. Its hard to explain. The tumors are bleeding and cannot be removed without causing so much damage that the bleeding will continue. And they cannot do the antibody therapy with the tumors in there. That therapy only works on microscopic disease and not bulk disease. There are no more options that have a chance of working. We may have only a few weeks left. We will try to make her comfortable and enjoy her while we can. We have exhausted all options and don't want to put her through more pain . We have begun thinking about funeral arrangements and don't have a clue where to begin. Please pray for Gods peace to come over us in the next few weeks. Love Bob

Bob,Angie, Katie and Rachael...we are praying for you and love you...please let us know if there is antything we can do. The May's

Urgent prayer needed!!!!

2008-11-12T10:54:00.013-05:00

We have copied an excert from our friends' Bob and Angie Gleason's blog about the condition of their daughter, Rachael, who many of us have been praying for.

I'm not sure how to break this to you all. Yesterday was not a good day. During the surgery we were getting periodic reports from Dr. Stroud. The blood clots had neuroblastoma cells in them. There were also tumors that were growing along the spine and over the top of her intestine. There doesn't seem to be much they can do. Chemo obviously doesn't work and the tumors were growing outside of the radiation field. So we are stopping radiation for now. Our minds tell us that any further treatments would only delay the inevitable. But our hearts want us to keep fighting and look for other options. At what point do we stop putting her through pain and just try to enjoy her while we can. But we don't know if we will spend her last days laughing and having fun or watching her wither away. This is a tough place to be. All children belong to God and he just loans them to us for a while. We must have won the children lottery because God gave us the two most beautiful angels in all of heaven. We will fight to save her but we will always consider ourselves blessed for whatever time we got to spend with her. Bob
We are asking for all who read this to pray for this family. Please pray for healing, wisdom, and comfort.
Bob, Angie, Katie and Rachael - We love you, Dan, Kate, Danny and Jack
To visit Rachael's caring bridges page go to
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rachelgleason and sign the guest book to let them know you are praying for them.

Our weekend & Can you find your self? part 2

2008-11-10T11:12:00.010-05:00

This past weekend we had some guests, Gabe and Alayna, while their parents went to Iowa to lead a marriage conference. It was so nice to have a GIRL and a NON TEENAGE young man! (Love you Jack!) We went to the private beach via a ferry, went to the library (no worries Paul, I kept the books and DVD's), we made some from scratch french bread (the picture with the loaf of bread was after we had been at the beach for a hour or so, hence the wind blown hair) and Gabe made a batch of fudgy brownies. Gabe also got to help Mr.Dan with various auto repairs (see below for more on that), shoot hoops with Jack and wax Mr. Dan's car. It was fun to have them and almost made me wish mine were young again...almost. I am very blessed with two great young men! I am excited to see how the Lord is going to use their lives.
This was a bad weekend for our finances and my van though. When Gabe, Alayna and I got into the car after leaving the library it wouldn't start...Dan to the rescue...my battery was dead, cracked and very corroded. It was so bad the guy at Walmart refused to change it out...Dan and Gabe to the rescue. While removing it Dan found the cable leading to it was also corroded...we had to replace the cable too...an unexpected $160.00 dollars (with free labor)for the cable and battery. That was Friday...On Saturday night I left to go pick Jack up from work and I hear this funny noise...I immediately return home and see one of my tires is as flat as it could possibly be...Dan and Gabe to the rescue...Thank you Dan for giving up a big chunk of your weekend fixing my van, I am so blessed to be married to you! Sunday after driving to church on my donut (Alayna and Gabe thought that was a funny name). We went to Firestone to have them repair or replace the tire, I was concerned about another unexpected expense and Dan didn't think the warranty would cover it. Gabe suggested we pray about it before we went in (What a young man!) which we did. They did have to replace it but our warranty covered most of it...the grand total was $13.78. Praise God! I have also changed the slide show to show more friends and family pictures. How was your weekend?

Family Fun Night!

2008-11-02T16:02:00.004-05:00

We had our annual Family Fun Night at Calvary Chapel of Venice on Friday. Here is a picture of Jack in the dunk tank. This is an outreach to our community where families can come and eat, play games, and win candy. Our aim is to introduce our church to the local community and meet with them. We had over 500 people show up. Some of those who were introduced to the church Friday came this morning (Sunday) to worship.

Updated Family & friends slideshow

2008-10-27T15:22:00.003-04:00

It came to my attention that the fact that I miss Danny and our friends the Niesens very much was evident in the first slideshow...plus it didn't and isn't showing all the pictures I chose (178 images). I will leave these up for a week or so then I will change the slideshow to include the rest of the photos...so if you got an email and you don't see yourself I apologize and you will if you check back in a week or so! I just have to mention it is supposed to be in the low 50's here tomorrow .....Brrrrr. Happy Fall Y'all!

Can you find yourself?

2008-10-26T19:45:00.006-04:00

In the slide show on the right, Family and Friends, I have added assorted photos of family and friends which I will change out every few weeks. There are people from South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, New York, Virginia and the Dominican Republic. Some pictures are old, some are new...leave us some comments about your favorites! Enjoy!!

Caribbean Night at The Gardner's

2008-10-26T13:19:00.004-04:00

Saturday night Agape's staff and friends got together for a night of fun and fellowship. I think the pictures up in the right hand corner speak for themselves.. I especially like the picture of the boys (and Macayla) and their Dads playing with blocks...It was alot of fun, although the Niesens were very much missed. I hope everyone's weekend was as fun as ours....God Bless!

A long week (for Dan)

2008-10-11T19:56:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks when the work seems to just keep piling up and even with your best efforts it just seems to get worse? Well, most of this week has been like that for me. On top of that (or maybe it was part of it), I have been fighting an illness all week. I have been reminded 3 times in the last few days that all we do (as Christians) is ministry. Whether it is changing oil in an airplane, talking to a family member or friend, or posting a blog, we need to live and work unto Jesus. I wish I could say I live with that mindset all the time....or even most of the time...or half the time...but the reality is I, at best, have occasional moments with this mindset. This is also a command, found in Colossians "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ." I will work toward this attitude. Yesterday, Kate spent some time at the Veice Business Expo, where Agape had a booth to introduce our ministry to some of the local businesses and residents. Agape has a flight simulator that was used in our display.

Finally, after 9 and 1/2 months!!

2008-10-06T21:12:00.006-04:00

Our new plane has finally arrived!! As you can see from the photos, it still needs to be painted, but we will fly it for the next few weeks until we can get scheduled into a paint shop. This plane has a useful load (this is the amount of cargo, fuel and crew it can legally carry) of around 4450 pounds. Jim Lewis, a King Air instructor, will fly with our pilots to train them in this plane. It was flown in on Sunday by one of our volunteer pilots, Tom Walden. We are cramming to become familiar with this plane. The "tail number", the identification number painted on the side of the aircraft is "N412MA" but will be changed to "N316AF". This was chosen because: "N" designates a US registered aircraft, "316" to remind us of the love God has for us (John 3:16), and "AF" for Agape Flights. You can track our flights by going to www.flightaware.com and putting in the tailnumber of an aircraft. It will show the position in flight of the aircraft. You can use the N412MA until we get switched to our new designation in a fwew weeks.

Jacks last soccer game

2008-10-04T08:50:00.002-04:00

Jack and his team (well, its not really HIS team, but you get the point)won their last game 3-2. Jack was moved back to goalie from striker with his team down 2-0 to shore up the defense. He held them scoreless the rest of the game so his team could come back. Monday, basketball starts up!!

Long over due photos of David & Sharon Banks

2008-09-21T21:33:00.013-04:00

This is David and Sharon Banks. The attend Calvary Chapel of the Finger Lakes in Upstate NY. They graciously have opened their home to Danny while he is at CCoFL School of Ministry. The Banks took Danny on a day trip to see the lighthouse on Lake Ontario pictured behind them. At my request they emailed me this lovely photo of themselves. The second picture is of Danny in front of the lighthouse. Thank you David and Sharon for being such a blessing to Danny and for the kind e-mail introducing yourselves to us. We are praying for you and for Danny.

Pictures from the DR

2008-09-21T13:56:00.006-04:00

It was so nice to see the Niesens! (Ransom is the little one)
It is good to be home with Dan and Jack. We went to church this morning and Dan shared with the body about what Haiti has endured the last few weeks, with hurricanes Fay through Ike. They have been hit hard. Please keep the Haitian and the Dominican people in your prayers.

Theres no place like home!

2008-09-15T08:33:00.009-04:00

Here are some random pictures I took while in the DR.

I saw the wildest thing last night, (it didn't even phase John) the security guard at the gas station was carrying a shotgun! Not a policeman with a handgun in his holster but a security guard with a shotgun dangling from his hand. I was amazed. It is very different here.
I will be flying home today. I leave Santo Domingo at 8:35 pm and arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Fl at 11:00 pm. Please pray for travelling mercies.
I thank God for the oppurtunity I've had to spend time with the Niesen family during this exciting time. It has been great. I have missed their family since they left Florida (especially Sarah, sorry John & Evie). Little Ransom is so precious and such a good baby. He looks alot like his sister.
I will get some pictures today and post them when I am home. I am looking forward to seeing my family, the CCoV church body and the Agape staff and volunteers. God bless!

My time in the Dominican Republic & Ransom's arrival!

2008-09-11T21:10:00.003-04:00

Ransom was born today! Praise God!! I will leave all the details for Sarah to share.(www.niesens.blogspot.com)
I am really blessed to have had this time here in the D.R., although I miss my family a lot. I now have a better idea what we will need to prepare for our deployment. I also have a renewed appreciation for hot showers, constant electricity, air conditioning, Albertsons, and being able to flush the toilet paper. I will enjoy them all for the remainder of our time in the States. I do not plan on driving here...driving here is very scary! I think Dan will do just fine though. I return home on Monday night please pray for a safe journey. Thanks in advance!

No Ransom Yet!

2008-09-09T08:28:00.002-04:00

Good Morning! Last night John and Sarah went on a date and ended up at the hospital. They are still there but no Ransom yet, the Dr. thought he would be born last night or early morning but it was not to be. Maybe today. Evie and I are doing well, she is a trooper! Being here has been eye opening. It is giving me a real idea of what it will be like when my family gets here. It is a rainy day here in Santo Domingo, we had a horrible thunder storm last night...the thunder was so fierce it was setting car alarms off all around us, but Evie slept right through it. Please keep John,Sarah and Ransom in your prayers.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-08T11:42:00.004-04:00

Hurricane Ike didn't hit here like it did Haiti...it was dark, windy and rainy with very loud thunder and lots of lightning. The park behind the mission house is once again flooded. I sat up during the worst of the storms (around 3 am) and prayed for the people who live in the low lying areas and the Haitians. On the way in from the airport Sarah showed me as we passed over a bridge a whole community, probably 100 house (shacks really) built on the banks of the river, right on top of each other....feet away from the waters edge...she said there are these communities all up and down the rivers...when it floods even a little they are seriously affected. I will try to get a picture on our way out...it is something you have to see to believe. Please pray for these people as well as the Haitians.

Thursday and yesterday in pictures.

2008-09-06T12:41:00.012-04:00

Isaac, Pastor Vic, Maureen, Hannah and Jael Batista

Thursday night I stayed with The Batista family pictured here. Pastor Vic Batista, who was born and lived in the DR until the age of 9, is the Pastor at CC of Aventura (FL) and also is planting a CC of Santo Domingo and has planted a CC of Santiago, DR. I was so blessed to be their guest. Thank you Batista Family!

John, Sarah and Evie and their gifts of love!

Evie and I played with blocks...she is so advanced!

Today has been cooler as Ike approaches...he is not going to hit us directly but he is huge and we will feel his effects. I am enjoying spending time with the Niesens...Ransom is not ready to join us yet... I will keep you posted.
To my family I love you!

I arrived safe and sound.

2008-09-05T21:41:00.004-04:00

I am sitting in Santo Domingo and it is hot! I will post some photos in the morning.

Heading off to the Dominican Republic

2008-09-04T10:33:00.009-04:00

I (Kate) am heading off to Santo Domingo, D.R., Lord willing! I fly out of Fort Lauderdale airport tomorrow morning at 6 am and return late on the 15th. Please pray that hurricanes Hanna, Ike and Josephine (and any others) stay far away from me. As of now Ike is to hit the D.R. on Saturday. I am going to assist our friends, John and Sarah Niesen,the new Field Directors for Agape Flights. They are expecting their second child on September 11th. I am hoping to be a blessing to as many people as I can while there. I am also looking forward to learning more about the country that will be our home in the not too distant future.

I am going to get to spend some time with Pastor Vic, his wife Maureen and their family this evening (CC Aventura FL). Pastor Vic, who was born in the Dominican Republic, has started a CC (Calvary Chapel) in Santiago D.R. and a CC of Santo Domingo is in the works. There may even be a CC Bible College starting in Santo Domingo. Dan and I were very excited to learn of these developments.
I am off to drive the 3 hours to Fort lauderdale. I will update when I arrive Friday.

A missionary from Haiti’s call for help following hurricane’s destruction

2008-08-31T13:40:00.005-04:00

I feel like Nehemiah when he heard of the destruction of Jerusalem, and he was in a foreign land. I am in Port au Prince, Haiti but the villages in the areas where we have churches are in dire need. What little they had, is now taken away!! (At this writing my husband, is still stranded in the village due to washed away bridges.) Every village where we have planted a church has been damaged by the hurricane. All the roads to these villages have been destroyed. The roads and bridges need to be rebuilt or repaired. Marche Kabrit has no water. The water source has been destroyed. We need to get food (bags of rice, corn, beans) to the people. Right now they are eating the animals that have died during Hurricane, and the fruit from the fallen trees.
This is an email from a missionary serving in Haiti, which was struck by Hurricane Fay and now Gustav. These are the some of the desperate needs Agape Flights exists to meet. More than 50 people were killed after tropical storm Gustav struck Haiti on August 26. Please keep the missionaries, the Haitian and Dominican people and Agape Flights in your prayers.

Danny is safely in NY!

2008-08-27T14:33:00.013-04:00

Danny arrived safely in upstate NY on Sunday. The families within the church body, affilated with the school, offer housing for the bible college students. I love that! He is staying with a family, the Banks, who have adult children. Danny said it was a lot like being at the Peters house in NC. They are the family that the boys stayed with to finish out the school year when Dan and I headed to Venice. He said it gets to around 40 degrees in the morning and he wants his parka and anything wool...lol. Please pray for him. That he would have godly discernment, that he would desire God's will above all else and that he would drive carefully in the snow...make that at all times.
Well I am off to the grocery store, Jack is making dinner tonight. I decided after his brother gave himself food poisoning, that Jack making dinner once a week would be a good life skill. He is making Quesadillas and chips. Ole!

Soccer has started.

2008-08-22T20:22:00.007-04:00

Tonight was Jack's first soccer game of the year...and it poured for more than half of the game. In the pictures above you can see that Jack, and Dan are soaked. In the third photo you can see the beautiful rainbow that followed the rains. Jack's team lost 6- 0. I think there are 5 high schoolers and the rest are 6th - 8th graders, but they are playing as a varsity team. Jack was goalie and gave it everything he had. We are praying for a much drier game next Friday. God bless!

August 19, 2008

2008-08-19T19:42:00.005-04:00

Hurricane/tropical storm Fay came inland about 25 miles south of us. So all we experienced was a little gusty winds. Thank you Lord!
I (Kate) went to the hangar with Dan today and while he worked I cleaned the kitchen/staff dining area. I also helped the Cargo Manager/Pilot, Jeff Yannucceillo, load the plane for tomorrows run to Haiti & the DR. It was very interesting...the airplane we are currently using, a Cessna Chancellor 414, has a cargo hold in the nose and one in each wing, I was not aware of that, it adds quite a bit of usable load space.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during Fay's visit to the gulf coast of Florida. We appreciate it!

August 18, 2008

2008-08-18T14:54:00.005-04:00

The first day of school and our first hurricane warning. It looks like Hurricane Fay may come for a visit. The second day of school has been deemed a hurricane day. When I saw on the school calendar they had hurricane days rather than snow days I laughed. We escaped last year untouched, Praise God! Please pray for the areas that are hit by Fay. For anyone watching this unfold Venice is locate about half way between the 2 indented areas on the gulf coast of Florida. (Fort Myers and St Pete/Tampa). Our plans are currently up in the air. We may go inland to stay with some friends but are unsure as of right now. We'll keep you posted.

August 15, 2008

2008-08-15T13:48:00.004-04:00

Today is the last day of summer. Monday Jack goes back to school....it will not be too long before he too will be off to college. This summer was entirely too brief. I really enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with Jack this summer. It was wonderful to have our whole family together also. Danny is safely back in SC. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to engage our personal ministry team. To those of you who are a part of our team...we can't thank you enough. We appreciate your faithfulness and we keep you and yours in our prayers. Hope everyone else is doing well this crazy time of year. God bless!

August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T11:56:00.033-04:00

Where has the time gone?

Dan and Danny will be heading to St. Petersburg later this afternoon. Today is the day that Danny leaves us. We have enjoyed having our little family together.
Danny will spend a few weeks in beautiful Greenville, SC and then head to Farmington, NY for soccer camp which begins on the 25th. He has been hired(?) as the varsity soccer coach (he will be just a litttle bit older than his players...lol) at Calvary Chapel Christian School of the Finger Lakes. God is blessing Danny and growing him. Please pray with us that Danny would have good freshman year and seek after Him always.
Dan got to fly right seat (aka co-pilot) last week on the run to Haiti and the D.R. and was able to spend the night with John, Sarah and Evie Neisen in Santo Domingo. He enjoyed the flight experience and the fellowship with our friends. Dan reports that it looks as though the King Air 90 twin-engine plane will arrive in Venice in 2 weeks, Lord willing.
The woman who owns our house, Margaret, has to put our house on the the market. I am hoping it sells for her sake but not so much for ours..lol. This week I get to go through and get our house ready to show to the realtor and any perspective buyers. It will be a good to time to purge some of our belongings in preparation for our deployment to the Dominican Republic.
On August 2nd Jack turned 16, it was nice that we could all be together. Jack started soccer practice this week and is going to play goalie. He is eager to get back to school and sports. He is hoping that he gets to stay at HCA at least through the basketball season.God has been working in Jack in awesome ways this summer. Please pray with us that Jack would have a good junior year and seek after Him always.

2008-08-08T16:58:00.003-04:00

We are back home now. Our oldest son, Danny, is home for 10 days then he goes back to Greenville SC, and then in September onto Calvary Chapel Bible College in upstate New York...Brrrrrr. I am sure he will look forward to visiting us in either sunny Florida or the D.R.

We are enjoying our whole family being together again. Dan is busy at the hangar as usual and I am tying up end of summer /new school year loose ends. I will be going to the Dominican Republic September 5th through the 15th to be of any assistance I can to John and Sarah Neisen (Baby Ransom is due on the 11th). Jack is getting ready to start a new school year on the 18th at Heritage Christian Academy and is getting geared up to start soccer camp next week. He will be one of 4 or 5 juniors...the senior class is currently one girl. It is a very small school.

on the Road

2008-07-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

We are currently in beautiful Greenville, SC. Dan spoke last night at our home church. I may be biased but I was very blessed by his teaching. We were able to spend some time with Danny, which was great! We miss having him home but God is working in his life in a mighty way. We spent Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday in Hampton, Georgia where Dan worked on Agape's new interim airplane a twin-engine King Air 90. Then we headed here and are staying up on the top of a mountain with our friends Bill and Paige Miller also known as chateau L'Abri...which means safe shelter....We will be returning to Venice on Sunday afternoon. God Bless!