On the way to see Landon in Ecuador through the Adventures In Missions' Parent Vision Trip (PVT), we decided to “stop by” Alabaster on our way. The timing was perfect as it was Lane’s spring break. He was able to pick us up in Atlanta and we surprised Greg’s mom and our siblings!!! Thank goodness no one had a heart attack as they had NO idea we were coming. Linda, Greg's mom, kept saying she just could not believe we were talking to her in person. It was really fun to surprise our family members and spend a few days with them, even though it is really hard to keep a secret!  We were sad there was not much time to spend with friends.

From Alabaster, we went to Quito, Ecuador and it was wonderful to see Landon. It was one of the best hugs ever as he greeted us after not seeing us for almost 7 months.   He is doing great and it was amazing to sit down with him face to face and hear how the race has been going. He has had to become independent and figure out how to navigate his way around different cities and cultures. We were so impressed in his confidence and maturity in so many ways.

We were also surprised by the altitude difference. Simply walking around would cause us to be out of breath very easily.

Here is a quick elevation rundown of our last two weeks:

• Alabaster, Alabama 502 ft
• Quito, Ecuador 9,350 ft (The first two days of ministry were on top of a mountain at over 11,000 ft and we were doing cement work)
• Manzini, Swaziland 1,971 ft

We are so thankful for this opportunity to see both of our kids and some other family, even if for a short period of time. This transition has been hard and we really miss our boys.  God is good and we continue to trust His plan is perfect. It is not always easy, but the “surprises” (aka gifts) He gives us along the way are incredible.  We returned to Swaziland yesterday and are now trying to quickly recover before our next team arrives tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you for following our journey and for your prayers and support!

Greg and Michelle