We’re tired, so for the next few days we’ll be relaxing and seeing some of the sights in Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. After all the work Sharon put into her Cherokee analysis and the days of traveling we need to take a few days to slow down, catch up on our mail, and prepare for our next meetings.
We had a great time with in Tennessee today. This Sunday we will be in Missouri at Prosperine Baptist Church. Monday we fly to Arizona to spend time with family for the holidays.
We’re in Norfolk, Virginia watching the rain slam against the windows and listening to the wind howl though the trees outside. This is the yearly “Noreaster” that residents here have come to respect for its ability to flood the city annually. Here’s a link. We are safe, but appreciate your prayers as we are hoping to drive to central Virginia tomorrow and then head on to Tennessee Saturday.
Yesterday, however, we did squeeze in a little fun before the heavy rains and wind. We went to the Virginia Beach Aquarium and had a great time looking at the animals. Here’s a sample of what we saw:
On the road finding internet is always a problem and when we do get it we snatch every precious second of it we can get. I’m in the process of adding pictures to our online albums, checking our email, updating our website, downloading important files and updates for my computer, and managing our contact lists from the churches we’ve visited. The most important thing I’m doing, though, is sending Sharons paper off to the grader’s. Here’s how it came in:
Pages: 115
Hours: 100+
Sharon is SOOO happy to be done. Now we party. We’re going to the beach and then shopping. Wednesday we will go to the aquarium here in town.
Here are some funny comics that have been in the past few editions of our local newspaper. Sharon’s mom cut them out for us, so I thought I’d post them for everyone to read.
Sharon made some delicious indian tacos on Saturday with her language helper (Bobbie) and some of her friends who are also in the linguistics course. The time Sharon has spent with the Cherokee friends she has met here in Tahlequah has been priceless, but we are ready to move on and be completely done studying. Sharon still has a lot of work to do! Breaks like this one are much-needed and well-deserved.
Sharon attended a Powwow on Saturday and had a great time watching the dances and seeing the costumes. She was able to try Indian Tacos and even some of the dance moves. Cherokee culture is rich and intricate, so Sharon went to the powwow to learn some important culture that will help her with her analysis of the language and understanding her language helper. I will be posting some video of the event tomorrow.
Many people know about our previous hike on the Appalachian Trail… when we walked from Pennsylvania to Maine after we got married. The past four days we were continuing the hike south, completing 50 miles more of Pennsylvania. I am in the process of typing a journal of our time on the trail. For now, here are some pictures. Check back later for the play-by-play.
Today was the fourth day of VBS at Trinity. There are hundreds of kids involved and it’s a great opportunity to get them excited about reaching the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. As part of my internship responsibilities, I’ve been bringing in missionaries to speak to the kids.
Schedule of Events: Day One: Everywhere we are is a mission field! Day Two: Some churches look different then ours! Day Three: Isolated Tribal People need the gospel! Day Four: Some kids live different lives than I do! Day Five: I can follow God anywhere
My involvement has been minimal, really. I recruited some volunteers, explained the curriculum for them, and made sure they had everything they needed to do the job. They have all done a fantastic job! LifeWay
Seeing a professional baseball game is amazing on any day, but today was exceptional. The tickets were gifts from a missions-minded couple at our church, the weather was great, the Tigers won via a grand slam in the eighth inning, and I got some decent pictures. Thanks Ben and Jen!
This mother’s day we’d just like to thank our mothers who spent so much time and effort raising us. We both are blessed to have excellent families and especially dedicated mothers who love us very much. Although we weren’t able to be with them we still thought about them often. -Ric and Sharon
On top of her incredible linguistics workload this semester, Sharon has spent hours training for a race. It all paid off as she crossed the finish line of her 10k (6.2 miles) in one hour, three minutes, and fifty seven seconds.
For her full race results, please visit this link and type Sharon Bruce in the appropriate boxes.
Ric and Sharon Bruce 
