Taken from our car near Mammoth, CA on a trip to the High Sierra.
The sunlight blazing out through the clouds is an apt theme for this page.

Click here to see our first newsletter concerning these coming changes.

Following is a more detailed summary than in our newsletter of the interesting "coincidences" and serendipitous happenings which God appears to be using to move us into a new and exciting season of our lives.
Here is the still-unfolding story (newest at the bottom):

• Many of you know that in June 2003 we left behind our missionary career to deal with family issues that needed our undivided attention. We settled here in West Los Angeles in the house where Jeannie's grandmother lived before she passed away. We found decent jobs that provided for our needs, and we also developed a support network for our little boy, Caleb. The past four years have been a relatively low-stress time and we have been able to emotionally and physically 'regroup' as it were, and recharge our depleted batteries.
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• During this time we also have occasionally pondered on our missionary experiences over the years - was that season of our lives truly over? If not, what form would it take in the future? We're no longer as young and full of energy as we were when we set out for Bolivia in 1996, and the thought of moving to another country and learning a new language and culture just doesn't seem doable anymore. We've also felt the need to be closer to our kids as they transition to adulthood and take on the many challenges of life in the USA.
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• Our oldest daughter, Hannah, is finishing her studies and hopes to graduate soon from John Brown University, and Melissa is in her third year at JBU. Our third child, John, just finished high school and has been accepted by JBU as well, although he's taking classes at a local community college for now.
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• We were planning a vacation to visit NW Arkansas to visit Hannah and her husband Jeremiah on October 20-27, 2007. We also wanted to look at some properties with a view to eventually moving to the area and buying a house.
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• Jeannie happened to be browsing the JBU website in early October and 'stumbled' upon a job opening listed there with the innocuous name of "IBCD Research Associate". It described a position at the Institute for Biblical Community Development (IBCD) doing research and development on sustainable technologies for developing countries, teaching them to JBU students, and implementing them overseas. In a word, a job that Cliff would dream of doing if he could! The obvious fly in the ointment was that it required a Master's degree in Engineering, and Cliff had just a BA, (which he had recently finished, on the 37-year plan!).
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• We decided it was still worth sending in an application and résumé, so that's what I, Cliff, did. I appended a list of projects I'd done and classes I'd taught, and a letter of recommendation from my current boss. I also mentioned about our upcoming trip there so that perchance we might meet and talk with someone from the IBCD.
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• Alas, Dr. Kim, the director of the Institute, wrote back and said no, that the position really required a Master's degree. However, he was surprised and impressed that so much of my experience aligned with what they were doing and so, yes, he'd like to meet with me!
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• So, while there on our vacation, I went for an interview with Dr. Kim. He wasn't in his office yet when I arrived, but when I walked in one of the first items I noticed was a plastic hydraulic ram pump resting on a counter, one that I had designed while in Alabama at SIFAT in the early 90's! That was a quite a surprise, and an encouraging sign to me!
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• I talked with Dr. Kim for quite some time and it quickly became apparent that we were of much the same heart and mind and spirit. By the end of the interview Dr. Kim had offered me a new position at the IBCD, that of "Appropriate Technology Specialist", doing much the same thing as advertised in the published job description but focusing on Appropriate Technology and not initially requiring the Master's degree. (Click here for my job description)
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• Additionally, Dr. Kim explained that the job would include the usual benefits through JBU, plus free tuition for all our family members(!!), and I would study for my Master's degree and eventually Ph.D, Lord willing, tuition paid for by the IBCD!
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• Talk about convergence! To recap: I would return to ministry doing what I enjoy and am gifted by God in, we move to where our girls are and where we were looking to move anyways, the kids get free tuition at one of the best universities in the region (rated #4 in the Southeast by US News and World Report), I get to study for advanced degrees for free, and…we leave Los Angeles traffic behind!
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• There is, however, one crucial piece of the puzzle missing. The job is to start in the summer of 2008, but it is contingent upon funding for the position. Since the IBCD is a mission organization on the JBU campus, the staff members raise all their own funds - they aren't directly funded by JBU. Dr. Kim has graciously committed to raising half of our yearly support including overhead and administration, about $25,000. We are responsible for coming up with the other $25,000 for this year. The deadline to have it received or pledged is April 30, 2008.
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• When we shared about this need in our adult Sunday school class, one of the women came up afterward and explained that she felt God urging her to give $5,000 to us from a rummage sale fund! That really encouraged us and gave us added reassurance that God was indeed going to do this.
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• Just this past Jan.10 Jeannie learned that the school where she is teaching is closing its doors as of the end of the school year. This, of course, is when we would be getting ready to move to Arkansas. While this is hard news for the staff and students, it's one more event with perfect timing for us in terms of our move.
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• Many things have yet to be resolved. We're going to need a house to live in, preferably with a workshop, or room to build one, located sufficiently close to the JBU campus to facilitate travel back and forth to work. Jeannie is working to have her teaching credential transferred to Arkansas, and may need to look for a teaching job there. She would prefer part-time work to leave more time for her own Master's degree studies and home-making. We're also going to need a means of moving our stuff; it's not much since we have little in the way of furniture, but it's still going to require a trailer or U-Haul truck or the like. We'll see how God provides for these things.
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• Jeannie has had hopes of some day retrieving her piano from Alabama where good friends have taken care of it since 1993. Cliff bought it and refinished it to give to her for her birthday years ago, and it's been sorely missed at times. Perhaps we'll have room for it in the house God provides for us. Another rather personal item to leave before Him.
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• Jeannie has successfully gotten her teaching credential transferred to Arkansas and was told that there would likely be no problem getting a position teaching math or science. (1/24/08)
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• People have begun responding to our letter and we're amazed to see that we're already past the halfway mark in our support raising! Wow! A big "Thank you!" to all our contributors, and thank you, God! (2/2/08)
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• The owners of the business where Cliff works are going to donate the money from the sale of a used machine to be designated for our support. There is already a possible buyer and we may know early next week if it sells, potentially for close to $3600! (2/2/08)
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• I received the order for the above machine for $3595! If all goes well it should be paid for by the middle of next week and the proceeds sent in to our account. A big thank you to the good folks at West Coast Plastics Equipment! (2/6/08)
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• Our current support level is now approximately $20,000 of the $25,000 that we need to raise! (2/7/08)
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• The bagging machine has sold and the money will be sent in to our account. That puts us at about $24,500 toward our goal! We've begun getting quotes for one-way truck and trailer rentals and are planning how to best use the next few months as the reality of our upcoming move is sinking in. (2/19/08)
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• The news from Dr. Kim at the IBCD is that the support raising for his half of our annual need is not going that well, and that he just lost a major donor. We're not discouraged, but trusting that God will provide that other half, and assist Dr. Kim in his efforts. Please pray along with us concerning that. (2/20/08)
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• Today I was told by the company owners that they were going to "round up" the amount from the sale of the machine from $3595 to $5000!! Wow! That unofficially puts us over $25,000 - PTL! We continue to be amazed at God's provision. (2/22/08)
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• More good news from my company - they are offering me the opportunity to sell their new machines in the region where we'll be in Arkansas, and they'll split the profits with me! This could be a great possibility, esp. on top of their previous offer concerning used machines. The offer would include a region stretching into three surrounding states, including some good sized cities. Would those who pray for us please lift this up to God for His wise counsel and direction? Thanks! (2/22/08)
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• We are planning to be in Arkansas Mar. 20-27 to look for a house and would really appreciate prayer to find one that will meet our needs for this next season of our lives. This is a big step and new territory for us as we've never owned a home before. We also need a workshop, or at least space to build a shop and enough flexibility in the price to allow for that. The Lord knows what we're going to need in the future so we are trusting Him to provide the right place in the right location. Thanks for praying along with us for this! (3-10-08)
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• We've been to Arkansas and back and are buying a house in Siloam Springs! No workshop but a big double garage and room to build later (1.32 acre lot). It's a good solid brick house, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and extra space for a study and den. Please pray for all the details to go smoothly. (4-5-08)
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• Dr. Kim said all systems are "go" to proceed with the submission of my position at JBU, even without waiting until the end of April. We should hear back from him soon on how that went. He feels strongly, as we do, that the Lord is in this move and is trusting that all will proceed smoothly. (4-7-08)
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• The house closing date is May 23 with possession on May 30. We were wondering how we were going to do this from Los Angeles, but then Jeannie checked airfares today for that time and they were just $204 round trip including taxes and fees, the lowest we've ever seen, and especially from L.A. to XNA airport near Siloam Springs. So, Cliff now has a ticket so he can be there for the handoff, praise God! (4-9-08)
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• Well, a bit of a surprising development - JBU/IBCD flew Cliff out to Arkansas for a morning of interviews with the university leadership, 7 Ph.D.'s and the business manager! A little intimidating but it went well and the upshot is that Cliff was formally offered the position and formally accepted it. He should have his work contract soon, PTL! (5-11-08).
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• After a busy few days we are now the happy owners of a new home in Siloam Springs! Everything went through fine and we're praising God for His provision for us. The sellers will stay in the house for a few more days, then Cliff flys out on May 30 to get the keys and arrange all the details of utilities and stuff. (5-21-08) Here's our new home:
  
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• God's is continuing to bless this move - we just found out recently that there is a relocation benefit that JBU provides that covers moving our stuff across country with a professional moving company, as well as the cost of driving our own vehicle! This opens up new possibilities for us, as we can now purchase some good used furniture here in the L.A. without worrying about the added space and expense, and have it available right away when we move in.
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• Cliff flew to Siloam Springs, picked up our new house keys, and was able to install the washer and dryer we purchased used on Craigslist, transfer all the utilities, meet with Hannah and Jeremiah, start getting estimates on a workshop, and so on.
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• A big "THANKS!" to the Sierra Madre Missions Commission for offering to cover the cost of the concrete foundation and pad for the new workshop!
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• Another "THANKS!" to the Paradoxes class at our church for offering to help out with erecting a workshop sometime in the next couple of months! I'll be needing to get estimates of various types soon after we move. This is where I hope to build it:
  
  Some of the bushes on the left will have to go to make room for it, but the concrete pad can join to the concrete road in the foreground with a short driveway.
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• Our moving date is fast approaching. We are to have everything packed up by June 25, the truck comes and is loaded the 26th, we clean and say our last goodbyes the 27th, and head for Arkansas the 28th. Whew! (6/17/08)
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• My (Cliff's) company is giving me a sendoff party Thursday afternoon, June 19. Aside from our mission work, this has been the best job I've had and I'm going to miss it and the great folks I've been working with for the past 3 years. Fortunately, I get to continue working with them to some extent but from a distance.
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• June 24 is our last family counselling session with Caleb at a nearby center. We've been preparing him for this parting for weeks now and are hoping it won't be too traumatic for him. Many thanks to Judy S. for her personal interest in our family and for her professional help - it's greatly appreciated and we feel much better prepared for this next stage of our lives because of it!
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• We would appreciate prayer for Jeannie as she looks online for a part-time job in the Siloam Springs area. She would like to teach but there doesn't seem to be much call for part-time teachers. She has her Arkansas teaching certificate now and is pursuing her Master's degree so hopefully that will open some doors for her. Thanks for praying for this! This move is difficult for her in various ways, not the least being the distance from her parents and extended family. I'm trusting God to provide a 'niche' for her there in Arkansas that's tailored just for her.
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• Please pray for us on the details of packing, selling, giving away, etc. There are so many details and decisions to be made, and we're running a little low on energy already.
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• Well, a new surprise to test our flexibility - Dr. Kim arrived back from Asia, and in talking with him I mentioned about the JBU relocation benefit. It turns out the 'benefit' is ultimately paid for by the university department hiring me, i.e. Dr. Kim and us in this case! Thus ensued a furious lot of telephoning with the end result that we were able to cancel the moving van and rent a Penske truck with car carrier (to haul our Honda Civic). Whew! That cuts the cost of the move a great deal compared to the moving service. So we're back on track to move ourselves again, but with a bigger truck to accommodate the added stuff we've been given or purchased in the interim. (6-23-08)
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• The above change to a rental truck puts the moving expenses back on us, but Dr. Kim has already said he'd help pay for them, and we also received a generous gift from family members to help out, PTL!
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• One extra plus to having the rental truck - we normally would be given 8 days for the move, but because the return date lands on July 4, and the return place is closed all weekend, we actually end up having it for 11 days. This should allow us sufficient time after unloading to take a quick trip with the truck down to Alabama to pick up Jeannie's piano, which would be another answer to prayer!
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• We received our new phone number at our house in Arkansas today. Email us if you'd like to get the number. We should also have Internet access as well. (6-24-08)
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• Wow! Forget time "marching on", it's galloping! Much has happened since my last post. Our move went well and without incident, and we arrived at our new home the evening of June 30. That evening we were able to unpack our beds and stuff and actually sleep pretty well the first night. The train goes by below our property fairly often but we're getting used to it quickly. Here's a photo of the rig we rented to move with:
  
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• After a day of unpacking and sorting, with help from friends at the IBCD and Hannah and Jeremiah, Melissa and I headed to Alabama and picked up Jeannie's piano. An added plus was that we got to stay with our long-time friends and co-workers, the Scroggins, and catch up a bit. July 4 we had a barbeque with their extended family down at the creek and enjoyed it a lot.
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• Gradually we've been finding used furniture and sorting out our stuff. Still open boxes laying around but it's more and more feeling like a home. Jeannie's big find was a like-new porch swing at a used furniture store for $40! It's now up and we've enjoyed watching the birds and little animals out back while swinging in it.
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• Cliff's big find, and just in time, was an old John Deere zero-turn mower for a super price. It only had 694 hours on it after 18 years and is still in good working condition. It should be perfect for mowing our lawn, especially with all the trees.
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• Caleb is enrolled in swimming lessons at the local aquatic center and doing really well at it. Overall, he's doing great with the transition, and we're so grateful to those of you who have prayed for him during this time! Thanks!!
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• Cliff has been in to his office a few times and is working through the paperwork that needs to be taken care of for his new job. Dr. Kim has been traveling but should be back July 15.
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• Thanks again to all who have made this new job and home possible for us! We've not done so well in the past few weeks communicating with those who are helping us but we trust each person will understand and give grace in the midst of these hectic times. :-)
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• Cliff is busy making working models and plans of several of the devices he's been involved with over the years in preparation for the fall classes. Also, he has the garage set up ready for repairing packaging machines when they come in. (7-28-08)
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• The new workshop is still pending final estimates to be able to start on it. We're trusting the Lord for funds to build it, and grateful for the provision of money for the concrete pad/foundation. (7-28-08)
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• Jeannie still has not found a good job and it's getting down to the wire for us. She has two offers but they don't pay very much and are some distance away. Please pray for God's provision of the right opportunity and direction in our decision-making. Thanks! (7-28-08)
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• Melissa has been busy repainting/redecorating her room and enjoying the freedom to be able to do so. She's certainly the most talented one in our family at doing that sort of thing!
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• Well, Jeannie was offered both of the aforementioned jobs and has accepted them. They're both located in Rogers, about 30 miles away, but are only for 3 days a week. That will leave her time to substitute teach some in local schools and also work on her Master's degree classes (sounds busy, we'll see how it goes!). One job is at Providence Classical Christian Academy teaching geometry and Spanish, and the other is at the Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) teaching adult ed. None of the classes needs a lot of preparation but the commute will still take a good bit of time. We're accepting this as God's provision for us at this stage and trusting him for to work out all the details. (8-9-08)
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• Cliff is still searching for better pricing on a workshop. It seems that wood and metal prices have been steadily climbing and so far he's not found anything within budget range. Please pray on this. Thanks! (8-9-08)
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• It turns out that only 12 units toward Cliff's Master's degree classes will be covered by the IBCD - he will have to arrange financing for the other 24 units. This is a bit of a downer as we expected this to be covered, but again, God knows our situation and we trust Him to provide as the needs arise. Cliff will likely start his classes in October. (8-9-08)
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• Wow! Time is flying by and it's been almost a month since the last post! Yikes! Cliff has been very busy building AT models, meeting with staff and students, and repairing machines. He's also now helping out the senior mechanical engineering students rebuild two Basic Utility Vehicles so they can get some more hands-on experience. (9-8-08)
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• Cliff is also now working with some graduate students to give them experience doing AT work out at the IBCD property nearby in Oklahoma. Some of our first projects will be a latrine, a hand-dug well, and a compost pile near the garden. (9-8-08)
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• Jeannie has been working three part-time jobs - teaching Geometry and Spanish at the Providence Classical Christian Academy in Rogers, teaching adult ed at the Northwest Arkansas Community College, and substituting in public schools in Siloam Springs occasionally. The first two jobs are on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, mostly in the mornings. (9-8-08)
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• Hannah and Jeremiah are moving to Siloam Springs next weekend to be closer to his work there. We're glad they'll be closer to us, too! Hannah is working to finish her final two classes to be able to graduate in Biology by December. (9-8-08)
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• Cliff is celebrating his 56th birthday today, and grateful for the neat opportunities and good health that he's enjoyed this past year. (9-8-08)
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• Melissa and John are now living at John Brown University and well into their classes. They came home for a while yesterday for an advance birthday celebration for their Dad. (9-8-08)
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• On Saturday, Cliff was able to get in on an antique engine and tractor show held just a couple of miles away from us. He met a couple of fellows who were interested in Stirling engines, something he's thought about for years, and one fellow had a few on display. Cliff added his two engines to the display on Saturday and ran them for a while. (9-8-08)
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• Caleb is doing well at school and seems to be enjoying it. His teacher brought in a baby kangaroo last week and it was a big hit! We're really glad he's adjusted so well and so quickly. It WAS a bit hard for him, though, when his sister and brother moved over to the university. (9-8-08)
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• We've begun attending Siloam Springs Bible Church and are liking it there. We keep meeting people with connections to others we know, even from our deep past. Dr. Richard Lewis and his wife, Sandy, were there the past couple of weeks - he was in charge of our missionary training at UWM many years ago! We had them over for lunch one Saturday and had a great time getting caught up with them. (9-8-08)
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• Bill and Karen Scroggin, teammates from Bolivia, visited us last weekend and it was so good to spend some time with them and get caught up with them as well. We worked with them at SIFAT starting in 1989 and later on with UWM, and they're some of our best friends. They also updated us on the ministry in Bolivia of our friends, Javier and Lidia Soliz. Cliff worked with Javier in Cochabamba and equipped him with knowledge and tools to be able to continue a technical ministry there with the Quechua people. The Scroggins have continued supervising and encouraging him and even loaned him their Landcruiser for his trips up into the mountains. Great folks all! (9-8-08)
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• Cliff has been busy helping with preparations for the first big event at the Center for Integral Mission (an IBCD property nearby in Oklahoma), a competition between BUV's (Basic Utility Vehicles) rebuilt by senior JBU engineering students. He also prepared a third BUV (that is in daily use at the CIM) for the competition and it actually won all three of the events! About 40-50 people showed up and there was a Korean barbeque afterwards which was delicious. This was a good opportunity to introduce the IBCD to staff, students, and others who were unaware of what we do. Here's a sign that Dr. Kim had made for the occasion (10/27/08):
  
  And a photo of all three of the BUV's at the starting line for the acceleration test:
  
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• Cliff is now assigned to help with several other student projects including two water filters and a parabolic trough solar water heater. He's also working on a soil block maker and mud stove mold for use in Niger and Cambodia. (10/27/08)
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• Jeannie has a new part-time job two days a week working with the NW Arkansas Community College (NWACC) to tutor recovering alcoholics and drug addicts so they can pass their GED and graduate from high school. For most of the men the courts have mandated that they do this but even so most are quite motivated on their own. It's close by and a sort of ministry to these guys. That makes four different physical locations that she teaches at which is a bit confusing at times. (10/27/08)
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• Melissa and John joined us for a trip to the War Eagle Arts and Crafts Fair. There is a working water mill there and Jeannie got some fresh-ground cornmeal and flour. It was fun to peruse the many booths and the trip took us through some beautiful rolling hills where the trees are 'aflame' with their fall colors. Here is the water wheel that drove the mill:
  
  And here is Caleb with the laser-cut wooden eagle that he purchased there:
  
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• Cliff got permission to cut up a large white oak tree that fell down in the golf course near our house, so he and our neighbor have been sawing it up and splitting wood for the winter. This shows the size of the tree:
  
  And here's Melissa taking a turn with the splitting axe:
  
  (10/27/08)
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• Boy, it's difficult to keep up this blog thingy! When I think it must be time to update it I find that more than a month has passed! I don't remember Einstein addressing this acceleration of time issue, but I'll bet he must have wondered about it himself at times...
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• Anyway, here it is well into December. The pile of firewood in the above photo is stacked on our porch to keep it dry, the weather is turning cold, and we're expecting snow this week. We'll likely be burning some of that wood in our fireplace to keep the gas bill down. (12-8-08)
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• Last weekend, during the Thanksgiving break, Cliff visited his parents and brother in Alberta, Canada, and surprisingly didn't have to deal with a lot of snow up there. The weather was much like it is here in Arkansas. Of course, today when I (Cliff) talked with them they had just gotten 8 inches of new snow so I guess I went at the right time! (12-8-08)
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• Cliff came back to lots of work - bag sealers to refurbish, a deck to build, engines to fix, cars to repair, house repairs, mountains of dead leaves, students needing help on their water filter and solar projects, a new BUV in the works, a well to finish digging with other students, emails to answer, bills to pay, a block-maker to build, technologies to research, and so on. Part of the reason why this blog languishes quietly in cyberspace, sadly out of date and with cyber spider webs gracing its pages and...well, anyway, I'm busy, OK? :-)
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• The fallen white oak tree that we were harvesting for firewood and lumber is finally pretty much cut up and hauled to our houses. It helped having access to a tilt-bed trailer for hauling the bigger pieces with our 4Runner. They must have weighed close to 1,000 pounds each:
  
  (12-8-08).
• The economic downturn/recession has not left us unaffected. Many folks are feeling the pinch, and the IBCD is experiencing reduced income. We are very grateful to have jobs in this time when so many do not, and we trust that God will continue to provide for our needs and those of our co-workers in the coming months. We'd also ask those who pray for us to lift this need as well if you would. Thanks! (Just as a sidenote to clarify, while we raised at least half of our support for the year, the other half comes from the Institute through JBU)
  .(12-8-08)
• Jeannie is continuing her part-time jobs and also her work on her Master's degree. The trip to Rogers on backroads is sometimes grueling but the jobs themselves have been interesting and a ministry for her. She does hope to reduce the number of locations where she works after this school year.
  .(12-8-08)
• Caleb is doing well in school and last night went on a hayride with the AWANA group in our church. He took a friend and had a great time! He does have those other times, also, when life seems really dark to him and he becomes filled with anger and fear - it's a real challenge to deal with him at such times, and we covet the prayers of friends and family for God to give us wisdom and hope.
  .(12-8-08)
• Melissa and John have occasionally come home for a night or a weekend and we always enjoy seeing them and getting the latest news. Hannah and Jer also visit at times and are planning to be with us on Christmas Eve and day. It will be great to celebrate Christmas with the whole family, Lord willing and the crick don't rise!
  .(12-8-08)
• More to come...! Although I think, after 6 months, this is getting pretty long and we're going to need a new blogging tool that makes it easier to update! Any ideas out there?