Parks and fun with ticks

The petrified forest was worth the 10$ and 3 hours it cost us. We mostly drove around and stayed in the car but, we got out twice to touch the wood and experience the petrification. Near there was an Indian shop. Everything was inexpensive and well made for the most part. One thing I wish I had known about is the blankets. $4.99 for each Indian made blanket. There are billboards for miles advertising these blankets all along the reservation. We can't buy anything besides gas, camping and cheap food at this point. So everytime we drove past one of the exits with blankets was a new opportunity to tell the Lord I trust him. We need blankets and know he will give them to us when we get there.

We figured out that State Parks while not right off the freeway are very cheap and you won't find a more roomy, private and beautiful spot spend the night and morning. We've been paying $8 per night. One drawback was on our 3rd night at a State Park in Bartlesville OK. What were these little spider looking things. They're kind of cute. Zuriel's got them in her hair and they won't come out. Naphtali's got them on the souls of his feet and they're stuck there. Yikes! We've got them down our pants. Ticks! Ticks! everywhere!!!!

After we got most of them out Leon took action and said that's it. Pack up, we're going to the Econolodge. We picked out more on the way there and still more after thoroughly checking each other at the hotel. One of us (I won't say who) had to have one extracted from the butt cheek and it was difficult to get out.

The Voice of the Martyr's conference was amazing! It' s hard to describe. It was like being in heaven sharing with every tongue, tribe and nation the wonders of God. Only we're not in heaven yet and our brothers and sisters are still suffering and we have been given wealth and position for the purpose of helping them. God forgive us if we keep for ourselves what was given us for dispersement to the needy.

I talked to a man in Bartlesville and noticed that a lot of strangers tend to talk to me about how everyone has done them wrong. They don't come to God because of this. I asked God to give me the response for these people since I meet so many.

Now we're at Craig (Alvin) and Shari Smith's enjoying there hospitality. They just moved here to Oklahoma city 3 weeks ago. We are getting very excited about living in a small town away from the city.

Tomorrow we leave for Leon's sister Teresa's house where we'll stay 2 nights and then we go to the Gospel for Asia conference. There are no kids allowed in that one so Leon and I are going to trade back and forth.

The kids are very excited about getting home and writing letters to prisoners who are in chains for the gospel. While at VOM they all prayed over bibles and sent them to China through the Bibles Unbound ministry of Voice Of The Martyr's. The kids want to do more of that for sure.

Closing for now...

maximum occupancy and travel planning

Twice we have been sent away because we exceeded the amount of people allowed in the room. They claimed a maximum of, at one place 4 and at another 5 people allowed in one room by state law. At one place it was badly jested by a man in line behind Leon that he put some of them in the pool to drown. What a selfish, child hating world we have. We have been the biggest family anywhere we have gone and we only have 5 children.

For those planning a trip in the near future this might interest you:
We spend about $40 per day to eat. This is cereal for breakfast, meat and veggie sandwiches (made in the car) for lunch and some kind of fast food for dinner. Sometimes the hotel will have kids eat free meals or we'll go to taco bell etc.
We spend about $30 to tent camp. A hotel costs between $45 and $90. The $90 is a holiday inn that always comes with a light breakfast. We do laundry and shower when we have a hotel. We like to get a hotel if we get a late start because of fun or business and are not ready to stop driving by 7pm.

Each gas tank costs about $100 and we can go about 350 miles on each tank.
Entering Grand Canyon park cost us $25 and Disneyland cost us $600 for a 2 day pass. Any food in Disneyland tastes terrible and costs too much. For example a frozen microwaved Chimichanga with about a 50 ingredients you can't pronounce will cost you $5 and won't fill you up. We were feeding 7 people so we exceeded our food budget those days.

We are so happy to be away from California and have decided that we are not southern weather people. If God calls us there, He'll fix that. We love you all. Please pray for God to extend the life of my dear uncle Harold. We have so much to learn from him and feel we have barely begun.

Petrified!

Hard Ground, Star Cacti Swim, Expensive Crater

200 miles prior to Grand Canyon, AZ, in the middle of the Mojave, we stayed at a camp ground. We pulled in at 7:30 pm. It was 100 degrees. It was hard to do anything. The tent took a long time to put up. The ground was so hard the stakes broke after getting past the first inch. Ephraim's rope and knot skills really came in handy! Even a simple dinner of lettuce leaves and yoghurt seemed difficult. Finally around 9:30 or 10pm we went swimming. We swam under the stars. We could see the cacti around the perimeter of the pool. By 10pm the temperature was 95 degrees and by sunrise it was 90 and rising. All night we lay in our underwear on our bags on top of that hot sand. The windows in the tent were open and we didn't care. It's good, I think, to be humbled by circumstances. Women need that and are saved through childbirth.

We were irritated at the Grand Canyon. I certainly was an incredible sight. You really cant imagine the depth and breadth of it without seeing it firsthand. This glorious handiwork of God should point to the Creator not man. The government is using it instead as a platform to 'educate the public' on human evolution. They seem to want to glorify the authority of government and the need for public education and eliminate any need for a God.

Yesterday we tried to look at a giant hole made by a meteor when it hit the earth. You have to drive several miles to find out that it's fenced off and costs $15 per person to see it. We plan to see the petrified forest this morning.

We are more excited than ever to raise up children that know God's word and abide in Christ. This world is so desperately in need of Godly men and women!

We love all of you. We begin to long to see our Wisconsin house. The other time we traveled to a new house I had not seen it. Leon gave it to me. This time neither one of us has seen it. God is giving it to us; to use for a time. We hope for a long time.

Woodland to Anaheim

"I'm getting excited. It's more of an adventure than it ever has been" This is what Leon said this morning.
Well, we left the Simonatti's last Sunday after a wonderful sending off time. People played music until late at night. Kids bounced on the trampoline from about 6 am until about 11 pm. It was an encouraging and exhilarating time. I shall never forget it. I have cemented in my memory many pictures. Among which are; Kevin bending over and talking with Havilah to say goodbye, Charissa and Christy talking together in their old familiar way, mom Betsy hugging me with tears, Monica's car as it wound out of sight carrying my dear friend away, and many others. The next day as we drove off we both felt as we had never felt; Light, free, completely unburdened. We reveled in this new feeling as we headed slowly to California.
When we finally got to Anaheim we were prepared to board the tram from the hotel. Then, (I'm sure my parents and brothers can see this one coming) I got a migraine. God continues to teach us from Leon down to little Naphi that we need to hold things loosely. He is always taking things away and changing things at the last minute. We expect this so much now that even the kids are expecting it. We all say "Ok, what's the new and different good thing God has for us, sickness? flat tire? God is good."

Getting Ready to Go

We are getting ready to go. We drive away all that is familiar on June 11th. Our first stops are Sea World and Disneyland if it all works out. Then some sight seeing and the Voice of The Martyr's and Gospel For Asia conferences. We are hoping to be able to camp a lot and save $ that way.

Today is Leon's last day at CenterLogic where he's worked the last 8 years.
Last night I said goodbye to my home school group wich has been meeting for the last 11 1/2 years. Wow! I love those ladies so much.

We musn't shun our duty just so we can keep meeting together. We get to spend eternity together but, there are others who haven't heard the good news. We want to let God put us in the most advantageous position to be used by him. Then we can come back together in heaven when the dream is ended and real life has begun.

Goodenough Family Move (and ymym chldrn tour!)

Goodenough Family Move

We are moving to Wisconsin with the goal of welcoming as many adopted and other children as the Lord is pleased to entrust to us, and to sing a new song to the Lord together.
We would love for you to join us as we say goodbye for now to all our friends. Let's meet together in a huddle (like in basketball), explode out to the lost world, ask God to give us an inheritance of souls and meet back together in heaven (if not sooner) for the introductions.

Yum Yum Children southwest US tour!!!
Okay, we're moving and it's a family vacation. But we will be in the following cities on the following APPROXIMATED dates!

1 Portland, OR - Prior to June 11
2 Sacramento, CA - June 12
3 Disneyland / Seaworld - June 13 - 17
4 Grand Canyon, AZ - June 18
5 Albuquerque, NM - June 19
6 Amarillo, TX - June 20
7 Oklahoma City, OK - June 21, 22; 26, 27
8 Bartlesville, OK - June 23- 25 (Voice of the Martyrs Conference)
9 Aubrey, TX - June 28 - 30 (July 1,2 Gospel For Asia conference)
10 Tulsa, OK - July 3
11 Des Moines, IA - July 4
12 Minneapolis, MN - July 5
13 Bruce, WI - July 6

so if you know anybody that would want YMYM CHLDRN to play our songs in
the 'Goodenough Family Band' mode (stripped down with ACTUAL CHILDREN on
percussion instruments), hook us up!!