Happy New Year (and Merry Christmas too)!

Wow, where has the time gone?!  We had a wonderful Christmas with my family in Illinois and also a great New Year in Ann Arbor with Abby's family!  We have been so busy with the details of our travel schedule for December and January, I honestly and truly have not had time to post anything.  Also, I have been swamped with getting ready for Cameroon and the required paperwork.  Please pray for the signatures that we need now as we have recently mailed what we hope are all the required documents for entry visas for our children.

Oops, I was just going to post some Christmas pictures and I realized that I don't have them.  I am using a new computer, and have not transferred any pictures.

So, here are a few pictures from my trip to North Carolina where I am currently sitting!  I left my family in Michigan (I really miss them) and flew to North Carolina for recurrent flight training.  Jack Hunt is based in New Bern with Mission Aeroservices and Calvary Baptist Church.  He helped me get my instrument rating and commercial license in 2008 and 2009, so it was great flying with him again for my required two year flight review!

We flew to the Outer Banks where I met with a lady who drove us around looking for Sanderlin family sites.  We saw Sanderlin Swamp, Sanderlin Road, Sanderlin Cemetery, and a host of Sanderlin families still scattered throughout Currituck and Camden Counties.  This is the area where the Sanderlins first came to America.  What a blast connecting with my past!  My brother Jim has been busy putting all the genealogy together, and I was trying to find a grave of our ancestor who was a Baptist preacher associated with the first Baptist church of North Carolina (founded in 1727).  He died in 1855 but he may be buried in an unmarked grave as we are having trouble finding any records.  No wonder I have always liked North Carolina!

I finished my training this morning and drove up the Roberts house.  I'll be reporting to one of my supporting churches in Raleigh tomorrow!  What a trip!

 Preflighting the Cessna 206 Stationair

 In front of bro. Jack's missionary pilot prayer map.  He has helped train so many missionary pilots over the years.

 Instrument training on an FAA approved simulator.

 Getting ready to land at Currituck County airport neary the Outer Banks in NC

 The sign speaks for itself!

 This historical marker tells of skirmish here where Col. Sanderlin led a battalion of local soldiers for the NC militia.

 The oldest Baptist church in NC where Rev. Lemuel Sanderlin was pastor for one year in 1845.  He is buried in this county, but I couldn't find the grave.

 This Sanderlin grave is in the church cemetary.

Getting ready to leave from the airport.

This is an awesome airplane!  

The Cessnar 172 RG Cutlass that I finished my recurrent training in this morning.  What awesome weather, flights, fellowship, scenery, and memories!