We were excited to get to visit one of Richard’s long-time friends in Missouri. Richard went to boarding school with Stuart, and he is involved in a ministry called International House of Prayer; members of this ministry have been continuously worshiping and praying to God 24/7 since September 19, 1999!
We were blessed to stay with Stuart and his lovely wife, Esther. They were kind to allow us to park our Behemoth in their driveway, and then our visit was extended when Richard began having trouble with his eye. It started with irritation and then escalated from there. We took him to the emergency room in the middle of the night and discovered that he had a laceration on his eye. We suspect that it occurred as we waited for the “L” train in Chicago. We believe that the rushing wind as the train went by kicked up a tiny bit of debris which cut his eye. The doctor prescribed medication, but it didn’t help much. Richard saw a different doctor who diagnosed him with “iritis” (inflammation of the iris). So, from then on, Richard got much joy (and many more groans) as he declared to all that he had “iritis in my right iris.” Ha! {Groan}
Stuart and Esther were wonderful, gracious hosts and we were blessed and encouraged by their delightful company. We even got to visit with Stuart’s sister and her family (She also attended boarding school with Richard).
Stuart and Esther’s dog, Lucy, was a big hit with all our kids. Since then, Annalise has named several dolls and stuffed animals “Lucy” in her honor.
Lucy & Evie 
Family 
New friends
While in Missouri the kids and I went to a really fun place called Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead. It was right up our alley, with animals, panning for gems, and beautiful gardens.
A sampling of the “quilt squares” that we saw on so many barns 
Annalise was super sad to say good-bye to her new friends!