Heading out to Iowa!!

Hi everyone, Nate signing in again.

Just thought that I would give an update on what is happening for me this summer. Aside from the convention which is consuming most of my time right now, I thought that I would let you all know about an exciting opportunity that the Lord has opened up for me.

The other day I got a call from John Doryk (the man I was learning about audio from in CO). He has been hired on to an independent Christian feature film being shot in Iowa. He will be heading up the audio during the primary filming and was wondering if I would be willing to be his assistant. I am more then willing, I am thrilled to have this opportunity. So I will be traveling to north western Iowa on June 11^th and spending about a month there.

So right after the convention I will be packing up and heading out to do some film making!!

• P.S. for those of you who are interested in techie things. This movie is going to be shot on the RED camera. I am definitely looking forward to getting to see one of the REDs in action. For those who are not familiar with the RED camera here is a link to their web site.

http://www.red.com/cameras

Congratulations !

We are soooo proud of our beloved Moroccan son Nj. Last month he finished Moody's graduate program! This is no small feat since he came to our country just a few years ago knowing only one person and no English! He came from a small village in the mountains where his family raise roses for their cash crop. =)

Beautiful Moody Church

Nj lived with us a little over 3 years while studying at Moody Bible Institute.
Imagine learning a new language and then writing papers, (theological papers at that) reading theology books, and listening to lectures in that language. This all at a school where that new language you are learning is native to most students and professors.

Chip Ingram ThM, President of Living on the Edge gives the keynote address.

What a privilege to have a Christian converted from Islam and from a totally different culture living with and being a part of our family. We will never be the same, truly.

Nj is one of the most joyful people you will ever meet.

Nj didn't just "get by" he did his work with excellence and got top grades!

We have been blessed and honored to have Nj as a part of our family.

". . . . . . fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God."

I love working with these folks!

Last year at about this time we were in the midst of the Illinois state convention.
This year our dates are a bit later so we are still finishing off details for the 2008 conference. Here are a few picture memories from last year!

Nathan quietly getting his fabulous photos.

The girls "manned" many different tables for us as well as different speakers.

Najah just loved being there and meetings lots of people.

These guys are excellent problem solvers!

What a difference a year makes! Now-a-days they pose with three!

Timothy Botts' beautiful work.

Nate laying down on the job, literally!! ;)

These two had one of the best jobs visiting with everyone and keeping track of the snacks!
( actually there was a lot of clean up and set up)

Teddy Roosevelt sharing his wisdom with us.

Samuel and Eva were troopers with their folks doing some speaking.

Paul is always peaceful and organized!

Jim and Linda are true encouragers.

Wanda asking some of the great men of God of our time for their wisdom.
Kevin Swanson & Voddie Bacham

We like to take good care of our workers and speakers. No one ever had to be hungry.



I think that the Hemmers have more fun than any family I know.


John and Dave are quiet behind the scenes guys who make things work well.


What a tremendous blessing to work with all these fellow servants. Their love for the Lord and His people is so evident in their prayers and preparations for this event.

The Almost Finished Project

Remember in March when we were picking colors for the take over of Gretchen's bedroom?

These were the colors Haley was considering.

We all picked the same one, the lighter of the two. It just looked so baby blue on the lid of the can. I'm glad we painted some on the wall. That really helped us to make up our minds. Does that happen to you? I always think it's too light and it seems to darken up when you get a whole bunch of it.


We didn't think to have Gretchen pack out her room before the wedding, so Ken and Haley did that.
Then the painting began. This ceiling was not repainted when we moved in, so it was ready now.

Haley did the trimming.

As we were moving and settling Haley in, we were also pondering about what kind of curtains to get. It took weeks to decide, but we finally found these marvelous poke-a-dot semi shears!

She's really happy with that choice.

Here's the mostly finished project. Haley has a bit more to hand quilt on her coverlet. And we still have two shelves to hang.

Haley's tastes are definitely cheerful and we all like it.

Like Gretchen before her, Haley is enjoying her view of the night sky as she lays in her bed.

Psalm 19: 1 " The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."

My Screen Saver Pictures

This beautiful flower is the screen saver on my personal computer. Haley loves to take pictures of flowers and took this picture. She loves all things gentle, beautiful, kind and good.


She naturally has the knack of making the things she touches beautiful. She doesn't just set the table . . . . . . . . . she sets a feast for our eyes of color and beauty which says welcome, comfort, peace. She serves our family with a sweet spirit, gently nursing any of us who are sick. God has given her a heart of compassion and a gentle spirit. We are so thankful for her.


On the other hand this is the screen saver on our family computer situated on the first floor in the middle of our bustling lives. This picture was taken by Ken, Andrew and Nate when they visited South Africa a couple of years back.


They told us they collectively were hoping that this rhino was in a good mood and having a good day. They didn't stick around long after this "photo moment".



This isn't on any of our computers, but I couldn't resist. The guys said that they knew for sure that this bull elephant, who came charging out of the bush, was not having a good day. They were glad the vehicle didn't stall.


We pray that you are having a good day surrounded by beauty.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Galatians 5: 23

Happiness!

Kyle and Gretchen came up for the weekend. Great happiness! I just can't tell you how wonderful it was. We all just hung out together and relaxed on Saturday.
(Have you ever had to explain the idiom "hung out" to someone from another country?)

On Mother's Day Andrew joined us.

I couldn't have been happier, truly.
Nothing like having my whole family together even both sets of Grandparents!

Our sweet Grandmas. They are an inspiration to us all.

Our favorite newlyweds.

We had to have a few rounds of our new favorite card game Scum. You don't want to lose a round or you become the scum. If you win you are King and the king gets all the poor scum's high cards and gives in return his worst cards. It's fun. Don't get discouraged for the poor scum though. He can still move up in life quite easily.

"A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Amplified Proverbs 17: 22