Okay... So we don't update very often!
We apologize to those of you who return over and over to our blog to see if by some miracle we have made a new entry or added some more pics. Well it's finally happened! Hooray!
It's hard to believe that we have completed our first year in country and our second Christmas and New Years. We have had an extremely busy fall. We will try to add as many pics as we can in this blog and a few more later.

Thanksgiving 2007
We celebrated Thanksgiving 2 times this year. Once at the place where several of our ex pat friends live. We had turkey and all the trimmings! It was yummy! The second celebration was at the home of some friends from church. He is American and his wife is Vietnamese. They just built a new house outside of Hanoi. It is a beautiful home! They are a sweet family and love the Lord. In the pic Darren is telling the story of Thanksgiving.


CHRISTMAS 2007
This year we enjoyed Christmas in a number of ways. First, on the 23rd we had a party at our home. Of course we had "gumbo". We had invited many of our Vietnamese friends and those that didn't have to work showed up. Robin taught everyone some Christmas carols and I had the chance to read the Christmas story from Luke 2. The reading was pretty bad but I think most people understood.


On Chrismtas Eve we went out to eat and then attended the Christmas Eve service put on by the two international churches in Hanoi. It was a wonderful serivce and afterwards we walked down the Hanoi streets which were full of people celebrating Christmas. We doubt very seriously if most of them even knew what they were celebrating. But, people in Hanoi always look for a reason to celebrate. The only way to describe the streets that night is that it was "civil chaos!"



On Christmas day we opened gifts and then for the first time in 23 years of marriage we went out to eat on Christmas Day! I think it might become a tradition! Robin really enjoyed it!


After lunch on Christmas day, went to the home of some of our dear friends. There we had "tra nhan tran, qua buoi and other small snacks. It was a wonderful day! We feel so blessed to have so many good Vn friends!

ASEAN Resort.......
After Christmas, we went to a so called "resort" about 30 km outside of Hanoi. It was a beautiful place; however, I think we were the only ones there. As a result, we were invited to the staff Christmas Party where for the first time Robin and I tried "thit cho" (dog meat). I must say it was quite deliscious! Yeah.... right! You know what people say after eating a plate full of dog?.... "Dog gone!" The boys had a great time running on the grass. We also met the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. In one pic Daniel is playing Ping Pong with one of the "big dogs!" I had the opportunity to introuce our family and tell about my work with Akin Industries. Robin also got to Kareoke (?). They were impressed! But, they didn't ask me to sing? Go figure!

AFTER CHRISTMAS WE WENT TO SOC SON TO VISIT FRIENDS...