The floor is going in!

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We spent the last few days preparing for today...... the installation of the hardwood floors. It started today by 3 amusing African fellows. They're doing good work. Stay tuned for more pictures as we hope to actually spending the night by the middle of next week when Susan's parents come to visit for a couple of weeks. Thanks for staying up with us. Thank you for your prayers before you click out of this :-)

Would you like our new address?

If so, just send us an email at ellsworthg@gmail.com and we'll pass it along. Thanks!

Moved in??? Is that right???

"Moved in" sounds so..... final. And final would not be accurate. However, we do have all of our stuff OUT of our storage unit (after almost 14 months) and with apparently little to no damage of any kind; at least that we can tell so far. We heard horror stories about mold in storage units. We found none; except for maybe a little on the refrigerator but even that was debateable. So, yes, now all of our stuff is in our house. Granted it's mostly still in boxes (and will be for awhile until we're REALLY finished in.....????), but it's at least out of storage and we can start slowly building our home. A HUGE thank you to Zach and Scott who helped us out tremendously today; AND to Dad E who probably lifted a couple tons of stuff today and Mom E for the refueling dinner. We're glad to have such great support to help us reach this milestone. Thank you, GOD!

Click here for pictures. Oh yeah, at the end of the pictures you'll see some shots of our visit to Johnson City, NY where we went to the final service of Dad E's boyhood church in their old building (80 plus years, with the church 120+ years old) AND to Great Gma & Gpa's grave site along with some uncle's who served in WW2. Before we left for home we stopped for some Spiedie's. Why hasn't CA caught on to those yet? They're YUMMY!!!! and pretty much available in that part of NY only.

Carpet is in!

The carpet is in! For the rooms, hallway, and upstairs. It was completed in less than two days! It looks nice and makes the house look more like a house, along with all the hard work put in by Team Harkleroad! Here are some pictures of the rooms with the carpet. The BRIGHT orange is BayLynn's room, the tan is the master bedroom, and the gray and white is Connor's room.

Carpet tomorrow!

Click here for some "before" pictures. It's 1am, Susan and Geoff just finished and we're ready for carpet starting tomorrow morning! Stay tuned for more updates.

Summer Synopsis

A brief update since our last major post:

- Our friends, the Castro's visited us from Glendora (our first visitors from CA); we did a lot of fun things with them including going to Hershey Park.

- our friend Breanna visited us, ALSO from Glendora so that she (along with Connor) could attend the Teen Leadership Conference at BBC.

-when we took Breanna to the airport we then headed directly to Delaware for some beach time; we returned via the Cape May-Lewes Ferry with our van (an 80 minute ferry ride to New Jersey).

- August 2-5 we went to Kingdombound, a GREAT Christian music event where we saw the Newsboys (the best; although it's quite different with Michael Tait singing lead now. Peter Furler WAS there though for a final appearance singing "Breakfast."), Skillet (awesome concert), Paul Baloche, Phil Joel (GREAT!!!!), Israel Houghton, Casting Crowns, Robin Mark, Family Force Five (probably never again), Hawk Nelson, and a bunch of others. You'll see also in the pictures, Geoff with the guys from Downhere, the band we had at Grace Church back in the day before these guys hit it "bigger than they are now."

- BayLynn got to go to Big Blue Soccer Camp at BBC and Connor starting soccer at his high school. Bay starts her online school (8th grade) on Sep. 1 and Connor starts his Jr. year at Abington Heights HS on Sep. 9.

-Connor also got an exciting new acquisition. We'll try to include some pictures of that in the next post as well. Hint: Connor and Geoff might be spending some time in the PA countryside this fall.

- Geoff had his first crop of students come in (about 50 plus several "online" students) after a year of talking, travelling to churches, schools and camps. It was exciting to see them altogether.

- and Susan was busy keeping her sanity (which she's doing by God's grace and tons of inner strength) as the foreman for our house (including BayLynn painting her room orange) and all the other things that come with being a mom and wife (to Geoff in both cases :-)

Click here for a few pictures.

We are still in the thick of the house. We MAY be sleeping there by the end of this weekend but we will not be completely done for another month or so. The kitchen still does not exist. The bedroom wing should be done in the next few days. Then the living room and dining room (which shouldn't take too long) and THEN the kitchen as well as a likely total redoing of the heating and AC system. Fun times!!!! We'll try to get some progress pictures up soon as well.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. God is good all the time!

A greater update is coming

It's been far too long since we've updated you on all that's happening. There are a lot of reasons for that. Things we hope to fill you in on soon but mostly having to do with college starting and us working on our house. It's been long and hard and it's not over but we're getting closer and we MIGHT be spending the nights at our house this weekend or next. We'll fill you in soon. Just wanted to let you know we've not forgotten about you and that we'll be updating with more words and pictures soon. Maybe even tonight, so check back soon!

July 6 - Week in Review

Monday and Tuesday - BayLynn and Geoff went to New Life Island, a camp on a small island in the Delaware River between PA and New Jersey. Pretty cool setup. You have to drive on the river (ie - through water) on a causway (sp?) to get to this place. Geoff spoke twice there and on our way home we stopped at the Crayola Factory and Store in Easton, PA. Click here for pictures. And see below for video of us driving across the river:

House News: Drywall is going up in the house and Susan's going crazy picking out stuff for our new master bathroom. Click here for 3 outside pictures of our house (from the front) and one with BayLynn in flight on her way to Shamu in our pool. We'll post more later once we move in, etc.

Today (Saturday), Geoff went to an event for college students in Breesport, NY a couple of hours away.

You can be praying for us (only half joking here) as we not only experienced the longest winter in recent history but also the coldest and wettest summer. That's right, we're looking for some warmth. Now before you go off giving Geoff a hard time about his comments about wanting some variety. He will remind you that it was never the cold, or the rain that he loved, but the variety. So, MOST of what we've been experiencing here has been gloriously diverse. But it's summertime now and it should be hot, or at least warm; and it usually is, it's just that this has been a unique year - just in time to bless us :-)

We do look forward to the arrival of the our friends, the Castro Family (from Glendora) tonight or tomorrow. We'll be going to Hershey Park on Monday and Anthony we stay with us for a few days after that. Hopefully they'll bring some sun :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Working on the House

Hey Everyone!


It's BayLynn here! I hope you all are doing well. As you can see, we are working on our house. down below is a picture of the demolition that is happening there. It seems to me that its slow going but it will get done in the Lord's timing. Most of the work is being done by Andy, the head maintenance guy at BBC, and his son(s). As there is a lot of demo, there is a lot of trash, as you can see. Our family has a trailer that we have been filling up to put in dumpsters and that is taking a while but it is pretty much done. Thanks A Ton!

BayLynn



Click here to see more pictures.

Pastor Gene!

For the first time in nearly 10 months, we got to see Pastor Gene during his visit to Harrisburg while on his "LTC Tour." It was great to reconnect and revisit the the God-given-goodness of being in each other's lives. We had a good 1-hour+ visit in his hotel room, then on to Messiah College where he was the keynote speaker for the Evangelical Congregational Church conference, then on the Cracker Barrel (one of the great places CA lacks) for dinner. Thanks for dinner, Pastor Gene! (and thanks to Pastor John for the idea :-)

In other news, we've had a great time with Nonno and Nonna (Susan's parents). They'll be leaving early tomorrow morning to fly back to CA. Additionally, (which we'll tell you more about in the days to come), we closed escrow on a house today! We are very thankful for this house and this little story that God drew up with all of it's unique little twists and turns and beautiful ending, just for us. It's all Him and it's all His. Stay tuned.....

Nonno and Nonna are here!

Mom and Dad Ferro came last Tuesday night and here are a few pictures of the first 7 days (they're here til this Saturday morning). Pictures include reunion at the airport, Philadelphia, Valley Forge, Amish Country and Hershey (all last Friday and Saturday). Click here to view them all.

House News!

Dear Praying Friends and Family,
We are very excited to tell you that although we have technically been in contract with a house for the past week, it wasn't until today that we felt the final "go-ahead" from the Lord (through a variety of beautiful signs) to move forward without restraint; or at least MOSTLY without restraint as we all know how escrow can work sometimes. But nevertheless, we are VERY confident that this is where God wants us for now and we have taken very intentional and committed steps to secure this house as our next abode. We will keep you posted AND send pictures as we are able, which will probably not be until late May/early June (closing is set for May 29). Not to say that we won't post anything til then, just probably not much on the house. Thanks again for your prayers as the Lord brings it to mind.

My Cous's

I (Geoff) had the rare opportunity to see two of my cousins this weekend. Jen, unintentionally surprised me by showing up (not to see me but because she homeschools her kids in the DC area) at a huge Christian Homeschool Convention in Harrisburg on Friday. Then Stan came up with GmaC, Aunt Joan and Uncle Bob on Sunday for Mother's Day when we shared in an awesome game of Wiffle Ball (in addition to celebrating our mother's, of course). This was also the day, incidentally, when Connor drove a van full of 8 people (our van's max) around town including his great grandmother. Pretty cool. It was great to see you all!

Susan's Birthday!

Yep, it was today and one of the ways we celebrated was going (Connor drove) to "Coopers," a famous local seafood place that has really good food and the best chocolate cream pie we've ever had. I have a feeling this place has been featured in the show, "The Office" (because I saw signs of that in the restaurant) but I'm not totally sure because we don't watch that show :-)

Click here for more pictures

The Week in Sports

Connor dominated all his tennis matches when he was actually able to play. His team is so good that they cream most of the competition. Connor could probably beat most of the top players on the other teams but he doesn't play them because he's not the top player on HIS team (yet :-) Click here for some shots from last Saturday's match at Delaware Valley High School (right on the borders of PA, NY and (right across the river from) NJ).

Then today, BayLynn had her first home track meet and boy did she do well. Her relay team had perfect handoffs and Bay's got a great sprint as shown here in this video of part of the 4x100 meter relay:


Here's another video of another race of BayLynn on the "backstretch" of the 4x400 meter relay. What a stride!


and here's a picture at the end of the same race where BayLynn passed the runner in the video above (also from Abington but on a different group in the race) with a burst of speed at the end. The other two schools' teams were far behind these two.
Thanks for the shoes Crystal!!

See some more track pictures here

Connor is 16... and he's driving!!!

Yep, it happened yesterday. Connor got his permit. He turned 16 a week earlier with a nice party with some of his new friends (too bad some of his CA friends couldn't be here:-) But yeah, good time and good prayers. God is good and has really blessed Connor in many ways since being out here. Onward C-Boy!!!

NY Youth Conference

Geoff was asked to lead the worship for 400 students at a youth conference in New York (near Buffalo) this past weekend. So, Connor join him along with the great team of Mike, Devon, Kari and Josiah. It was an extraordinarily good weekend with the messages from God coming through Mark Shaw (from Michigan).

Another Milestone - License Plates

Last week we reached another milestone here in PA - the removal of our California license plates from our vehicles. It was an exciting and melancholic moment all at the same time.
Proverbs 16:9 The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.

Our Sports Kids

This week was significant in the world of sports. BayLynn went to the first day of tryouts yesterday for the track team at the local Jr. High (public). She's aloud to do that because we live in the district. She has a great friend on the team who's been a great encourager (thanks Jen!) since this is something BayLynn's never done. Her first two races were 200 meters and she won them both! Pretty cool!

Then today, Connor found out he made the tennis team at Abington. Quite a feat considering there’s only one team (Varsity only) and many of the kids take private lessons. One even has his own tennis court at his house :-) Fun days ahead!

Teenager #2 in the House

Well, BayLynn turned 13 today. Wow! She had a great day having a bunch of college students sing "Happy Birthday" to her, a fancy dinner at Red Lobster and the progressive opening of 13 gifts throughout the day. Yes, we're grateful for the young lady she is growing up to be.

Frankenmuth, MI

I (Geoff) had a little extra time today so I stopped by the Snowfest in Frankenmuth AND at Bronner's - the Largest Christmas Store in the World (www.bronners.com ). No pics of Bronners but here are a few snow and ice sculptures from the festival that's ending today.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ellsworthg/FrankenmuthMI?authkey=sZ0oDxGOG0U#

I have more and will be putting more up after I get home.

Thanks for your prayers. 3 schools, 1 youth group and a handful of individual meetings the next 3 days.

Geoff's Michigan Schedule

For those of you who'd like to know where Geoff will be these two weeks.......

January
18 Sunday – Faith Baptist Church – Streetsboro, OH – Pastor Don Workman – 10:45am service
18 – First Baptist Church College Fair – Lancaster, OH – Youth Pastor Jason Hilliker – 6:30pm

19 Monday – travel and drive by’s

20 Tuesday – Riverdale Baptist Church – basketball – 7pm – Youth Pastor Tim Snyder

21 Wednesday – Washtenaw Christian Academy chapel – Saline, MI – John Zylka – 2:20pm
21 – Emmanuel Baptist Church Youth Group – Flint, MI – Youth Pastor Dan Thorpe – 7pm?

22 Thursday – Genesee Christian School chapel – Flint, MI – 10:05am

23 Friday – Calvary Christian Academy – Ypsilanti, MI – Michelle Getchell - 10:15am

24 Saturday – Emmanuel Baptist Church Youth Service – Flint, MI – Youth Pastor Dan Thorpe - ?pm

25 Sunday – Riverdale Baptist Church Morning Worship Service – Flint, MI – Pastor Cory Snyder, Youth Pastor Tim Snyder
25 – Cornerstone Baptist Church Youth Group – Roseville, MI – Youth Pastor Patrick McGoldrick – 5pm

27 Tuesday – Oakland Christian School chapel – Auburn Hills, MI – Dr. Randy Johnson – 10:40am

28 – Wednesday – Berry County Christian School chapel – Hastings, MI – 9am
28 – Freedom Baptist Schools lunch – Hudsonville, MI – Principal Scott Huckaby – 12:39pm
28 – Riverdale Baptist Church Youth Group – Flint, MI – Youth Pastor Tim Snyder – 7pm

29 – Plymouth Christian Academy chapel – Plymouth, MI – Youth Pastor Larry Machonga – 10:45am

Ice Skating!!!

That's right. Today we went on our first ice-skating excursion out at the college lake. We cleared a little snow off of a few spots and went for it (click on the video above to see some of the fun). Then we did some exploring to the far side of the lake plowing through the 2-3 inches of snow that was on the lake from the small storm yesterday (this is the same lake, by the way, that's in the "Connor and Cousin Alec" video in the "Happy New Year" post below. Beautiful change of scenery, huh!?). Susan was the cameraman. She didn't lace up this time but we'll get her next time. We were all "on the ice" though. Good times! And oh the glorious God-painted beauty.