MCC Orientation

As will become increasingly clear on this blog, we are preparing for another assignment with Mennonite Central Committee--leaving for the willage of Charagua, Bolivia on August 12 to work with vater and other community/social development issues.


We recently attended two weeks of MCC orientation in Akron, PA, where we discussed issues

of relief, development and peace-making; lived in beautiful willage-inspired rooms; were fattened up with excellent food; met some rather inspiring folks; and discovered that MCC types generally have three children, spaced precisely two years apart.

Harder Schrocks in the willage

We were in Mountain Lake (MN) the first week of July, visiting with Liz' entire family. David and Rachel moved to Kansas then, leaving us with the folks, Willmar, Hannah, and the three monkeys (Elias, Amos, and Reuben).
Besides eating well and drinking terere copiously, we moved all our possessions into the attic, fished and played croquet tirelessly with Elias,

and even baled some hay.

Harders hit the vater

The Leo and Gladys Harder (Liz' grandparents) family gathered at Shavehead Lake (IN) at the end of June for a weekend of visiting and playing on/in the water. Ramont was the best wake-boarder around (except Uncle Wes), as the first photo shows. The rest of us were happy to fly around and crash together on tubes behind the boat.

Last days at the seminary

At the end of June, we left AMBS for good--both with excitement for what's ahead and with some regret for leaving a good life behind. Here Ramont mows lawn for the last time:


We picked some last (early) produce in the drizzle of our last evening: big red potatoes, onions, sugar peas, basil, cilantro, and four large, beautiful cucumbers.


And it's off to Minnesota (with all our earthly possessions filling about 1/4th of the U-haul)!

Kansas corrals and crazies

We packed up our backpacks after graduation and traveled the long way to Kansas--a sort of test run for Bolivia. Once there (near Inman & Buhler), we painted Willmar & Hannah's new cattle corral,



rode herd (Ramont with Amos & Elias),


and were amused by baby Reuben.


The verdict on long-haul public transportation:
bus isn't bad, but train is amazing.

(no, that's NOT a fashion magazine)

Graduation

Last week Elisabeth graduated from AMBS with a
Master of Arts in Peace Studies degree.

Onwards to the real world...!

the finished product(s)

Our new coffee table and one of two end tables made from cherry wood and pipe scraps.

Chicago (our brief venture out into the big world)

Liz in front of the Frank Gehry-designed bandstand in Millenium Park.

We were both pretty enthralled by the shiny egg (or rather, the Cloud Gate), also in Millenium Park.

Slow food

Ramont fries potatoes from our last-year's garden, to which are added...

fresh chives!

and home-made tortillas (later filled with yummies).

Woodworking

Ramont is turning cherry wood scraps into a coffee table and two end tables. It looks quite neat so far...

Photos

Our life at AMBS
(all but one photo taken by Vada Snider)