English Family at Devil's Canyon – February 2009
Earlier this year, Grandma Oregon (as she is called in the English home), came to visit. During our time together (which almost always includes a hike of some sort) we decided to take her to explore Pueblo Mountain Park which is near the base of Greenhorn Mtn. It was sunny and mild as we set out to hike the two mile loop that would take us through Devil's Canyon. Being that it was February, we all had jackets on and were prepared to traverse patches of snow that would cover the trail. Sheri was carrying Baby Joe in a tummy pack and I was carrying Zech in a backpack. The first destination was Lookout Point where you are able to look out over the 200 ft. drop into Devil's Canyon. It is awe inspiring as well as a little scary especially with young children. Then we made the descent into Devil's Canyon. It was beautiful although it was made a little treacherous by the icy patches of snow that covered the trail. Almost everyone had at least one fall that day. Sheri's was probably the most scary. I heard her scream and turned around to see her sliding down the side of the mountain. She was able to grab a small tree which kept her from falling any further. Providentially, earlier in the hike I had taken Joseph from her and was carrying both boys. Well we kept going. We were now down in the bottom of the canyon. As we went, the canyon began to narrow. In about one quarter mile at the other end, it dropped very quickly over big rocks and the canyon walls narrowed to about four feet wide. Normally this section is passable. However, this winter was particularly mild and the snowpack had melted, ran down the canyon floor, and refroze in the form of a huge ice slide (4’ wide X 40’ long) with a drop of more than 10 feet. It would have been awesome to go down except for the big jagged rocks at the end. I called off the group and told them we would have to turn back. Gloria (my mom) wanted us to wait so she could take a look at it. After looking at it, talking together, and praying it was decided that we would form a "coat rope" (with yours truly being the anchor) and lower people one at a time down the canyon wall till they reached the flat part of the ice slide and then they could sit down and slide the rest of the way to the end. So, one by one we did that. First the boys, then the girls, then grandma, then the babies, and then Sheri. Baby Joseph was asleep through the whole thing and did not wake up even after being lowered in his tummy pack. You are probably wondering how I got down since I didn't have anyone to anchor the "rope". Well, I had to do a little rock climbing down the canyon wall and made it fine. After that we all stopped and prayed and praised God for His safety. Then Grandma took a picture of us drying our backsides in the sun. All in all, it was a great day and one that we will never forget.

Baby Joseph – November 2008
Joseph Simeon Scott English was born November 26th at 12:35am weighing 8 lbs 13 oz. He is doing well and so is Sheri. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Many of you have asked, "Why the extra name?"" Here is the short answer. He is named after Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, and Simeon, the godly man who the Holy Spirit promised would see the Messiah. We liked the names but when saying them, they did not sound final. And so, God led us to add the name Scott which is the first name of our pastor at Majestic Baptist Church. Altogether, they make up who we want this new little man to grow up to be like. Providentially, God caused little Joseph to be born on Scott and Alicia's anniversary (our pastor and his wife) making his naming extra special!

Zechariah
Zechariah is now 2. His vocabulary has finally taken off and he is putting sentences together like, "Daddy's cruzoo (Landcruiser) home."" He is still very much a daddy's boy. His favorite thing to do is to get a ride on Tim’s shoulders. He will say, "Go Daddy Go!" Tim will then gallop up and down the hallway. Zechariah will say, "Fast hallway, Daddy!"" Tim will go some more until he is tired. Zechariah will say again, "Go Daddy, Go!" Tim will finally have to set him down at which time he is pretty sad.

Nathaniel
Nathaniel is a very special boy. He is fun to be with and always has a hug and kiss for his mom and dad. He loves his baby brothers and likes to play with Rachel. He is getting pretty good at the game Connect Four.

Elijah
Elijah is now 8. He was grown up a lot this year. He is reading quite well and is excelling is his studies. He loves our new dogs, Rose and Trooper. He plays with them quite frequently, more than the other children, and loves to wrestle with them. Lately, he has been riding his bike around our block (2/3 mile) by himself two or more times a day for exercise. Way to go Elijah!

Abigail's Baptism – November 2008
Abigail turned 10 this year. She is really growing up and becoming a great helper around the house. She has been bugging us for sometime to be baptized and after questioning her to determine her understanding we agreed that she be baptized on the Sunday before her 10th birthday. She also sang a solo in church that day by helping me introduce a new song that I had written. She is a great singer and it is encouraging to see her growing in the Lord.

Rachel
Rachel is 6 and is getting ready to graduate to become a big kid! She is reading, writing, doing math, tying her shoes, taking care of her things, doing chores, and playing the piano. She is very good on the piano for her age and is even trying her hand at composing her own songs! She has also lost two teeth. One of them she pulled out herself! Good job Rachel!

Rose & Trooper – September 2008
Our family grew significantly this year with the addition of two golden retrievers, Rose and her son, Trooper. They are very good dogs and love the affection they get from the children.

Rain! Rain! Rain! – August 2008
Jerry and Mom drove their RV out in August to visit us and bring the grandkids back. It was a good time together. However, it rained almost everyday; very unusual for Pueblo West which is almost a desert. We had just put in a culvert at the end of our driveway to make it easier for the motor home to get in and out but not this time. It was too wet and soft and the RV got stuck! Bummer!

Deborah & Isaiah at Grandma's house – August 2008
Following the reunion, Deborah and Isaiah got to spend a couple weeks with my Gloria and Jerry. It was a special time of working, playing, and spending time together.


Davison Reunion – July 2008
What can we say?! It was a blast! It was great to see everyone and we had a lot of fun. From whitewater rafting to hayrides and storytelling, it was a memorable time that was very important for all our children. They needed to see us connect with each other, retell the stories, and understand what it means to be a part of this family. Tim and the boys enjoyed shooting clays with the guys. Tim made this observation. "If this country ever got invaded, they would be in trouble if they picked a fight with the Davison's. Not only the fire power but the accuracy and the comradery on the shooting range were impressive. I would be proud to fight beside any of you any day! Ooh Rah!"

Mt. Lassen to Mt. St. Helens – July 2008
Our summer vacation led us back to California and Oregon to spend time with family. We hiked in to a waterfall at Lassen Park with Sheri's family and got to celebrate Joy's (her mom) birthday while we were there. It was good time of reconnecting. We also enjoyed a day at a family fun park playing mini golf, bumper boats and go carts. After arriving in Oregon at Gloria and Jerry's house we headed out to see the Oregon Coast. It was beautiful. While we were there we took in a tour of the Newport Aquarium. On our last day we traveled up to see Mt. St. Helens. Sheri and I had not been there since the blast in 1980. It was really remarkable the recovery God has brought healing to the land since that time. While driving along the mountain road up to the visitor's center, Nathaniel (4) had to go to the bathroom. So we stopped alongside the road. He and Tim got out. Nathaniel was about to go when Sheri began yelling from the van. Tim turned and saw a coyote coming his way across the road. He grabbed Nathaniel who still had his pants down as the coyote approached. Instead of running away this coyote decided to pick a fight with us. He began to growl and lunge at Tim as if to bite his ankles. Tim yelled at him and kicked at him to keep him at bay. Finally, Tim's foot connected with the jaw of the coyote and sent him sprawling. He then ran away and Nathaniel got to finish his business!

Daniel - July 2008
Daniel and Tim went camping as well this summer and hiked East Spanish Peak. They thought it would be easier than West Spanish Peak that they did the year before but it wasn't. First, the trail they were on disappeared. So they hoofed it overland using their map, compass, and geographical landmarks. They climbed a ridge that went in the right general direction and camped on top of it the first night at 9500' elev. In the morning they started out at 6:30am and continued climbing the ridge making it to the saddle by 8:30am. Second, after they met back up with the trail, it forked and showed a trail that was not on the map! After calling home to try to get directions (Yes they had coverage on the mtn. Amazing!), they decided they would just have to try each one and find out where it went. After praying the Lord led them to pick the right one! Third, this new trail was long and steep! They kept climbing and climbing. They finally summitted at 11:30am at 12,600'. The trek back down wasn't easy either. They hiked back down to the saddle and found the ridge they came up on, then followed it down hoping they could find their base camp again. They reached it at 3:30pm. After a short rest and snack they packed up camp and headed the rest of the way down reaching the Land Cruiser at 5:30pm. They covered 12 miles round trip. Ten of those miles in one day! Daniel showed a lot of perseverance on that trip. He is really growing up. He also helped Tim reroof the barn last fall.

Isaiah - July 2008
Isaiah has turned 13. He is really growing up fast. He helps his dad at the church office on a weekly basis as well as playing drums and percussion at church. Recently he played the Ukrainian Bell Carol at church during the offertory. He is now playing electric guitar and has play several times with the Praise team and is sounding quite good. Last summer Isaiah and Tim went camping and hiked Mt. Greenhorn. They enjoyed time together and Isaiah set up the camp site entirely on his own! He also helped Tim reroof the barn last fall to keep the dogs dry and warm during the winter.

Mexico Missions – July 2008
Sheri, Deborah, Isaiah, and Daniel went with our church to Juarez to help build a house for a pastor and his family. The team also participated in ministering to women, children, and medical needs. Sheri and kids helped mainly with children's ministry with Isaiah and Daniel also helping build the house. The trip was a success. Many lives were touched. The local pastor was encouraged. The men also fixed the roof of his church. About 150 children came to the mini VBS.

Deborah – May 2008
Deborah was invited to attend the German Baptist annual meeting this year in Kansas. She enjoyed traveling with Uncle Don and Aunt Marietta to the meeting and made several friends. She traveled back with Uncle Tom and Aunt Sherda and had a good time with them as well. She has really grown this year. She is very responsible and has helped a lot with babysitting her younger siblings.

Kenya & Uganda – May 2008
Tim went with Dave Feamster and Phil Largent to East Africa to teach at two pastor training conferences. The receptivity of the men was amazing. They were very appreciative and attentive during the long days of training. In the rural areas where we were, everyone had a cell phone and answered calls in the middle of teaching sessions. They also forgot to turn off their ringers even after being requested to. It made me feel right at home! The men that attended these conferences were hand picked by the local pastors and had shown some level of faithfulness in ministry and were intent on truly discipling their people. God only knows the fruit that will grow from that trip. Thank you to all who helped support Tim in going through giving and praying.

Kansas & Missouri - January 2008
We brought in the New Year by spending time with friends and family in Kansas and Missouri. We spent time with Uncle Paul & Aunt Neva Garber and Priscilla McPheeters (their daughter and Tim’s cousin). We also saw our old friends, the Welsh's who live in central Kansas. Their family has grown to six children and they now live in a great big farm house across town from where they used to live. In Missouri, our good friends, the Edsons put us up and took really good care of us (Thank you!). We had a great time seeing old friends from Langsford Road. The Kunkels were very generous to open their home by hosting the party for everyone (Thank you!).