Update

We love Flagstaff. Imagine a mountain town where the air is crystal clear, the sun almost always shines, the water is tasteless and cold, and the air is filled with the smell of warming pine trees - it's really that good. We live on a hill (Cherry Hill) which is within walking distance of downtown Flagstaff. The town is similar to Bend, OR with lots to do both indoors and out. Although Flagstaff is fairly large, it has the feel of a small town. We have a fox visit our back yard on occasion, and can hear our neighbor, a great horned owl across the street every morning.

We found a church! Its called Christ's Church of Flagstaff, and is full of people who have a vision to reach this city for the Lord. The church building is rather small, so to accommodate their many members, the church has 4 services each weekend. Sara and I are going to work with the children's ministry. This seems to be a primary focus for CCOF, and one close to our hearts.

I've finished my MBA degree, and Sara has decided to train to be a CNA, possibly a first step to her becoming a RN (nurse). We found a program here which will pay for her to receive training. How we found this program, and how she can attend is a series of crazy events too complicated for us to have thought through ourselves - it seems to be clearly led from the Lord. If you don't know, Sara comes from a long line of nurses. Her mom, 2 aunts, grandma and brother have taken this path, so she has a lot of wisdom to pull from. I (mike) think it fits her personality rather well.

We'll, that's all for now. We miss everyone back in Portland. Please keep us updated.

The Hughes 5

Arizona

Arizona is a beautiful, unique state. The picture to the left was taken during one of my flights over Sedona, and you can see the wonderful colors God placed into the earth when he made it (click on the picture for more detail). Flagstaff is very similar to Bend, OR and will be a great place for us to live.

Training is progressing quickly, I should be done by this Saturday, and Sara is quickly getting things done in Portland with the help of many friends. We are still looking for a place to live in Flagstaff, but that will come in God's timing. Thanks for all your support!

How to Move?

When we first started down this road (2 months ago), the plan was to rent a U-Haul truck, pack everything, and spend a couple of days driving down to Flagstaff, AZ. With the recent snow experience, and reliving memories from our many winter drives to Ontario, OR and up from Fresno, CA, we have changed plans and will be hiring a mover. Finding the right mover is also proving to be a stressful event, as we read many horror stories concerning most movers on the web, and recover after getting the expensive bids from those we think will be honest. This is probably our largest hurdle to date, the next will be finding a place to live in our meager budget, in a resort town. Again, your prayers are greatly appreciated.