"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."
- King David (Psalms 16:11)
Here it is. Our life on digital film. There are pictures of us in Hawaii, Thailand, China, Washington, Kentucky, Mexico, California, and many places in between. We are so blessed to have traveled to so many amazing places and to have met so many wonderful people. And in just five years! Who knows what the future holds???
To access a gallery, scroll down and click the Title Heading.
Choose from Eden at Six Months, Hawaii, Missions, Wedding, Honeymoon, Life in Washington State, FBC Beverly Hills, Life in SoCal, Before Eden was Born , Baby Eden, Hodgepodge, Christmas '07, Disneyland.
Here are pictures of Eden at six months old. Enjoy!
We spent three months (Nov. '03 - Feb. '04) in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. We had both traveled from the continental U.S. to the island state of Hawaii to attend the University of the Nations, the flagship training location for Youth With a Mission (YWAM). We were classmates in a Crossroads Discipleship Training School that consisted of 12 weeks of lecture and 8 weeks of outreach (in Thailand and China). Our class was made up of over 70 students and a dozen staff members, ranging in age, nationality, professional background, marital status, denominational affiliation, and spiritual maturity.
After three months of preparation at the University of the Nations, Meredith and I embarked on the "outreach phase" of the Crossroads Discipleship Training School. The target: Southeast Asia. Our team consisted of approximately 80 adults and 20 children (whose parents were students in CDTS). We flew from Kona to Tokyo and then on to Bangkok, Thailand. From Bangkok, we traveled by train to Chiang Mai, which is in the northern part of the country. Our final destination was Jing Hong, China, in the southern province of Yunnan. The total mission lasted eight weeks - three spent in Thailand and five in China.
It would be an understatement to say that life is a little different in this part of the world. It definitely took a while for our "Western eyes" to adjust to the culture, the sights, sounds, and smells. But, the initial shock soon wore off, and our team was ready to begin the Lord's work. Collaborating with local churches, our work was manifold, including the following: construction, teaching English, providing medical care, leading worship services, visiting orphanages, meeting with local missionaries, street evangelism, and other activities.
After spending three months in Hawaii and two months in Asia, we returned home to Seattle and Kentucky - engaged of all things. Our CDTS ended with a two-day debriefing back in Kona, in which we said goodbye to our classmates and staff. I (James) proposed to Meredith on our final night in Hawaii. During a walk along the beach, in the moonlight, waves crashing on the sand, and on one knee, I asked Meredith to be my wife. (I had previously received her father's blessing that night over the phone.) What a perfect proposal - don't you think?
Well, as soon as we returned home, we (mostly Meredith) began making wedding plans for a late May, early June wedding. Once again, God granted us His favor and blessing. In less than eight weeks, the two of us put together a one-of-a-kind event - better than we could have ever imagined. On Sunday, May 30, 2004, Meredith Nicole Neighbor and James Daniel Detwiler were united in holy matrimony at Lake Forest Park Presbyterian Church. The ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. In addition to our family and friends, we were blessed to have many of our CDTS classmates join us for the occasion.
After a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception in Seattle, we decided to return to the Tropics for our Honeymoon. We traveled to the exotic Secrets Capri Riviera Resort. Located on the Mayan Riviera, just 35 minutes south of Cancun, the resort was the perfect place for a romantic Honeymoon. God truly blessed us with a week of newlywed bliss that more than exceeded our expectations. Here we found romantic privacy, a white-sand beach, a luxuriously appointed honeymoon suite, fine-dining and entertainment, and top-notch service. Thank you Lord for such an amazing experience! What a way to start a life together!
After marrying in May 2004, we lived in both Seattle and Olympia, Washington, for a couple of years. It was great being close to Meredith's family and enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Our church home - First Baptist Church of Beverly Hills. We've been here since Fall '05. James is the Associate Pastor and Meredith serves in church administration, women's ministry, and music/worship. The church is smack dab in the middle of "Hollywood - entertainment capitol of the world." It's a unique place for a traditional Southern Baptist church.
Los Angeles - what a place! It's sunny and warm year round. Traffic, traffic, traffic everywhere - 14 lanes across and no one moving. Millions of people and hundreds of different cultures all crammed into one place.
Here's our little girl, due in May 2007.
Here she is ... Eden Moriah Detwiler was born on May 22nd at 7:09 PM at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. She weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. It was a long, long day (starting at midnight), but we made it! Meredith was a real trooper, working so hard - experiencing over three hours of hard labor (pushing). But, before we knew it, Eden was here, being put into our arms. It was a great experience. We had a great team of doctors and nurses, plus the help of a few "off-duty" professionals - Mere's father Ralph, an OB/GYN, almost delivered the baby himself (well, not really, but he provided invaluable support and coaching), and Riette, our pastor's wife and retired RN, provided lots of nurse-like comfort. In addition, Mere's mom, Pam, and her sister, Erin, proved to be great coaches and motivators, helping Mere get through it all.
A "mix and match" of digital pictures.
We spent the Holidays in Tacoma, Washington with Meredith's family.
We finally made it to Disneyland over the Holiday break. Eden loved it ... as did her daddy.
