The Diversified Trio

Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

It’s finally getting cooler here. Sometimes, we even consider it cold! We didn’t know if we would feel that here! Along with the cold has come a lot of foggy and hazy skies. As a result, Dominic’s flying days are few. Some weeks good with plenty of flights, some weeks bad with maybe one or two flights. However, in spite of the bad weather, Dominic has been able to do an excessive amount of studying to take and PASS his written commercial license exam! Congratulations Dominic!

We had a great Christmas and have been blessed beyond what we thought. Sofia enjoyed opening up presents and the excitement she had for all of her new stuff made her giggle and scream with joy! It was so wonderful! We spent an evening with friends eating and playing games too!

With the new year ahead we are anticipating hopefully visiting Michigan, Dominic completing his flight training and Sofia turning two! Wow!

Happy New Year!

Until next time, find the truth and stand on it:

John 1 v 16 says, “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.”

The adventure continues...

2011-11-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

After our trip to Switerland we took a short time to get back in the swing of things. April started attending a Ladies Meeting one night during the week. She is benefiting greatly from this and is excited to see what God is going to do with her and through her! Dominic was back to flying and getting ready to take his Private Pilot check ride.

In October, April’s parents flew out from Michigan to visit us! We had such a great time! It was good to be with family again and show them where we live. They took a day trip into the Sierra Nevada’s and saw the Great Sequoia National Forest which is home to some of the largest trees on the planet! It was such a blessing to have them here...we even got to go on a date!

After their departure Dominic and Sofia fell sick with some colds and Dominic had to take a week off from flying to get well. Once he was back to it, he had a couple of days of study and flights and then took his check ride...and passed! Yay! Dominic is officially a private helicopter pilot! We are so excited for the first step being completed! Next step, commercial license.

Until next time, find the truth and stand on it...
I press on toward the goal for the price of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v14

Saying good-bye!

2011-09-25T23:11:00.000-04:00

Our last day in Switzerland we had a grill/pool party so that we could see all of the people we didn’t have time to see. It was a great time!

Until next time, find the truth and stand on it...
“Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Galatians 4 v 7

Flims

2011-09-24T23:35:00.000-04:00

Our third week was spent in the town of Flims. Dominic’s parents both have their 60th birthdays this fall and wanted to celebrate having the whole family together. This is the main reason we came to Switzerland...to celebrate! We stayed in apartments at a resort - it was really cool!We had a few days of hiking and touring, and a couple days of relaxing and swimming. Altogether we had a lot of fun with the whole family!

Italy

2011-09-24T23:33:00.000-04:00

Departing from Trogen we met up with one of Dominic’s friends and his wife and son, and we drove to Luino, Italy. Dominic’s parents have a little cottage near a lake where we got to spend the week relaxing. One day we went to the lake and went swimming (the water was very cold). The guys also had fun with the rocks! Check it out!

Helimission

2011-09-24T23:31:00.001-04:00

After that we were off to Trogen for Helimission’s Candidate Training Camp. We attended this to get a better idea of what Helimission does, where they are, their vision for the future, and if we would be a good fit with them. It was a successful trip! We learned a lot about the heart of Helimission and met so many wonderful people!At this point in time we haven’t heard God give us a clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in partnering with Helimission. However, we still strongly believe that God is going to use us to advance his kingdom using helicopter flying as a tool. Continue to pray with us that God would clearly guide us in the right direction and that the right doors would be opened to us and the wrong doors would be closed.

Switzerland or Bust!

2011-09-24T23:27:00.001-04:00

During the middle of August we left for Switzerland for three and a half weeks! This trip had been planned for almost a year, I think, and it just snuck up on us. And now it’s already over! Well, here’s just a glimpse at what we did while we were there!Our first few days were spent recovering. Switzerland is nine hours ahead of us here in California. Our flights over were...let’s be honest...hard work. With a wiggly one year old on your lap for basically a whole day, it’s tough!

BIG Step for Dominic

2011-08-07T00:23:00.003-04:00

The 4th of August was a big step in Dominic's life! He finally got to fly a helicopter all by himself. He is making good progress in his flight training and is enjoying it very much!

California, USA?

2011-07-12T22:47:00.001-04:00

Wow, life in Fresno, CA is...different. If we had to think of one word, that would definitely be it. It’s different being away from so many of our family and friends. It’s different having to shop at a different grocery store with different brand names. It’s different driving on California roads, (we can do U-turns!) In some ways, it’s like being in a totally different country! But, we are adjusting well and not having too many problems.

Unfortunately, our car is giving us our biggest problems. It seems that no matter what we do or what we fix, we can’t seem to get it to pass a smog test to be able to “technically” drive it in CA. This is frustrating to us but we are doing our best to get the problems resolved.

We are slowly getting to know people (neighbors, flight students) and are still on the look-out for a church body to be involved in.

Sofia is everywhere! She’s exploring everything, even the water in the toilet! She loves to scream for fun, can “high-five,” wave, and give a kiss! She also loves to head-butt people! Altogether, she is a joy!

Until next time, find the truth and stand on it...
Psalm 86 v 17 says, “Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”

Happy 4th of July from Sofia!

2011-07-04T15:53:00.002-04:00

A picture says a thousand words!

2011-06-25T14:42:00.001-04:00

Crawling Sofia!

2011-06-13T00:37:00.004-04:00

Sofia is now 10 months old and crawling everywhere! It’s so much fun to see her growing!

Fresno, here we come!

2011-06-12T22:54:00.005-04:00

Since our last update quite a lot has happened! We decided that moving to Fresno, CA was in the will of God for our lives. Dominic will be starting helicopter flight school at Mazzei this coming Monday, June 13.
May was filled with the busyness of packing, purging, and saying good-bye to family and friends. This has been a time of mixed emotions for us as we are so excited for the next season of our lives, but sad to be so far away from what has been home for a long time.

On May 30th, Dominic and one of our close friends from church, took off from Grand Rapids in a big truck, towing our car, and headed west in hopes of getting all the way to California in four days! And they were successful! In the meantime, April and Sofia stayed with April’s parents and then flew out on June 3 to meet Dominic at our new home! They had a very long day but made it safe and sound just in time for bed.

After our arrival, we have spent most of our time unpacking, adjusting, getting to know our fabulous neighbors and resting.

Also, we are celebrating our 4th anniversary this month!

Until next time, find the truth and stand on it...

Psalm 65 v 4 says, "Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your holy temple."

New pictures of Sofia

2011-04-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

Have a look at the new pictures of Sofia in the album!

Fresno / California

2011-04-23T18:22:00.005-04:00

We have just gotten back from California. Fresno, California to be exact. If you don’t know where that is, it’s smack dab in the middle of the state. We had a great time! Here are some things that we did:

Drive through Kings Canyon National Park. We took one day of our trip and just drove through the mountains. It was so beautiful! We were roughly 6,000 feet above sea level and there was still snow up to our knees! Some of the roads were closed but what we did see was amazing. In the midst of our drive we got to see the famous Sequoia trees. They are humongous!

Visit Mazzei Flight School. This was our main objective. As you know (if you read our blog) Dominic has been in search for a helicopter flight school. This particular school met all of the criteria that we had set for what we not only wanted in a flight school, but also in the location in which we move. The people there were very friendly and the flight school itself was very impressive. Saying all of this, we believe it is in the will of God, at this time, that we move to Fresno, CA. We heard a clear ‘YES’ from the Lord and are following the peace that has come with it.

Check out the city and those surrounding. With the thought of moving to California we did a lot of driving around and getting acquainted with the area. We checked out some housing and rested at a beautiful park. You actually had to pay to park your car there because it is so big!

Enjoy our photos and until next time, find the truth and stand on it...

“...and day and night they do no cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” Rev. 4:8

Change in sight

2011-03-24T19:28:00.001-04:00

Change. Our lives are hallmarked by it. Everything that happens today is because change has happened in the past, or is happening right now. Life is never dull. Isn’t that great!

We could be experiencing big change in our lives in the coming months. Dominic has been searching for helicopter flight schools so he can start his training to be a helicopter pilot! We believe that this is in the timing of the Lord for us and can’t wait to see where he may be taking us! Please pray that God would be abundantly clear where we are going and when we will be going there.

The last couple of months have also been full of sickness in our household. But to encourage you, we are learning to persevere through these times and believe that God is making us ever stronger as we continue to worship Him in the midst of these things.

So, until next time, find the truth and stand on it...

Job 1 v 20-22 says, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground...and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.”

Happy new year!!

2011-01-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

November brought us Sofia's three month "birthday" with all of her smiles and even her first laugh! These last couple of months were hallmarked by their holiday cheer. We celebrated Thanksgiving with April's family at her Grandpa and Grandma Zylstra's house. It was a day full of food and fun! December was littered with Christmas...everything! We enjoyed Christmas with the Kraft's, parties with our friends, and we even "elfed" two couples this festive season. We're looking forward to the week between Christmas and New Year because Dominic is taking it off from work! Yay!

Well, until next time, find the truth and stand on it.

"...he who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little." -Exodus 16 v 18

Have a blessed new year!

Update on the Wehrli's!

2010-11-14T17:42:00.004-05:00

We started October with Sofia’s two month birthday and a ‘Fly-In’ at the Lowell Airport where Dominic works. The weather was not the greatest but we had a good time eating food and chatting with people from around the area who own planes. A couple of days later, when the weather was nicer, Dominic took April up on a flight to have a look at the changing colors of the leaves. They were beautiful!

We took Sofia apple picking at a place called Robinette’s Apple Haus and Winery. We had so much fun!

The next day we went to a Fall Festival with our church at Cherry Valley Greenhouse. The had all sorts of fun and games planned for us including a buffet lunch and a petting farm with llamas.

Our ACTS understanding series has been going well. Some of the things we are learning include the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, the book of Revelation and much more. We had a guest speaker in, Tony Ling from England, who took us through a little of the book of Revelation. He has had great revelation on these chapters of the Bible and has actually written a couple of books.

Well, until next time, find the truth and stand on it!

Revelation 12:11a
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony!

Lots of news!!

2010-09-28T10:11:00.002-04:00

It has certainly been a long time since we have updated our blog! Please accept our apologies.

Well, a couple of things have happened since we have last written. One being we have moved! At the end of April last year (2009) we moved out of our apartment into a townhouse located by a major street running through Grand Rapids. The location was much more ideal for us when traveling to work. Even though we are living by a busy street we are tucked back far enough that we don’t hear a lot of the noise and our neighborhood ends up being a very quiet and peaceful place to live.

In November 2009 we found out that April was pregnant! What exciting news! Her pregnancy went very well and on August 3rd we welcomed our precious daughter, Sofia Mae, into this world! We were planning on having a home birth but due to Sofia not wanting to come out we resulted to going to the hospital and April had a cesarean section done. This wasn’t at all what we had planned or wanted but, the way that God knew from the very beginning. Sofia was born a very healthy baby with a will of her own. She is a very content baby and we adore her more and more everyday! She is just now starting to find her voice and we enjoy her coos along with her many smiles! We have decided that April will not return back to work but stay home with Sofia. She is very excited because this is what she has always wanted!

Dominic is still working at the airport in Lowell. He is enjoying what God has set before him and we are thankful that his job is not our source but God is our source! We trust that He will provide all of our needs!

We have also just started a program through our church called ACTS (Academy of Core Teaching and Studies). It runs once a week and one Saturday a month through May. It’s focus is on understanding; understanding God, understanding the Kingdom of God, understanding the Holy Spirit, understanding the scriptures and so many more! We are very excited and have already learnt so much!

Well, until next time, find the truth and stand on it!

Ecclesiates 5 v 18-20 says, “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life - this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.”

Williams Air Power Inc.

2008-09-20T18:48:00.002-04:00

Dominic's got a new job!!

There is really not a big difference in what he is doing, but the employer is different. His former Boss who was working for the same school Dominic was working for, started a new business and hired him.
It is a great opportunity, because after we came back from Switzerland, Dominic didn't know what he was going to do. Just a few days later he got hired!

Stein am Rhein

2008-09-08T17:51:00.007-04:00

In Stein am Rhein itself, there is a castle on the top of a hill which is seen from the backyard of Dominic’s parents house. When you’re on the top you can look down and see how it was built. As you can see the downtown was built in a way that the outside buildings acted as a wall to protect the city.

some time with a precious friend

2008-09-08T17:50:00.002-04:00

We were so glad that we also had the chance to go and see a friend of ours, Alfredo, who is living near Zurich. With a little rowboat we enjoyed the time together on the lake called “Greifensee”.

Motorcycle tour

2008-09-08T17:48:00.003-04:00

On a warm sunny day we took a motorcycle trip through Switzerland. Dominic was having a lot of fun since he loves to ride motorcycles and did so many times while he was still living there.

beautiful castles in Bellinzona

2008-09-08T17:45:00.004-04:00

On the way back from

Italy

we stopped in Bellinzona to see some castles. There are three of them altogether but these pictures are of the most unique castle. In the courtyard there are several statues. The castle is built on a big rock and we had to take an elevator to get up inside.

Bella Italia!

2008-09-08T17:44:00.002-04:00

The next 4 days we spent in Italy relaxing. We didn’t do a whole lot besides going for a hike one day and another day going to a market. April also had the best ice cream she’s ever had in her entire life! This is the view we had from the place we were staying.

Breathed fresh Swiss air up in the mountains

2008-09-08T17:39:00.003-04:00

On the way down to

Italy

we drove over a few passes in the mountains. We usually stopped on the top and took a moment to gaze upon the majestic beauty of the surroundings. These are the kinds of roads there are in

Switzerland

; nothing like the straight roads of the

USA

Bern, the capitol

2008-09-08T17:37:00.002-04:00

In Bern, the Swiss capitol, we took a tour of the house of parliament. It taught us a lot about the Swiss government and the building itself. On the other picture you can see Bern downtown a little bit with all the flags of the different counties existing in

Switzerland

Tinguely Museum - da crazy man!

2008-09-08T17:36:00.002-04:00

Another day we went to the Tinguely Museum in Basel. Tinguely was a man which made all of these crazy mechanical contraptions. April thought that he was strange, whereas Dominic thought that he was a genius, because he created mechanical masterpieces by using metal scrap and other junk.

Chocolate factory - almost like heaven!

2008-09-08T17:33:00.003-04:00

For all the chocoholics out there….we went to a chocolate factory!!!! Mmm, yummy!

The Cheese factory

2008-09-08T17:31:00.003-04:00

da cheesariahhhh!! (like April calls it) (she even shouts it out LOUD!) (like an Italian with arms flailing)

We had a self guided tour here and got to watch a guy make some cheese. After the cheese is made it is stored in a huge room were there are thousands of cheese wheels.

The Rheinfal

2008-09-08T17:29:00.003-04:00

Next stop was at the Rheinfall! Volume wise it is Europe’s biggest waterfall. We took the “swissy-boat” to the rock in the middle of the falls. We could get off there and climb to the top to take pictures. It was very majestic and powerful.

Munot the shelter

2008-09-08T17:26:00.002-04:00

Right after our boat ride we got picked up by Dominic’s parents and were brought to this fortress, which was used to shelter refugees in case of a war. It was beautiful on the top and we could see most of the city, as you can see on the picture.

In 2 different countries at the same time

2008-09-08T17:24:00.004-04:00

One day we took a boat ride down the river Rhein. It was very enjoyable. This allowed us to see much of Switzerland and Germany because the Rhein acts as a border between the two countries. So basically we were in two places at once. Now you think we’re really cooooooooool, don’t you?

Glas blowing factory

2008-09-08T17:22:00.001-04:00

While being in the area of Luzern, we also went to a glass blowing factory called “Glasi”. We had the chance to see them manufacturing glass products. We were so close, that we even could see the sweat dripping down their foreheads!!

In Luzern

2008-09-08T17:20:00.003-04:00

Here, we are looking out a window at a friend’s house near Luzern. That’s a beautiful view, isn’t it? We had a good time fellowshipping and sightseeing with them downtown Luzern. They showed us around the city and we got to see many different and interesting things like the famous bridge you can see in the picture.

Flight to Switzerland

2008-09-08T17:17:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful time travelling to Switzerland. No complications at all. April’s only complaint was how freezing cold it was in the plane, which gave her troubles sleeping.

We arrived there in time and Dominic’s parents picked us up at the airport upon arriving.

Trip to Switzerland

2008-07-01T17:27:00.003-04:00

Yes, we are going to Switzerland!!

We are planning on going in August and spending an extended time there with family and friends. We are looking forward and hope to have some very precious moments.

WE ARE EXCITED!!!!!

Happy anniversary!

2008-07-01T17:12:00.004-04:00

It is amazing how fast the time goes by! It has been already a year that we have been married!

We had a fantastic year and we are certainly looking forward to many more!

Thanks so much for all the congrats and cards!

Binder Zoo

2008-06-10T17:43:00.005-04:00

Past weekend we spent a day at the Binder Zoo in Battle Creek. That was absolutely cool and we had a lot of fun. We shoot, not animals, but a few pictures, we'd like to show you!

Unfortunately we didn't get to see the snow leopards which they got newly added to the Zoo, but we got to see the giraffe, zebras, waterbuffalos and much more!

Dominic at work

2008-05-27T19:23:00.001-04:00

Dominic's having fun at the job!!!

Lifegroup

2008-05-27T19:03:00.003-04:00

A few month ago we, the 2 of us and another couple from church, have been given the opportunity to start up a new Lifegroup. The pastor from church was asking us to do so and we didn't have to think about and were very excited to get this started!

Every Thursday we come together in different homes and have a time of fewollship, sharing about the goodness of God and just have a good time and fun!
It has been a great blessing for all of us.

April's new job at the Greenhouse

2008-05-27T18:57:00.002-04:00

Not long ago April started a new job at a greenhouse. She quit the job at the UPS Store and started this new job.
She like it a lot and she learns a lot about plants, flowers, trees and all this kind of stuff!

Look back

2008-05-27T18:41:00.005-04:00

We know that the summer is rolling towards us but nevertheless, we thought that we wanted to give you a brief look back to the winter we had here.
Here are some pictures posted so that you can imagine better how much snow we really had!!

Greencard

2008-05-26T14:42:00.005-04:00

In the last letter we mentioned that Dominic was doing not only the internship in the School as an aircraft mechanic, but also that he was doing one in the church as a youth pastor.

At the end of January though, Dominic got the Greencard which we applied for and so with that card he is able to work commercially and stay here in the US as a permanent resident.

So then at the beginning of February Dominic started working fulltime for SMAT and he stopped working at the church, and...

HE IS GETTING PAID!!!

That is the very first time for Dominic, that he is able to make some money here in the US!!

Our apartment

2008-05-12T10:22:00.008-04:00

In the last letter we mentioned that we moved into an apartment. After weeks of cleaning up and putting everything in the place we wanted, it looks like this.

This is the first thing you see when you walk into our apartment. This is our living room.

Walking through the hallway we have a prayer room at our right hand side. It looks like this...

This is our bathroom. We both like the big mirror very much!!

At the end of the hallway is the bedroom. It is pretty big and roomy!

Welcome one and all!

2008-04-26T21:46:00.004-04:00

Hi family and friends!

We thought that it would be much easier to have a blog, this way you can keep track of us on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, whatever you choose.

Enjoy and keep yourself updated in the Wehrli`s world!