Rift Valley Academy Class of '98

Update on Saca

2008-10-12T16:44:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! Some of you remember an update on Saca a while back: her first son, Elijah, was born with a life-threatening disease but he is doing well and has just become a big brother! Isaiah Joel was born on October 9. For a picture and a few more details, see Laura (Berge) Jones' blog here. If anyone knows how to get in contact with Saca to send congrats, please let me know.

Hope you're all doing well, Bethany

2008-08-28T03:21:00.006-06:00

Hi, everyone! I was thinking how it would be nice to read an update about everyone. There are many of you in our class who I have not been in contact with, but I would like to know how you are doing. I think it would be great if everyone, who is checking this blog, would give an update - where you are and what you're up to. I will start...

I am living in Kampala, Uganda. My husband and I are working mainly with youth. We train young adults to mentor high school youth in the schools. We also teach discipleship classes and minister in various churches. - Angela

Baby on Board!

2008-08-20T18:09:00.002-06:00

Aaron and I are expecting our second baby, due early April. We are very excited!

Becky, Aaron, and Samuel Bryant

July 18th Weekend

2008-07-26T13:27:00.021-06:00

Just a couple pictures from our MN weekend.

2008-07-25T19:04:00.002-06:00

Some '98ers meet for desert in early July 2008 at Jody's house:
Becky
Jody
Andy
Rachel
Jane

A couple lovely little one joined, too (-:

How was the reunion?

2008-07-25T19:02:00.001-06:00

How did the reunion go? Did everyone who was on the "coming" list make it? Did you pick blueberries? I was sorry to miss it, especially after the origional date was going to work (by chance) for me, but I was glad to see all those that live in MN normally....

Potty Training

2008-06-25T17:07:00.002-06:00

For all of you mothers out there, I am in need a little advice. Samuel is in the midst of potty training and he does great peeing in his potty. We rarely have any more accidents. But, pooping is another issue all together. For awhile, if planned it right, he'd go in his potty. But recently, he has been hiding in the closet, another room, or waiting until I put a diaper on for a nap to do his number 2.

Any ideas? How can I get him to go in the toilet and not in the closet or some other hiding spot? It's not that he doesn't know because he's taking the time to find a hiding place to go instead.

Becky

Saca Update

2008-06-07T16:00:00.002-06:00

Hi all,

For those interested, there is an update on Saca and her son, Elijah, here.

If you don't know their story, I encourage you to read it. Our God is amazing!

REUNION FINAL DETAILS

2008-05-12T09:03:00.002-06:00

Due to the high cost of airfare on the July 4th weekend, the reunion dates have been changed.

Join us to celebrate our 10-year class reunion!

When: Thursday, July 17-Sunday, July 20th, 2008

Where: Pine City, MN at Becky Bryant's cabin

(fly into Minneapolis/St. Paul airport and we can carpool from my house which is 10 minutes from the airport)

Who: Class of 1998, spouses, significant others, and children

What to bring: If you have space, bring bedding.

(Let me know if you need bedding and I will provide it.)

Games (indoor/outdoor)

Pictures

Old RVA movies

Cost: $30 per person or $40 per family

Travel: 1. fly into Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. I will pick you up and we can carpool to the cabin.

2. Drive to St. Paul, MN (my house) and we can carpool to the cabin.

3. Drive directly to Pine City, MN cabin.

Accomodations: 13 beds in the cabin (3 rooms downstairs for couples w/children)

Floor space in the cabin

Pop-up camper sleeps 6

Tent sleeps 4

We can get more tents

Small hotels in Pine City (you would be responsible for the cost)

If you are planning on attending, please email me for directions and to give me arrival times. rva1998@gmail.com or thebryants2@gmail.com

I will not be posting directions on the blog.

If you know that you are coming or know that you will not be able to attend, let us know in the comments section.

10 Year Reunion Update

2008-04-28T13:55:00.002-06:00

Yes, it has been 10 years since we graduated from high school! It seems like just yesterday in some ways. 10 years???

Anyway, procrastinator that I am, I am having trouble finding the perfect reunion spot. The overwhelming response was the July 4th weekend. This is a busy weekend for resorts, camping, hotels, etc.

Here's my new idea. Please respond on this blog or email me: thebryants2@gmail.com with your thoughts. Be honest.

My parents have a cabin about an hour from the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport in MN. The cabin will sleep 13 people in beds, more on the floor. If you come with your kids, we have three bedrooms downstairs that are quieter and more conducive to kids going to sleep early. We also have a camper that sleeps 6 more, multiple tents, and there are small hotels in town.

Things to do: Swimming in the river at the cabin, or in the lake in town; canoeing and fishing in the river; soccer, croquet, badminton, volleyball, rugby, etc. in the lawn or in the fields in town; hiking in the St. Croix State Park(http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/st_croix/index.html); heading into the cities for a day at the Mall of America, catching a Twins game, shopping, etc; and catching up on our lives, just relaxing in the quiet of the rushing river water, the birds, and trees.

Let me know your honest opinion. This is a good option for the cost because there is no accomodations cost and food will just be a grocery bill we split. But, it is not an "organized" reunion with a fancy resort or huge events.

I only live about 10 minutes from the airport and can pick people up and then we can rent a big van to drive up, or if you drive we could carpool up from my house.

If you have a better idea or a better place, please, all ideas are welcomed.

Becky

moving on... & prayer for our classmate

2008-04-27T15:20:00.002-06:00

Hey all!
It's been a long time...I wanted to fill you in a bit on the next big thing in my life, if you hadn't heard...no, not getting married, or having a baby, but I am moving to a new continent - I've accepted a job teaching 5th grade at the American School of Bombay, India, which I am super excited about. Here's the link, if you're interested:
My time in Ghana has been fantastically blessed with amazing experiences and phenomenal relationships both personal and professional. I'm grateful and excited to see what is ahead. I arrive in Mumbai on July 28th... you are all welcome if you happen to pass through. It turns out that Tim Jones lives a few hours north, so I am already looking forward to catching up with him.

Also, I wanted to ask you all for prayers for a classmate of ours who would like to remain anonymous. This individual is facing some serious medical problems, which are scary in themselves but the financial aspect is also a major concern. If you would like to support financially, please contact me - katangajane@yahoo.com - and we can see how to so. I believe this is an important time for us to gather together as a prayer community to ask for strength, courage, trust,wisdom and open hearts for friends, and for God to move in the way he knows best. Thank you for your support.

Take care and keep in touch. If you do happen to go through Ghana before mid-June, my home is still open...!

Jane

Autumn Grace

2008-03-11T08:49:00.003-06:00

I have meant to update everyone for a while but spend most of my time chasing children! We welcomed Autumn Grace on Dec 14th 2007. She is a total joy every moment. Madelyn will be four on Saturday and Brennan is 19 months old. They both already fight over who is going to hold her, sit by her, and play with her. We are one very blessed and happy family!

Andrea Priebe

update from beaner

2008-03-06T09:00:00.004-07:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share some news, and let you all know where I'm to.

Big news first - I got engaged a couple of weeks ago. My fiancee is called Louise, and she's a newsreader on a local radio station. We met at work and we've been going out for about a year and a half, which reminds me just how long it's taken me to post an update here.
We're planning the wedding for the summer, which means I'm going to have to miss the ten year anniversary. Not many things would stop me attending, but this would be one of them!

I'm still living in London, although I'll be moving a little further north in the next few weeks. I'm working at a charity called SGM Lifewords, where I'm a writer and product developer. That's interesting some of the time - I get to shoot the occasional video, or create an installation of some kind. Other times I'm working on websites and printed resources. I'm doing a kind of online art project on easter at the moment, which is fun.

Writing is still what I'm most passionate about, and I write on issues like the environment, social justice or consumerism, on my blog, among other places. I'm on Facebook too, where their sinister advertising machine is out to sell me wedding loans.

As always, you're most welcome to drop by any time you find yourselves in this part of the world.

Beaner

Sarah and Mark

2008-02-27T18:54:00.002-07:00

Here's Sarah and Mark's blog:

http://rondeauhappenings.blogspot.com/

What's your Gym-Story?

2008-02-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I just saw a new article on rva.org about the replacement of the gym floor. Wouldn't it be great to be involved in helping replace it? I have so many memories of events in that gym - indoor soccer with other station kids, numerous basketball and volleyball games watched and played, badminton during PE, Jr. Store and Sr. Store days, studie and late studie, and we even experienced church and chapel in the gym!

My favorite (if you can call it that) memory of the gym is the one time I accidently turned off the gym lights when I meant to turn on the field lights. You can't even imagine the terror that I felt as I heard the boys who were playing in there sprint around the corner to punish whatever underclassman who thought it'd be a funny joke. They sounded like a heard of buffalo! Fortunately, they were forgiving and did not beat me up...but I learned my lesson - be VERY careful which light switch you choose!

Here's part of the article, but you can read the whole thing here.

RVA welcomes contributions in any increment: a gift of $157 would purchase an entire box of 48 tiles, $36 would cover one square meter, or $3.30 would buy a single tile. Each tile matters!
We hope you will join us in making this dream a reality. Please make all checks payable to Africa Inland Mission International, designate them for RVA’s Gym Floor project, and mail them to:
Africa Inland Mission
P.O. Box 178
Pearl River, NY 10965
Or visit AIM’s website (www.aimint.org/usa) for electronic giving options. Thanks for your interest in RVA!

Click on the comments to share your own Gym-Memories.

2007-12-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas from the Catinellas

Matt & Angela

2007-11-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

In reply to Bethany's request to read updates, I've added one. Matt and I are happily serving in Kampala, Uganda. We feel right at home. Ministry has been great. We've developed a youth outreach program called Revolution. You can see some of our youth leaders in the picture below. We rent a youth center for leadership training and youth events. Starting in Feb '08, we will start a youth discipleship program in the high schools. (The picture of Matt and me is from an orphanage in Kampala.)

New Blogs

2007-11-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Sarah and JP: http://www.capitolprice.blogspot.com/

Bethany: http://www.tonyandbethany.blogspot.com/

Hi Everyone!

2007-10-08T16:03:00.000-06:00

Hey there, RVA friends! I wanted to show off pictures of my kids and let you know that I check this page often and would LOVE to read updates on each of you and see pictures. An update about me: I am a high school Chemistry teacher here in S. CA most of the time, but I'm taking a semester off to be with my kids. I am loving it! Elliana is 2 1/2 and learning so much! She is a sweet girl and loves to play "Mom" and cook food for me in her kitchen. Marcus is 3 1/2 months and growing and changing so quickly, as babies do. He enjoys being outside and watching his sister run around. Hope you're all doing well - stop by if you're in S. California! ~ Bethany G.

I have a blog, too. www.tonyandbethany.blogspot.com

Welcome Lydian!

2007-08-22T18:53:00.001-06:00

I went to visit Jody the other day and took a picture of her and her beautiful baby. What a cutie!

10-year Reunion Update

2007-08-03T14:41:00.001-06:00

The results from the survey are in and are overwhelmingly in favor of July 4th weekend, 2008. The survey also reported a desire to have the reunion somewhere in the Midwest. If there is anyone who would like to host the reunion, let me know. If there are no takers, I would be happy to host it in Minnesota.

All ideas and suggestions are welcome. We'll try to keep it as cost-conscious as possible, or at least have options for sleeping ranging in price so each family can choose how much they'd like to spend. This could mean a place that will allow tenting, cabins, or hotel, etc. I'll research what I can find and post more information as I come across it.

Again, if there is someone with a burning desire to host the reunion, let me know, otherwise I'll go ahead with it.

Leave your comments if you have any-- but mark the July 4th weekend on your calendar now! And bring your families.

It'll be great to see all of you and catch up on our lives.
Becky

Baby Girl!

2007-06-27T14:55:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Jody and Gabe and the new addition to their family. Lydian Jean was born on April 28, 2007. Pictures to come soon.

Sarah and Mark Rondeau's Wedding

2007-06-23T18:45:00.000-06:00

Mark and Sarah were married June 9th in Kenya. Here are some pictures she sent me, as well as a few from my sister (so jealous that Debbie was able to attend, but I wasn't!). Congratulations Sarah and Mark!

Jordan Benjamin Taylor

2007-05-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

We are proud to announce the birth of our son, Jordan Benjamin Taylor, in the wee hours of the morning (12:08) on Thursday, May 24th. Our little 8lb 15 ounce bundle of joy took his first breath after 19 hours of labor, only six hours of active labor, and just over four hours at Langley Memorial Hospital.

He is 21 ¼ inches (54 cm) long. He has a thin layer of dark hair, blue eyes, big feet and hands, and so far the consensus is he looks like a Hubler (Ericka’s family) with a touch of Taylor. He is the perfect mixture between Hungarian and Scot, Canadian and American!

Ericka is doing well. She has second degree tears and is very sore but has no other complications. I was so proud of her during the labor and found it to be quite a spiritually intense experience. When the baby was finally born all the different emotions that had been kept in check while I was helping Ericka through the contractions and pushing came flooding out. Intense joy, fear, pride, uncertainty, relief all flooded into one. I can’t explain it but if you have had a little one before I’m sure you understand.

Anyways, thank you for your thoughts and prayers through this whole delivery. We are looking forward to walking through life with this little one that God has entrusted to us and can’t believe we are so lucky!

I have attached some pictures of the first 24 hours.

Richard.

Psalm 8:2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.

April Wellspring Update

2007-05-09T12:02:00.000-06:00

Follow the link to download the Taylor's latest Wellspring Update.
http://www.savefile.com/files/707860
(scroll to the bottom of the page to download the file)

Something old

2007-05-03T04:24:00.000-06:00

Well couldnt get the video to play on here due to rubbish HTML skills so have a look here. It made me laugh and even though the quality is pretty shocking its possible to recognise quite a few from our class.
Enjoy! Elora

RVA Reunion Survey

2007-04-25T17:01:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who have voiced opinions on the RVA class reunion next summer. We have had 18 responses so far. If you haven't had a chance to fill it out, please take a minute to let us know where and when you'd like to have the reunion. It's anonymous.

Click here to take survey

Kimbra

2007-04-21T09:08:00.000-06:00

Kimbra has a new blog posted:
http://familyofk.blogspot.com

Keely Brandon is getting married!

2007-04-21T09:02:00.001-06:00

Here is a copy of an email Keely just sent out and she gave me permission to repost it here. Congratulations Keely!

Hello!!!!!
This is a quick mail to let you know that I am back from... well... 3 interesting years of teaching English in Japan, a busy and exciting trip around the world teaching English on Peace Boat, and a wonderful 2 week trip to Mexico. I am enjoying having time with my family again, settling back into the pace of life in Glendale, and planning my future. This is the longest I have been Stateside in years, and I am looking forward to catching up with old friends and family before I move onto my next adventure. So what is my next adventure you ask? Well it promises to be the most exciting and wonderful yet! I am going to be married to my boyfriend of 2 1/2 years, Jovan :) He's a fabulous person and an incredible partner for me. I am so blessed to be with him! He is now in Japan beginning PhD studies at the University of Kanazawa. I miss him, but I look forward to being closer together in the future.If you want to join us at the beginning of this grand adventure we're planning a wedding in Mexico Dec. 29th [thisyear] and a follow-up ceremony/reception in early January in Kentucky. We will hopefully also have a celebration in Japan. We are moving ahead with planning and trying to estimate guest numbers. If you are interested/inclined to attend any of the festivities, please let me know and I will give you more information as the details unfold. I'd love to catch up with you soon! Please let me know what has been going on in your life as well! I will end with a message from Jovan:
Hello!, I am Keely's fiance, Jovan. I am really happy and lucky to be so much in love with this great and amazing girl. I also would like to know the rest of her friends that I still don't know (and meet again the ones I already know). So please join us to celebrate together, in any/all the places we are planning to have receptions. Really looking forward to meeting you! Jovan

Hope to hear from you soon! -Keely :)

Wellspring Cyclathon

2007-04-19T16:26:00.000-06:00

If any of you are in the Pacific NW and want to participate in our cyclathon we would love to see you get involved. We are riding July 14th and 15th as part of the annual Seattle to Portland ride. This ride is first and foremost to remember one of my best friends, who was killed last year while training for this ride. We will also be raising money for our work in Rwanda. So far it's taken me two and a half weeks to ride 200 training miles. I have a ways to go!

Sara and Josh Falk

2007-04-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Josh and I left for Sierra Leone in September 2005, 3 months after we got married. It’s been quite the honeymoon. I think its a little harder getting to know your spouse when you’re doing it in a different culture, but we’ve enjoyed the adventure. We are volunteers with the Church of the Nazarene and will be going home this summer in July. (My sister, Jessica, is getting married) Sierra Leone is a beautiful place, but sometimes hard to live in. We lived without electricity for a year and without running water some of that time. But we love our friends here and it will be hard to say goodbye. I work with finance for the mission and help churches set up their finance books, as well as teach some classes and do Bible Storytelling. Josh works with our Jesus Film team, teaches Theology classes and does leadership development. God has blessed our time here. We’ve learned a lot. It’s a great place to visit with AMAZING beaches.

Blessing, Josh and Sara Falk

Email from Jody

2007-04-04T10:51:00.002-06:00

Dear Becky,
Long time...how are you? Saw you kiddie--so cute! Wanted to post my latest news. I'm due less than 3 weeks!!! Gabe and I are having a little girl! Not telling any names yet :) Once all settles down, we will put up pictures. Everything else is the same. Gabe and I continue our music ministry here in the twin cities at our international church across the U of M campus. I have a wonderful job as a Kindergarten teacher at Fair Oaks Elementary (in the Mpls. area). Gabe works for BMW. We have the cutest poopsie dog named Elsy Chicken and a home in Blaine (by your
grandparents!) God has blessed us soooooooooo much! Please Please pray for a safe delivery...I would appreciate it very much! I'm going back to work in the fall so we are desperately looking for a inhome service daycare. Also, next year I am team leader for Kindergarten...Please pray that I stay sane! RUPP fam is great! Pray for Chris (my sister) as usual...:( Robb and Jane just had there 2nd child in March. Jeremy and Kendra are adventurous and having the time of their lives up in Duluth MN. Mom and Dad are amazing as usual. Family is sooo important. I'm realizing that more and more each day. Trying to spend time w/ mom and dad more. After Gabe's dad died, it really hit me...family truely is a gift from God--priceless! Hope all is well w/ you and your family. Miss you over here. Can you believe it?? It's April and we just had a snow storm!!! You may post this email on the website...hi everyone!
-Jody McCarthy :)

Survey for 10-year Reunion

2007-04-04T10:42:00.000-06:00

Please take a minute to fill out the survey about our 10-year reunion. It is completely anonymous and will only take you about 3 minutes. Thanks for your input!

Click here to take survey

10 Year Reunion!

2007-03-21T10:28:00.000-06:00

Our ten-year reunion is fast approaching. Any plans to go back to RVA? To have a reunion in the US? Add your comments and ideas for summer of 2008!

I am willing to plan a reunion in Colorado... let me know if you're interested and what dates would work. Maybe the July 4th weekend? Sometime in August?

Becky

Congratulations Heather!

2007-03-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Heather and Josh will be getting married on July 21st, 2007 in Virginia!

All are invited. Respond to this post if you would like information for the wedding.

Way to go Heather!

Catinella Update

2007-03-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Olyotya? ("How are you?" in Luganda.) Matt and I have just returned from ministering in Uganda. Our first week in Uganda, we ministered in the district of Rakai and our second week we ministered in Kampala. This was our first trip to Uganda and we had a wonderful time. The people were open and friendly and receptive to the Gospel. We are looking at going back for a longer trip to pioneer an abstinence based youth program. To learn more about this trip see our blog www.living-water.blogspot.com or you can click on Matt and Angela under the Personal Pages links on this blog.

Taylor Update

2007-03-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Ericka and I are living in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is a registered nurse and I am running a non profit that works in Rwanda called Wellspring (www.thewellspringfoundation.com). We are also expecting our first child at the end of May!

Work with Wellspring is going really well. Our first school, the Wellspring Academy, opened in Kigali in January. We have been able to offer training to hundreds of Rwandan teachers and supported the growth of an Association of Christian Teachers.

We have a great home church and that has a strong heart for the needy in it's community and is developing a bigger vision for the world. Please look us up if you are in the Western Canada or the Pacific NW. We love visitors!

Priebe Update

2007-02-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have two amazing children. Madelyn Paige will be three this March and Brennan Matthew just turned six months old. Madelyn loves to wrestle with him already! Motherhood has taught me so many things about life, love, and patience. I have never experienced anything so wonderful. Matt is a youth pastor and I am a laser technician for a family practice just outside of Kansas City. We long for adventure and cannot wait for the opportunity to arise. It would be a joy to visit old friends so please let us know where you are!
Matt and Andrea Priebe

2007-02-21T11:56:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing good. My husband and I are going to California on the 3rd of March and we are going to drive around in California for three weeks. We land in LA and from there we'll go to San Fransisco and then on to Las Vegas and back to LA. If someone is in the area or would like to come see us when we're there it would be great! You can contact me on my email adress which is lulle_thedane@hotmail.com if you're interested in meeting us! I would love to see you all again!

2007-02-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Samuel Emmett Bryant! He will be one year on March 27. Beautiful blessing; amazing gift.
-- Becky

2007-02-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that a lot of you have been looking at the site... but not many people have commented or posted (Thank you for the ski picture, Angela). No excuses. If you look, add a comment or post your own picture or update! (-:
Becky

I Can Ski!

2007-02-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! I thought I'd share with you that I have finally learned how to ski! I've lived in Michigan since 2001 (minus 2004-2006) and only just recently went skiing. It was a blast! I recommend this sport to everyone. You must try it at least once if the opportunity arises. You need a good teacher though. Matt (my husband) did a great job teaching me.

Congratulations Sarah!

2007-01-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sarah Hamilton will be marrying Mark Rondeau in Nairobi, Kenya! She emailed me their announcement and I thought I'd put it here for all of you to see.

Save the Date!

Sarah Jane Hamilton
and
Mark David Rondeau

Are excited to announce their engagement and date of their upcoming wedding.

June 9, 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya

Welcome!

2007-01-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

After JP, Sarah, and I have hosted a webpage for our class since 2000, I discovered the ease of these blogs. Instead of manually posting information for the class, you can join this blog and post whenever you feel like it. Add updates, pictures, and video to your blog entry. Others can add comments to your blog. We will be able to stay connected for free, easily.

If you would like to be invited to have access to post your own entries, email me at rva1998@gmail.com and I will set you up. If you do not want to be a part of the blog posting, but would like to add your post, send me an email with the text or pictures you want to include and I can upload it for you. If I hear of any news or updates from email, etc, I will try to add that as well.

If you would like to add a link on the side of your own personal webpage or anything else of interest, let me know as well.

Becky