We were recently (September, 2017) asked by a church in Virginia to have our kids answer a few questions, so that they could get to know them better and pray for them with a bit more understanding.
It was a great idea, and we appreciate the love and concern for our children! In the process, however, I ended up taking a little bit of liberty to encourage and slightly edit the kids’ answers, so that their natural tendency to respond with just one word would hopefully be mitigated.
All in all, I feel the questions and answers below reflect VERY closely the personalities of each child!
What is your name?
Gabriel Benjamin West, but I usually go by Gabe
Ariel Susana West. My cousin Susana is named after me and my grandma Susie!
Abriana Isabel West, but I go by Abby almost all the time.
How old are you?
Gabe- 11, but gonna be 12 in December (22)
Ariel- 10 1/2, but taller than my almost 12 yr old brother!
Abby- 8, but will turn 9 next month (Oct 16)
Who are your mommy and daddy?
Gabe- they are missionaries in China, but for some strange reason I like to call them “Moodah and Foodah” (German-ish accent)
Ariel- their names are Ben and Deysi, but here in China many people call them by their nicknames Eugene and Cindy
Abby – when my mom was my teacher in kindergarten at the international school here about 2 years ago I had to call her “Teacher Cindy”!
Favorite thing about being a missionary…
Abby- i get to travel to lots of different places
Ariel- i get to see and experience many cool things that most people don’t
Gabriel- i get to go with my dad and teams to sneak around at night giving away tons of Bibles to lost people
Where are you a missionary at?
All three- CHINA! (Me: more precisely, NW China in the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau)
Favorite thing that you can’t do in America…
Abby- explore more places or play more outside
Ariel- i get to spend time with my cat Roxy
Gabriel- Bible smuggling and spending time with fun teams
What do you miss most about America…
Abby- i miss our relatives
Ariel- i miss our family and friends in America and Peru
Gabriel- i miss all our family and American food
Do you have a McDonalds where you are at?
All three: Yes, but it is not the same, especially for breakfast! We can’t get hardly any of our favorite things here, like real sausage biscuits (only english muffins) and pancakes (none at all).
What do you like to do when you travel?
All three: Go swimming, because its something we can do almost anywhere, whether its a river, a lake, a beach somewhere, or a hotel swimming pool!
What do you like to do in your free time…
Abby- loves climbing anything (walls, trees, rocks), “master building” with her Legos, and, believe it or not, “organizing her room”.
Ariel- loves playing with her cat Roxy (and decorating her room with cat pictures), spending time her friends (from all over the world), and reading.
Gabriel- enjoys reading big books, trying to invent things, and playing in the mud (or anyplace else where he can get his shoes and clothes super dirty).
What has Jesus done for you?
Gabriel- He has forgiven me and made me good at hiding, so I can help my dad’s teams deliver Bibles secretly at night
Ariel- He has saved me and made me want to help my dad with his teams
Abby- He died for me and has given me the desire to be a missionary in the Amazon jungle
What are you most thankful for?
Gabriel- that i have good friends here in China
Ariel- i’m thankful for my family (including my cat Roxy) and for my friends here
Abby- i’m thankful for our cat Roxy and for being able to grow up in China (this is putting it positively. in her own words first she said she was just happy “not living in America and never getting to go anywhere”)
