Carlson's Happenings

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

2012-01-23T09:22:00.001-06:00

The book I am currently reading:

What is Jesus worth to you?

It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...

But who do you know who lives like that? Do you?

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Submission to Authority

2012-01-21T19:24:00.000-06:00

Submission seems to be a taboo word in today’s society. We are a society of “me-ism,” a society where everyone looks out for themselves and wants their own way. Submission goes against that thought. Submission means humbling yourself to another’s ways and that has nothing to do with ME. The definition of the word submit is: to give over or yield to the power or authority of another.

So what happens when you are in disagreement with someone in authority over you? What happens when you think God is leading one way, but the authority over you does not see things the same way? What are you to do?

There are many verses in the Bible that speak of submission. There is submission of slaves to their masters, wives to their husbands, submission to God, and so many more.

Proverbs 3:6 tells us to submit all your ways to him, and he will make your paths straight. You might argue that this is saying that we must submit to God and only God and then he will make our paths straight. If we only take one verse and do not look at the Bible as a whole, we will be lacking in our understanding. In Romans 13:1-5, Paul writes, “¹ Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” In this passage, Paul is telling us that all authority is put in place by God and there is no authority in place that God has not established.

God places these leaders of us to watch over us and they will give an account someday. Hebrews 13:17 says, “¹ Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” When we don’t submit to them, their work becomes a burden.

When we humble ourselves to those in authority over us, there is a blessing to us. Peter tells us; “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

I don’t know about you, but I want God’s favor. Does having God’s favor mean we will always get what we desire or always see things happen the way we think it’s supposed to be? No. We had a situation in the past where we didn’t see eye to eye with someone in authority over us. Just to clarify, these things were not things that we are to die for. It was not disagreeing with salvation issues or evils taking place. After talking about it, we came to the conclusion that the Word tells us to submit to the authority placed over us. When we went to the authority and told them that while we disagreed with them, we could in fact submit to their God given authority, we were then told that is wasn’t good enough, that it was a heart issue. The Word tells us that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. We knew that our hearts before God were right; we had humbled ourselves before God and man. The outward appearance would come later as proof of our heart. It was at that moment, when our willingness to submit was rejected, that we realized that it was not possible to continue under that leadership in the way that we had been. We were not being allowed to submit.

There are times when those in leadership, who have authority, can focus in the wrong place. In Luke 10, Jesus had appointed 72 others to go out to heal the sick and declare that the kingdom of God was near. They came back rejoicing because even the demons submitted in His name. In verses 18-20 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” We can get caught up in the things that we do through the power and name of Jesus. Here, the 72 that went out were more focused on what they did rather than who they were in Christ. The evil spirits submitted to them and that was their focus when they returned.

Currently, I am, again, in a place where I may not agree totally with some changes in direction where I am serving but I have chosen to submit to the authority that God has placed over me. I have expressed my concerns over some changes but that’s where it ends. Once I have decided to submit, regardless of what I think should happen, I go on under the leader’s authority and support them in whatever way I can. The leader over me has two choices: to accept my submission or reject it. I am grateful that in my current situation, the leader in authority over me has chosen to accept my submission and he is grateful for it. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me because I chose to submit.

Submission is not an easy thing, but it comes with its rewards. Our submission to others in authority is our submission to God. I know for me, I want to follow God with all my heart so unless someone in authority over me is in direct conflict with the Word of God, I will choose to submit.

Lord,

I pray that my heart would be humble before you. I pray that you would give me insight to know how to handle the times when I may not agree with someone in authority over me. In my submission, I pray that your love would shine through.

Ten Years Ago Today - 9/11

2011-09-12T01:01:00.000-05:00

Do you remember where you were standing ten years ago when the news of the attack on the Twin Towers happened? I do. I can still picture myself in my living room watching the morning news. With disbelief, I went to get Jim and told him he needed to come and see this. How could this happen? Most people can remember where they were and what they were doing. As I have watched interviews with people, ten years later, some of them being the kids who never knew the parent they lost and some who were older, the one thing that strikes me in these children is that none of them showed hatred. They remember the good. They chose to remember the good times, the good memories, and the special things. Every year they have to relive that day as the whole nation mourns that day. We can't always know why things happen but we can choose the way we respond. After ten years, there has been a level of healing.
When we are hurt by others, when we feel violated, we need to remember that God is good all the time. When we hurt, He is salve. When we are in pain, He is the comforter.
On this day in history, remember how we stood together as a country. Remember the men and women who have faught and continue to fight for our freedoms. Remember that we still have freedom. We also need to remember to hold up our leaders in prayer and continue to pray for our country and for our enemies.
We will never forget.

Beautiful

2011-09-08T23:56:00.000-05:00

Of all the things that we devote our time and energy to everyday, He alone is worthy of our praise and our worship.
Revelation 4:8b, "Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'"

More from the Art Revue

2011-05-27T22:19:00.000-05:00

Jonathan took Film 101 and Claymation. Although the video picture and quality are not great, these videos are showing what they did in this class. He's not in all of them, but it is what his class did.

This one really touched my heart because when we first went to the school, Jonathan was a bit reluctant. But this is exactly how things go at MSOA. Everyone becomes part of a big family.

This is the video that Jonathan's Claymation class did.

Erin's choir class preformed two songs last night. One song is in two sections because it was long.

Hopefully you enjoy their performing arts part of their school also.

Art Exhibit and Revue

2011-05-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Master's School of Art (MSOA) art exhibit and revue. This is a wonderful time to see all of the art work that the kids have done over the semester. The talent that is coming from MSOA is outstanding. These kids are using their talents and abilities to glorify God. Here are some pictures of the exhibit.

College level paintings

College level drawings

9 to 12 year old level painting

13 to 18 year old level paintings

All school finale.

Jonathan and Erin had several pieces in the exhibit rooms.

Jonathan - color pencil 101

Jonathan - Anime

Jonathan - Computer Art 101

This is a picture of I-5 from California to Oregon. Jonathan added the buffalo and the fox to the road.

Jonathan - Computer Art 101

Jonathan added the space ships to the space background.

Erin - Painting 101

Erin - Color Theory

Erin - Color Pencil 101

Erin - Drawing 101

The kids are already registered for the fall semester and they are talking about what classes they want to take. I may even look into officially taking some classes. I have been asked to take a painting teacher training class this summer and to help teach beginning level painting next year. Sounds like fun to me!

My Latest Color Pencil

2011-05-26T12:06:00.000-05:00

My latest color pencil project is dear to my heart. When I saw the picture, I thought of children and missions, both of which are dear to me. When we were in Mexico, we worked at a youth home that takes in street kids. Some of these kids, when asked what they want to do when they are grown, declared that they wanted to be missionaries. I love this picture with the children's hands holding the world. At the top, I have printed Matthew 28:19, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations."
I have been part of a team, at our church, that is discipling middle school kids. I love seeing them catching on to their value, identity and purpose in Christ. I have recently been talking to a seventeen year old who is sensing God calling her to missions. These kids a ripe for the calling and I am thankful that God is allowing me to be part of this.

Life...

2011-05-16T13:17:00.000-05:00

How is it that life just seems to fly by? How is it that when I look at my blog, which isn't all that often lately, I realize that I haven't updated it in two months? My apologies.
Life has been good lately. We celebrated Easter with some family. Two of Jim's brothers and their families were with us. We had a great time of food and fellowship.

Jim cutting the turkey that Tabitha brought.

Luke cutting the ham. My mother-in-law made a 22 pound ham.

Visiting.

We had lots of kids here that day.

Erin and James

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The kids are finishing up school which I am excited for also. Only four more weeks. We end on June 10th. Our last day of art classes is this Thursday and then the art revue is on the 26th. We will miss going to art class over the summer but we have already signed up for next year. We are all looking forward to that. Here is my latest color pencil picture I am working on. It will be finished this week so that it can go on display during the exhibit portion of the revue.

This is Jonathan's first color pencil project.

Erin's first color pencil project.

Both kids did a wonderful job on their color pencil pieces.

If you live in the area and would like to attend the Art Revue, it is on Thursday, May 26 at Sunnyside Foursquare in Clackamas. E-mail me for specifics.

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A big event that just occured was Erin's birthday. She is now officially a teenager. She turned 13 on May 14th. She celebrated by having a sleepover with five of her friends. They had a great time and stayed up way too late. She followed that up on her birthday by going with the youth group on an outing to the mall, a buffet dinner at Hometown Buffet, swimming and then games back at the church. She was one tired girl by the end of her birthday.

Yes, she chose a race car for her cake. She such a silly girl. It is wonderful to see the kids growing up and seeing them serving in our church in different ways. They are growing so fast and before we know it, they will be adults. In less than two months, Jonathan will be sixteen. He told us last night that he has decided he wants to be a computer engineer. Now to see how to help him reach those goals.

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I have also been enjoying watching our grandkids from time to time. We are now expecting our seventh grandchild on Christmas day. We are very excited and everyone seems to be hoping for a girl. So far, there are five boys and one girl so it is time for Brooklyn to have a sister.

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As I am thinking over the past couple of months since I posted last, I realized that I made a trip back east to visit my family also. That was in the middle of March. I had a wonderful time visiting my parents, my siblings, and their families. We are planning another trip in August, Lord willing. While I was there I was able to do some painting with my dad which was a lot of fun.

Dad painting his picture.

My mom

My brother, Chris.

My nephew, Christopher and his new wife, Caitlin. They are currently living in Germany. Cait is in the Air Force and is stationed there.

Jordan and Ethan, my niece and nephew.

Noah, my nephew.

Dad and Mom at a family birthday party.

I think that kind of updates the last two months.

Things...

2011-03-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

Remember the saying, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? The last week of February brought snow to us here in the Portland area. Once the snow left, we had rain, rain and more rain. In fact, it is raining still. The forecast for the next week is calling for rain. We love the rain but we are ready for spring so we are really hoping that March will truly go out like a lamb.

Last weekend Jonathan went on the high school winter retreat. He had a fabulous time and was really touched by the Lord. We are enjoying watching him grow in his faith. He is in a Bible study on Thursday nights with a small group of young people and is enjoying it very much. Erin will be going on the middle school winter retreat in two weeks. She is very excited for this. She contiues to grow in the Lord also and is involved with her weekly discipleship group. We're very proud of both of them.

Recently I decided to look for some of my art work from before Jim and I got married. Here are a few drawings I did when I was a teenager. I am loving getting back into my art. It has been a long time since I have done any. The kids are continuing to enjoy their art school and I am enjoying some of the things I am learning from helping out in the classes.

The Dancer

This was a picture on the side of one of my mom's planters or canisters in the kitchen, can't remember which.

A silk rose that I had in my bedroom growing up.

One of my mom's plants.

I saw a picture of a boy in a magazine and decided to draw him. This was my first attempt any any portraits and I believe it was the last one I ever did. Maybe I should try again. Unfortunately the paper was large and I folded it to store it so there is now a line in the middle of his face.

I posted this on facebook but thought I would put it here also. This is a painting I did last week after learning some tips and techniques while helping out in the painting class.

Another Picture

2011-02-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

It's a little harder to draw things out of my head, rather than looking at a picture, since I have to imagine the shadowing and depth of objects. I stayed up way too late working on this last night and finished it today. It kind of reminds me of a picture that may have been drawn as an illustration in a children's book. I am pleased with it.

What's New

2011-02-12T00:48:00.001-06:00

It has now been a little more than six months since we arrived back in Oregon and things are going well. We thank the Lord for all he is doing in our family. It has been quite an adjustment coming back and getting back into the swing of things but I think we are finally feeling totally at home again. We have wondered what God has in store for us now and tonight I went to an informational/brainstorming meeting at our church that had to do with our church reaching out to the Hispanic, Latin American people here in the Gresham, Portland area. Of course this is something that is near and dear to our hearts and we can definitely understand what people go through living in another country and another culture. We are in the beginning stages but I am very excited to be involved in the process. God is opening doors to continue in His calling to work the Hispanic people. On another level of ministry, I am volunteer in the middle school as a small group leader on Sunday mornings. This is a new area for me but something that God placed on my heart come time ago. Jim and I are both helping out in the High School ministry on Sunday night also. We help out wherever we are needed which can be different from week to week. We are both enjoying the time with the youth at our church.
Since we returned, Erin began meeting with the ReActs group. This is a discipleship group that meets once a week. She has been helping out with events that are planned for middle schoolers. Jonathan has been going to youth group on Wednesday nights with a friend and has also joined a Bible study on Thursday nights with some of the kids from that youth group. He is also helping out in the middle school on Sunday mornings. We are pleased to see them getting involved and growing in the Lord.

Another new thing that began just last week is Master's School of Art. A friend of Erin's told us about this school and we decided it would be a good thing for our family. It is am amazing school and is very family oriented. The classes are for ages 9 up to adults. We went to their Revue a couple of weeks ago and the art work was amazing! We attend one day a week, on Thursdays. It is all day and right now, Jonathan is taking Computer Art 101, Claymation, Anime 101, Film 101, and Cartooning 101. Erin is taking Color Theory/Compostion, Choir, Painting 101, Drawing 101, and Lyrical Dance. Both kids would like to switch their last class to Colored Pencil 101 but we will need to see if there is room in the class. I am helping out in four classes. It's been many years since I have really done much with my drawing or painting, but I am enjoying the refresher courses and learning new things as I help out.

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Erin in her painting class. She is beginning her first painting on a big canvas.

Jonathan in his Anime class.

This is Erin's first project in painting which kind of gave her the techniques for her bigger picture.

I am helping out in the Color Pencil class and I tried their assignment at home. Here is my apple.

That's all I have for updates for now. Blessings to you all.

Christmas at the Carlson's

2010-12-27T00:04:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve began with dinner with Kristen, Taylor, and the grandkids and Jim's mom (Gan). James got called in so he came later and had some dinner once he was there.

Kristen and Jonathan

Kristen, Victory, and Taylor

Jim's mom (Gan) and Erin

Gail and Jim

Brooklyn, Terrel, Preston and Dylan (left to right, back to front)

Gan opening her gift from Kristen and Tayor - new pictures of their family.

Brooklyn got play food from Grandpa and Grandma.

Erin with nail polish and fake nails. Every girl's dream.

Kristen is helping Victory open his gift from us. It was a package of match box cars. He was very excited!

Preston, Terrel, and Dylan opening their gift from us.

They all got Nurf guns. The only problem is their papa (Taylor) didn't get one. They'll have to share.

Everyone got hats from Gan this year.

The grand kids had made cookies to bring over. Yummm....

Christmas morning began just after 8:00. I think that's the latest we've ever began. Here is Erin with her big gift - a nail art kit. She was very happy.

And Jonathan was very pleased with his new video game. (Thanks to great sales)

James opening presents. Now I think he has the right idea, opening presents while still laying in bed.

Jonathan began his right of passage into becoming a man - his first shave. We have been noticing quite a bit of dark hair on that upper lip. So, "Santa" brought some razors and shaving cream.

I am really not sure how ready I am with all this growing up stuff but I guess I will need to deal with it.

We hope that you all had wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior. We pray that you have a wonderful new year and that you come to know the Lord in a deeper way throughout the year.

Growing Up

2010-12-20T23:04:00.000-06:00

Last night, Erin had the opportunity to go to a formal dinner at youth group. She got all dressed up and went with her friend Kelly. We had commitments already, so she was escorted by our good friend, Rod, Kelly's dad. She looks way too grown up here.

Christmas Ships on the Columbia

2010-12-18T01:14:00.000-06:00

We saw the Christmas Ships on the Columbia River tonight and had a great time at a pot luck with friends. Our friends, Dan and Susan, live in a floating home on the Columbia. We had a wonderful night with great fellowship and great food. I forgot my camera so the I took pictures of the boats with my phone. They are a little blurry but hopefully you get the idea.

It Been Way Too Long!

2010-12-14T23:33:00.001-06:00

Has it really been almost two months since I last updated our blog? That's way too long so I will try to update how things are going in pictures.

We are having a wonderful time reconnecting with our grandkids. We have been able to spend some birthdays with them, babysit them and just spend time with them. I realized after looking at my pictures that I have pictures of them all except Victory. I think he was taking a nap when I got the camera out. I will try hard to get pictures of Victory at Christmas.

Dylan (6)

Preston (3)

Terrel (8)

Brooklyn (4)

On November 23rd we received a dusting of snow. We all enjoyed that.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with all of our kids.

James with Brooklyn

Erin with Samuel

The three older boys showing us their airsoft guns.

I tried a new pie recipe and it was a big hit - a Crunchy Caramel Apple pie. James says whenever I make it again, I can invite him over. There were no leftovers.

Erin and Kristen - no similarities here, are there?

James, Jonathan, Kristen and Erin

Jim putting the lights on the Christmas tree

The kids decorating the tree

The final view

The last update is one where I should have taken before and after pictures. Jim's hair had gotten so long it was curling. He kept asking me to cut his hair, something I was a little scared of doing. I had cut Jonathan's hair but for some reason, this seemed a lot different. Well, I finally got enough courage to do it. It actually came out pretty good.

We are really looking forward to having Christmas Eve with the kids at our house this year. It is coming very quickly but I think we are almost ready.

New Family Additions

2010-10-21T01:06:00.001-05:00

"We are never getting another dog!" "Okay, maybe we'll get another dog, but we will never get another puppy!" Have you ever heard the saying, never say never? Well, here we go. A while back, maybe three weeks now, Jim and I started looking at dogs. Erin has been wanting another dog, and of course she really wanted puppy. Jim had found a couple of dogs on Craigs List and he inquired of them. We did not hear back right away and when we went back to find them again, the ad was gone also. I had seen a dog on line and inquired of it. It seems to fit all our requirements: adult, female, housetrained. I received a response and was told that the dog had been adopted that weekend. We decided to go to the Humane Society and look with the kids. While there, we saw two dogs we were interested in. The first one didn't seem to fit our family well, but the second one seemed like a good match, to us at least. We decided to adopt her and proceeded to fill out the necessary paper work. We were getting very excited and when they called us to let us know that our new dog was ready to take home, we got a different story. We were told that our family would not be a good match for this dog. You see, even though we have older children in our house, we have younger grandchildren and the dog was labeled as adult only house or house with older children. I guess the grandchildren coming over every now and then was a problem. Erin was devastated. She was crying and we were all very unhappy. As we were standing there, my cell phone rang. It was the people that had the dogs from Craigs List. We made arrangements to meet them. We all loved the dogs and we decided to add them to our family. Okay, remember the never having any more dogs? Now, do you remember the never having any more puppies? Well, so much for no puppies, our new dogs are 4-1/2 months old and 6 months old. They are mostly housetrained and have done quite well. They are very friendly and the did great meeting the grandchildren today. This was a huge thing because some of the grandkids have been afraid of dogs. We were able to work through on time when Princess barked and lunged toward Preston. I held her harness and called him over. I made sure Preston knew that I was holding Princess. He did come over and allow Princess to smell him and it went very well. We did not intend to get two dogs but I guess with the way everything turned out, it was just meant to be.

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So, here are Cinnamon (4-1/2 months) and Princess (6 Months). They are Lhasa Apsos.

Princess lives up to her name. She loves to be pampered and have her hair combed.

Cinnamon looks like a cute stuffed animal when she's not moving.

Brooklyn (4) had a good time brushing Cinnamon.

And of course, I can't go over to see the grandkids and not take pictures of them too.

They are growing up so fast.

Terrel (8)

Dylan (almost 6)

Baby Samuel (4 months)

Apparently I didn't get pictures of Preston or Victory. Although my heart was filled with joy when Kristen called just after I left saying the Victory woke up and was asking about Grandma. He's been slower than the other kids to warm up to me. I guess he knows who I am now.

Back to Normal or Something Like That

2010-10-09T01:02:00.000-05:00

Life is beginning to get back to normal or something like that. We finished moving into our new house and Jim began working again last week in San Jose. He went back to work for Adrian who he had worked for for twenty-nine years prior to moving to Mexico. He is enjoying being back to work after two months off. He certainly kept himself busy during those two months with painting, yard work, and other assorted things. But it is nice to know that he will be bringing home a paycheck. God is good!

School is also back to a normal pace except for Erin being sick this week. It seems that the kids are getting reaquainted to all the germs they missed out on while being out of the country for 15 months. This is about the third time Erin has been sick since returning home. Jonathan has been sick once or twice also. Please be praying that we are not catching all these bugs all winter.

I have been attending Ministry Training Institute (MTI) at our church since the beginning of September. It is a class that is held every Tuesday night. It is meant to prepare a person for minstry and we have a practicum time where we practice in small groups what we learn in class. It is a huge commitment but from everything I hear, it is well worth it.

We are also having fun with our grandchildren. Last weekend, I was able to have five of them overnight. Samuel stayed with his mama since he is just a few months old. My hat goes off to my daughter for the hard work she does with six children. I think back to having four children but there was 8-1/2 years between James and Jonathan. We are very proud of Kristen and Taylor as they raise their children for the Lord. They are such great children.

Well, there you have it, an update on life in the Carlson home.

We're Moving In

2010-09-26T00:26:00.001-05:00

We began moving into our new house yeterday. I am enjoying setting up a house and home again. As I sat today looking around our new home, I was in awe at God's goodness and faithfulness. I sat and looked at the things He has provided for us through the generosity of friends, garage sales and Craig's List with tears filling my eyes. I was amazed to see how our new home was coming together. We continue to thank all of you who have supported us either finacially, through gifts of furniture and very importantly, through prayer. As you continue to pray for us, please pray that the water gets turned on at our new house. We would have been sleeping there tonight if it had been. We called the water company on Thursday to have the water turned on Friday and they said there would be no problem. Unfortunately, they didn't get it turned on so there is still not water at the house and therefore, we can't sleep there yet. Erin was very disappointed but we hope to be sleeping there on Monday. Here are a few pictures of our new home.

Living Room

Dining Room and Kitchen

Jim's bother and sister-in-law gave us an armoir and we are using it for a bookcase. It helps to hide some of the clutter that can happen with bookcases. I really enjoy this piece of furniture. Thanks Luke and Angie!

Desk and Armoir (Closed)

Closer picture of the kitchen.

What's Been Happening?

2010-09-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

     I realize that it has been a while since I updated our blog so I thought I would take a moment and update you on how we have been doing.
     We are still adjusting to being back in the United States which comes with everything from shopping, driving, missing the kids and people at Esperanza Viva, living arrangements, jobs and lots more.
     We are currently living with Jim's mom in our old house.   It has been an interesting thing to move back into the house we left but it is not really our home.   Jim's mother has been living here for the past year and loves it.  The house is 1512 square feet with three bedrooms, two baths and an office which is now serving as Mother's bedroom. It's a little snug but we are getting along. With prices and interest rates so low, we decided to put in an offer on another house on our same street. It is a bit smaller, 1220 sq. ft. but the floor plan is great for us and we are looking forward, Lord willing, to be moving into it by the end of September or earlier.
     As far as work, Jim is going back to work for Adrian in San Jose once more. We are looking forward to that. Also, I have applied for a job at our church as the administative assistant in student mimistries. This would be quite the change for me as I have not worked outside the home for many years. If I do get the job, we would most likely be putting Erin in a private christian school, which is what she is rooting for while Jonathan would continue to do independant studies at home. The job would be Tuesday through Friday, five hours each day. The school we would like Erin to go to is half day every Monday and then full days Tuesday through Friday which would work well for my schedule since I will need to oversee Jonathan's school on Monday. It is a lot to think about and we are leaving it in God's hands. If this is what He wants, then everything will fall into place. For now, we beginning our 2010-2011 homeschooling journey. Please keep us in prayer as we continue homeschooling and for God's will to be done in the job situation.
     I will be starting Ministry Training Institute at our church tonight. This is an intensive, one night a week class for 36 weeks, that prepares you and trains you for many types of ministries. I am really looking forward to it. It will be a lot of work, but I think I am up to the challenge.
     We have been going to a lot of garage sales picking up things we will need. We bought a beautiful solid oak table with six chairs, a mission chair with an ottoman, a glider rocker with an ottoman, a coffee table and many odds and ends. The kids have enjoyed the garage sales also. Erin got a small CD/Radio stereo for only $1.00. One speaker wasn't working but thanks to my very talented husband, she now has a perfectly good stereo with two working speakers. Jonathan got three extra controllers for his X-Box for only $10.00 for all three and it included the X-Box. Okay, the X-Box has what is called the red ring of death, but he is having fun taking it apart to see if he can fix it under the supervision of Jim, just the controllers run $50 each new so it does not matter if the Xbox ever gets fixed for it to be a great value.
     We continue to enjoy getting together with friends, hugging our grandbabies and seeing our adult children. We are also checking out a small group at our church and went to a Labor Day BB-Q. It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast also.

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The house we are trying to buy.

The kitchen.

The living room/dining room area

The pantry.

Some of our garage sale finds...

glider rocker and mission chair

Our grarage sale oak dining room set - it also has a leaf to make it bigger and two more chairs. The dining area in the new house is smaller so we wanted a table that could be round most of the time. This is perfect.

coffee table - only $10.00

Erin's $1.00 stereo

At the small group BB-Q visiting with new freinds.

Erin and I play a game of Mexican Horse Shoes. At least that's what they called it.

Jim visiting with our great friends, Rod and Lynn.

Jonathan playing on the trampoline with the kids. He is so good with the younger kids.

The whole group.

Adjusting to Being Home

2010-08-17T23:54:00.000-05:00

     We have now been back in Oregon for almost two weeks. There have been a lot of adjustments since returning and acclimating ourselves back to life in the USA. I found it quite humerous the first time we went grocery shopping. Here's an example: oranges are forty-nine cents a pound. Is that a good deal? Is it cheap, expensive, or what? Okay, let's see...forty-nine cents is how much in pesos? That's 4.08 pesos, but it is per pound. We've been buying fruits and vegetables by the kilo for the last 15 months and a kilo is 2.2 pounds. So, it's really like we're paying 8.976 per kilo. We were paying about 9 pesos per kilo so, yes, it's a good deal. Okay, now on to the next fruit or vegetable. This could take all day.
     We have so enjoyed reconnecting with friends and family.  Sunday we went to a small group at a friend's house. We never joined a small group while we were here before but we are considering it now. We had such a great time. There is even one women there that is fluent in Spanish so when everyone was introducing themselves, she introduced herself and told a little about herself all in Spanish. It was really neat. For right now, we will continue to attend.
     We continue to look at all our options for housing for the long term. Currently, we are living in our former house with Jim's mom. She had moved in here while we were gone and we have her house rented out. Please pray as we make choices in what to do.
     We continue to try to practice our Spanish but it is interesting that the Spanish speakers look at us little weird when we try to strike up a conversation in Spanish. Perhaps they are not used to people taking an interest in their language who are not Hispanic. We'll continue to keep working on it though.
     Last Wednesday night we went to our first Mission Leadership Team (MLT) meeting at our church. We were on the MLT prior to moving to Mexico and we will continue to be a part of the team now that we have returned. We care for our long term missionaries and after 14-1/2 months on the field, we have a new perspective in what that takes. We so appreciate the care that the team took with us while we were out on the field.
     Erin went to church camp last Friday and returned today. She said she had a wonderful time and was very jazzed when we picked her up. It was a great time to reconnect with friend but it was a great spiritual time for her also.
     We thank you for your continued prayers as we continue to adjust to life here. When we know more about work for Jim, we will update you. For now, we continue to look for God's direction in everything.

First Few Days in Oregon

2010-08-09T00:23:00.000-05:00

On Friday we went over to our friends, the Chamber's house. We had Papa Murphy's pizza, which is one of our favorites, we have not been able to have it for such a long time.! The kids were able to go swimming which was very fun for them.

Me and my friend, Lynn

Last night we went to church at our home church, East Hill. We had a wonderful time reconnecting with people and worshipping with our church family.

This was amazing! It was a rainbow that began and ended where you see it here. The picture doesn't do it justice as to how brillant the colors were. It was pretty amazing. The interesting thing is that we saw another on like this tonight in a totally different place. God is very creative.

This morning we went to Taylor and Kristen's church because Diligence was being dedicated. Here is Jim and Dylan.

Me and baby Diligence

Victory

Brooklyn

Dylan

Terrel

Jonathan with Dylan and Terrel

In the afternoon, we went back to Taylor and Kristen's house to visit. They recently moved to a new house with 2-1/2 acres of land. It's a great place for the kids to play.

Taylor and PJ

Kristen and Victory

Erin and Diligence

Terrel

Erin

PJ all dressed up

Diligence, Dylan and PJ

Erin is spending the night tonight with Taylor and Kristen and she is going clothes shopping tomorrow. She is just a little bit excited. Jonathan went to youth group tonight and had a great time! This was such a pleasure to see.

Pictures from Yesterday

2010-08-06T13:19:00.000-05:00

Our first view of Lake Shasta

Mount Shasta

Black Butte Mountain...looks like a huge dump truck just unloaded it's load right here.

We missed the Entering Oregon sign but this is right after we entered Oregon.

We got the entering Portland sign though...

and the entering Fairview sign. We actually live in Fairview.

Erin with Rachel and Lyndsey. These are the two friends that were waiting for her.

Our oldest daughter, Kristen, and our newest grandson, Diligence.

Jonathan and his friend, Keane.

Erin and Brooklyn, our grand daughter

Jim and Diligence. I did hold him but there are no pictures of me with him. He has just begun to smile and coo. I think he did that just for us.

Kristen, me, Erin and Brooklyn. There is no family resemblance there, is there?

Today, we are doing laundry, unpacking suitcases and pretty much just hanging around.

We've Arrived!

2010-08-06T00:04:00.000-05:00

We had another great day of travel and it was wonderful as we crossed over the Oregon state line. The kids were very excited as we got closer and closer. The question doesn't change as they get older..."How much longer till we get there?" The difference today was that it wasn't a complaint, it was an excitement that we were getting closer each time they asked.

We arrived at our house in Fairview around 3:30 today with two of Erin's friends waiting at the end of the street to see her. She was so excited she almost jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop. She had been talking to her friends along the way to let them know that she was getting closer. Her friends had been planning for a week to be here when she arrived. Jonathan also had his friend come over to see him. They all had fun reconnecting with each other.

Jim's mom planned a dinner of homemade beef vegetable soup and sandwiches on homemade rolls for dinner. Our daughter, Kristen, and her family came over. It was so good to see them and to hold our precious grandchildren again. We met our grandson, Diligence, for the first time. How precious he is. A little later Jim's brother, Luke, and his family came over to see us too. What a great evening it was. We look forward to catching up with more people as we get settled in. I did take pictures of everything but until we get our own computers hooked up, it's a little harder to get them on. So, I hope you get pictures on from today soon so that you can share in our adventure through pictures also.

Thank you all for praying for us. We still don't know what the future holds but we know that God knows and as long as we are keeping close to him, he will lead us in the direction that he would want us to go. We will keep you updated as we go.

On the Last Leg of Our Trip

2010-08-05T00:22:00.000-05:00

We spent another morning in San Jose having a last visit with the Howell family. There are not enough words to express our thanks to them for the restful days we spent at their house and all of their support. But now, we are ready to head home. We left San Jose around 3:45 this afternoon and had wonderful trip to Redding. We are now staying in our last hotel for this trip. Tomorrow, we will be in Portland.

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Here are a few pictures from our trip today.

We passed the graveyard of WWII ships on the Sacramento River in Vallejo.

We made our traditional stop at the Olive Pit and tasted the different types of Olives.

I-5 will lead us all the way to Portland!!!

See you tomorrow or soon thereafter!

Another Good Day

2010-08-03T22:46:00.001-05:00

We had another good day today visiting with the Howells. This afternoon, Stacey's boys were playing in the hose. Gavin just liked the hose and DJ was trying to make a waterfall by pouring water from a bucket down the retaining wall. Very creative.

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Here is Gavin checking out the hose and filling the dog's water bowl.

DJ pouring the water to make his waterfall.

Tonight Adrian and Gloria treated us to dinner at Black Angus. Adrian had heard that I hadn't had a steak since moving to Mexico and wanted to take us out so that we could get steak. Oh, it was so good! Thank you so much Adrian and Gloria. What a wonderful treat that was.

Our plan at this time is to leave tomorrow afternoon and go to Redding, California and spend the night. Then we will travel the rest of the way to Oregon on Thursday. We are getting very excited to see everyone but we are so grateful for the restful time we have had here in San Jose before finishing our trip.

Day Three in San Jose

2010-08-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

These are pictures from yesterday while the kids were swimming in the pool.

Here is one of the pigs. They say they're real friendly. I just took a picture, I didn't try to make friends.

Jim and Adrian

Erin getting the chickens back in the chicken coop...

and feeding a peanut to the parrot...

and feeding the horses.

Jim with Pepper, the dog.

I liked this sign and with as many horses as Adrian has, he takes it seriously.

Erin with one of the baby bunnies.

And these are pictures from today, so far.

Adrian taught LA how to cross his legs...

and he is teaching him to rear up, which is standing up on his back legs on command.

Erin riding Apache.

Day Two in San Jose

2010-08-03T00:14:00.000-05:00

     We spent another restful day at the Howell's house today. Erin was able to ride a horse but I was helping with something up at the house so I didn't get any pictures. Bummer! We're going to try again tomorrow to get pictures of her riding the horse. Apparently the horse got spooked by something and start running with Erin on it. She was rescued quickly and was just fine. While discussing it tonight over dessert (yummy strawberry shortcake), we decided that perhaps the horse was stung by a bee since the horse she was riding was one of the gentlest horses they have and the horse quickly changed to running. I am just glad she was fine. Loisa was impressed that Erin stayed calm held on.
     The kids also had some more pool time which was fun. After the pool time, we went back down to the ranch and Erin collected some more eggs. She was putting them away when I noticed that the chickens were all out. Oops! Adrian showed her the best way to get the chickens back in the chicken coop by sprinkling food in the coop. It worked great. Erin also helped feed the horses and the goats.
     Later in the evening, after dinner, Adrian took Jonathan and Erin and his two grandsons to his favorite frozen yogurt place. That was a hit with both Erin and Jonathan.
     I have pictures from today but we accidently forgot our laptop at Adrian and Gloria's house so I will have to put pictures on in the morning.
     Well, that's all for tonight. Keep checking back for updates and for our departure date from San Jose to head out on our last leg of our trip to Oregon.

A Restful Day

2010-08-02T00:55:00.002-05:00

Today we had a restful day at the Howell's house sitting by the pool, swimming and doing laundry. Jim helped Adrian with some things around the ranch. Erin also helped bathe a horse which she was very excited about and she collected chicken eggs. It was a great day and it was so good to not be in the car all day. We enjoyed catching up with Adrian and Gloria and their daughter, Stacey, and her two little boys.

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This is Cassie, Erin's favorite horse.

She enjoyed the baby bunnies also.

Getting the chicken eggs.

This one wanted to keep laying on her eggs.

Erin collected these eggs.

This is Bubba. He was dancing with me.

A mama goat and her two babies.

Swimming in the pool

Erin was showing Stacie a cup trick.

DJ, Stacie's son, was playing with cups too. Too cute!

We're in San Jose, California

2010-07-31T23:46:00.000-05:00

We have now traveled over 3,000 miles since leaving Puebla, Mexico on Monday morning. As we were heading into Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world and we could tell just by smelling the garlic. It was a good day of travel but everyone is ready for a break. We will be staying a few days in San Jose. Jim worked 29 years for his friend, Adrian, before we left to go to Mexico and we will be visiting him and his family as well as other friends.

Today we started out in Arizona and soon crossed over into California. We traveled through some very hot areas as we went through the Mojave Desert. God has blessed us with very good weather this trip. Although we have run into some very heavy rains, the temperatures have been cool which is very good for traveling. We are so thankful!

     Our daughter, Kristen, is getting very excited for our return to Oregon. She plans on having her family there at the house when we arrive in the Portland area. Jim's mom is pretty excited also. She is already planning dinner for our arrival. We are getting very excited to see everyone also. I have grand babies that I am (we are) longing to hold and hug and kiss.
     It is wonderful to have had this opportunity to see the country by driving through it. We drove on the historic Route 66 today (and yesterday) and watched the movie Cars which was fun. After that, we'd go by semi-trucks and say, “We got ourselves a nodder.” If you haven't seen the movie, you might not understand that.
     While driving along I-5 in California, we came across a caravan of vans with the first one we saw had “Mexico or Bust” written on the back window. The vans farther up had “Honk if you Love Jesus” written on them. We were honking and giving them a thumbs up whenever we passed them. One of vehicles had a sign on it saying Covenant to Mexico Missions. With that, we came to the conclusion that they must have been returning from a mission trip to Mexico.
     Tonight, we are having dinner at Red Robin. We have not eaten there in over 15 months. Once we reach home, the eating our will be few and far between so we are eating at a couple of our favorite places along the way.   Next, it is off to the hotel and for a swim. We'll keep updating you as we go.
      Again, we want to thank all of you for your prayers. I can't say enough that we have felt them along the way and throughout the last 15 months.

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This picture was from last night. It was not the hotel we stayed at but it was cool that it was called Motel 66.

The scenery today was not as impressive but it was still pretty.

See the Route 66 sign?

And we entered California.

I liked the stair case look of this land scape.

We went through desert and then came to orchards.

San Luis Resevoir

We Made It to the Grand Canyon

2010-07-31T01:17:00.000-05:00

     This morning started out a little different than we had planned. Jim went out to load the van with our suitcases and saw that a tire was low. After inspecting the tire, he discovered it had been punctured by a nail. Being Friday, he figured he could find a place that was open to fix it. He was wondering where a tire place might be and looked across the street and saw a big tire sign. Isn't God good? He is carrying us on this trip and for that we are truly grateful.      The rest of the day was pretty uneventful although we again hit some amazingly heavy rains. We had quite a few stops and I was wondering if we would really see the Grand Canyon today. We did not plan for it to be a long stop, we just wanted the kids to see it, which we finally did around 6:30. What an amazing sight. God is the creator of such beautiful landscapes, from the mountains, to the valleys, to the canyons. We are in awe of His wonders.
     Tonight, both kids are wanted to drive farther so we are doing some night driving. It will be our latest night and I am not sure where we will end up. In fact, I am writing this blog while we are driving so that whenever we do stop, it will be easier to get information to you. Jim actually enjoys driving at night and we have been able to see a beautiful sunset because of it.
     10:15 PM: Well, we are now stopping for the night in Kingman, Arizona. Tomorrow, we hope to make it to San Jose, California where we will spend a couple of days.
     Thank you again for all of your prayers. We do feel them and we are really looking forward to reconnecting with everyone. I am also getting very excited to meet our youngest grandson who was born in June.

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Different scenery on the way to the Grand Canyon.

We were not expecting the forest and it reminded us of Oregon.

More rain, we can't seem to get away from it.

The Grand Canyon

The sunset on the way out from the Grand Canyon

Off to See the Grand Canyon

2010-07-30T09:50:00.000-05:00

We gained two hours last night. We crossed over yesterday to the Mountain Time Zone which helped us gain an hour of travel time. That was awesome but it was quite funny when we got into bed last night and the clock was an hour behind our watches. We were going to change the hotel clock but I decided to call the front desk to see what time it was. Sure enough, it was not 10:30 but 9:30. I had totally forgotten that Arizona does not do Day Light Savings Time. So, we gained another hour and for our family and friends in California and Oregon, we are on the same time zone now. It was good for us to be in bed at 9:30 last night, even though to our bodies it was 11:30. The great thing was getting up this morning and letting the kids know that it was almost like sleeping in. Everyone is up now and although it is only 7:30, we can tell the kids that to them, it is like 9:30. Erin said, "Wow, It's like I slept in this morning!" LOL!

We have another long day of travel ahead of us, but this afternoon, we will be stopping to see the Grand Canyon. We will be within 100 miles of it and we just cannot be that close without detouring to see it. Please continue to pray for travel safetly and health. We are all doing well so far. My Fibromyalgia is acting up a little and my muscles have been sore with the lack of movement but God is getting me through. Thank you for all of your prayers and we look forward to seeing family and friends again.

We're in Willcox, Arizona

2010-07-29T22:27:00.000-05:00

This morning we got up and were on our way about 9:30 after having breakfast. We started out today in Texas, went through part of New Mexico, including El Paso where we had our last view of Mexico. It was amazing, after having lived in Mexico for 14-1/2 months, to look across and know the poverty that those across the river were living in. Our hearts will always go out to the Mexican people. We continued on and stopped for the night in Willcox, Arizona. It was also a day of beautiful landscape sights. Here are some pictures from our day.

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Interesting landscape in Texas

We stopped at a very neat rest area just inside the New Mexico border.

I think Jonathan wants to shoot some snakes.

When traveling for 600 miles in a day, sometimes you just have to be silly.

We got hit by a major rain storm. Jim could hardly see this truck that was passing us.

This was the storm from a distance. Amazing...we could actually see the line of where the rain began.

A little ways down the road, there was a beautiful rainbow...

and another one farther down the road.

Crossing over into Arizona

What a beautiful view as the sun was setting.

OK...Arizona has some BIG bugs!!!

That's all for today. Tomorrow, we hope to make it to the Grand Canyon.

We're In Sonora, Texas

2010-07-28T21:54:00.002-05:00

     Last night we stayed in a hotel in Matamoros. It was a very strange thing to drive into a hotel parking lot and see a dozen Federal Police trucks including an armored truck there and the Federal Police standing around with their machine guns. Okay, I didn't write about this last night because I didn't want to cause alarm to any of our family or friends. Apparently, the Federal Police live there so there was nothing to be alarmed about. It actually made us feel quite safe.
     It was pouring rain when we woke up and we believe the rain may have played to our advantage, much like the H1N1 did when we traveled to Mexico. We were told to be prepared for long delays but the whole process took only about 30–40 minutes from start to finish. Crossing the border went very well. We paid our toll to cross the bridge and then asked the question about where to turn in our FM3s (our missionary visas). It was actually on the other side so we needed to turn around. They opened a gate and we had to make a u-turn back to the immigration office. The officials stamped our FM3s stating that we were not returning and we left them with them. Next we turned in our car tag and we were on our way after we paid the toll again. LOL! At customs, on the US side, they looked at the stuff in our car, asked a few questions and we were on our way entering the United States of America. It was the first time the kids and I have been in the USA since we crossed in May of 2009.
     Culture shock already... what is this language we are hearing? How do you order a meal in English? Wendy's, do they still exist? Apparently they do because we ate lunch there. It was the first place Jonathan wanted to eat. Erin wants to eat at Taco Bell. We have spent the last 14 ½ months with awesome tacos in Mexico and she wants Taco Bell.

We continued the day traveling through Texas. Wow, this is a big state! We stopped for dinner in Junction, Texas and ate at Dairy Queen, another place we haven't eaten at in a very long time. We are now stopping for the night in Sonora, Texas. The kids are ready to get out of the car. We traveled about 550 miles today. Not bad since it took time to go through immigration and customs this morning. Tomorrow we will be heading to New Mexico. After some rain this morning, the weather has been pretty good for travel.

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The pouring rain outside our room this morning.

The Federal Police

We are in the United States of America.

Our first pictures back in the USA

I know, it's weird, but this sign was in English so I had to take a picture.

A highway with no topes (speedbumps), three lanes and they have lines between the lanes.

Tonight, We're in Matamoros

2010-07-27T21:19:00.001-05:00

We had another great day of travel today. It was a shorter day which was nice also. We left Ciudad Victoria around 12:30 this afternoon and arrived in Matamoros around 4:00. We were able to visit Esperanza Viva Matamoros for a short time. We so enjoyed our visit with Elias and Vania (his daughter). We missed visiting with Flora, Elias's wife, because she is visiting her mother in Oaxaca. Now we are at our hotel and Jim and the kids are swimming. I am sitting in an airconditioned room which is really nice. It is quite warm here and very humid.

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Scenery on the road today.

As we entered Matamoros we saw flooding as a results of releasing water from several dams.

Visiting with Elias and Vania was a highlight of the day.

Swimming at the hotel.

Prayer requests for tomorrow:

* Please pray that turning in our FM3 visas to immigration will go quickly and smoothly.

* That everything will go well in customs on the US side.

* Safe travel as we continue on our journey.

We Are In Ciudad Victoria

2010-07-26T21:36:00.001-05:00

We began our trip home today and had a great day. We were really suprised to have so much rain. At times is was just pouring. It was a long day, we left at 9:30 this morning and arrived in Ciudad Victoria at about 8:30. Tomorrow will be a shorter day as we are traveling to Matamoros which is about four hours away and is right on the border of Texas. We plan on visiting Esperanza Viva Matamoros in the afternoon and crossing the border on Wednesday morning. Thank you for all your prayers, please keep praying for our safe travel.

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Jonathan's last time with his friends Dylan and David.

Erin is snug in her seat ready to go.

We were rather surprised to have rain most of the day.

Views of the country side as we traveled.

We're On Our Way!

2010-07-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

The car is packed and we're ready to go. Today we begin our journey back to Oregon and hope to arrive no later than August 10. The car is pretty weighted down as it was when we moved here. We thought we had gotten rid of so much stuff but it seems that we gained a lot of stuff too. We will be posting here as we go along our way and we will be able to post pictures along the way also. Most hotels have free wireless Internet now, so hopefully we will be able to update daily.

Here are a couple of prayer requests for today:
* That our car will be able to handle the topes (speed bumps) with all of the weight. It was quite taxed on the way down here.
* That when we hit the check points going through Mexico, we are not asked to empty the car so they can see what we have in there. We have nothing to hide, it would just be a big hassle.
* For health and safety on our trip.

Thank you to everyone for their prayers.

We're Coming Home...

2010-07-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

     Fifteen months ago we left Oregon to begin a life as full time missionaries in Puebla, Mexico. It has been a time of great growth for all of us and we have thoroughly enjoyed being able to be a part of the children’s lives here at Esperanza Viva. We have made deep personal connections with many of them. We have been able to see children from the time they arrive here and slowly witness their lives transformed by the love and care they receive at Esperanza Viva. We personally saw a family of four come into the home last year and now the two oldest teenagers have dedicated their lives to the Lord and were baptized this past May. How wonderful it is to see these kids on a path of serving our wonderful Lord and Savior. The children here receive far more than just a roof over their heads, food and clothing. They receive hope, the living hope that is only found in Christ Jesus.
     As part of the normal process in a missionary’s life in the ministry here we recently completed our one year evaluation. At this time, we evaluated how things were going for our family, it is a time to choose if we would be continuing on for a second year of service. After a lot of fasting, prayer, council with our church and with friends here in Mexico, we have sadly decided that God is leading us to return home sooner than we had first planned. We have had many people speak into our lives and the Lord has placed several verses in our hearts to confirm this choice.
     Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” And Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” We made plans to be here for a much longer time but it is God who determines our steps. His ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts.
     Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” We know he has a plan for our lives and we want to follow his ways, not our own.
     Prior to moving to Mexico, God gave Joshua 1:9 as a verse to hold on to. I had always quoted this verse as saying, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Well, I have gone back to that verse many times while living in a foreign country with new ways and a new language to learn. But, as we have been working through this process of deciding to return home, there have been times of confusion and discouragement and God had me go back and look at this verse again. The actual quote of Joshua 1:9 is, “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I had totally missed the part where it says to not be discouraged. God is so good!
     So, now we are set to begin yet a new chapter in our lives. We are finishing up some tasks here in the ministry and our plan is to start our journey home on the 26th of July. We hope to be back in the Portland area sometime in early August. During the journey home we plan to visit Esperanza Viva Youth Home in Matamoros, Mexico and see the children there once more. We stopped in Matamoros on our way down and had a wonderful time getting to know them just a bit.
     We will keep you updated on our journey and would ask that you keep us in your prayers for safety and health. We look forward to sharing more about our experiences here upon our return. Thank you for all of your support and prayers. We so appreciate all of you and could not have done this without your help.

Picture Update From Mexico

2010-07-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

It has been way too long since we updated with anything so I am going to update with some pictures from the last few weeks. One morning last week, I came downstairs to make coffee and this full rainbow was outside our kitchen window. What a beautiful reminder of God's promises to start the day with.

On Wednesday of this past week, we took the day off with another family and went to El Rollo which is a water park about three hours away. We didn't take a lot of pictures because we were having too much fun.

This is a 5 meter (15 feet) "cliff" for jumping off. When you jump off, you land in a pool at the bottom.

This shows a little better how tall it is.

Yes, I did jump off of it!

I don't know how may electricians we have viewing our blog, but you'll love this one. There were wires coming out of here that were just going in every which direction.

Many of these wires were just laying on sticks to keep them from touching the ground.

On Thursday night we had the Chavas (teenage girls) over for a special night. We discovered that it was Maribel's and Angelica's birthdays. They are sisters and have the same birthday but they say they are not twins. They sure look alike.

Blanca is a very special young woman to me. She had a hard time when she turned 18 this past spring. I was able to share that God has a plan for her life and that she need not worry, but only trust in Him. We have shared our favorite Scripture verses with each other which has been special.

Erin and Rosa.

Anna Karen also holds a special place in my heart. I saw her the day she arrived at Esperanza Viva and she has blossomed since then. She is such a pleasure to know.

The kids here put hot sauce on everything!

Then on Friday night, we had the Chavos (teenage boys) over. We had a great time with them also.

Being able to share with the Chavos is one of the highlights for Jim here in Mexico.

During the evening, Erin brought out her string and was making friendship bracelets with the boys. It is amazing to me how many of the boys know how to make them and they really enjoy making them too.

Well, that's been the last couple of weeks in pictures.

The Blog from our East Hill Youth Team That Came to Visit

2010-06-27T12:52:00.000-05:00

This past week we had the first youth team from East Hill come on a mission trip to Esperanza Viva. This team was so awesome, a great group of on fire youth. Check out the events of the past week by clicking on this link. East Hill Youth Team

Pictures of Our Newest Grandbaby

2010-06-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Kristen was able to send us some new pictures of Samuel Diligence today. We are always happy to receive pictures of our grandchildren.

The East Hill Youth Team Has Arrived!!!

2010-06-20T09:02:00.000-05:00

We are so excited that the East Hill Youth Team has arrived!! This is our home church. We have anticipated their coming and now they are here. Jonathan's best friend from the states is here with the team and he is so excited. We went to welcome them last night and it was so great to see Jonathan playing basketball with friends. Two of Erin's very good friends have siblings on this team. There are also some kids she knew from the Children's Center here. The team is made up of fifteen youth and six leaders. We are so blessed!

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Jonathan and his friend Keane.

The team.

Four of the leaders. Bill, Adrina, Lissa and Rich. Thanks guys for leading.

Jesus Culture - Dance With Me (Song of All Songs)

2010-06-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

This is a song we sing in Spanish at our church here in Mexico. I love the song and understand it but I am continually translating it in my mind. So, when I heard it today in English for the first time, my heart danced. I hope you enjoy it.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2010-06-14T09:58:00.003-05:00

We now have a new grandson! Samuel Diligence was born on Monday, June 14 at 12:07 AM (PST). He was 8lbs. 9oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing well and baby is nursing well which is such a blessing. Kristen's last three babies were premiees and so nursing was a struggle. Kristen was able to have a home birth like she wanted and although it was very hard to do it all drug free, she did it! I guess it's time to step up the production of that baby blanket. Thank you for all the prayers.

The Baby's Coming.....

2010-06-12T19:39:00.000-05:00

Update!!!! Kristen's water broke!!!! The baby will be here soon! We will update you as we know things.

Still Waiting...

2010-06-10T08:24:00.002-05:00

Well, our daughter, as of today, June 10, is 37 weeks 6 days pregnant. She is only one day away from beign 38 weeks which is full term. Our last grandbaby was born 7 weeks early, the one before that about 6 weeks early and the one before that about 5 weeks early. God is good. Kristen is feeling very big as any woman in her ninth month of prenancy can imagine, but she is so thankful that she is still pregnant. Please pray with us for a healthy delivery and grandma can handle being so far away.

I've Got Your Back

2010-06-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

Has God ever asked you to do something that goes against every fiber of your being? Has he asked you to do something that brought fear to you if done in your own power? Perhaps there is fear even when you are relying on His power. When you are done completing what he has asked of you, have you wondered if you really heard right? These are hard times to go through, times when faith really needs to take hold of your heart. We recently have been in a situation like this where God asked us to do something that was very difficult and has gone against how I was brought up. But you know what? I am not a child anymore. I am an adult and a mature Christian. Before we moved to Mexico as full time missionaries, someone gave our family verses from Joshua 1. My verse was Joshua 1:9 which says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Once completing the task that God put before us, I became very discouraged and there has been fear with it also. I wasn't looking at it through the eyes of what God had asked but through my own eyes which worry more about how someone may think of me. This morning while praying, God brought this verse back to me. I decided to look up some cross references to this verse and Deuteronomy 31:8 came up which says, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." We need to realize that when God asks us to do something, He doesn't just ask us to do it and then leave us on our own. He goes before us.

We recently watched the movie The Blind Side. If you haven't seen it, it is worth seeing. One of the lines I really like in the movie is, "I've got your back." This is said by a giant 6'6" teenager to Sandra Bullock who plays a woman who takes this young man in. They are in a bad section of town and she moves close to him and says something like, "You will protect me, right?" Then he says, "Don't worry, I've got your back." When God gives us an assignment, He's got our backs. He is guarding us and he is our fortress, our protection. Psalm 118:6 says, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Over the past few years, God has been delivering my of my fear of man or my people pleasing side. My side that says, that person might not like me if I say this or do that. Is man who I am to fear? No, I am not to fear man but to fear God. If God tells me to do something and I don't do it, then I should be afraid. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that I don't care about other's feelings because I certainly do, sometimes too much.

I want to encourage you to follow whatever God has given you to do, whether it be at work, home, school, or in your community. God has your back and if He has given you an assignment, He will go with you and never leave you nor forsake you. He is God, He is faithful and He is good. When I stand before Him I want to be able to say that I completed the assignment he gave me to do. I didn't shrink back because of fear, but with Him, I went forward with courage. I want to encourage you to do the hard things in life., to follow God no matter what.

Grandbaby #6 is Almost Here

2010-06-04T10:57:00.001-05:00

Our oldest daughter is now 37 weeks pregnant. This is quite an accomplishment since her last three pregnancies have ended in preterm labor. The babies were healthy but they were early. Broolyn was born five weeks early, Preston was six weeks early and Victory was born seven weeks early. So, we were concerned about this one but God is so faithful and with the help of good eating, good prenatal care and the Lord, she has made to full term. Kristen is hoping for a home birth and it is looking like that is something that will happen since the midwife has said that this is a competely normal pregnancy. We are so excited about a new grand"son" being born. Since there was no official technician saying it's a boy, there are still those who think he could be born and we find out that he is a "she." I guess time will tell.... for now, we wait for this precious new addition to arrive into our family.

Kristen at 36 weeks. Isn't she beautiful?

Crafts and Friends

2010-05-28T00:31:00.001-05:00

     In April I went to a women's retreat here in Puebla. At the retreat they had yarn and knitting needles for everyone to learn how to knit. I had learned how to knit years ago with my Grammy but I never continued it. At the time, I really didn't like it too much. Over the years, I have done a lot of crocheting, making blankets for each of my grandchildren and other things. I discovered at the retreat, that I do enjoy knitting and since then have really taken off. I have even tried some new stitches that I have learned on YouTube. Since April 24, I have made nine scarves and I am working on the tenth. (Not all of them are pictured) I decided that I would make our Christmas presents this year.
     At the small mall near us, there is a yarn kiosk and I have discovered that their yarn is not too badly priced. It's still cheaper in the United States though. The lady at the kiosk, Margarita, told me that if I bought yarn from her, she would teach me any stitch she knows. Well, she has taught me a new stitch which is called the Tunisian or Afghan stitch. It uses a longer crochet hook and is kind of a cross between crocheting and knitting. She said she had a stitch that would use two colors and is one color on one side and a second color on the other. She began showing me this new stitch and was impressed that learned so quickly. She doesn't even keep a sample of this stitch out because she has many people ask about it but they can't seem to learn it.
     Margarita is such a sweet lady. In Spanish there are two forms of saying "you." There is a formal form called Usted which you use for people older than you and in places of respect or authority.  The other form is called "tú" and is used for friends, family and people younger than you. I asked Margarita, "Puedo tener Usted..." or "Can I have..." She turned and looked at me and said, "No, you and me are friends, you no use Usted with me." She speaks very good English but it is obvious she is still learning. It is very cute. She also told me, "If you need help, if you forget how to do stitch, you come back and I show again." I think she wants to show me every stitch she has samples for. Please be praying that God would open opportunities for me to share Christ's love with her.
     Erin has also wanted to knit, but it is more difficult for her. So Margarita showed her how to use a knitting loom and has almost finished a scarf. She is very excited about it and I am so proud of her. We can now sit and knit together.

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Here are some of the scarves I have made.

This is the one that is a different color on each side. I am so excited about doing this one, I think the baby blanket I will be starting soon will be in this pattern. Since my new grandbaby is a grandson, it will not be in pink.

Erin's knitting loom project.

Baptismal Service at Church

2010-05-23T15:18:00.003-05:00

Today we had a baptismal service at church. At Nations, they do a baptismal service once a year. Because you can't go to the river here to baptize someone, we need to use a swimming pool. One of the other missionaries and I were joking that if you baptized people in the rivers here, you would baptize them and then you might hear the words, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Needless to say, the rivers here are not safe to be in.

It was a wonderful service and 56 people were baptized. Some of the people being baptized were kids from the Esperanza Viva. My heart was thrilled when I saw that Fernando and Ivet were being baptized. They came into the home last year and I have witnessed such growth in them. It is beautiful to see the lives of the children at Esperanza Viva flourish in their walk with the Lord.

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Jerry speaking before the baptism.

This is the line of people waiting to be baptized. It brought tears to my eyes.

This is a video of Fernando being baptized.

Here is Ivet waiting, she was crying also.

This is one of Erin's friends from Sunday School.

Worshipping.

Ivet coming out of the water.

Ivet and Fernando after being baptized.

More worship.

After church there was a grand time of fellowship. What an awesome way to spend the day with the body of Christ.

Happy Birthday Erin!

2010-05-15T20:34:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, May 14, Erin turned 12 years old. Last year on her birthday, we had only been in Puebla for two days, we had no furniture and hardly knew anyone. So, her birthday did lack a bit in her eyes. This year, I think we made up for it with all of our celebrations. It's amazing what a year will bring. On her birthday, she had one friend over for dinner and we had her favorite meal...green bean cassarole. She then got to open her gift from us. She was very excited but a bit confused about a picture of an iPod Nano. It's what she really wanted but she will need to wait until we able to get it from the states. They are too expesive here. She was okay with that. She also got a scarf that I made, a small notebook and a new hair brush.

This is Erin with her friend Madison.

Today, May 15, we had a big birthday party for her. We made our own decorations with balloon flowers. We bought sticks that have little ball candies in them and attached balloons to them. Then we put them in cans with beans in them so that they would stand upright. We even had small party favor bags with candies in them for all the kids.

We also made banners on the computer and put streamers on them. They turned out really cute.

We made our own confetti with a hole punch and construction paper.

Erin came up with several games she wanted to play with her friends. One of them was tying a balloon around your leg, running to the end of the yard, popping the balloon and then running back.

Erin had just a bit of trouble popping hers. She was the last one to pop it.

She also did a water balloon toss, kind of like the egg toss where each turn you move farther and farther away from you partner until the balloon breaks. The team that is the farthest apart wins.

I had guessed, but didn't know for sure until we lit the candles, that they sparkled and continued to light themselves after she blew them out. She thought that was really fun.

Here is a group photo of all the kids that came. What a great time she had. We were so happy that she was able to have a great birthday this year with lots of friends. God has truly blessed us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T20:35:00.001-05:00

Sunday was Mother's Day in the United States. We were invited over to our friend's house, the Prusias, for a BBQ and they had other guests there also. Here are some of the people that were there. We met a couple that are the youth leaders (below) from one of the local churches here in Cholula. She speaks some English but he does not. There was also another family there that is here attending the language school that our friends go to. We had a great time of fellowship and the food was really good also. One family that was invited, does not know the Lord, so it was an awesome opportunity to show love on them with no pressure. They seemed to be having a very good time.

Today is Kim's birthday so we sang Happy Birthday to her and we all had cake.

The kids eating cake and visiting.

Jonathan was glad they got a little game playing in also.

One of Kim's gifts was a trampoline. She said she wanted that for her birthday. Here are some of the younger kids playing on it.

In Mexico, today is Mother's Day or as we say it here, El Día de las Madres. So, I got to celebrate Mother's Day twice this year. Jim took today off and we took a trip to the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon near Mexico City. It would be a shame to live here and not visit some of the cultural history of the country. There is a new road that opened up, El Arco Norte, which circles outside Mexico City so we never came close to it. That really put my mind at ease. I don't want to drive in Mexico City.

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This picture is on the side of the Pyramid of the Sun where we entered.

This is looking down from the Pyramid of the Sun.

These are at the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

The Pyramid of the Moon.

Yes, we all walked to the top. Erin wanted me to take a picture that would look like she was holding it up. As we walked up the pyramid, Jim commented on the thought of men going up and down many times a day, hauling rocks up to build the pyramid. What a big job that would be.

Here is what it looked like walking down one of the steepest sections. Yikes!

After touring the pyramids, we had lunch in a ñearby restaurant.

Jonathan likes Coca-Cola in glass bottles.

I almost forgot, we spotted a honey bee hive in a hole in one of the smaller structures.

So there you have it. Mother's Day 2010 in Mexico. I hope all of the moms out there had a wonderful day and may God bless you in this next year.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. May you be blessed today and everyday.

Construction and Cutting Grass

2010-05-06T08:22:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the construction going on out at the land where the future home of the Living Hope Community is located. Here is a picture of the inside of the dorm and the inner walls beginning to go up.

This is the bodega or the warehouse. It will be the temporary kitchen, laundry, printing press, and workshop.

This is the outside of the dorm. It's really coming along.

This is the visitors bathroom that Jim has been overseeing.

You may have wondered about the title "Cutting Grass." Well, this is the second time in a week that someone in our neighborhood has chosen to "cut" their grass by burning it. The first time it was so bad, the wind was blowing in the direction of our house and for the rest of the day, our house smelled like we had a fire in it. I really thought that it may be a house on fire. The smoke was so thick, you couldn't see down the street. At least it wasn't someone burning plastic this time.

Survive or Thrive

2010-05-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, I was blessed to be able to attend a women's retreat all in English, although I certainly heard a lot of Spanish since half the women were Mexican. The theme of our weekend was "Survive or Thrive." It was such a wonderful weekend with such special treatment from the retreat team. It is so easy in this life to just survive and not even realize that we are not thriving. We are eight days away from our first anniversary in Mexico. We arrived May 12, 2009 and I know in this past year, I have done a lot of surviving but I don't want to just survive, I want to thrive. I want to step into the river and live life to the fullest.

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My dear sweet daughter made me some cards to take with me. They say, "Te Amo Mi Mama" ("I love you mama", in Spanish) and "I love you, have fun."

Saturday, during lunch, everyone had a birthday party. We sat at tables based on the months of our birthday. My birthday is in November and so our table was decorated for fall. Then, everyone received a pair of earings as a gift. What a special time. There was one lady who had never had a birthday party in her life. What a neat time for her and for many others.

The fall decorations on our table.

We even had birthday cakes decorated for the season of our birthday.

Later in the afternoon, we learned how to knit. I have knit before, since my grammy had taught me, but I haven't done it for years. It was so much fun!

There were even a couple of ladies getting manicures and acrilic nails.

Another knitting picture.

There were games available for those who wanted to play them.

Here I am with the guest speaker.

I made a new friend, Susy, who has a daughter the same age as Erin.

Libby and Kim were there also. Kim is David's mother, Jonathan's friend. Libby came with Kim.

Time With the Chavos (Teenage Boys)

2010-04-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Last night we had the chavos (teen age boys) over to our house. We have been having them over once a month while their supervisors go to a singles meeting at church. This has been a great time for us to connect with them and share with them. They have fun watching movies and playing games but we always have a time of sharing with them. They seem to really enjoy it even with our botched up Spanish.

I have no pictures but maybe I can describe what it was like last night to watch Leandro eating his spaghetti. In the United States, when we eat spaghetti, we just eat spaghetti. Maybe people put some parmesan cheese on it but would you ever think of putting hot sauce on it, right? Well, the kids here put hot sauce on their spaghetti, their corn, their cucumbers and their tortilla chips last night. All the boys were eating and Leandro caught our eyes. He had put a large amount of hot sauce on his food. His face was bright red and he had tears welling up in his eyes. He reached for a napkin and was wiping his face. He started pacing back and forth, opened the door to breath in some cooler air, paced some more and then came back to eat some more. We were laughing so hard. You would think that after that, he would not use so much on his next plate of spaghetti, but we were wrong. A second plate was poured and more hot sauce went on. I will tell you that I did not see any of the kids putting hot sauce on their ice cream later in the evening.

We enjoy these times to really be a part of their lives. It is the reason we are here. We are watching them grow into mighty men of God, men of respectability. Jim was able to share what he sees in them and you could tell they were honored to have him share from his heart.

Where Does the Time Go?

2010-04-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

I am not sure where the time goes. Tomorrow will mark one year since we left Oregon. Wow, at times it seems hard to believe. I realized that I hadn't updated our blog in almost two weeks, so I thought I would share some pictures from the last week or so. Last week we had a team here from Wisconsin and another team from Mexico (for 2 days) here so I was very busy. It seems that it tired out a couple of the youngest children at Esperanza Viva also. Molly is holding Ximena who is sleeping. Apparently, Evenlyn was upset and fell asleep also.

Jorge got new glasses recently and now is able to see better.

German liked playing the drum that the group had with them.

The group taught us new game. They call it Ninja Tag and Jonathan and Erin have really liked it and have been playing it ever since.

The construction on the new dormitory is continuing to move along. The second floor is going in.

We met some people who have a son Jonathan's age. Jonathan has a new friend, David, and he enjoys going over to their house to play. Erin enjoys playing with their new puppy.

David and his three brothers also know how to play Ninja Tag. This is Jonathan and his friend David.

The medianos (boys ages 8-12) are performing a dance at a despedida for the groups. It is a farewell program to thank the groups for coming and blessing us.

Raul is the youth pastor of a church in Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought a youth team here for two days to minister to the children. He was such a blessing and a joy to get to know.

Here is Raul and one of the other leaders, Pedro. I was very pleased to be able to hold a 30-45 minute conversation all in Spanish with them. I guess my Spanish is improving. In fact, during spring break, I was reorganizing my kitchen and labeling some spice jars. I was labeling "palvo de ajo" and I could not remember what it was in English. By the way, it is "garlic powder." That was interesting to me.

Last Friday, Erin went over to Madison's house, a new friend. She had such a good time and there are plans for her to get together with Madison again this Friday. I didn't get any pictures of them so I will need to do that and post them later.

In less than two weeks, I will be going to a women's retreat for the weekend. I am really looking forward to this as it is all in English. Although my Spanish is coming along, to sit and listen to a speaker all in Spanish is still very difficult. I do understand more but my brain has to work so hard in that type of setting. LOL! I have been told that when you are a missionary in another country, it is refreshing to get away for a time of being ministered to in your native language. I guess we will see.

Last night we had 15 chavas (teen girls) and their four supervisors over to our house to eat. We made waffles which they all enjoyed and many of them had never had them before. It's always fun to serve food that is new to them. For dessert we made extra waffles and served them with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup on it. We also shared some about our time being here, how Jim and I met, and how long we've been married. We shared about our adult children and grandchildren. We heard from some of them what they like to do and we talked about how God always needs to be the center of their lives. Nothing is more important than being in the center of God's will. It is awesome to see these young girls becoming young women and serving the Lord. Next Saturday, we look forward to having the chavos (teen boys) over. We asked Bryan what he would like to eat and he said he likes spaghetti a lot. So, I think it will be spaghetti for the boys. Although we will serve ice cream to the boys also. They always like helado (ice cream).

Tomorrow we have another team coming in from Pennsylvania. It is a church that has never been here before. Jim and I enjoy working with teams very much. It is wonderful to get to know new people from all over the United States. It will be a busy week but it is always a joy watch the teams with the kids.

I will try to update a little sooner this time. Blessings to all of you and may you have a blessed week.

Spring Break Week

2010-04-01T11:13:00.003-06:00

This week is spring break for us. The kids have been enjoying the free time and I have been spring cleaning. It is nice to have time to get some deep cleaning done in the house. There is so much dust here that it doesn't take long for everything to get dusty and dirty. Unfortunately with homeschooling and going to Esperanza Viva, there isn't a lot of time for deep cleaning. So, it is quite refreshing to get some of it done this week.

On Tuesday we took a trip to Mexico City. Jonathan's and Erin's passports needed to be renewed so we went to the United States Embassy. Our appointments were for 9:00 and 9:30 AM. We had to take a bus and since the bus trip is two hours, we wanted to be sure we left early enough in case there were any delays. That meant waking up at 3:30 AM and getting out the door by 4:20 to make the 5:00 bus. We didn't want any delays to cost us our appointments but everything went right on schedule. From the bus station, we took a taxi and I just kept my eyes closed. Wow! Taxis in Mexico City are an experience in and of themselves. We arrived at the Embassy at 7:30 AM, an hour and a half before our appointment time. Since we had time, we looked for someplace to eat breakfast but there wasn't much open at that time. So, we went into the Marriot and had a breakfast buffet which was very good. A little on the pricy side but it was well worth it. After breakfast we went to the Embassy and began the process of renewing the kids' passports. It was quite fascinating and was quite amazing how heavily guarded it is. While we were inside, Erin wanted to look over a ledge at the fountain but wasn't allowed to. It was prohibited. She was disappointed but we were able to talk about why there was so much security.

You are not allowed to take pictures of the Embassy at all, inside or outside. So we have no pictures of that for you. We did do a little sightseeing and got some pictures of La Ángel de la Independencia (The Independence Angel) statue. There was a group visiting the angel and so we couldn't go up inside. On any other day, we could have gone to the top and looked out. Maybe next time.

     Tonight, Jonathan is going over to his friend David's house. He is very excited and really looking forward to it. Then tomorrow night, both Jonathan and Erin will end spring break week by spending the night at our friends, the Nielen's house.
     Tomorrow we are expecting another group in from the states so we will begin to be quite busy again. We have had a short break with no groups and we are refreshed and ready to go again. We always look forward to groups coming in and the kids at the orphange love it when they come also.
     Sunday is Easter and we also turn our clocks forward. The funny thing is that the group coming in has already "sprung forward", so they will gain an hour of sleep their first night here and then lose it again on Saturday night.
     We pray that you all have a wonderful Easter as we remember the sacrifice that our Lord and Savior made for us and that he is risen and gives us life! Happy Easter to all of you.

Our Grandchildren

2010-03-26T19:21:00.000-06:00

The older you get, the more you hold on

But before you know it, the day is gone.

Cherish each smile, each laugh, and each tear,

You blink your eyes and one day becomes a year.

~Dana Roberts Clark

It seems that time is flying by and the grandchildren are growing by the minute. We miss them greatly and wish we could see them more often. My daughter has been so good about posting pictures of them for us so we can continue to see them grow. Has it really been almost a year since we saw them last? We are planning a trip to Oregon in September when we will be introduced to our newest grandson, who is due to be born in June. It brings such joy to our hearts to know that Taylor and Kristen are raising the kids for the Lord. 3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." There is such truth in that. We rejoice in this, that Taylor and Kristen are serving the Lord and that their children are being discipled at such young ages. Here are a few pictures of our grandchildren, our daughter and her husband.

B - age 4

D - age 5

T and D ~ ages 8 and 5

PJ ~ age 2

V ~ age 16 months

Our daughter, Kristen, and V

Our son-in-law, Taylor, with PJ and B

A Day with Friends

2010-03-21T22:13:00.000-06:00

We spent the day today with friends. After church we went to Alejandro and Maria's house. We are discovering that the way things are done here can be very different. Maria had wanted me to taste the soup she was making and when she held out the spoon to me, I had no idea that she was going to pour a small amount in my hand to taste. When she indicated that she was going to do that, I then had no idea it had just come from the steaming hot pot. To my surprise, I had a small amount of burning hot soup in the palm of my hand. Boy did I jump and poor Maria felt so bad. Apparently, she pours a bit into her palm to taste it. I had never experienced this or seen anyone else do this. I started laughing so hard because it surprised me so much. It was another new experience in Mexico.

When Alejandro's and Maria's son was leaving with his friend, we all took part in the tradition greeting and salutaion. In Mexico, when you greet someone or say good-bye, there is usually a handshake and a kiss on the right cheek. We started talking about how this is not something done in the United States. But, now that you know about it, don't be surprised if when we come to visit, if we greet you with a kiss. Of course men just greet each other with a hand shake so guys, don't expect Jim to greet you with a kiss.

Erin was very excited because they had nine new baby puppies. Anyone who knows her love of animals knows she would try to talk us into buying one of them. Well, we are not getting a puppy, no matter how cute they are. The mama dog was very protective. When she saw me enter the room, she started barking and growling at me. But for Erin, she was just fine. A little while later, Jonathan walked in to try to see them, and the mama started barking and growling at him also. Apparently, Erin was small enough, that she was fine with her.

After leaving Alejandro and Maria's house, we stopped by the Prusias house. David Prusia is Jonathan's new friend. We spent some time their visitng while the kids played. Erin even tried to ride a unicycle. If she goes over enough and practices each time, it wouldn't surprise me if she would be able to rise it soon. There are plans for them to come and share dinner with us next Sunday after church.

Here's Erin trying to ride the unicycle.

And here's Jonathan playing a game with David adn Dylan.

Our First Mexican Wedding

2010-03-20T22:53:00.000-06:00

Tonight we went to our first Mexican wedding. Josh and Ivonne were married tonight at an event center that is right around the corner from our house. It was a beautiful wedding. The even center has a play area for kids so before the wedding the kids enjoyed playing on the marry-go-round and another spinning toy.

As usual, if there is a baby to be held, Erin will be holding it.

Beautiful music was being played before the wedding.

The cord around them is a cord with three strands. It is symbolic of God, the husband and the wife. The three together are not easily broken. This was just one of the symbolic things in the wedding. They also were given a Bible and the pastor talked about the guidance they would receive from it for their marriage and for raising children. They had flowers that they gave to each set of parents thanking them. They also drank wine from wine glasses as a sign of fidelity and then they each broke there glasses so no one else would ever drink from that glass again. They were given oil and wheat as a sign provision. These are all things that were different from weddings we have been to in the United States.

Exchanging rings.

At the reception.

Here's Jonathan with the Nielsen boys, Isaiah and Josiah.

Erin and Gail

And of course, the beautiful bride and the handsome groom.

Mr. & Mrs. Joshua McNally

¡Felicidades! Josh and Ivonne

Congratulations! Josh and Ivonne

Life is Beautiful

2010-03-17T22:17:00.000-06:00

Sometimes God brings things into your day to show his beauty. Today, as I was doing laundry, something caught my eye. I noticed this beautiful butterfly fluttering near the wall. Later in the day, I was driving and there was a rainbow in the sky. I was reminded that God promised never to flood the whole earth again but he gently reminded me that he keeps all his promises. Sometimes He uses the whispers in life to catch our attention. Are you watching for him in the everyday occurances in life? He's there and whispering to you too.

Worship

2010-03-15T09:48:00.001-06:00

Aquí estoy, toma me como una ofrenda. Aquí estoy dando a cada latido del corazón para tu gloria. Aquí estoy, toma me. Digno, Digno, tu eres digno. Digno es El Señior. Toma me, estoy tuyo.

Here I am, take me as an offering. Here I am giving every heartbeat for your glory. Here I am, take me. Worthy, worthy, You are worthy. Worthy is the Lord. Take me, I am yours.

I love worshipping in Spanish but there are times when I just need to worship in English. After being in Mexico for ten months now and going to an all Spanish church, when I hear songs like this one in my first language, it is like a refreshing rain on a hot summer day. We serve a holy God who wants us to worship him every day. Enjoy a few moments in the presence of our King.

Busy Week

2010-03-13T09:03:00.000-06:00

I haven't updated our blog in a few days, mainly because we have been so busy with teams here. I thought I would post a few pictures. I will update more soon.

Jim playing a little basketball with Angel.

Erin with Ana Karen.

Erin with Ivet.

We found out that Daniel loved the popcorn that the team brought and popped for the kids.

This is so yummy.

Okay, now I am full and getting rather sleepy.

Erin with baby Annete. If there is a baby around, Erin will be holding it.

Our Son, James

2010-03-06T09:27:00.000-06:00

Recently, Jim was in San Jose, California for some work and at the same time our son, James, visiting friends in Berkley. James has been working for Ryder Truck in Portland, Oregon since he graduated from high school. He started by washing trucks then became an apprentice mechanic and is now a journeyman mechanic. He is working towards becoming a liscensed mechanic. It was wonderful that he was there at the same time that Jim was. They were able to have dinner together with Adrian, Jim's former boss, and his wife, Gloria.

Erin's Time at Camp

2010-03-03T10:24:00.000-06:00

Here are Erin's roommates from camp.

Marinieves, Maria, Jessica, and Elisabeth (Amit wasn't in this pictures)

Erin and Marinieves - they got along very well. She likes to be called "Snow" because in Spanish, nieve means snow.

In the cafeteria - Erin said the food was really good. They even had steak one night. I was a little jealous.

Waiting in line for chapel at night.

Before the last chapel when the parents came to pick up the kids.

I think Erin had a great time. In her words, "It was a blast! It really made me think of what Jesus did for me. I made new friends."

Note: for those looking for pictures of Jonathan at camp, he didn't end up going, Maybe next year.

Erin Goes to Camp

2010-02-27T21:16:00.001-06:00

Today, Erin left for camp at Lake Valsequillo. She was so excited and she has been counting down the time for the last three days or more. We were invited to have the kids attend the camp by a friend that we met recently. The camp is being offered through Puebla Christian School but homeschoolers are welcome to attend. She is in a cabin with five other sixth grade girls.

Here she is with her cabin leader.

She is in cabin 22 and her name was on the poster.

Since she was the first girl to arrive, she was able to choose which bed she wanted first. She chose the top bunk by the window.

Here are the camp grounds.

Here is the chapel. The worship team was practicing for worship. This camp is in English so she will be worshipping in English.

And here is the dining room.

One last picture with two of the girls in her cabin and her cabin leader.

We are excited for her and look forward to all the stories she will have when we pick her up on Tuesday morning. She has her camera with her so there will be more pictures coming once she returns home. Jonathan will be going on Tuesday afternoon through Saturday morning. He also is looking forward to his time there and making new friends.

Dinner with the Frontier Fellowship Team

2010-02-26T08:47:00.000-06:00

Last night we went up to the group house to say good-bye to another team that was here this week. They were just trying to find a way to go out to eat and I arrived at just the right time. I took three members of the team to the same restaurant we went to the other night. They really enjoyed the meal.

Gail and Erin with Julia, Robb, and Monty. Monty is from Cuernavaca, Mexico and joined this team here in Puebla. Apparently my accent is very good because Monty had a hard time all week not speaking to me in Spanish. She would start talking to me and looked at me funny when I asked her how to say something. That was encouraging - now if I can just add to my vocabulary.

Erin got a chance to play the cook for a moment.

This is a picture that Erin took of a 7Up bottle.

An Evening Out with the Oregon Team

2010-02-23T23:47:00.003-06:00

Tonight we went out with the team from Oregon that is here working out on the land. Jim has spent the last two days getting to know these fellow Oregonians and having a great time with them. We stopped by our house on our way out and saw this fantastic sky. The cloud formations were awesome as were the colors. These pictures don't even come close to what it looked like in person. Wow!

That's Mount Popocatépetl which is an active volcany that we can see from our house.

Here we are at the restaurant. We had never been here before but it was recommended by another missionary here. The food was absolutely delicious!

Here's the team that Jim has been working with this week and our waiter.

Blessings and Funny Things

2010-02-23T08:39:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we received a blessing of a new pair of shoes for Jonathan. Herb and Judy, a couple that was here visiting, asked if Jonathan needed new shoes. We had met Herb a few months ago when he was here for a few weeks. They had a pair sneakers that Herb had bought a year ago but that didn't fit him. They were brand new. The last time we bought shoes for Jonathan was in Brownsville and we bought his shoes big, knowing he would grow. Well, if you haven't heard, Jonathan has grown about five to six inches since we arrived. Guess what, his feet have grown also. Who would've guessed? Well, these new shoes are a size 11 and his old shoes were a size 10. Okay, so that's not so bad right? Except that his feet go all the way to the end of the new shoes which means he will need new shoes again soon. We were so blessed by the new shoes. Jonathan certainly hasn't complained that his old ones didn't fit him. The Lord knows what we need and I am so glad that he provides. (Matthew 6:28-34)

I think Jonathan was happy.

Yesterday, we were interrupted for a few minutes while trying to get our school finished. I don't really like interruption in school but this one gave us all a really good, hard laugh. One of our cats had put his head into a food container that use to have food for the hamster in it. I didn't have my camera around, so we just laughed and then took the container off his head. A few minutes later, one of the other cats did the same thing. That time I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and taking a picture and I also got a short video. In the video, the cat following Mandy is the only one smart enought to keep her head out of the jar. Hope you get a good laugh out of it today.

Another Trip To Africam

2010-02-13T22:17:00.000-06:00

Today we wanted to do something as a family since we are beginning a very busy week starting tomorrow. We have a 24 member workteam that is arriving from the States. So really, Jim's job will be starting about 2:00 AM with a quick orientation, once the team arrives at the group house. We both love working with the teams so even though it will be a busy week, it will be an enjoyable one.
Back to wanting to do something fun today. We went to Angelópolis Mall, the big mall here, and walked around for a while. After that we decided to take a ride out to Africam. We have gone before but we did buy year passes, so it is a great quick trip that doesn't cost any extra. It was also a good chance to drive out by the camp the kids will be going to at the end of the month. The camp is just down the road from Africam. They are so excited about this but more about it late.

Here are a few pictures from our afternoon.

We found out what they do with their old Christmas trees.

These rhinos were certainly close and we were glad that they were pretty mellow.

This time the lions were out walking around but since you have to keep your windows rolled up, the pictures are not as clear.

The bears were up and about also.

Last time, the tigers were all just laying around on rocks. We certainly went on a good day.

This is the way they all were the last time.

This rock is just outside the car. Yes, the windows are rolled up.

This guy was walking right along side our van. All of the sudden, water was spraying into our van. We had no idea what it was from and our minds were thinking the worst yet having no idea how he could be peeing in our van. We quickly discovered that the sprinklers were on and they shot directly into our car. We all laughed so hard. It was so funny!

We couldn't get the hyena to laugh though.

Erin, Jonathan and Jim

These turtles were hilarious. We are not sure if it was some mating ritual or what, but the one would be continually going in front of the other and slapping him in the face. We watched this happen over and over again. Later, another turtle came up and chased away the one being slapped. At that point, that one started getting slapped. Too funny!

It was such a fun time with some good laughs. God has such a sense of humor with some of these animals he created. Hope you got a laugh also.