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

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

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!!!

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)

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!

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.....

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

Still Waiting...

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

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

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?