So Funny!

Hey there! These videos are HILARIOUS! I had to share them with you...



'12 Days of Christmas'



'Sitcom Medley'

It reminded me of a group at Binghamton when KC and I were there... Enjoy the season!

Prince Charming

Prince Charming and his trusty steed...

It's amazing how much like a princess Cayna is... Of course, I've never actually met a true princess, but the image I've created in my mind via books, movies and the Royal Family, is what I see in Cayna in her twirly skirts, painted fingernails, VERY independent and outspoken nature and her zeal for all things pretty and pink... In fact, it seems like a lot of girls her age love the idea of being one. And all that surrounds us (i.e. media and advertising) encourages little girls to be a princess (they have a whole aisle devoted to it at every major store like Walmart and Target).


Being a princess isn't bad. It can be frustrating for a mom that has NEVER been like that (my mom will vouch for that). In fact, I'm working on my compassion and patience in this department - especially when Cayna is in a full-fledged princess tantrum. But I have a sensitive side to me as well - A princess isn't known just for the way she looks and acts... But also of what she dreams about. What is the one thing every princess dreams of? Her Prince Charming... of course. And in this department, I am just as 'princess' like as the next girl. And what do we look for in Prince Charming? Tall (or at least taller than ourselves), dark and handsome? Yeah... and in today's world, we add intelligent, romantic, sensitive, strong... pretty much, he needs to be perfect (just like the movies, right)?

Well, perfect just isn't. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but I made an observation one night while reading Cinderella to Cayna for probably the billionth time. Prince Charming has NOTHING to do with saving her. The Grand Duke has to charge off on his horse to find the girl with the glass slipper and the fairy godmother and the mice are the ones that actually rescue her. What's up with that? If you like the Cinderella story, I prefer the version called 'Ever After,' with Drew Barrymore. The Prince has to work a little harder.

We are reading Wild at Heart for Sunday School right now. It basically talks about the wild side of man. He isn't meant to be pent up in an office all day and for many little boys and men, our society is taking away their wild side... almost feminizing them - a man seeks adventure and the wilderness. That doesn't mean he goes hunting, kills things, etc. No, it means that as a child, he made guns out of sticks, built forts, scared little girls with snakes and frogs, and sailed off on a grand adventure while getting lost in the woods at Grandma & Grandpa's house. And as a man, he still seeks adventure - whether it's playing sports, hanging out with his buddies, camping with his kids, following his passion. Every man's adventure is different. And on that adventure, what is one of the main goals for the man? To save his damsel in distress - to rescue her from the evil stepmother or dragon. The book says that this is a desire of the man's heart - to save the woman he loves! Girls, we might not get a castle, but if we look closely, we can see how he fights for us in the little things he does (and we sometimes want to join him in the adventure).

And even those of you that deny it... you know it's true.

KC truly is my Prince Charming. For 10 years, when people ask me how KC and I got together, I would tell them that we met in college. I pursued him, etc, etc. I did send the first email letting him know I was interested in him...

Well, I lied! And sadly, I just figured it out! The last few days, KC and I have been talking about when we met, things in our past, and so on. And as always, I said 'well, it was me that started it' and he would say 'well, I said 'I love you first'.' All in good fun, of course. Then we started talking about what really prompted the relationship. And guess what - it wasn't me. It was KC. He and I were volunteering with a High School Christian group called Young Life. We had a leadership meeting (we were in different areas, but the leadership met all together when we could). I was talking with my friends and talking about having to do my laundry after the meeting and KC out of nowhere says - 'you can do it at my house.' I had NEVER talked to this kid. I must tell you that all the girls were in love with KC. I had heard an awful lot about him (they talked too much actually - they made him out to be too good to be true). Anyway, being in college and having to pay for my laundry - I wasn't going to turn down saving money! I said sure and my friend Heather Kinney and I went over to his house to do laundry. And most of you might think I'm crazy, but I knew I would marry KC that night.

So, why the Prince Charming thing? Well, we don't normally have dragons or evil stepmothers to fight off, but we do have life. My life was not headed in the best direction before I met him. And I had a lot of bad things that had happened to me and I didn't store a lot of faith that I'd find someone like him (He was WAY too good for me)... not one that would want to take a chance with me or marry me. But he did. I still don't always understand that. He didn't know he would be with me forever when he asked me to do laundry at his house, but I truly believe with all that I am that the Holy Spirit prompted him to step out and take a chance. I can even picture him with a knight's helmet and sword fending off the things that were attacking my life.

So, he might not have swept me off my feet with a white stallion and a happy ever after, but he did offer love, hope and a chance to start over following the sunset in the West. And he continually shows me I am his princess.

We all have the opportunity to be a part of the royal family to the King of Kings; it just depends on how much we are willing to open our hearts and let go of the past and our misconceptions.

And as I work on my compassion and patience... Cayna really is teaching me that it is ok to be a princess (when used in the right context) and I admit that I enjoy her princess ways sometimes...
Who is her Prince Charming? Daddy and Jesus.

Back to life on the farm...

I love owning a home that is 168 years old... I really do. I enjoy the history that we have found about the families that once lived here. And I love that over the coming years, we will be able to restore the house and add our own history to it. But, there are a couple things I do not like about an old house...

1. I am not Norm Abram (TOH)
2. There are no straight corners in the entire house!
3. When you need to fix something, it always takes a lot more time to get to the problem than it does to actually fix it.
4. Everything is pieced together and never the same material throughout (especially plumbing).
5. When one things breaks, you find that as you take it apart... that it was broken many times before, never fixed the right way and now a complete mess and will cost much more to fix than first anticipated.

So, what is my point?

I put the kids to bed this evening and went downstairs to return a phonecall. As I was on the phone, I was standing in the living room and I heard dripping water... a lot of dripping water. I turned around and by the door to the office, there was a waterfall flowing from the ceiling. I quickly grabbed towels and went upstairs to the bathroom. There was water completely saturating the floor and a large pool forming around the toilet. I tried shutting the water off, but when I turned the shut-off valve, it started flowing from down by that valve. Uh... so, I closed the shut-off valve half way to slow the toilet fill-up as much as I could. I went downstairs to grab the Plumbing book from Home Depot and sat at the computer trying to figure out my best plan of action. I knew that the valve in the back of the toilet was shot as well, but wasn't sure how to get it all to stop flooding, dripping and making a mess. I couldn't figure it out so I called our neighbor. His name is Bob - to me and my family, he is 'Bob the Builder'. He generously came up here to help me get all the water turned off to upstairs and try and figure out the problem(s).

Well... we still heard water flowing, very actively, I might add. But there wasn't any water flowing through the walls, floors or in the basement. And the well wasn't drawing water either. Stumped. It really sounded like a pipe burst and was flowing into the wall behind the toilet. Well, after walking around the house, we went back upstairs. We eventually figured out that the valve that shuts the water off was not sealing itself properly. So, it might appear to be off, but it wasn't. It was allowing a little bit of water to continue flowing into the toilet. I know, you plumbers out there are thinking did you check that? We did and there weren't even any ripples in the water in the bowl or the back to suggest water was flowing in. That is the miniscule amount that was still leaking in. So, why did the water flow sound so loud and in great quantity?

Well, I am happy we stopped the flooding. And the good news is, I don't have to break a wall to figure out the piping sytem. The bad news is we have to replace the pump valve and the shut-off valve (and hopefully, it is just a washer in the shut-off valve).

Back to my list... 1. I wish I had more knowledge about fixing the house (like Norm). 2. It didn't matter about straight corners in this instance. 3. It definitely took more time to figure out what the problem was than it will take to actually replace the valves. 4. Since the original construction was done, it has been patched up many times and not all of the repairs were necessarily the best way to do it...the repairs just fixed the problem 'for now'. 5. And lastly, it wasn't just one valve... it ended up being 2.
I am thankful for these problems. They are small in the whole scheme of things and are funny at times. There's no point losing sleep over it (at one point in my life, I might have). I'm thankful that we have great neighbors. God put em' there for a reason. And we have learned so much since we bought this old farmhouse. I'll take it broken, pieced together and loved by many. And most important, it's ours. I love old houses!

Never Say Goodbye - Day 7 & 8

A black bug with his *hiney* in the air

View from above...

LaLa... She had a litter of puppies a week before we arrived... She didn't like most people, but she and I were good friends. I made a promise to myself that I would hold one of her puppies by the end of the week. They were SO cute!

I was fascinated by the shoes I found on the ground, out in the desert...this is my favorite.

Our last day... we all had tasks that we wanted to complete before packing up - collecting scrap wood from the work sites and dropping them into random piles outside the Colonia (for the people to use as firewood); clean and organize the few medical supplies Resplandor De Vida has available; nail down part of the roof and add edges to keep the wind from blowing the new roof off the new building (the wind can be vicious); get the children's bed frames ready to be installed in the completed building; say goodbye to Hortencia and the kitchen crew; clean up the kitchen, the dining hall, the bathrooms and our sleeping quarters; go to New Mexico and build shelves (KC's job for the day); take one last walk around the compound -

All week, I had been thinking that God was working on something in my heart when it came to the surroundings I was in. Not just the people or the mission we had come to complete. But the desert itself. I have already mentioned that it gave my soul such peace to be able to see the mountains again. Every morning I would look at them and smile and thank God for His awesome power. It was also bittersweet because I knew I would miss the mountains all over again when we left. All week, I took pictures of lizards, bugs, flowers, plants, etc... I took them mostly to show Cory all the fun and interesting creatures in Mexico. But this last day, on my last walk, I really began to take notice of every plant, every smell. I picked some of the sage brush and held it to my nose (I brought some home...tea, anyone?). I saw the beauty that God created, even in the dry, dusty desert. God misses nothing from the blue sky to the black bug with his hiney in the air! It's amazing what happens when you take a few minutes to really enjoy your surroundings... I kept asking the question... do I really appreciate my surroundings at home?

Diana, our Pastor's wife never says good-bye. She says that term is final and we aren't really saying good bye when we leave...

I don't feel as if I have said good-bye to Mexico. On the contrary, it feels like a beginning. Neither KC nor I know where our trip will lead, but we are open to the millions of possibilities. One of the main things we observed while in Mexico is that lack of resources and training for agricultural prospects. What I mean by that is there is a lot of potential to plant seeds (literally) among Resplandor De Vida and the Colonia. They live in a desert, but they experience a monsoon season with great potential for collecting rain water... Some of the people also have access to manure from farm animals. We live in one of the strongest agricultural areas in the country... Coincidence? I think not! And I could go on and on about the possibilities!

I don't know if this will be the last entry about this Mexico trip (I doubt it, actually). I'm trying to collect all my thoughts on things I've learned, things I'd like to do after the trip and because of the trip, etc... I hope you have enjoyed all the stories. It was the most amazing trip I have ever taken. I am so thankful to each and every one of you that supported us, prayed for us and were there with us! If you are interested in seeing the many, many, MANY pictures from our trip, I created a site with all the pictures taken by everyone on the team. Enjoy!

http://www.harvesthandsmexico2008.shutterfly.com

Out in the Colonia - Day 6

Cory and Cayna in their Mexican wares...

Canna Lily

A woman, named Maria - she works as a translator in a local clinic - owns this dog - who is expecting puppies very shortly. I loved the shirt - my brothers and I used to do this to our dog, Bear, when we were growing up.

This gentleman (I really wish I remembered his name), looked the part of the image I created in my mind of a man I would find in Mexico. He is 83 years old. He works with rocks (it was a little difficult translating exactly what he does w/ them)... He and his wife had 18 children (his wife passed away a couple of years ago)!!!! 6 died...12 still come to visit - and he made some funny joke in spanish about all the grandkids he has. The neighbors check-in on him regularly and he seemed very content in his lot. I wish we had more time to spend with him (and I could speak directly to him) - this is one man that has a LOT of great stories to share, great incite to life and lessons we could all learn from!

This is a typical road in and around the colonia! It's really fun with a pickup truck and about 20 kids in the back... We did ask why they didn't fix the roads - they do when they can, but when it is monsoon season (rainy season), the roads go back to looking like this! Again... looks a lot like Upstate New York in the Spring.

Day 5 - This is the day we paired up with another member of our team and a translator and went out into the colonia. Colonia is a term similar to what we would call a neighborhood. KC and I requested that we be together. Our translator was Pastor Myson (all the young kids on the team hitting the road together). It was such a splendid day! And I was even more tired than yesterday(but a good tired).

We did not end up handing out nearly as much food as we had hoped (which is ok because the food will still be distributed), but we were able to connect with a lot of people - We went to a different part of the colonia than the teams normally go into. It was nice because they weren't expecting us... It was easy to talk with them. And we were able to pray for them and with them. We were able to talk with them about their families, their lives, their concerns, their pain and their joys. And there wasn't a single person we talked with that wasn't willing to talk with us, share with us and accept us. I was nervous about praying for them. Would I say the right thing? I prayed to God asking Him to relieve those fears. And after we visited the first family, it was as if God had taken over. I felt like we were visiting our own neighbors...friends... And it was easy to pray for them. The people in the colonia do not tiptoe around the issues that they are concerned about. The generally wanted prayer for their families, for illness, for protection, for healing. They weren't trying to put up a front that everything was alright - nor did they have to pretend they were something that aren't. And their faith was amazing and so simple. They were very grateful for our being there, for the gift of food and for prayer. We had one gentleman... he was older as well - Myson was talking with someone else and this gentleman began talking to KC and I (in rapid Spanish). But we were able to understand quite a bit of what he was saying - He told us that another Christian group had come and built their home. And that we might look different and be from different places, but our hearts are the same and we worship the same God. He was so grateful for the bag of food. He cried tears of pure love for the Lord and he hugged us as the family we are - I look forward to seeing him in Heaven one day.

I think I mentioned before that we were in a desert. As we were walking through the colonia, many people grew beautiful flowers and trees. And they were very proud to show you what they grew. One lady had the most beautiful white roses... and we found Canna Lillies growing in a few places (we have a pot of Canna lillies that we bought for our little Cayna). Another Maria that we met - she grew watermelons, beans, goose-neck gourds, chickens, horses and a couple other things. She had a small farm, actually. Maria had 3 young boys, no husband and she had lost a baby 2 months before. She needed medicine, but could not afford it - down there it is usually a choice between food and medicine. Garry had planned that day to buy her medicine for her! And I was able to pray for her... I remember laying hands on her and feeling her pain...it brought tears to my eyes - I wanted to take her in my arms like a mother would and take away the pain. By the power of God, one day, she will be healed. She blessed us in return - we were able to eat probably the yummiest watermelon I've ever had and we were able to get through customs with 3 goose-neck gourds (we hope to turn ours into a bird house).

There are so many stories from each house we stopped at. What were the houses? Some had nice little houses. If they were nice, it was usually because another Christian team had come and built it (usually cement blocks and concrete). Others lived in shack type buildings put together with whatever was available - tires, wooden pallets, mattress springs, rocks, concrete (if they were lucky) and held together with anything that might protect from the weather.

It was so great to be able to go out with KC. God really gave me the best teammate I could ever have dreamed up. He compliments me in everyway - I am loud and quick to speak - he's soft spoken and takes his time. When he's weak, I'm strong and more times than not, I'm weak and he's strong. He held my hand when I was nervous today - and I felt God's strength in KC. And KC was amazing to watch as he interacted with the people... Maybe one of these days, he'll share his experiences.

I almost forgot - in the afternoon, we were able to go into the city of Juarez and go shopping. You may not know, but Juarez is having a hard time right now with crime. The drug lords/cartels are killing a lot of people and terrorizing the city. It isn't really recommended that Americans travel to certain parts of Juarez. That being said, our team made the decision to venture to a place that is popular with Americans and has not had those issues. But there aren't many people that were shopping because of all the problems. We also used the opporunity to minister to some people in the city by dispensing food (and prayer). There really is never enough food to go around.

We were really able to test our negotiating skills. I must say that normally, I'm HORRIBLE at negotiating. If you tell me a price, I'll pretty much pay it. But I haggled with the best of them. I spent most of the time trying to find the perfect twirly skirt for my daughter. She is pretty picky. I had one gentleman that worked extremely hard to get my sale - he even went to different vendors to help me out. But Cayna was happy with my choice...

And for dinner, we went to a grocery store (S-mart). It was a lot like a Price Chopper or a small Wegman's. We ordered (or rather, Garry ordered) lots of Mexican side dishes, 2 chickens and some orange custard dessert. It was VERY yummy! Usually, Garry takes the teams to a Mexican restaurant, but the one they frequent has Americanized themselves and isn't as well liked! I totally recommend the grocery store!

Day 5

Joanne, (a wonderful lady on the Pennsylvania team) came to get me in the dining hall to take a picture of this little guy... There are 3 shower stalls in the bathroom. I had taken a shower earlier that morning. He was in the first, while I was in the third. It was fun taking his picture, but I don't think it would have been nearly as fun had I known he was there with me while I took my shower.

Enjoying Pamper Your Feet Day!

Eating Lunch...

A successful day...

Journal entry for Wednesday, Day 5... - 'Boy, am I tired! A good tired - the tired I feel at the end of a week of VBS. Today was a good, heart satisfying day.'

That is a good way to explain it. We were all busy from sun up until the embers of our campfire burned out. Today was our second day of women's outreach and vacation bible school for the kids. Garry, one of the Harvest Hands coordinators, forewarned us that on Wednesday, we would have more women and children than Monday...

Women's Outreach - The 5 women on our team had decided after Monday that we needed to make a more comfortable and more inviting environment for the women. We created a circle with the chairs and we sat down with them. It had felt like we were just talking at them on Monday. The circle made the room feel closer and the women warmed up to us quickly - we provided tubs with warm water for each of the women to wash their feet. We also gave them lotion and nail polish (what woman doesn't like to be pampered, even just a little?). Anne (our nurse), also gave a talk on proper foot care and more basic first aid. Sue, one of our fearless leaders, was led to share with the women that God loves them and wants them to take care of themselves... and she gave each women a jewel and told them that they are a jewel in the Lord's crown. Sue is not fluent in spanish, but she did learn that line and repeated it to each woman.

We also invited the women to come forward for prayer and healing. The smiles on the faces of the women were beautiful. To see them have a little fun... to enjoy the moment was definitely God's business. These women are used to barely existing in the world. Many of them are single moms with little or no income. And the dads that are around and maybe have a job, still don't make enough to care for the family sufficiently. And there is no such thing as health care or government assistance. Those mommies have to look at the little faces of their children and share in the pain of empty bellies and a lot of empty dreams. The magnitude of that hit me hard.

It made me very thankful for all I have. And it makes me appreciate things more - I hope I remember those moments when I'm nagging KC about things we *need* to fix around the house or when I complain about making dinner and ask to go out when I just don't feel like cooking. It put into perspective for me some anxieties I've been dealing with living on a farm. We are living with one income - an income that just barely pays the bills each month. And a lot of times, after the bills, it leaves nothing left over, not even for the list of groceries that I make. And I know that some people would say that we need to cut things out or prioritize what is important. We have done that... it is just the way of a farmer (well, a lot of farmers, anyway). And don't think we don't have food because we do - a lot; we raise our own pork, we grow a huge garden, etc. The grocery list usually consists of *snacks* for the kids and extras to add to what we do have. Have you ever looked in your refrigerator and there is food in there (probably a lot of food) and you see NOTHING you want to eat? That doesn't happen all the time.... nor does it happen a lot, but my point is - after being with these women, I hope the next time I open the refrigerator- I'll remember to thank God because I have food for tomorrow and the next. I don't have to worry whether I'll have food for my kids.

I pray for the moms and grandmas in the colonia. That you would provide for their needs... that you would give them hope and a future, just as You promised. I pray that each one of them knows you and that they know You are their Father, their protector and You will provide for all their needs! Thank you for opening my eyes Lord!

It seems so simple and probably for some, it seems trivial...

'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 hope and a future. 1Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.' Jeremiah 29:11-12

Vacation Bible School - Theme: Jesus Enters Jerusalem

I was inside the dining facility when the children began to arrive. Pastor Nacho was there directing the show - we prayed and we began to serve food. The first thing I noticed was that the whole room was filled. It was a good start! After we finished serving all the kids in the room... we took a deep breath and began to prepare for the lesson. But...

As these children went outside, more began filtering in... and then more... and then 2 more vans full of kids came... WHOA!!!! We had over 150 kids! It was amazing - I don't know if I have ever served that much food, that fast. But it was organized chaos. Just like the women's outreach, we had a new gameplan for the kids too. KC and Pastor Myson were outside entertaining the kids with juggling acts and balloon animals. When all of the children were done eating, we separated into 2 age groups. We were unaware on Monday that there was a preteen/teenager group. They were mainly interested in eachother and definitely not interested in a Sunday School Lesson. Myson wanted to try and connect with the older group this day. So, I took all the little ones and he and KC got all the older ones. What could be better for older kids than water balloons and a sling shot? Remember, the compound walls are made from cinder blocks! I'll have pictures of this posted on a shutterfly website soon.

I wasn't quite as nervous to teach today. And Vicki prayed for me and that gave me a peace for the whole afternoon. The story went well - and the craft went amazingly! The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves.

I rode in a van when we took the kids back and fell in love with a family of 3 little boys. There mother was murdered and they were living with their grandmother. Garry told me that these are the kinds of kids that will be living at Resplandor De Vida when it is complete. I would have brought them home with me. But I know that they are where God wants them right now. You are probably saying - God wants them to live in poverty with no future? God is working in this colonia, in many ways... and those boys are a part of it. God has BIG plans... It will be interesting to watch those boys over the next 5 years or so and watch their progress.

Campfire - every night, we get together and talk about our day, share a devotion and get ready for the next day. On this night, we all sat around a fire with the team from Pennsylvania and shared fellowship as a family with one purpose (we even roasted marshmallows). We only knew the Pennsylvania team for a couple days, but it felt like we had known them for a life time. We made contacts with them that will put us together again at the mission in Mexico and even possibly, our own churches. (Hey Pastor Rick... if you read this - Go Army!)

Pictures of Kids

I wanted to include pictures of some of the kids that we were working with... but, I didn't want to write a long story about them... I feel like their faces tell their own stories - even better than I could ever put into words! They are SO beautiful!

2100 Lbs. of Food - Day 4

This is a picture of all the bags of food we made (well over 300 bags). Each t-shirt bag contained 2.5 lbs. of flour, 2.5 lbs. of rice and 2.5 lbs. of beans.


Here, KC and Myson are building frames for the doors (which they later put in). A team from Pennsylvania arrived at Resplandor De Vida a couple of days before us with the intent to build a house for a painter in the colonia. God had different plans. They ended up building this - it will be used to house future mission teams. They completed the outside of the building in about 5 days - Martine, Renee (Mexicans that live at the home) and a gentleman from the colonia were busy working on putting stucco on the outside when we were leaving to come home.

When you build with wood in this environment, you need to build quickly and get the stucco on. The conditions warp the wood and ruin it very quickly. A majority of structures here are built with cement blocks and cement.

Bagging up rice...

Day 4 - Tuesday: Sylvia, Anne, Vicki, Sue and I bagged up 2100 lbs. of beans, rice and flour. When we started, we didn't think it would take all day. Then we got into it and realized... this is no small venture. By lunch time (and we started at about 8:30), we only had the rice done. A lot of it was we needed to develop a system of bagging - after lunch, the beans and rice went much faster. And knowing that over 300 families would be blessed by the food made it all worthwhile.

And looking back on the day... it probably seems boring and uneventful to bag up food all day - quite the contrary; the five of us really got to know eachother - we spent much of the day swapping funny farm stories (some old, some new), stories about our kids that brought tears to our eyes (from laughter, of course) and we sang songs (I found someone else that actually knows Peter, Paul and Mary songs)! And after you look at all the bags, even though it isn't enough for everyone in the colonia, it gave us a real sense of accomplishment that we would be able to bless a few of the families when we go out on Thursday.

Super Fun Learning Experience - Day 3

Notice what the normal is for roads in this area of Mexico! Kind of like Upstate New York in the spring...

Pastor Nacho (Jehovah Jireh Church) and his son (he intreprets the Bible lesson for Vacation Bible School) and on this day... he also became skilled in the art of Oriental Trading crafts...

Here are some boys building the craft - our story on Monday was about baby Moses floating down the river. The story concentrated on the truth that God watches over us from the moment we are created. And He is with us ALWAYS!

This little girl stuck herself to me for much of the afternoon. I would guesstimate she was about 4 years old! And she was so proud of her craft (and having her picture taken).

This is Sue. She hates glue dots. If you are unfamiliar with them... they are a crafter's bestfriend, especially working with kids. They replace the use of glue guns (which are too hot for kids) and Elmer's (which takes FOREVER to dry). They work instantly, but you do need to know how to use them. Sue, here, is cleaning glue dots off the floor. She did not have an easy time figuring out how to use them. Because of that, it was very easy for her to point any out that were stuck to the floor!

Here are 2 little boys (the one on the right is Mario) who also enjoyed having their pictures taken. And they were even more excited to look at the picture after it was taken! Does anyone have a polaroid?

Day 3 - Monday: Today was our first day of Women's Outreach and Vacation Bible School. When the women came, there were not as many as we were expecting - only about 15. But, it doesn't matter how many... it matters that one may be affected! We started the morning by feeding the ladies (and their babies) hot pancakes and coffee. All of the children drink 'cafe.' I can't imagine giving my kids coffee, but I know that it is different when you grow up with it!

The women appeared wary at first. They looked tired...they looked like they could use a break (especially mentally). And the language barrier was tough. Our interpreter, Sandra, was amazing though. She helped bridge the gap - Anne, a nurse that was a part of our team, did a teaching on basic first aid. There are no major hospitals in Juarez. If someone gets sick or injured, the care is left up to the family. There is a traveling doctor program (doctors from the states) that visits a clinic in Juarez, but the lines are unbearably long and they can't treat everyone or fix everything. Our team had made first aid kits for each of the women to take home. Anne also opened the floor for anyone with questions... she gave some consultatoin... but most important, she invited anyone that wished for prayer. And we were able to pray with quite a few (even our interpreter).

I was uncomfortable at first. I think it was mostly the language thing (I was annoyed with myself that I didn't spend more time at home learning spanish). But, my breakthrough was with a woman holding her baby. She was playing with the baby - the baby would drop something, mommy would laugh, pick up the toy, repeat... I picked up the toy when it went too far away and she allowed me to hold her little nino! He was beautiful and my heart melted when he smiled at me. And he didn't cringe, but accepted me willingly.

VBS - ok... I would not really classify the VBS as an actual VBS. I always think of the crazy week of VBS we have at our church with 3 hours of fun-filled stuff as VBS. This was more like a Sunday School lesson. But that doesn't make it any less important or does it mean that it can't have an impact on the kids who hear it. I was extremely nervous about what to say, how to teach, what to teach with, etc. And again, I was nervous about the whole language thing. But as I was preparing for the lesson (back home)... God kept telling me - 'just keep reading the story in the Bible, not the lesson - know it forward and backward and read deeper and you'll be fine.' Well, I like to think I'm usually an overplanner. To just do the basics, well, I wasn't real comfortable with that, but it was AMAZING! The story went very smoothly (with translation) and the kids were very responsive. Then we started the craft - this is where the day got funny.

We set out the craft at each table (it was one from Oriental Trading) and each of us went to a table to help them put it together! I learned 4 words of spanish very quickly and successfully helped 2 tables of boys put their craft together! It started out frustrating for everyone, but boy, were we all happy when we actually made it to the final product. It was an exhilirating feeling. But, I wasn't prepared for the fun I was about to have...

We didn't have enough driver's to take the kids back to the colonia. Garry asked if I would mind driving a truck to help take them home! Sure, no problem (It was a standard too... which I love to drive). If you notice the picture above that shows what a normal road looks like in this area, you can imagine the fun the kids have in the back of a truck! The pickup I was driving as a normal Chevy pickup and I had easy 20 kids in the back - in Mexico, there are no seatbelt laws or maximum capacity laws - if you have one van and 25 kids - all the kids WILL fit.

Ok, when I first agreed, I figured that I would have someone who could speak spanish and english with me - HA HA! It was so much fun working out a system with the kids that let me know where they needed to go. We drove all over the colonia and I think we all laughed the whole time (and no, they weren't laughing at me)! The kids were great! And we had orange slices for them as they left the truck... they were so thankful and so hopeful.

God tells us to be like little children - life is so much more fun when we do!

It is SNOWING already...

I know that KC and I CHOSE to live in New York State, but seriously... couldn't it wait until at least November 1st before falling on us? The good news is that the kids were super excited about getting the sleds and tubes out! Here are a couple of cute pics of the kids!

Day 1 and 2

Here is the view from the El Paso Airport (Juarez, Mexico is directly across the border from El Paso - the Rio Grande is what separates the two) - I was so excited to see the mountains again. I have had moments since moving back East where I truly miss the mountains with all my heart and I want to move back. I yearn for them and this was a bittersweet moment that I might be surrounded by them once again (even if it was for just a week).

Here is a horse (caballo) that lives in the compound. Being from the Northeast United States, it was a shock to see a horse not roaming free in a bright green pasture and have plenty of water. When we went over to visit him, there was no grass (or much hay) and he didn't have any water. But he was friendly and interested in what we might have... KC wanted to see if he was thirsty - It was hilarious to see a horse drink from a bottle! By the way, KC, did you wash that bottle before using it again?

To look at the animals in this environment, it definitely took some getting used to. The horse was healthy, but not to our standards (maybe our animals are a little fat?). The dogs are not pets in the sense that we have pets. They have a job to do here. They are first and foremost, watch dogs (and they make great doorbells, especially at about 3am). The dogs look like a cross between an american breed and a coyote. But it didn't take me long to fall in love with every single one of them (especially LaLa, a mommy that had a litter of puppies the week before we arrived). One of the ladies on our team did not particulary care for the dogs (at all), but by the end of the week, even she held an affection for them (that was really neat to watch).

These 2 pictures are views from the compound where we stayed. I always find it amazing to see the power in a mountain (but also to know that water once flowed above and through the mountains, carving them into the shapes they are today). And the mountains surround the desert. On first glance, the desert looks so empty, so boring and so desolate. But the more time you spend there and the more time you take to really look around - the desert has so many beautiful qualities.

Day 1 was a traveling day... and it went smoothly - pretty much... we got hung up an extra half hour in Houston because of a broken plane part; thankfully, we ended up in a new plane - of course, that plane had an issue too. They taxied us onto the tarmac before determining there was a problem. We went back to the terminal, fixed it and off we went! We had no issues crossing the border into Mexico... or through the military check points.

We met another mission team from Pennsylvania (also staying at the compound) - it is amazing what God can do when He puts His family together from different places! We will connected to them forever now (and I'll show you what they did on another day).

Day 2 - we went to a church in Juarez. Pastor Nacho is the pastor and he also works with Harvest Hands as an interpreter. He played a very critical part in our vacation bible school and while caring for the children.

What was church like? Well... it was all in spanish (remember, neither KC nor I know much spanish)! But what surprised me was they sang quite a few songs in spanish that we sing back home. And I learned right away that language doesn't matter when you are worshipping (but they sure do talk really really fast).

One thing I noticed was that their babies and children are SO beautiful (and ear piercing is very popular)! The children were free to move about the congregation and just be. They weren't disrupting... adults didn't need to reprimand them. They danced and sang when they felt like it, sat when they were tired and went to find their mom or dad when they hadn't seen them in a little while. I silently played with one little girl (she reminded me very much of Cayna). We made faces with each other. Have you ever shook your head no at a child and they shake yes and visa versa? I did that too - she was SO cute!

Myson, the youth pastor from our church, preached the sermon that day. He did a great job. He does speak spanish, so the interpreter translated into english for us. His message dealt with fathers and how important their role is in the lives of their children. At the end, Pastor Nacho called all the men to the alter for prayer. KC observed that normally in the States, a pastor invites people up front for prayer, but Pastor Nacho told the men to come up. He did it in a way that said everyone needs prayer, that is why you are here. Come... and receive it. It was wonderful.

After church, we had fellowship (and food). We ate very tasty burritos. Our fearless leader, Gary (Harvest Hands) sent us to a Mexican bakery (without a translater). Ok... that was funny - we picked out what we wanted (which took a few minutes to hand sign with the ladies in the shop to figure out how to do this) and then she gave us totals for the food. She said 17 and 15... we were thinking dollars! The girl was a little overwhelmed when we handed her the money and said no, no, no - pesos! It really only cost about 2 dollars!

We then spent some time driving around the colonia (or neighborhood) that we would be working with, in and around. At first glance, it was hard to see how destitute and poor the people lived. And the desert really didn't make it any better. The people used ANYTHING to build with. One fence was built completely out of mattress springs. Others used wooden pallets and old wire. They just dumped their tires on the side of the road - I'm surprised they didn't figure out a way to build with the tires.

The evening was left open to get ready for the busy week ahead. And to prepare for the first day of our women's outreach and vacation bible school...

We Are Home!

'For Children' (this sign is outside the compound where we stayed - it keeps people out that otherwise may have bad intentions - Juarez is experiencing very high crime and death rates due to drug trafficking by Mexican Drug Cartels)

This was painted by a man that lives in the colonia that Resplandor De Vida serves (a colonia is, in essence, a neighborhood, but not what you would expect - there are no grocery stores, drug stores, playgrounds or gas stations - there is barely a school and never enough food...)

Our team - It was a varied and talented team - I loved that we all were able to spend time getting to know each other better; building a relationship that will build up our church (community) at home - and I REALLY loved experiencing all of this with the man of my dreams, my best friend, KC.

We are home from Mexico (obviously). I am a mixture of emotions - My feelings go between happiness about being with my babies again and sadness that I wish I could have stayed longer (and maybe brought a few kids back with me). So much happened in a week, and yet so little... I know that seems confusing, but I will relay, to the best of my ability, as much information (with pictures) that I can about all that happened in Mexico. I will add a new piece each day - if I tried to put it all in right now, I think you would all be overwhelmed (I know I am thinking about it)!

I hope you will listen to this song...Till I See You by Hillsong - Here is my first story - 3 days before we were to come home I started humming this song - everywhere I went (I hadn't heard it anywhere that I could remember), but I could only remember a few of the words (but all of the melody). When I went to church this past Sunday, this was the last song we sang - I could do nothing but let the tears stream down my face as the impact of our trip came into perspective in my heart - as God's will for this moment in my life began to grow and bear fruit in my heart. In Mexico, I was in a place where I relied completely on God (I know, we are supposed to do that all the time, but I'm learning it's easy not to do that when you are at home) and allowed Him to use me for His work from the time I woke up to the moment my head hit the pillow at night. And He showed me the beauty of His people, people that are in need, people that are just like you and me.

This song says 'I will live a child in awe of you' - I saw children with so much hope for their future, as bleak as it looked and I saw adults (some in my group) that were just like a child in their worship. God wasn't kidding when He tells us that we all need to have faith like a child. When we do, when we rely completely on Him, life becomes so beautiful, even with all the pain, the turmoil, the uncertainty - the everyday stuff. And every LITTLE thing is important to Him. I know this all seems so easy and a lot of it I've heard before, learned before, but sometimes we all need to see something and hear something over and over before it really sinks in.

Ready for Mexico

The day before we leave...

"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." John 17:6-25

His Word is truth... Thank you Jesus for going before us!

We'll see you all when we get home! We love each and every one of you!

Mexico

KC and I are leaving in a little over 4 days... I've started packing. On our list of what to pack, it says no bikinis, short shorts or tight shirts... that's too bad, I guess I'll have to put all that stuff back in the closet! :) We decided on bringing one check-in suitcase (plus we will each have our backpacks). I cannot believe that airlines will not let you check-in even ONE suitcase without charging you! You'd figure after all the fees and taxes (and not serving food anymore), they would allow one check-in ...
I have become a little nervous about going, but I just keep telling myself to let God use me to do His work... I go with no expectations, no to do lists, no time tables. That takes me completely out of my comfort zone... I know this trip is going to grow me and I'm excited about that. I think the scariest part is that I don't speak a lick of Spanish! Tu parle francais anyone?
Here is the website for Harvest Hands Ministries - it has pictures and info about where we are going and what we will be doing... scroll down to mission trips. Anne Bennet, a nurse on our team is also leading some women's medical outreach programs while we are there as well. This is something new (and exciting).

http://www.harvesthandsministries.org/

Here are some prayer needs - Safe travel, that we wouldn't lose our luggage (we have 2 plane changes both ways), that we would easily connect with the people of Mexico (there are many barriers like language and culture). Also that God's work (and will) would be done in us, Harvest Hands Ministries and the Mexican people. I am nervous about leading vacation bible school for 75-100 kids that don't understand english - I'm feeling insecure about the lesson and speaking in front of them. Please pray for Cory and Cayna... this is the first time we have really been away from Cayna. And she had some negative reactions when Cory was away during the summer. For Bev and Ken... they will be here all week with the kids and the farm... I pray that it won't be overwhelming! I am sure there are more needs... please pray as the Lord leads.

I know that God is preparing the way ahead of us!

The Pig is GONE!!!

YEAH! The pig is GONE! KC, my awesome pig moving husband and Mark, the amazing animal mover were able to push, prod and maneuver 500lbs of sausage (and liverwurst) into the trailer. And yes, Barney was still alive upon entering the trailer. We were not sure how we would ever get him out of the barn alive or if he would come out alive... but it happened. This is another story where I think God has a really funny sense of humor or at least I can picture Him up above us laughing hysterically as we struggle. It only took KC and Mark about 20 minutes to get Barney outside. Then, they had to try and get him into the trailer. Barney wanted no part of that. But they pushed him in backwards. With his rump on the trailer, Barney found a little hole off to one side and he took it...running. He escaped, but Mark was on the move behind him. KC and I got rid of any obstacles and Mark led Barney right to the back of the truck and guess what that pig did? He jumped right into the truck... no arguments, no pushing, no cajoling... nothing - just jumped right in! I know sometimes we need to struggle... even when we are just trying to move a pig... and in those moments, we need to maintain our dignity and keep our religion. But in every situation... there is always an end - and we just have to laugh when after 2 days and many hours of fighting with a pig... he just jumps in!

Happy Birthday, KC!

Happy Birthday to the man of my dreams! October 11th was a fun and beautiful day... We went to the farmer's market (only 1 more to go after we get back from Mexico). The sun was shining, it was warm and there was a brilliant blue sky. We had homemade New England Clam Chowder and biscuits for lunch. Cory and I surprised him with it after soccer practice. Thankfully, KC was able to get the day off from work... KC came home and took a nap and then we had dinner (ribs, salt potatoes and asparagus) and of course, birthday cake (german chocolate cake w/ chocolate ice cream - by the way... the frosting for german chocolate is addicting... and easy to make). It was so nice spending the day together and celebrating Daddy! Enjoy the pics (and Cayna's very expressive nature)!

1 pig, 5 1/2 hours...no luck

Today was the day! We were finally going to get rid of our boar (or as we like to refer to him, our 500lb. money pit)! We acquired him last spring from a friend that raises pigs as well. He gave Barney to us and told us to just pass him on when we were done. He finished his 'job' in May... We didn't find any takers for his services. Let me tell what happened today...
About 8:30am, KC, Cayna and I proceeded up to the barn (Cory was at school, thankfully) - I was dressed not like a farmer, but instead like someone who thought this was going to be an easy job and wanted to look and smell appropriately when going out in public. Through past experience, it has not taken long to move the pigs into the trailer... a little grain and in they go... what pig doesn't like food? That was my first mistake.
After setting up the area to move Barney, we were prepared to let Barney out of his stall and entice him with grain into the trailer. He made it to the barn door, put one foot on the ramp, shook his head no at me and turned around to go back to his stall. KC was behind him with a cattle gate - he couldn't get all the way back in, but the problem now was that we were right next to our sow... Ok everyone, just so you know for future reference - boys like girls, that is the natural way God intended. We cajoled, begged, pleaded, bribed with tomatoes, and yelled - I am proud to say we did not use any choice words as there was a preschooler present, but BOY, did we yell (and mainly at eachother). We put Barney back into his stall... This was after a good 2 hours. Uhh!
After settling down, rethinking our plan and changing my clothes, we decided that it might work better to back the truck up to the 2nd door in the barn. And we built a sort of tunnel system. I even tried to camoflauge the ramp by covering it with leaves, hay, etc. We got the feed bucket ready, had the tomatoes handy and KC was in position with the cattle gate. A little reminder here - Barney weighs at least 500 lbs. - Oh and normally when I'm trying to move a pig (I don't think I'm really any better at moving the pigs than KC, it just usually ends up being me), I use a sweet, high pitched voice, that really sounds nothing like me, but seems to work. With a few more tomatoes, Barney again left his stall and followed us through our new path. He looked at the sunshine, shook his head and turned around....again and again and again... UHHHHH!
KC came up with the brilliant plan... he said, let's just sit quiet and let Barney check it all out. Ok... I can do that. And we waited - probably about 30 minutes. He smelled the door, scratched himself on the door, smelled the yummy food on the trailer waiting for him and he took a step on the ramp! Then he put another foot on the ramp... and a 3rd... and a 4th...
He put his nose on the trailer, felt it bounce a little and went back into the barn! We lost him... again! I have to say that I really wanted to scream at the top of my lungs at this point. I did throw a tomato against the wall sometime during the day (yes, I know, quite the temper). We tried getting him to follow the grain bucket again, tried to get him to follow a tomato path again and well, I think we tried just about everything. I thought maybe it was the sunlight that was bothering him - SO, we put up walls and a roof over the ramp that he needs to walk across (I will show pictures tomorrow). That didn't make a difference either. To make things even better - at this point, Barney decided he had had enough and laid down to take a nap. What could we do, but go have lunch...
During lunch, I said to KC, 'there must be something positive from all of this'. He being the optimist in the family said the following things were positive - 1. We got to spend the day together 2. We were able to shell some beans together during lunch (I don't know how positive this was for me) 3. We learned that Barney is kind of cute depending on the light 4. Cayna did an AMAZING job waiting in the truck 5.We learned that patience really is a virtue and goes a long way when you choose to be patient, esp. with eachother.
I collected some apples during our break and we went back to try again with Barney. He wasn't really done with his nap. He wouldn't budge. And he wasn't hungry. We decided to call it a day. That was about 2pm. The trailer is still backed into position, the ramp is level, secure and covered. We will try again Friday morning...
Here is an excerpt from a pig book we keep handy for situations like this - 'Actually, the most difficult and time-consuming task on a great many farms with hogs is getting them from point A to point B while maitaining a modicum of dignity and your religion.' Well said... now, while I know we won't lose our religion over this, I can't help but think that God really had a good laugh today. To make myself feel better... pigs are listed as one of the smartest creatures on Earth...

Mary of Nazareth

I was sadly disappointed when I finished reading Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter today. I love reading historical fiction novels - I've read many about women in the Bible (Sarah, Zipporah and Mary Magdalene to name a few). Most of the time, after reading the book, I am inspired to learn more about the story of the woman as the Bible tells it. It is fun to see how people interpret stories differently. And I learn a lot from them. But this book was... it's hard to put it into words - unbelievable is the first word that comes to mind. And yes, I know it is historical fiction, but it should be at least loosely based on fact, right? It was a story about Mary, the mother of Jesus. It started off pretty well, but it came to the part of Jesus' conception and it turned it into something way out there, difficult for me to grab hold of. At the conclusion of the story, the book included a translation of The Gospel of Mary supposedly about Mary, Jesus' mother. Maybe it is my interpretation, but instead of portraying Mary as the strong, loving and chosen mother of God, in the book she became a defiant, rebellious, unwed and prideful mother of a baby boy who SHE wills to be the son of God. I was reading a little bit on the Internet about The Gospel of Mary and it is very controversial about whether the writing actually was written about Jesus' mother or Mary Magdalene. I am NOT a Biblical scholar and this is pretty unknown territory for me. Does anyone have any incite they would like to share? Or a place I can go to learn more? Maybe there is something to the text known as the Gospel of Mary?

Writer's Block

As I read other blogs, I notice that I'm not very loquacious, expressive or humorous in type (yes, I love vocabulary). Which is funny because if you really know me, I don't usually have an issue with figuring out something to say. I have also noticed that things sound MUCH funnier in my head than they do on paper (or on screen I guess is a better way to put it). I was trying to come up with possible explanations for my writer's block - Here is my list -

1. I live a boring life and there isn't much to write about (yeah, right - it is far from boring)

2. I have so much to say... I can't narrow it all down

3. I'm trying too hard

4. I need more hours in a day

5. I wrote too many papers in college and I'm out of words

6. Pictures are worth 1000 words - why write when you can use pictures?

7. I use preschool language all day and when I start to write, I forget how to write and speak like a grown-up

8. I'm afraid to get too personal...

I'm sure there are more excuses, I mean explanations, but truly I can't think of any more at the moment because Cory is making little annoying noises and picking at his sister and she is being little Miss Princess and trying to run the roost. SO, that being said, maybe I'll add one more to the list -

9. Don't try writing when my kids are awake

Leaves...

Yes... that is Cory's bike. I did it too...very fun! If you look towards the hill, you will see Cayna... we started way up there!

These are in no particular order and they do span over 2 days (we saved the pile for today so that Daddy could enjoy the leaves with us too!)

Every year I LOVE to rake the biggest pile of leaves I can (that is, I rake until my back and arms are killing me). Then I let the kids jump in and enjoy. Of course, I do make them sit still for a couple of snapshots first - I have pictures in the leaves every year and I'm sure when the kids are older, they will roll their eyes and not enjoy it so much, but for me... I will keep raking until I'm too old, but not too old to jump in and enjoy...