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!)