Missionary Retreat in Acapulco

Our annual Mexico Missionary Retreat was held in Acapulco this last week. We had a great time of fellowship, prayer, and of course....playing at the beach! It is always encouraging to hear about how God is at work around Mexico. There is much to be thankful for. Here are a few (of the many) pictures I took.


Family beach shot. 


Reece racing the waves! 


Chase playing in the sand...and lovin' it! 


We think we are pretty toned - what's your vote? 


Mission team kids in a group shot! 

Seven Years

Well, today is our 7th wedding anniversary. 7 years already. It is hard to believe!My house is quiet - the boys are napping...and I have a few moments to reflect on the blessings of my marriage. We have been through a lot of wonderful changes in our seven years together - from those first years of just us. Yes, the early years of our marriage were incredible - but God has a way of making things better with time, and our love for each other and our relationship is different than it was back then - but it is also richer and deeper. I love him so much more than I did then...and although we don't always act it - I think our relationship is just so much more mature....it makes me wonder what another 5 or 10 years will look like. Benjy is my best friend, my support, he makes me better...and we have so much fun together. He is the reason for my beautiful children. He has not only blessed me with a new and life-changing role as "mom" but I am blessed to enjoy his role as "dad" - we share in such an amazing job as we raise our children. Our marriage is blessed because of this unifying role of parenting and being a family together. I have seen growth and maturity in him as a man - and I love and respect him for who he is. We are going on a date tonight to celebrate "us" and I am sure we will renew our wedding vows again - as we try to do every year. I am reminded this afternoon that we - him and I - have much to celebrate in what God has given to us in each other. I know that I have not appreciated all the goodness of marriage every day for the past seven years...but I am thankful for times when all the good stuff does rise to the surface and deserves to be acknowledged. Thank you God for blessing me with the perfect man for me - thank You for how you have grown and deepened our relationship - please continue to do that, and please help me to honor, respect, and care for my husband. We give You our marriage, and our family. Thank You, Amen.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

I guess I got my Christmas present early...my 2 front top teeth are finally in....with at least three more on the way. I'll be honest...this isn't all I want for Christmas :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving

We celebrated American Thanksgiving early because we will all be out of town for a missionary retreat. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

 


All of our team joined together to give thanks - with traditional food and great friends...we all feel very blessed. We were 18 in total (although not everyone made it in the picture). 

Keeping in touch with far away family and friends!

Reece has become fascinated with the computer and enjoys sending special emails to family. 


Caught in the act..."but I was just telling them I miss them!"! 

More Workers

We are trying, as a family and as a mission team to place a higher emphasis on prayer. As of the last few months we have been dedicating Fridays to specifically focus our prayer time together on asking the "Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field" (Luke 10:2). We believe that there are many more people in Mexico City who are seeking a relationship with Christ and that God desires to use to expand His kingdom. Our prayer is for God to lead us to those people. This weekend we all gathered at our house to pray together. It was a really encouraging time and we can sense that we are growing together in the discipline of prayer. We will now invite our Mexican brothers and sisters to pray this prayer along with us on Fridays and we dream of seeing many households of people gathering together to pray for more workers. Please consider joining us from wherever you are - at anytime, of course - but specifically on Fridays. Oh, and I can't not include this inspirational moment...Benjy has been teaching Reece about prayer and explained to him that we need to be asking God to send us more people. So last night when I put Reecer to bed I asked him what we should pray for. He said a few things and then said, "send more workers". I agreed and began to pray but he interrupted me and said, "Father, send more workers...Amen" with a double clap (I am not sure why, but Reece always does a double clap after "Amen" - its cute).

Child-like Confidence

Reece was drawing a picture this morning and he said, "look Mommy, I'm drawing". I answered him, "wow, Reecer - that is so great! You are so good." He turned his head to me and in his easy going style said, "yup...I am".

Jesus tells us that unless we become like little children we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. This concept has certainly become more real to me after having kids and living with their childlikeness every day. I often marvel at their trust, their simpleness, their ability to be so honest and to forgive quickly. But today I was taught about confidence. I think Jesus wants us to be confident in who He has made us and is making us. He wants us to be confident in our giftedness and in using what we are good at for the good of serving others.

Isn't it funny how much we actually are like children in that we need reassurance, we need to be complimented, we need to be encouraged when we do something well. And yet, why do we have such a hard time receiving the much needed encouragement when it comes to us? Yes, humility certainly has its place in our lives, but maybe some of us need to tip the scale more towards the confidence side. I think we need to believe in ourselves more - well, not so much in our own goodness but in the goodness that God has put in each of us...and be able to say to ourselves, "yup - I am good!"

Happy Halloween

Well, we hosted our traditional Halloween party with our teammates. I enjoy arts and craftsy kind of things, so creating costumes for our family is always a fun time for me (most definitely more fun for me than for the kids who have to wear the stuff! - the Noah beard required a bit of candy bribing). I always try to choose something that expresses a stage or interest of where the kids are at, and then create a theme for the family. Our "Noah" theme was represented by...Benjy - the "sheet" of rain...Carolyn - the rainbow...Reece - Noah in his ark...and Chase -the slow crawling turtle. We had a fun time!


 




 


 


 


 

Happy Birthday!

It was Benjy's birthday on Friday...yes, he is growing a beard - it has become his fall tradition...I guess its a man thing. We treated ourselves to Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast, party hats and all! The candle was more for Reece's benefit than Benjy's. A good doughnut is not so easy to come by here in Mexico so although it was a bit of a trek to track these ones down, we did it...and enjoyed them!  

Here Comes Trouble

Chase began crawling a little over a week ago! He has gained some speed since that first day and when he is headed for trouble and hears "no Chase" - he laughs and goes faster for his destination! Reece has quickly learned that he no longer has a safe zone to play in without little brother joining in, whether he is wanted or not!

Outside Play

We have had really nice weather these past few days. The sun has been so warm and the kids have enjoyed playing outside. Yesterday, Reece made his first "connection" between the bat and the ball. Coach Dad made sure he ended on that postive note so as to boost his athletic confidence for the next ball game. And Chase enjoyed his first zip down the slide - on his tummy of course!

Guess Who Is Coming To Visit Us This Christmas?!

I always thought the "shopping world" pushed Christmas early at home - but I think Mexico has it beat. The stores are geared up with lights, trees, and Santas everywhere...and we are still in October! A few weeks ago we were shopping and Reece noticed a Santa Clause figure for the first time, and exclaimed with much excitement, "look Mommy - it's NOAH!" We have seen many "Noah's" since that first encounter and he is still called Noah. We think it is pretty cute and so we might just let it stick. After all, wasn't Noah more real than Santa?!

Heaven

Since the death of my Dad, I find myself thinking about and singing about heaven so much more than before - sometimes feeling sadness, sometimes feeling peace, always feeling curious about what it is really like there. My Dad loved to sing and I have realized how many hymns that were up there on his "favorites" list were about heaven. Today it has already been 10 months since he passed away. That is really hard to believe. My son, Chase, really serves as a very physical reminder of time, in relation to Dad's death, since Chase was born just 2 weeks before Dad left us. When I put time in the context of how much Chase has grown and changed, it really stings that my Dad never did get to meet him. I remember waking my Dad up early early with the phone call of Chase's arrival on December 2nd. "It's a boy" I said and he didn't believe me - he was always soooo sure that he knew the sex of every baby in utero! After convincing him he was wrong and that he had another grandson - he was quite happy. Oh how I wish I could call him and hear his voice....

Please remember my Mom in prayer on the 28th of October as she faces their wedding anniversary without her husband.

As I stood at the kitchen sink this evening, washing the dishes, I took comfort in singing this verse of one of Dad's faves..."when the skies are backwards rolled, and His home I shall behold, I will walk those streets of gold, hand in hand with Jesus". I am encouraged, a little sad at the same time, but encouraged in the hope of heaven and the reunion of loved ones. I miss you Dad.

Oh Be Careful Little Lips What You Say...

Do you remember that song from when you were little, "oh be careful little eyes what you see/ears what you hear/lips what you say....for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little..."? Well, we have reached the "imitation stage" of toddlerhood! Reece can repeat like a parrot and we are being called to a higher calling in the things we say in our home. Reece began picking up phrases like "oh my goodness" or "oh shoot", or even at times "oh gosh". Not that those are the worst things that could be said, but they somehow seem to sound a lot worse coming from your own little boy. So - I began to talk to him about how it is better to say "oh no" in a moment of frustration or disappointment instead of those other phrases. Benjy and I have been "caught" on more than one occassion over the past few weeks and quickly reprimanded with a stern, "daddy - don't say "oh my gosh"...it's "oh no!". We are quick to apologize and are trying to think before we speak. Reece is catching things that are said on tv that he is not shy to correct either! It is a good thing. I guess this is yet another way that God uses children to make us better.

Pictures...

 

Pictures...

 

Pictures...

Just hangin' out 

And More Pictures...

Reece and Chase - playing sports together! 

My Kids

I am really enjoying this stage of life in our family. The closeness of age between Reece and Chase is really fun right now. Reece LOVES to entertain and Chase LOVES to be entertained... so they have become quite the pair. They laugh and play together really well - other than the occasional surge of energy that takes over Reece and demands a reminder (sometimes verbal and sometimes a little stronger) that he needs to play gentle with Chase. Chase is a very happy little boy - but there isn't anyone that can cause that deep gutted belly laugh as effectively as his big brother. I am sure that there will be days in the future when they don't get along quite so well and the closeness in age may become a competative issue...but right now, I am very thankful to God that I have two boys who love each other so much. I asked Reece the other night, as I was tucking him in, "who is your best friend"? He answered, "Chase". Could that make a mommy any happier?

Other "boy news"....Reece is doing very well at potty-training. He has had a few naptime accidents but hasn't had any during any of our outings in the past weeks. We are quite proud of him. We are still using a diaper on him at nighttime and are trying to figure out when to take that next step. Any advice? Reece is a pretty creative kid with quite the imagination. It has been fun to watch him play and see what he comes up with next. He is definitely busy! His latest faves are creating food out of play-doh, the UNO card game, and painting. And Chase has been officially tagged our own portable vacuum cleaner. The kid can find the tiniest crumb - it is amazing! He is getting a lot stronger and is becoming discontented with sitting. He wants to pull up and is closer each day to crawling (yikes! this second time around I am learning that life is easier when your baby stays in one spot!) His appetite has grown tremendously and between the two of them - they are eating us out of house and home and they aren't even close to the teenage years. Look out grocery budget!! Chase still has only two bottom teeth, but his whole top gumline is swollen so he may be popping out several at one time up there. Poor guy. One of my favorite times of the day is right before afternoon naps and right before bedtime. We all crash on the floor or on Reece's bed and read a few books together. Chase has especially taken to this time and expresses his enjoyment with lots of squeals and kicks. Reece, is having to learn to share the books - not always an easy thing!

Anyway, I could go on and on. I will stop here with a short word of thanks to God for my incredible children..."Father, I cannot express in words the gratitude I feel for allowing me to spend each day with my boys. I know there are times when I forget the true blessing I have, but in moments of reflection I am quickly reminded of how fortunate I am. Thank You for the way my children teach me about You. Their simplicity, their joy, their excitement over the things that really matter. I thank You tonight for Reece's Christ like heart. His desire to pray and to always be thankful and thoughtful of others challenges me. Thank You for Chase's love and admiration of his brother. Would You help me to grow in love and admiration for Jesus. I leave both Reece and Chase in Your hands and ask You to protect them and to grow them in You. In Jesus name, Amen.

A First Step...

No, I am not referring to Chase taking his first steps...although he is getting very close to crawling! I am actually talking about what happened last night in our work here. Benjy and I, along with Stephen (one of our AIM student - apprentice missionaries) witnessed a "first step" and very important step in the growth of our ministry here in Mexico City. We were invited into the home of Luis Espinoza, our most recent brother in Christ, to share in a Bible discussion with his mom and uncle. The exciting thing is that Luis lead the discussion - which has great implications for the direction we want our work to go. It is impressive for a number of reasons: firstly, our prayer is that last night might serve as an open door for a new group of believers and we are convinced that it is really important that it began from the first time to be lead by a Mexcian Christian. It will save us the often difficult transition from missionary-lead leadership to Mexican leadership. It is also exciting because Luis is full of faith and excitement in his new journey with Christ and we do not consider it a small thing that he is sharing his faith with his own family in such a direct way. Please pray for the journey that we believe God is beginning with this family.

Praying For...

Here is a list of a few things that you can join me in prayer about...
~ Something to rejoice about! Our teammates Paul and Kristi Miller welcomed the birth of their baby girl, Olivia Karen yesterday. Madeline has a new sister and everyone is doing well.
~ Please remember Chase in your prayers over the next few weeks. At his last check up we learned that he had lost a bit of weight and he just has not seemed to be growing much. They ran some tests and it looks like he is slightly anemic so he is on iron supplements and we are hoping that he will put some weight on by next check up. He is happy and eats well so we are expecting good results.
~ We have an opportunity with Luis' family to begin a Bible study group in his home this Sunday evening. We are hoping this may lead to a new group of relationships and followers of Jesus.
~ I am currently meeting with Hilda for a time of prayer and encouragement during the week. We have committed to growing in our reading and trust in God's Word. Pray for our follow through and submission to God's desire to transform and grow us.
~ You can be praying for my intentions of re-visiting my language studies. I feel like I am at a plateau with my spanish abilities, and although I am comfortable - I feel like I need to challenge myself to improve. It is difficult to find the time during the day to give myself to this but I want to prioritize this as it influences my effectiveness in meeting new people.
~ Luis Enrique recently underwent a follow-up surgery to intestinal problems he experienced last year. Pray for his recovery.
~ Always be praying for God to pour out His wisdom and guidance in the direction of our church plantings here in Mexico City.
~ And, for the safety and protection of our family. There are times when living in a different culture and so far away from family can be difficult.

Here We Go....

I honestly was not expecting this idea to work as effectively as it has, but it looks like we are on our way to potty training! For the longest time Reece has shown zero interest in anything related to the idea of "the potty"...except for reading his potty book and that only because he loves books. So - I thought I would ease him back into at least sitting on the potty by motivating with stickers. So, we made a potty poster together and I told him he would get a sticker every time he would sit on it. Well, almost immedietly that went really well so we let him run around the house with nothing on below. He soon began telling me when he had to go and besides a few accidents, I think we are on our way! We bought some "big boy underwear" this evening and so tomorrow he will begin wearing that. It has been fun to watch how proud of himself that he is. He tells everyone he sees that he went pee and poop in the potty - so I don't think he would mind me writing it here either! Ha! I guess we will see how it goes - I am expecting to have lots more laundry for a little while, but maybe I will be suprised again! I certainly will not mind having only one in diapers.

An Honest To Goodness Date!

We didn't really know what to do with ourselves - to be able to have a lengthy conversation without the frequent interruptions of " 'xcuse me mommy"'s, making sure juice isn't spilled, snacks are shared and kids are in their seats - I must say....this is worth blogging about! Benjy and I enjoyed a movie and dinner - he surprised me with roses, we dressed up, we went to a movie and dinner. What a nice evening - thanks to our great teammates James and Erin. We have decided to swap babysitting each others' kids more often so we can have these special times for our marriages. I am reminded tonight that in the hustle and bustle of two little boys - it sure is a blessing to have such a good man in my life - and to have alone time with him. Both of us commented on how strange it felt to be out without the stroller, diaper bag, and obvioulsy, Reece and Chase. And, of course, it is also a pretty neat feeling to be greeted at the door from two very happy little guys, excited to see Mommy and Daddy again! As I head to bed I am thankful for good friends that we can trust our kids with, I am thankful for the simple things like conversation, smiles and laughs from my kids, and most of all, my life partner that I get to experience each day with.

Meet...Dodger Black

Okay - I wouldn't necessarily say that I was ready for Reece to have a new pet - BUT...he has one! One of our Mexican friends gave Reece this fish after church on Sunday. Reece was quite thrilled and carried him home, holding him tightly in his car seat. We asked Reece what he would like to name him as we drove home. He confidently replied, "Dodger". We were a little suprised that he even grasped the concept of giving the fish a name so we asked again. His next response was "Black" -so...we tagged him with the name of "Dodger Black." Luis Enrique told us to give him clean water ever 15 days or so - but that he would be fine with water straight from the tap. Hmmm. This is Mexico so I wonder how long it will take for us to be explaining the death of Dodger Black to our son.



The newest friend in our house! 

We All Survived!

This is NOT fun! 

Well, we just passed another milestone in this whole parenting thing - Reece's first haircut! Yes, he is nearly 2 and a half, and yes...the time has been here for awhile but we finally took the plunge (okay, I am trying too hard to protect my husband! - Benjy finally gave the "okay"!!!). We took Reece to a place for kids' haricuts and they did a great job - even saved his first snips for me and put it in a special little envelope/card and took a picture for us (two things I was prepared to do on my own anyway!) Reece did all right - big tears rolled down his cheeks and it required a bit of convincing for him to let the whole process begin, but...he finally sat on my knee and the lady went to work. I just kept telling him that he would be okay and that he should "wipe his tears" - a phrase that, as of late, has been a favorite of his. By the end (which with as little as we allowed her to cut off - did not take long) Reece gave the lady a big hug and told her "thank you". I doubt anyone can tell - except for us, of course! I think he looks much more like a little boy - still lots of cute curls, just more polished. And Reece is quite proud - recounting the story in his own cute little way to anyone who asks him about it. And as for us, well, we are quite a bit more confident that a first hair cut is no big deal :) !