Hilarious! and We're growing !

Okay... gotta crack up ... apparently I am the only one plugged in here and that's okay... :) lol

Soo... word on the street is true! The Evans are growing. We are expecting #7 via adoption sometime this Spring. We are humbled that the Lord has pulled us out, sat us down and given us the chance to inhale the reality that he is trusting us to "grow" again! We received this little one's photo about 2 months ago and on my mama's birthday China sent us word that we have their permission to move forward and bring this little jewel into our home ! There is more to come but I'll leave it there for the weekend... Photos to be posted of our little one on Monday ( Lord willin' and the internet up ... )

I'll leave you with a photo of us currently ..... and then our little gift on Monday :) Ps... we are giggly thrilled to be parents again...

In regards to blogging, I am wondering lately where to go with it. This began as a blog of our family entering the mission field and what that looked like.. 

Our ministry is no longer what we are here to "do" but who we are here doing what we do. 

...and so, I'm looking to you Lord. I want this place to reach into the hearts of the people who come across it. I want to challenge, encourage, expose you through the journey that you have us on. 

As I sit here today, 

loving how you love me Lord....

falling crazy in love, every day more, with crazy people :)

who do crazy things ( ie, my father in law strapping up for the zip line) 

our posture is to wait with open hands for your direction in all that we do... even in the bloggy world. This blog has always been a blog for life..not to expose our ministry so much because of who we are reaching out to ... I have a huge desire to not put on display or lift up our own work to be "out there" so to speak... instead, to just photo, journal and laugh at life... 

Lead us Lord.... ,even in the bloggy world, ... what is your direction... our journey can be at times ...

wet, rocky, harder to discern, but there all the same... 

Lord, let not those that come by my way leave this place untouched by you... but instead, encouraged to look out their car window and get a better view... to stop and glean all that you have for them today, tomorrow and the day after that....should it come.... 

Soo.... homeschool, adoption, children with special needs, wife to an amazing missionary man, raw foody lover, cross cultural weirdness, crocheting (yes, my newest obsession... along with raw food) , mom with teens and littlies at the same time( a weirdness unto its own - no kidding) ... Any thoughts on direction would be appreciated...new blog title anyone? These are my thoughts on where we're turning... are you in? 

posting NOT for the faint of heart... only Passionate People who Crazy love Jesus and those who think that we're INSANE because we love Jesus

Two years and two million ways closer to Jesus today. Yep, we've just crossed over our two years of service mark here in Guatemala serving our Lord in a "foreign" country. For this family of 8.. it has been foreign... I'm not even talking about Guatemala ! I'm talking about getting on a plane with 21 rubbermaid tubs, 3 hiking backpacks, 3 people who are teenagers. Having sold our home, our business, cars, appliances, school books.... there was no going back. I can still remember the look in Davids eyes as ours met at one point on the plane... both of our eyes were FILLED with "what have we done?"There we were feeling so EXPOSED to our own emotions... we couldn't even discern between giddy joy of starting a new journey and shear fear of the unknown on so many levels. We DID HAVE the faith of a million people who sent us out and the word of God that he would NEVER leave us NOR FORSAKE us and so here I sit typing with all of my soul that GOD IS faithful, friends are worth far MORE than money, I have a spirit of I CAN and WILL do this (whatever it is) and come out STRONGER, my husband carries out his role of protector with a zeal that is entirely new and husband with romance that we just had simply misplaced in the business of our "former" life... We are NEW . We are different. We have CHANGED. I feel closer to "alien" as my heavenly father calls me in His word and .... it feels GOOD . I have new SKIN. I have almost lost a son to illness, I have almost lost my husband (:) .. not many know that one ) to VERY sudden and praise God swift illness that nearly took him home to be with the Lord almost a year ago this summer.. I have hiked a volcano, I have carried a dying child partially down a volcano on a home made stretcher made from sticks and a warmup jacket..my PRECIOUS and FAITHFUL friend Marty praying right behind me giving me the strength to keep up with 3 other men who were "totin' " too.... I have eaten soup with bugs in it and drank juice with DEAD flies for floaties in it, I have gone embarrassing amounts of days without a shower, I have taken a hotel room just to stand under a HOT HOT shower without worrying about running out of it or it costing me a fortune, I have fed a family of 8 in a home without a stove for 2 months time, I have been almost a year 1/2 getting up at 4:30 ish to spend time with Jesus because I have been CRAVING his voice, DESPERATE for his delight in me, STARVED for the warmth of his breath crawling up the side of my face as I lie to him saying that I STINK as a mom of teens, ( smile :) ... we've all been there - pretty sure) , I have witnessed killings, had to drive past guns going off inside closed cars with people in them... I have gone from not being able to ask for a bathroom, to being able to share my faith and the gospel of Jesus just 2 weeks ago for the first time with a shop owner !!!! ( BIG stuff) ... wow... I could go on but I 'm pretty sure that some of you are still stuck up there with almost losing Cooper or David and me not sharing it... and it's okay... this is a place for me as much as you and for the gal who stumbles across here wondering where is God for me? Who is God? Why in the WORLD wouldn't you just come "home" ... and to myself I say... well done girl ! Go BIG or Go Home... If God is going to pull me and my family into this upside down state of living at times then let's go... I'm committed, I'm trusting, I 'm  UTTERLY and DEEPLY in love with you Jesus ... CRAZY for the goodness, hurt , disarray that following you can bring... sometimes this place leaves me standing in the dessert and then when I think my skin is going to peal back from the depth of the burn I can quickly go to the place of remembering it is SON BURN>>> you hover me Jesus . You burn bridges before me Lord... you pursue, hunt down, devour my enemies and though they are about me..they cannot TOUCH me ... you Lord alone bring the rain amongst dry desert dirt... you cause my face to SHINE Jesus! Yeshua !  And for the gal who just stumbles across this post and you're hurting , lonely , lost and/ or discouraged.... Go Big or Go Home ! Your world is small and your neighbor or person sitting across from you in the coffee shop where you may be reading this PROBABLE knows God, has a Bible for you to read, maybe a church to plug you in to sift "stuff" , haha ...i dare say that they may be wondering how to approach you and you would turn their world upside down to mention to them that they appear "different" to you... so basically, ask...leave your place in this blog and find someone to ask.. ask them if they think you're crazy for questioning. If God can bring me to a place of losing fear to a truck full of grown men totin' machine guns while laughing histerically from the back of a truck to a place where tomatoes from my market with little teeth marks make me shutter in far more fear... he wants to lavish you with the luxury of resting in a bath of truth ... our God reigns, your world is temporary and the day you are having MAY happen again tomorow but grabbing someone to pray for you ... with you ... oh , sweet soul... it's like lemon-aid on the the forth of July , a big shade tree in the middle of a summer day.... Go ahead... go... Go Big !!!! God did.. he gave the only son that he had ... for you sweet friend~

Birthday Bashin' ...

Beginning with Tyler who turned 8... a Pirate Party ! Too fun

Friendly Pirates

Girly Pirates

Mommy Pirates

and...... humm.... we're still out on this pirate ! Handsome though don't you agree? 

In our family we have a season known as "birthday season" .... there is a time between March 14 and April 5 where we have 4  birthdays. It is truly wonderful ! and somewhat exhausting... this is the first of more to come.... next post... Grace turns 15!

Short and Sweet ( but a bit frustrating)

I'm totally at a loss for lots of words .... our insurance company ( for the second time) has said that although our daughter has severe hearing loss and is 8 YEARS OLD they will decline paying for new hearing aids for her.... CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME??????? She's EIGHT ! because she was adopted from China at 5 and didn't receive the proper hearing aids she is just beginning to SPEAK.(at EIGHT years old.).... without these hearing aids ...... ugggggggg...... now I have to work on forgivness to the insurance company ! This is going to be MUCH harder..... please pray for us as we walk through this .....

Grateful,
mel

PS ...there is no cute photo today... i don't have one of me GRITTING MY TEETH .... sorry for the poopey blog.... you are our support team... life just happens and God is good ... i KNOW there's a plan.

A Letter to my Robber.....

Dear Robber,
I am a mother of six , married to an amazing man of 20 years. A little over a year and 1/2 ago I was invited to join my Father in ministry here in your country. When I had first received his invitation I could not even tell you where Guatemala was. Honestly, I thought it was inside Mexico and that all Latinos were Mexican. A year and 1/2 later not only can I locate your country but I have come to call it home. And so, yesterday, late in the afternoon, I was at "home"( geographically speaking) relaxing in a favorite chair, watching my amazing children play, anticipating being joined by an awesome friend and somehow you came into my "home" and kicked up dirt - no, you did not come into my literal home- it was far more personal than that - Inside my physical home you would only have walked away with things that eventually lead me to work- ugggg .....like dusting, reading , note taking, toy stashing work. Today, when you came into "my place" , a place that I frequent to relax my brain, to let down my guard, to practice my Spanish and engage in friendships that are growing ... you STOLE from me...yes, you intentionally entered my bag, removed my wallet, took all of my money and every key I owned but the largest and only TRUE crime you committed of me was what you stole from my child - My precious daughter who's world just became more quiet, you stole her confidence in speech, you stole her trust in people. She is hearing impaired and YOU stole her HEARING AIDS! My daughter is very forgiving and my Father is very committed to his children ... He is forever watching over she and I both. He saw you take what was not yours. He saw you take what was hers. And yet, I woke up this morning to hear him say...I love you...I love them. You see Mr/Mrs Robber, I too was a thief. I stole from someone also when I was younger. I stole a ring from someone who trusted me dearly and 21 (aprox) years later that very same ring was given back to me by my mother who came into possesion of it and I was able to return that which I had taken. Mr. Robber, I have been forgiven of much ! I forgive you too - May the God who chased me down to aquire my love and passion for him above all THINGS find you desperate for him also... YOU are the reason I have accepted my Fathers invitation - YOU are who we are .... we struggle, we have been hungary, we have been exhausted and we have looked to ourselves for answers. There IS grace and forgivness. You are NOT alone ! I am grateful for your presence in "my place" yesterday. You have given me a new deeper breath for our purpose here. Mr Robber, I am watching for you ... May we meet when I return to my Fathers house , free at last of the distractions and temptations of this world. May we meet in a place where we will be at peace together..... you, I and my daughter.... in that place.... she won't need those hearing aids anymore !

Mr. Robber..... I love you -

M

To love life.....

Good morning blogging world ! Although it is Wednesday , it could easily be a Monday in regards to attempting to  begin catching you up on our travels the last two months. Frankly, I couldn't even begin... honestly, I'm not sure that everything in my heart has been completely processed and ready to blog and simply..... it's just to much. Basically, we've traveled back to the states for the holidays believing that it was for R&R ..we were wrong.... ! I DO say that with a smile on my face and zippidy fingers as I type.. why ? because through and by the weariness that the trip carried for us so many of those days we have landed in Guatemala on a new page. I can't explain what has happened in our hearts other than to summarize a conversation that I recently had with a dear new friend here... The first time that I met her , we were at a mutual friends home for dinner. Someone asked her if she "liked" it here in Guatemala. Her response was  , quickly, she LOVED it here! Talk about trying to process something... wow... later, in the car on the way home I commented to David that I REALLY "like " it here but to LOVE it here ? ...nope , didn't get that ! She 's obviously one of those (which I ADORE ) kinda "the glass is half full and not half empty ) gals ! ... maybe I'd get that LOVIN' feeling one day....... when I caught up with her at church last Sunday I took her back to that conversation and let her know how I'd been carrying it in my heart .... so thankful to share with her that by means I can't even see, hands that knit that I never saw and words whispered to my spirit by the only SPIRIT that I desire to respond to , I LOVE IT HERE!!!! In fact, my comment to her was that God has placed a spirit of love so deep in me that I CHOOSE to face the adversity here, the "adventure" here.... bring it on.... I choose to fight, thrive, embrace , cherish, hold tight to but not holding to myself the story that God is weaving for our family as we serve in a country starving for justice , functioning in a state of oppression and violence YET God is on his throne....he's got the game plan..... I REJOICE that I WILL NOT perish .... nor is my breath in vain to spread the gospel here .... my life is is a vapor .... a rose that God himself has called into beauty,life and perfection... and for that reason ALONE  I WILL carry on STONG , I WILL...... what ever and for how ever long.. I WILL live my life LOVING serving in a country where you pray as you walk, drive and sit in public places.........my days count ! My days are given to me for a reason as are YOURS.... who ever YOU are.... I challenge you to roll up your sleeves. To do the "HARD" stuff, go out into a community where you consider whether your purse is safer in the car or on your shoulder and you to decide that it's a toss up, give a stick of gum to someone who is hungry...not because they're hungry but because SUGERLESS gum leaves a sweet taste in their mouth that will cause them to linger on the confusion of why did you choose them? What was THAT about? Leave them with a different day .... I challenge you to get out of your car at the carpool line and speak to the mom who has the child that EVERYONE talks about and encourage her that she is loved and that EVERYONE has difficulties but EVERYONE has access to the way out and over her challenge found in petitioning and calling out to Jesus corporately in prayer with a friend (you).... I challenge you to eat differently for today so that your body taste what it misses and that your hunger will drive you to strength found in Christ alone.......... where are you? who are you? where do you live? Do you LOVE IT or just "like " it?????????