This is an apology post and a catch up post all together... i think that in respect to all women in general just the mere fact that we are in "holiday " season is reason enough to slack on posting although maybe I slack more than many...don't know :) HOWEVER...moving forward right ? ... So... with that being said... some things that we've been up to ... they are MANY and so for DAYS you will be getting some of the sights around here in our neck of the woods in Guatemala.. for starters : 

Moving into Antigua has given us a NEW lease on life... we truely feel like our hearts were just made to be living here for this season of life...it just feels good... obviously God has us planted here and we are able to really able to dig our heals into culture... our neighbor mentioned that he had a house at the beach  and that we could rent it if we liked... without another mention of it ..we loaded 3 of our 6 children into the car and traveled 2 hours towards Monterrico to check out "the house" ... what a GREAT adventure it proved to be... 

It started by parking at this outside resteraunt. The floor was made of black sand and all sorts of fun play things lined the room. We hung out here and waited for our "ride " to cross the water. 

Eli spent his time checking out the water for "critters" .... some of which were little fish with their eyes ON TOP of their heads... no photo... sorry ... don't know WHAT I was thinking in missing those fish... 

And then... our ride across the water arrived. 

the engine continued to not start... off it went and into the neighbors yard it was left... our driver  walked away and was gone for aobut 30 minutes and came back with a new motor... humm.... :) attached it and off we went across the waterway...

the men wondering where are we off too......we seriously  LOVE adventure.... and not knowing where we were headed in this little boat certainly fit the bill :)

we landed in an amazing little spot that turned into the most perfect get away spot.... so secluded and tranquilo... 

our own little pool for the stay

yep, we'll be back... thank you Mr. Jean..... we give it 5 stars and two thumbs up ! 

Leavin' on a jet plane !

I'm outer here . Brazil bound . No photos no hoopla. I left my house at 3:30 am this morning ....not even tropical storms stopped my sweet husband from getting me to the airport. The past 3 years have been a journey of massive proportions at time....no. Just massive change. The gift to be with other women who have the same "job" as me is going to be wonderful...spending two weeks loving on my friend who is serving the Lord with her family of 13 will be incredible over the top fun...yes, I said 13 and yes, I will post a photo when I come back. They are beautiful people! I am so pumped to pour into her so much that has been poured into me these beginning years living over seas as missionaries. Our support team is amazing ...basically , several people supported me financially to be here and our home church saw me the rest of the way here......the Lord has already blessed my time in the waiting "place"here at airport and I was able to engage in a gospel conversation with a man who is an orthodox Jew and from Israel.I think we both left encouraged...no place for ugly confrontation .... truth will always remain truth....that 's why it's true and we should not be ashamed of our heritage as Christians and the truth of the resurrection of our Savior.

I want to assume that my plans are Gods plans .That God also desires me to arrive,rest,worship in Brazil and the return home but assumption is all that it is :) I am grateful that my eyes are open today to the hurting and lonely around me....is a " heads up" sorta thing...

So...I'm leaving on a jet plane...headed for Brazil..."heads up" people :)

Courage....parents please read before your young children do..but I have to post this

Courage.
As I pack and prep for my little vacation to Brazil ...a women's conference for wives of missionaries ....well, to say I am excited is a total understatment. A place to be pampered, counseled, sleep late, 50 other missionary wives from countless parts of the world, and to top it off I get to spend 2 weeks with a very dear and close sister in Christ. Pinch me PLEASE !this was a gift to me prompted by my husband.... Thank you David!!!!

But... A little nervous too. 27 hours , flying alone, 4 different airports in 3 different countries....3 different languages....even as I type this I have to ask , is this MY life?pinch me again please :) Anyway, I am keenly aware with butterflies in my stomach that I lack courage often...REAL courage.

Monday night , I was blessed to hear a man speak from Internatiomal Justice Mission.wow...I have to share a piece that rocked my little chair of the world.

Injustice in Asia...young women / teens sold into sexual slavery, Uganda.Injustice ...the man of the house dies of aids and leaves behind wife and several young children. His brother or family member from his side gains control of the squatting ground that is their home and litterally forces often with violence women and children out of the home...they starve to death..literally. India...injustice. Children being sold into work slavery as young as 8 and 10 years of age being made to roll 2000 cigarettes a DAY or else....one example and in our country where we are serving ..injustice...sexual slavery among children.

Courage. In our country a 12 year old boy losses his father in death. He and mom have no way to eat. A successful business man who is a leader IN their CHURCH offers the young man to work for him at his place of bussiness. Mom and son jump at the opportunity . First day of work , 12 year old is asked into the office, door closes, boy is raped !

Courage. Someone pays attention at church and confronts 12 year old.courage.

Courage. 12 year old breaks down and shares.

Courage. 12 year old agrees to prosecute church leader for sexual crimes against himself...in person...in a country where if the trial goes south he WILL be killed for this act of courage.

Man is found guilty, PRAISE God,as mom sits beside her son on the stand along with IJM missionary and church leader is sentenced to 18 years in prison . Not a US prison , but a prison where heads of guards have been reported to be used as soccer balls amongst inmates...yes, I am serious!

This boy has sooo much courage. I just want to applaud him in my little quite blog space for looking his accuser in the eyes and saying ,"you did this..........to me. What you did was wrong.I am protecting every other child that you would ever have violated and my mom and I are risking our life for them....WE! Your victims, are worth it !

12 year old hero....you are COURAGE to me. You are courageous... YOU are my hero today. I will be just fine in the airport. My language needs will be provided for and YOU will nudge me on because if YOU can do ThAT....I can do ANTHING too....thank you courageous....MAY I always rise up to do the RIGHT thing ....justice...courage...MICAH 6:8

the IPAD 2

This is my amazing friend ... i'll call her "Sunshine". She serves the Lord here in Guatemala too and she . makes. me . smile.  I love her.

Sunshine loves me and Sarah Joy. She forwent a gift for her minister in order to gift Sarah Joy with an Ipad  prayerful with us all that this will be a huge part in Sarah Joy learning and receiving the tools to speak. The couple, I'll call them "Precious" gave from their hearts an incredible gift to our daughter and we are forever grateful ! Even GREATER is the action of GIVING that they have planted DEEP in our hearts to pass this giving on .... deep, sacrificial giving .... the kind that speaks to the hearts of the hungry... Sunshine and I have been in conversation , fasting , prayer and email with Apple in regards to this being provided for Sarah Joy...... we were hungry for results..... Fed, we are.. we have been given an Apple and hope.... Merry Christmas everyone... ! And we love you Precious !

Oh ! I must add... Precious ALSO gifted my Sunshine too ! They surprised her with an Ipad also ! Does this make you want to dig DEEP in your pocket and search out the ways to BLESS THE SOCKS off of someone !!!! Man, they left BIG prints on our lives..... and they WERE total strangers... NOW ... a part of our lives and Sarah's journey.. until we meet in person Precious... our love~

Twas the night before Christmas....sort of :)

Don't your love how just seeing October on the calendar makes your think of hay and pumpkins? I can just smell pineneedles ,hay and wet leaves. I could easily nod off to sleep with visions of camp sites,tents and fire rings dancing in my head :)...all just due to a turning of the page that says OCTOBER ....and as if those were not delicious thoughts all on their own...

We were just gifted a "Christmas in the Fall" ....can't wait to share....tomorrow :).....I want to create the suspense of the "night before thing"..... You'll LOVE this story and it's worth waiting for! We were just a part of an amazing act of generosity and techno goody giving...hint: I use the word "we" very loosely, actually it is a goody prayerfully to bring words to our sweet Sarah Joy....deliciously amazing...can't wait!

Ok...didn't see that one coming

Hummm...have you had those moments that come from nowhere and punch you in the gut ? It takes a while... A while to pull all of the energy back,your focus,purpose, direction and largely your PERSPECTIVE . Well, that's where I've been. September the 12th I typed out a mission to become current and photographically delivering again on our blog. With fresh vision that I had lacked for quite a while , I was committing to turn over a new leaf ...probably in respects to it being fall now in the states...I dutifully typed out my beginning post,hit the send button and received a skype call. The call was actually typed out and so there I was ....coffee,committed to better communication ,feeling pretty good about myself for follow through and read.....Have you heard about "dear friends" (names absent intentionally) ? No...! My first thought was the great ugly "D" word.. Divorce...no...not them too...Man!seriously Satan! .......typed back was..... " dear friends daughter was killed yesterday in an ATV accident....no details yet . Can you HEAR the pause ? Can you FEEL the vomit ? Oh God... Seriously?

A very generous gift was given to me... Two actually...My husband shewed me out the door for the next week to act on the other gift that was given me which was the ticket to be a part of......a piece of a family forever changing. Equally as beautiful but in the middle of the most intense pain I have ever witnessed personally. The LAST word they would ever chose would be "beautiful" ....I know...but they were and are. I don't know how two people and their son could give someone back to God more beautifully than they have.

Perspective piece : I can hear some now.... THIS is your Jesus? Who takes the life of a 15 year old girl only hours after arriving home from CHURCH ? Yes. THIS is who you radically and emotionally give your life over to ? This is the one you trust your children to?yes.

Sitting on the porch for a three day gift of time was sitting with Jesus for me.yea,yea...but HE killed her. He, your Jesus, snuffed a life of only 15 years...that's not fair! On ANY level.....to which I say," you are EXACTLY right! There is not one fair thing about it. But my decision, I will only speak for myself....I can and will stand on that, my decision to follow Jesus was a committment birthed out of rescue, redemption. It was not birthed out of a misguided idea that JESUS will rescue me from " life".... I make those decision...the "life" choices .... But who will carry me through this vommit causing,anger inducing ,head swimming madness of a life no longer here but there? Who? Everything else in front of me expired....my ticket to get home.... expired.The day light hours to sit at the feet of my precious friend.... expired, the coffee pot with it's false sense of energy.... expired,the time that I could allow being away from my children and husband.... expired.......ALL of it! Every earthly "out" of the hurt expired on me. A sweet friend gave me a CD by Ann Graham Lotz called Just Give Me Jesus. Water. Spiritual,eternal,thirst quenching ,madness raging squashing WATER......rescue.my answer for the furry...JESUS. Yes! Just give me Jesus ...." you can have ALL this world...just give me Jesus.". RESCUE.

Precious one reading this post....are you aching? Vommiting? Trying to function amongst the most intense pain you have ever known...known to man? I beg you to find a spot and say out loud....someone...ANYONE.....Give me Jesus! The beautiful thing is...well, ONE of the beautiful things is....you don't physically have to search out the "someone".just call out and he will come... I put my life on it AND the lives of my children. Precious person....you simply can't go wrong with JUST JESUS.

My love to you all and in regard to every hurt being endured today, may you find the pain being caressed,massaged ,stroked and cared for the one who answers to.....just JESUS.
M.E.

Going Back in Time....

Good morning ! I'm going to go "back in time" for the millionth time and get caught up on all of the going on's of our family of 8 living in Guatemala. Grace and Jacob just went to a 50's party and so I thought.... PERFECT place to start ~ enjoy your day.... enjoy your week.

I LOVE their spirit for life ! inspiring ...really .