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 . 

I DO....

I DID , I DO  and I'd do it again ....... Yes, I take this man to be my lawfully wedded husband ... to have and to hold.... for better , for worse, in sickness and in health ...until death do we part ~ Forever is a long long time and I couldn't  be more grateful ! 

Happy Birthday Jacob ! 

I can't believe that I have a 17 year old !!! Or .... maybe , it's that I can't believe that I have a 18 year old AND a 17 year old... hum.. maybe, it's that I can't believe that I have a child who is 17 today and giving "adoptional" ( is that a word :) birth to a 3 year old in 8 months or so..... life is funny.....NEVER dull and ALWAYS changing... Go out and change the world Jacob ! ~ God created you "for such a time as this". Can't WAIT to see who you become.

#7... We are beautifully blessed to share our newest ....

miss  Zheng Yu Xiang

you have a new name..... Naomi Rose  __?__Evans

Meet our newest addition... in our hearts she is already ours ! We are madly in love with our little white headed, blue eyed, pale skin angel waiting for us on the other side of the world ( talk about total torture!) 

Naomi is 3 years old and has albinism. That is why she is missing the "typical" dark hair, skin and eyes and instead has been given pearly white . We are just really learning about this genetic disorder ( blessing in our case ) . She captured out hearts literally the moment that we laid our eyes on her. Honestly, my heart stopped. I don't know how you could ever capture the voice of God and put it into words but without trying and simply putting it... the moment that I saw her.... she was mine. God said so. I've never needed to know about albinism (obviously we are learning so that we can give her the moon and back that she might need) , I never stopped to question that she is 3, I don't need to know what her correct vision is and the other things that come packaged with this box o treasure.... she's just mine... born in this mama 's heart the moment that I saw her. Our love for her allows us to wait until we gather money, paperwork, plane tickets and political approval. 

Naomi Rose, 

Our deepest love to you tiny angel .... you are no longer abandoned but found. No longer alone but part of a family. You have been given a daddy, mama and brothers and sisters. You have amazing grandparents who can't wait to spoil you rotten. You have a home instead of an orphanage..... you have the heart of a father placed inside of you and we can't wait to watch it all unfold... to watch you blossom into who you were intended to be... may you rest well tonight, have plenty to eat and be warm. Hang on.... we're coming for you honey. 

love you to the moon and back, 

Daddy and mama.

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?????????

Happy Birthday Coop! 18~ wow

Happy Birthday Cooper.... I cannot believe that we have enjoyed you for 18 years ! What a joy you are to us all ~ Have a wonderful day and a blessed future. Keep seeking after God, keep your camera going and take others on your journey with you and God through Guatemala and wherever else your road takes you. You have all of our love and blessings!
~mom