Oh my gosh it has been awhile!!!!

Here is the deal: my internet connection sucks! We do not have internet where we live and I have to go to the next town over to an internet cafe. Not a big deal if I did not have four little leeches following me around all the time and wanting to touch everything... Brock and I have tried to work out an arangment for me to take a turn going into town for e-mail and he watch the kids, but we have not worked anything out yet. So we are still working things out! Not that hubby is not willing, but we have a lot going on with the church plant and all.

Here is a summary: Brock and I worked at Camp Koinonia until August 12 of this year then we had a ministry change. Before the change we did Father/Son Retreat, Specialized Church Retreats, hosted work teams, HomeSchool Retreat, MK Retreats, and many small one day events. Tucker and Silas were in pre-K and loving it. I enjoyed meeting other moms and hanging out with them. We also started attending the Bible Studies that Enrique and Blanca were doing with the neighbors. We grew to love the discipleship and evangelism. Then during the last part of June we started full time planning for summer camps. The whole month of July was summer camps. Lots of work and lots of fun. When that was over we had a work team that wanted to do a medical caravan. Again lots of work, but the Lord did not give us more than what we could handle! After I hosted a women's retreat for the Bible Churches!!! I love these events!

Then we changed over to church planting. We are evangelising, discipling and having fun!!! I have been teaching the kids while Brock has been helping Enrique teach the adults. Now all three boys go to pre-K and are loving it!!!

And our story goes on and on!!!!

Christmas 2008

we had a great time all together after just a year and a few months apart, but so much had happened it felt like years...

Family is great!! I will miss them terribly!

In-Laws

My in-laws stopped by for a couple of days on their way back to Dallas. My kids had a great time with them here. Brock was thrilled! One really neat thing about having my in-laws here in New Oreans is that they are good friends with my parents. They have known each other before Brock and I were even thought of! They have a neat relationship and enjoy spending time together. It is fun to see all four of them sitting around the living room enjoying each others company and watching their grandkids.

They left to go back to Dallas, TX. They moved their back in September from Canada. It is nice to have them a bit closer to Mexico!

Daphne

My sister and her family ended up being here for about 10 days around Christmas. It was great! Now that she is living in Guatemala we do not have the same quality of communication with each other that we were used to. It is hard knowing that she does not understand or even know a lot in my everyday life. My kids got to know their aunt again and their cousins. I love watching everyone interact.

We did not have any long heart to heart talks late at night. But we did 'live' our life together for a short time. We did talk a bunch and played catch-up while each watched four kids.

She was their to encourage and help settle some fears about Annie's surgery. Show me love and compassion while I was in the hospital. Remind me to have fun with my babies even when life is hectic. Remind me how to be carefree with as much as possible in my life. Remind me that life can be good even when God is teaching me lessons. So many things that a big sister is good for! I love her so much! We both fell apart when we had to say goodbye. We hope and pray that we will see each other again soon, but ther are no plans as of right now. It is hard to get vacation times and money availability to match.

I don't know how many times that I have prayed that the Lord would have us minister in the same area! For right now God has us in different ministires in different countries. Each with different passions and talents! I miss the friendship and pray that this year of 2009 I will be able to have some means of communication (phone or internet) at the camp to be able to stay envolved in my big sister's life (and other people's too!).

Love ya Daphne and I don't know what my life would be without you!!

We are still alive...

and acctually surviving! Life has been a little tough for the last few weeks. I have hung in there, but am glad that life has settled down a bit! After Annie's surgery I tried to spend as much time as possible with my sister and her family because we only had a few days together. Plus keeping up with Annie's needs.

Her stiches have fallen out now and her mouth looks great! There is a scar there, but it is nice and neat.

We go back to the ENT and plastic surgeon this week to make sure that everything is healing just right. After that we are going to head back to Mexico!! It will be nice to be back in a normal way of life.

Annie is a joy

We are hanging in there. Annie's swelling has gone down and she looks like my little girl again! She does not seem to be in much pain anymore and healing up well.

Sleeping through the night is not happeneing... Annnie has been getting up anywhere from 2-6am wanting comfort. If I hold her she usually falls back asleep for several hours. She is also getting a bit frustrated with the arm braces she has to wear, her ears have been itching a lot(from the tubes), does not like eating only baby foods, and wants to be help most of the time. I think she is on the verge of being spoiled, but I cannot help it knowing that she does not life is hard for her right now...

She is calling me again so I better go tend to her.

More later

New Orleans and Annie

well Brock, Annie and I went to a doctors appointment today. there was a lot in information that they gave up and now it is all sinking in. we met with the Cleft Team, that means that we just sit in a room and all the doctors take turns coming to visit us.

it is a lot more involved than I had thought at first. she will end up having most of her palate cut out, the muscles lowered down into the right place, her uvilia sewn back together, and all the wholes filled in. the recovery will be a couple of weeks with arms strapped down to braces, no solids, no bottles, no toys or pacifiers in mouth.

it will be tuff seeing my little baby hurting and recovering, but it really helps knowing that it is for her good!