"A new thing"

"Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

"A new thing" this has been the a constant theme so far in this new year. God has been doing amazing new things. I am going to have to go back to the beginning of this year and hope I remember it all.
The year started out with a change in the air. God dealt with me about forgiveness. I have been a Christian nearly all my life you would think by now forgiveness would be easy. But I found it is easy to act forgiveness without really doing it, it still was eating at me as I was holding on to hurt from years ago, and as God worked on me, I got rid of the unforgiveness. He did a "new thing" in my heart and I thank God, He set me free again. He was also working on Yourgin about restoration. God has restored the relationships that had been hurt.
On the heals of this we then had a team from Arizona. We were able to go out an minister with them, blessing the people with food and the Word of God. God used this team then to do another "new thing", our road. When we built our house there was only a path to walk on from the main road, which is about a 1/4 mile. Those who helped build the house carried in the wood. It was a fitness program like no other. Since our home was built the road has inched closer, but the team from Arizona paid for our road to be extended all the way to our land. "I will even make a road in the wilderness."
The next "new thing" was Yourgin was asked to play worship and translate for Calvary Chapel Sonrise, and I was asked to translate for their women's bible study. We both said yes after we prayed if it is what God would have us do. It has been a stretch for me, I have translated many times in one on one situations but in front of all the ladies every week was a "new thing". God has given me the grace to do it and when I mess up and my tongue refuses to say certain words we all laugh. The next "new thing" was our well. We have lived here for four years without permanent water. We would catch rain water in big tanks and use it as wisely as possible. Sometimes water would be used 3 times (rinse clothes, wash clothes, flush toilet). When the summer would come and we had no rain, friends would help haul truckloads of water to our home. This year God decided it was time for a well. We had donations from various people and churches that made it possible. The well is 100 feet and we have fresh clean water. I thank God for this "river in the desert". Our lives have been changed forever.
Two more "new things" are our renters and the boys school. I put them together cause they go hand in hand. A couple from our church David and Dorcas, were looking for a place to rent, he is the missions pastor and she is a director of a school. We prayed about it and decided to offer our mission house to them for rent. They accepted and came to live here. Canaan was going to a very good, and very expensive school. We had some people sponsoring him to go. But there was no sponsor yet for Jordan and we were hoping to put him in school. As we talked with Dorcas and prayed we decided to put them both in her little public school. It is set up to be a bilingual school, they teach English, math and science in English. All the teachers except one are Christians. It is a simple little school. Canaan is flourishing there. Jordan is still trying to adjust, he is shy like I was when I was a child. The school does not have text books. I am praying for a Christian curriculum from the states for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades in English, math and science. I was told by someone don't get your hopes up that is a big dream, but I was reminded of Joseph and his dreams, they were BIG dreams. We have a BIG God! I believe that God can do a "new thing" in this little school. Just think if the children at this school get a Christian education what could happen to Honduras!
I want to thank God for "new things" He has done for us, and I hope that as you read this today that you will keep your eyes open for the "new thing" God wants to do in your life.

January 11th, Jordan turned 6 years old! We had a triangle cake and a pinata.Tucan at the butterfly garden.

Judah and Jordan feeding Honduran deer at the butterfly garden.

December 2010

December has gone so fast. Here is an overview of some things we did.

We went to Oakridge with Rita Prins, a dear friend of ours from California, and delivered Bibles, rice and beans for the members of a church.

There is a little story behind this though. Our friends Arlo and Rita came for 6 weeks. From the time they came we planned to go out and deliver the Bibles and food. But time went by and finally the last week they were here we were able to go. When we got there the pastor told us that they had been fasting and praying for 4 days in the church, one of the things they were asking God for was Bibles. It was wonderful to see how God answered their prayer so quickly. It also showed me that it was Gods timing. We had been thinking to go 6 weeks earlier, but it was Gods plan to strengthen their faith and our faith by waiting. Here is their church.
A lady receiving rice and beans for her family.

Some homes in Oakridge.

December 13th was Judah's Birthday!

Four years old!

Canaan's school had their annual Christmas Program.

Canaan and his buddies dressed up with cowboy hats, they did a little dance to a Honduran artist. His class did the best in my opinion. (what can I say I am a little bias.) I did a video but could not get it to load.

Julio, Canaan and Wilson.

Yourgin changed our light bulb. People often ask us how we change it, now you know.

We did a Christmas Nativity play with the children from our Bible class.

Iris a sweet little angel.Some of the kids before the play.The three wise men.
Venid y adoremos!
O Come Let us Adore Him!

It was a special time focusing on Jesus and the true story of His birth.

We ended with a pinata!

For Christmas we received two huge boxes from my mom and dad. We felt so spoiled. Each one got exactly what they asked for.

Canaan and his remote control car!

Jordan and his Dinosaurs! The biggest one he named Biggy and it sleeps tucked in beside him at night.
Judah got Woody Cowboy and Buz Lightyear!

We baked a turkey for our first time ever. It took a real long time, but sure was tasty. We shared with some neighbors. Also a young couple, she is pregnant and they have nothing. When I say nothing I mean NOTHING. I was shocked when I went in where they are renting all they had was a bed and their clothes. They are Christians and I believe that God has let us cross paths for a reason.

I pray as this New Year comes God would be glorified in us and through us.

Sunshine in the rain

Another rainy day. I am not complaining, believe me we have been without rain and it is much worse than to much rain. The rain is beautiful, we can see it come as it hits the ocean and brings a wall of water onto the land. Then we hear it as it pounds on all the metal roofs and the big leaves of the trees around us. The rain comes so hard that often little streams start to run off the mountains. It is a wonderful time. The life it brings to the plants, making them able to produce fruit and flowers. We need the rain, but we also need the sun.

The sun brings warmth, joy, growth, and rainbows. I love the when the sun comes out. After so many days of rain we really enjoy when there is a small break in the clouds and we see the sun.

Living here in Roatan when the rain comes people generally stay closer to home, sometimes we do not even have church service cause the rain is so hard. At first I could not understand this, but it actually makes sense. The majority of the people do not have cars and they have to walk to church, even with an umbrella you will get wet, and cold. So if it is pouring rain church is canceled, everyone just knows that. We often start feeling lonely and yearning for fellowship. One day a few days ago it was raining and we were feeling restless in the house. We needed to go somewhere even though we were risking getting soaked. So we decided to go visit some friends from our church we had not seen for a while. When we arrived we found that the ones we expected to be there were not, but that's ok cause we were happy to be out and about. There were two ladies and one the man who was there was sad, you could see it all over his face, even how he carried himself. Yourgin felt like he needed to share some verses with them, at first the man looked so bothered, like we had come to judge him, but as Yourgin shared the Bible with the small group the man's countenance started to change. Isn't the Word of God amazing! It comes like the rain from heaven, and does not return to Him void. He realized that we had not come to judge him but to lift him up and encourage him to keep running the race. We prayed together and afterwards he told us how he had been discouraged, he had not been able to work for days because he drives a boat and the sea had been to rough. Also he had been going through a hard time in his walk with the Lord and had been feeling discouraged for almost a month. As we went to leave he was smiling and at peace. Jesus had given him sunshine in the rain.

These are two of my little sunshines.

"For as the Rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but waster the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:10-11

Simple acts of obedience

Lately we have not been having any mission groups or any big events going on. As I spend time with God, He gives me small little jobs to do, I need to simply obey.

One of the little things I have done recently is visit a friend who had a baby. She had not returned to church yet and it had been more than 2 months since her baby was born. I went and encouraged her and as I was there another lady stopped in she also is from our church but had not been there for months. As we talked God gave me words to say to encourage them to come to church, how we are part of the body and each part is important. I was so excited to see when they both showed up at church on the weekend. It was God's plan and God's work I just simply obeyed.

Then later I was prompted to go and visit a little girl, Mensy. Some people from the states support her to go to school, she is a sweet little girl. When I got there she was washing clothes by hand, working her little head off. I talked to her about her school work. School has been very difficult for her, she did not go when she was little, now she is 13 and in 2nd grade, which is also hard on her emotionally. She told me she didn't do her homework cause she couldn't understand it. So I sat down with her and we completed all her homework in a half hour. She was so happy and relieved. I thank God I obeyed and went to see her.

Another little job I was given was to visit a friend of mine Jeydi. when I saw her future husband, (we always encourage them to get married) on the side of the road I told him I really wanted to see Jeydi. Two days later they called me and came to my house. It worked out perfectly that Yourgin and Chepe could talk outside and Jeydi and I could talk alone in the house while the kids all played together. She was able to tell me of her struggles and I could listen and pray for her. I do have to also say that I am very humbled by this special girl. They are poor people that live in a very poor area and yet she came bringing a gift for me. I was so humbled and I received it thankfully knowing the sacrifice that she was giving with a joyful heart. I pray that God will bless her abundantly and she will never lack food on her table.

As you can see I have been thinking a lot about obedience lately. Just simply obeying my Father. When He tells us something it may not seem that important to do but when we obey and look back we realize the lives that are touched by His love through these simple acts of obedience.

"Has the Lord a great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." 1Samuel 15:22

Are you not of more value than they?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil no spin and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?..... For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things...

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.... Matthew 6:28-30,32-34

Worry is something I am really good at. I worry about to much rain or not enough rain, hurricanes, if I really said what I meant to say, my children, mean neighbor dogs (I got bit the other day and still have a big bruise), the list goes on and on. It gives me comfort to see many verses in the Bible that talk about worry, cause I believe I am not the only one who struggles with it. We all have different worries, we all need to ask God to help us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness and cast our burdens on Him because He cares for us. We are much more valuable to Him than the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.

The flower in the picture above reminded me of these verses cause it only lasts one day, yet it was designed with such beauty. I took these photos in the morning and here is what it looks like at the end of the day...."Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26

Fishing with the family

Canaan only had school one day this last week so we all went fishing. The sea was so calm. I am thankful cause I easily get motion sickness.

The water is so clear and beautiful. We could look down at some of the coral heads below us and see bright little fish swimming around. But we weren't to interested in them we were looking for something to fry. This is a blue parrot fish. The color is so pretty right when they are caught. And guess what? These fish have pretty blue bones.

Judah loves the ride. Canaan and his yellow tail.
Patient fishermen.
Yourgin is teaching me and the boys how to fish Roatan style. They use a plastic bottle with a fishing line wrapped on it. It is actually very practical. I haven't quit got down how to cast to far, but Yourgin twirls it in the air and lets go and that hook goes way out there, then he sets the bottle down in the boat and when a fish grabs the bait the bottle makes noise, then he picks it up and reels it in. He caught so many fish.
While Yourgin cleaned the fish we went over by the mangroves so the boys could climb around and swim in the shallow water. Look how high they climb!
We caught enough fish that we gave some to two other families and still had enough for 5 meals for us. Yourgin cuts it up, seasons it and divides it into bags enough for a meal, and we put it in the freezer. We had a wonderful day enjoying Gods creation, and spending time together as a family.

Independance Day

September 15th is Independence Day in Honduras. To celebrate they have a parades. We went to three different parades on different days. The small children Kindergarten through 3rd grade from the schools in Coxen Hole, marched on the 13th. Canaan was a part of that march. It was so hot his t-shirt was wet with sweat when we got home. The little girls dress up in fancy dresses, like little princesses. The little boys did what boys do very well.....

Making a lot of noise, beating drums and blowing on whistles. This is one of our neighbor girls, Anita.

On the 14th we went to the parade in Sandy Bay, which is the small town that we live in. The children in this parade were from the Sandy Bay school which is Kindergarten through 6th grade. The day of this parade it poured rain. Everyone just waited for the rain to stop then quick ran out to do the parade.

The princesses represent each state of Honduras

Their shirts, gloves and socks are so white it is amazing.
Lining up for the march.
Umbrellas The drummers had practiced for weeks before the parade, we could hear them sometimes from our house. They did such a good job.We went to one more parade in Coxen Hole. It was on the 15th. It was all of the older kids like high school age. It was a lot of fun. I didn't get any photos on that day. But we enjoyed it so much. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Independence day.