Some things I've learned.....

We have lived here on the Mission Field for almost 4 months. I still have so much to learn but I have learned a few things. So, I thought I'd share!

I've learned:

~Citronella is not my favorite candle scent!

~Contrary to popular belief, sweating does not make you lose weight.

~IF I believed in "Rain Dances" mine would simply be to hang fresh laundry on the clothesline.
Works everytime!

~To not panic at the sight of a flying cockroach, a swarm of mosquitos, a mile long trail of ants leading to my countertop, or a pack of large, teal lizards with long, scaly tails.

~That I can kill huge cockroaches without screaming for my husband.

~That sliced bread and real milk are two of life's true treats.

~That it takes more than 4 months to learn to convert measurements of grams, km, and liters.

~I can survive without my blow-dryer, curling iron and flat iron.

~I can't survive without anit-frizz serum, spray curling gel and hairspray!

~That I will never get used to crunchy, stiff towels off the clothesline.

~How to use the low gear, four wheel drive and the emergency break all at the same time!

~There are many other fruits beyond the apple, orange and banana.

~Sliding down a steep mountain, in the rain, backwards in a car is a VERY SCARY THING!

~To never plug in ANYTHING without checking first with Patrick or Josh to see if I need a converter or adaptor.

~Your family is your most important treasure.

~Watching someone draw closer to the Lord is a precious sight.

~There isn't any other way to work in the ministry, except as a family!

~Starting a church out of your home takes a lot of work!

~God has your tomorrow in His hands.

A Good Surprise

Last week we confirmed our little surprise that I had been suspecting for about 2 weeks....Baby #6 is on the way!!! We are due sometime in April. Morning sickness has hit, but I do not know why I typed the morning part. So far I have felt queasy just about all day! We are excited (and a little overwhelmed) about the new blessing God has given to us!

What was in that Special Box?

So....last post I mentioned there as a very special box in our last shipment. Here's a little hint:

We went from this:

To This:

I know I've mentioned it before, but we have the most sweetest and thoughtful home church a missionary family could ever ask for. When they heard Patrick and Josh had been cutting our grass, and keeping our yard trim with a Machete, they bought and shipped us a Weedeater! And not just any weedeater, they bought us the best! Patrick and Josh are loving it! Of course, the guys love anything that makes some noise and has a motor on it! Our yard looks wonderful, and it doesn't take all day to do with a backache at the end!

We love you Winkler! You all truly are the best!

Our Never-Ending Saga of Shipments (This is #4!)

Finally we received our 4th shipment! Just like when our other things arrived, this time felt like Christmas, too!

Our instruments! yay! We unpacked our violin, flute, guitar, mandolin, and piano. We can't wait to have music at our Sunday Bible Studies!

See the big box on top of the car? It's my sewing table! Yay! I love having my sewing set up and ready for me to sit and sew and create whenever I have a free quick minute. We were also very excited when Josh brought in our carpet!

The moment we brought in the rug, Callie immediately got down and started rolling all over it. Poor baby, I don't think she knew what a carpet is! (We have all tile). We decided to go with the not-exactly-the-way-a-decorator-would-do-it look for positioning the rug. Instead of arranging it neatly under our coffee table, we put it under just a little and left most of the rug uncovered. This way my Callie can feel the soft rug under her toes. (And the rest of us have been on it quite a bit, too!)

Brenna and Josh were excited to receive their birthday gifts from my parents. Our original plan was to have this box sent ahead of time. I told my parents my to send it with our stuff, but we ended up sending out our shipment much later than planned. Even though it was late, the kids felt like they got to have their birthday all over again!

In the box with Josh and Brenna's gifts were also some goodies from my Mom (Love you Mom, you're the best!) and some sweet gifts and notes from our home church. It's amazing how God works. One of Josh's gifts was a CD he had been wanting from Golden State Baptist College. Of course he put it in right away. By the time we got to the notes and gifts from our home church there was a song playing that just fit the moment perfect. It said:

He's already in your tomorrow

He's walking one step ahead

He'll never leave you lonely

In the land of the great unknown

He's already in your tomorrow

Don't be afraid, Keep pressing on.

What a blessing that was to me! God knew exactly when I needed those sweet notes and to know there are people praying on our behalf!

There was also another very special box we received in this shipment.....But I'll save that for the next post! :o)

So proud of her!

I am so proud of my Elisabeth! For our Sunday night service we do a variety of things. Sometimes Patrick will preach or give a Bible Study, sometimes Josh will. Other times we listen to a preaching DVD or CD. Well, my brother in law William made sure we were stocked up on David Gibbs CD's before we left. About 2 months ago we listened to a great message and one of the points was on Mega-Dosing on the Word of God. It really spoke to all of our hearts. Elisabeth made a commitment to read through her Bible in 60 days. That's a lot of reading per day! She read in the morning, afternoon, evening, and after I tucked her in. She read inside, outside, in the car, and at the beach. She truly mega-dosed!

August 4th marked the 60 day mark....and she finished!

I'm so proud of my girl. What an achievement!

Happy 12th Birthday to my Brenna

We celebrated Brenna's 12th birthday July 6th. I know I say this all the time, but...Wow! Time really does fly! It seems like only a few weeks ago we were welcoming our baby girl into the world. What a fun birth! She was our 2nd homebirth, and she was very very fast! Just like Beth, she came too quick and Patrick had to deliver her. I was so glad Mom and Tay were able to be there and share the experience with us. (Although I think Tay paced the whole time, so she probably missed most of it!)

For her birthday Brenna wanted to go Snorkeling. She's just learning how, but she is really enjoying it. Patrick blew up our big boat and took Josh, Beth and Brenna out to some great snorkeling seas. Silas, Callie, and I stayed on the shore, played in the water, threw rocks in the water (that's Silas's favorite part) and ate a whole canister of cheese balls! It was great!

Patrick and Josh led the boat through the deep water for the girls. They smiled for the picture, but after that they had their head over the side of the boat looking at all of the fish.

After our beach time, Beth, Brenna, and I had some girl time. Love my girl time with my girls! We took Brenna to LeSelect to get three hamburgers, fries, and cokes. Brenna loves her Cokes! Brenna decided to have our lunch at a gazebo by the harbor of Gustavia. We laughed and giggled, and chowed down on some excellent burgers!!

Then, after Apple Pie for Brenna's birthday, Brenna got out her new birthday gift...more acrylic paints. She painted away the afternoon and enjoyed her time of relaxing.

Happy Birthday to my Brenna! I love you lots and lots!

Is it just me?

Is it just me or is this sign kind of pointing at my front gate? Hhhmmmm :o)