catch up blog

Wow...it's been a few weeks since my last blog! Now I have to play catch up which is not easy...it's hard enough for me to remember what happened yesterday, let alone 5 weeks ago!  But...here goes!

After my last blog post, we returned to Watseka for about 2 weeks.  Man, that's a looooonnnnnnggggg drive!  It was so good to see everyone though.  It made my heart happy :) especially seeing all of the kiddos!  I was 'chompin' at the bit' to get back here though.  I felt very restless while in Illinois.  I needed to get back to the work here.  I guess that surprised me...how I felt.  I admit to being a bit selfish about my time...needing space...alone time...peace...good quality 'down' time.  Those things are not part of my life down here really!  And I know the Lord is changing me and I love that He does that almost without me realizing it.  (of course, as I type this, nobody is home...it's quiet except for the wind blowing through the window...ahhhhhh)

So, since we've been back here in Balmorhea, we have been so busy.  Tom & I discovered while talking during that looonnnggg drive back here that we both were more focused & determined to preach the gospel.  To preach the message of the cross as the only  means of victory.  During that first few weeks here, everything was new & very different for us...like another country.  We were trying to get settled and acclimated.  We were coming into a church body that was already established and so we were figuring out our place, I guess.  And it has been an adjustment on their side as well.  And...my quiet time is over...hahaha...I knew it would be short lived! (there are now 6 other children here besides our own...and here comes another down the road...haha)

Children's ministry is available to us pretty much every day.  We have the 'regulars' who are here almost every day.  Then there are the ones who come & go.  You never know from day to day who is going to show up.  It's so funny, one minute we look out the window and see certain kids & turn around and look again & there are more...or different ones...different ages...sometimes adults.  Yesterday I looked out at the basketball court and saw an adorable little 1 yr old girl toddling across it...with a teenager following closely behind, of course) This basketball court really draws people and what an opportunity it is for us!  Kids are just showing up, out of the blue, to hang out here.  But we don't want it to just be a good place to hang out...we are glad that we have a safe place for them to be, given the alternatives...but it is opening up opportunities to minister to the kids. 

So, we have a projector now!!  We introduced the kids to worship via the projector last week.   Then we introduced some of the adults to it at prayer on Thursday night.  It's new to all of them I think!  We have discovered just how incredibly spoiled we have been all of these years.   To be in a church where worship is so important and led by the Holy Spirit...where the intent is to worship Him for who He is and what He has already done for us...to know His Presence. Thank you, Erik & Sally, for seeking only to worship the Lord and glorify Him...for surrendering to His Spirit...for...oh my, I could go on & on...we have learned so much from you both!  Your focus is Jesus, not yourselves or your music...which sadly is very rare in the church today. 

We have been meeting in the church daily to pray. By we, I mean our family.  We have invited everyone in this church body to join us.  Whether they come or not, we will continue to pray. It has become such a sweet time and a time with the Lord that we must have!   We cannot do this work without Him!! 


Thank you all for praying for us!!

I am including some pictures of the children. We made homemade pizzas here at the church last Friday night and the kids loved it! I recruited 2 of the children to help, as you will see in the pictures. They are siblings, Scott & Elena. Please pray for them. Their circumstances are not good but we are loving them & telling them about the great love the Father has for them. The mother stopped here yesterday and said she would like to talk.  We are waiting to see if she comes back.  

Also, there are pictures of  our kids that we took on Easter Sunday.  

We love you all!