A Week in the Dominican Republic

A couple of weeks ago I returned from spending nine days in the Dominican Republic. The main purpose of my trip was to be a part of a short-term missions team comprised of members of a few churches in southeast Alabama. The trip, organized by a former IMB missionary to the Dominican Republic, was a planned project involving three local Dominican churches doing what we call saturation evangelism.

Saturation evangelism is a method of establishing and nurturing relationships within a community for the sake of earning the right to share the Gospel. It is a common and proven practice among our field missionaries, except in our case, weeks, or even months of relationship-building had to be compressed into a few days.

We worked with these three churches in three distinct and diverse communities, and I am pleased to report that the Holy Spirit had preceded us in each one. Countless lives were touched and many souls born into the kingdom. The churches were encouraged to see God at work in the members as they shred their faith. Physical and medical needs were met and the love of Christ was shown in a real and tangible way.

I was particularly impressed with the passion and missionary zeal of our interpreters, every one evangelists in their own right, both eager and quite capable in spreading the Good News. I believe the Dominican church is in good hands and I look forward to many more exciting reports to come from all of my new Facebook friends.

A special highlight for me was to be able to fly down a couple of days before the team and spend a little time with our dear friends the Gillens. I had not seen them in the nearly two years since we all finished language school in Costa Rica, and it was a joy to see their miracle baby as well. Baby Addie is another story for another day.

Too much happens on an intense trip like this to recount, so I have included a little musical slideshow crafted by a fellow traveler to help tell the story. I hope the many smiling faces convey the joy of the Lord we found so prevalent among the people of the Dominican Republic.

Dad's Life

Love this video! Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads. Ken is in the Dominican Republic this week with a mission team, so this is dedicated to him. We miss you and we promise to keep our "peanut butter hands off your 50" vizio" while you're gone!

Can I be real?

It has now been a year since we returned to the states from living overseas. So much has happened in this short amount of time it really feels like it has been much longer. Strangely enough it still feels foreign to us to be here. I guess there is a piece of us still there that will never belong here, no matter where "home" for us may be.

Just last weekend we were able to spend some time with some old friends from Ecuador that served with us, but spent many more years as missionaries than we did. As I talked with them I saw that they too struggle with many of the feelings we have. In some ways it is almost like mourning the loss of something that was once a part of you. And, although we know that regardless of where we live we will always be missionaries, we know in our heart that not all mission fields feel like "home".

So this is a shout out to all of our old missionary friends either living on the field, returning from the field, retired from the field...can I be real? Do you ever stop feeling that hole deep inside for the people and places that you served? Is this a unique feeling, or is it just me? I am just curious, because as the year has passed I feel that this has not abated at all and I wonder if it is a singular feeling or if it is something universal felt by all former missionaries. Please feel free to be real with me too.

Spring Break at Disney

To Let Go

My little boy, Cade, turns 5 this week. I look at him and no longer see the little baby or toddler that he was, but a big boy that now has taken his place. Although he will always be my baby, I know that I need to let go of the notion of treating him like my baby and allow him to grow up some. This was much easier to do with Connor and Kayleigh as I knew they were not the last I would experience those "firsts" with.

I remember the first time Connor lost a tooth. He was so excited when he found a letter from the "tooth fairy" under his pillow and money to spend. Now that he personally knows this tooth fairy it is not quite the same when he loses his teeth and with only 2 more to lose, I know pretty soon that part of his childhood will be gone.

Kayleigh's first day to take the bus will always be so memorable for me. She looked so excited as she stepped up to get on the big yellow school bus. Of course when she came back home I had not expected her to run to me with tears in her eyes saying that the bus was too loud with too many kids on it! It took some coaxing to get her back on, but she soon grew to love her bus driver and all the other kids on the bus.

And so this week it was time to take the training wheels off of Cade's bike. This first for me was a little bit harder knowing it gave him that extra step towards independence, but his enthusiasm was contagious and so off we went to explore the new world of two-wheel riding. It seemed like I really didn't need to hold on to him for long, and as soon as I let go he was flying solo down the street with a grin on his face and shouts of joy as he said "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" I knew he could. I just needed to let go.

On Letting Go

To "let go" does not mean to stop caring.
It means I can't do it for someone else.

To "let go" is not to cut myself off.
It's the realization that I can't control another.

To "let go" is to admit powerlessness,
which means the outcome is not in my hands, but in God's.

To "let go" is not to try to change or blame another.
It's to make the most of myself and let God make the changes.

To "let go" is not to care for, but to care about.

To "let go" is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To "let go" is not to be in the middle, arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their own destinies.

To "let go" is not to deny, but to accept.

To "let go" is not to nag, scold, or argue,
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.

To "let go" is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To "let go" is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

To "let go" is to fear less and to love more.

He Is Risen!

DaySpring E-Cards

DaySpring E-Cards

The message is simple and profound. Happy Easter everyone.

All Things Are Possible

I recently came accross this video that to me is such a beautiful example of not allowing our present circumstances to dictate what God can do through us. Enjoy!



Her name is Zheng Guigui, she's 19 and from Henan Province in China. She was born with no fingers on her right hand and only started playing piano three years ago.

Home Sweet Home....sort of

   Well, things have been crazy here at the Nelson house, so I apologize for the lack of blogging on my part.  We closed on a house a month ago and are just moving in now.  There was a big incident with a plumber and flooding and a hot water heater.  New carpet, flooring, etc... later and I can now say we are officially living at the house.  It is still a work in progress, but we hope to be settled in by mid-April.

   For us it is a joy to finally have a place to call home after having several temporary homes over the last 3 years.  And yet we still feel in many ways that we are not quite home, since we have no neighbors (we are the first ones in the subdivision), or friends here in town yet.  It is times like these we really miss our missionary friends from Ecuador and Costa Rica, and I especially miss my buddy Teena. 

  Since our family can't break away to come stay with us, we want to invite all our friends to come visit.  We have lots of room and the kids would love to have some friends to play with.  You really would not be imposing at all.  In fact, it would be a blessing to have you here.  So ya'll come now, ya' hear?

Girl's Night Out

Last night Teena and I went to the Anita Renfroe/Mandisa Girl's Night out Concert. It was a blast! So, for your viewing pleasure I have embedded a few, so grab a glass of big ol' sweet ice tea and enjoy!

Dothan Loves Out Loud

   

Dothan's Love Out Loud



 Yesterday Ken had a wonderful opportunity to work with Hispanics in the area through a new outreach here in Dothan called "Love Out Loud".  This was a joint effort between the Columbia Baptist Association which represents many Baptist churches here in the Wiregrass area and the Dothan Rescue Mission.  The purpose of this effort was to minister to the people of Dothan in need of help through the food pantry, medical care, dental care, and even family portraits for those that wanted them.  This event had more than 400 volunteers and reached over 3,000 people from this area. 

 


Lunch is served



Ken was a part of the team that met the needs of the Hispanic people in the area.  Because of the area farms there are many Latino migrant workers living in this area and Ken saw firsthand the great needs these people have.  Bags of groceries, clothing, medical screenings, dental care, and even a professional family photo was offered to all of those that came through the registration area.  Ken said as a translator he heard many moving stories of the difficulties being faced by area residents during these tough economic times.  What made this ministry unique though was the fact that every single one of these people were given a gospel presentation before leaving.  We do not know yet how many people made professions of faith, but there are follow-ups being planned by community churches in efforts to try to plug people in for discipleship and to make a more long-term commitment to these people.

http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/Love_Out_Loud_116541373.html
 


Food distribution

 

Ken told of one story in partcular about a teenage girl that had a new baby with her.  Her boyfriend was recently deported and now she is looking at being homeless very soon.  Until now she has been staying with family of the boyfriend, but this arrangement is about to go away.  Our sister Hispanic Church "Calvario" has reached out to this woman to try and help her not just physically, but also spiritually as she sees God's love in a very real way.



The lines continued throughout the day



We are so excited to see what God is doing in this community among the Hispanics.  Please pray for Ken as he continues to work with our church to start a new church in the neighboring town of Slocomb in the homes of two Hispanic families.  Also please pray for guidance from the Lord concerning Ken being in full-time ministry in this area.  We see such a great need and know God has a plan.  We just want to be in the center of His will about where He wants us to serve Him.

Evangelism and Statistics

I recently read a statistic from a well-known evangelist stating that nonbelievers must hear the Gospel an average of 7.6 times before they receive it. While nearly every case of repentance recorded in the New Testament would seem to dispute this figure, I am confident that it was arrived at through valid surveys and interviews. So, it follows that on average most former nonbelievers will have heard the Gospel on various occasions and from various people before coming to faith in Christ. And that is where we come in. We never know which encounter will be ours. We may present the Gospel to someone for the first time or the tenth time. We may never know, but our obedience in sharing is all that matters. I say this to encourage people who have taken that step to witness to others and have never personally seen anyone come to Christ as a result. Every encounter is vital.

However, from time to time we need to see the culmination of the Holy Spirit’s working in someone’s heart. This is certainly true for me. Though we know God’s Word never returns void, it doesn’t hurt to actually see it once in a while through a life transformed and a soul retrieved from darkness and hopelessness.

This week Kirsten and I, along with our Sunday morning Bible study teacher, got to experience what for evangelical Christians is nothing short of an adrenaline rush unmatched by any extreme sport. Sometimes, the Lord presents us with a person who is so primed and ready to receive Christ that they are ahead of us. I mean to say that they began professing faith in Christ and repentance of sins before we can get that far in our “presentation.”

Wednesday evening we dropped in on the home of a young couple who had recently visited our church as a result of their children attending through a bus ministry in their neighborhood. As we arrived, we were welcomed in and spoke for a few minutes about their recent visit and their children’s attendance. The conversation quickly turned to their own spiritual journey, and before we knew it we were on our knees in their home praying with this young man. When asked if he would like to give his heart to Jesus, he did not hesitate in replying yes. We were almost caught off-guard as we expected some hesitancy or some line of questioning that may lead us down a rabbit trail. We were mistaken. God had brought this young man to this point through other means and other people and here we were, looking at fruit ripe for picking. We simply kneeled and prayed, in awe of the power of the Holy Spirit who had preceded us.

While every encounter certainly does not end this way, perhaps one of every 7.6 encounters will. It is not the statistic we rely on, but the promise that His Word will not return void. Diligence and consistency are needed in our endeavors to share Christ’s love and plan for salvation at every chance we get and with everyone we can, both in word as well as deed.

I also read another sobering statistic - that less than 5% of born-again Christians ever share their faith with others. I repeat – EVER. For many years I lived as one of the other 95%. I have learned something in recent years that I never fully grasped before. There is no greater joy in the Christian life than the joy of sharing the hope that is in us. No other activity buoys our faith, our enthusiasm, and our gratitude for what Christ has done for us than to share it with others. It is a sure way to rekindle our love and desire for God. We must never get past the experience of salvation. If we move beyond the cross in our lives as Christians we have strayed. It is simply something we cannot afford to “get over.”

Trust me, one experience like the one I just described is enough to carry you through a host of less than positive encounters. Our success as ambassadors of Christ is not found in the results, but in the obedience we demonstrate. The results are not up to us anyway. What is in our control is that obedience. That aspect we can surely do something about.

God Is With Us

I made this video last year while we were serving in Ecuador. I still believe it is the perfect Christmas song, so I am sharing it again this year. We pray each of you has a very Merry Christmas!

Baptism

Ken had the wonderful privilege of baptizing Kayleigh over the Thanksgiving weekend.  I wanted to share these photos with everyone.  It was such a blessing for our family.

In The Words of Satan

Tonight we watched this video at church. As I listened (and read) the words it really hit home to me all of the lies we hear in today's culture. How many times have we been criticized for saying that there is right and wrong as others claim that it is intolerant of us to say such things? How often have we been told we are judgemental just because we believe in the Truth that is found in the Bible and do not accept that there are "many ways" to heaven and that "if it feels good it's OK." Anyway, this is performed by the group from South Africa called "The Arrows". In their own words they said they wrote it "to expose the lies that Satan weaves around families and people's lives in the hope that if we illustrated it plainly, that people would identify themselves somewhere in it and be set free....Our hope was that people would feel God's redemptive power, victorious over anything else."

Monster Mash

Here are some photos from our Halloween weekend with the Marcum family in Orlando.  It was a Mash!

A Passion for Pink

Recently I started working odd shifts at the hospital in order to cover the rooms in the afternoons.  I was lamenting this fact as it affords me much less time with the kids and makes life a bit harder for Ken in the evenings to study.  One particular day I came in late only to find out I had to take care of a patient that had been bleeding for a few days due to an abortion gone wrong.  When I was first talking to her in pre-op, trying to get the facts so I could get an idea of her health history, etc..., she seemed very brave and not just a little defensive, asking lots of questions, especially about why she needed to go to sleep for her procedure instead of just taking another pill or something like she did before for her abortion.  I explained to her better the procedure, risks, and why it was advisable to have anesthesia.  She said OK and I went to check on something in another room. 

When I returned the other two nurses standing around were closing the curtain and I assumed she might be trying to sleep.  A few seconds later I could hear her softly crying.  I asked the nurses if she was crying and they nodded yes and walked away.  I now knew why I had to work the late shift that day.  I went to see her and told her that I felt God wanted me to tell her that He loves her.  That although she is confused and hurting, He can give her peace.  We talked for a while about what she was going through.  I asked her if I could pray for her and she said yes.  I prayed with her and through the prayer shared the gospel with her, telling her of the great love God had for her by sending His Son to die for her so she can be forgiven.  It was a rare moment that I have time with a patient like that, but I knew it was God-appointed and I continue to pray for that girl who is so like many of the other girls I saw when I was a counselor at Sav-a-Life.

This month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Statistics say that over 465,000 women die each year worldwide from breast cancer.    This means that approximately 1 in 35 women will die in their lifetime from this disease. They say that awareness is changing these numbers and dramatically bringing down the number of deaths due to early detection and prevention.  Everywhere you go you see pink this month, at the store, at school, the restaurants, even the NFL is wearing pink.  It seems that everyone wants to do their part to save women's lives.

So what about the life of an unborn baby?  Statistics say that 1.37 million babies are aborted each year in the U.S.  Worldwide the number is staggering - 42 million babies die each year.  That is over 90 times more deaths than breast cancer every year!  In the world 1 in 4 women will have an abortion in their lifetime.  In countries like Russia and China the number is even greater with each woman having an average of 4 abortions during her lifetime.  Closer to home, in New York, 7 out of every 10 pregnancies end in abortion.

So why is there never talk of this?  Why do we not have awareness made of this?  If cancer kills, does not abortion do the same?  If we love our women enough to wear pink and tell them to get their "girls" checked regularly, do we not love our children and babies enough to tell women that abortion stops a beating heart?  How about the fact that these women are never the same again?  I have never, ever met a woman that 5-10 years down the road was happy she had an abortion.  Never.  In fact, these women live with a guilt for the rest of their lives that even becoming saved and knowing Jesus paid the price for that sin still haunts them many times.  Substance abuse among women who have had an abortion is 4 times more likely than a woman who has never had an abortion.  Intrestingly enough studies have also shown that abortion raises a woman's chance of having breast cancer by 12.5 % due to abrupt hormonal changes.   Approximately 1 in 100 women procuring an abortion is expected to die as a result of abortion-induced breast cancer.



So what can we do?  Here are 12 practical suggestions that can make a difference:

1. Pray daily for an end to abortion, for women tempted to have abortions, for doctors and nurses, for legislators, for clergy, for those who work in the pro-life movement, and for those who do not realize how wrong abortion is.


2. Wear the "Precious Feet" pin which shows the baby’s feet at 10 weeks after conception. (Available from Heritage House 800-858-30470.) You can also wear the pro-life red rose.

3. Use pro-life pins, decals, envelopes, bumper stickers, T-shirts, posters, etc.

4. Take part in pro-life street activities such as Life Chains, prayer vigils, literature distribution,  and sidewalk counseling. Attend the Annual January 22 March for Life, Washington DC (Call 202-LIFE-377).

5. Use checks which carry a pro-life message. Contact Identity Check Printers, Box 818, Park Ridge, IL 60068 (Call 708-PRO-BABY).

6. Speak up with courage and charity in defense of pre-born babies.  Do not be afriad to speak your beliefs in love with coworkers or friends.

7. Find out your doctor’s position on abortion. If he/she does abortions, express your disapproval by switching to a pro-life doctor. If a hospital near you does abortions, express your disapproval and use another hospital.

8. Distribute pro-life literature in public places, through the mail, on cars, etc.

9. Help to counsel women who are tempted to have abortions.

10. Support a local Crisis Pregnancy Center with donations of baby/maternity clothes and other needed items. If there is not a center near you, help to start one.
11. Find out whether candidates running for public office support abortion. Help with voter registration and education.

12. If you know someone that has had an abortion, spread the word that forgiveness, healing, counseling, and support groups are available for women who have had abortions. Call the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing at 1-800-5-WE-CARE

Above all, I ask that anyone who knows someone who has had an abortion, please show God's love.  These women cannot undo what has already been done, and they need to know that we serve a Lord that loves and forgives if they are willing to be forgiven and accept Him as Lord of their lives.  I cannot tell you how important that is in the life of someone that is hurting from abortion. 

I myself have lost a grandmother to breast cancer.  She died shortly before my birth and I wonder if the special attention paid now to detection and prevention would have prevented her death.  I also wonder how many babies' lives could be saved if we had the same passion for the unborn as we do for breast cancer awareness.

Stats and helpful info I used for this blog:
www.abortionbreastcancer.com/The_Link.html
www.afterabortion.org/drugs.html
www.cpforlife.org/truth_about_abortion.htm
www.forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=249547

Peace in Troubling Times

I have been very bad lately about blogging. I apologize, but alas I did not have much inspiration lately as I have been mainly busy with work and life and knew that would not make for very interesting reading to anyone.

This last week however was special as we had some friends stay with us for a week from the mission field. They came with their 3 children to renew their passports and then return to the field. We were happy to have the opportunity to spend time with them again as we haven't seen them since language school. We were glad they were able to spend some good time resting and decompressing (something m's don't really get to do very often when they don't live near any other people from their own culture). Anyway, they are back in their place of service and we continue to pray for their ministry and health as the wife is struggling with some health issues currently.

Shortly after our friends left we learned of some developing problems in our former city of service, Quito, Ecuador. Apparently the police began a strike this week which involved an attempt to control the president. We lived literally 2-3 miles away from the hospital where much of this took place. Our friend Guy Muse put some of the details on his blog which you can check out below.

http://guymuse.blogspot.com/2010/10/sad-day-for-ecuador.html

Although we are not big fans of Correa's agenda and his method of leadership, it was sad to see the police allow this situation to become so dangerous for the people, with lawlessness and looting in the streets. A friend of mine who lives in Guayaquil told me on Facebook that she had friends who had lost everything in their stores within minutes of when the police started their strike. To me it shows that man is truly born of a sin nature and it is only through the grace of God and His divine intervention in our lives that we can live any differently from those who do not know Him.

Please take the time today to pray for Ecuador, the people, and the missionaries there that seek to share the gospel in a place torn by political strife, poverty, and such an obvious need for the Lord.


Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6

Dog Days of Summer

It's hard to believe, but summer is almost over. Funny though, no one told the weather here in Florida. I think the heat index was 101 today. I called Ken during my lunch break and he sounded a little winded. I said, "What are you doing?" He said, "Running." I said, "From who?" knowing that #1 He hates running and #2 It is hot outside! He assured me that it was overcast and he wouldn't get heat stroke.

Some batting advice from big sis.

With the fall comes fall baseball, so I am enclosing a few pics of our boys playing with their new teams. Connor's team is the Red Sox and Cade's is the Marlins. They seem to be enjoying the game, but it has been a little interesting to get back into sports in the US.

Batter up!

It was so much more low-key in Costa Rica and Ecuador. Here they want to practice 3 times a week for 1-2 hours including late on school nights. And this league calls itself laid back. I guess maybe it is if your kid is going to be playing in the minors instead of the majors, huh?

Running home!

No One Laughs

I heard a song on the radio the other day. It really hit home. I have found that South Florida is really more of a mission field than Central or South America were. Why you may ask? Here everyone talks about God, but it is usually to use His name in vain, to make a joke, or to use His name like a lucky charm. A man that helped move our crate in told Ken this amazing story about how God had used someone to save him from throwing himself off a bridge during rush hour traffic and then took him to a phone booth and called the number for the man's wife and then left. This was a stranger he did not know and never even told he had a wife he had been separated from. It was an obvious intervention from the Lord and this man said he had committed his life to the Lord since then. After this amazing testimony the man then talked about how he needed some money and he was praying that God would bless him as he went to do some betting at the casino.

I am using My Utmost for His Highest right now as a devotional reading and today's lesson talked about prayer and how so often "we look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves when the Bible's idea of prayer is that we may get to know God himself." And so I think this song is very relevant in today's culture where people often look on the idea of prayer and a relationship with God as amusing or even laughable until tragedy strikes in their lives. It is relevant in a culture where people pray for God to change their circumstances instead of praying that God changes them.

Here is the video by Regina Spektor and following that are the words if you want to read them.




No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’re starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one’s laughing at God
When it’s gotten real late
And their kid’s not back from the party yet

No one laughs at God
When their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one’s laughing at God
When they see the one they love, hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they’re mistaken

No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one’s laughing at God
When there’s a famine or fire or flood

But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious
Ha ha
Ha ha

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one’s laughing at God
When they’ve lost all they’ve got
And they don’t know what for

No one laughs at God on the day they realize
That the last sight they’ll ever see is a pair of hateful eyes
No one’s laughing at God when they’re saying their goodbyes
But God can be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God-themed joke, or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they’re ‘bout to choke
God can be funny,
When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God in a hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war
No one's laughing at God when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We’re all laughing with God

Daydreaming Boy

Well, I could not do videos for Cade and Kayleigh without also doing one for Connor's birthday too which is on August 16th. So, here is my video for Connor. It was so hard for me to pick only 2 and a half minutes of pictures for the video. Connor has always been a ham for the camera and it certainly shows. Happy Birthday my little daydreaming boy!

Close to You

This video is dedicated to my sweet girl, Kayleigh, who turns 8 on August 9th. I sang this song to her as a baby just like my mom used to sing this song to me, and if anyone knows Kayleigh then they know why this song fits her so well. We love you sweet girl. Happy Birthday!

Off the Face of the Earth

I know many of you probably wonder if we have fallen off the face of the earth. The answer is no, not yet! It has been a little hectic lately and blogging has been forced to the very bottom of the priority list, but here is the latest:

I have started my new job at Good Samaritan. It is good to finally have a regular job! I am learning my way around and am known now as "Alabama" by my peers. I always used to believe that Florida is in the south. WRONG!!! Apparently Florida is actually a very hot version of New York or New Jersey with palm trees and alligators. There are tons of Yankees here, and although I consider myself a Southern belle, I do like to remind them that I was born in Detroit, MI, making me a pseudo Yankee (but not a psycho Yankee).

Anyway, the surgeons tease me and tell the patients they'll be happy to translate for me if the southern drawl is too hard to understand. Also, I have found several people I can practice my Spanish with. Please pray especially for my new friend Cielo (heaven in Spanish). She is from Columbia and her family is living there now. She is trying to get a visa for her family to come and join her and still has not been able to get one after over 2 years, so she travels back and forth every few months so she can see them.

The kids are enjoying the end of their summer and Ken is ready for them to start school. Really ready! I can almost see that school bus now! The kids are excited about meeting new friends and starting classes, but not quite as enthusiastic about wearing uniforms. I think it will be much easier for Ken to help pick out thier clothing in the morning, "hmmm... should I wear the blue uniform pants or the khaki?" Anyway, bring on the classes! My kids are getting bored with summer and I have the perfect cure, Pierce Hammock Elementary!

Travelers Beware

Well, it has been almost a month since we left Ecuador. I was warned that we would experience culture shock, and I really didn't feel any at first other than just the difficulty making choices when there are like 50 snack foods to choose from and like 20 different types of Coca-Cola (cherry Coke Zero is now my favorite!)

I felt like we were doing pretty well, even when we left Alabama and came here alone to Florida. We got settled in and the kids met some neighbors pretty quick. I am still waiting to start my job at the hospital, but in the mean time I have been staying fairly busy. We went to a party for the 4th of July weekend like I posted. It was really a big deal with about 75 other people there from our neighborhood. That is when the feeling of being a stranger in a foreign place sunk in. Ken and I sat alone when the kids ran off to play. We tried to talk to people, but it seemed that everybody already knew each other and they quickly talked about things and people they knew, leaving us out of the conversations. I turned to Ken and said, "I miss Quito". Now he knows when I say that I don't really mean I miss the place, I miss my friends. It seems that no matter where you go, what really makes a place home is the friends that you make along the way.

And so here I am on the side of the road, trying not to be overwhelmed by the quiet and trying to come out of my comfort zone a little as we meet neighbors and make new friends. Although it is not nearly as dangerous as walking next to a canal full of gators, moving to a new culture does have it's share of stress. So please continue to keep us in your prayers as we seek direction in where God would have us get plugged in and how.

Let Freedom Ring

Today is the 4th of July and we are celebrating it in the US for the first time in 2 years. Last night we went to a party at a neighbor's house and were entertained by a brilliant display of fire works despite the constant rain. What seemed odd to us was the lack of patriotic music for the display, just lots of classic rock songs. At one point the sound system was not working properly and a group of people started singing "God Bless America" to the continuing firework display. It felt much more fitting to celebrate this special holiday by singing a song that honor's God and acknowledges His hand upon this nation.

After living overseas I now truly appreciate the freedom that this country has. I can now also say that I am tired of hearing people bash God and His roll in the founding of this great nation. With every year I feel our country is taking a step further away from what He called us to be. We heard an excellent sermon today at Christ Fellowship Church which encouraged us to seek the truth and take a stand when it comes to our beliefs and this nation. As I see the results of taking prayer out of schools (increased crime and now metal detectors) and even the pledge to our flag for fear of "offending" a teacher, I realize our shortcoming as a nation is a need to "tolerate" others without really standing up for what is right and what is true. As Psalm 11:3 says 'If our foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

The pastor pointed out that many lies have been spread about of founding fathers being unreligious or Deists at best. People forget that the Bible was used to draft our constitution and the term "separation of church and state" is nowhere in our Constitution, our Declaration of Independence or any other document associated with the founding of our government and nation. It was merely written in a personal letter from Jefferson to reassure a friend that there would be no state-sponsored religion as there had been in England.

All of this to say that our forefathers never intended for God to not be a part of this nation. To me that is what has made the United States the greatest nation on earth. It is impossible for me to not tear up and thank God personally when I hear our nation's anthem and when I see a soldier solute the flag. It is impossible for me to keep my mouth shut when I hear someone say that we should not make our children learn the pledge at school or that we should not be able to pray in school because of "separation of church and state". That is a lie and we should, no we must, let the truth be known. No more changing our history and teaching a more PC version to our kids so that people can convince us our history is not that of a Christian nation. We are a Christian nation and the moment we allow ourselves to believe otherwise is the moment we lose the blessing of our Heavenly Father.

I am proud to be an American Christian and I say "Let Freedom Ring!"