Happy turkey day!!

I spent part of the holiday in the hospital with Bàrbara. She had the tube in her stomach replaced because it was coming loose. She is doing well. She only has a little pain and a small grade fever now. She has been in bed all afternoon.




I only found out yesterday morning that I would be staying with her last night. I have to confess that I didn't want to go. I had plans for my day off, which was really selfish. But God immedietely showed me my fault as Carroll called me to tell me that Bàrbara had been in the operating room screaming... my heart broke and my eyes filled with tears, as I realized how much Bàrbara needed me to be there with her. Sure, if I wouldn't had been here, someone else would have had to go, but I was priviledged enough to get to spend time with one of God's miracles! She is just a little girl that needs love and affection, just like I so luckily recieved as a child. Please pray for her adoption, that it would go through soon. She desperately needs the medical attention that she deserves and could get in New Jersey.



When I got home, I was invited to a traditional Thanksgiving lunch with Joanne, Carroll, and Jill. I also called my Grandmother's house and talked to her and my ENTIRE family. It was great!



We are able to use the internet here at the house now, so I will be updating more frequently and be able to write more personal emails. So, please feel free to write me! (hint hint)

So much to say

I'm here in Antigua taking my days off. I love it here. It feels like my second home.




I went to visit my Spanish teacher and the director of the school I went to last summer, Señora Maria and Hermano Hugo. They were so surprised to see me. I love doing that. Señora Maria cries almost everytime. I brought her my favorite flowers, daisies, which coincidently are her favorites too! She said they are special because they can grow among the rocks. She even had a picture to show me of daisies growing between the rocks! It was a super nice visit. They invited me to come a lead worship at their church one Sunday. She told me that their church is growing so much. They have service in the school, which has a garden, they fit, now, up to 50 people there!! I can't even imagine 50 people being in that garden!! They are praying for a church building. If anyone would like to help them financially, please send an email to me and I'll send you an address you can send any donations, and I will personally be sure to get it to them. That would be SUCH a blessing and I would be fortnate to be apart of it. They are very special people to me and since I have known them they have been such a spiritual guidance for me. Please pray about that.



I was able to lead worship with the girls last Saturday night. It was a very special time for all of us. I think I already wrote about that... I can't remember...




I've really enjoyed getting to spend time with my friends from San Lucas. Tono is lead vocals, guitar, and keys. He is a very talented musician and worship leader. He is so generous too. He is always ready to give me a lift anywhere and is always thinking of the church and witnessing to others.




Ester and Eliud are getting married in February. They have been together forever and have dedicated their relationship to the Lord. They are so cute together. Ester's parents have a children's home in San Cristobál also. I hope to be able to visit soon.





Here is Tono playing the drums... a few of the guys started playing around on the instruments, making up songs... of trying to sing them... it was hilarious!! At one point, Tono and Eliud switched with Eliud on keys and Tono on drums! I thought it was funny... I guess you have to know them..





This is the whole group... minus Tono... he was taking the picture for me. It was a fun, but late night. We didn't get back until 11 and I had to work early. But we sang Christmas carols the whole way home.. about 45 minutes!

Roll Tide Anyway!

I got to watch my first Alabama game on Saturday. Too bad they lost to Auburn 21-13, but I was thankful to get to watch them play. I felt a little bit at home.




Yesterday was Joanne and Gib's 35th anniversary, so on Saturday they decided to celebrate with the girls in a very untraditional way. It was so neat. They invited us all to their house for a party. But before the cake and ice cream, they talked to us about marriage and the way the Bible says a marriage should be, and even about dating. It is your husband loving you like Christ loved the church. Do you know how much Christ loved the church? He died for us! He suffered beatings and humiliation for us. He gave everything for us with no thought of himself! Whew! That's a lot, to say the least. And it is your wife submitting to her husband as the head of her, because in the Bible, it says that the husband is the head of his wife, like Christ is the head of the church. A tough lesson to learn, I'm sure. It was a very neat thing for them to do. (and the cake and ice cream weren't bad either) :)



It was a great weekend. I got a new bed, in which I can actually roll over and not fall off. (it's a regular twin bunk, instead of the narrow one I had before) I killed a cockroach the size of a cat!! Not really, but it was huge and it charged at me like a bull!! OH! That reminds me. HAHAH! We have a cockroach living in the clock of our microwave, so yesterday I named him our 'clockroach'! HAHAHA! I kill myself sometimes! Too bad that joke doesn't work in Spanish... cucaracha... relojracha... no, it's not the same.. I'll work on it though.



Well, hopefully I will have some pictures for you tomorrow.



I went Friday night my church in San Lucas, Declaración de Dependencia, to a girl's 15th birthday party in Chimaltenengo. Quincieñera (15 years) is a big deal here. I mean BIG!! Her family invited the whole group to their restaurant in Chimal and even fed us all.. for free!! :) Tono and the guys led worship and Merari spoke a short message. Then we just had fun and had some other guys play around with the music. It was really fun.



Speaking of music, I led a worship service for the girls on Saturday night. I think they really enjoyed it. We may make it a normal Saturday night thing. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. A lot of times I believe I get more out of it than anyone else, but I hope that's not true. Only God knows.

Guatemala vs. Canada

Tonight I was invited to watch Guatemala play against Canada. I know you are so jealous. I'm going with Alfredo, from church, and few EMI (Engineering Ministries International) interns, and Jill, my roommate. One of the EMI guys is from Canada, so I will try not to be seen with him because he said he's bringing his Canadian flag! But I'll be sporting my futbol jersey blue and white!! It should be a blast! I'll write about that later.




The Bible study at Tom and Debbie's has been great! I'm still leading the worship, which has been amazing for me, and it's always a humbling and learning experience as well. But I love it and I never know what God might bring to someone else in the room through my music. The study is pretty deep. I'm learning a lot about what it meant to be a true disciple back in Jesus' days. It was a true lifetime commitment. The Hebrew word for disciple is Talmid, which means not someone who wants to know what their teacher knows, but 'someone who wants to BE the teacher'. The series is called, 'The Dust of The Rabbi', which signifies that the disciples want to follow so closely behind their Rabbi that they are covered with the dust from his sandals. WOW! Pretty intense, eh? It has been very interesting. We will be reading all of the gospels this month. One a week. How could someone be a disciple if they do not know their Rabbi 100%. The disciples of that day spent every waking moment with their Rabbi, and still some failed. If we don't spend as much time as we can reading about The Rabbi's life, how can we possibly try to be like Him? I'm preaching to myself here....



Last Friday at about 10AM, I found out that at 4PM I would be going to stay with Barbara in the hospital again for her monthly dialisis treatment. This is hard for me because of all of the sad cases that I see there in the hospital, knowing that this is the only treatment that some of them recieve and can afford. Barbara is so fortunate to recieve the care she does at La Sombra De Sus Alas. The adoption process for her is coming along very quickly, and we are praying that she will soon be with her knew mom and dad in New Jersey. She had the best time visiting them in Orlando. She was a true Disney Princess for a week.



On Monday, we recieved two new girls, twins, whose older sister already lives here. We didn't want to tell Sandy until we were sure, so she was surprised Monday afternoon when she came home and was greeted by her little sisters, Wendy Andrea and Wendy Celeste. (I know, I know; who in the world would do that? But someone did and thank goodness they go by their middle names!) The afternoon was filled with tears of joy and excitement for Sandy as she loved on the identical 9 year olds. I was given the priviledge to spend the afternoon with them; giving them a bath and de-licing their hair, (woohoo!) and giving them all their new clothes, toiletries, and even a stuffed animal. They are so adorable! I hope to get pictures soon.



There was only one empty bed upstairs, so I gladly gave up my twin bed, in exchange for a top bunk. It's only for a few weeks and then Jill leaves, and I will steal her bed!



One of my new favorite verses is a verse that Pastor Leisa preached on at Planet Rock a few weeks before I left. She spoke on being the aroma of Christ. It's found in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, and it says, "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession, spreading everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"



I leave you with that today and with part of a song I have started writing from Mark 4.



Although the waves are crashing in


and we can't stand because of strong winds;


I am with you 'til the end.


Trust in me, your faithful friend.



God bless.



If you would like to make any donations to The Shadow of His Wings, which is a part of James Project Latin America, you can send them to



(tax deductible)

Children of Promise

P.O. Box 200

Alma, MO 64001



(non-tax deductible)

Proyecto Santiago

Apartado Postal 26-H

Guatemala, Guatemala 01911

C.A.



Also please visit www.jamesprojectla.org and www.childrenofpromise.com

a quick update

It has been so long, I don't even know where to start.




I don't have much time, so I'll keep it short and sweet and write more later. We don't have internet at the house right now, so it is hard to get free to go check and update. Hopefully that will change soon because a friend is fixing the USB cord that we were using with the brouser.



It's been a crazy few weeks with Carroll and Barbara gone to the States for a week, it seems like Jill and I have worked overtime, but it has been a blessing too. I have got to spend a lot of time with the girls, just talking, and that has been nice. I am being taught to be flexible and patient. Are those the hardest qualities to learn, or what?! :)



Last week, I was able to go to church in San Lucas on a Friday night. Tono had a bonfire at his house and we had church there and then roasted marshmallows and had hot chocalate. mmmm! Then on Tuesday night, we started having a Bible study at a missionary couple's house here nearby. They work with EMI, which is an engineering mission here in the city. (I thought about all of you guys at The Rock.... hint, hint!!) They will actually be designing every inch of our new property in Monjas. But Tom and Debbie have opened their home to us for this Bible study. We will start of learning what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Not what we think, but what the Bible says about it. I also get to lead the worship. Which is something I have missed doing for a long time.



God is faithful in the little things.