Day Two Mexico Mission Trip

Our Team
Our Family

Nick finishing the roof at the end of the second day

The precious little children................

This trip has been quite a whirl wind. At the end of day two, we already have the roof on the house. We have a great team. Everyone is working well together. The family has not been around much. There are seven people that we are building for. Grandma, her son, daughter, son-in law, and the three precious children pictured above.

So far this trip has played out as a very sad story regarding the family. The mother is a drug adict and I guess she stays up all night and sleeps all day. When we got there today the three children had been sleeping outside in the cold and their parents were no where to be found. Eventually they showed up and proceeded to sleep the day away and the children were left to fend for themselves. The grandmother was away, busy cooking for lunch for the hundred or so volunteers of Strategic Alliance that were working in the area. Her son is the only on in the group that works, so we have not seen him at all.

My heart goes out to the Grandmother. She must be so frustrated at the situation that her daughter is in. I do not know where she gets her drug money, however there was a strange man laying with her this afternoon. We really don't know what to think, but are afraid that she will soon sell all that we are about to give the family to support her habit. She will not let the children go to Dr. Peggy's clinic and overall just unfriendly and neglectful of all her responsibilities.

The whole situation just breaks my heart. I have been praying without ceasing to keep myself from smaking the mother upside the head and smuggling the kids back to the states where they will have a chance.

Please pray with me for this horrible situation, that the Lord will turn this disaster into a victory in His name.....

Mexico Mission Trip

This is a picture of the family that we will be building a home for this weekend in Reynosa, Mexico. I just got the picture this morning and it looks like they are quite due for a new dwelling. As I look at this family, my heart breaks for them and for me also. I sit here and look around my house and am critical of all the little imperfections and things that I would like to change and they have nothing. Is that pathetic or what? I need a reality check in a big way! I hope that the Lord can use this trip to transform me into the selfless servant that He has created me to be. I also pray that we can really make a difference in the lives of this precious family and anyone else that we are able to connect with while we are there. Show them the measureless love of Christ. Please pray for our mission as we go December 26th-31st.

Just a Reminder

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed,disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares .
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress aresavoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity.
Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, showpatience, empathy and love. Working for God on earth doesn't pay much......but His retirement plan is out of this world.

Ski Pics

It was 15 degrees below zero this morning. Here are a few pics from our trip so far.....

Family Ski Trip

We are all in Winter Park for a family ski trip. The weather is perfect for that, 5 degrees and it has been snowing ever since we got here. They are expecting 18 inches by 6 p.m. this evening. Steve and I have been chillin' getting acclimated to the altitude. The boys have been on the slopes non-stop. We are so blessed to have friends to hook us up like this. I will keep anyone interested updated with some pics tomorrow.....

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I am setting

up my Christmas

Tree today. For those of

you that know me, I am sure that you

think I am crazy at this point We are only

home for about 10 days this month, so I have

been going back and forth with myself and others

about whether I would put a tree up at all. It has

been torture. All but one of my friends have encouraged

me to put one up. One even went as far as saying, if I didn't they

would. What significance does the Christmas tree have anyway?

Shouldn't

Christmas

be about

Christ?

Help me

out here.....

My Thanksgiving Cruise

I just got back from a cruise to Belize and Mexico. We were blessed to be able to spend Thanksgiving in the middle of the Carribean Sea with our family. Steve, myself, Zac, Nick, Steve's mom and 92 year old grandpa all went. The ship was the Independence of the Seas, which is the newest and largest ship in the world. It was fabulous. Here is a video of my pictures from the trip......

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