Do you ever feel like your life is flying by?

I know that I haven't been very good about keeping this blog updated.  I have great ideas and plans for it, but it seems that there just isn't enough hours in the day.

Our summer break was very nice, but very busy!  We had the first 2 weeks for some "down time".... I really didn't accomplish a lot, but it was nice to just slow everything down and enjoy the lighter schedule.  Then the first of July we hosted a missions team from TN.   They were wonderful.  I will admit that having teams come to visit is both wonderful and challenging.   We love the fellowship and encouragement they give us yet at the same time it is very hectic and busy.

Right after the first group left, we had wonderful young man from another supporting church, come and visit for 2 weeks.  Andrew was great.  We tried to give him some ministry experiences and an opportunity to see some of the sights, but at the same time, he was very laid back, and willing to hang out with Teddy and play video games and that was good.  :)

We enjoyed a nice week, (Monday-Friday) at a beach house down the coast.  It was a little cane house, and the weather was much cooler than we anticipated, BUT, the scenery was beautiful and the change of pace wonderful.  There is just something about lying in a hammock with a good book, and listening to the ocean that chases away all the stress. :)

After our beach vacation, we enjoyed having my father-in-law come down for a visit.  The kids loved having time with Grandpa and it was just a great visit.

Tony, Teddy and Jonathan then went to youth camp for a week.  Teddy throughly enjoyed that.  I was so glad that he was able to get to do that.

We started school the last week in August.  WOW!  We had an extra long summer break, but it still seemed to just buzz by! ;)

Going Gluten Free

Over a year ago, I read the book, Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD. To be honest it intrigued me and in talking and sharing with my husband, we decided to give it a try.  There are many points to the book, supplements, exercise, sleep patterns, and diet.  I will be honest, that I really did feel better eating less gluten, BUT, my husband, did not feel that it made much difference with him, and living in a country, where there is not a lot of "pre-made" stuff, including flour mixes, etc. it was just all a bit overwhelming.   

After our friends were here from Knoxville, and we spent a lot of time talking about different things that might be a help to our kids, especially our youngest who has CP and a few other issues.  Tony and I decided that we would give the GF diet a try for him.  We were told that for some kids it makes a huge difference and for some it doesn't seem to make any difference.  We also were told, and I remembered reading this in the book mentioned above, that it was important to give it at least 3 to 6 months, before giving up.   (Not saying that it will help his CP, but, maybe learning issues and behavior issues that he deals with along with the CP)

So here again, I am on a quest to figure out how to do this, and get a good group of recipes that will work.  I don't mind "experimenting" in the kitchen, BUT, when the temps are in the high 80's low 90's it isn't any fun to spend time in there sweating away, to have your bake goods taste like saw dust, or your bread be gummy in the middle. ;)  There are also a lot of flours we can get, but many that we can't... so trying to figure out what works as a good substitute and what doesn't is a big deal.  

So here are some things I am learning...

1. Gluten free flours don't weigh the same, (as each other, nor do they weigh the same as wheat flour), so it works better to use recipes that call for weight instead of measuring by the cup.  That is hard for me, because in the US, most recipes are written using Cup measurements and not weights. hmmm.... if I want to substitute for some of my recipes, I guess, I'm going to need to measure out a cup of wheat flour and weigh it. 
(Thanks to my friend, Kendra, for reminding me about flour weights, today! ;) 

2. Gluten free flours need to be mixed up... you need to use more than 1 kind you can just replace a cup of wheat flour with say the same weight of rice flour....  The big deal right now then for me, is finding some recipes for some "flour mixes" that will work.

3.  Chick Peas, make the most amazing cakes, brownies and muffins!!   Who would have thought?!  I know if you are reading this and you've never tried anything like this, you are going "yuck!  Who wants hummus brownies?!"  I have found some of the most amazing recipes that use NO flour, but use blended chick peas, and NO ONE has known the difference.  I have pinned a lot of them on my "Gluten Free" board on Pinterest, so if you are interested check them out.  (https://www.pinterest.com/manabita/gluten-free-recipes/ )

I am still on my quest to find a good sandwich bread, but it is coming little by little.  

Besides going gluten free, Little Bud is taking a Fish oil capsule everyday, (wanting 300 to 400mg of DHA) and 1 teaspoon of coconut oil.   Both of these things have been shown to help build "new pathways" in the brain, and boost memory, so who knows. I realize we may be grasping at straws here, BUT on the other hand you never know until you try.   

Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement you have past our way.  We appreciate it so much!   If you do have a good GF sandwich bread recipe, I would love to give it a try.  Please don't share it though, if it calls for specific flour blends you have to purchase, as those are not available to us here in Ecuador.  ;)

Blessings to you and yours!

Joy

God is working!!!

It is pretty amazing, exciting and scary when you see God working and moving!!  Amazing, because even after all these years of walking with the Lord, to think that He would invite me to join Him in his work still floors, humbles and amazes me!   Exciting, because you KNOW that when God is working, incredible things are going to happen!  Scary, because while God ALWAYS makes it clear where he is working and what he wants you to do, He rarely, reveals to you HOW he is going to accomplish it all through you!

So here I sit this morning.   100% convinced that God is at work and opening doors of opportunity for us, yet trying hard NOT to get paralyzed by all the fear for trying to figure out HOW it is going to happen.

Yesterday Cecy, who works with me in leading the Women's Ministry at our church, and Cielito, the coordinator for the Bolsas de Bendición ministry, went to one of the local Maternity Clinics.  The purpose of the visit was to follow up a lead we had been given about giving out our bags to the new moms.  The director at first was a little leery and wanted to know if they were advertising for a particular brand of diapers.  When they assured her no, and explained what we are trying to do, she welcomed them to come.  Because this clinic does not do C-sections, (which a majority of the women here end up having), she told them that they usually only have about 5 or 6 new moms there at a time.  BUT then she said, I would love for you to come on the day we offer vaccinations, for the new babies.  We will have anywhere from 10 to 25 show up.  If you would come on that day, I would give you opportunity to speak to the Moms about spiritual things!   Then you could give out your bags!!

Then she said, another group I would really like you to come and visit, is a group of Moms whose babies, (we are talking 1 to 3 year olds) are malnourished.  If you would come, and talk to them about good nutrition, and you could also discuss spiritual things with them, and then give them a small gift.

OK, WOW!!!!   When an unsaved person, tells you they would love for you to come and speak about spiritual things with a group of moms they are working with, opening the door to give you time and opportunity to do it, you know that is GOD working!!   So what are we going to do about it?

I just sent $80 more to the lady overseeing the purchase of fabric and the sewing of the bags and receiving blankets.  We are going to try and get 50 bags made in the next week to 2 weeks.  Right now we have the money to do this and to even purchase the extra stuff we are lacking for the bags.  It cost us $86 to make the first 25 bags...  I had given her $80 a week ago to start making the next 25.

I look at this class of 40 ladies, none of them rich, in fact by US standards just about everyone of them would be considered poor, or at the least lower middle class.  They are giving monthly to support a precious little girl in Uganda, through our partnership with Mountain View Chapel and their Victory 1:27 ministry.  They are donating food stuffs for the new "Bendecidos para Bendecir" food pantry.  They are donating supplies to fill the bags, and a weekly offering to help pay for the sewing of the bags... At present we have collected enough money to making about 75 bags.  That is using money that was collected over the last year for Women's Ministry.   So when I think about this open door and the opportunity that the Lord is obviously giving us, it is hard not to get paralyzed by the  fear of "How are we going to keep this going?"

This morning in my quiet time, I read these verses...

Amos 3:7,  For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.

Isaiah 41:10, fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:12, For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Luke 6:38, give and it will be given to you.  Good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.

What I KNOW right now...

1.  is that God has revealed to us where He is working right now, and HE has asked us to step up and   join Him there.

2.  God has told me to not be afraid!  To trust Him, that He is the one holding my hand.  He is the one who will provide, He is the one who will bring it to pass.

3.  He has asked me to be generous with what He has given so far.  I'm not to "sit" on what I have, and dole it out, because that way, I know we can do this ministry in this "small way" for a few months....  No, I need to give and use what HE has provided, and trust Him to supply for next month!

Thanks for riding along with me in this journey!   Please keep the work here in Manta in your prayers and especially these not opportunities.   If you would like to be involved in ANY way, please send me a message.   You can leave a comment here and I will get back to you.

Blessings,
Joy

Abandonment... It' as BIG deal!

I never thought much about abandonment, or the consequences of it, before we adopted our children. I lived a very stable and secure childhood, and I believe that I probably took that incredible blessing for granted.  Even after dating and marrying my husband, who had a few rough patches in his early life, the meaning of abandonment and the lasting affects it has on one who has suffered it, never really got on my radar screen.

In 2003, we had the amazing blessing of adopting our first son.  He was a beautiful baby of 14 months, and I was totally oblivious to the fact that just the facts of his first 14 months of life had left indelible scars that we would never be able to pretend, just didn't happen.   We had read no books.  Why would we?  We had pretty successfully raised 3 daughters already, so felt pretty experienced in this whole "parenting" role.  NEVER in my wildest dreams did I anticipate the scars that abandonment had left on his little heart and mind.

We worked hard, to understand...truth be told, God in his great mercy and grace, guided our steps even when we didn't know we needed guiding.  Big example, we had no idea, about the importance of family bonding, and had made plans to return to the States for a year furlough a couple months after our adoption was finalized.   BUT God knew all about it and that we as a family, needed this time.  He needed time to really attach to us, and to recognize us as his Mommy and Daddy.  So God gave us 6 months, together, here in a small apartment, in a new town in Ecuador, where we hardly knew anyone, so we had that time to just be together!   I look back on that time, and wish I had been more content, in just trusting God to do everything right and in his perfect time, instead of being so frustrated with government red-tape, and all the "hold-ups" to get us to the States.

In 2010 God again, laid it upon our hearts to adopt two precious children.  Not babies this time, but a sweet girl of 6 and a little boy of 5.   We knew that they had "mild special needs"... we had met them, we were a little awed, overwhelmed, yet at the same time full of joyous anticipation at what God was doing in our lives and in our family.  I was 49 and my husband was 48...not the normal time one thinks about adding to their family, (unless it's grand kids! ;) )

Fast forward 4 1/2 years.   In lots of ways we have bonded beautifully into a wonderful family.  Yet there are holes and gaps and frustrations at times beyond words.   You know those moments when you realize that they are definitely a little bit more than "mildly affected" by their special needs.  When you asked 3 times point blank about your daughters heart condition, and were told that everything is completely fine now, only to find out that she actually has a 15mm hole between the top 2 chambers of her heart!  Then when you think it is all going to be fixed by a cath. procedure that will basically mean maybe 1 day or at the most 2 in the hospital, to be greeted with the news that she is going to have to undergo Open Heart Surgery.   Yeah, that was a hard day.   Or the day, just last week, when you are given the news that there's a good chance you only have a few more years where your little guy with CP will actually be able to learn new things, and then he will most likely plateau and then at some point his physical body being tired of all the extra work it has had to do, to just do the most basic things, like sitting up, walking etc. will start to decline and about the same time his brain too.   Yeah, I have to say, that was a really hard day!  Right up there on the same level as the kick in the stomach when we heard our little girl was going to have to have open heart surgery.   I'm not saying all of this to blame anyone, or give the impression that we are giving up, and accepting the inevitable will happen.  No!  I am more determined now than ever, to do everything I can possibly do, to see that whatever God has in store for these 2 precious kids comes to pass.   To be honest, I'm so thankful for the insight and guidance, that we have gotten.  I feel like I was walking around in the dark for 4 years, trying to do the right thing, with no idea what that was!   Thankfully God again in his great mercy and grace, guided our steps many times, to things, that others might say we just fell upon by accident.   BUT, one thing I've learned, THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS WITH GOD!

One of the things we had never realized was that both of our special needs kids while they had adapted beautifully in many ways, and had learned our family "rules" and were really pretty well behaved kids, they both were struggling some emotionally.  Things that we would take for granted that they understood, they had NO idea what that meant.  They knew the words and could even repeat the words, but they really had no understanding of what the words actually meant!  When a child is born into our family, we take time to teach that child almost from the beginning, what we expect.  By the time the child is a year old-18months, when they start to reach for something, we can say, "no" and while they may not choose to "obey" at that moment, they will usually stop and look at you and they KNOW what you want....

This whole idea really floored my husband and I, as we would say to ourselves, well, they've lived with us for 4 years, so they surely know by now what we are expecting and wanting from them...  BUT, we are fighting against all those early experiences from the first 4 to 6 years of their lives!  Which when push comes to shove, those are the experiences that they draw from.   A concrete example of this, is that my daughter, is completely fluent in English and actually prefers to speak English over Spanish now.  Even playing in English, watching TV in English etc.  Yet when she was in the NICU the night after her Open Heart Surgery, and barely conscious the language she was speaking to me was Spanish!

One of the big things we are working on these days in school with our Special Needs kids, is our emotions.   What does it mean, what does the Bible say about them, what does that really mean in our  day to day life.   We are going to be spending a lot of time talking about our responses to situations and deciding was that a Christ-like response or Not a Christ-like response?

This morning we were working on anger.   We used Psalm 37:8-9,

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 

For the evildoers shall be cut off,

    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

We took the verses apart, phrase by phrase.  Talked about exactly what that meant... wrote out 5 things that the kids thought God was saying to them from these verses...

1.  Control your anger.

2.  Get rid of wrath or hatred.

3.  Don't be upset, it only makes trouble.

4.  There are bad consequences for sin/anger.

5.  Those who trust God to take care of their problems will reap good.

The next thing that we did was talk about the fact that often we get angry, because things happen, that we don't like, but if we are trusting God and believe that He loves us and that he is always working things for our good, then we can let go of our anger.  We have to learn to trust God to take care of our problems.  

The last activity for this project today, was to write out some things they were worrying about, that they wanted to turn over to God... to actively part that God would take these worries away.  To every time these worries came to mind, they would be reminded that God loves them!  That God has NEVER left them and that God will NEVER leave them!  The response to this activity blew me and my husband away!  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my little guy was still, after 4 years, concerned about these things...  

Here is his list, word for word, as he told it to me:

1.  That you and Daddy will stop loving me.

2.  That you guys will take me back to the orphanage.

3.  That I will not be able to grow up. (on questioning exactly what he meant,  it came out that he is afraid, he won't be able to grow up and be like other people!)  

Yeah, the results of abandonment, are long lasting.  The fear of being rejected or abandoned again, is at times almost overwhelming.  AND don't ever try to convince me that special needs kids don't realize they are different and don't have a longing deep down in their heart to just be "normal" like everyone else!   

Taking Baby Steps...

Our family had the blessing of hosting two very special ladies last week.  The purpose of  their trip was to help us figure out how we could best meet the needs of our special needs kids.  To look at what we were doing and tweak things to help us get these guys on to the next level and to create an environment where they can grow to be all that God intends them to be.

When you live in a 3rd world country and in one of the smaller cities in that country, you are limited by what resources and support is available.  Add to that the language difference, and you limit it even more.  This all means that basically anything we decide to do is going to be implemented by my husband or myself.  We both have a desire and a commitment to our family, but there is a limited number of hours in the day, and at our age a limited amount of energy.

One of the big blessings to me that came out of our time last week, was the idea that we aren't talking about huge changes.  Each idea, is more than doable, and although they are small, they have the potential of making a tremendous difference in our family life, and also in the development of our children.

My children have been trained to use a timer, for their school tasks and they also use it presently for video game time.  So we are going to take that habit that they have already learned and expand it to be used throughout their day.  I made each of the younger ones a chart with their daily schedule and they will use their timers to go through their day.  They even have a "Saturday/Vacation Day at home" schedule.  :)  That may seem like a lot of structure to you, (I know a few years ago it would have to me, too!) BUT one thing I've learned about working with Special Needs kids, is that they THRIVE on structure.  Week-ends and Holidays are always times of struggle as is unplanned afternoons and evenings.  I have known for some time that if I would just bite the bullet and make a plan for those times, things would go much better for the kids.  YET, I wanted a "break" and didn't see how in the world to do it without being right there present over seeing everything, from early morning, until they went to bed.   So this is a way to give them the structure they need, while at the same time, freeing me up a little.    I have no idea if it will work, or how well it will work.  I'm sure that their will be some "tweaking" over the next weeks.

The kids were very excited when they saw their charts and wanted to know if they got to start using them tomorrow!  So here is the first "baby step" we are starting tomorrow. :)

Little Bud's daily schedule.

Special Days/Saturday's at home schedule.

This is Little Bud's independent school work.

The Princess' daily schedule.

Special Days/Saturdays at home Schedule.

Here is my Princess' school schedule.

Our Chore Charts

TCK's

One of my grown daughters just wrote a post about some struggles she is having, in adapting and adjusting to life in small town USA.  In her post she is brutally honest about her feelings and also how she has come realize that she has not been fair or just in them.

With some back and forth with all 3 of the grown girls, my oldest, shared a set of blog articles that she had come across at one time, and how they had been very convicting and had helped her in her adjustment back to the US.

For me, the articles articulated some things that I had already known, but hadn't put into context.  They also pointed out some things to me that I had never really thought about.  The one on hypocrisy, is brutal.  While I don't think my husband or I have crossed that line, at least not continually, I can see how, snatches of things said, or even things not fully explained, can from a child's perspective be conceived as such.  WOW!  Very convicting.

The article on leaving and loss, was amazing!  I have personally experienced so much of this, BUT my kids, so much more!

So if you are truly interested in TCK's (Third Culture Kids), and would like to understand where they are coming from and some of  things that have shaped their thinking, (be that misconceptions or truth), I recommend you check out these articles.

Lies MK's Believe

Blessings to you and yours,
Joy

Cold Porcelain Clay

Back in 2009, I took some classes here in Manta, working with Cold Porcelain clay, (Porcelana Fria).  It is a huge thing here, and even bigger in Argentina where I have read and been told they have schools teaching it.

This is something that both Teddy and I enjoyed working with, but since our teacher moved away, we kind of got out of it.  Teddy has been after me for a while to make some more dough, and try our hand at it again.

This morning we made a batch.  Here is the recipe we used:

1 kilo of white glue (That's about 4 cups of white glue)
1/2 kilo of corn starch (That's about a pound)
15 drops of Porce Clear, (and no I don't know what this is in the US... you can check it out here: http://meirebari.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=121
3 Tablespoons of baby oil, or vaseline, (we used baby oil, today)
2 Tablespoons of glycerin
1 Tablespoon of Sodium Benzoate (didn't have this, so left it out)
http://www.amazon.com/Sodium-Benzoate--2-oz/dp/B0064O8OAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367094361&sr=8-1&keywords=sodium+benzoate

1 Tablespoon of Stearic Acid (you will find it with the candle making supplies in your local craft store)

(I have found some recipes that call for Tylose, and  Wilton White White, which I might try adding when I have access to them. ;)

Before you start mixing or cooking anything, prepare a flat surface, (can be your counter top, can be a mat on your counter or a glass cutting board, etc.) by spreading cold cream, (like Ponds or Nivea) all over it, as if you were greasing a cookie sheet for cookies. ;)  Once that is ready, you can go on with actually making the clay...

You will need a non-stick pan.  We have one that is used exclusively for crafting.

You want to start out by mixing the glue and the cornstarch.  You will want to mix this well until it is totally incorporated. (use a wooden or heavy duty plastic spoon.)

Once the cornstarch and glue is mixed well, add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well.

Over medium low heat you want to stir constantly, (and you need to be ready for a workout!), until it starts to form a ball and is no longer sticky when you touch it with you finger.   We're talking about 15 or 20 minutes here.  As soon as it reaches this point, you will want to turn it out onto your prepared surface.   Cover your hands with the cold cream, (have the jar open and near by, so you can keep applying as needed)., and you want to start kneading the dough. Yes, it is hot at first, so you need to be careful.  You want to knead it until it is all smooth, and cooled.  When you reach that point, knead it for about 5 minutes more.  Then divide it into 4 parts, (if you made the whole recipe), and form it into logs and wrap each log in plastic wrap, then put them in a zip lock bag, and then in another zip lock bag.   This dough works best if you let it set for a couple days up to a week before you work with it.   Also you do not want to put  this dough in the fridge.  

There are lots of recipes and tutorials out there.  We should have taken pictures while we were doing it, but to be honest blogging about it didn't occur to me until we were almost finished! ;)

Here is our finished dough.  I put these 2 bags into a larger zip lock and then that into a plastic (tupperware type) container.  If you take these precautions and keep this dough in an airtight container, it will last a LONG time.  

We had some that we purchased over 2 years ago, and were sure it would be bad, but got it out today, and Teddy was actually able to work with it!  :)

Here is what he did today.  He wasn't totally happy with it, but as I reminded him, it's been a long time since he worked with dough, so I thought it came out pretty good keeping that in mind. ;)

He has some cracks in it, and that is due to the fact that he didn't work it well, to keep it smooth, and some times he took longer, and didn't always keep the dough he wasn't working with covered.   But I thought for his first attempt in a while, that it came out well.   He wanted to make a Panda, because he's been studying China in school.  So this is part of his end of unit project.  He will be writing a report about Pandas to go along with it.  

If you are interested in learning more about his neat type of Air Dry Clay,  you can check out this wonderful blog...

http://coldporcelaintutorials.blogspot.com/

Here are some photos of things we made in the past...  

This was my first project in class. ;)

I made these magnets to give out at a ladies conference. :)

I hope that you enjoyed visiting with me today, as much as I enjoyed sharing.  We are really newbies to working with cold porcelain, so if you have any tips or ideas you would like to share, feel free.  

Blessings to you!

Joy

Paper Making

Teddy has been studying China.  Along with his other books we purchased The Great Ancient China Projects book, and have enjoyed it immensely so far.  This week he read about the invention of paper.  Yesterday he tried his hand at it, and had a great time.  I think this is going to be his "hobby" for the time being.  (until something else catches his fancy. ;)

Here are a few pics of the process...

1. fill the blender half full with torn paper.

2.  Add warm water, to almost full.  

3.  Blend, slowly at first and then increase the speed.  The longer you blend the smoother the pulp. ;)

 4.  We cut the bottom out of an aluminum pan and covered it with screen.  We sat that pan in another pan.  Then you start pouring out the pulp...

 5.  Spread it around... you want to try and get it as even as possible...

6.  Keep pouring and spread.  Then he added some bits of colored string to this one...

7.  Once you have it spread out, you want to flip it over onto a smooth cotton dish towel or something else.  (we used an old table cloth.)  At this point, we used a rolling pin to try and smooth it out a little bit more.

We also added a small fan to blow on them to help with the drying time.  

8.  Here is the finished product, after it dried over night.  The top piece, (the lavender color) you can see the smooth side, which was the bottom side while it was drying.  The pink one you can see is the rough side.  It is a little thicker than your normal "card stock"... I'm thinking note cards, book marks... there are lots of possibilities. :)

9.  Here is one happy boy...thinking about all the different kinds of paper is going to be making. :)  He already has a bag that he is collecting "trash" to recycle.  

Waiting...waiting...waiting

This is a link to a recent blog post that explains in a little more detail some of what we are facing right now, as we try to secure US visas for our youngest two children.  Appreciate your prayers for us in this area.

Blessings to you!
Joy

Well the waiting continues...

Family Update... Thanksgiving Day, 2012

I get so behind posting on here...I have great intentions, but then there just doesn't seem to be any time to do it all! :-)  This has been a full month, full of blessings and activities.

We took a trip to Quito at the beginning of the month, to see about our visas.  Here in Manta, we had been told that we would have to leave the country and return with a tourist visa, and then start the process to get a permanent visa.  But, in Quito they accepted our documents requesting a missionary visa.  We have spent the rest of the month, waiting to hear if this visa was granted or not.  On Monday, we received good news that the documentation was accepted as is, and they took our passports in order to apply the visas, which now have also been paid for.  Now we are waiting for the return of the passports with the new visas applied. Oh the joy of dealing with red tape! :-)

Besides, the drama of our visas...we have enjoyed celebrating my birthday on the 10th, and Matthew's birthday, which was today, but we celebrated it on the 21st, so that today, we could focus on Thanksgiving! Why have just one celebration, when you can have two?!

Carla, has been sick this month, but is doing much better, and we think she is on the mend, after a round of antibiotics and breathing treatments last week.

All 3 children are doing well in school.  Teddy finished a unit on New Zealand, and his end of unit project was to make a Pavlova for dessert.  He also did a short report about its origins.  I have to say that the dessert was excellent and not near has hard as I had thought it would be.  I can see it being made more often in the future! ;-)

Matthew and Carla have been learning about Egypt in Ancient History.  Last week, we read about "King Tut", and they also built pyramids with blocks.  There was actually directions in the book about how to make a "chicken mummy", but I decided that was not something we were going to get into! LOL!!  They had a great time making the pyramids, and we didn't have to wait 6 weeks or worry about stinking bacteria ridden chickens!

Because we made a trip up to Quito at the beginning of the month, and because Tony flew back up there on the 9th to check on the visa situation, and because Carla has been sick, we decided that it would be better for us to stay put at home this Thanksgiving.  We really missed the opportunity to be with our friends there, but we had a wonderful day here celebrating with the kids.   Today at dinner, we were talking about how much has changed since the first Thanksgiving Matthew and Carla were with us.  It is really quite amazing and remarkable.   I will post a couple photos to let you see what I'm talking about....

This was taken Thanksgiving day, 2010.  We had a couple kids that just weren't sure about any of it...

This was taken at dinner today!  

We are counting our blessings, and naming them one by one.  God has been so very good to us!

Thank you for your prayers for our family and for the ministry here in Manta.  God is working.  The church is growing and lives are being changed!

Blessings to you and yours on this very special day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joy

Teddy's Australian Meal

This year Teddy is studying the Eastern Hemisphere   It has already been very interesting.  He started out studying the Pacific Islands, and a week ago finished up the unit on Australia.  Last week he started a unit on New Zealand.  At the end of each unit he as a project to do.  For Australia he wanted to cook a meal.  Because of the Ladies Conference at church and then our unexpected trip to Quito last week, we had to put it off, a little bit.  Over the week-end he and I together, looked up different recipes on-line and came up with a menu.  This morning he and his Dad when shopping, for the needed items and together we fixed a delicious, "Australian Meal".  (Actually we aren't sure how authentic it was, BUT we will say, it was very yummy! :-)

Teddy making the Lamingtons.

Showing off the Damper.

"Not So Crunchy Chicken Casserole"

Everything is ready for dinner.

Teddy's Centerpiece.

Here are a couple links to the sites where we found our recipes.

http://www.food.com/recipe/not-so-crunchy-chicken-casserole-482062

http://www.aussiecooking.com.au/cook/recipes/451/Damper/

http://www.aussiecooking.com.au/cook/recipes/285/Asparagus%20in%20Lemon%20Garlic%20Dressing%
20/

We got the recipe for the Lamingtons we made from a magazine, FACES the Magazine About People, Australia Through Time.  Volumne VII Number IX, May, 1992

Lamingtons

To make the cake, you need:
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

two bowls; measuring cups and spoons; mixing spoon; electric mixer; baking pan, 9x12 or 10 x 15 inches, lined with wax paper, wire rack; sharp knife

Prepare pan by greasing it lightly or spraying it with cooking spray.   Cut wax paper to fit inside the pan so that the bottom and sides are covered.

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Separate the egg yolks and whites into two bowls.
3. To the egg yolks add 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla.  Blend, then set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites with the electric mixer.  Gradually add the remaining sugar (1/2 cup).   Beat until stiff peaks form.
5.  fold the egg yolk mixture into the whites.  Add the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Mix until the batter is smooth.
6.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 12 minutes, or until the center springs back when tested.
7.  Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes, then turn it out onto the wire rack.  Allow it to cool for a few minutes more, then remove the wax paper carefully.  (Loosen all the edges first, then peel off the paper in strips.)
8.  With a sharp knife, cut the cake into squares.  Allow them to cool completely.

To Make the Icing, you need:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons cocoa
boiling water
7-oz bag (about 2 cups) coconut.
measuring cups and spoons, 2 small bowls, mixing spoon, fork, plates

1.  Mix the powder sugar, melted butter, cocoa, and enough boiling water (about 4 tablespoons) to make a runny icing.
2.  Using a fork, pick up a square of cake and spoon the icing over it to cover all sides.  Allow the icing to drip for a few minutes, then place the cake in a bowl of coconut.  Coat the cake with coconut, then place it on a plate to dry.
3.  Repeat the process until all the squares are covered.  Lamingtons can be refrigerated or frozen.

What's been happening...

The last couple weeks of October have been really busy.  We enjoyed great services at church.  185 two weeks ago and 162 last Sunday.  God is working and moving in hearts.

Our daughter, Carla, celebrated her 9th birthday on Oct. 22.  Here is a link to some pictures from that special day.

Carla's Birthday

The Ladies Conference we had planned for the 26th and 27th was wonderful!  We had 58 ladies participate that is only short 2 of those who had signed up.  I don't think we have ever had that kind of turn out before.  The ladies did a great job of helping with the planning and carrying through with their commitments.  By taking on the responsibility of so much of the conference it allowed me to focus the bulk of my attention on the lessons.  What a blessing!

If you would like to see photos from that event, please visit the link below:

Manzanas de Oro

It is also that time of year, when we need to re-new our visas.  Tony started working early in the month, to get together all the necessary paperwork.  It has always been a fairly simple, straight forward thing, (well as simple and straight forward as you can get when the government is involved! ;-)  Anyway, the first time he went they told him he was going to need some extra papers this year.  They also told him the name that he was to address all the letters to, (the coordinator of visas for this area).  Well, when he went back about 5 days later to turn in all the paperwork...he was told that the coordinator had changed and that the letters now needed to be addressed to a different person.  Also was told that one of our papers we had received from the National Mission here was out dated.  It needed to be less than 2 years old.  So we again, talked to the Mission leaders in Quito, and they re-wrote the letters, (these have to be written, signed by the president of the Mission and notarized, all of which takes time).  They also found a more current document on file and had it copied and notarized.  All was done and sent to us, within a couple days, (which was really amazing in itself)!  When Tony, went last Friday, to again turn in our folder of documents, he was told that they were unacceptable, because the paper, that we had been told needed to be less than 2 years old, now, had to be dated this year!  We found out all of this on Friday morning, and I was preparing for the Ladies Conference starting that evening!  Can you see Satan at work?!   Well, despite all of that we had Wonderful conference and God blessed!   On Monday we headed up to Quito.  We were going to try applying for our visa there, and if that didn't work we would head across the border on Wednesday, to return to Ecuador with a 90 day tourist visa.  Well, we found grace in the eyes of the officials there.  Our documents were accepted, entered in to the computer and our photos taken.  We have an appointment to return on Nov. 9.  At this point it looks like everything is on track.  Appreciate your prayers that we would be granted our visa with no more problems.

Today is Día de los Difuntos.  It is traditional to eat Guaguas de pan, (bread babies) and drink Colada Morada, it is a thick drink made from blueberries, blackberries, lots of spices with chopped up fruit in it.
if you would like a recipe for it, you will find a great one here .  We enjoyed the traditional treats and spent some time talking to the children about the history and meaning behind it.  Here are some pics from our own family celebration.

Day of the Dead, celebration

Thank you for your prayers for our family and the ministry here in  Manta!
Blessings to you!
Joy

Living Hope Academy...

Friday we just finished our first term!   Unbelievable!  It seems like we were just getting ready to start and here we have our first 7 weeks under our belt and are looking forward to our first vacation week.    Over all the kids did really well.  We all seem to be adjusting to the schedule and our days are full.   One of the things that has been really different for me this year, is that school is taking quite a bit longer than it has in previous years.  Of course for Teddy, it has been increasing every year, but I have been able to be finished with my part usually by noon.  This year, I am taking a break to fix lunch and then after lunch we all head back up for at least an hour sometimes 2.  That is is taking some getting used to.

One of the things I am hoping to accomplish during this break, is to get more of our meal prep done, and in the freezer.  Also hope to make several "mixes" that will be time savers, too.   Since we are all home for the mid-day meal, it just works better for us to have our main meal of the day at that time, instead of in the evening.  But, with more time needed for school during the day, it is taking some "creative planning" to make that work, and still enjoy a nice dinner together.  :-)

It is exciting to see the kids making progress!  Teddy has done an in-depth study of the Pacific Islands and is currently in the middle of a study on Australia.  He is just about to conquer Long Division and Complex Multiplication problems.   Next he will be moving onto some pretty complex work with fractions.  (I'm so glad Daddy is near by to help out with Math!!) He has also been learning a lot about the Human Body.   Just finished studying the digestive system. Also an in depth study of how the kidneys work.  Really quite fascinating   Not sure who is enjoying it more, Teddy or me? ;-)

Carla and Matthew have been learning about ancient history.  I was a little concerned at first, that it might be over their head, especially working as ESL, but I have been very pleased with how much they have understood and retained.  In Science they learned all about the Water Cycle, and we spent some time on Weather.  Now they are starting a study of plants.

Carla is doing great with her reading, and she seems to really enjoy it.  She is struggling a little in Math, but, is making progress, and we are very pleased with that.

Matthew has made unbelievable progress with his small motor control.  If you compared his work today with what he was doing even 6 months ago, you would never believe it was the same kid.  I am so proud of how hard he is working in this area.  He is still struggling a lot in the "decoding" part of learning to read.  Not because he doesn't know the sounds of the letters, but his problems with speech, make it difficult for him to put the sounds together in a way that he can hear the word.  We are working on some different things, and praying that we will find the right combination for him.  I have no doubt that this little boy will learn to read.  He has never failed to accomplish anything he set his mind to do, be it learn to walk...talk...feed and dress himself...write and cut.... It just might take a little bit longer to accomplish, but what is that in the whole scheme of things? :-)

We thank you so much for your prayers for our family.  It is such a blessing to us to know that you are praying for us.

Blessings, Joy

Matthew's "pizza"

Even Carla's babies enjoy school! ;-)

We enjoy "field trips" to the beach!

We spent time in Monti Cristi learning about culture things.  Here Teddy is showing a couple tagua "nuts" and the plant they came out of.  Tagua is known as "vegetable ivory".  

Here we saw how a hat is made. 

President Eloy Alfaro, brought the coast and the highlands of Ecuador together by building the first railroad connecting the two. 

Matthew enjoys swimming lessons 2 afternoons a week.  

I couldn't resist this one...he's like a duck in the water! :-)

Carla and Teddy enjoy Tennis classes 3 afternoons a week. 

Carla and Matthew made farms after we read Charlotte's Web.  Here they are painting their barns.

Teddy planned the menu and cooked breakfast all my himself for the family one Saturday morning. 

It was great!!  Chocolate chip pancakes with Strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sauce AND chocolate banana milkshakes!  YUM!!

Tony and Teddy working on Viking Ship model.

Sorry this is sideways...I can't figure out how to rotate it! :-(  This a a picture of Carla with her "robot" she made!