There are so many things I remember about that day.
The 2 hour ride to the Detroit, airport... The incredible mountain of luggage we had, and having to step over to the side and try to do some re-packing because one of our bags was over-weight. I remember that I just left a huge bottle of hair conditioner with my Mom, to finally make things work out right. I remember that the air attack on Kuwait had just happened, and because of that, security was unusually high, and that, we didn't realize until we were there, that we would have to say "Good-bye" to my parents out there, near the ticket counters before going through security. (I'm sure that is hard to believe in this world of post 9/11, but it was normal to actually go all the way to the gate area and wait with people, who were flying.)
I remember what I was wearing, a straight, light blue corduroy skirt, cream colored blouse with a scarf, and a sweater. The girls each had new dolls, they were carrying, and all 3 had back-packs and carry-on bags. It was a LONG day. One filled with excitement, at the "new adventure" we were on, but also filled with a lot of "un-knowns". Saying "good-bye" to loved ones... this was all in the days before internet... email... Skype... Vonage... Facebook. Letters (actual write on paper and hold in your hand, letters!) took on an average of 2 weeks to make it to us here. Phone service was unpredictable and costly.
I don't remember anything really about the flight, (there have been so many since they all kind of run together)... I don't remember much about Miami airport, where we had to change planes, and I believe we had to claim our luggage and re-check it... UGH! We are talking 10 large 70 lb. bags, plus 5 carry-on bags, and 5 "personal items"... I think Mandie and Ashley, did fairly well, carrying their own bags... (this was also before "rolling bags" were very common! I know! Really who can remember that?!) Lex, was very little, just 2 1/2, so I'm pretty sure she wasn't up to carrying very much. I don't remember if I found a pay phone and called my parents or not. (oh yeah, and this was also before the time that everyone had a cell phone!) I'm thinking I didn't...
We arrived in Quito, got through immigration and customs... always a bit nerve wrecking, in it's craziness... then we came out of the airport. The Quito airport at that time, didn't have an inside waiting area around the international exit. You exited right outside. There was this chain link fence, that was there, and people were all pushed up against it looking for a glimpse of their party. We came out into all this chaos, looking for a familiar face and not seeing any. We had the guys pushing our luggage carts, to just pile it all up on the side walk... I had the girls sitting on the bags, everyone watching these gringos. A couple young men came up and started talking to Tony, we had no idea who they were, they seemed to know us, and to be honest, even though I had spent a year in language school, my Spanish, especially under stress, was not good. :D Anyway, ends up they were from the church in Quito, Nikolay and his brother, Franchisco. I think Nikolay, went into the terminal and called our friends. Remember, this is all before internet and cell phones. We evidently hadn't communicated well which airline we were coming in on. They thought we were arriving on a different airline, around 10:00pm, when actually we arrived around 8:00pm. I honestly don't know why those young men were even at the airport at that time! I just know God had them there, because we had no way of contacting anyone... no Ecuadorian money to make a phone call... no phone number to call! LOL! I remember our friends, pulling up in their van. It was so good to see them! We loaded all our stuff into their van, and were off to the place where we would be staying for a few days.
One of the last things I remember about that day, is that the people where we were staying had a "direct-dial" phone, (I didn't even realize how incredible that was!) and I was able to call my parents to let them know that we arrived. I remember, it was so good to hear their voices, and to be able to let them know we had arrived safe and sound....I remember feeling excited to be here, yet at the same time anxious about the next steps.
One thing, I can say, looking back, that while the journey has not always been easy, God has been faithful. All the time. At every turn.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Memories & Musings...
Today I opened up my Facebook feed and there in the "On This Day", were these two photos. That brought back so many memories!! They were taken the evening we flew into the Flint, MI airport on our return to the US for our first furlough. We had been in Ecuador for about 2 1/2 years, and there was a large group from our Home Church, waiting to greet us. They had a big banner and balloons for the girls.
I love these photos because there is so much love and joy in them! They also tell a bit of a story! Leaving home/country/culture is a sacrifice for a missionary. We do it because we sense God's leading and calling and don't get me wrong, we don't do it, "screaming and kicking". No, we feel blessed and there is a lot of joy in serving the Lord where he leads you. Our family has been overwhelmingly blessed to be able to live and work in Ecuador.
But what these photos tell is not so much the sacrifice the missionaries make, but that there are others that are sacrificing, too. Many of you know that I am an only child. So when Tony and I went to Ecuador, not only did my parents lose the opportunity to have daily contact, and dare I say to experience even the "mundane" events of daily family life with their only daughter, they also gave up that relationship with their only grandchildren. I knew in my head that it was a sacrifice for them, (and the rest of our extended family that lives here in the US) but I never really understood it in my heart, until our 3 daughters grew up, and moved back to the States...then our own grandchildren started arriving.
Now my parents did an AMAZING job of staying connected with my children. In the early years,(remember this was all before internet, email, Skype, etc.) They would write and send cards regularly. We would take turns calling each other. They would call us once a month, and we would call them once a month...so we got to talk on the phone twice a month. That was back when it cost A LOT to call internationally, and for us, it could sometimes take a couple days to get the call to go through. We would have to call an operator... give them the number we wanted to call...hang up... when they got the call through, the phone would ring again. Once the call was finished the operator would call back and tell us how long we talked and what the cost of that call was. Most of the time the call back with the connection was just a few minutes, BUT, I do remember it sometimes taking a day or so. They also made trips down to see us, twice our first term there, and a few more times before the girls graduated from high school. Also once we got email, we would write each other everyday(seemed like an amazing thing at the time)... and as internet capabilities improved, communication became even more frequent.
Still being a framed photograph on the wall and a voice on the phone, or even a person on the other side of the computer screen, in the case of Skype or Face Time, is a far cry from being present in the every day. Experiencing even as I mentioned before, just the mundane activities of life...being able to eat supper together, or Sunday dinner. Having the opportunity to have the grandkids over for a sleepover... or be there to watch them after school for an hour or two. It is through those things that you build a relationship...you get to really know them and they get to know you. When you don't have those opportunities, the relationships just aren't the same. I'm not saying that you don't or can't have a relationship, I'm just saying it's different...and it's something you sacrifice.
I'm so thankful that my parents love God and love me so much that they were willing to make that sacrifice. NEVER. ONE. TIME. have they complained to us, or asked us to do something different. I know that God has blessed them and has blessed us in so many other ways, and I am thankful for that, but today's post is just about recognizing that it IS a sacrifice, and it's not always easy.
 |
| In this photo, you see my Mom holding my youngest (at the time), my Dad in the background holding onto the balloons, maybe talking to my oldest, (not sure) and I'm there with my middle daughter, who seems pretty excited/overwhelmed by it all. In the background there are a couple girls from the church, taking down the banner. |
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| This photo is my Dad with my youngest, (again at that time), with a very sweet lady from the church in the background, along with my middle daughter. |
I love these photos because there is so much love and joy in them! They also tell a bit of a story! Leaving home/country/culture is a sacrifice for a missionary. We do it because we sense God's leading and calling and don't get me wrong, we don't do it, "screaming and kicking". No, we feel blessed and there is a lot of joy in serving the Lord where he leads you. Our family has been overwhelmingly blessed to be able to live and work in Ecuador.
But what these photos tell is not so much the sacrifice the missionaries make, but that there are others that are sacrificing, too. Many of you know that I am an only child. So when Tony and I went to Ecuador, not only did my parents lose the opportunity to have daily contact, and dare I say to experience even the "mundane" events of daily family life with their only daughter, they also gave up that relationship with their only grandchildren. I knew in my head that it was a sacrifice for them, (and the rest of our extended family that lives here in the US) but I never really understood it in my heart, until our 3 daughters grew up, and moved back to the States...then our own grandchildren started arriving.
Now my parents did an AMAZING job of staying connected with my children. In the early years,(remember this was all before internet, email, Skype, etc.) They would write and send cards regularly. We would take turns calling each other. They would call us once a month, and we would call them once a month...so we got to talk on the phone twice a month. That was back when it cost A LOT to call internationally, and for us, it could sometimes take a couple days to get the call to go through. We would have to call an operator... give them the number we wanted to call...hang up... when they got the call through, the phone would ring again. Once the call was finished the operator would call back and tell us how long we talked and what the cost of that call was. Most of the time the call back with the connection was just a few minutes, BUT, I do remember it sometimes taking a day or so. They also made trips down to see us, twice our first term there, and a few more times before the girls graduated from high school. Also once we got email, we would write each other everyday(seemed like an amazing thing at the time)... and as internet capabilities improved, communication became even more frequent.
Still being a framed photograph on the wall and a voice on the phone, or even a person on the other side of the computer screen, in the case of Skype or Face Time, is a far cry from being present in the every day. Experiencing even as I mentioned before, just the mundane activities of life...being able to eat supper together, or Sunday dinner. Having the opportunity to have the grandkids over for a sleepover... or be there to watch them after school for an hour or two. It is through those things that you build a relationship...you get to really know them and they get to know you. When you don't have those opportunities, the relationships just aren't the same. I'm not saying that you don't or can't have a relationship, I'm just saying it's different...and it's something you sacrifice.
I'm so thankful that my parents love God and love me so much that they were willing to make that sacrifice. NEVER. ONE. TIME. have they complained to us, or asked us to do something different. I know that God has blessed them and has blessed us in so many other ways, and I am thankful for that, but today's post is just about recognizing that it IS a sacrifice, and it's not always easy.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Easter...
I hope you had a Happy Easter!! Our family enjoyed being in the US for this special holiday. I will be honest that I was pretty much in love with all the cute decorations available and all the aisles at the stores, filled with Easter "treats" for the kid's baskets. It was a bit overwhelming, but at the same time it was so much fun. :) I didn't let myself purchase very many decorations, just a few for the 2 tables we have here. Haven't decided if I will be taking them with me back to Ecuador, giving them to my daughter here, or packing them away, to be available the next time we are in the States for Easter. :D Oh the decisions to be made.
My married daughter here in Florida, had to work Sunday night, (she's a CNA at a local hospital). So we decided to have our big dinner, on Saturday, and give the kids their baskets afterwards, and even have our family egg hunt. Sunday was focused on church. Tony and I along with Teddy and Carla, helped out in the children's groups here, as they have a huge influx of people in on Easter. Carla, Teddy and I were assigned to pre-school, while Tony worked down with the 5th grade boys.
I will admit that I was NOT looking forward to working with the preschool kids. There were 2 things going on with this. First, we as a family aren't in the States very often at Easter time. When I thought about Easter and getting to be in the States, I was looking forward to being in the Worship Service as a family. Then there's the fact that it's just not an age I really enjoy working with... yes, if you know me, I did teach in Early Childhood for years... yes, children's ministry was my primary focus of ministry for the first 13 years of our missionary service. But, I have spent more than a decade working in Women's ministry, and my involvement in Children's ministry has been as a "resource" and a teacher, training teachers. I am much more comfortable speaking to a room full of ladies than dealing with preschool kids and all that entails. (and yes, I very much enjoy having my grandkids around and the majority of them are "preschool" age! :) Anyway, that being said, I had been praying that the Lord would help me to have the right attitude, and use me to encourage and bless someone on Sunday.
Just about the time we were ready to actually start class, the door opened and 2 little kids walked in. Their parents were speaking English to us, but Spanish to the kids. They came in, and watching the other kids started trying to participate. I went over to the little girl, and asked her if she spoke English? She looked and me and then said, no. So, I explained to the two of them what we were going to do next. They joined the rest of the kids on the rug, and then I watched as the teacher, started the opening, using some eggs to explain the Easter lesson, (a shortened version of the popular Resurrection Eggs). I asked her if I could have the eggs for a minute before she moved on, and I sat down on the floor next to these 2 children, and showed them the eggs and explained the whole story. As I spoke to them in Spanish, they lit up and became engaged. We continued with the video lesson, which involved some interaction with the kids. They tried to follow along and do the hand motions with the rest of the kids for the songs, etc. Then we broke up for "small groups" where we were going to review the lesson. I took them over to a table, and using the visuals we had, told them the story in Spanish. As I was speaking to these 2 and they were asking and answering questions, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in the still small voice... "See, I didn't make a mistake! You are EXACTLY where I needed you to be today!"
I don't know about you, but I still need these reminders from time to time. You know, when we think things should be going a different way, or we wish they were different. When we are following God, and seeking his will and walking in the way He leads, it's important to remember that he NEVER, EVER makes a mistake. He has a plan and a reason for everything he allows. Sometimes we will know right away, like I did yesterday, sometimes we may not know until we get to heaven, BUT, that doesn't mean we can't trust Him, and remember that he does ALL things well. His plans are not my plans and his ways are not my ways. He has plans so much bigger, and better than I could ever imagine.
Keeping my eyes on Jesus today. Hope you are too!
Blessings, Joy
Sunday afternoon, 4/16/2017
My married daughter here in Florida, had to work Sunday night, (she's a CNA at a local hospital). So we decided to have our big dinner, on Saturday, and give the kids their baskets afterwards, and even have our family egg hunt. Sunday was focused on church. Tony and I along with Teddy and Carla, helped out in the children's groups here, as they have a huge influx of people in on Easter. Carla, Teddy and I were assigned to pre-school, while Tony worked down with the 5th grade boys.
I will admit that I was NOT looking forward to working with the preschool kids. There were 2 things going on with this. First, we as a family aren't in the States very often at Easter time. When I thought about Easter and getting to be in the States, I was looking forward to being in the Worship Service as a family. Then there's the fact that it's just not an age I really enjoy working with... yes, if you know me, I did teach in Early Childhood for years... yes, children's ministry was my primary focus of ministry for the first 13 years of our missionary service. But, I have spent more than a decade working in Women's ministry, and my involvement in Children's ministry has been as a "resource" and a teacher, training teachers. I am much more comfortable speaking to a room full of ladies than dealing with preschool kids and all that entails. (and yes, I very much enjoy having my grandkids around and the majority of them are "preschool" age! :) Anyway, that being said, I had been praying that the Lord would help me to have the right attitude, and use me to encourage and bless someone on Sunday.
Just about the time we were ready to actually start class, the door opened and 2 little kids walked in. Their parents were speaking English to us, but Spanish to the kids. They came in, and watching the other kids started trying to participate. I went over to the little girl, and asked her if she spoke English? She looked and me and then said, no. So, I explained to the two of them what we were going to do next. They joined the rest of the kids on the rug, and then I watched as the teacher, started the opening, using some eggs to explain the Easter lesson, (a shortened version of the popular Resurrection Eggs). I asked her if I could have the eggs for a minute before she moved on, and I sat down on the floor next to these 2 children, and showed them the eggs and explained the whole story. As I spoke to them in Spanish, they lit up and became engaged. We continued with the video lesson, which involved some interaction with the kids. They tried to follow along and do the hand motions with the rest of the kids for the songs, etc. Then we broke up for "small groups" where we were going to review the lesson. I took them over to a table, and using the visuals we had, told them the story in Spanish. As I was speaking to these 2 and they were asking and answering questions, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in the still small voice... "See, I didn't make a mistake! You are EXACTLY where I needed you to be today!"
I don't know about you, but I still need these reminders from time to time. You know, when we think things should be going a different way, or we wish they were different. When we are following God, and seeking his will and walking in the way He leads, it's important to remember that he NEVER, EVER makes a mistake. He has a plan and a reason for everything he allows. Sometimes we will know right away, like I did yesterday, sometimes we may not know until we get to heaven, BUT, that doesn't mean we can't trust Him, and remember that he does ALL things well. His plans are not my plans and his ways are not my ways. He has plans so much bigger, and better than I could ever imagine.
Keeping my eyes on Jesus today. Hope you are too!
Blessings, Joy
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
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! ;)
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! ;)
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
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.
Joy
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! ;)
(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!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Here, There and Everywhere!
Hey Everyone! We are coming to the close of our time in the US. It has been very good in many ways and challenging in many others.
We have enjoyed so much having the opportunity to visit our family. We were able to spend time with my Mom and Dad. Tony and the kids were able to visit with his Mom, Sister and some extended family. We spent a few days with each of our daughters and their families. What fun to spend time with the grand kids!!
Besides that, we were able to re-connect with some great friends and supporters.
A big challenge for all of us was that we all got the Type B flu, which is an upper respiratory bug. It is really nasty stuff, and hangs on forever. We are thankful that we are finally about over it. Appreciate your prayers for complete healing.
Carla had her follow-up Cardio check this week. We got an excellent report!! We are praising the Lord that at this time the doctors do not expect her to have any more trouble with her heart. If at some time her pulmonary stenosis worsens, they feel that it will be able to be opened up with a balloon cath procedure!!! What incredible news to hear that she is not looking at any more major surgeries in the in the future!! Of course we understand that this is not guaranteed and things may change, BUT for now, this is GREAT news!!! Also they told us that because she is doing so well they don't need to see her for 2 years!!!!! WOW!
We are all excited to be heading back to Ecuador on Wednesday. It has been so great to see everyone as I mentioned above, but we are ready to get home! :) Tony and I are excited about the ministry opportunities that God is opening up for us. We really appreciate your prayers as we pursue these open doors and move FORWARD.
Blessings to you and yours,
Joy
We have enjoyed so much having the opportunity to visit our family. We were able to spend time with my Mom and Dad. Tony and the kids were able to visit with his Mom, Sister and some extended family. We spent a few days with each of our daughters and their families. What fun to spend time with the grand kids!!
Besides that, we were able to re-connect with some great friends and supporters.
A big challenge for all of us was that we all got the Type B flu, which is an upper respiratory bug. It is really nasty stuff, and hangs on forever. We are thankful that we are finally about over it. Appreciate your prayers for complete healing.
Carla had her follow-up Cardio check this week. We got an excellent report!! We are praising the Lord that at this time the doctors do not expect her to have any more trouble with her heart. If at some time her pulmonary stenosis worsens, they feel that it will be able to be opened up with a balloon cath procedure!!! What incredible news to hear that she is not looking at any more major surgeries in the in the future!! Of course we understand that this is not guaranteed and things may change, BUT for now, this is GREAT news!!! Also they told us that because she is doing so well they don't need to see her for 2 years!!!!! WOW!
We are all excited to be heading back to Ecuador on Wednesday. It has been so great to see everyone as I mentioned above, but we are ready to get home! :) Tony and I are excited about the ministry opportunities that God is opening up for us. We really appreciate your prayers as we pursue these open doors and move FORWARD.
Blessings to you and yours,
Joy
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Plans Change...
1:00pm, August 27th, we took Carla into see Dr. Battle. Teddy and Matthew stayed with Miss Lori. Pastor Tim drove us to Dr. Battle's office. We were still really "clueless" at this point in understanding who exactly Dr. Battle was, and his influence and what it meant to have him "on our team".
A funny thing happened when we first arrived at the office. They didn't realize that we spoke English, and so they had asked for a translator to be present. He was excused, as soon as they figured out we or Carla either one were in need of a translator. ;)
We didn't have to wait very long, to be called back to an exam room. We met Adrienne, who was Dr. Battle's nurse. They also came in and did an EKG. After that, Dr. Battle came in. Tony and I were so impressed with his attitude. He was so compassionate. He not only talked to us, but was sure to always include Carla in his conversation. I honestly don't remember a lot of our conversation with him, because he gave us the news that Carla was going to have to have open-heart surgery to repair the hole in her heart, and that was so much "bigger" than what we were anticipating that it was all just a little bit overwhelming. He did take the time to explain to us the reasons... the rim of the hole in Carla's heart was not stable. Basically it was very thin and flimsy. The fear being that when the 2 umbrella like devices that would go in at each side of the hole and them clamp together, the rim of the hole would not be strong enough to hold them in place and that that would tear away and then be floating around in her heart... not a good idea! We asked a little bit about time table... how long would she need to stay in the hospital, how long were we talking about for recovery. Basically she could be in the hospital about a week... recovery time was normally 6 weeks. After spending time talking to us, he asked us if Tim was in the waiting area, and if he had our permission to explain the situation to him, and we said yes, please do.
A couple things I remember from his conversation with Tim was that 1) this was going to be a bigger deal, and he wanted Tim to understand the kind of support we were going to be needing. 2) he mentioned that this was the best time of year for Carla to have surgery, because school was just starting and there would not be a lot of children in the hospital having "elective surgeries", so the chance of infection from others was down. He said, you should thank those visa people who held things up! We were able to say, it was God who had everything under control and his timing was perfect.
Nurse Adrienne had told us that we would be getting a call the next day from Dr. Gangemi's nurse, to schedule the surgery. Dr. Gangemi was the pediatric surgeon on Dr. Battle's team.
When we got the call the next day, we had the date. Carla's open heart surgery would be on Oct. 8. We had a little over a month to get ready. During that time she would have a MRI, a pediatric visit, dental exam, and we would meet with the surgeon.
This also meant that the traveling schedule Tony had set up for the fall, was going to have to be altered. He went to work, trying to change a few meetings around. One he had to cancel altogether, as it was a conference that was to start the day after her surgery.
I can say that the next month, was full of many unknowns and many blessings. But, that is all for the next post. :)
A funny thing happened when we first arrived at the office. They didn't realize that we spoke English, and so they had asked for a translator to be present. He was excused, as soon as they figured out we or Carla either one were in need of a translator. ;)
We didn't have to wait very long, to be called back to an exam room. We met Adrienne, who was Dr. Battle's nurse. They also came in and did an EKG. After that, Dr. Battle came in. Tony and I were so impressed with his attitude. He was so compassionate. He not only talked to us, but was sure to always include Carla in his conversation. I honestly don't remember a lot of our conversation with him, because he gave us the news that Carla was going to have to have open-heart surgery to repair the hole in her heart, and that was so much "bigger" than what we were anticipating that it was all just a little bit overwhelming. He did take the time to explain to us the reasons... the rim of the hole in Carla's heart was not stable. Basically it was very thin and flimsy. The fear being that when the 2 umbrella like devices that would go in at each side of the hole and them clamp together, the rim of the hole would not be strong enough to hold them in place and that that would tear away and then be floating around in her heart... not a good idea! We asked a little bit about time table... how long would she need to stay in the hospital, how long were we talking about for recovery. Basically she could be in the hospital about a week... recovery time was normally 6 weeks. After spending time talking to us, he asked us if Tim was in the waiting area, and if he had our permission to explain the situation to him, and we said yes, please do.
A couple things I remember from his conversation with Tim was that 1) this was going to be a bigger deal, and he wanted Tim to understand the kind of support we were going to be needing. 2) he mentioned that this was the best time of year for Carla to have surgery, because school was just starting and there would not be a lot of children in the hospital having "elective surgeries", so the chance of infection from others was down. He said, you should thank those visa people who held things up! We were able to say, it was God who had everything under control and his timing was perfect.
Nurse Adrienne had told us that we would be getting a call the next day from Dr. Gangemi's nurse, to schedule the surgery. Dr. Gangemi was the pediatric surgeon on Dr. Battle's team.
When we got the call the next day, we had the date. Carla's open heart surgery would be on Oct. 8. We had a little over a month to get ready. During that time she would have a MRI, a pediatric visit, dental exam, and we would meet with the surgeon.
This also meant that the traveling schedule Tony had set up for the fall, was going to have to be altered. He went to work, trying to change a few meetings around. One he had to cancel altogether, as it was a conference that was to start the day after her surgery.
I can say that the next month, was full of many unknowns and many blessings. But, that is all for the next post. :)
Monday, January 20, 2014
Settling in...
On Monday, August 12, Carla had her first Echo at UVA. The boys stayed with Miss Lori, and Pastor Tim drove us to the hospital. I remember that it seemed to take a long time to get to the hospital. It is amazing how over time and multiple trips the distance shortened! ;)
At UVA, for the clinics you must go in and register. These ladies are very nice and very efficient. They make sure all the forms are filled out the "t's are crossed and the i's dotted". Once through that step, we headed upstairs to the pediatric clinic. When you get off of the elevators, you can either head to the cardio side or the normal pediatric side. Our first visit was to the Cardio side. We only had a few minutes wait and were called back, for her echo. Tony and I have no understanding of the echo, but that being said, the hole in Carla's heart was obvious even to us.
After the echo, we headed back to pick up the boys. During these days our contact cardiologist, who was Dr. Robert Battle, head of cardiology at UVA, was on vacation, he had ordered the echo and he got the results and was even in contact with Pastor Tim, while on vacation!! That impressed us. That he cared enough to take time out of his vacation to think about Carla and her case.
Our girls had left early Monday morning, and on Tuesday, my Mom and Dad arrived for a few days. It was great to see them and the kids were very excited to have Grandma and Grandpa there.
These days were filled with settling in, and enjoying our time with Grandma and Grandpa. We introduced Carla and Matthew to one of the great American culture treats... the buffet! They were a little overwhelmed but loved it! We also picked up some much needed clothes for the kids as we had been holding off on purchasing anything in Ecuador, and Teddy especially was down to very little clothes that actually fit him. :) We were very grateful for all the "back to school" sales that were going on!!
Here's a photo of the kids playing
with Grandpa. We were really
enjoying having all this wide open
space! I have to say that "country
life" definitely was agreeing with us.
:) Although, I wasn't crazy about all
the "stink bugs" we had to deal with!
That was a first for me.
At UVA, for the clinics you must go in and register. These ladies are very nice and very efficient. They make sure all the forms are filled out the "t's are crossed and the i's dotted". Once through that step, we headed upstairs to the pediatric clinic. When you get off of the elevators, you can either head to the cardio side or the normal pediatric side. Our first visit was to the Cardio side. We only had a few minutes wait and were called back, for her echo. Tony and I have no understanding of the echo, but that being said, the hole in Carla's heart was obvious even to us.
After the echo, we headed back to pick up the boys. During these days our contact cardiologist, who was Dr. Robert Battle, head of cardiology at UVA, was on vacation, he had ordered the echo and he got the results and was even in contact with Pastor Tim, while on vacation!! That impressed us. That he cared enough to take time out of his vacation to think about Carla and her case.
Our girls had left early Monday morning, and on Tuesday, my Mom and Dad arrived for a few days. It was great to see them and the kids were very excited to have Grandma and Grandpa there.
Here's a photo of the kids playing
with Grandpa. We were really
enjoying having all this wide open
space! I have to say that "country
life" definitely was agreeing with us.
:) Although, I wasn't crazy about all
the "stink bugs" we had to deal with!
That was a first for me.
Another place we took the kids too, which actually became a favorite place to go for a treat, while we were in VA, was "Sweet Frogs" frozen yogurt. Here is a photo of the kids on our very first visit.
Tony, Teddy and Grandpa went on a day trip to visit some of the Civil War Battlefields that were near our home. Teddy had really enjoyed our study of the Civil War in 4th grade, and had been excited to learn that we would be living in the middle of some great battlefields.
Here's a photo of him and grandpa, on this trip.
Teddy decided to go home with Grandpa and Grandma for a couple weeks. It was the first time that he had ever had the opportunity to do this, and it was a great experience for him.
Our first doctor's appointment wasn't scheduled until August 27th, so for these couple of weeks, we were just enjoying life and all the blessings that God had bestowed upon us. It was a great time to rest a little and take a deep breath. Pastor Tim had received a few messages from Dr. Battle, that indicated things were a little more complicated than first thought, BUT, we will still pretty much oblivious to all of that. We were still thinking this was going to be a "simple" device procedure, requiring a day or 2 max in the hospital. So thankful, that God gave us these days to rest, and to see his hand of grace on our lives in the form of such wonderful caring friends at MVC.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
What's Been Happening in our Life?
It’s been a long time since I posted on here. Life has thrown us a lot of curve balls during the last 6 months. I am planning to write a series of posts to catch everyone up on what has been going on in our lives… I hope you will pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea and enjoy the “visit.”
We gathered luggage, got to the cars, decided how everyone would travel, and then headed out of the airport for the trip to Ruckersville. I will admit to being very excited BUT also exhausted, as we had traveled on one of the overnight flights out of Ecuador.
That first week-end is pretty much a blur in my mind. In fact, Tony and I had lost a day, as we were going around on Saturday, thinking it was Friday! Thankfully we realized our confusion before we actually missed Church on Sunday. :)
Monday, June 17, 2013
Celebrating Father's Day...
Here are a few photos of what we did with Tony, to celebrate Father's Day this year...
This family photo was taken after services Sunday.
We took Tony to a Mexican Resturant for supper, Sunday. We went about 5:00, and were the only people in there... Most people go out a lot later for supper around here.
After we ordered our food, the kids gave Tony his gift and the cards they had made.
Everyone loved their dinner! ;)
Carla and Matthew had "Flautas de Pollo"...
Tony had the "El Coyote"
Teddy had a beef burrito and I had tostados. It was all delicious!
Today, we went to San Lorenzo, to climb up to the light house.
You can just barely see it on the top of the hill.
And we're off...
At the half way point.
This is where I stayed...
but the kids were ready to move on...
"Victory is ours!" is what Matthew said, when they reached the top! ;)
had to take a photo of the "stairs". There were "only" 650 some...
There were also sea turtle nest marked off. That was neat. The kids came home and checked it out on the computer to see photos of the turtles.
on the way back out of the little town, we came across a bunch of baby pigs crossing the road...
Thursday, May 30, 2013
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
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
Friday, March 15, 2013
4 Carla's Heart...
Some of you know our good friends Tim and Lori Duggins. Their church, Mountain View Chapel, has been working very hard to arrange for Carla's heart procedure whenever we are able to travel to the States. This is a link to their church website. Take a look. You may want to keep checking for updates or see a way to be involved in prayer or giving. Thank you!
Mountainview Chapel - 4 Carla's Heart
Thank you!
Blessings,
Joy
Mountainview Chapel - 4 Carla's Heart
Thank you!
Blessings,
Joy
Monday, February 25, 2013
My Children...
This past week, I have been thinking about how so much of what is really important can't be bought!
One of the verses that had been on my heart was 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
How true that is. Here is scrapbook layout I made based on that verse...
I am so thankful for the blessing of family and that by the grace of God our children are walking in the truth!
(This layout was done using The Best Things page kit by designer Carole Harden. You can find it here: The Digital Scrapbook Place )
One of the verses that had been on my heart was 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
How true that is. Here is scrapbook layout I made based on that verse...
I am so thankful for the blessing of family and that by the grace of God our children are walking in the truth!
(This layout was done using The Best Things page kit by designer Carole Harden. You can find it here: The Digital Scrapbook Place )
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Christmas Baking
Traditionally we enjoy baking lots of goodies around this time of year. My Mom has shared that my Grandma Wille, my Dad's Mom, always made lots of cookies and candy, and it is something that she started doing when she married my Dad. Growing up, I remember having a huge variety of cookies and goodies around the house.
This year one of my daughters emailed me asking about a couple recipes she was looking for. I decided the easiest way to get them to her would be to post them on my blog. That way you get to enjoy them too! ;-) I do not have the original source for either of these recipes. One was passed to my by a friend, but I believe it came from the Taste of Home magazine, and the other I cut out of a magazine but have no idea which one.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Triangles
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cinnamon red hots, (crushed)
1. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, (2 min.). Beat in egg and salt. On low speed gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in crushed red-hot candies. Divide dough into 4 equal disks. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with non-stick foil or regular foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place 1 disk of chilled dough on lightly-floured surface; place a piece of waxed paper on top. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into about 22 cookies, (triangle shaped, about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 2). Place on baking sheets. Re-roll; cut out scraps. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bake in 375 F oven for 6 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let stand on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool complete, then store in an air tight container.
Makes about 7 dozen.
Mocha Bars
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup of cold coffee, (the stronger the better ;)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (mini ones work great, but regular ones are fine, too.)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs, oil, coffee, and vanilla. Combine flour, brown sugar, salt and baking soda, then add to coffee mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 375 F. for 30 to 35 minutes. When you take them out, sprinkle with chips and nuts. Let cool and cut into bars. The texture of this is very "cakey", but very good! I have sometimes just served it like a sheet cake instead of cutting into bars.
*note, I started sprinkling the nuts and chocolate chips on before baking. That way you don't have so many "rolling off" your bars when you try to eat them! ;)
This year one of my daughters emailed me asking about a couple recipes she was looking for. I decided the easiest way to get them to her would be to post them on my blog. That way you get to enjoy them too! ;-) I do not have the original source for either of these recipes. One was passed to my by a friend, but I believe it came from the Taste of Home magazine, and the other I cut out of a magazine but have no idea which one.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Triangles
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cinnamon red hots, (crushed)
1. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and smooth, (2 min.). Beat in egg and salt. On low speed gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in crushed red-hot candies. Divide dough into 4 equal disks. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with non-stick foil or regular foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place 1 disk of chilled dough on lightly-floured surface; place a piece of waxed paper on top. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into about 22 cookies, (triangle shaped, about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 2). Place on baking sheets. Re-roll; cut out scraps. Repeat with remaining dough.
4. Bake in 375 F oven for 6 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let stand on sheets 2 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool complete, then store in an air tight container.
Makes about 7 dozen.
Mocha Bars
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup of cold coffee, (the stronger the better ;)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (mini ones work great, but regular ones are fine, too.)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs, oil, coffee, and vanilla. Combine flour, brown sugar, salt and baking soda, then add to coffee mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 375 F. for 30 to 35 minutes. When you take them out, sprinkle with chips and nuts. Let cool and cut into bars. The texture of this is very "cakey", but very good! I have sometimes just served it like a sheet cake instead of cutting into bars.
*note, I started sprinkling the nuts and chocolate chips on before baking. That way you don't have so many "rolling off" your bars when you try to eat them! ;)
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Family Photo Album for November, 2012
Here are a few pictures of some of the things that have been happening in our life this past month...
Nov. 2, we celebrated the Ecuadorian Holiday, "Día de los muertos".
Carla and Matthew made pyramids out of blocks when we studied about ancient Egypt.
Nov. 10, we celebrated my birthday.
That afternoon, some of the sweet people from our church hosted a surprise party for me!
At the close of his New Zealand unit, Teddy, made Pavlova, and wrote a short report about it's origins.
We hosted a get together with new attendees from church so we could get to know them better.
Matthew celebrated his 8th birthday.
Our Thanksgiving Celebration.
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....
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
Friday, November 2, 2012
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
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
Saturday, October 13, 2012
What's Been Happening in My Kitchen?
We have lived in Ecuador now for almost 24 years. During that time, I've learned to adapt almost all of my recipes. There are very few mixes and I'm sure if you walked down the "can goods" aisle at our grocery store you would be shocked and how little there really is there. Learning to cook everything from scratch was a must.
While cooking in this way has it's advantages, as I'm sure it is probably healthier for you and usually the flavor is great, it does add a lot of prep and cooking time. Years ago when our 3 older girls were still at home, I found a book entitled, Make A Mix. I was so excited to find it and we made up and used quite a few of the mixes. As they left home, and Tony, Teddy and I moved to Manta, I got out of the habit of making them. For one thing, anything with shortening already incorporated in it, just did not hold up in this climate. Also since I wasn't teaching full-time anymore, there was not as much pressure on my time.
Adding 2 more little ones to the family and getting to a point in our Home Schooling, where our school days are becoming longer, my time for meal planning and prep less. So about a month ago I dug out the old cookbook and started searching on-line and found a ton of ideas. Also I searched around the kitchen and came up with almost enough jars and containers for everything. I only needed to purchase 4, to not only do my new mixes but re-organize all my baking essentials! So this week not only did a get a lot of new mixes and meal prep help, I also finally got my kitchen organized in a way that I think will be more workable. :-)
Here is a website where I got the ideas for the labels and tags. She even has downloads if you want to use her labels and recipe tags. I thought about using them, but decided to just make my own, as I wanted to make it work for me.
She also has several recipes too.
Here is another site that has lots of recipes. I used her "Quick Mix" recipe, because it doesn't have shortening incorporated into it, and that means that I don't have to keep it in the freezer in this climate. I also
made her "Yellow Cake Mix".
I also made up some of these, Chocolate Cake Mixes. This recipe was given to me years ago by a close friend. It does have shortening in the mix, so I keep these in my freezer. If you live in a cooler, drier climate that probably wouldn't be necessary.
Chocolate Cake Mix
2 Cups flour
1-3/4 Cups sugar, (superfine if available)
3/4 Cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons shortening
Mix until no chunks of shortening are visible. Store in an airtight container. This is equal to one cake mix. I put mine in "zip-lock" bags.
To Make Cake Add:
1-1/3 Cups water
1/2 Cup oil
3 large eggs
Blend with cake mix in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until moistened, increase speed to medium and beat 2 more minutes.
Pour batter into pans and bake for 30 to 33 minutes for 9-in pans, and 35 to 38 minutes for 13x9 in pan. You can also make cupcakes. They take 19 to 22 minutes.
I also made a Corn Bread Mix, Hot Roll Mix, Brownie Mix, Muffin Mix, Pudding Mixes, and some "Slice and Bake" cookies, that I put in the freezer, all from the Make-A-Mix cookbook. If you are interested in the book you can find at on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Make---Mix-Karine-Eliason/dp/0762426020/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350183823&sr=1-1&keywords=make+a+mix
It is even available in Kindle Format! ;-)
Not only is it full of recipes for mixes, but also tons of recipes to use the mixes in. :-)
If you would like to download my labels and recipes, (for using the mixes I made) click on the link below:
Happy Baking!
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