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. 

 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

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...

Happy Mother's Day!!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!   We had a great day here.  I enjoyed breakfast in bed, and some sweet presents from my kiddos.  Also had the special treat of talking with all 3 of my big girls, and my Mom.

We had a great turnout at church for our Mother's Day Breakfast.  70 ladies attended, and we had several visitors.   Those taking care of the food, did a wonderful job.   Ceci and Melanie did an awesome job with the program.  Viviana and Alexander, were two women from the Bible who visited to share their testimony and how their encounter with Christ changed their lives.   Ceci pulled it together with a very clear salvation message.   They did all that, along with singing all together, and 1 game in the 30 minutes we had for the program!  :)  We also enjoyed giving roses to all the ladies present.  (Moms or not)   We had 188 in our worship service, with several visitors.  It was a great day of planting the seed!

After church, I took photos of 42 different family groups.  This has been a Mother's Day tradition since we came to Ecuador, and other missionary friends introduced us to the idea.  We take photos off all the Mom's present with their families, and then have them printed up and hand them out the following Sunday.

Here's our family's photo from this year...

After church, we came home, and my sweetie, fixed a wonderful dinner for us.  Grilled steaks, baked potatoes, salad and fruit.   It was all delicious.   In the evening we went out to visit our friends Mirian and Fernando and enjoyed chicken and patacones at their restaurant.  Wonderful ending to a great day!

Here are some photos from the Ladies Breakfast at church...

serving breakfast, this was about 9:55am...

Because of the expected turnout we had to change our plan and have it in the auditorium.  So we used the back corner, and the ladies decorated the walls with fans and verses.  

Cristobal, (standing by the keyboard) played soft music for the first 30 minutes, while we served and had breakfast.  Joselyn led us in a song at the start of our program.  

These are our two "visiting" speakers.   Alexandra (in black) played the woman caught in adultery and Viviana the woman who touched the hem of his garment.  (probably not the 2 characters from the Bible that I would have chosen right off, BUT, their "testimonies" were POWERFUL!  I am so thankful for the time and effort they put into to doing this.)

Here is the breakfast that was served.  "Torta de choclo", grapes and a chocolate. It was very yummy! ;)

Ceci, pulling together the testimonies and sharing a very clear Salvation message.

playing a short game... the prize was the "fan" Melanie is holding.

getting ready to end the program.  All the ladies seemed to have a wonderful time.  Everyone got a beautiful rose, to celebrate the day. ;)

Wow am I behind?!?!

Here we are nearing the end of February and I haven't posted anything for this new year!  Guess that means life has been busy around our house! :)

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas vacation.  It was nice to have the kids off of school and to enjoy the holidays.  We enjoyed hosting a couple parties at our house.  One for the deacons and their wives and a dinner for our 3 church staff and their families.  Christmas eve was our families "Birthday Party for Jesus", and the kids had a wonderful time.

For our "Old Man" for New Year's eve this year, the kids each made a replica of themselves.  Everyone enjoyed playing games and watching movies, etc. to stay up and wait until mid-night to burn them and make lost of noise to say "good-bye" to 2012 and "welcome" to 2013!

The week of 2013, was spent getting the Christmas stuff all packed away and the house put back together.  Then the kids and I were back at school.

We finished up our 3rd term on February 8th!  That was a big deal, as that means we are 1/2 way through our school year!!

Another big event that happened in January, was that we were able to start the process of requesting visas to  travel to the US for Carla and Matthew.  That is now in process, and we covet your prayers that this process would go smoothly and quickly.  We are hoping to have the visas by June, but earlier would be ok! :)  We are thankful that even though there are many "unknowns" for us on this road that God is not taken by surprise by any of it and that He is in control!

The church celebrated it's 8th anniversary on February 3!  It seems impossible that it has already been 8 years!!  We had a great attendance of just over 200.  We are so thankful the many blessings that God has bestowed upon this ministry!

For the anniversary I made a cake to share with the church.  It was quite an adventure.  It was made up of 12, 9x13 cakes.   Here's a layout of the "Cake Adventure". ;)

It is amazing what God is doing here.  The Ladies Sunday school class continues to grow.  We are presently doing a study based on Beth Moore's book, Praying God's Word.  It has been a huge blessing to me personally and it has also been a blessing to hear the testimonies each week of how the Ladies are growing and how God is working in their hearts and lives.

Schools are out in Manabi at this time for their, "summer vacation"... this year they are taking off until May, so during the next 2 months, we will be having our annual VBS and our Teen Retreat.  In March, our Bible Institute will be starting back up.  They are going to spend the first month, teaching, Evagelism and Discipleship.  Please be in prayer that many will be burdened to get involved and will make the extra effort necessary to participate in these Thursday evening classes.

This year at our church the "theme" or emphasis is on Gratitude.  So with that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the part you have played in our lives and ministry over the last 22 years.   I know that the only reason we are here ministering is because there are people back home, "holding the ropes".  People praying for us on a daily basis and many people sacrificing to give their Missions Offering each week.  We don't take those things lightly.   Each victory here, each soul saved and each life changed is all because of the part you have played.

So Thank you!! I pray that God will bless each of you above and beyond anything you could ever imagine.

Blessings,
Joy

(these layouts were done using page kits from the  Digital Scrapbook Place, Inc. )

What's Cooking?

Here are 2 of our Thanksgiving Dinner Favorites...

Mock Sweet Potato Souffle
This is a recipe I got when our oldest daughter was a baby.  I have combined a couple different recipes and because we can't get "sweet potatoes" here in Ecuador, I started substituting carrots.  My family can't tell the difference. :-)

3 Cups of mashed carrots
1 Cup sugar
1/3 Cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon maple flavoring

Mix together well and spread into a casserole.
Top with:
1 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup flour
1/3 Cup margarine
1 Cup chopped nuts

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  

Scalloped Corn 
this recipe was shared with me years ago, by a friend who often joined us for Thanksgiving dinner when our older girls were growing up.   It has become one of our "traditional" sides. 

2 cans corn, drained
1 Cup milk
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
3 Tablespoon butter melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon onion minced

Beat eggs.  Add milk and crackers.  Add corn, onions, and seasonings, along with the melted butter.  Mix together well and pour into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  (I usually bake this in a loaf pan.  Also this year, I used frozen corn.)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Hi Friends!  I hope that you had wonderful Mother's Day.  My family did an extra special job of making sure I knew how much the loved me!  It started out with breakfast in bed, and just got better from there! :-)

At church this morning, we had 52 ladies attend our ladies breakfast at 9:30.  It was great to see how many people made the effort to get out just a little bit early.  We also had several visitors, and we are thankful for the opportunity to share the gospel with them.  Everyone had a great time, and I am so thankful for the effort made by the leader's wives.  Without their help, this would have never happened!

Here are a few pictures from our day.  I hope you enjoy them!

Blessings to you!

Joy                      
                                                                   


These first 3 pictures were taken at the start of our breakfast. By the end all those empty chairs were filled!  We had fresh fruit, rolls, and little pastry shells with something kind of like chicken salad... might not sound like "breakfast food" to you, but the ladies loved it!!

                              Joselyn and Crisnal, sang a song for the offertory.  They did a great job!

              Here's some of the crowd this morning...Yes, that's Tony and our 3 kids on the front row.

                                              Tony cooked dinner for us!  It was wonderful!!!

What's cooking...

For Valentines, instead of trying to get a babysitter and go out for dinner.  Tony and I decided to have a special dinner here at home after we put the kids to bed...so I found a place to set up the card table and set it with a Valentine's Theme, and then try some new recipes.  We enjoyed A Spinach Salad, with strawberries, and Roasted Pecans, Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups and Crash Hot Potatoes.   It all came out really good.  It was a lot of fun to dress-up too, and just do something completely different.  When I went up to tuck Carla into bed, she said, "Mommy you look beautiful!  Are you going somewhere?" :-)  Here are a few links for the recipes I used and some pictures to go along with them.  

Table for two. 

Spinach Salad - I used a Celery Seed Dressing.
http://www.theyummylife.com/blog/2011/07/211/Spinach+Strawberry+Salad+with+Candied+Pecans%2C+Feta%2C+%26+Raspberry+Poppyseed+Dressing#EmbedRecipe_150 

Main course
http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2012/01/chicken-cordon-bleu-roll-ups.html

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Me and My Valentine, this made 31 Valentines we have spent together! :-) 

Valentine's Day with the Kids...

One of my favorite "school memories" as a kid was of our class Valentine Parties.  I always loved making Valentines for the kids in my class, and making our "mailboxes", to hold all our loot! It was always fun to read all the valentines and of course the candy was great, too! :-)

As a homeschool Mom living in a foreign country, where I don't have access to "co-ops" or even know other homeschooling families in my area, I am always trying to figure out fun ways, to let my kids experience just a little of those social events that, they might have the opportunity to enjoy in a different setting.

This week, we are taking a break from our normal school routine for a Unit Study.  I have these scheduled into our year once every term, so that while it's not actually a vacation, we do a lot of fun things and just change up the routine a little bit.   Our study this week is on Valentine's Day.  So far we learned a little bit of the history behind the holiday and some of the different symbols of the day.

Yesterday the kids spent some time making Valentines for each other and Tony and I.  We enjoyed a fun Valentine lunch, with homemade heart shaped pizzas, fruit and some great Valentine treats for dessert.  I also made a "goodie bag" for each of the kids with lots of "Valentines".  It was a lot of fun and totally worth the effort, when Carla walked into the dining room, and said, "Oh Mommy, it is sooo beautiful!!!"  :-)

Here are some pictures from our special Valentine's Day. :-)

Some of the kid's "Valentines".

Table is set and the bags are filled.  We're ready for our special lunch!

Carla 

Matthew

Teddy

Homemade pizza with fresh fruit salad.

Valentine Treats...Red Velvet Cup cake, strawberry "rice-crispy treat", chocolate peanut cluster, and cherry jello jiggler.