A Day at the Children's Home in MEX...

We took a school trip across the border today into Reynosa MEX and spent the day at our new favorite place to be... Josiah and Bethany's Children's Home! It's an orphanage that is housing about 50 children right now and every year the kids there get involved in helping out others in their community by giving out bags of food and toys during the Holiday's. So our job was to get those bags ready for the kids to give out. We sacked over a 1,000 ziplock bags full of rice and beans and prepared sacks of clothes to give out to several hundred families! I'm not kidding, it was a ton of blessings... but most of all I think we were all blessed just to be apart of it!Chandler sharing his game boy with a new friend!

The kids playing soccer while we worked!!!

Cindy, Bridget, Glynis and Josh bagging beans and rice...

Even Peyton got into the task on hand

The rest of us sorting and bagging the clothes...

PS... while there the woman who runs the Children's Home made the comment that any of us wanting to move in were more than welcome... should we start packing or what!!!

The most fun we've had on Sunday... at our home church in Waco the Sunday after Thanksgiving they had their annual toy drive to help the needy children and families! The catch was that they had about 15 guys and girls on Harley Davidson's come by to pick them up and it ended up being a LOUD send-off... if you know what I mean!!! VROOM VROOM

Thanksgiving in Waco

Well we made it home for a whole 3 day's for Thanksgiving this time... as opposed to our last trip home which lasted about 24 hours!!! Though we had more days this trip it seemed to go by even faster... here are the photos!

Jason, Jerrod and John playing Football... Thanksgiving Day!

Peyton pulling cousin Joseph with Chandler!

Decorating the tree at moms house...

Tree Fun

Peyton, Ryan, Anthony and Chandler playing games!

Saltillo Mexico

Wow, this was our first time to visit Saltillo... a once small village community now a booming city, with that same small town feel. We loved it there (is there any chance God lets us pick the city we work in next?... not likely!!!) Our school took us there for a 3 day "Spanish Practicum" trip, which translate to us trying to speak in Spanish with the people there... it was kinda hilarious!!! I can think of more than one example, but I be quite about it now. No seriously, it was great to be back in a Spanish church for one night singing and dancing (yes dancing) our hearts out to God in a beautiful language! But enough words more pictures...

1/2 Marathon!!!

Dave Matthews got this crazy idea in his head a couple of months ago to run an half marathon and so what did he do, but drag my crazy husband in on it and so together the two of them trained and RAN 13.1 miles through Waco, TX up and down hills and finishing over the suspension bridge still standing!!! Seriously, Des and I are so proud of them and where there as they crossed the finished line and were given their medals!!! Now, the even crazier thing is they plan to run it again in March!

Lisa's Last Rodeo

Being in TX for a little while has it's perks... besides blue bell ice cream and Dr. Peppers I got to watch my little sister ride in her last rodeo!!!

Music and Mexico

Well it only took us a couple of weeks to be back on the Mexico side of life! We've met several great people since beginning school down here on the TX/Mex border and together we all (3 families totaling 14) have already had some memorable moments. This past week we had a going away party for our first friends down here in McAllen... Warren and Alisha graduated from Kings Way Language School last Spring and are on their way out into the great big world of missions so we spent the weekend singing some old Christian favorites and taking a trip across the border for some CHEAP Mexico shopping!!!

Warren, Paul and Jason (playing a musical box, literally!)

New friends from school

Shopping for toys in Mexico!

Fence Building

Since moving to McAllen we have had the opportunity to volunteer in quite a few different circumstances. The home we are living in is right next door the couple the school is renting it from who happen to be retired missionaries from Mexico. It's been such a blessing to us to be right next door to them on so many different occasions and a couple of times we've gotten the chance to hopefully bless them as well! So continuing on with the story the men began what was supposed to be building a fence between Ben and Ruth's (the retired missionaries next door) property and the schools property and ended up becoming a new fenced yard for the schools house... long story, but a good one since it means the kids now have a backyard to play in!

Kings Way Language and Missions Training School...

As most of you know we have made the move back to the Tex/Mex border to study Spanish over the next 9 months. As a family we truly feel that this time is a gift from the Lord to prepare us for a big future serving in Latin American countries in His name. School started on Monday and so far sooooo good! I'm glad to report that we did learn quite a bit while living in Mexico for the past two years and now we are quickly learning how to put all that knowledge into a functioning and understandable sentence structure! Seriously, we are having an amazing time down here learning the language, meeting missionaries who have so many experiences to share and serving the Lord in what we may think of as small ways, but I believe are parts of a larger picture in His eyes! Thank you to everyone who continues to love and pray for us... Our hearts are truly for missions knowing that everyone has the opportunity to serve on the mission field. Where ever you are there is a need God has formed to you to fill though His Grace. The need is great even here... and God is BIG even here!Above is a picture of the Language Training School

Above is a photo of the Kings Way home that our family is sharing with another family of 5! They are wonderful people and make the close living quarters more than bearable!

We are occupying two rooms in the house... this one is our Living Room/Dinning Room/ Boy's Bed Room... and then we have one more room and a bathroom for Jason and I =)

Two Weeks in Waco!!

That's about all I have time to say... Got to go, go, go! Pictures only this time!!!

1st Church meets Arriaga

What a great week! We had 11 people from our home church in Waco, TX fly all the way down to our home here in Arriaga, Chiapas, MEX. I think everyone ended up in a room with air conditioning and hopefully enough pillows! It was a week of work, work, work! The goal for the team was to complete the new addition of 4 bedrooms, a new bathroom and sitting area in the orphanage that has now become the home of 8 very excited little girls!!! I have to say, of all the teams we have witnessed working in Mexico I was very proud to be apart of this one... It seemed they never stopped and they left which EVERYTHING finished. The team painted (and cleaned up paint), laid flooring (and cleaned up paint), made curtains and pillows for each room (and cleaned up paint)! They were able to enjoy the company of the Spanish church on several occasions and really got the opportunity to see the best of Arriaga! It was one of the greatest weeks we've had here in Mexico! Thank you to all who came and worked, who stayed and prayed and who sacrificed to help send. So much was accomplished that will last a lifetime in the lives and hearts of these children here! It was an amazing team and a perfect Work and Witness Trip!

Making Omelets with Cousin Nathan!

Many, many months ago... I found out that I had a cousin my age who was living here in Mexico as well. My cousin Abby and I began communicating via internet and this past week her and her husband Nathan made the 10 hour trip from Mexico City to Arriaga, Chiapas in order to visit our way of life down here! It was definitely one of the best weeks we've had here in Arriaga... we had so much fun getting to know the two of them. Anyway one morning Nathan decided to teach us how to make the most incredible omelets... and here are the pictures to prove it!!!

Making Omelets 101...

Oh, and one of Peyton & Abby building sand castles on the beach!