30 Days of Writing: HAPPY (our Anniversary and camp)

The blog has been down and I haven't been able to post recently, but here I am! Just wanted to share 2 things as of late....

We celebrated our 15th Anniversary!!!

This past week we took a few days in the middle of the week and headed a few hours to the beach to celebrate our 15th Anniversary! 

So many others are also celebrating anniversaries this summer, but with much bigger numbers, making 15 sound like just a bit. However at the same time, I look around me at the marriages that are falling apart and the people we are working with who struggle to make it through the next month together and am so thankful that we have God at our centre. It might sound nice and sweet but it's the truth - without that commitment to God and to each other, the motivation to forgive each other and decide to love would not be there. 

We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I am so thankful for Dallas and our marriage. I'm also thankful that we like to have fun together and that as a family we really enjoy being together!

This is only the second time we've gone to the beach as just our family - we usually wait until we have visitors from Canada come or if Mexican friends invite us to go with them - and so we had a bit of trouble when it came to the hotel room. 

It seems that five people in one room is just not acceptable, at least if it's a hotel where they care about these things. 

We originally were not going to stay at this hotel (which is our family favorite as it has a water slide and an underwater cave) but when Brady decided he would rather go to this particular hotel than have a birthday party later this month in order to be able to spend a little more here...well, we were on board ;) 

So we read all the fine print and saw we could pay a tad extra to have 5 people in the room, however when we got there we were informed that this didn't apply to the smallest room at the hotel. We were supposed to pay the difference for a larger room plus pay for an extra person - would have been an additional $500 or so!!! I don't think so!! We showed them the fine print on our reservation and while they insisted that it was a mistake on their website, they had to honor it! phew.

So we had a wonderful 3 days and celebrating our Anniversary with the boys was so great!

I know you can see the loooooove for pictures all 4 of my guys have through these pictures...

Side note: We have been to this same hotel in December/January, when it is FULL of Americans and Canadians. Now that it is summer it was mostly Mexicans there as it's holiday time here. Well, the environment is so different! One major thing we noticed is that there are tons of people in the pool and in the ocean when it's Mexicans there.....it would seem that Americans/Canadians tend to not get in the water and are rather laying on the chairs all around the pool and in front of the ocean. ok ok I know there are exceptions ;) but it was a markable difference. 

The boys also went to CAMP

We had heard of a Christian camp close by here so this year all 3 boys went for the first time! They were able to all go the same week which was so great for them, plus Carter invited 2 friends and Logan had 1 friend join him. They loved camp and are eager to go back next year. 

We went to visit the camp a month before as we didn't want to be inviting others or recommending it without seeing that it was safe and a good place. It is run by a group of Bible Churches and is well run. They also have a Bible school there at the camp and the counselors are Bible school students that stay for the summer.

So we were happy to have found the camp and happy that our boys enjoyed their time there. This also meant 5 days of interrupted time for Dallas and I, which gave us a lot of time to talk and plan for ministry, for our family, and to spend some time together. 

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing: WHAT SPEAKS TO YOU (literally, today)

My day literally starts every morning with Logan giving me a hug and a smile (how is that my roughest child is also my cuddliest? I guess they both have to do with touch).

And then I'll usually get a good morning or some random comment from him.

The day continues with a hundred words a minute coming at me from all 3 boys. Yes, they speak to me even before I've had my first cup of coffee. Oh, what brave children I have!! Dallas has long seen that important conversations are best left until I've been awake at least an hour. 

But regardless of the time of day, I do love having the boys talking all the time! They have the most interesting conversations and I learn a lot about what goes on in their minds just be listening to them talk amongst each other. 

This evening we also had some "sharing" time as a family, as we watched Masterchef and had to pause it every five minutes to let it download some more. During each pause, we took turns asking each other in the family questions that we all had to answer.

Would you rather be an elephant or a turtle? 

Would you rather be invisible or be able to fly?

Would you rather sleep in a tent or a cabin? 

What's your favorite thing that happened this year?

What's something you like about yourself? (no hesitation here, their answers were that I'm handsome, I'm crazy, and I'm awesome)

What's something you would change or do differently that you did this year? 

So there's the kids talking to me all day. 

And then there's Dallas. Last night at 10 pm he handed in his last big assignment for the class he's currently taking, a class that is so interesting (to me as well as I hear about it! all about the brain and it's connection to our emotions and behaviors) but a class that also has taken more time with homework. So today we had more time to talk and hang out together, which was nice! 

Oh yes, and Jack the cat, meowing to go out.

Today this verse became a focus and an encouragement for me. 

Other people that "spoke" to me today, in person, via Whatsapp, etc.......a lawyer, several friends, my mother...

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing: INSPIRING (Exodus 33)

This morning I was reading in Exodus 33 where God promises Moses His Presence. Moses doesn't want to lead the people without the assurance of God's Presence.

I appreciated this whole passage, and just a few things that stood out to me....

- Moses and God are in communion, having a conversation
- God knows Moses by name
- God allows Moses to ask questions and is more than willing to assure him
- Moses wants to know God even more and wants to know how to continue to find favor with Him, as the relationship he has with the Lord is important to him
- God makes a promise to Moses to go with him
- True rest comes from resting in God's Presence and power
- Moses recognizes that without the Presence of God, they will be just like everyone else - God's Presence in our lives is what distinguishes us from others
- God has a very personal relationship with us but that doesn't take away from his glory and power
- Seeing God's glory and goodness is an encouragement and assurance that He is at work

I'll just post the full passage here below and hope it will encourage you as well today!

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ ¹³ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. ¹⁶ How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

¹⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

²¹ Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, ANIMAL, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing: LIGHT (Brady graduated!)

The slogan of our boy's school is "Come, let's walk in the light!"

We are so, so thankful for their school and the light it's been in our boy's lives. We also love so much the vision of the school to be a light for God in the community, and they really have shown God's love to so many families that didn't or who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

So this last weekend was Brady's graduation from Pre-First and now he's on to the "big" school!
It was a big affair, with a ceremony one afternoon and then a party the next day, but Brady loved it and it felt like a graduation for us as parents from "little kid" to all "3 big kids".

Brady insisted on the bright blue pants instead of plain old brown pants. No blending in for this boy.

Love my men!!!

 Brady's 2 primary teachers - all 3 of our boys were with these 2!

Parent friends 

So in another 5 1/2 weeks, Brady is headed to Grade 1!! 

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, ANIMAL, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing: SENSES

TODAY'S SENSES:

Sight

greenery

color

faces that I love

new faces at the daycare we volunteered at today

termites!! not welcome, obviously

Hearing

birds chirping

food crunching

neighbors that live behind us talking

kids shrieking and laughing

conversation in the van with the youth group as we travel

Smell

coffee, coffee, coffee

egg frying

boy's sweat after school

termite killing spray

Taste

coffee

egg & toast

iced coffee

guacamole

torta ahogada

horchata with strawberries

Japanese peanuts

Touch

hugs with my kids

little kids at the daycare sitting on laps and reading books

kisses and hugs in greeting

a touch of a rude child of mine and a resulting discipline

a hand on a feverish forehead, of another child of mine

onions, tomatoes, and avocados in prepping the guacamole

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, ANIMAL, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing: DREAM

Sometimes we have dreams for our life and they come to pass. 
Sometimes we are waiting so long for a dream to be fulfilled and it never happens.
Sometimes we are waiting for a dream to be fulfilled and then we realize it already has been or is in process. 
Sometimes we just like to dream without being concerned about it actually coming to fruition in real life. 

I guess I've been in all of those places!

Did I dream of Dallas? Well once I met him, non stop 💕 But of a husband to love and be loved by, who cared enough to try and understand me and who I could give understanding to...probably yes.

Quick story:
This Sunday during Bible study we were talking about the Armour of God and how God has already given us victory over Satan. I made a comment about how sometimes something as simple as closing our mouths or choosing to speak with kindness and love to our husband when we really feel like doing otherwise is a way of winning the battle in the moment.
Carter looks at me with a smirk and a confused look and says "But you don't ever get to that point, mom".
Ooops!!

Did I dream of kids?? ah yes, I even had their names picked out but to this day do not remember what they were. I used to fill out magazine subscription cards with all of my fake kids names (that may explain why I love to fill out forms and surveys...)

But yes, I always hoped to have kids and be able to do ministry and life with them as a family. 

Carter - selfie master

Brady's art exposition at school

Logan at a surfing birthday party

Did I dream of living in Mexico?? Well, part of that dream would be to do Church Planting. Our dream as a couple was to go to Paraguay, but even though that was changed to Mexico, I still feel that this is a dream fulfilled and it's something that every day we have to remember to give to God.

My dream with Church Planting is to see our contacts and friends here find PEACE in their life through an intimate relationship with God! It doesn't have to do with living in another country or living a certain lifestyle. It has to do with knowing that God is what life is all about and wanting to share that hope. I see so many of our friend here living lives without hope, constantly striving and looking for that "something more", and Dallas and I long to see people have healthy relationships with each other and with God.

Other dreams....
Those are the major players in our life right now, I suppose.
And this year we got to visit Paraguay, which has been a dream of ours for many years already.
I also do not take for granted the relationships with our families - those are so important to me.
Also our friendships! To have people to count on and people to share life with is so great, wherever they are.

Dreams of life with the people we care about or so much bigger to me than dreams of travel, of buying certain things, etc. etc. Those are nice bonus' of course, but so not necessary when you get down to it.

It can be nice to daydream and desire certain things for your life, but let's not forget to have Jesus as our focus! Like I've said before, my biggest desire is to be at peace with God, as that is where fulfillment comes from.

Philippians 4:8

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

--------------

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, ANIMAL, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

30 Days of Writing

One more year of school just about under our belt!! I say "our" as I am just as ready as the boys for a little summer break, from taking them to school, making lunches, going to after school sports activities, etc etc.

Logan's field trip at the zoo

Mom chaperones at the zoo

I see it on all of the moms from the school as well. People are weary, a little more irritable than usual, and ready to take off from some holiday time.

It doesn't help that we are coming out of our hottest time of year - May/June - and are waiting for the rainy season to cool things off a touch! This week has been just that and we've been thankful.

So they've got 3 more days to go.

I thought I'd like to document a bit of our summer each day.

This summer feels a little different that most years, as we will be staying here in Guadalajara! We have been taking our furloughs in Canada every other summer, but this year the boys asked to wait till winter as they reaaalllly want to see snow and we would love to be there for Christmas with our families. The other summers we have been visiting Chihuahua for 1-2 weeks, as we have connections there still with our Church Conference.

Logan and Brady's 1st Taekwondo exam - passed to the next level

So this summer we will start by hosting a youth group from Chihuahua together with our missionary team, get some things done around the house, have a lot of get togethers with all of our contacts and Bible study groups, do pre-marital counseling with a couple that is preparing to get married, prepare for fall ministry and our furlough away, the boys will go for a week of camp (ALL 3 BOYS!! Unbelievably, it doesn't even excite me to be on our own for a week....I will miss them! But it's good), and we will go on a little getaway as a family to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and Brady's 7th birthday!

Brady has been part of the Escolta this year - the Flag Guard

Parents at a 4th grade park day

I'm going to use some writing prompts for this next month as it gets my writing juices going a little better ;) Tomorrow will be the first word: DREAM

Carter in a soccer game

Attending a 1st communion party with neighbors

30 Days of Writing:
DREAM, SENSES, LIGHT, INSPIRING, WHAT-SPEAKS-TO-YOU, ANIMAL, HAPPY, FLY, MUSIC, TASTY, SUPPORT, SPECIAL, PLACE, BREAK, TOMORROW, DESTINATION, BRAND, EVENT, NO, LAUGH, FEED, MIND-BLOWING, FABULOUS, COMPARE, EXCLUSIVE, FUZZY, FRIEND, BATTLE, SIGN, GRATITUDE, SMILE
*#an_snapaword

*Pictures are all from the last month or so

SALT - Walking Through the Unknown {30 Days of Writing}

The word Salt immediately brings the thought of tears, as yesterday was a day of tears and praying with those who had tears.

We got a call in the early afternoon from a lady in our cell group, saying that her husband was in emergency as he had a heart attack, asking us to come as she was all alone with him at the hospital. 

We arrived there and spent the next 5 hours with her and her daughter-in-law, as her son was away on a work trip. Later friends of hers arrived.

It was one of those moments where you don't know if you are saying Good-bye to a dear person in your life or if he will pull through. And then to walk through it with his wife, hold her, pray for her, cry with her, be a support. 

They ended up putting a breathing tube in (his body had begun to shut down already) and determined that he had many arteries that were clogged, and so he went through a surgery to put in stints. Today he will be having another surgery to put in more stints. So pray with us for the doctors, for his family, and as he has yet given his heart to Christ, pray that he will have another opportunity to accept the great love that God has for him.

It's a privilege to be called on in these times; it's in these times that we can be the Body of Christ in another capacity and we love this family and want to be there with them. 

{Click on the label 30DaysofWriting - under the title - to view all posts in this series}

TREAT {30 Days of Writing}

For this next month I will be using these key words to write about. Through it I hope to give you a larger view of our life in Guadalajara, our family, and our ministry! They are quite random so we'll see where this takes me.

Today's topic is TREAT.....

I was thinking this afternoon that it is a huge treat to be able to do homework with the boys. 

Realistically, I was thinking this after we were done...during those 1 1/2 hours I wasn't really on those same wave lengths! Helping 3 boys at the same time can get a little chaotic, especially now in the first weeks of school when they are getting into routine and the teachers have not explained well the process and expectations.

This results in 3 groups of mothers on whatsapp from 3 different grades writing messages all afternoon as their kids also try to figure out what they are supposed to do for homework. But it is what it is!

The fact is, the kids have a wonderful school. We love it, the environment, the teachers, the values. There are little things I would like to see changed, but there are things you will find in any school that you won't like. This goes for all of life, really. 

So, it's a treat to do homework and see what they're learning and how far they've come.

I get to see...

....Carter reading the Narnia Chronicles for 20-30 min a day

....Logan getting better in Spanish and writing in cursive

....Brady so proud of himself for being able to read sentences

....Logan sitting and reading books aloud to Brady

....weekly grade reports and tests

....all 3 boys doing well and liking math

....their struggles with specific subjects and learning to overcome those struggles...some slowly and some quickly!

I know those with older kids or kids out of the house say "treasure the moments". Yup sometimes it's difficult when you wish they would hurry up and get that work done already. And at the same time, I am so thankful for and proud of all 3 of them. I so enjoy hanging out with these men of mine!

Capturing December {28}: Words

This morning with our cell group we had breakfast together and then a time of sharing about this past year, the ways we have seen God's faithfulness, or what we have learned or been reflecting on.

This was one of the passages that was brought out, among several others.

We had such a good time of sharing together, as several in our group have had a more difficult year but have continued to trust in God throughout it, and some are still in the midst of the struggles. We also gave thanks for many things, including the birth of David & Fanny's son last month, as Fanny was on bed rest for 7 months and had 4 miscarriage threats where they thought they had lost their baby.

It was good to hear the stories and hear people give thanks! The people in our cell group are also an encouragement to Dallas and I and we are thankful for this little community that God has given us.

Capturing December {26}: Grateful

 I am so grateful for today! We have had a busy month, and also a very good month, but I think this was the first day we had nothing up till evening and it was so nice to spend it as a family!

We had decided to celebrate Christmas together in the morning, so Carter came and woke me up this morning, asking if I could please get up as it was time to celebrate. So we made some waffles and then celebrated Christmas together with the boys.

Dallas talked with the boys about Jesus' birth and we spent some time talking about the prophecies in the Old Testament and then up to how Jesus' coming to earth affects us today.

It was just a good time with the boys, all on the floor playing with the nativity set as we talked and prayed together.

Carter and Logan have learned a lot of details about the Bible through us and through their school, and it was neat to hear how many details they actually know, things that I wouldn't specifically expect them to remember just yet.

Brady is a little all over the place...

So I am grateful for the gift of Jesus and the salvation He brought, as well as this day together as a family.

We are of course also grateful for the gifts we gave each other, some we bought the boys, some for each other, and others that had been sent from my parents back in November with the prayer team.

These boys and their standard picture smiles crack me up. Carter has a good bright eyed look going on, and this has become Logan's go-to picture smile lately.

We love us some board games! Starting them young.

One more thing we are grateful for today. Our friends David and Fanny arrived this evening!! They moved away to Mexico City 2 years ago but we have kept in touch and it is so good to have them here for a visit! They were part of our Bible study when they lived here, and so this evening they were able to be part of the study again and it was so good. We always had such great discussions and we loved it.

They also just had their 2nd baby 6 weeks ago, their other son is Carter's age and they are best friends and are as we speak fast asleep together in Carter's room for a sleepover.

Capturing December {24}: Christmas Eve - in Mexico City

 This Christmas was quite different for us, in that we went away to Mexico City and stayed with our friend's family for a couple of days. We obviously have celebrated with Mexicans before, every year, as we haven't been to Canada for Christmas in 4 years (!) but this was different in that we stayed at their house and so participated in all the traditions of their family.

We went with Ana and her 2 kids...our neighbours who started attending our Bible study group almost 3 years ago and who we are quite close with! It was a 6 hour drive so we had fun both ways, even though today on the way home we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, since being Christmas Day, 2 gas station we stopped at were closed. But we made it, thanks to the help of the trucks that patrol the toll highways to stop and help people just like us!

Anyways, we arrived in Mexico City the day before in the afternoon and spent the day with Ana's mom, and several different brothers and nieces/nephews dropped in throughout the day.

And and her mom preparing breakfast

Mexicans celebrate Christmas with their families on Christmas Eve, which usually involves spending the evening together and then having a big supper (often turkey) at midnight. The party then goes on into the night, with young and old alike all together.

Gift giving is different, depending on which part of Mexico you live in. Here in Guadalajara, gifts are given on Christmas Eve at the family gathering. In Mexico City, however, gifts are given on January 6, which is Day of the Kings.

Making tacos dorados with Ana (fried corn tortillas rolled up with chicken inside)

So since the family would be coming over in the afternoon or evening of the 24th, they decided to take us out on the town in the morning :)

We woke up to a drizzling, cold day but decided to go out anyways. So Dallas and I and our 3 boys, together with Ana and her 2 kids headed out with our umbrellas to the Centro. 

Mexico City has over 21 MILLION people, including the metropolitan area....and here we thought Guadalajara with 7 millions was big!! So since there is soooo much traffic, Mexico City has laws about when you can drive your cars. You can only drive on certain days of the week, depending on the numbers in your license plate. We had to take out a special permit to be able to drive in the city, as our plates are outside of the area. That said, we decided to take the Metro (Subway), which is a main form of transportation there. There is just a maze of underground tunnels and tons of people.

On the subway

 They took us walking around downtown....

And actually the fact that it was rainy and cold was kind of fun!

There are beautiful buildings in the downtown area.

After a while of walking around we saw a theatre so we snuck in to watch the Penguins of Madagascar and get some snack for lunch :)

And then went on our way again through the subway.

By the time we were back, some of the family had already arrived and so the rest of the day was spent visiting and getting to know Ana's family.

We did miss our families and the traditions that we have with them, and so I felt it was a mixture of enjoying the party and also wishing for my own family party! But everyone was super welcoming and we had a good time getting to know them. We also feel like it helped us understand Ana better, as we heard some of her background and met her siblings, and we are just grateful to have been invited into her family and to be made to feel like part of them.

I asked the boys when we got home what some of their favorite parts about the visit were:

What were your favorite parts about being in Mexico City?


Carter: I liked the cats and the halls.
...the cough candies, the grandma was handing them out like candies ;)

Logan: Playing with the cats and eating the tacos dorados and playing wild krats and eating jello.

Brady: Eating jello.

Who did you like getting to know in the family?

Carter: One of the cousins of Fer, because she was playing with us.

Logan: Grandma, cause she's nice and she makes us tacos dorados.

Brady: Grandma, because she's nice.

We are now back at home and this weekend we will be hanging out with David and Fanny and their 2 boys, friends who used to live here in Gdl, who came from Mexico City today also! They are good friends of ours, their son is Carter's friend, and they just had a baby 6 weeks ago so we are quite looking forward to seeing them tomorrow.

{and this also completes one thing on my Birthday List {32} - visit a new city or place in Mexico}