Full circle

A few years back we took our kids on a little missions trip to Mexico. We went to this orphanage where they have children living in group homes set up with house parents. Steve helped build the church while me and the kids played with the children there. It was a lot of fun for our family and we plan to do a lot more trips with our children in years to come....anyway we received this note today....

"This donation is from the grade school at Casa Vida y Esperanza. The children remember your family from when you visited a few years ago and they voted to give to Gobena Coffee rather than have a gift exchange. The kids gave of their own earned money and the teachers matched their giving. God bless you this Christmas!"

They donated $57! WOW this has come full circle....children that have been orphaned that are at a place where there needs are being met are helping other orphaned children that are still in need of there needs being met. Truly amazing!!! God is good and these children's hearts are truly amazing! I mean think about it...they are in an orphanage as well

Here is a video from our time spent at Casa Vida y Esperanza a few years ago

Carlos and Danny

This is totally AWESOME!!! OK so Carlos was filming something for his album coming out soon and this homeless guy named Danny walks up during and lifts his hands up and starts to sing....really truly amazing......read more here

Smell That?

Smell That? Go get some at www.gobena.org and you can HELP.......

With THIS......

And THIS....

THANK YOU!!!!

Happy Birthday to Silas

Silas, Eva wanted to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!



We Miss you guys and Silas have a great Birthday little guy!!!!

The Box

Sweet Tea

So I saw this at Pete Wilson blog and thought that it would be great to share with you all.....check it out and let me know what you think....

Me: I see a great point here and feel that in today's society we are WAY to busy and the family suffers because of it...we should all slow down and get back to the relationships. What ever happened to sitting on the front porch drinking sweet tea or Gobena Coffee:) with famiy and friends and actually talking to one another, not twittering but actually talking? So any way back to the article....I might have gotten off on a tangent, but oh well....

"Is it just me or does it seem parents these days put more pressure on kids than ever before?

We push them to walk by age 1.

We desire they excel at a sport by age 9.

We calculate grade point averages and start talking about scholarships by 6th grade.

We want them to not only master the English language but learn a few others before they graduate.

Years ago I heard a message by Andy Stanley where he talked about how these days we’re tempted to raise kids who are experience rich but relationally poor. In other words they’ve attended every camp, played every sport, mastered most of the arts, played three instruments, but they were so busy they never had the opportunity to just sit around the kitchen table.

I’m worried that sometimes in our effort to give our kids what we didn’t have we rob them of one of the most important things we can give them…ourselves."

I read an interesting article the other day entitled “The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting”. They said…

Since the onset of the Great Recession, according to a CBS News poll, a third of parents have cut their kids’ extracurricular activities. They downsized, downshifted and simplified because they had to — and often found, much to their surprise, that they liked it. When a TIME poll last spring asked how the recession had affected people’s relationships with their kids, nearly four times as many people said relationships had gotten better as said they’d gotten worse.

How ironic that we might actually become better parents creating a richer family with less money and fewer opportunities.

One silly afternoon!!

One silly afternoon!!!! And YES she is still in her pj's.....

Refiners fire

Saw this at :

http://planaethiopia.blogspot.com/

Really worth the read...let me know your thoughts?

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
[Malachi 3:3]


This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

My little perfomer

Isaac had his Christmas program tonight. He was so excited about it, Grandma and Grandpa came as well as some of his uncles.....I think we are going to have a little actor on our hands. By the way he is in the middle in the gray sweater

Eli was not into the whole program thing as you can tell......

Eva was not thrilled to be there either......did I say no nap today.....

Isaac you did a GREAT Job, you are a natural performer and in his own words"mom I am STAR"!!! You are a STAR TO US!!

My Sister in Love proudly supporting Gobena Coffee
Thanks Jill!!!

Isaac's class celebrated Thanksgiving last week.....Great times and fun was had by all!!!