25th birthday!

Miguel grilling me a steak dinner for my birthday!

Birthday supper!

A walk at sunset

planting my bugambilias (my birthday present!)

Trying my hand at sewing face masks last Saturday

Miguel all ready for work

Me with my face mask

The aftermath

With the extra time from no social activities, I've been enjoying drawing. Here are a couple of my favorites.

With many if not all of us under orders to stay at home, I thought this poem might be appropriate.

 Claustrophobia

I was a spiritual claustrophobic

With great fear of losing control,

When God turned to me and said the words

That horrified my soul.

“Do you see that space in the crevice?

I want you to crawl right through.”

And I shuddered and worried in anguish

At this last thing I wanted to do.

How long is the passage? I wondered.

What’s found on the other side?

Will there be light for the journey?
Have others done this and died?

But God with His patient prompting,

Continued to speak His command,

“I’ve led through the rivers and battles,
I will be holding your hand.”

So finally I stooped and entered,

The passage was cramped, dark, and long

Often I thrashed in my panic

But then kept creeping along.

Sometimes I couldn’t go further,

But didn’t know how to reverse.

I thought I would die in the darkness, 

Until I remembered God’s verse.

“Even when you cannot see me,

I am holding your hand.

I’ve led you this far and will lead you,

Whatever I may demand.”

And there in my bleakest hour

My faith reaches past the damp walls.

With nothing else to sustain me,

My all on my Savior falls.

My tears carve a shimmering river

As I choke my surrender to Christ

Feeling His presence as I pledge

To follow whatever the price

Then light at the end of the tunnel,

A scramble and what have I found?

The sweetest of beauties of heaven and earth,

That amaze, enrapture, astound.

I’ll dance in this meadow of glory

Until I hear spoken again,

“Do you see that space in the crevice?

Once more it is time to begin.”

Ranch Adventures Round Two

Monday we took a second trip to the ranch being used by Rancho Agua Viva, but first a few other random photos.

My right field view of softball for once. (I am consistently the catcher.)

Balto has been suffering from an infected foot. Here is a photo from the short span his "bandage" lasted.

We are required to have some fire drills in the individual buildings this year. So here are a couple photos from the drill Amalia, Bertha, and I did in the kitchen the other day.

Miguel and I replanted the garden at CVE (after our fall planting died due to the cold.)

The first thing to come up was the radishes.

Monday was a holiday for Benito Juarez' birthday and Carlos and Marty Bahler planned an outing to the ranch. It was just as delightful a day as the outing we had the beginning of February. It was also probably our last day of normalcy before Coronavirus restrictions hit the area. 

The firemen building our fire. They did a great job!

Bombas and hotdogs again for the win!

This trip almost everyone took a hike up a nearby "hill."

Here are some photos from our hike.

Some of us girls took a different route and ended up in some tight and somewhat scary places. But it was quite the adventure!

Me arriving at the top.

Heading out with the well-loaded gator and it's expert driver.

Last Thursday (April 12), we were still planning on a work team for the end of the month and had only been hearing about Coronavirus on the news. It seemed like a distant threat on the other side of the world. By Monday (April 16), all mission travel from the USA (outside of Arizona) was restricted and school in Sonora had been canceled for the next month. I know all of us are experimenting abrupt changes in schedules and plans. It has been a long time since the world has been affected in so many areas by one cause. May this time remind us that God is in control, not us, and may we look to Him for peace! Prayers for all of you in your areas of the world and for those who are sick or worrying for the health of their loved ones!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

In All Things

Butterflies. Azure skies. Happiness. Rain

Walking miles, Friendly smiles. Contentment. Pain.

Lessons learned. Hard way earned. Experience. Fears.

Prayer times sweet at His feet. Melodies. Tears.

Often said. Often read. Happy or sad.

As we live, thanks to give. Life be good or bad. 

CVE's 15th anniversary

In February we celebrated the 15th anniversary of when CVE received their first children, so in honor of that I'm going to post a few pictures from CVE's infancy...

The youngest girl in this picture is now in her 20's.

My 12th birthday in 2007.

The new exciting activity after fire hose water connections were installed.

My dad blowing bubbles with the kids.

And about 15 years later...

 I was thankful to have three of my family members visit to attend the celebration!

Gary, Mom, and Philip were able to stay through Monday. 

We climbed the Cross Mountain.

And had supper together and a time to play games. 

On Tuesday I was able to take them up to Tucson for their flight.

My neighbor girl (one of the students I give a ride to school) turned 8 years old and gave me this cupcake!

This post wouldn't be complete without adding this picture of Miguel with Denver and Katie's Jude from Fernando and Jackie's wedding a few weeks ago. Cuties!

At our last nurture group session, we drew pictures of each other without looking at the paper. It gave a lot of good laughs as the facial features were scattered all over the face!

My first horse class took place last Friday. Meet Sultan, my new ride! He's a sweet little horse.

For the last seven months, I've been using these pages I made for my prayer time. One side has a space for praise (adoration), confession, and thanksgiving and the other for prayer requests (supplication) and a key thought for the month. This idea came from the acronym ACTS - Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication - if you've heard of it. I've really been enjoying it and since I make a new sheet each month it keeps me more focused/purposeful about what I'm praying. Another thing I like about it is that I leave the thanksgiving section blank and then write one thanksgiving item each day.

Just thought I would share for anyone who would like to try something like it!

The Climax of Ages

How I thank Thee for Thy Word,

Never ending fount of life

That I read it day to day,

A balm, a guidebook, and a knife.

By the bed, in church, at table,

Reverently we look within,

Finding truth and light and answers,

Strength for overcoming sin.

Many stories of the past 

Good examples and the bad,
Teaching us the way of virtue,

Conduct that will make hearts glad.

In the Psalms we see glimpses

Of the heart that seeks the Lord.

In the letters we are taught

To fight God’s battle with His sword.

In the Gospels is recounted

Jesus’ life and death and grave.

Oh, the climax of the ages

That He lives our souls to save!

God bless each of you!

February Highlights

On Valentine's Day, Miguel and I spent the evening with our church GCC (Christian Fellowship Group i.e. single group). We decorated cookies and took them to some women from church. We enjoyed chatting with them, eating some snacks they made for us, and afterwards we all stopped to buy hot dogs. We all had a lot of fun! This photo is when we were waiting on our hot dogs. I am wearing the sweater Miguel gave me that day!

Tuesday evenings, Miguel has a men's Bible study at Café Sed. I usually go along and read, chat with others, and try to update this blog every other week. :) A couple weeks ago, I took my sketch book along.

This time of year, hat hair is an everyday affair for this guy.

On February 6th, Issa and I took Mr. Speedie to his clinic in Nogales. I got a lot of great pictures of him, but alas I can't post his face. However if you follow me on instagram, I did an instagram story of the day that is saved under my profile, so you can check it out if you like...

We had a cold snap the last two weeks. One Wednesday, Balto's water bucket had frozen! Also, as a result of the "intense cold," school was scheduled to start 2 hours later for two weeks. It threw our schedules off, but I got to go to work late about five different days since I do the school route. And may have taken a few early morning naps! :)

Miguel and I purchased a gym membership this month, so we have been getting up a little after five and going to the gym for 45 min. We arrive home around 6:40 am. and leave again for work at 7:20-25 am. 

On February 15th, Miguel and I were thankful to witness the wedding celebration of Jackie and Fernando. It was a beautiful day, but I don't have a photo of them for you. 

Sunday I had an adventure that I hope to never repeat.  If you look carefully, you may be able to see that the white van in the picture above is stuck in the river. I was substituting for one of the church routes. And well, I knew there was more water than usual from rains earlier in the week... I knew I could take an extra 10-15 min. and go to the bridge and backtrack, but it didn't look too deep, so... I went for it and ended up very, very stuck. I couldn't see real well where the cars had been going through. (While I sat there several made it through off to my left.) It was just that the rocks in that part were large and the wheels sunk right in. Miguel came with our SUV type vehicle, but couldn't get it out, so I waded to shore and we went home for our other car. Someone else was able to pick up some of the later people on the route and once I had the car I went to pick up the few that remained. We made it for the noon hour and second service. Miguel, Adam Kaeb, and his brother, Aaron, spent the noon hour driving the backhoe to the other side of town and pulling the van out. I am very thankful for capable, helpful men! And thankful that things worked out in the end.

Of course, after experiences like that it's so easy to think, "Why didn't I...?" or "If only I had...?" but sometimes things happen. And we probably learned a good lesson, or met someone we wouldn't have met otherwise, or got a dose of humility... God is a master at redeeming our mistakes!

My Treasure

What is my treasure and my worth?

What values do I place?

What object is my focus line?

Where is my eager race?

What treasures fill my treasure chest?

And where do I delight?

For where my treasure is, God says,

Shall also be my heart.

May God bless you each one!

Ranch Outing

The CVE family enjoyed a fun, adventurous trip out to the ranch PCLM is renting on Monday, February 3. Monday was a holiday to celebrate the signing of the Mexican constitution in the state of Queretaro on February 5th, 1917.

Hiking out to the picnic site.

We were greeted by a beautiful fire, prepared by the men who had gone ahead on the gators.

Thanks to Arika Nuest and helpers who got the meal together. It was delicious!

After lunch, most everyone split up in groups to explore the river bed, and peaks nearby.

Miguel and I took a stroll with some others down the creek. 

I spy some high climbers up on the ridge.

We were serenaded by beautiful music.

Everyone shared their talents...such as making coffee over the coals.

I will cherish the memories of this peaceful, love-filled, beautiful day!

My crayon colored drawing from Jeannie Kauffman's art class on Saturday. 

We were thankful to have Larry and Jeannie Kauffman visiting as a part of the grandparent program and were sad to say goodbye to them yesterday after our splendid trip to the ranch. Miguel played various games of chess with Larry. We enjoyed a couple evenings together, once at our house and once at theirs. We taught them to play Monopoly Deal and Larry showed us some card tricks. We are so thankful for the involvement of dear couples who dedicate their hearts to us here at CVE. (Also thankful the Carlos and Marty Bahler are still here for another month or so.)

Here is a little food for thought from my poem collection. How many of us are focused more on our pet pursuits than on the pursuit of God himself? A convicting reminder to myself...

Passionate Patriots

Patriot to great crusades

Waving banners full of truth

Broadcasting their pet pursuit

So determined to be browned

On the side they like to be 

That they find that they are burnt.

Always trying to escape 

Turning by the hand of God.

Thinking they are right (they are)

But not realizing they’ve been

Passionate for lots of things

But not passionate for Him!

May God bless each of you!

And thanks to all those who have contacted me to say they read this blog. That was very encouraging!