Last Sunday

Today was our last Sunday at Cristo Es La Roca.

Afterwards we fed the geese one more time.

Six Flags with Family

Sometimes God grants kindness to His children even in the small things. Things that don't really matter much in the whole scheme of things, but just make us smile. That's how I feel about this trip. 

When I found out we were expecting Isaiah I was thrilled, but then realized I would be due really close to the time for Homeschool Day at Six Flags. 😔

I have really, really wanted to take my little girls for the past few years. So when I learned about our move to Mexico I asked my husband to please take the kids this year without me. 😢

He reluctantly agreed (the man strongly dislikes going there). So he bought the tickets and away he went with 6 of our kids plus 3 cousins. I was very sad to watch them go, but I was happy my little girls would have a fun day. (They also met up with some sweet friends who we will miss dearly.)

However, God chose to give me a small blessing in sending rain that day. They got soaking wet and rained out, with Six Flags issuing them rain checks for later on in the season. 😊

So I got to go after all!! And this time my  family came along with us! 

The girls loved meeting Bugs and Sylvester.

Miriam on the merry-go-round, on a "safe" horse that doesn't go up and down. 😄

Esther "I'm not afraid of anything" Contreras, on the up-and-down kind! 

Even Isaiah and Mom got to ride this one!

Big hats!

Nanna and all the "little people".

On the Superman ride in Looney Tunes Land.

With Porky Pig.

And Pepe le Peu

Truckin' with Nanna.

We had a GREAT day. 

And, Mama, J, and K, if you are reading this, I had a blast with y'all that day! I love you all bunches and I am so thankful the Lord gave me this wonderful, fun day with y'all! We'll have to do it again sometime!!!

Corpus Christi

We took our last road trip before "the Big One". We visited Sovereign Grace Community Church in Corpus Christi. It was a good time of fellowship and meeting new Christian brothers and sisters. 

It is a long drive from our house to Corpus Christi. We arrived around 9:45 Saturday night. After a refreshing night's sleep we met with the saints for church Sunday morning. 

Lunchtime brought more time to fellowship and get to know the brethren. It is amazing how Christians can meet for the first time and feel like they've known one another for years.

In the evening we had a cookout at the beach at South Padre Island. This was the first time my children saw the sea. 

They loved it!

Well, except Esther...she thought the waves were chasing her and she ran screaming from them. :)

Miriam decided she would rather not swim when she saw a jellyfish. (She knows all about them from "Finding Nemo".) Smart girl...not counting Mama and Isaiah, she was the only one to escape jellyfish stings. 

Hot dog with a side of sand. :)

We figured out why it is not a good idea to feed the seagulls. 

Several of the kids pitched in with the help of one mom to build a sand castle city. When it got dark they added glow sticks. :)

Fun, fun time at the beach! 

Changes

Change is not something that is easy for me. Especially big changes. And right now there are big changes going on in my life. 

New Baby

Meet Isaiah James. Isn't he a handsome fellow? 

And after 6 girls in a row, it's been quite a change getting used to a boy again. Mostly in remembering not to say "she" and "her". It still slips out some. Oh, well, maybe by the time he's old enough to understand us we will have corrected that. 

Bye-bye, House

We put our house on the market. Kind of a sad thing, because I really like my house. But I know that this is part of the Lord's plans. So we are in the process of packing, selling and storing this mountain of stuff we've accumulated over the years. 

No more 9-5

Josue quit his job and cleaned out his stuff. Looking forward to full-time ministry!! 😊

When God says "Go".....

.....you have to go.

A few weeks ago God told us to go. So in obedience we will be taking our family to the mission field in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Here is a video I shared a while back.

In many ways this was a complete surprise to us. It wasn't even on our radar before the month of March. Now we are in the process of selling our house and most of our belongings before we leave sometime this summer.

We applied for passports for all the kids.....7 in all. We will get Isaiah's passport as soon as he is born.

We bought a small (5x8) trailer to take a few of our possessions along. It won't hold much, but we are confident the Lord will provide for our needs when we get there. 

God's work in Mexico....

(This video is in English.)

Cheesy Vegetable Potato Soup

I got this recipe many years ago from a pastor's wife. It has become a family favorite. (Well, except for one daughter who has an aversion to cabbage and anything the even thinks might have an onion in it.....)

I am going to share the recipe as written, but I pretty much quit measuring anything in this recipe long ago. You almost can't mess it up.

3 T. butter
1/2 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. sliced onion
1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. sliced cabbage
3 chicken bouillon cubes (I use powdered bouillon.)
1 quart water
1 c. diced potatoes
8 slices American cheese (or shredded cheddar or a hunk of Velveeta)

Saute onions, celery, carrots, and cabbage in butter until tender.  Add bouillon cubes and water. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.