Baptisms at the Beach

We went to the beach with Casa Gabriel and Jordan and Jefferson were baptized in the ocean.



Jordan, we are so proud of you that you want the world to know that you love Jesus with all of your heart. For your baptism, you shared with all of us your favorite verse - Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Getting ready for their baptisms

Out to the Pacific Ocean

Jefferson's turn

Rejoicing after the baptisms!!

A time of prayer for Jefferson and Jordan on the beach

We praise God for the privilege to be a part of Casa Gabriel. This was a special time to love and encourage one another, to laugh and have fun together, and to celebrate the baptisms of Jefferson and Jordan.

Good Golly Miss Molly is 4!

Our precious Molly Margaret, you are wonderfully made by God and words cannot express how much joy you bring to our lives. Happy 4th Birthday!


You are the toughest "girly-girl"! You love princesses, tu-tu's, and wearing bows, but you also love light sabers, riding your brother's scooter, and not afraid of dirt. You fall all of the time and get bruises and cuts and rarely do you even stop because you do not want to miss out on any play time. I think for you at the end of the day during bath time - the more dirt in the tub, the better the day!


Hooray - a Dora Big Wheel

To celebrate your birthday, we went to the new movie theater and watched G Force. It was the only kid movie that was playing in English, but we all liked it.

Birthday Lunch - Crepes & Waffles, great choice Molly!

One of my favorite things about you Molly is that you love others deeply.

I love that you call all of the Casa Gabriel boys your brothers. They are so protective of you and care about you. I guess you do have to be tough to have 2 older brothers plus a house full of teenage brothers, too.

You three are buddies, and I pray that you will always be close.

Daddy's little girl. I love to watch your face light up when Daddy comes home.

You are named after my great-grandmother, Margaret Hutchison. She was very special in my life and the sweet thing is, you remind me of her. She was loving, spunky, beautiful, funny, generous, and always had on high heels and a matching purse. I love you Molly Margaret. You are a treasure in my life. Feliz Cumpleanos!

Fun Day at the Zoo

Living in a city of 2 million people is very different for our family and can be exhausting, so sometimes you just need a break from all of the traffic, horn honking, car alarms going off, living in a small apartment without a yard... After living here for 10 months, we are quickly realizing the importance of taking a break from Quito - so we decided to visit the zoo about 45 minutes outside of Quito for the day.


Our favorite animals were the huge turtles and bears!

We also got to feed carrots to llamas and donkeys!

Just a day to be silly, laugh together, and enjoy living in Ecuador

I just completed an intensive Spanish course - 3 weeks of all day Spanish. It was difficult but so good for my language learning. While I was in classes, Luke, Jordan, & Molly had the opportunity to go back to the zoo with a local preschool. This preschool is located in the city dump where a community of people live. A group from the States came down to serve this community and Casa Gabriel served alongside this team. It was a special day for our kids and the Casa Gabriel boys to watch the excitement and joy on all of the preschool kids enjoying a fun day at the zoo. How quickly I can have my life put into perspective - I started this blog with how hard it can be to live in Quito and now end it with how thankful I am to not live in a city dump but rather the beautiful city of Quito. Thank you, Lord.