meet us in the middle

New Blog

2011-01-05T19:22:00.001-05:00

I have not always been the best blogger, but I have decided to give it one more try and have started a new blog. Here is the link to our new blog:

Bryans Family New Blog

A Favorite Moment

2010-06-08T09:42:00.006-05:00

One night at dinner I asked Luke if he knew his bible verse for school the next day. He said his verse and then Jordan began saying his verse. In the middle of saying his verse, Molly yells out, "Ooh-ooh I know that verse". I asked her to wait her turn. After Jordan finished saying his verse in English about David and Goliath, Molly began saying her verse in Spanish about David and Goliath. I had no idea she was memorizing scripture at her pre-school. One of my favorite things was always to hear Molly playing in Spanish. Now it is to hear her quote God's Word in Spanish!

Here are Jordan and Molly saying their verses for you:

La Roca Skate Event

2010-03-12T13:27:00.008-05:00

Casa Gabriel had the privilege to help our friend and Youth World team member, Brock Luginbill with a skating competition. Brock and Nancy have started a skate board ministry here in Quito.

For this big event he had professional skaters, Jud Heald and Jared Lee from the United States to judge the competition, do a demo, and share the love and hope of Jesus Christ with over 300 hundred people. Casa G had the opportunity to talk and pray with people who made a decision to follow Christ.

Love Alejandro's big smile - he was so excited to meet Jud and Jared!

It was a fun day to be all together.

Coming home after a long day at La Roca...

Supercines VIP

2010-03-02T17:41:00.013-05:00

This Christmas, I had lots of fun with the kids counting down the 12 Days of Christmas. "On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 5 movie tickets for the family". The hard thing is that most of the kid movies are only in Spanish. We decided that we knew Toy Story well enough that we would understand, and it would be fun to go to a 3-D movie. The new movie theater here in Quito has VIP seating, so we decided to give it a try. So fun...

Lunch was pop-corn, Oreos, and Cokes. Yes, no Mother of the Year would be given to me, but it was a huge treat for Luke, Jordan and Molly!

This is what VIP seating looks like - leather recliner chairs with mechanical buttons. Supercines would be happy to know that the buttons work very well and were tested throughout the movie by my kids.

Molly and I decided to snuggle together in one chair.

Toy Story 3-D was a fun family outing!!!

First Casa G Wedding

2010-02-08T09:07:00.015-05:00

On January 23, Boris and Fernanda were married! Boris has lived at Casa G for over one and a half years and has dated Fernanda for almost 2 years.

Jordan, Luke and Molly with the groom before the wedding ceremony

Saying vows

Casey and Phil were asked to come and pray for Boris and Fernanda at the end of the ceremony.

Boris with his best friend, Mike Zova.

Molly and the flower girl playing at the reception

After many hours at the wedding, Luke and Jordan began to entertain themselves!

Congratulations Boris and Fernanda! We love you and are praying for you. It was not until we were driving home that it hit me that I was saying goodbye to Boris. We will definitely miss him living at Casa G, but we wait in expectation of what the Lord will do through him.

Jordan's Star Wars Party

2010-01-26T18:01:00.025-05:00

Jordan is ready to pass out his invitations to the boys in his class.

Day of party: With the help of our good friend, Marlo, she and Casey filled up their cars and brought home 8 boys from Jordan's class. The party started at our neighborhood's park with a Jedi Training Obstacle Course. First station - Zero gravity light saber practice

Second station: Force choke on Darth Vader (aka Nick)

Third station: Balloon pop with force foot or light saber

Final station: Light saber battle against the Sith (aka Luke)

The Jedi second graders always dominated the dark side fourth graders.

I do believe Jordan had a great time! Poor Luke and Nick, I think Jordan and his friends went through the obstacle course at least 4 times!!

After the Jedi Training Course, the boys decided to play soccer. Here is team: Star Wars

Team: Wookies

Jordan and his friends love to play soccer.

We ordered Dominos Pizza and drank Yoda Sodas.

Marina is our precious neighbor and a part of our family.

Blowing out the big "8"

Sweet friends

The silly picture is always my favorite!

We ended the party playing at the park waiting for the parents to pick up their kids. What a fun day to celebrate our Jedi Jordan!

Asaf

2010-01-26T17:34:00.003-05:00

Here is Jordan with his first friend he made when we moved to Quito. *Asaf Ladines* This picture is taken the first day of school this year. On the first day of second grade, Jordan and Asaf were standing in the back of the room with terrified looks on their faces...until they saw each other and could sit together - now look at the smiles on their faces! They have a special friendship.

We found out that Asaf and his family are moving back to Uzbekistan to be missionaries there. Jordan is so sad to see his closest friend move. I tell you all of this because we were planning to have Jordan's birthday party on Friday the 29th. Well, Jordan came home on Tuesday and told me that Asaf is moving on the 29th! Needless to say we moved his party up a week. A great thing about living here in Ecuador is that you pass out invitations for a birthday anywhere from 3 days to the day before the party. Jordan and I made his invitations that night, and he passed them out the next day. Now for the Star Wars birthday party...

Luke's Birthday Sleepover

2010-01-16T16:15:00.015-05:00

Luke turned 10 on November 23, and we finally had his birthday party on January 8. Luke wanted a sleepover party, so he invited 3 of his friends and what a great time we had! First, we went swimming at our friends' pool at their apartment.

Jon & Luke

Nick & Caleb

Little sister Molly had fun swimming, too!

Second, we ate tacos (Luke's request) and cupcakes.

Third, we went to our neighborhood's park with glow-sticks! Casey was so excited to find some glow-sticks here in Quito. Our friends and neighbors in Tyler can appreciate Casey's excitement for discovering we can buy glow-sticks here.

Fourth, the boys watched G-Force and ate popcorn. Then finally fell asleep right at midnight. We woke up to lots of giggling in the tent a little before 7:00 on Saturday morning. Casey made his famous chocolate chip pancakes. Lastly, there was time for more playing and everyone was delivered home before noon. Fun, fun times!

Feliz Cumpleaños Luke!

New Year!

2010-01-14T13:56:00.006-05:00

2009 - what a year! I feel like our family has been turned upside down, inside out, and everything in between. We are very happy to welcome 2010 in the Bryans' home. God has shown Casey and me the importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus Christ. We were faced with many challenges in 2009 and sadly much of our time was spent focused on ourselves. Casey and I both finally ran out of our own strength - praise God! Each day we ask the Lord to increase our trust in Him and keep our eyes fixed on Christ, spend time together reading His Word out loud, and praising Him for at least 3 things. Worship may not change our circumstances but it can definitely change our attitudes. We praise God for His unfailing love, all-sufficient grace, and constant faithfulness. Thank you Lord for your gift of salvation, your mercies that are new every morning, and for opening our eyes to Your Truth.

Feliz Año! Hooray for 2010!

Baptisms at the Beach

2009-08-26T12:34:00.020-05:00

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!

2009-08-19T15:06:00.014-05:00

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

2009-08-16T09:59:00.011-05:00

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.

Celebrating the USA in Ecuador

2009-07-20T10:33:00.008-05:00

We celebrated the 4th of July with a few families at Alliance Academy. Texas has always been our home so this was our first July 4th celebration wearing jackets and sweaters.

Fun with sparklers!

Thanks to Jordan's first grade teacher, Mrs. Evans who organized this celebration for all of us missing our country.

Busy Tooth Fairy

2009-07-09T16:52:00.006-05:00

We are so excited that Jordan's front tooth finally came out! Jordan was so excited that he had an entire page full of questions for the tooth fairy to answer.

And the tooth fairy had a response for everyone!

We are not so excited about Molly losing one of her teeth. She was running at her preschool and fell mouth first onto the slide. One tooth was completely knocked out (root and all) and her front tooth was shoved up into her gums. She had a huge cut on her lip and was swollen for quite a few days. The good news for Molly was that the Tooth Fairy came to visit her. The good news for us was that her front tooth that is pushed up into her gums is not affecting her permanent teeth. Molly was such a trooper and is one tough little girl!

And yes, Luke also lost a tooth the same week Molly did. Do you like Luke's new look (the braid) from his trip to the jungle?

Have to Have a Guard!

2009-06-27T09:08:00.005-05:00

Last week Luke and Jordan were playing in their room with their castle. Luke recommended that Molly bring her dollhouse so they can be neighbors (in other words, stay away from our castle). When they were playing, I heard Molly say, "If you have a house, you have to have a guard!". Luke replies, "I know Molly, that is why we have a dog on the roof". My first thought was - Where are we living?! Then, it just made me laugh!

Thankfully our apartment building has a guard because here is our "guard dog" in a pink tutu!

Field Day

2009-06-15T09:49:00.008-05:00

Hooray for field day! Jordan's favorite part of field day - the obstacle course.

Each kid competed in four events chosen by the PE teacher. Jordan has a huge power kick.

I don't think Stephy was as passionate about the relay race as Luke was - she forgot to pass off the baton to Luke. Her face is "Oh Luke" and Luke's face is "Stephy, what are you doing?".

Spending a morning with friends is the best part of field day.

Jordan's sweet first grade class

The day ended with an award ceremony and ice cream! Luke and Jordan had a wonderful year at Alliance Academy but now it is time for summer vacation.

Molly the Duck

2009-05-29T13:44:00.012-05:00

Molly performed with her preschool at Alliance Academy (Luke & Jordan's school) for their chapel. All of the kids were dressed as different animals and sang "Animal Action". They also sang a beautiful praise song in Spanish. During the teaching time, Molly had the opportunity to be in a skit. The Ecuadorian children spoke English and Molly spoke Spanish. Our little duck enjoyed her time on the stage!

Alliance Kids is an amazing new preschool where Molly is learning Spanish. She gets to go three mornings a week. All of her friends except for one speak Spanish, and Molly likes to talk - so at school she is speaking Spanish/English/and Spanglish!

Molly and Luciana (the lion)- the only 2 girls in the preschool!

Molly and her best buddy, Pedro Jose (the horse)

Molly is all smiles next to Jordan after her performance at chapel.

When leaving the school, Molly found Luke at recess. I am not sure who was the most excited when they saw each other.

She even let Jesus wear her duck costume - all of the Casa G boys taught Molly the peace sign. The funny part is that Molly just hit her chest twice and then held up the peace sign.

Futbol Fun

2009-05-12T13:58:00.013-05:00

Great pass Luke!

Great defense Jordan!

My favorite part of this picture is Jesus holding Molly's sweater - these boys are so loving and protective of Molly

Everyone loves to do the silly picture

Some of Luke and Jordan's biggest fans and trainers - Lizandro, Juan Miguel, Jesus and Marcelo

Luke and Jordan had a blast playing soccer with their friends at school. Futbol is definitely the most popular sport here in Ecuador!

Molly's Singing Debut

2009-04-27T12:27:00.051-05:00

Now presenting Molly Margaret Bryans singing her favorite song, "Yo Tengo un Amigo".

Thanks!

2009-04-04T14:48:00.004-05:00

After 7 long weeks of waiting, we finally have internet!!! I have no idea where to start back on our blog - so much has happened in 2 months. For today, I just want to say thanks to those who have been praying for our family and for Casa Gabriel. The armed robbery was a horrible experience; however, what the enemy intended for harm, God intended for good. All of us are stronger now because we know that we are on the winning team. God is in control of ALL things and He does have us in the palm of His Hand. God has given me a new confidence and security in His divine protection. He is good all of the time and most worthy of our praise!

From all of us at Casa Gabriel, thanks for praying!

Pecos Bill

2009-01-28T11:43:00.006-05:00

Mrs. Weber's class performed a reader's theater, "Pecos Bill". Luke was excited to be Pecos Bill. When Casey was in third grade, he was also Pecos Bill in a school play...like father, like son.

Pecos Bill was raised by a pack of wolves - Ahoooooo!

Pecos Bill and Slue Foot Sue got hitched! Oh, the funny, embarrassed look Luke had on his face! Luke was very animated and did great - it was fun to hear a little Texas talk again.

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2009-01-13T14:09:00.015-05:00

Happy 7th Birthday Jordan!

You are a wonderful Gift from God, and I praise Him everyday for giving me my Jordie. Here are 7 things I love about you:

1. You love Jesus!
2. You genuinely pray for others.
3. You are a great friend to everyone.
4. You are silly and make me laugh everyday.
5. You work very hard at school and always try your best.
6. You are creative and imaginative.
7. You are sensitive and love others deeply.

Daddy made his famous chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

The biggest chocolate chip pancake for the birthday boy!

For birthday lunch, Jordan picked his favorite place to eat - McDonald's!!!

For the final celebration of Jordan's birthday, we had the Casa Gabriel boys over for pizza and cupcakes!

Jordan, you are one special boy and I love you to the moon and back!

Casa G loves their new bikes!

2009-01-02T10:19:00.014-05:00

Daniel and Gustavo

What color Boris?

SURPRISE Marcelo!!!

Alejandro was all smiles!!!

Alejandro at Carolina Park

Lisandro & Miguel

Jesus and Luke

Juan Miguel and Jordan

Thanks again to Grace Community for providing all of these great bikes!

A Very Special Christmas with Casa Gabriel

2008-12-30T10:57:00.020-05:00

Not sure even where to start - Christmas Eve with Casa Gabriel was one of the most special nights of my life. We started the evening with a huge feast of turkey and all the delicious sides. After dinner, we had a special time of giving thanks to God. Phil Douce (the director of Casa G) asked everyone to say something they were thankful for this Christmas. I praise God that He helped me to understand what the boys were saying. One could not speak without crying, one was thankful to be off of the streets, one was thankful to now have a family with all of us...

Sometimes I forget the background of these boys and what difficult experiences they have endured. I am thankful to be a part of each one of these boys' lives. This ministry is a gift from God. After a time of thanksgiving and prayer, it was time for the gift exchange.

With two big brothers and now 11 more older brothers with Casa Gabriel, Molly loves to be with girls any time she can. She had so much fun with the Douce girls and their cousin, Becky. Danelle (in the middle) is precious with Molly. Every Sunday, Danelle eats lunch with Molly in her lap. Chelsea Douce (on the right) goes to college in Missouri, so it has been a treat to get to know her and her brother, Jordan. Jordan also goes to college in Missouri.

During our Christmas Eve feast, Jordan went around to everyone and asked what their favorite food was and charted their answers on his graph. Chocolate was the winner!

Molly was Juan Miguel's secret santa. We did have to help her a little because she wanted to get Juan Miguel a Strawberry Shortcake for his present. Molly thought he would love that!

Daniel was excited to have picked Jordan's name out of a hat - he got to buy cool toys for Jordan! My favorite part was watching the faces of the givers. Each boy from Casa G received ten dollars to buy a present for who they picked. It is always more fun to give than to receive!

Luke was Alejandro's secret santa and he had so much fun picking out just the right gift - a hat and a clock for his room.

We ended our evening with a very big surprise! Our church, Grace Community in Tyler, Texas, raised money to buy new bicycles for each of the boys at Casa G! Thanks to our Student Ministries at our church - they had a Gift a Bike drive for Tyler and included Ecuador, too. Our church is such a blessing to us - THANK YOU!!!

Meet Annie

2008-12-16T19:53:00.026-05:00

This is Annie, Jordan's new dog. We went to the pet store to "look" at all of the dogs. Jordan instantly fell in love with this puppy. The next thing I knew, we had a new member of the family. Jordan named her and is taking great care of her. He is a very responsible pet owner!

Annie is a very sweet puppy. We do hope that she will get tougher when she gets bigger - she is supposed to be our guard dog.

Molly's new baby to love

Time for a bedtime story

Jordan had to take his new puppy to school for show & tell - Annie was a hit!

Annie is always with one of the kids. Jordan made a great selection at Mascotas. Annie is a great puppy and has brought a lot of fun into our home.

Birthday Weekend

2008-11-28T08:56:00.001-05:00

Happy 9th Birthday Luke! You bring so much joy to our family. We appreciate your positivity and your compassion for others. Thanks for working so hard to learn Spanish. You are an encouragement to us all. We love you are proud to have you as our son.

Luke was excited that his birthday was on a Sunday. He told us that it was perfect because all of the boys at Casa Gabriel are who he wanted at his birthday party. Luke loves to go to Casa Gabriel and spend time with all of the boys there - they are the reason Luke works so hard to learn Spanish.

We celebrated Casey, Miguel, and Luke's birthdays last Sunday. Miguel is 16! He has only been living at Casa G since the summer. At the party, he shared his story and how thankful he was to be off the streets. This was his first birthday party and cake. Birthdays are a big deal at Casa G. The boys get lots of gifts and it is a time for everyone to encourage them and pray for them.

All three birthday boys sit in the middle of the room to be prayed over by us.

What a fun way to spend Luke and Casey's birthdays! Each one of these guys is a testimony of God's redeeming love. After the cake, gifts, sharing time, and prayers, they cranked up the music. What's a party without dancing? I forgot to mention that Juan Miguel rapped a special birthday song for Miguel, Casey, and Luke before they blew out their candles. There is never a dull moment at Casa Gabriel!

We're Here in Quito

2008-11-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

Now that we have been in Quito for over a month, it is time to start blogging again. My goal is to update our blog weekly.

Quito is the capital of Ecuador, a big city high up in the mountains - elevation is about 9,500 feet. There are 2 million people who call Quito home. Because we are on the equator, the sun rises at 6:00 am and sets around 6:00 pm everyday. October marks the beginning of rainy season here. The sun usually shines brightly until about 1:00 in the afternoon - then comes the rain. It is very cold in our house. Our house has no central heat, and when the temperature drops to the 40-50's at night, it gets COLD!

Molly is Three - Yippee!

2008-09-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

Molly Margaret turned three on August 17! We celebrated her birthday with precious friends and family at The Birthday House. Molly wanted a Dora Princess Party...so we had Dora plates and napkins and put on princess attire for the party. The girls dressed up in their fancy princess dresses and the boys put on Superman capes and pirate hats and headed downstairs for cupcakes.

Sweet friends

Dress up fun with friends

Eric & Jenn

Gran or as Molly calls her "Gee"

PePaw & MaMaw

Oh, how Molly loves her brothers

Daddy's little princess

My dear Molly Margaret - I love you with all of my heart and am so thankful to be your Mommy. You are a beautiful Gift from the Lord, and I praise God everyday that He gave you to me. Happy 3rd Birthday!

No More Worries

2008-09-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

I opened the kids' devotional book on Thursday to read with them and it was Devotional #56 Give Your Worries to God

The Bible verse read, "Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

There are lots of worries in our home right now, so we decided to write our concerns down on strips of paper. We took turns praying and giving our worries to our Lord. For a visual, we stuck them on a cross on our door. I went first and put one of my worries on the cross. Jordan said, "you put it on backwards - no one can see what you wrote". Exactly - it is no longer my worry or anyone else's worry in this house! What an amazing gift of grace and love through the cross.

"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:3

When we focus on praising our Lord rather than trying to figure out what He is doing, our attitude does change. He is GOD and His greatness I cannot even begin to understand! With all of the unknowns in the Bryans' home right now, I am most thankful that one thing never changes - GOD.

Kudos to the Chef!

2008-09-03T15:21:00.000-05:00

Jordan was the chef for the evening. He looked through recipe books and planned dinner for all of us. He created his grocery list and off we went to Brookshire's. On his menu for the evening:

Mexican Lasagna (new yummy recipe - of course Jordan would not try it)

Fruit Kabobs

Brownies - cut out with cookie cutters and decorated with icing and sprinkles

Jordan may not like to eat food, but he sure loves to prepare it and cook for others. Thanks for a delicious dinner!

First Haircut

2008-07-24T00:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Luke and Jordan for encouraging your little sister and getting so excited about her new princess haircut.

Before

Styling

Thanks to Kerri who cuts our hair - she was so fun with Molly!

Molly loves her new haircut! She enjoyed her first trip to the "booty shop" for her new "Snow White" haircut. My 2 year old looks like such a big girl!

Molly & Maggie

2008-07-16T01:37:00.001-05:00

Girls

love to

play dress up

and have

tea parties!

Video

2008-06-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

What exactly is the Bryans family doing? You can watch our video that Grace Community Church made for us. The clip of Miguel captures the vision of Casa Gabriel's ministry.

http://www.youtube.com/v/XEGseMJzVfA

Kindergarten graduation

2008-06-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

Jordan loves his teacher, Ms. Cox. He learned so much from her. She taught her class wonderful things in fun, creative ways. The students were kissing their brains throughout the school year. Ms. Cox's class received the most Patriot Bucks (good behavior certificates awarded by other teachers and staff) in all of Jack Elementary. Jordan had a wonderful experience in kindergarten. We are so thankful for Ms. Cox and love her dearly.

Great friends in kindergarten

MaMaw & PePaw are so proud of this graduate

Jordan, you bring so much joy and laughter to our family with your sincere love for others and all of your silly ways. You were so nervous to start kindergarten and look at you now...much more confident - you surprised us all with your performance in The Three Piggy Opera! You are always eager to help and be a good friend. We love you very much and are proud of you. You will do great in first grade!

Perfect Gift

2008-05-21T15:13:00.000-05:00

"Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." Psalms 36:5

Jordan's gift to me for Mother's Day

Luke's gift to me for Mother's Day

The boys made these for me at school on the same day for Mother's Day. They know how to spell Ecuador correctly because they have proudly worn their colorful braided "Ecuador" bracelets on their ankles since we returned from our trip to Quito in October.

I could not have asked for a more perfect gift. This gift was from the Lord who hears my prayers and continues to reassure me of His love and faithfulness. I have prayed that our kids will be excited about our new adventure, and I praise God for the peace and joy He has given in our home. There are tears and difficult conversations as we prepare to leave our home in Tyler, but there is also an excitement on this journey.

A Very Special Sunday

2008-05-06T21:09:00.000-05:00

Luke's baptism: Sunday, April 27 at Grace Community Church

Luke chose the verse, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" to share with our church. At Grace Community Church, fathers are encouraged to baptize their children. This special privilege reflects the important responsibility God places upon a father to be the pastor of his family. What a special day to watch Casey baptize our oldest son!

We are excited that our precious friends, Caleb and Josh Glenney, were baptized by their dad, Chris on the same special Sunday. After church, we celebrated Caleb, Josh, and Luke's baptism at the Glenney's house with our families and friends.

Gran (Renae's mom)

PePaw & MaMaw (Casey's parents)

Our wonderful friends - thanks for coming!

From here to there

2008-04-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

We are in the middle of another exciting and fun baseball season!! Here is another little detail from the Lord to help get Luke and Jordan excited about our new adventure. Jordan is playing on the Texas Rangers representing where we live now and Luke is playing on the Chicago Cubs representing where we will live for 5 weeks after baseball season. Our training starts May 31 in Elgin, Illinois which is outside of Chicago. Thank you God for continuing to give Luke and Jordan excitement with big changes coming.

A Champion in our Home

2008-04-11T11:32:00.000-05:00

We would like to proudly present, Molly - our Potty Champion!!! She has had absolutely no interest in potty training until 2 weeks ago when we were in the middle of painting the inside of our home and preparing for our garage sale. Oh well, it was crazy then, but we are thankful now. Way to go Molly - we are all so proud of you!!!

The Sound of Worship

2008-03-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

Here is a clip of Molly singing at our church on Palm Sunday. How precious it is to hear and watch young children sing praises to God!

A Bittersweet Spring

2008-03-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

My favorite season is Spring. I love all the flowers blooming, trips to Caldwell Zoo, Luke and Jordan's baseball season, and just playing outside. This is a different Spring for us. Our lives are about to radically change - "the great unknown" that has always seemed to be far away is now hovering over our home. On May 30, we will cheer on Jordan as he graduates from kindergarten, and then we will load up the car and drive to Elgin, Illinois for 5 weeks of training with our mission agency. So, so much has to happen before May 30, and the problem is I don't even know where to start!! With everything about to change in our lives, it is so wonderful to know that our God never changes. I praise the Lord for His promise: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Thank you Lord for going before us to Ecuador and walking with us through this unknown journey.

For my fellow dog lovers

2008-02-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

For my fellow dog lovers, I wanted to give an update on Maggie. After we bought her a new (pink) food dish, she started eating again. She is back to sleeping in her spot, and she will now retrieve the ball anywhere you throw it. For years, Chance and Maggie would take turns retrieving the ball with Chance on one side of the yard and Maggie on the other. After the accident, Maggie would not go on Chance's side to retrieve the ball. She would just sit and look back at me as if to say - you know that's not my side of the yard! We are excited that she will now go retrieve the ball anywhere we throw it, and she has even barked a few times. After the sad blog on Chance, we wanted to give an update on Maggie and that we think she is going to be okay.

The Three Piggy Opera

2008-02-25T22:13:00.000-05:00

The cast of The Three Piggy Opera with their wonderful director, Ms. Cox

Jordan as the Stick Peddler singing, "I sell sticks, I sell sticks, a penny will buy six. I sell sticks, I sell sticks, a penny will buy six!"

Jordan took his singing in the chorus very seriously - don't you think?

Finding Excitement!

2008-02-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

For the past two weeks, I have been praying for the excitement of moving to Ecuador to come back for Luke and Jordan. Reality is setting in with all of us - trying to sell our house, raising support, talking to Sunday School classes and community groups, knowing how much we will miss our family, friends, and life here in Tyler... God is so faithful to continue to give us encouragement and confirmation throughout this process. One morning last week before we left for school, I hear Luke yelling, "Mommy - come quick! Look, they are talking about Ecuador." Between episodes of Arthur, the show interviews real kids. This interview was of 2 boys describing their favorite vacation in Ecuador - Quito, Ecuador!!! The boys were so excited and kept saying - that's where we are going to live (with huge smiles on their faces).

Yesterday, Luke was talking about his day at school, and he said that for some reason he kept thinking about Ecuador and is really getting excited about moving. I give all praise to my loving Lord for blessing me with that statement from Luke and for the interview on Arthur.

Luke is having so much fun playing basketball! The school he will be going to next year in Quito has a basketball team where you can start playing in the third grade. He is looking forward to the opportunity to play for the Alliance Spartans!

Chance

2008-02-13T11:14:00.001-05:00

With great sadness, we said goodbye to our loving dog, Chance. We welcomed Chance and Maggie into our home almost 10 years ago. They were brother and sister border collies, and were a part of our family. Sunday evening Chance was hit by a car. We will all miss him so much. Chance and Maggie were always together and have never known life without the other. Maggie is so sad - she is not eating and sleeps in her brother's spot. I know - it is heartbreaking. Our family had so much fun with these great dogs, and Chance will be extremely missed.

The Greatest Decision

2008-02-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

We are so excited to share Jordan's greatest and best decision he will ever make. In Jordan's words - "I asked Jesus to live in my heart. I am a Christian. I know that Jesus is always with me." We praise God for answering our prayers that he would come to know Christ at a young age. How fun it will be to watch him grow in his faith! We love you Jordan!

Family Fun at Disney World

2008-02-02T15:54:00.001-05:00

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Pirate Pizza Painting Party

2008-01-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

After two changed dates, we finally celebrated Jordan's 6th birthday!! He wanted a pirate and painting party, and Dominos pizza is his favorite - so we combined them all! It was such a fun time to be with our family and friends - we are so blessed to have a loving family and friends who are like family to us.

Happy Birthday Pirate Jordan - you did a great job decorating for your party. We love you so very much!!

Tanky

2008-01-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

This past summer when we started discussing Ecuador with the boys, Jordan made one statement - well, I guess I better go to Spanish Camp. After that, he would not talk about Ecuador. He would either change the subject, get quiet, or run off. As you can imagine, I was so upset and battled with the "what are you doing, Lord?". Jordan has an incredible imagination and likes to tell stories where Tanky, his teddy bear, has been exploring. About 10 days before Casey and I were to leave to go to Quito, Jordan was telling us about a great adventure Tanky had been on in Paris, France.

That's it!! We asked Jordan if he would like for Tanky to go exploring in Ecuador with us. His precious little face lit up, and he thought that Tanky would love that adventure. So...we made Tanky a passport, and he saw all the sites of Ecuador. He met all the boys at Casa Gabriel, Jordan & Luke's future principal, some cool bugs from the jungle, and best of all, Tammy the monkey. When we returned with pictures and video of Tanky's adventures in Ecuador, Jordan could not stop talking about Ecuador. God is so loving and faithful that He used a teddy bear to make a huge transition a little easier for my Jordan.

What, Where, When & Why?

2008-01-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

WHAT?

The ministry we are joining is called Youth World. You can visit its website to see all the great things they are doing: http://www.youthworld.org.ec/

WHERE?

Quito, Ecuador - right on the equator in South America. We will live in the southern hemisphere where the water in the potty flushes counterclockwise - in case you were wondering. If you come visit us, we will take you to the equatorial monument where you can straddle the equator line and be in both hemispheres at the same time.

WHEN?

We plan to go to our sending mission agency's (International Teams - http://www.iteams.org/) training on June 1 in Elgin, Illinois for 5 weeks. Our goal is to be in Quito the first of August. This will give us a few weeks to find a house and get settled before Luke and Jordan start their new school.

WHY?

Our specific focus with Youth World will be with Casa Gabriel. Casa Gabriel is a home for boys who lived on the streets and a training/discipleship program for them to know Christ as their Savior. God has given us a love for Latin America and for teenagers. There are 250 million youth in Latin America.

On the days when I want to say forget this, one statistic always rings out: 95% of the world's youth workers live and work in North America where only 5% of the world's youth live. The Lord does not need us, but we are excited to have the opportunity to share His love and grace with youth in Ecuador and watch many of their lives be radically transformed.

One of my favorite pictures of all times is Tammy the monkey with Tanky, Jordan's teddy bear. That story is for another blog day...

New blog!

2008-01-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well now that we know we are moving to Quito, Ecuador this summer, we thought it was time to start a blog to keep connected with everyone.