2020

There are some days, weeks, months, years when you feel like you have nothing to show for your hard work. And then there are months like June of 2019 when you put an entire second story on your house and all of that hard work suddenly becomes visible! This was our house in APRIL... just one story, pouring cement footers and creating a front entryway. And MAY... tearing out the old trusses and setting floor joists so we could put on a second story! During the first week of JUNE we put on the floor for the second story and Randy put in a staircase and started building walls! On June 13, we invited friends and family over to raise the exterior walls. (Thanks Tim, Darlene, Eric, and Dad!) And then we let our nieces put up the interior ones. (Thanks girls!) A week later the new trusses were delivered... (Thanks David!) And in a matter of 3 days we had all of them set in place too! (Thanks Dad!) Randy then framed out the bathroom (I can't be...

Hello faithful readers! It's been a minute... but I couldn't pass up sharing on #GivingTuesday. Giving is something I feel fiercely passionate about! After we've spent 18 billion dollars on Cyber Monday and Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, it's time to give to those who can't. This year, for Lent, God called me to donate $40 to 40 different ministries for the 40 days of Lent. It was an act of faith. Randy and I were missionaries in Baja California at the time, relying on donations for our own livelihoods, so giving $1,600 was more than a widow's mite. I made 39 donations (and I have the thanks-for-giving-here's-your-free-address-labels to prove it!). After moving to Ohio this summer and settling into a new neighborhood, God brought #40 into my life. Number 40 is included in this list, and it is one that I have not only given my money but also my time to, each and every week for the past two months. Today on #GivingTuesday, I challenge you t...

During my 40-40-40 Lenten challenge, one of the organizations I donated to was Friendly Water for the World. Water is a universal need, even if the need varies from city to city, country to country, village to village. While in Mexico, we had purified water trucked in every week for our drinking water. Last week we stayed in El Centro, California, which is below sea level. Tap water there is too brackish (salty) to drink. So they use purifiers, or buy bottled water. Driving through the White Mountains of Arizona, we met a family whose car overheated. We had several liters of water in case this happened to us, and we gave them all of it. We've had to keep water on us at all times, not just for us but also for our dog. While water may not be something that you think about daily because of its ready availability to you, it is something that a whole ton of people think about constantly because of their lack of it. Friendly Water for the World board chairman David Albert share...

Maybe it's just Randy and me, but we tend to wait until the last minute to pack our bags, and take on a ton of other projects (that we've been putting off) at the same time. Sure, I'll write a book this month. Sure, Randy will put in a new water heater for you. Of course we have time to take the girls out for pizza and the boys out for a dune buggy ride and have a slumber party with all 21 of them while buying last minute souvenirs and squeezing in a 30-minute massage. If you are a procrastinator like us, you get it. And you get why I'm playing a little "catch-up" and "I don't have time for a lengthy blog or photos" today. So here goes: my next 3 donations went to Habitat for Humanity , Baldwin Wallace University and GreySave . *** 40-40-40 ... Day 28: Habitat for Humanity When Randy and I let our friends know that we would be leaving San Felipe next week and traveling east, our friends Dave and Pam responded, "We'll be in Lo...

Any time we have anything "extra" (clothes and food, for example) or expired (food, meds, etc.) which we can't legally keep at the children's home, we take them to an organization here in San Felipe called "Volunteers Without Limits." Volunteers Without Limits was formed when two existing organizations joined together: the San Felipe Food Bank and an organization that supported families with children and adults with disabilities. Since some of the work was being duplicated -- providing food for families with special needs, for example -- it only made sense for the two to combine. The organization now provides food (both prepared food for the elderly and sick, and bags of food for families to prepare themselves), wheelchairs/walkers/canes/crutches, etc., hearing aids, oxygen tanks, medication, daily wellness checks for the elderly, blankets and clothes and air conditioners to local families, diapers, prosthetic limbs, etc. It is supported through do...

One of the things I love about this 40-40-40 project is learning about local organizations that my friends support. There are many well-known organizations that do great work around the globe, but the more well-known an organization is, the more likely they are to have large sources of funding. It's great when an organization can impact a ton of people, but it can at times overshadow those organizations that are grass roots, right here in our communities, doing just as good (or even better because they are able to focus their services) as those big names.  I learned about one of those organizations when I asked my friends Shane and Buffy Rider about Wounded Warrior Project. Shane and I went to high school together, and he later met his wife while serving in the military. Shane served in the army from 1998-2004, and Buffy from 1999-2007. They were stationed in Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Buffy was also stationed in Hawaii (where my aunt was stationed years ago!). Shane spent t...

This past Saturday we had visitors, who brought a truck-load of gifts for the children. The kids absolutely loved it. We all get a little bogged down by visitors and gifts at Christmas-time, when it’s nearly a daily occurrence. But visitors and presents in September are a special treat! The only problem is: where are we going to put all these new toys? On Saturdays, I’m in charge of devotions for the kids. Knowing that we needed to do something with all these new items, but not wanting to be solely responsible for deciding what stays and what goes, I had them read Exodus 18:13-27 . In Exodus 18, Moses is serving as judge over all the people. From sun-up to sun-down, he is listening to their complaints and ruling according to what he thinks is God’s will. His father-in-law, Jethro, tells him that this is no good. He’ll burn out for sure. Who wouldn’t, listening to people complain all the time? Jethro says, “The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” He ...

I was sitting on the floor playing with 9-month-old Milly when our handyman Pablo walked into the room holding a toilet flapper. Assuming Pablo's task for the day was to repair the flush valve I asked, “Which toilet broke?” He knelt down beside me and replied, “Do you have gasoline?” “Gasoline?” I said. “You mean like an extra gallon?” “Gasoline,” he repeated. “We used to,” I said. Everyone seems to run out of gas in San Felipe, so we are constantly loaning out our gas can. “Ask Randy.” “Randy told me to ask you,” he said. “Me?” I couldn’t fathom why Randy would tell him to ask me for gas, unless he needed gas money and Randy didn’t have any money on him. So I asked, “Do you need money to buy gasoline?” “No,” Pablo said. “Randy said you have gasoline.” “Randy is crazy. I don’t have any gasoline.” Pablo shrugged his shoulders. “I will use a hose and syphon some from the boogie,” he said, referring to the dune buggy with flat tires sitting in ...

Most mornings our children have a time of devotions before they eat breakfast. They like to sing songs, followed by a time of Bible reading, and then ending in prayer. Today Mama Imelda, our administrator, led devotions for the children. She titled the devotion: "The Heavy Backpack." The Scripture she used was Salmos 55:22, Echa sobre el SEÑOR tu carga, y El te sustentará; El nunca permitirá que el justo sea sacudido. Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. -Psalm 55:22 Mama Imelda explained that when we try to carry all of our burdens ourselves, each burden is like adding another book to your backpack. The kids could relate to this because their backpacks are burdens! Any time I pick them up from school, one or more of them try to pawn their backpacks off on me to carry on our walk home. And I don't blame them! They weigh a ton! She explained that when something hurts our feelings, we have...

Today is my dad's birthday. This picture is of us two years ago at the Columbus airport. We celebrated his birthday with lunch at the Max & Erma's there outside the terminals. He was coming home from Corpus Christi and I was on my way to Madrid. This year for his birthday he sent me a book. That's right: it's his birthday and I got a present! The book he sent was " Above the Line ," by Urban Meyer, head coach of the Ohio State University football team. My dad graduated from Ohio State so I grew up as a fan. And my mom new Meyer's wife Shelley when Shelley was just a kid, so that adds a little something extra to our support of the current team. In the note my dad sent along with the book he wrote: "It has your word in it." I thought it was awesome that my dad would hone in on the word " intentional " in this 250 page book. But once I started reading I realized there was no way he could miss it. The word is everywhere! I...

Yesterday I embraced  everybody . Back in May I embraced everything . And I truly have tried to be open to anything and anyone who enters my path this year. But how do you follow everything and everyone? What comes next? My cousin reminded me that the year is quickly coming to an end. And if, in fact, "embrace" is my word of the year , I'll soon have to look for a new word to embrace in 2014. But the year is not over yet! We still have time to EMBRACE MORE ! And so, here is my request. Will you help me make the next 7 weeks the best yet? Intentional, open, big, and bold! Will you suggest "more" for me?  Will you write in the comments below (anonymous comments are accepted if you prefer!) what you would like to see me embrace... what I haven't embraced yet... what I need to embrace again... what you have been embracing... what you wish you could embrace... whatever is on your heart. Any and all suggestions are welcome. None are too crazy, too silly,...

Continuing our theme of gratitude , on this our second day of alphabet thankfulness, today I am grateful for my brothers. Timothy is my older brother (by 12 months and 15 days) and the leader of our crazy pack. This week he sent me an email about the American Triple T (which I hear our friend Mike is crazy and awesome enough to have signed up for! You rock Mike!!). This involves doing 4 triathlons in 3 days. Over 140 miles. In the subject line of the email my brother wrote: "This looks soooo stupid! 2015 maybe..." Which is precisely why I love my brother so much. Nothing is ever too big, too hard, too stupid, or too out of reach to attempt. Matthew, my younger brother by 3 years, is a lot like Tim. Claiming all his life that he was the "dumb one" in the family, Matthew went on to college to double major in mathematics and engineering. And when the rest of us had to look at a map to see where Oklahoma even was, he was packing his bags and moving there after la...

My grandma and I hosted a dozen women on Wednesday for Bunco. Bunco is a very simple dice game. Three tables are set up for four women at each table. The person across the table from you is on your team. The goal is for your team to roll the most of a designated number. So during the first round everyone tries to roll ones. Eventually someone rings a bell and everyone gets up and moves around, to a different table or a different seat, so that you are with a different partner and have different "opponents". Then you try to roll twos. Eventually someone rings the bell and everyone gets up... And so it continues for two hours. I haven't figured out how to make the dice land on the number you want it to. So this game of "chance" is a low pressure game where everyone cheers and teases everyone else. And because it is so simple you can easily carry on a conversation while playing. Which is definitely the best part. Several of the ladies are going to Ireland in...

Even though I've only competed in two triathlons so far, I've already learned that you have to expect the unexpected. Like when the transition and finish line arches deflated mid-race on Sunday due to the generator running out of gas. But just like you see in the picture above, where volunteers are willing to manually hold up an arch for a woman on the last leg of her race, no matter what happens someone will always be there to support you. My brother was there to pat me on the back and wish me luck as I ran down the hill to the beach for my race to start. My friend Mike was there to cheer me on 6 minutes later when my swim was over and I was running back up the hill. A 9-year-old boy flew past me while we were on bikes (yep, that happened), but paused long enough to tell me I was doing great and to "Keep up the good work!" One woman gave me a high-five on the run course. I was having a "Praise God we're almost there" chat with another woma...

During the prayer circle that kicked off yesterday's triathlon, Psalm 18:37 was quoted: "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed." In the days prior I had committed to memory Ephesians 6 , which reminds us that our enemies are not flesh and blood. (It wasn't the other athletes that we were here to destroy!) Another athlete admitted that his biggest enemy was his own mind, which is full of fear and doubt, not only while he is training, but even as he runs into the water and takes those first strokes of the race.  I love that we began the race with this challenge to pursue and overtake whatever it is that stands between us and the finish line. Because as I watched athlete after athlete finish, I could see that the victory was not just in finishing. Not just in getting first in their age division. Or achieving a personal best.  These athletes were overcoming far more than the finish line. They were over...

My job can be pretty solitary. And usually I'm okay with that. Typically I accept my (writing/editing/research) assignment, get all the details I need upfront, and then don't check in again until the project is completed. Which could be a week or it could be three months. But this week I've worked very closely with my coworker Ryan. Ryan and I have never met in person but we work together quite well via email. This week he has given me my assignment, I've asked questions, he has answered them, I've turned in my assignment, and he has said thank you. Then he's asked me to redo the assignment (hey, nobody's perfect!), I've asked questions, he's answered questions, I've tried again, and he has said thank you. Then he has sent me a sample of what he was hoping I'd come up with and I've tried yet again and he has said thank you. Then we've established new deadlines, new assignments, I've given him the info I have on the proje...