Support and Prayers

I wrote in an earlier post about how our family studied the life of George Muller last year in our homeschooling. What an amazing faith he had, and his trust in God and his great compassion for children allowed him to bless thousands of children. Tens of thousands of orphan children. The Lord entrusted him with millions of dollars to take care of them. And that was a great deal more in his time.

The amazing part about Muller was that he *never* asked a single person for that money. 

Yes, that's right. Not once. 

You seriously have to read his story. It gave me chills and we couldn't put that book down! Tim teased me that we must not have had George Muller faith because we sent out support letters. =)  I don't quite look at it that way, but I must not have had as much faith as I thought I did...I now stand in awe at how the Lord provided for our family to go.

The wonderful part about a huge hurdle, a great need or a dark storm is that you have the opportunity to see God work in larger, greater and brighter ways. 

Amen? Amen!!

Over 35 families supported us to go on this trip:

• a handful of dollars

• truck loads of pop-cans

• borrowed coolers

• large checks

• helping with van repairs

• a paper bag of pop-cans

• boxes filled with travel goodies

• and more! Each and every large or small gift has been a joy and God has used all of it for His glory!

But the best part to all of us has been the opportunity to see so many praying for us. What a gift of love.  Just think of how many individual people those families above represent! Top that off with SO many others who have told us they are praying...we just feel so honored...

and humbled.

There have been moments when I feel like Moses. Not the "cool" and "full of faith" Moses who parted the Red Sea, no...more like the Moses who asked God to send someone else-he wasn't so good at public speaking.

I have wondered how God is going to use me? I find myself thinking: I have five children to keep my eyes on-and the one year old is still nursing! I don't speak Spanish. I will have to wake up early to prepare some different foods for my family's health. I am no construction worker. When am I going to have opportunity to help these people?

Maybe God would be better off sending someone else.

Yet, God has given me a desire for those less fortunate. A passion for the helpless and those who have no defender. I want to be their voice, to give them hope...

to show them Jesus.

God has flung open the doors. Money? No problem-I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Time off? Done-I created time. Daily Needs? Covered-I care about you more than the sparrow, yet I provide for them too. 

I hear Him whisper these Truths to me. 

He wants our family to go. To pick up a hammer. To {pretend} sing Spanish songs alongside sweet children. To capture their life and beauty in images. To carry my baby next to another mother and her baby. To kick a soccer ball. To pray, bless and encourage.

On top of all that I can't wait to learn more about these wonderful people we are going with. Grandparents, singles, college age, teens, pre-teens, mothers and fathers, children. So many and such a mix-I love it! We are family in the Lord and it will be wonderful to get to know each other better-to hear their own Story.

God is so good. He is faithful and He provides... 

He provides.

Thank you so much for all your support for our family. Our faith has grown. What a wonderful time it will be for our children to look back and see that the "mission trip" really started many months ago. Seeing God provide at every turn, it has prepared them for the rest of the journey.

Thank you for being a part of this alongside of us.

Thank you for your prayers. Keep them coming...we need them now more than ever!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

The kids were so excited to receive a package full of traveling goodies!

Some of the notes sent of those praying and supporting us!

Well, tomorrow's the big day...we're off and the traveling part of the adventure begins.

Actually, for us it started tonight! We decided to pack up early(I stopped procrastinating! It actually wasn't too hard of a job to pack when we used our lists!) and stay the night with family...we were getting snowed in at our place and want to be sure to be at the church on time! As we drove away from our home Tim looked over at me and said, "Well, your dream is coming true!"

It hit me. All the praying and planning to go is done. Now we get to go. I can't believe it-it is so exciting! It really does feel very adventurous! 

(Let's just hope I'm still thinking that after being in the van with our kids after 20 hours!! lol!)

Our team will do our best to keep you updated tomorrow and the days that follow...I'm know you are going to love hearing unique perspectives from a variety of people here on this blog! At least I hope you are...I am! =)

Thank you again for coming along on this adventure with us!

Serving Him,

tarena

Mandatory Meeting After Church

Today we had another mandatory meeting right after church.

I have really appreciated how the team gets right down to business and stays to the topics at hand...it helps with our five kids who are hanging out too! =)

We brought some oranges and leftover meat for our kids to snack on before they ran off with some of the older kiddos to play. I ended up enjoying most of the meat-I sure do love good food! =) Did I mention how excited I am to try some of the foods in Mexico? Well, I am very excited! =)

I digress...food always gets me off topic!

At the meeting we covered some of the ways we could raise funds for those of us who haven't finished yet (that would be us!! lol!)-I do appreciate that there are a few different ways already set up for us to work with. Takes a lot of the stress out of things!

We also reviewed "Job Assignments". Here is the list of the main positions that needed filled at this meeting:

• Food/Supplies Purchasing Coordinator
• Kitchen/Cooking Supervisor
• VBS (Vacation Bible School) Coordinator -craft coordinator, snack coordinator, sports equipment coordinator & Entertainment Coordinator
• Worship Leader
• Devotional Leader
• Evening Outreach Speakers
• Teen Outreach Coordinator
• Evangelism/Small Group Coordinator
• Accommodations Coordinator
• Mexico Base Camp Coordinator

(For time sake, I'm not going to list their descriptions, but I was amazed at how many main leaders are needed for each trip!)

Honestly, I was holding my breath (and not making eye contact with Brandon! lol!) that I wouldn't be asked to lead any thing. That sounds horrible, but I know my limitations and I was honestly feeling that if I was a leader I would be overwhelmed.

Please don't get me wrong...I LOVE to help out-it is actually hard for me and has taken me many years to learn my limits and when to say "no". I also don't want it to sound like I don't want the Lord to push me beyond my limits and stretch me. 

I do want to be stretched. I want to grow. And I'm excited as I know I will be on this trip...

I just also know that this is my first mission trip to Mexico with FIVE young children...and we eat a different diet right now to help heal our oldest son. This means that I will be a little busy and distracted.

It will be wonderful to help where I can and I can't wait! =)

At the meeting we reviewed a few of the things covered in the last meeting, talked about upcoming important dates and fee deadlines.

It was a great meeting and we are just getting more and more excited for the trip!

Before the meeting I caught Brandon and Geri at the fundraising table (our church can buy something called "SCRIPS") that is like gift cards where a portion goes towards the trip.):

 I also caught Gary (Geri's husband) sitting off to the side going over some verses with a friend. Isn't that so wonderful? I love to see people with hearts for the Lord and His Word...we have such a great team!)

Serving Him,

tarena

Taco Feed Fundraiser Fantastic Fun!

Our team spent Saturday chopping, cooking and preparing the dining room:

A man and his meat!

lots of cutting going on!

(yes they use real knives...remember we cook a lot and they love to be chefs!)

after awhile the kids got bored of prepping and decided to start the party early!

the pepper men

getting to know one another (Tim and I agreed that this was our favorite part of the day...that and the smell of  garlic and cilantro delighting my scenes!)

serious business (don't let those faces fool you-these ladies are HILARIOUS!)

so sweet!

they were full of great ideas-look at this chip platter!

On Sunday we set up and served the masses:

here they come!!!

take Hudson's word-it was a wonderful party!

I don't know what to tell you about this...I don't take responsibility for these young men.

Well, actually as they will be in Mexico with us, I'll do my best to keep my eye on them and make sure they don't get into too much trouble! =)

yeah...I think this was his third or forth time through the line...in fact this wasn't even where we were sitting as a family, it was just the closest empty seat from the taco line! Good thing they loved having him there and thought it was adorable!

"cleaning up"...the guy way.

oh yeah-we are going to have SO much fun with this group in Mexico!!

Woo-hoo! We are getting so excited!

Thank you so much to everyone who showed up to raise money for the community in Mexico! We had a wonderful time serving you all!

T-minus 8 weeks and counting!

I can hardly believe that 8 weeks from today our family will be driving to Mexico.


I have been dreaming of this for years, planning for months and now with the holidays over it seems to suddenly be upon us.


I'll admit. Right at this moment, I feel very unprepared. Of the $3,000 or so we need to raise we have only about $500. Supplies...I haven't even started getting supplies together. But I have the beginning of my lists, so that is a good start.


Some days I can't even believe we are finally going to get to take our children on a mission trip, other days the reality of doing GAPS in Mexico with 5 (FIVE!!) young children makes me feel a bit crazy.
At least Jesus was crazy too...in the good way.


So, even thought this will be a very photo-less post, I thought you would like to follow along and see what the Lord is doing. (and there are some trip prep photos in the last post, so that makes up for it, right?)


Here is where we are at so far:


By God's amazing provision we have been blessed by so many already...and as usual, the Lord has blessed us with money (sometimes by people we barely even know!) randomly and at just the right moment.


To me, this mission trip isn't just about how our "American family will zip on down to Mexico, fix up some things  so they are "right" and be off on our jolly way back home with an educational detour or two". No, not at all...just like life, for me this whole experience will be about what the Lord is doing and us joining Him in His work. We get to see Him work right now in how He provides.


Our kids get to watch day after day as their daddy comes home and God has used ANOTHER person to bless us on this trip. That right there has been an amazing experience.


I love watching them pray and see God answer. God is in the business of answering prayers. Last year we were all in awe as we studied the life of George Muller in our homeschooling (Quick note: if you haven't read a book on him, click here and order this one. This book will bring you to tears over the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord in providing for our daily needs! The kids were literally begging for me to read this book to them.). To see him pray for EVERYTHING he needed...and to watch God bless the socks off of him (and tens of thousands of orphans!!) was humbling. I need to pray more. I need to have faith more.


We are praying like George Muller.


Right now we have been blessed with:


$594 (and some change!) we also have some pop cans that we have been given and need to turn in, so that figure will be a bit more soon.


Here is where we are at in expenses:


-$200 first payment to our church to pay for the room and board and supplies (you can check out the ministry we are going through here:www.gomissionstomexico.com
-$456 for 2 birth certificates and seven passports!
-$18 for 2 books of stamps to mail out support letters
_______Total
$674




We have another payment coming up this weekend, and we are excited to see the Lord provide!
Our church is also doing a "Taco Feed" Fundraiser lunch that our family gets to help put on to help purchase supplies for this community in Mexico-it should be a fun weekend!


My list of supplies for our family includes really random things like:
Pro-biotics
Clay
Activated Charcoal
Aloe Vera


And we will be bringing snacks for the drive so far I have:
Fruit leather
Lacto-fermented Sauerkraut
Homemade beef jerky
24 hour yogurt??


The list I am having a hard time with is our "what to do while traveling" list...we have actually traveled many hours as a family, but not so much all at once. And 5 years ago we bought a portable DVD player for a trip and it was really nice, but it has sadly seen it's last day. So...do we get a new one? Do we rent one? We don't have smart phones or iPads or anything like that, so I would love to hear your ideas. Cheap ideas! =) We will be making some stops, but we are going to have some major time to kill! =)


Well, that gets you all up to date on how things are coming along! I'll try to remember to take pictures at our taco feed!


Serving Him,
tarena

New note from Brandon:

Found this on Facebook today:

"Hello Everybody. So, we made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and the Rose Bowl. What's next? Planning for the Spring Break Mexico Missions Trip of course. We will be hitting the road to Mexico 11 weeks from this coming Thursday (hard to believe, huh?). I have 2 very important dates I need to share with you.

1) Sunday, January 15 - Mandatory Planning Meeting. We will meet at CCC in the fellowship hall after 2nd service. Please plan on the meeting lasting 1 - 1.5 hours. All adults, high school and older, should be in attendance. Attendance by children is optional.

2) Saturday & Sunday, January 28 & 29 - Taco Feed Fund Raiser. This is our only mandatory fund raiser. Please set aside both days. The funds earned are used to pay for our food while in Mexico. If you choose not to participate, $50 will be added to the cost of your trip.

Please pass this message along to anybody that might need the info, but isn't getting it through Facebook. Also, pass it along to anybody that might be interested in joining the group.

Finally, if you have not yet applied for your passport, you need to do it ASAP. Please contact me if you need help with the process."

Oh, me oh my! Can the trip really be that soon???

Passports-oh yeah. I better get on that!

Serving Him,
tarena

Tamale Fundraiser!

Who knew a fundraiser could be so much fun???

Today we drove to the church bright and early to help make TONS of tamales. No, our family can't eat them right now, but I heard that they were delish! 

I had never made Tamales before, so there was a lot of learning, but I love to experience new things and especially when it relates to a different culture...and FOOD! =)

Melissa and her awesome sisters were heading up most of the effort and a few other gals were awesome and did the shopping. What sweet servants we have on our team!

We made a few different kinds for all the pre-orders we received ( Brandon sent out this Facebook message:

"Are you hungry for some tamales? Do you need a break from cooking dinner? The Spring Break Mexico Missions team is selling tamales, and we will deliver them to you on December 22. We have 6 different types - Chicken vegetable, Jalapeno cheese, Chorizo with beans & cheese, Chicken with red sauce, Orange and Pineapple. They are $12 per dozen and you can mix & match, or get 6 of each flavor (3 dozen total) for $30."

Not a bad price and from the sounds of it, they went over really well...here is what Melanie said on Facebook:

 "Hey everyone who helped with the tamale fundraiser...I would like to say thanks, they are so yummy!!! PS the ladies at my work place also loves them and both said they would order at least double next year, you have made them customers. They too wanted to say how delicious they are and thank you! :) Merry Christmas everyone!"

Yea! So encouraging to know that they were just right!

The kids did great...they were totally into it at first as they got to wash up and squish the tamale batter flat with the press. Keaton even tried his hand at filling and rolling them-he did great! After awhile, they got bored and ran off to play (yes...they were running through the church!) with the other kids. I'm pretty sure they enjoyed their day!

Here are a couple of pics from today:

Nicole (who is 9 months pregnant and not even going!) was sweet enough to help out for the day!

Some of the team and a few extra helpers ready to start the next batch!

Well, I'm exhausted...time for bed. This has been a wonderful day and I'm all excited for our trip...especially looking forward to hang out with that hilarious Mel for hours on end! She is a hoot! =)

Serving Him,

tarena

Opps...

There was a pop can fundraiser yesterday and I totally didn't see the info on Facebook.

Bummer.

Good thing we have MONTHS to prepare and do more fundraisers! I do have a feeling that these months are going to go FAST!

Note to self...check Facebook often.

Serving Him,
tarena

First meeting

Today we had the first Spring Break Mexico Mission Trip 2012 meeting. It went really well and there seemed to be a good turn out for those who are interested in attending. There is also a great age range-very cool! Lots of people who have gone before and also a lot of newbies to this group!

We were given a few handouts going over the break down of costs and also what the schedule for the trip would look like. There will be lots of fundraising opportunities and they sound really fun-especially the taco feed.

Now let's pray that we can get the vacation time off and we are all set to go!

Serving Him,
tarena