Are "we" making a difference for Christ?

Last Sunday we stopped at a local gas station here in Tampa for some "food fuel" before heading off to church. I must admit that being bold enough to speak out at any given moment to invite others to church has always been a weakness. However, the role that God has now placed us in I need to always be willing to mention Christ in every conversation. Anyway, I proceeded to check out our snacks and began to talk with the cashier about church. She said that she did not attend anywhere so of coarse I invited her to our new church. She then told me how she was the manager and had to work every Sunday. Most people would have left it at that but I invited her to Wednesday night services. She again said that she had to work most of those nights and well I stated that maybe just one night she could switch shifts to attend at least one service. That was the end of our conversation and we both went on with our weeks.


Today we stopped again for Sunday drive snacks . This time I carried a track in my hand just in case she was working or maybe a fresh face. Guess who was indeed working? I grabbed our snacks and went to the counter to pay and began to chat with the cashier and she remembered me from the prior week. I handed her the track and told her that whenever she could would love to see her at church.


While I did not get her to church, she does have the knowledge of the plan of salvation in her possession and a local church to help her on her way if she chooses to invite the Lord Jesus into her heart. Are we all making a difference for Christ with all the opportunities that we have everyday or do we quietly let them slip away. If we are saved we are suppose to be fishers of men. I know that I do not want Christ to be disappointed in how I let opportunities slip away.

Friday Night Fun....Family and Foe

We were so excited to see Mark's parents drive up to see us yesterday. They arrived last night around 7 or so. We gave them a tour of our new home.... small and cozy... that it is. Then we all went out to eat dinner at Chiles. It was so nice to see some familiar faces. We do miss all of our friends and family a bunch. However, the lives of Home Directors and House Parents is more than a full time job leaving hardly enough time to think of anything else except what your next task is.


Earlier that day I was battling with a migraine and due to such a headache my tummy was a little uneasy. However, I was hungry and eating really helped out...okay maybe it was the chocolate lava cake that did the trick. Before dinner Mark had said that he was feeling the same way, an uneasy stomach. We ate dinner and then came back home and chatted with his parents until around 11. We were just trying to soak up all the time we could with them even though they are here for a few days. Mark said that he still was not feeling well so we got ready for bed.

Then around 1 this morning Mark received an unexpected "FOE". He began to complain of a backache and hurting in his side. We are pretty sure that he has a kidney stone. Please keep him in your prayers. I can not even begin to imagine the pain that he is going through. He is a very tough man and not one for complaining but I know that he is in a heap of pain. The devil is always trying to get God's people discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. Well this is one battle that he will not win. For where God guides he will provide and we know that he will take care of us all.



Just a note about our children....we hardly ever see them...(LOL)...I think that they would live in the dorms with the children if they could. Taylor is off with the girls for a picnic on the beach. Hunter has already had Nanny and Papa at the pond behind the house fishing and is now up at the boys dorm. We will probably not see him until dinner. Josiah.....a mess a usual. Just like everywhere we go he gets kisses and love and hugs. He will be one rotten Spanish speaking missionary kid. Love you all.

God is AWESOME.....

Hello fellow followers and friends,

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of traveling with the Children's Home to a local church in Palmetto. We were so excited to get an invitation to go back and present our burden for a home in Honduras. We are scheduled to visit in November. Please help us by praying that this will be a great meeting where we can gain support that we need to further the journey. We are in need of raising $1,ooo a month support. We also need to be able to set aside and raise money for our year long stay at the Spanish Language Institute. We have a figure that we need to raise and pray that through the giving of our friends and family and others God will supply that need. I know that I.....we serve a Holy and caring Savior who all our needs will supply. I leave you with a Spanish Bible verse that we have learned since sitting in on Spanish 101 here at Hope.

un Senor, una fe, un bautismo, un Dios y Padre de todos....
Efesios 4:5-6
....one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all......
Ephesians 4:5-6

Weekend Whirlwind......

Well this weekend we have been SUPER busy. Friday night was our slow night of just hanging out at the house. Saturday we awoke to the whole "bug crawling" thing. Then later that after noon we went out with some friends and college kids from the home. When I say college kids, I am referring to some guys and gals who have grown up in the home and have decided to give their lives to Jesus and attend Bible College. Some are even going as far as West Coast in CA. Anyways, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants....can you guess.....Cracker Barrel. Then we headed off to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. The Texas Rangers. Of coarse we pulled for Josh Hamilton and the Rangers. They lost however, in extra innings.

Then on Sunday we traveled with the singing group from the home to meet with a church that supports them. Please pray for this church(SunCoast Bpt) as well, we will be going back in a few weeks to share our burden for a children's home in Honduras. We feel that this is a great opportunity and the Lord is opening up doors for our funding. They were a very nice congregation and we enjoyed the service and the Pastor was right on top of Biblical principles with his Sunday morning message.

Sunday night we attended our new church Southside Bapt. Church. Pastor Nance had a great sermon on "Sheep in Wolves Clothing". Once we returned home we had a surprise birthday party for a friend at the home named Nelly. She is originally from Honduras.....hmmm...maybe we can convince her to come with us when we leave. She loves the kids and especially Josiah.

Today started our day all over again with school, work and then a benefit dinner to help those young adults be able to attend college. Remember that the kids that are in this home are here because their families could not care for them or maybe they just did not want them anymore. One dear sweet girl who is going off to college for her second year has been in the home since she was 23 months old. She has a super sweet spirit about her and holds no bitterness. Thankfully she has trusted the Lord as her Savior and Hope is her home on earth and Heaven is her home for eternity.

Bugs, Bugs and more Creatures

Okay, so if you know me; you know that I am not one for bugs and critters. Let me just say that the Lord must be preparing us for Honduras. I try really hard to keep everything clean and tidy. Well here in Florida I have never seen so many lizards, fire ants, and Palmetto roaches.

When you walk out the front door lizards scatter all over the place. When you walk from place to place through the grass you have to watch out for ant hills. Then at night well that is when roaches come out. In my mind roaches remind me of filth and being dirty. My house is almost super clean and yet here they are. I have been assured that these Palmetto roaches are not like the disease carrying ones, "but come on people a roach is a roach in my book"!

Okay so last night we have dinner, play some Wii and then get ready for bed. Everything is great we pray and we are all off to sleep. Then this morning just before 5, I feel the bed shake and Mark's arms swinging all other the place. Then, I realize that he is beating the floor with something. He then began to proceed to say there was something crawling on his back and he slapped it off. He said, "when it hit the wall I knew it was a roach and a big one".

Can you say that for the rest of the time all I could think about were bugs crawling all over me. The Lord never said that following HIM would be easy. However, I will be checking into one of those RIDEX Plug exterminators today.

Free Time!....What is that?

Well, I know that some of you are wondering why I don't get to blog as often as I would like. Let me tell you...this is a busy place. We are always doing something whether it is school, working, playing with the kids or going to church functions. Monday and Tuesday of this week kicked off our back-to-school revival. It was truly amazing to see God work in the lives of the kids here on campus. There were many decisions made and even "1" salvation. PRAISE the Lord. It was awesome to see how God can move in the lives of children. The little girl who was saved has only been in the home for a little over a month. A month and 19 days to be exact. She has 3 older brothers who are also in the home. The boys are really struggling with the transitions that they have had to make coming to live here. They came from a home where it is obvious that the Lord did not dwell. Please pray for them, their names are Caleb, Christopher, and Austin. They all have taken a real liking to Mark and I so pray for us as well, as we try to be Godly examples for them. Sometimes, kids just need to know that there is someone there willing to hear what is on their hearts and mind. I can not even begin to imagine the thoughts going through their heads. One minute they are home with their dad and the next they are living far away from family with rules and guidelines to follow. It is really sad at the stories that this kids have but on the positive side, isn't it great to know that 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.' It was not the will of the kids but the will of God that brought each of them here. It is also amazing that there are many that we have met in the few weeks that we have been here that are going to Bible Colleges all over the country. Some of them are going to PCC, West Coast Bible College, Heartland, Trinity and others. It is great to know that God can use the circumstances that are bad in our lives and use them for good and give Him the Glory and Honor. It brings me to the story in the Bible of the blind man. The disciples asked whose sin is it that caused this man to be blind? I love Jesus' answer, it is no ones sin but for "MY GLORY". It just gives me chills to think that these kids while they can't grasp why their parents did not want them or whatever the case may be....God was preparing the next DL Moody, Billy Sunday, Hudson Taylor, David Livingston, Amy Carmichael and so on. So I challenge my readers to not let circumstances control what you are going to do but let God lead you where he would have you to go.

Hope.....A New Home......

On Monday morning a week ago today, bright and early we packed all that we could into the van; leaving only enough room for the five of us to sit. As we closed the garage and starred at our house one last time in the dark we all swelled with tears. We were sad and happy all at the same time. Oh the memories that had been made there the last 7 1/2 years. We were so thankful for a dear friend that helped us out of the driveway that day with God's words of encouragement written on little notes to read along the way. As we traveled we thought back on on all the friends and family that we were leaving behind. Yet, we look forward to those we will meet and stories that we will be able to share with new and old friends. Crossing over state lines brought us closer and closer to our new home. Once we arrived in Florida we couldn't wait to get to Hope and meet all the kids. We would come home unpack and rest for the night to start a new day in our new home for nine months. Our first day here will be a day that I will never forget and neither will our family. As we ate lunch with the kids and chatted with them we were filled with joy. They took us in as if we had always been around. Giving out hugs, smiling when they passed by and shouting out "hi" and even begging to sit next to us where-ever we sat. I looked at Mark and said; "WOW!, their parents just have no idea what they are missing out on"! These boys and girls are so precious and truly are a gift from God and they only want a family that loves them. That is what Hope is for them. Hope gives them HOPE that they can have a future; a future in Heaven by teaching them of Christ's love and sacrifice and a future here on earth, that despite their past they can persevere and do anything. God cares for everyone even if they think that no-one cares for them. In Lamentations 3:21-23 it says; "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." God has a plan and purpose for all. We just have to be willing to walk the path he has set before us and even if we fail on that path he is merciful and with forgiveness he starts HIS mercy new every day. Thank you Lord for the path you have laid before us, may we bring you Glory and Honor in the days to come.