Elijah and God's Tender Mercies

I've been wanting to share one of the ways we've clearly seen God's tender kindness recently. For over a year Elijah has been wanting a scooter. He's begged and pleaded and reasoned. While living in Grand Rapids, we lived on all gravel and had no concrete for him to ride on (not to mention, Elijah can't even ride a tricycle yet, so a scooter seemed like a stretch.) We had told him that maybe once we got to Tenerife, he could get a scooter. But, we ended up getting little tricycles for the kids, and didn't get a scooter. About a week after we moved into our new house, a friend from church dropped by with her 7 year old, and... his old scooter! If you could have only seen the look on Elijah's face! I'd never mentioned to Jhenny that Elijah wanted a scooter. God had just laid it on her heart to get rid of old toys, and she thought our kids might like a three-wheeled scooter. I had a sweet talk with Elijah about how God new his heart and had given him the scooter. He was so grateful. For several days afterward, he asked each day if he could take his scooter to Heaven with him and not take his bike (which he hasn't figured out how to ride yet :-)

Elijah has been melting my heart lately with his excitement at having a new baby brother on the way. For weeks, he's insisted that the baby shall be named "MOSES." When I ask him, "what if it's a girl," He says, "well, it'll be a boy, but I'll call the baby Moses either way." He's even prayed OUT LOUD on several occasions that God would give him another brother, and not a sister. So, it appears God listens to Elijah- so if you have any prayer requests, I'll send them his way :-)  If you ask Elijah what he wants to be when he grows up, he'll respond, "A daddy!" Yesterday, Nathan went on a walk with Elijah, and Elijah mentioned that he wanted to be Levi, Eliana, and Lucas's (the name we'd actually like to give our baby) daddy. How sweet is that?

On a more serious note, since the week we arrived, Elijah has been experiencing some eye trouble. One day at lunch, I noticed his left eye was crossing. At first we thought he was doing it to be funny, but as the weeks have passed, the problem has grown more consistent and severe. At this point, we're trying to figure out if he just needs glasses or if there is some underlying cause for this sudden development. Please pray for wisdom as we meet with doctors here and consult doctors in the US.

Here's Elijah's new look...

I am confident that if God cares about a little thing like Elijah wanting a scooter, He also cares about his eyes.

Fun in the Sun

We had a bright and warm day today compared to the overcast and breezy week we've been experiencing. After a bit of a hike with the kids, I decided to let them cool off in our "pool." They had a blast! But, they each end up wearing three outfits today (not including PJs)... now to teach them NOT to use the hose without asking first...

We are connected!

Praise God for how much He's done on the last month! Almost  month has passed since we landed in Tenerife, and we now are settled into our home, our kids are beginning to speak a little bit of Spanish, we are well acquainted with the people at church, getting to know our neighbors, and our hearts are growing for the work to be done here.

As of today, we have internet and phone! We are so thankful for modern technology.

This weekend, Nathan will be at a youth retreat for church, and he preaches on Sunday. We are also hoping to have a few of the young men who loiter downtown over for dinner. Nathan has been able to share with them a bit, and they have expressed a desire to eat meatballs (of all things). So, I now have some home-made meatballs in the freezer awaiting their visit.

For those interested, our new home phone number is:

011 34 922303759 

Here are some pictures from the last week or so, and a couple of videos.