Masters of our own Destiny...

Tonight I was blessed to have a young lady from the community over who is a new professing believer. We were able to spend a few hours going over some verses relating to the gospel and talking about God's sovereignty, works vs. grace leading to salvation, etc. She had just asked me what people meant when they said "I am the master of my own destiny," when we smelled an overwhelming amount of smoke. We were investigating the house when she finally realized that today was June 23, the day the island celebrates Hogueras de San Juan. She explained that at night, everyone lights big fires and burns anything that brings them bad luck (blankets, sweaters, books, trinkets... anything). Then, under the moon, they bathe themselves in the ocean to rid themselves of bad luck and negative energy. (All of this is also of course accompanied by a lot of drinking and carousing). What an incredible example of people vainly trying to be masters of their own destiny! We talked about where those people are putting their hope... in a sovereign all-powerful God, or in their own efforts to change their luck. In truth, despite burning all of your possessions today, can  you prevent a truck from striking you tomorrow? Can bathing in the sea prevent cancer from spreading invisibly in your body? While it was a great bridge to talk to her about faith in a huge God verses a puny self, it really broke my heart for the people here who live day to day without knowing their sovereign Creator.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:15-17)

Father's Day

I remember when I was young, and I'd day dream about my future husband, one of the things that was high on my priority list was that my future husband would be a wonderful, God-fearing father. I can say, despite all of my other failures, I have by God's grace accomplished that goal! Nathan LOVES being a daddy, and I am constantly in awe of his compassion, gentleness, and faithfulness to the kids. It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that each of them has gone through a severe "daddy's boy (or girl)" stage. If I were a kid, I'd prefer him too!

Cards

Someone suggested I put verses on some of the pictures I've taken and turn them into cards or prints people can order. I haven't decided if I'm going to go that route or not, but I thought I'd put up some samples and ask you to vote on your favorites so I have an idea of which ones people like.

Please leave a comment placing your order of favorites (you can either tell me your favorite, or place them in order of favorite to least favorite...) You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

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Fun Collage

Here's a collage I made today of the kiddos. I feel like it's a bit premature as soon there will be another one to add... but I guess I have awhile before I have a before and after picture of him :-)

Gafas Fijas

So, according to today's pediatric Ophthalmologist, Elijah is severely far sighted with a significant stigmatism. He said he'll be a glasses for life kind of guy (unless we opt for surgery at some point after 18.) He said when a kid's eyes are as bad as Elijah's the brain reaches a point when it just doesn't know how to tell the eye to focus any more, so the eye begins to cross. That's apparently what happened to Elijah. So, due to the lack of headaches or otherwise weird behavior, we're going to assume he doesn't have a tumor or other bizarre thing causing the crossing. The doc is only going to give him a mild prescription compared to his actual one so that his brain and eyes have a chance to improve. If these glasses correct the crossing, we won't need a patch, if they do not, we'll probably do a patch.

So, glasses should be ready by Tuesday... pray they don't break!

Buns, Onions, and Toilet Bowls...

I am finding it so much more difficult to update my blog since I try to stay on top of my facebook, but I'm thinking of starting to lean the other way. Do any of you other bloggers know how to upload a video onto blogspot now that they've changed things a bit?

This week I had my twenty week ultrasound and was thrilled to see little Lucas again, and learn that he appears to have all of his fingers and toes. As much as I still find it hard to believe we are expecting another little one, I'm growing more and more excited to have another son. Watching the boys play is such a delight. Seeing their excitement at having another brother on the way warms my heart. They talk to him, "tickle" him, share their blankets with him, etc.

Eliana, as the Tinerfenos put it, "tiene pilas." (She has batteries, meaning she NEVER stops). She is a delightful girl who is incredibly social but also is developing a spit fire temper. With her personality and looks, it's probably a very good thing she'll have three brothers looking out for her. She does have a bizarre habit of eating the most disgusting and unmentionable items (ie, dog dropping off the sidewalk, rotten onions from behind the garbage, a clod of dirt, ok- maybe they are mentionable). Has anyone else had to deal with this?

Levi has come down with yet another fever, and has had all the lovely flu symptoms to accompany it. Selfishly, I love how cuddly he becomes when sick, but it's hard to see him so miserable. He's made some progress this week with potty training and officially hates diapers and desperately wants to be big. He was 90% potty trained in January before we flew to WA state for several weeks.  On the trip he lost ground and never regained it. But, we're back on the road now anyway. It's been a week of fishing matchbox cars and stuffed animals out of the toilet that he's inadvertently dropped in while taking care of business. He has loved going to Loro Parque which is like a zoo/sea world combo where we can watch sea lion, dolphin, and killer whale shows.

Elijah is turning into a little man who loves to tell "Once upon a time" stories, talk about Jesus returning one day, and is becoming quite a helper and leader among his siblings. Today after successfully choaking down his dinner of chicken stir fry with onion, broccoli, red peppers, and zucchinni, Elijah proclaimed, "I ate my dinner without needing discipline!" After I praised him, he looked up the ceiling and said, "THANK YOU GOD for helping me eat!" Then he looked at me and said, "Maybe we could go to someone else's house and give them all our onions..." Kids say the darnedest things :-) His eyes continue to cross and seem to be getting worse. Tomorrow he has an appointment with a Pediatric Ophthalmologist to get a second opinion, and then I think we'll move to glasses. Here he is with his pet lizard, Hugo, that he caught in our yard (Hugo has since been let free so he can hunt his own bugs and hopefully not die.)

Nathan and I both celebrated birthdays in the last week or so, and I officially crossed into another decade. While I'm feeling older, here I'm considered to be a VERY young mom- in fact, the OB who did my ultrasound yesterday didn't feel like 30 was old enough to decide to have my tubes tied. With endometriosis, a pituitary tumor, a failed vasectomy, and 4 kids four and under... I think I'm ready to make that decision :-)

Here we are before our bid dinner date last week.

We were super blessed by people from FBC and COHBC who sent some really practical yet hugely appreciated things to us via Claire D. THANK YOU for your kindness! We continue to ask for your prayers as we minister here in Tenerife. Right now we have a big focus of learning language and culture and getting our drivers licenses (which includes going to driving school, doing a minimum of 9 hours of driving with an instructor, and taking a difficult test including the minor mechanics of cars and motorcycle specs). So pray we know how to balance those endeavors with raising our kids and doing ministry. Pray also for wisdom with what to do regarding our kids education- it's a much more complex question than we first realized.

Stay tuned for pics of Elijah with his new glasses- though lately all of our kids have been needing glasses....

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.

 

 

In Tenerife!

It's been a little over a week now since we landed in Tenerife, and what an adventure it's been! We are so thankful for the countless ways we've seen God's faithfulness, and for the many who are supporting us financially and through prayer so that we can be here.

The kids did fairly well with all of the flights getting here. They actually haven't seemed to skip a beat since we got here. They are super energetic and excited to be in new settings. They are slowly learning the new rules of apartment living (like, though shalt not throw matchbox cars off of the 3rd story balcony onto the restaurant below, and though shalt not scream in the hallways and push everyone's door bells). It's been cute hearing them say, "hola" and "adios" to people as well as learning to give "besitos" or kisses on the cheeks which is the custom here.

We are thankful to the Albrechts who have graciously let the five of us stay with them. We're also excited that God has provided us with a duplex to rent, starting next week! It far exceeds what we were hoping for, and I think it'll provide the kids with a very homey, fun, and safe place to grow the next few years.

Our days have been filled with getting to know people, learning the lay of the land, studying some culture, and mostly- with shopping for housing, transportation, cell phones, and now furnishings. It's enough shopping to make even the most avid shopper nautious!

It's been interesting seeing people's reactions to us having 3 kids and another on the way. In this culture, the average family has 1.1 kids, so they think we are quite the the oddity. We get gawked at and hear many crazy comments. Sadly, the "morning after" pill is readily available over-the-counter here, so family planning is quite simple.

Here are some pictures of the last 10 days...

Tickets and Tennessee

We have officially PURCHASED tickets after several waves of reserving them for different dates. We officially leave from Grand Rapids (instead of Chicago) on April 7th (instead of the 12th). We are so excited for what lies ahead. Thank you for your prayers!

We have been enjoying a great visit with Nathan's family in TN. The boys are loving the sun (and the rain!). We've gotten time with Nathan's parents, two of his brothers (and their families), and our friends, the Koehlers, (some friends from GR who moved to Atlanta).

Here are some pictures from our time thus far...