Day 2!

Wow- Look at me. I am blogging two days in a row. Woo-hoo!! Aren't you proud?
The owner of our rental house in Cancun is here right now checking everything out to decide if we get our deposit back or not. That is making the move seem more real now. We only have two weeks to fix the few little things that need to be repaired. Things like a scratch on the closet door that she wants us to re-stain. Picky picky. Personally I think it was from their dog and she just doesn't remember but oh well. It won't be much work.

I am 28 weeks pregnant now! Third trimester. I am so excited to get into a new house in Costa Rica, get unpacked and settled and get ready to have this baby. Pregnancy will definitely teach you patience. :) All it is is a bunch of waiting. Waiting until you are far enough along to take a pregnancy test, waiting for your next doctors appointment, waiting for your ultrasound to know if you are having a boy or a girl, waiting for results from test, waiting for your due date, watching your due date come and go and still WAITING. 9 months of patience training in prep for the baby I guess. I know it is good for me but it is sooo hard.

Hopefully this weekend we will finish packing up everything that we don't need for the next two weeks. That is a huge wishful thought but it is my goal. Maybe I will take a few pics of our destroyed house so you can see what our packing process is looking like.

OK- I am done for now. I have a white chocolate mocha frappe waiting for me in the fridge thanks to my sweet hubby. I am going to go enjoy it on this warm afternoon.

Moving

Well, here I am again...attempting to blog. I apologize that we are not good at this. I would like to be but I can't imagine that anyone would be interested in reading the things I usually feel like writing about. Besides living in a foreign country, I don't think our life is really interesting enough to blog about. But, I will try to be more consistent.

I am attempting this again because now that we are leaving Cancun, we have some people here who want to follow our blog too. Some of our posts might be in Spanish and English so our non-English speaking friends can follow us too.

I am sure most people already know this, but we will be moving to Costa Rica in 2 weeks. We are sad to leave the people we have built relationships with here but excited to see what the next step in our crazy life is. The baby will be born there (don't worry, they have great hospitals), so we will not be home for Christmas. I have never spent a Christmas away from family. It will be strange but at least the weather there is a little cooler than Cancun. Maybe it will feel like Christmas.

Because Eisley will be born there, she will be a citizen of Costa Rica (una Tica) and also a US citizen. We will have to wait for her paper work and birth certificate info before we can head back to the US for a visit. As soon as we are able, we will go home for a little visit and let everyone meet her.

If you think about it, pray for us this week. Nathan and I are going to try to go to Costa Rica for a few days and look for a house. It would be nice to have a place to go before we get there. The kids will stay in Cancun with some friends of ours. They will have a blast- one huge sleep over, but it is always tough on me to leave the kids. Pray that we find a house and that we can get in immediately when we get to CR in two weeks.

Also, please pray for Nathan and our friend Chaco as they make the drive from Cancun to Costa Rica with our car and belongings. I know they will have fun. Pray for safety, favor at the border checks entering each country between here and there, and no problems importing our car full of stuff.

I think I should be a little better at this now that the baby is coming and I will feel like we are a little interesting again. haha

I am singing off but hope to blog again tomorrow. :) (I know...you are thinking "Not a chance that will happen.)

Funny things the kids say part II

Clearly we are TERRIBLE bloggers but we are going to try this again! (if anyone still checks it at all)

Here are some funny things the kids have been doing lately.

-One of the kids was whining and I yelled into the other room, "What is your problem?" Emmy
yells back in a serious voice..."It's not my problem. It's Davin's problem!"

- (this one is only funny if you have seen Nemo a few times) We were sitting in the car after it was
dark outside, and out of no where Emmy says, "Are you my conscience?" with the same inflection
and accent as Ellen.

- In Walmart, Emmy saw the shape of a cross and got really excited. I asked her what happened
on the cross and she told me Jesus died. Then I asked her what happened on Easter. She
thought and said a few uuummmms, and then blurts out, "We all pigged out!"

- My dad was here visiting and the dog was in the house running around. The dog ran up and
licked Davin in the face. I told him that was gross and he should push him down when that
happens. My dad said, "yah, who knows where his tongue has been." Emmy looked really
confused at my dad and said in a very 'duh' manner, "It's been in his mouth!"

Funny things the kids say Part1

~Emmy was not going to finish her apple and Davin wanted it. She did not want to share so I asked her what she thought Jesus would do. She said, "Um, Jesus is gonna spank us!"
~"When we go to Houston at Christmas time, can we go to the
store and buy me a tiny baby tiger?" -Emmy
~"Mommy look at that lady...she has a really big bottom!"
Emmy (in front of the lady)
~Davin calls Nathan "Daddita!" (not a real word but it sounds
a little Mexican)

more pics

This is one of my favorites- I LOVE their kisses!

Updated pics

Here are a few recent pictures of the kids.

Big Daddy and Grammy visit

Today we are picking up Big Daddy and Grammy (Nathan's parents) for a five-day visit to Cancun. They are taking a trip for their 31st anniversary to visit us and see the grandkids. It has been raining every day for the past 3 weeks, but hopefully it will clear up a little while they are here. We are looking forward to hosting.

Town gossip

Yesterday i was working in one of my Starbucks offices and i overheard a conversation by a group of ladies next to me. It caught my attention because i heard the name of our church, so i listened in a little. I didn't catch the whole conversation, partly because i didn't want to be too obvious about eavesdropping, but mostly because of the coffee machine noises in the Starbucks ;) It made me smile because they didn't know me, but they were talking about this movement that God is doing. In many ways I hope it stays like that. That there is not a face associated with whatever good is happening, but that God begins a movement and He gets all the credit because there is no other explanation.

more on Matthew

Matthew 5:31-32

“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery."

Does anyone else see the line here that says 'unless she has been unfaithful"? I always thought divorce was wrong in God's eyes, no matter what. Not sure where I got that but I am glad I am able to read the words for myself straight from the mouth of Jesus!


Here is another one I thought I knew but had twisted in my mind:

Matthew 5:42

Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Give to those who ask??? Like the guy standing on the corner who might use my money to buy cigarettes or alcohol or drugs? I always thought I was being a good steward of my money by NOT giving to those people. A friend and I were talking about this verse and she asked me, "Who are we to judge who is worthy to use our money, since God gave it all to us anyway?" OUCH!!! I think she was right.

Sometimes it hurts when I find out I have believed something incorrectly for all these years. My first reaction is to try to blame someone else...maybe a former teacher. The truth is it is MY responsibility to read it for myself. But, I am thankful that God is correcting me so I can try to follow these not quite so easy guidelines.

Wow what a day!

ok i will start this by saying God is awesome and all this was because of Him. we have had a crazy couple weeks of prep and prayer (and enemy attacks) for today...the start of a 4-week series on marriage at COF Cancun. Lots of anticipation of what God is going to do through this series...here is a quick rundown of what we saw today.

• three theaters, simultaneous worship in two service times. 10:00 - 2 spanish rooms, 1 english; 11:30 - 3 spanish
• 74 students in their new venue at the other end of the plaza (middle school, high school age)
  
• 200+ kids in the kids area
• 820 adults in the theater between the two times and three rooms
  
• total ~ 1,100 people (about 650 more than the week before)
• lots of volunteers stepped up to help (greeting, kids area, students, tech setup)
  
• 2 worship leaders singing in different rooms accompanied by the same band (the third room filled after the message had started)
  
• a great message from Marco
• lots of positive feedback from first-time guests. always exciting when they come because of problems with their marriage and then they learn that the real answer is Jesus
  

thanks again for your prayers...now we get to do it again next week!! and thinking about that makes me want to go to bed right now. :)

Retaliating with Love

Matt 5:7,9, 21-22, 39-42

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’[d] 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,[e] you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,[f] you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,[g] you are in danger of the fires of hell.

39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

I have read those verses and others many times recently in the book of Matthew. These were words that Jesus taught. We are told to be merciful and to work for peace. If we are even angry we are subject to judgment. Do no resist an evil person. I don’t know how I have read those verses so many times and not actually chosen to apply it to myself. I was a supporter of the war the US is currently in. I had a gun and learned how to use it for self defense. Engaging in war, no matter what the motive, is not merciful or peace-making. Me being ready to shoot an intruder is resisting an evil person- which is exactly what Jesus said not to do.

These are the things we have been reading lately. We don’t have it all figured out, but we do know this is how we are told to behave as Christians. I know it sounds crazy but since when does anything Jesus said make any sense to us mere mortals?

More on this soon.
~Kaycee

Baptism Pictures

Nathan and Miguel filled up the pool the night before. It took two water trucks called Pipas to fill it up.

This picture is a couple from the US that live in the area named Ed and Connie. It was so sweet to see them get baptized together!

This was me and a guy named Tomas. We got baptized at the same time. The water was REALLY cold!

This was a friend's brother and sister. It was only Mario's second time to visit the church. We were all so excited for them.

Luis, the other pastor here, got a chance to baptize his mom. It was such an emotional time. At the end of the last service he also baptized his daughter, Renata.

We had 71 people baptized on September 21.

Mexican Ingenuity

The Mexican people are amazing. Nothing stops them. Nothing gets them down. If they want to do something, they will find a way. Here are a few examples of things I have seen here over the last few weeks.
Entire families on one scooter...mom, dad, six year old and baby (all with helmets of course)
-A man riding his bike while carrying a large box fan.
-A man riding his bike while carrying a pizza.
- Bicycle taxis ready to take you anywhere you want to go
-A bicycle taxi stacked eight feet high with furniture
-A man standing on the street corner, making churros and selling them while you wait for the light to change

My favorite and the most impressive:
-A man riding his bike while carrying a six foot ladder!!!

WOW! I would sit at home thinking I couldn't go to work today because I didn't have a car. Not the people I saw...they work it out!

Baptism Sunday

Happy Sunday all!

Thank you for your prayers this weekend...God answered them in a strong way! We had a great morning as we celebrated communion and baptisms today. With a pool set up in the back service driveway of the theater, we baptized 71 PEOPLE throughout the three services.

We had planned for 50 spontaneous, so had to make a quick run to the store to prep extra packages before the last service when we saw we were going to be short. Even the rain during the last service paused exactly long enough for us to baptize and then restarted. It was an unforgettable day and a life-changing experience for so many. Special thanks to Kaycee (event coordinator) and Marco for the awesome sermon.

Exciting things at the Cancun campus, as God continues to amaze me. :)

-nw

El Policia

Today was my first time to be pulled over by the police! I was in the car alone...which NEVER happens. I turned left at a place where the sign says not to but I couldn't see it because of the huge bus in front of me. I was also on the phone with Nathan which is not allowed here. My license is also expired which matters here too. After the guy took ten minutes to explain to me what I did wrong (I finally understood with LOTS of patience on his part), he told me I had to go to the police station to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. They take your license here until you pay your ticket.
I said that I could go in the morning and pay my ticket. He said if I paid him right here (bribe him) he would not write me a ticket and it would not go on my Cancun record. We went back and forth for a long time. After about twenty minutes it finally ended. He gave me my license back with out a ticket and invited me to go dancing with him sometime (with Nathan if he wanted to come too). HAHAHA It was so funny but I got away without bribing or a ticket and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. :)