Jonathan loves our driveway...but it doesn't love him...

He was so excited...even found his sunglasses. Was headed out to the driveway for some scooter time.



Found some of Luis's bungees in the garage. Decided to accessorize. He told me it would keep him from falling off the scooter. So he wrapped the bungees around his legs and fastened them to the scooter, and away he went.



After the third fall, and loud wailing shreaks, he decided to call it quits and come inside for medical care. A quick wash, some antibacterial cream, and a cool nemo band aid did the trick. Poor little buddy...but I'm sure tomorrow he'll be right back up and at 'em!

It's all in the delivery...

I am learning with Jonathan, anything can be fun if I make it sound fun...like "Let's have a clean-up-your-room race!!!!!!!" or "Who can carry this grocery bag all the way to the kitchen!!??!!" He's such a cutie, and my great little helper! At four, he has already proven himself to be a hardworker. When we unloaded our U-haul, he faithfully climbed up and down the ramp with arms full...and he didn't stop until it was empty. Joshua took up his moving "battle grounds" in the back yard. He is allergic to any manual labor. I told one of the guys from church that was helping us, that Joshua ws going to have to either make it big in sports or be extremely intellegent, because he was not going to make a living the old fashioned way if it consists of physically working and/or sweating.

Beautiful day...

We had a great service this morning. We are now using our "new" sanctuary, which is still a work in progress, but coming along beautifully. Praise and worship was so good...I am having a ball playing with everyone. They are all really good, and I feel way out of my league, nevertheless, they have convinced me to stay on and I love it. Luis preached for the first time on a Sunday morning since we moved up here, and he did so well...the Lord really moved on people's hearts and it was great to see! We are truly enjoying our new surroundings and we are looking forward to what God has in store! We ended our day with a walk (well, stroller, bike, scooter, and Luis and I walked). It was breezy and warm...and nice change from all the rain we had yesterday. Then Jonathan and I played against Luis and Josh in soccer (totally lost that one, but we had fun). Life is slowly getting back to normal...

All things new...

It has been so much fun (and overwhelming at times!)unpacking all of our boxes that we have had in storage for months. It's funny how our old things fit nicely in our new home, and look even better now than before. I have especially enjoyed watching Jonathan unpack various toys and games that he had forgotten all about, and shout with glee as if they were brand new presents on Christmas Day! Maybe next Christmas, I should just hide some toys for a few months before, and he'll be ecstatic when he opens them! But seriously, sometimes we don't know what we have until it's gone...and if if comes back to us, it's as if it were our most prized possessions.

I have finished our extra bathroom with a seascape motif...I just love the vastness of the ocean and how small I feel when I am next to it. There is a peace and calm where I am near the water. I am going to try to continue that theme into our living room, which is adjacent to the bathroom. Things are coming along little by little, and I am grateful for a garage where I can just shut the door when I have reached my decorating limits. This past weekend, we set up the big soccer goal, and Luis, Josh, Jonathan, our pastor's daughter Caitlyn, and a neighborhood boy had an intense match going on in the back yard. I recently discovered that our town of Belton here has a summer soccer camp and fall soccer...so the boys will be playing again in no time. We are also planning a NY trip this summer. I am determined NOT to chicken out this year, as Luis will not be able to go with us. One of my dearest friends lives half way, and she has graciously extended her home to us to spend the night. It will be nice to be home in central New York, and even nicer just to sit and visit with my family.

Glimpses of God, in retrospect

This recent chapter in our lives started back in October, when Luis lost his job. Looking back on everything now, we totally see the hand of God in it all...but at the time, I can safely say that it was a true test of our faith every step of the way! Our sweet Lily was a two weeks old, and we were on top of the world with excitement with the joy of a new little one in our home. It was a Friday, and the first full week that Luis had worked since Lily had arrived. He had used his week vacation when Lily arrived, and was back at it, when the news came. Only one other time was Luis let go from a company...it was during hurricane season when we were first married, and we had evacuated from Beaufort to Columbia with a group from the church. The group decided it was safer to stay one more day, but evidently, the company Luis worked for thought he should have returned to work quicker, so they fired him. I still think that was a poor reason to let someone go, but that's all water under the bridge at this point. This time, when he came home from work, that Friday afternoon, I greeted him at the front door, and continued whatever it was that I was doing. Luis plopped down in the sofa, and just stared at the blank TV screen. He had that infamous "deer in the headlights" glazed look. He described what happened...at least what they told him, but it was obvious he was just flabbergasted. He honestly did not know why he was fired or laid off...to this day, he still doesn't know which it was, as some told him one, and some told him the other. We later learned that several people were "fired" that same day, so it seemed that the company was having financial troubles, and had to down size. Luis being the most recently hired mechanic was the first to go. This was the end of 2009...when the economy was still suffering from the stock market crashing. Our personal economy was in a shambles. We had roughly 17,000 in credit card debt, two car payments, a mortgage, along with the typical normal bills that everyone else has. We were drowning in debt, not even treading water. The situation was basically the Titanic in waiting. Luis had been praying for awhile for a breakthrough. We had been doing all that we knew how to do in the natural and in the spiritual. I was feeling especially guilty, since for the first time in 14 years I was staying home with the children...something I had desired to do for many years, but Luis never saw our way financially to be able to make it happen. After Luis told me the details of all he knew, I became filled with faith, knowing that God had a plan. I was able to encourage Luis to keep his chin up, and look for what God was up to, for He surely was going to make a way where there seemed to be no way. I was full of faith, unshakable, immovable...that is, until I woke up the next day, took on the burden of all that was happening, took my eyes off of Jesus, and had a complete meltdown. Yes, I was pitiful, and it was Luis's turn to pick ME up! Thankfully, he woke up like a soldier ready for battle, or else who knows what would have happened to us! Anyway, after we both got through our initial time of fear and doubt, we started to think of what we could do. We attacked the situation the same way we always did in the past, and we assumed that Luis would just find another job, and life would continue. But that saying, "if you always do what you have always done, you are going to always get what you got" rang true. Even if Luis was able to find another job with the same high salary as before, we were not going to make ends meet. We tossed around radical ideas like renting our place and living across the dirt road with Luis brother for a time. Then we got the idea of putting our house on the market. It was a fleece of sorts...not knowing exactly what the Lord wanted us to do, we decided to step in faith, and believe that God can open or shut any door He wishes. We were putting our lives, everything we held dear to us, in the Lord's hands once again. Our mobile home wasn't anything spectacular. It was in decent shape, as mobile homes go, but we really loved our five acres of land in the country. It was peaceful, and a super place for two energetic boys to get out and run to their heart's content. But we looked at it this way...if we held on to that land so tightly, we would probably end up losing it all, and destroying our credit in the process...so the choice to put it up for sale was made, and we waited. The housing market was still very bad then (as it continues to be for the most part), and we knew that if someone gave us an offer it would surely be the Lord at work. Luis was working at a golf course making $9.00 per hour...I don't think Luis had ever made so little in our whole married life. We were thankful to some old friends who had helped him find that job...(as they say, never burn your bridges!!) But this was not even CLOSE to what we needed to cover our bills, much less have anything left over to feed a growing family of five. I swallowed my pride, and went to the food stamps office to see if would could receive some help. The worker was an angel, so pleasant and caring. Definitely not the norm for people in government positions. Based on Luis's income and the size of our family, we qualified for help. The boys and Lily were able to get on medicaid insurance, since we had lost our health insurance with the loss of Luis's job. I used to look down on people that were on the government programs. I assumed that people were just abusing the system, not wanting to work...using MY tax dollars to mooch off the government. I saw many instances of medicaid fraud in Arizona...people bragging about all that they received from our government, while they actually were residing in Mexico, living high off the hog. I was NOT going to be one of those people. But I have to say, as hard as it was to admit that we needed help, I really appreciated being able to feed the three precious pairs of eyes that looked to Luis and I for everything. I also had applied for a laboratory job at night, and had interviewed, but was waiting to hear from the company as to whether I was hired or not.

Two weeks had gone by since we first listed the house on the market, and Luis came home from work one afternoon. He was passing by a stretch on our highway, a place where there was 11 acres for sale, and these men had been outside of their truck, looking at the land for sale. Something told Luis to slow down, and let the men get a look at him. He rolled his window down, and did a slow drive by. To his surprise, the men got into their truck, and began to follow behind Luis. Luis slowed down at the entrance to our dirt road, and stopped in front of the for sale sign near our mailbox. As he saw the men approaching, he slowly made the turn, and the three men followed down the dirt road. It was a dead end road, so they really had no reason to come down it. Luis drove slowly down to the entrance to our gate, pulled in the driveway, and got out of the car and waited by the fence. The truck pulled down to the entrance to the gate, and the men got out and asked, "Is this your place for sale?" Luis told him it was, and offered to show them around the land. They were brothers...three hunters from Florida, looking for land and a place to live during hunting season. Luis, being anything but shy, proceeded to give the grand tour of the land. Luis's cousin had two tree stands out in our woods, from where he had shot two deer that season. The hunters, (who to this day I think were really angels in disguise), asked to see the inside of the mobile home. Thankfully I had just cleaned it completely, and it was presentable. Ironically, I had just finished making the bed complete with our extra warm blanket, the one with the BIG BUCK on it! Luis told them about some problems...like the sag in the hallway floor, and the broken windows. They seemed very pensive, but I couldn't tell if they were just being cordial, or if they were really interested in our home. After about an hour, the three brothers left. Luis and I just sat down on the sofa, and looked at each other. "Could it be?" we wondered. A week later, the brothers returned, and asked to look at the land again. A couple days later, the brothers put in an offer. It was significantly lower than what we has listed the property for, so we countered with an amount that would completely pay off our credit cards, and mortgage, while leaving us a with good chunk of money left over. They took time to evaluate their finances. Getting a loan for a mobile home, especially a used mobile home, is not easy even in the best of markets. During an economic crisis, it's near impossible. The hunters were aware of this, and talked to Luis about it. A couple more days passed, and the hunters accepted our offer, and were going to pay cash...not needing to rely on a bank for funding. At this point, Luis and I knew that this was an answer to prayer, and we began to see light at the end of the tunnel. Within three weeks of listing our property, we had accepted an offer on our property. We were amazed! As preparations were being made for the closing of our house, I continued to search the Internet for better jobs for Luis. Absolutely nothing. Luis would go after work and stop at landscaping companies, golf courses, outdoor power equipment dealerships....anything along his line of work...dropping off resumes at each. Nothing. A few months prior, Luis had finished his first Pastoral Licensing course for the Church of God in South Carolina. The instructor was a Pastor in Anderson, South Carolina at a bilingual church. He is of Puerto Rican decent,as is most of the congregation. It is a bilingual church on the move, much different from the other more conservative, legalistic Hispanic churches we had encountered in South Carolina before. It is very similar to the church we attended in Mexico while we lived in Arizona. Very refreshing. Luis called Pastor Ed to ask him to pray for us, and our situation. To make a long story short, the Lord put in on our hearts to consider a move to Anderson, where we could receive some hands on training in a Hispanic church. I began to search the classifieds in Anderson, but the job market was just as bleak there as is was in Hilton Head. One day I had an idea to do a search of all the outdoor power equipment companies in Anderson. I found one that seemed like a good sized company. It was a dealership that also did repairs, thus employing small engine mechanics. They were looking for a parts person, but that was the only position listed on the web site. I wrote an email, on Luis's behalf with his permission, and asked if the company was, by any chance, looking to hire a small engine mechanic. To my surprise, the owner emailed back that same day, expressing that they would need to hire a mechanic around March of the next year. Another long story short, they ended up offering Luis a job, starting him earlier than expected, and paying him much better than the golf course job. What an awesome God...they were not even advertising that they were going to be looking for a mechanic. Another answer to prayer! We ended up moving temporarily with David when the house closed in January. Then we moved to Anderson living temporarily with a Sister from the church who had a large house, with an extra bedroom and bathroom to ourselves. We began our search for our own housing...the rental market is hot in Anderson. So hot that a place can be available one day, and it's gone by that afternoon. We again put our whole situation to prayer, and we had the idea to look for something to buy rather than rent. We were given the name of a loan officer, another angel in disguise, who made it her priority to find our family a loan for a house. We found our house shortly after meeting Carolyn, and she told us that it qualified for 100% financing...aka no money down. Third long story short, we purchased the house, and used our money from the sale of our property in Luray to almost completely pay off both vehicles and all our credit cards. We are now living in our home in Belton, South Carolina which is just ten miles from Luis's work. He works Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. He loves his job, has a boss who is a professor at the technical college in Anderson, so he is learning first hand from a teacher that knows almost everything about small engine mechanics. The company is going to send him to classes for certifications in all the major brands that they sell. We are members of Pastor Ed's church. He is teaching us all the ins and outs of what it is to run a church. From the books to the board, we are taking it all in. Luis is teaching Sunday school on a rotating basis, and he is going to start a series on Wednesday night for the adults. I am playing piano on the praise and worship team, and the kids are completely excited about church again. There are a ton of kids (as is customary in most Hispanic churches), and they are picking up more Spanish day by day, something that Luis and I both desire for them. The burden of debt has been lifted from our shoulders. God has truly moved on our behalf, and it nothing that we did in our own strength. We just listened to Him, and took a step...listened and took another step...allowing God to guide the placement of each footing. We don't know all that lies ahead for us here in Anderson, but really, do we every really know what all lies ahead for us ever? No. That's why there is such a peace in trusting the King of kings and Lord of lords who knows all...past present and future. He is so concerned about each detail in our lives. He cares for us all so deeply. The world and all it's trappings doesn't come close to the mysteries and thrill of serving Jesus. Like Peter declared in John 6:68 and 69, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.", so ,too,it is settled in our hearts!

Slivers

Pecan pie, chocolate cake, my husband's favorite pastel de tres leches...we often ask for a second helping of the most delicious desserts...but only a sliver. It's just the right amount to get one more morsel of sweetness. But not all slivers are created equal. I recall the time that I had a "sliver" of wood about 4 inches long stuck in my leg. I begged my mother to take me to my Aunt Pat, the nurse, to pull it out, rather than visiting the ER. "She wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot-pole", were the fateful words of my mother that day. So, needless to say, some slivers are far better avoided...like the one I got last weekend. While Luis and I were emptying the contents of our storage unit in Hampton, South Carolina, we were lifting our kitchen table. A beautiful oak set we had purchased in Arizona. It was the first piece of furniture that wasn't a hand-me-down, or something bought second hand. I treasured it, and it is still one of my most favorite household items, even though the underside of the table is unfinished, and has some rough edges. As I went to lift the table, a sliver of wood slid under the skin of my index finger on my left hand. Immediately I felt the sting of pain, and dropped my side of the table. I could see the end sticking out, so I pulled at it with my nails until I was able to remove what I thought was the entire sliver. It was still sore, but there was much work to do, so I continued with the other nine unharmed digits. Being left handed, it is rather difficult to do every day things without the use of your index finger on that hand. Every time I accidently bumped it, or tried to use it, was painful. I realized that I still had a portion of the sliver stuck in my finger, but I didn't have the right tools to get it out. The next morning, my finger was sore. Swollen at the site of the injury, with signs of infection setting in. I couldn't let it slow me down, after all, it was moving day, and I had to drive our Pilot and trailer four hours north to our recently purchase home in Anderson, South Carolina. But it did slow me down. Every bend of the finger hurt.
We began our trek, I with Lily asleep in the back seat, and Luis with the boys in the U-haul behind us. Knowing that I had a long trip ahead, I texted my sisters, and placed a couple phone calls to break up the monotony of the miles ticking away on the highway. Towards the middle of my trip, the texting stopped, there was no one to call, and all was quiet. It was then that I heard that Familiar Voice, talking to me. I looked down at my finger. I heard the Lord say,
"That's how bitterness is. It starts with an unexpected, undesired offense. You were blindsided and caught off guard by something that you hold dear-something you never imagined would treat you in such a negative way. The initial sting is hard to forget. A portion is allowed to penetrate to the very depth of your heart and bury itself. Yes, you deal with it at the surface level. You reason with it in your own way, in your own strength. But a portion of it is unseen, thus allowed to remain. You lack the means to remove it completely. The offense, however small at the beginning, is allowed to fester, until it swells, and the infection of bitterness sets in."
"But Lord", I thought, "as soon as I get this sliver out of my finger, everything will be fine".
He spoke again.
"Even after the offense is removed, and the infection of bitterness is tended to, the pain will linger for a time. It will take time for complete healing to come to pass. Eventually, after a season, you will not feel the tenderness of injury. And with more time, one day, even the sting of the inital offense will be all but a faint memory."
I began to think about these words, and the pain in my finger. How much better it would have been if I had protected my hands with gloves, paying more attention to the object I was grabbing. Then, the sliver would have never been allowed to enter my finger in the first place. Hind sight. And so it is with offense. How unguarded we are at times. "Be self controlled and alert" the Word of God warns. "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8 NIV) Just like an injured finger, bitterness slows us down, and makes us less effective. We think twice before encountering similar situations, to avoid a repeat performance. We often put up walls to keep the unwanted hurt out, unaware that the very barricade often deflects the good along with the bad.
Thankfully that doesn't have to be the end of the story, for our Lord is a wonderful counselor and healer. He can make the lame to walk, the blind to see, and yes, even heal the wounds of offense and bitterness, if we allow Him to. His love can penetrate that hardest of hearts, or the gravest of hurts. He can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. The Great Physician has hands of precision, ready and willing to cut out all signs of infection, and place us on the road to recovery.
Even today, as I am sitting in our new home, typing at that beautiful oak kitchen table, I still have a sore finger that hurts when I bend it. The pain is much better, as I have finally been able to remove the miniscule piece of wood that was stuck deep within. All signs of infection have gone. The pain is lessening, and I know one day, I am going to wake up and forget I was ever hurt in the first place. But the glimpse of God that I experienced will stay with me for a lifetime.

Easter pics and video