Saturday, December 29, 2007

Los Tres Botones


The Estrema family, missionaries in Buenos Aires, Argentina, came for a visit the day after Christmas. Jeremy preached on Wednesday night. The Estrema's daughter Ellie turned 4 on Wednesday and for her birthday we went out Los Tres Botones on Thursday.

First we toured the farm. I had to laugh at the crinkled noses when we went by the pigs pen. Their smell is quite familiar to me since I used to raise pigs. But nobody else seemed to appreciate their cute muddy faces and body as they tried to keep cool. Oh well, at least they like farm life. Our family all felt reminiscent of our Michigan farm life when the farmer brought out a bottle of milk for Simeon to feed to the new calf. I remembered the time I was reading a farm animal book to Simeon, when I asked him where the cows were he ran to the front door and pointed out to the yard. Finally they all got to pet a rabbit and see the geese and chickens.

While we were touring, the farmers wife was cooking up a wonderful lunch of Asado and all the typical Uruguayan fixings. Including cheese made right there on the farm. To say it was all delicious is an understatement!

Before and after lunch we went horseback riding. All of us had the best time! Not one of our children was afraid of the horses. Simeon wanted to ride the HUGE (he was at least 5' 8" at the whithers) gelding with Scott. Though there isn't a picture of it I got to ride the gelding as well. I sure miss my aggie and veterinary days when we get to do things like this. Boy, we have the BEST mission field.

Christmas in Uruguay 2007


At midnight on Christmas morning the entire city of Colonia erupted into a huge display of fireworks. For over 30 minutes we listened to the explosions. Let me say our 4th of July fireworks display have nothing on the Uruguayans Christmas display. We even had some of our own but we set them off at 10 pm.

This years Christmas was much easier than last years. This year we had some familiarity with our home, not to mention all of our things. The kids had presents from grandparents and bags full of treats. Simeon ate all his candy that morning then ran around hammering and drilling everything in sight with his new tool set.

We had the traditional asado meal on Christmas Eve our Peruvian friends, Pastor Daniel and Amparo and their children, and Pastor Cristian and Jessica and their children were with us for the meal. For a Christmas gift we gave them all time to call their families in Peru on our Vonage phone. I'll post the pictures of Christmas Eve later as they are on a different disk.

Christmas Card 2007


Thursday, December 20, 2007

People are the same everywhere.

Visitation today was a bit more like in the States than what I have typically experienced in Uruguay. Here are some examples of what I mean:

One man actually raised his voice and shut the door on us - this is a first for me in this country.

Two children came out of a house to tell us that their parents were not home and that she was not allowed to talk to strangers. A short time later the mother came into the front yard. The problem was that I was looking back up the street and saw her. When she saw me she ran back into the house. I said to my visitation partner that the mother was teaching her daughter to lie. He responded "Yes, and one day she will lie to her mother too"

Another lady was very receptive and talkative until we mentioned death. She then became visibly disturbed and asked that we leave.

I admit that we, my visitation partner and I, were dressed similar to the Mormons. White shirts and ties. One boy even exclaimed the Mormons are coming. How sad it is that a white shirt and tie are immediately associated with Mormons. When we arrived at his house we clarified that we were Baptists.

The reality is people are the same regardless of where they live. There are no boundaries to the lost condition of man. There is no place that someone can be born where they do not inherit the sin nature. Today was a great reminder that even though the people are very friendly most of the time, they are still lost and in need of Christ as their Saviour.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Temporary Cedulas, Passports, and Consular Birth Certificates

One of the benefits of legal residency in Uruguay is the ID card called a Cedula. After spending several hours over 3 different days, and waiting for just over a week, we now have in hand our temporary Cedulas. First, Scott took me, Brandon, Kaitlin and Silas then he took Bethany and finally he took Nehemiah, Isabel, and Simeon in. This was all stretched out over 3 days. Thankfully we have a cedula office here in the city we live in, as I could not imagine making three trips into the capitol for these.

Hopefully, we will have our legal residency cedulas not too long into the New Year. Knowing it would take a lot of time and effort, and knowing we would have to do this again once our residency came in we waited (hoping our legal residency would be here by now) to get these temporary cedulas. Since our international drivers licenses are due to expire we needed our Cedulas to get our Uruguayan drivers license. Of course, because Silas is a dual citizen (Uruguayan/American) his cedula is permanent and won't need to be renewed for 5 years.

When Silas was 10 days old we headed to the US Embassy with him to gain his born abroad US citizenship. In order to get Silas' birth certificate and passport we had to prove I was pregnant with him, show his Uruguayan birth certificate and also prove that we are US citizens. They asked that we bring photos while I was pregnant and in the hospital, documents to prove we had lived in the US for at least 5 years after we turned 14, our passports, etc. Their suggestion for documents was old pay stubs, high school/college transcripts, bills, and the like. Since we left most of that in the States we showed up with what we did have - 7 birth certificates, one for each of our children born in the USA. I guess that satisfied their requests and proved our citizenship and Silas'. In two weeks time we had his new American passport and his consular birth certificate. It's amazing how quickly a passport makes it through the system when it's applied for abroad.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Silas' dedication.




Baby shower for Silas, Esteban and Jeremias

Presents from the church were attached to small Christmas trees. What a neat idea!



Debbie, Rebekah and Elida open the gifts for their baby's. Elida was still with child.


Judy Baltzersen, Amparo and Debbie with Silas.



The group photo. In front Debbie with Silas, Rebekah with Esteban and Elida.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Tick a year off the calendar.

One year ago we woke up for the first time in our Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay home. Two days before we were up early packing all that last minute stuff into our 22 checked bags. My mind was filled with all the last minute details and thoughts of what we had ahead of us...getting seven children, 11 carry ons, and 5 other bags (purses, diaper bags, etc.) plus two car seats through Chicago O'Hare, Washington Dulles, Buenos Aires and Uruguay airports and all 30+ hours of travel time without good sleep. Making a very close connection in DC. Life ahead of us on the mission field. Surviving in a country where we didn't speak the language. Man alive! How in the world did we manage all of that??? In short, the simple grace of God and a lot prayer warriors!

Some of the highlights of the last year:
  • We spent several months in Spanish language study.
  • Learned enough Spanish to communicate.
  • Scott has preached in English and Spanish.
  • Debbie has taught the ladies in English and Spanish.
  • Brandon has preached, joined choir and headed up game time for King's Kids.
  • Kaitlin has taught children in English and Spanish, joined the orchestra & junior choir, and works in the nursery.
  • The children have nearly completed a year of school.
  • Scott (with the Perez' help) has dealt with all of the paperwork to bring in a container, gain legal residency, get our Uruguayan ID's, renew our American Passports and apply for Silas' US citizenship.
  • Debbie experienced a pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby boy.
  • We have all made friends and developed relationships with the Uruguayans.
  • Debbie has learned to cook nearly every meal from scratch, and Scott has learned to make awesome Chocolate Chip cookies.
  • Everyone has adapted to the basics of life in a foreign country.

Without question this year past year has been filled with blessings beyond measure. And we are ever so thankful to God that He has allowed us to serve Him here in Uruguay.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Not so bad.

A few months back, when we discovered that I would be having a baby in Uruguay, I imagined various scenarios of childbirth in a foreign country from the absolute worst to the not so bad. I am so pleased, and relieved, to report that the birth of Silas Andrew was not so bad, actually it was pretty good if I ignore all the pain.

Those of you who keep up with the blog, and have read my post on the glucose tolerance test, were probably imaging the worst along with me. After all, when an exam glove is used as a tourniquet for drawing blood what could it possibly be used for in other circumstances. Well, when it comes to having a baby they take the sterility of the delivery room very seriously. Scott had to gown up completely. And I had to wear those fancy little surgical booties and cap. Quite the thing when you consider that we never once had to don the apparel of the doctors and nurses with the deliveries of our other children.

You also know that I had started labor late on Sunday evening and was having contractions through the early morning on Monday only to have them stop. Ugh. That Tuesday our doctor asked permission to give me a light dose of sintocin (sp?), a form of artificial oxytocin, to kick the contractions back in. I was admitted back into the hospital that morning and my I.V. was started just before lunch time. The kick start worked and I was quickly back to where I had left off on Monday morning; having contractions every three minutes lasting at least 45 seconds.

About 4 hours into my light induction it was discovered that I had not progressed. So my doctor upped the dose a bit on the medicine which caused the contractions to lengthen and intensify. My doctor checked me again close to 10 pm and found that I had only progressed to 4 centimeters. He decided to break my water which really intensified things, and an hour later we were holding a healthy baby boy in our arms.

I share all of that to say this: God's grace and hand in Silas' birth was evident throughout my pregnancy and in the labor & delivery. We paid the extra money to have my doctor there to deliver the baby. Had we not done this I would have had a c-section at 4 that afternoon. Instead, we had a doctor with a tremendous amount of patience who was willing to wait and see. As a result I was able to have another natural delivery and not have to deal with the recovery and future repercussions of a major surgery. I was also able to deal well with the very intense contractions with absolutely no pain killers. And silly as it sounds, I was able to give testimony of how God was the One who gave me the strength to labor so long and stay calm.

Scott and I are very thankful for our little Uruguayito. Neither one of us "planned" to have a baby at this stage in our lives or ministry. I thought language was enough to deal with, especially when pregnancy brain kicks in. Yet God chose for us to have another baby in our first year of our first term on the field. I had one of the easiest pregnancies and very rarely experienced the dreaded jelly brain. Because of Silas we have been able to share Christ with those whom we would not have had the privilege to meet. When Scott goes out into the city he is asked by complete strangers how our little one is doing. The Uruguayans see that God is very real in our lives and His Word is full of promises that we can claim, and hold on to for the unknown.

Praise the Lord that we can take His hand and follow Him wherever He leads and know we are safe within His will!!! Proverbs 3:5,6

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Uruguayan Turkeys






Pumpkin and apple pie, banana pudding and cherry dump cake with fresh whip cream topped off our Thanksgiving meal this past Thursday. We had all the rest of the North American fixings - stuffing, sweet potato casserole, onion pie (this was new to us, thanks Judy for the great dish), a relish tray minus carrots and celery because we couldn't find any fresh and the black olives that we forgot to put out, deviled (fallen angel :-) eggs, mashed potatos, gravy and Uruguayan Turkeys. What a delicious meal!!! Even better was the fellowship with our dear friends, Bill and Judy Baltzersen, who gave up the holiday with their family to be here to help us with Silas.

In case you are wondering what the difference is between an American and Uruguayan turkey, keep reading. I hate to make our blog too techinical, but the biggest difference is that the great big beautiful imported turkey costs over $100 US dollars (!!!!) and those big fat juicy Uruguayan Turkeys (aka chickens) cost 10 dollars. Though we would have loved some real turkey, the Chic-fil-a cows will be quite pleased to know that we definitely enjoyed our imitations.


Our chickens look like turkeys when they are in my small Uruguayan oven. For the right perspective, that's a 9x13" pan.


After we feasted on our very north American fare we allowed time for everyone to share their thankfulness to God. It warmed our hearts to hear how thankful our children are to be here in Uruguay. This year has not been easy, the adjustments have been tremendous and the lessons difficult, but God's grace has proven to be more than sufficient! We look forward to another year on the mission field and to next Thanksgiving where we can once again give thanks for another wonderful year, to the One Who deserves all the glory and honor!

Our warming oven - also known as a Uruguayan BBQ.

Friday, November 09, 2007

BIENVENIDOS, SILAS ANDREW!!!

Silas is here, our first Uruguayito (little Uruguayan) and he is the sweetest little fella. In case you can't see the statistics on his announcement, he weighed 8lbs 6oz, was 20 inches long and was born at 10:56 at night on November 6th. I'll blog later about all the Lord did for us in Silas' arrival. Thank you to all who prayed for a safe delivery and a healthy baby, God blessed us with both!!!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Changing his mind.

After an hour of strong contractions at 3-4 minutes apart we headed to the hospital. The doctor confirmed things were a go and for about four hours things were looking good then all of a sudden the contractions came to a halt. So here we are back at home waiting for Silas.

Honestly, it is a let down, especially when you've literally been up all night. But I can see the benefits of last nights "trial run"; mainly that the Lord relieved some concerns of mine over the delivery of this baby here: our doctor made it from his town to ours without incident, the preps they do for childbirth here aren't as bad as I imagined they would be, and though still difficult the language barrier is manageable.

Scott heads to the airport on Wednesday morning to pick up our friends, Bill and Judy B. Everything looks pretty much in order for their stay and we are so looking forward to seeing them - in just 2 more sleeps! Please pray for traveling mercies for them as they will have nearly 20 hours travel time ahead of them.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Andrew Smith

I thought I would post a photo of the little boy we asked you to be in prayer for but I can't get it to work here. He began chemo last night and was to begin radiation today. You can keep up with him, and see photos, by visiting his CaringBridge site. I'm not sure if his Mom, Sandy, will be starting her own CaringBridge site but there have been brief updates on Andrew's journal for her. Please continue to pray for the entire family.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Only 3, make that 2 left.


It's been fun to have three new babies at church and with three more expected to arrive soon it should be exciting. I thought I would share the last picture of the expectant mothers. Elida (left) is due the end of November. I am due on the 11th. This morning Rebecca is having her baby via c-section.

Nuestra oracion

This junior choir was formed just a a few weeks ago, it was exciting to hear them sing for the first time in last nights Melody Night at church. Kaitlin and Bethany are on the far right in the front. We are looking forward to hearing more from them on future melody nights.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Please pray for the Smith Family.

Throughout deputation the Lord bestowed many blessing upon us including giving us special friends along the way. The Lord knit our hearts together with Pastor Shawn and Sandy Smith and their family and it is with heavy hearts that we share the following prayer request with you. We ask that you not only pray for this family yourself but that you request prayer for them in your churches and among your friends. You all have been so faithful to pray for us and we know that it will be a blessing to the Smiths to know you are praying for them. This is an email we received last night from a friend in regards to the Smith family, for reference Sandy was just this week diagnosed with Breast cancer and Andrew is their youngest child:

“Sandy had her consultation this morning with her medical team and the prognosis is promising. They will do a lumpectomy, followed by Chemo and radiation. They are hopeful that this will be all that is necessary for her treatment.

During the same time period that she was receiving the news regarding her treatment, however, Andrew was in the pediatric intensive care unit with Pastor Smith and my husband receiving a more grave report. For about a month Andrew has had trouble with his balance. He had a viral infection and so it was thought that he had an inner ear infection causing him to be unbalanced. Wednesday morning, they took him to his primary care doctor and the doctor sent them to the emergency room. A CAT scan showed fluid and a mass in his brain. He was placed in PICU until an MRI could be performed. The results were explained this morning and throughout the day. The final diagnosis is painful to even write: Andrew has an inoperable brain tumor in his brain stem with the tumor being about the size of a golf ball. At first, they had said that there would be surgery to reduce the pressure causing his difficulty with balance. They have concluded that surgery is not an option and that he will receive radiation treatment only. They have given him two months to two years to live.”

Is it really THAT big???


As Silas has grown, and as a result my belly, the statement "que pancita" has changed to "que panza". Not only has the statement changed but the inflection has gone from a sweet sing songy sound to more of a statement with a WOW inflection. I'm certainly thankful that my delivery date is on the near horizon. Thanks to all who are praying for a safe delivery. I ask that you please add an ability for me to understand the delivery (childbirth) technical Spanish as well as all that will be entailed during my stay in the hospital.

Monday, October 22, 2007

It's about time

I needed to have a worthy subject for my premier post and I think that I may have found it. I must begin by telling you that I have not changed my doctrinal position in any way. I did however find some things that I have said lately rather amusing, at least to me. The first is something that I taught in Sunday School - I must clarify that this lesson was in Spanish. The words for Gospel and Evangelical are very similar in Spanish. Instead of saying that we have a command from God to spread the Gospel I told the class that God has commanded us to spread Evangelicalism. Needless to say there is a difference between the two and thankfully they knew what I was trying to say.

The second thing that struck me as odd is in a conversation with a supporting church I asked them to pray that God would loosen my tongue. After making the statement I thought I wonder if they understood this as I intended?

It is evident that in good communication you not only need to be clear but specific. The difficulty here is that communicating in Spanish is still slow and requires much work, but it also seems that my ability to communicate in English is not as good as it used to be. I am left wondering - in another year will I be able to communicate in any language?

All fun aside I can see progress in our Spanish and trust that one day we will be able to communicate our hearts with relative ease.

Almost done

Today is my last full day of bed rest, at least it should be. With less than three weeks until my due date I am almost done and definitely ready to meet Silas. I have my OB appointment tomorrow and should be released from the bed rest restriction. Speaking of appointments let me explain how the appointment schedule works here, it is actually rather different.

If one wants to see a doctor the appointment is usually set for the time the doctor arrives that day to see patients. From there it's a first come, first serve idea where they basically just fill in the slots. If you are the 5th person to request an appointment you are number 5. Since I'm number 18 it is entirely possible I could be there all morning. With some doctors you can estimate when you should show up, but others will go through their list of appointments when they arrive, if you aren't there when they are you're bumped off the list.

As for lab, x-ray, and ultrasound appointment the appointment time is the time you are seen. Unless the techinician running the test is running behind. If that's the case who knows how long you'll be there. Once nice thing about this system is they actually call you by name and you don't have to keep up with which number they just called.

Since I'm number 18 for a 9 0'clock appointment Ruth and I should have plenty of time for catching up. Plus she usually makes opportunities to witness to those around us while I supply the tracts, team effort all the way.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Yep, another one of those.


Today Scott and I celebrate our 16th anniversary of the day we were married, and we certainly praise the LORD for His sustaining grace!!! For the past few years we've been unable to celebrate our anniversary on the 19th of October. Well at least not in very romantic ways, after all it's not too romantic to share an anniversary with dozens of other Baptist World Missionaries during annual meeting. Now this year I'm stuck here on bedrest. Oh well, at least we are together! And it will be memorable at least for the fact that it's our first one in Uruguay.




Monday, October 15, 2007

An Update on Madi


At the end of September I received an update about Madi saying her latest MRI came back with good results, praise the Lord! It was exciting for me to hear a couple days ago from, Valerie, my cousin, that Madi has started school and is doing very well. She is even memorizing Bible verses. When she began her radiation treatments they were told that she could be left with minor or major brain damage. At this point it appears that God spared her from any of those side effects.

Valerie is expecting twin boys who are both doing well, she has 16 weeks left of her pregnancy and I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers.

Friday, October 12, 2007

The comforts of home...


Here in Uruguay cookies have a different texture and taste. At this point I've not seen a real chocolate chip cookie for sale in a bakery or grocery store. For some reason (hmmm, pregnancy...maybe) these past few days I've had a sweet tooth. Yesterday Scott asked what I wanted and I told him I'd love a chocolate chip cookie but would have to do without because they have to be made at home and I'm on bedrest. His reply was an easy, "Which recipe do you use? I'll make some." To be willing to make chocolate chip cookies after he's already pulling his normal load and now mine too makes him the husband of the year! The cookies were absolutely delicious way better than my best cookies. I'll just close by saying I'm definitely not going to lose weight while I'm on bed rest Scott is a terrific cook.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Down in history...


Today our girls received their American Girl catalog and on the front cover is the new historical doll, Julie Albright. Little Julie just happens to be from the 7o's complete with bell bottoms and long straight hair. I knew this day would come but I didn't think it would be when I was only thirty-something. I had hoped to be in my 70's before I was considered...historical!

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

A new stage of parenting...a.k.a. braces.


A new stage in parenting began when Brandon and Kaitlin had spacers placed between their molars in preparation for braces. Kaitlin will need to have three teeth pulled. One was already pulled and it was not a good experience as she was only numb for a few minutes and felt everything. The last two extractions should be better as we'll make sure to ask for more anesthetic.


Soon we will have both of them setting off the metal detectors at the grocery stores. Just kidding, Brandon and Kaitlin! I guess since they read the blog I need to refrain from any more jokes and I definitely should not go into all the various names for people with braces. I'll just leave it to your imagination.

Friday, September 28, 2007

"Our" little corner of the world...

This is a nice satellite image of Uruguay, if you follow the river (dark lines on the upper right angling down and on the left moving pretty much straight down) you will see the natural bounderies of Uruguay from Brazil and Argentina. The mouth of the Rio de la Platte (the brown patch of water) is the area in which we live. Look at the beginning of the brown, follow the coastline up to the point in the land, that is Colonia del Sacramento. That gray patch of "land" almost directly across the water is Buenos Aires, Argentina. On clear days we can see the city skyline as well as see the city lights at night.

As you lok at this image please pray with us that God will use us, and the believers here in Uruguay, to reach the hearts of the people that call Uruguay home. As well as the many visitors from abroad.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

A Royal Gala




Princess Isabel requests the honor of your presence, on Saturday the 15th of September, at two in the afternoon, for the Gala celebration of her Fourth Birthday.


The Royal guests: Priscila, Debora, Adeline, Cesia and her honor Princess Isabel.

Being surrounded by royalty is a daunting thing, especially when the said royalty are all under eight years of age. Isabel asked to have a princess birthday party with her new friends from Peru, also on the guest list were her sisters and Priscila Perez.





Our Princesses enjoyed an afternoon of fun while they colored, played "Princess, where is your crown?", and decorated their very own crowns.


Following that we brought out a cake fit for a princess sang Happy Birthday in English and Spanish then Isabel blew out her candles.

A word of warning to those daring souls whose cute little girls smile sweetly while requesting a princess doll cake - you have a LOT of work ahead of you, but the joy all over her face will be well worth the effort!



This is Isabel ready to open her presents on her actual birthday, September 13th. Those cards all came from the States from family and supporting churches.
By the way Isabel was excited to hear that the third baby was born on her birthday. (see Embarazadas post)







Thursday, September 13, 2007

Happy Birthday Isabel




Isabel was our first, and remains that, baby born in the morning. She was also born as hurricane Isabel (purely coincidental that they share the same name) headed for the North Carolina coast. Because my delivery with Nehemiah was so quick we decided along with our midwife to have her delivered at home. I had a wonderfully easy three hour labor with a single contraction delivery. And I was left very thankful that we had decided for a home birth as she would have been born there anyway.

Isabel's delivery sure was nice for me but it wasn't so good for her. She was a solid 8 pounds, even though she had just reached term, 37 weeks. But her rapid birth plus slightly immature lungs set her up for major problems. Though she would go back and forth between blue and pink her hands and feet remained a deep blue. She wouldn't cry, nor would she nurse, the only thing she did was maintain a low moaning sound. This certainly caused concern for Scott and I as well as our midwife. After she had a grey spell we rushed her to the pediatricians office.

Our doctor couldn't get a good blood oxygen reading so we headed to the ER just to have her Blood O2 levels checked. As her levels were being checked her saturation suddenly dropped from the 80's (not good) into the low 50's (very bad). They rushed her off with Scott following close behind. She was put on Oxygen which helped her pink up right away. Her blood O2 levels stabilized and it was decided she would stay the night for observation.

The next afternoon they decided to do a room air test and since her numbers stayed high they kept her off the O2. Less than 30 minutes later she began moaning and had another grey episode, back onto the O2 she went. However, she just plummeted from there. In the wee hours of Monday morning they decided she needed to be transferred to Charlotte by helicopter.

As the hospital worked out the arrangements the nurses began to prep her for the flight. I was heartbroken as I watched the nurses make attempts to get an IV into her arms then her legs only to give up and wait for the transfer team. The ambulance team arrived after they found a good vein in her head they did their pre-transfer preparations which included giving her a medicine to open up a valve in her heart. I was able to ride with Isabel in the ambulance to Charlotte as her airlift was changed to a regular ambulance because the air teams were all out on other emergencies.

When we arrived they rushed her through the hospital and I watched her disappear behind the doors of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit while I was told to stay in the waiting room. Finally, someone came out to explain the rules of PICU and the tests they were planning to run - ECG, Strep B, Meningitis, among others. I was also told that she was very jaundiced and would be under Bili lights. I was asked a lot of questions regarding her birth and my prenatal care and was told that I could not nurse her, touch her, or even speak to her. I could spend a few minutes with her every 4 hours. In addition, Scott and I were told that because of the time at such low oxygen levels that she likely would suffer from brain damage. I was devastated!


Just hours later the nurses called me to her bedside for what I thought was going to be a grim announcement. They explained that many of their restrictions were due to questions of negligence regarding the home birth that had since been cleared up. She had shown dramatic improvement and I was allowed to nurse and spend time with her. God really worked in her little body that night and she was sent to the regular pediatric floor on Tuesday afternoon. Several times that week they did room air tests that she kept failing. It turned out that the nasal cannula was obstructing room air so they pulled that to the top of her nose for her last room air test on Friday morning. She passed, with flying colors, and was released to go home.


Every time we took her in for well baby checks our doctor was amazed that she was hitting the normal milestones without any problems. During her first appointment her doctor told us that when she was sent to Charlotte he had very little hope for her survival, let alone for her to be without any handicaps. Praise God, she has never had any problems with learning delays or any disabilities. The only thing we have experienced with her is some asthma like episodes and an allergy to Cashews.

Now I have a confession to make: Throughout my entire pregnancy I really, really struggled. When I found out I was expecting Isabel, Nehemiah was just 9 months old, plus Adeline was only two. I was overwhelmed with the thought of having another baby. There were only a handful of days that I didn't struggle to accept God's will in giving me another child so soon. However the moment she was born I loved her without question. And I was greatly concerned over her condition.


I remember telling Scott, in Charlotte, that I knew God was punishing me for my sinful attitude. I thought for sure God was going to take her, or leave us with a severely handicapped child. Thankfully, I have a Godly husband, and friends, who were able to correct my wrong thinking. They reminded me to think Biblically and focus on the character of God as well to trust Him and rest in His plan. I found myself relating with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Job 13:15 and God brought to mind many other verses and songs about resting in Him, trusting in Him and keeping my eyes on Him.

Now four years later, I reminisce as I look through her scrapbook about that first week of her life and remember all that God brought her, and us, through. Certainly the sadness is still palpable as I look at her blue little body and I recall all the emotions - the despair, joy and relief. Yet, I hope that I never will forget to rely on the Lord as I learned to do those first few days of her life.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Another thought...

Habakkuk ends in a song. One that sings of Habakkuk's change of heart. His circumstances didn't change, and in a way they got worse, but His heart did change and as a result he had the peace of God that passes all understanding. I'm so thankful to God for song and how when we sing to Him, or of Him, it changes our perspective. So many Hymns that we sing in church today that touch our hearts were penned by the authors in times of great despair in their lives. They share a perspective of God that can only be seen through trials.

In probably every difficult circumstance I have been through I could sing you a song that God has given me. Hymns such as Be Thou My Vision, It Is Well With My Soul as well as sacred music songs Almighty Unchangeable God, Bow the Knee and more. With these songs God has always given me a Scripture passage or verse. Proving He is always there with me through the trials!

Hopefully, you aren't getting tired of hearing about Habakkuk but I need to share something else about what I learned through this study Moving from Fear to Faith by Nancy Leigh DeMoss*. One of the things she mentioned was that the thing that changed for Habakkuk was not his circumstances but his heart. Everything pivoted on his faith.

Can you imagine going to God needing answers begging Him to change your circumstances and the answer you get is not at all what you wanted, hoped for or expected? As I continue to ponder (meditate upon) this study I can see so clearly the times in my life where God has done just that. As I recall specific times I see that I have come to Him with a bitter complaining attitude wanting Him to judge the sin of others. Other times I have come to Him in confusion not understanding what is happening in my life and wanting deliverence from the trial. It's embarrassing to say that with less frequency I have come to Him in confidence trusting in His will for my life no matter the storm that rages around me.

I can see clearly now that all three of these heart attitudes - complaining, confusion and confidence - pivoted on my faith in the character of God. Whether or not I believed it at the time God is still good. His will for me is best! The first two attitudes show a lack of trust, a desire to have it my own way and even to manipulate my own circumstances to become what I want them to be. The last attitude shows that God will do what is best for me though the circumstance is difficult to bear, though my heart is torn in two, though I still don't understand the end from the beginning...God does! That is faith! A confidence in Who God is then willingly placing my life, ALL of my life, in His hands for Him to shape and use as He sees fit - a willing vessel for the Master's use.

That faith begins at salvation, believing that Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life and died on the cross of Calvary for my sins. Knowing that His death was the payment (propitiation) for my sin. Believing that He rose on the 3rd day and is alive today sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, waiting for God's time to call His people home. That simple belief gives the gift of an eternity in Heaven! Hallelujah, what a Saviour!!!!!!

*Please note that though I give due credit to this study by Nancy Leigh DeMoss I do not necessarily endorse every thing in this study or others by this author or her ministry.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

The Height of Fashion...




in arm slings! Instead of buying the standard blue sling I thought Bethany would like a pretty girly sling. She was so excited about the prospect of her own sling I took her along with me to chose her fabric. After she picked out her fabric at Chic Parisian (A clothing store in our mall) we went to the sewing supply store El Carretel (Another clothing store in town) to get the nylon strap and buckle. I'm sure I provided all kinds of laughter to the stores here as I attempted to tell them what I needed. Who would have ever guessed that Bias tape in Spanish is Bias (BE-as).


Once I figured out what I was doing it took all of about 30 minutes to sew and now Bethany has an adorable sling and so does Nellie, her American Girl Doll. All for about three dollars (US), can't beat that!

As for the question about her break our doctor in the US was able to have two Orthopedic Surgeons take a look at her x-ray. Also we were able to meet with the Traumatologo who saw her in the ER. He was very understanding of our concern. Everyone agreed that a sling should be adequate treatment for her. She has a recheck appointment on the 19 th to see how everything is coming along.


As a side note, it turns out that a Traumatologo isn't a Trauma doctor as we were thinking but an Orthopedic doctor. I think it's amazing how God had the right man there when we needed him. Not only that but the blessing of our doctor in the States and his willingness to help and advise. All this is evidence of God's foreknowledge and His concern for the welfare of our family.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Seven Little Monkies....

Sleeping in their beds

One fell off and

Didn't break her head.



But she did break her collarbone. Last night we woke up to the sound of Bethany crying after she had fallen off her bed. Everything looked ok when she stopped crying we went back to bed. She must be one tough cookie because she made it to church this morning before she finally gave in to the pain.


Ruth and I headed to the hospital where thankfully the Traumatologist (that's the equivalent of what he would be called in English anyway) was the doctor on call. He ordered an x-ray which clearly revealed that her collarbone was broke clear through. The treatment is the same here as in the States - keep her arm in a sling for a few weeks and keep her activity level down. No more chores, bummer for her!!!


After we got home we took another look at her x-ray and grew concerned over the angle of the bone closest her breastbone. Our doctor in the US returned our page within a couple minutes and we have sent the x-ray scan to him for a second opinion. Hopefully everything is normal and she will heal quickly. We'll keep you posted!

Friday, August 31, 2007

Say what?

I just received the list of what I need to take to the hospital for the birth of Silas. And Scott thought I should share what the online translator has done with the list. I sure hope the translator is wrong, after all this is my eighth child and for the life of me I can't figure out what a pair of averages is, let alone why Silas would need them. Hmmm.

pelele - puppet
batita nansú - little robe cloth
bata algodón - robe cotton
rebozo - wrap
par de medias - pair of averages
par de escarpines que no sean ceñidos - pair of pointed shoes that are not too tight
conjunto de lana o hilo según la estación - set of wool or thread as the station

High places

"Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places." Habakkuk 3:18,19

I have just finished a Bible study on the book of Habakkuk and it was an eye opening and heart touching time. I have learned so much about faith through the years but found myself completely perplexed over some aspects of faith I have not previously applied to my life. I was stunned by the idea that faith not only included trusting God to save me and to provide my physical, financial and spiritual needs but that I needed to trust God to provide for ALL my needs. I need to live out my life entirely in faith. It takes faith to have victory over sin and self. It takes faith to love the unlovely. It takes faith to submit. I found myself begging the Lord for wisdom and understanding so I could truly apply, "but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 b

Right away the Lord brought to mind verses that I have already memorized and in some ways applied to my life. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1, "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14:23b I definitely know those verses and have lived them but now I see them in a new light. Now I see them as Habakkuk applied them to his life and the overwhelming circumstances he was facing.

He went up into a tower and waited for the Lord to speak to him. That's faith. He waited for the Lord to show him what he should say when he was reproved. That's faith. He listened as God pronounced woes (2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19). As God proclaimed that He would judge the sin not only of Israel but also of the Chaldeans (Babylonians). He heard God tell him that the whole earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God (2:14) AMEN! He believed the Lord. He obeyed Him.

When God finished speaking to Habakkuk he had no question of God's faithfulness, of His character, His omnipotence, His Holiness. We've seen this before in Scripture most notably with Isaiah. Those who get a glimpse of Who God really is, in His entirety - Holy, Just, Love and Grace - they become different people, they repent. Chapter 3 shows all that Habakkuk learned of God. His song is punctuated with faith (see the verse at top).

I'm most certainly challenged to live a much different life. When I'm being tried do I really rejoice in the Lord? Is every aspect of my life, every decision, every choice, every desire one of faith? Do I remember to go to the tower and wait on the Lord for Him to speak to me? Do I realize that He will give me stability and strength to stand in the most difficult of places? Do I submit to His will for my life or just to those easy areas? Do I wait on the Lord for the strength that only He can give?

I still have not grasped all that it means to live all aspects of my life out in faith, but I do know that God is faithful to help me. I look back at all the times God has cared for me. And I have hope for the future, and joy in the trials.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Ministry Update

After a day of rain and cold weather one would expect a somber mood inchurch but yesterday it bordered on festive as we had much to rejoice over. Our prayers for Rudy have been answered and though he still has some recuperation he is now home.

The first of the embarazadas (expectant mothers) had a healthy baby girl, Rebekah on Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon we were blessed to be at the hospital when another one of the expectant mothers safely delivered a baby boy, Juan Daniel. There is one more mother expecting her baby in the next few days and then wehave a couple more months to wait for the next set of three babies. "Lo,children are an heritage of the Lord." What a blessing of God for our church to have so many new babies to raise up in the nurture and admonition of theLord.

Our winter attendance has been quite low. In spite of that we have some new babies in the Lord. Praise the Lord that we also have an opportunity to pray for these new believers as they learn to walk with God. Please pray with us that they will grow in the Lord. Some weeks back one of our supporting churches requested a list of those to pray for the salvation of during their evangelistic prayer meetings. We have seen progress in the lives on the list some for salvation, some have come to church, and others have softer hearts.

As the weather begins to warm up we are looking forward to spring. The men will have an outing the first Saturday of September, we have a leadership conference planned this spring as well as another ladies meeting. Please pray that we will see fruit in these ministries.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Update on Rudy

Thank you for praying for Rudy, praise God he is doing much better. He called the Perez today for news on the church. Also Scott and Archie were able to visit him in the hospital and he was up and walking around without an IV. He should come home soon. Please continue praying for his recovery.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Pray for Rudy

Please be in prayer for Rudy, a young man in our church. He had a moto accident this afternoon and is now in serious condition in Montevideo. The last we heard he was in a coma. We will update as we know more, thank you for praying.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Our vacation in Punta del Este, Uruguay


Scott and I spent a couple days in Punta del Este, Uruguay for a mini-vacation. It was absolutely gorgeous. We have heard this is the retirement capitol of South America and we can see why. It really is quite modern and has tremendous scenery. Many people are bilingual so if you don't speak Spanish you could manage in this city. We counted no less than 5 large condominium "towers" being constructed. And the prices weren't too bad beginning at $150,000 US dollars for a 2 bdrm 2 bath condo it would make an affordable investment.

One of my favorite times of the trip was a drive up the Atlantic coast. There is nothing like the sound and smell of the ocean. I love slipping off my shoes and walking along the surf. The only thing that halfway compared was the bathtub in our hotel room. It sure was pleasant to have a nice hot bath after 8 months of no bathtub. We sure appreciate the Perez family caring for our family so we could enjoy this snippet of time recharging our batteries.

Baby Shower


On the 11th the ladies of Iglesia Bautista Fundamental joined together to celebrate the first 3 babies - Ezequiel, Juan Daniel and Timoteo - due to arrive very soon. I think of all the baby showers I have been to this was one of the most enjoyable. The games were fun, the food delicious, the devotionals encouraging and the gift time was sweet. I especially enjoyed watching Cristina open her gifts. She reminded me of my little ones on Christmas day.

We had about 60 people, I wish I could give an exact count but I had to stop at 51 as many ladies got up to go help cut the sweets just as I started counting.

Ruth and I both spoke. Ruth's teaching was much more in depth than mine. I was limited to "reading" my devotional, but every word was in Spanish. I am certianly looking forward to Spanish fluency...sometime in my lifetime, I hope.

100th post!

In some ways I'm surprised that I have already posted 99 times about our life on deputation, on the field and in general. I really have enjoyed "blogging". I like that I can keep all of your updated without bombarding your inboxes. If you want to be updated on the essentials and non-essentials of our lives you can visit our blog.

Not only is this the 100th post but I noticed the other day that we have had over 6,000 first time hits to this blog. I'm excited about the potential of that. It is my prayer that many of the people who drop by here are blessed, encouraged and will see the Lord at work in our lives and here in Uruguay.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

EX`PLORE

EX`PLORE To search for making discovery: To view with care: To examine closely by the eye. Simeon July 2007

I had so much fun taking these pictures and making this scrapbook page of Simeon. In the first photo he had the binoculars upside down and backwards. When I asked him what he was looking at he leaned over and said, "Don't know." (middle photo) Then he looked at his binoculars turned them right side up, looked through them, smiled and said, "That." (last)

This was actually a warm day, notice he is not wearing a jacket. I know you all can't imagine wearing jackets let alone sweaters right now but it really is winter down here.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Embarazadas - Part two


Well here we are a few weeks later and all of us showing. Nancy, due on the 13th is missing from the picture. From left to right the others are - Elida due in December, me due in November, Rebekah due in November, Leticia due in September and Cristina due the end of this month.
So far, of the six babies, we are certain that four of them are boys. Pray for the nursery workers and any girls who may be born in this bunch. :-)

Doggy, Doggy...


On Sunday, Hoss, our 6 months old puppy, was the victim of another dog's bark. Yes, another dog's bark. Witnesses say that Hoss was in our yard happily minding his own business when another dog came along and barked at him. Evidently this scared him enough to cause him to run out into the street where a car ran over him. Literally it ran over his back with two tires.


With my experience in vet medicine it is no exaggeration to say that it is a miracle he is still alive. Most dogs his size will die from impact as their bodies are at the level of the bumper and so they suffer irreparable internal injuries. That plus being run over really caused me concern.


When I was a vet technician the first thing we would do with a dog like him would be to get him stabilized with IV fluids and meds, which the vet here did, then take x-rays to ascertain what damage, if any, had been caused by the accident. There is no pet x-ray machine here in Colonia so we all have had to pray and leave Hoss in the Lord's hands.


It is amazing to report that nearly 3 full days later he is doing better than expected. He is walking, yet another miracle, albeit with a pronounced stiffness in his hips. He is wagging his tail which, along with the walking, indicates there is no spinal cord damage as dogs like him usually lose function of their tails. He even got up when Brandon kicked his soccer ball by him yesterday.


Though the accident is sad, I have a sweet memory of my little ones gathered around Hoss while I prayed for him. Adeline even wanted to request prayer for him in church on Sunday night. They are personally seeing God's concern for them and His ability and power to heal their beloved puppy.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

"Master, Master we perish"

"Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm. And He said unto them, Where is your faith?" Luke 8:24,25a

In recent weeks, as many of you know, we've been struggling, discouraged and frustrated with, and in, the battles we have faced recently. It is so very easy to take my eyes off the Lord and focus completely on my circumstances. In those times my faith becomes very weak and fear grows strong.

"Now the just shall live by faith....Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 10:38a & 11:1) God has really been reminding me that I need to continue to build my faith. It's interesting to me that as I look back on my Christian life I can see without doubt those times God was teaching me to grow in faith.

Brandon has potentially life threatening kidney disease. When Kaitlin was three she nearly died from a serious infection in her leg caused by the flesh eating bacteria. At birth, Isabel suffered from premature lungs which collapsed and nearly took her life. Adeline has had mulitple cases of pneumonia and anaphylactic reactions. And I could go on.

What have all these trials taught me? To be still and know that God is God. To rest in Him and trust His will for my life whatever the circumstances. That discouragement is the absence of courage. That lack of faith is the absence of hope.

The repeating theme throughout those trials and the ones we have been experiencing lately is one of faith. It seems that God is asking me, "Debbie, do you have the faith to believe that I really am at work? Do you have the faith to leave this situation in my hands? Do you have the faith to rest and trust? Will you obey and do what I ask though it makes no sense to you?"

Honestly, my faith has waivered. Often in the last few weeks my answer has been no, or at best a tentative yes. There have been times recently where I have felt much like Habakkuk, "O Lord, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear!" Hababkkuk 1:2a. And God replies, "Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days , which ye will not believe, though it be told you." Habakkuk 1:5

Whether I see it or not, believe it or not, have hope in it or not, God is at work! What a blessing it is that God loves me so much that He works even in my unbelief. But what a shame it is to KNOW that I have lacked the belief and hope that God is at work.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Happy 15th Brandon!!!!

15 candles on a cake sure will make a lot of smoke. It's hard to believe that my first born is 15, goodness where has the time gone? Before I know it he'll be heading off to college in the States and we'll be one less person at our dinner table.

On Saturday Brandon invited a few of his friends over for soccer and lunch. It was good to see the relationships he has built with these young men. He decided to open his presents after youth meeting and I must say I was so pleased with the special way he thanked his little brother, Nehemiah, for one of the gifts he gave. Nehemiah felt certain that Brandon would love a coloring book and since it was his money we let him buy it. Brandon was just as excited about the gift as Nehemiah had hoped.

On Sunday morning Brandon had the great honor of standing before the church while we sang to him. We had a nice lunch at home and a good afternoon, until our dog, Hoss, was hit by a car. I'll blog about that later though. Brandon stayed home from church last night to take care of Hoss and missed being sung to a second time...too bad. :-)

Brandon has been a tremendous blessing to us. We are thankful for his willingness to serve in the church here. And especially for his fun loving attitude. He is so whitty especially at times when we all need a laugh. He contributes greatly to our family and we are ever so thankful to God for him!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

¿Por que?

Porque Uruguay no es Estados Unidos. (Why? Because Uruguay is not the United States.)
Now that we have that out of the way let me tell you about my glucose tolerance test this week. My appointment was for 8:30 and I was able to get in pretty close to that time. After seven other glucose tolerance tests I expected that they would draw my blood, have me drink the less than tasty carbonated orange syrup withinten minutes and then I would be there for an hour or so, have my blood drawn again and then I could go home.

Instead, they drew my blood...let me pause for a needed explanation of the use of examination gloves here in Colonia. Commonly (from my experience in the USA anyway) nurses and doctors don the protective latex when they draw our blood. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding of the use of this basic medical supply. Each time I, or the children, have had blood drawn I've not set eyes on a latex glove. This time I was actually surprised to see a latex glove on the tray next to the syringe. As I watched the nurse pick up the glove I fully expected her to put it on herself, not me. Can you believe the nurse took that glove and used it as a tourniquet?! Oh, boy!
Back to the test...after they drew my blood the first time I waited for over an hour for them to get the initial results. Then they sent me to the basement to wait for my dreaded carbonated concotion. Which actually turned out to be half of a small pitcher of very, very, very sweet hot tea. When I finished drinking the tea, which I could drink at my leisure - a nice change, to someone who doesn't like a lot of sugar it tasted nearly as bad as the orange drink, I headed back upstairs to wait in the ER lobby for two hours. I showed up at the hospital at 8:20 am and left the hospital at 12:30. I sure hope the results come back normal because I would hate to see how long the longer test takes.



Monday, July 30, 2007

Attendance, music and more

I know that many who come to this blog do so because you support our ministry. Please accept my apologies as I haven't put in nearly as many updates about the ministry as I would like or need to.

Attendance at the El General church has been low because of the cold. As far as I understand the El Real annex is not experiencing as much of a drop in attendance but they too have less people during the winter. Yesterday we headed to church in zero degree (celsius) weather. With one Estufa de Gas for the entire building plus a small electric space heater you can imagine how cold it can be. To say the least we are looking forward to the end of this historic winter.

Once a month we have Melody Night in the evening service. The choir always sings and there are usually a few vocal and instrumental specials. The youth group also sang last night and it was very nice to hear them sing out to the Lord. A goal has been set to have 90 young people by years end, we are already half way there.

Hermano Ricca announced that he and his wife celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary this past week. They are a dear sweet couple and an encouragement to us all. In this day and age of multiple marriages and live-in relationships, even here in Uruguay, we certainly appreciate their example and testimony.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Sad news

We just learned of the home-going of Mrs. Teresa Bray. Many of you have prayed for her over the past few months as she battled cancer. Certainly she is in heaven and we rejoice yet we mourn with Pastor Bray. No doubt she will be dearly missed by her family and church family. Please pray for Pastor Randy Bray as he grieves the loss of his wife.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Majoring on the minors

"CAUTION, this sign has sharp edges do not touch the edges of this sign. Also, the bridge is out ahead."

If we talk about majoring on the minors, this sign has the market cornered. I have to admit that sometimes I can be just as ridiculous. It certainly is easy to focus on the little things especially when you're married or raising children. You know the dirty socks left on the floor, and all the minor annoyances of life.

There is another area, though, where I have noticed people tend to major on the minor. This sign warns of sharp edges and the bridge being out is in miniature. The focus clearly is not on what is important. We have come across people in our daily lives who are ignoring the "Bridge Out Ahead" warning sign.

These are people who for various reasons reject the truth that there is only one way to heaven, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Instead of heeding the warning found in the truth of God's Word, the Bible, they continue driving down the road they think leads to heaven. Thankfully, God doesn't hide Salvation through Jesus Christ in the fine print.

Are you majoring on the minors, heading down the road towards a bridge that will not get you to heaven? Has someone shared the truth of God's Word with you and you have easily dismissed their concern? If so, I encourage you follow the link at right "Are you Christian?".

Monday, July 23, 2007

Update on Hector

Thank you to all who are praying for Hector, he has a long recovery ahead. He does have a broken pelvis but his head injury was not serious. Keep praying, especially that His heart will grow closer to the Lord during his time of recuperation.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Pray for Hector

Early this morning Pastor Archie received a phone call that one of the young men in the church had been injured. Though we aren't exactly sure of the circumstances Hector was found about an hour after he fell off the main bridge into town. He was taken from Colonia into the capitol this afternoon with serious injuries. We were told that he had a broken pelvis and bleeding in his head.

A SEOG or would that be FREAL?

I woke up last week with a really sore throat. After 5 days of pain, losing my voice and coughing at night I saw the "ER" doctor before my ultrasound. Turns out I have strep throat. This afternoon I woke up after my very cough interrputed nap sounding like a FREAL - of course that is a cross between a frog and a seal.


Because I'm allergic to Penicillans and their family of drugs I'm limited to an expensive $10 a day medicine. Believe it or not that's more expensive than my ultrasound. At any rate I sure hope my voice goes back to normal after this.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Seven out of eight old wives are right...


So what are some of the Old Wives tales you know? Pretty much the only one I know has to do with the shape of an expectant mothers abdomen. If she has the oblong shape of a football, she is carrying a girl. Round like a basketball? The baby is a boy.

With the exception of one of our children, Isabel, who happens to be a princess tomboy, all of our babies have fit this pattern during my pregnancies. And now that we have an even number of boys to girls (we can say that after my ultrasound today!) we have proof that 7 out of 8 old wives are right.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

What in the World is that?


If you were in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday you may have heard those words uttered in awe of the first snowfall in nearly 90 years! Across the water in Colonia we only saw some flurries. Scott called it the river de-effect, somewhat like the lake effect in the USA but it works opposite. Of course that's only a theory. At any rate the weather forecasters can now pat themselves on the back as their predicted snow finally fell.

Scott and I spent the afternoon and early evening making a grocery run to the capitol. Groceries are often much cheaper in Montevvideo, not to mention we can usually get some goods imported from the USA - like Betty Crocker baking mixes, or cremora coffee creamer, and the best yet Kraft Mac N' Cheese. We needed a "date" so we used this as an excuse. Plus, we got to give the van another good long drive.

I was enjoying my McDonald's Cuatro de Libre meal when I thought I saw someone I recognized. It turned out to be the Perez family who was returning home from their winter vacation in Treinta y Tres. Our shopping time ended together and we headed home in caravan. It was a good thing too as 40 minutes from home we heard a sound. It wasn't just me saying, "What in the World is that?", it was the sound coming from the left front tire. The wheel bearing went out and so we transferred luggage from the Perez vehicle into our van then the perishable groceries and ourselves into the Perez' vehicle for a very tight ride home.

Scott spent all of today trying to fix the van, but that's another post (maybe Scott will write that one). I'll end this one by thanking the Lord for His perfect timing in bringing the Perez, to the capitol when we needed them.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Our fourth 7 year old.

Adeline is 7!!! With all of her allergies and problems with severe asthma this is indeed a miracle. Kaitlin baked her an egg and milk free birthday cake and I attempted to decorate it after Brandon frosted it. Adeline loved it and I do have to say it was the best allergy free B-day cake we've had thus far.

A birthday tradition is to take each birthday child to dinner at the restaurant of their choice. This year for Adeline we had to eat in as we weren't confident in our ability to tell the waiter how we needed her food. So she picked a meal of BBQ'd pork Chorizo (sausage), rice and gravy. It was all yummy.

She opened up her loot of presents, and played while we cleaned up. Then we watched a couple movies together as a family. Everyone, Simeon especially, enjoyed all the candy that arrived a couple days ago from Dyer Baptist Church - Nerds, Jujyfruits, Gobstoppers, Dots, Red Raspberry Dollars and Mike & Ike's. And, of course, a couple large bowls of popcorn. What a day!