The Joy of Giving

Recently, I was insipred by what The Oaks church is doing this year to bring CHRISTmas to their community. You can read more about it here.

I decided that the Louderback family should join in on the fun! So, I made a version of the idea that fit well with our family and what we have going on. I thought you might enjoy seeing it and maybe even get inspired, like I did, to help your family celebrate in a giving way this year.

Praying your Christmas is filled with the joy of giving~

The Louderback Family

12 days of being a CHRISTmas blessing.

1. Saturday 11^th: Buy Christmas gifts for Marielle and her daughter

2. Sunday 12^th: Give water to the street vendors as we pass by

3. Monday 13^th : Go out of your way to open doors for friends, family and strangers

4. Tuesday 14^th : Give a teacher a Thank you/Merry Christmas note

5. Wednesday 15^th: Write a letter of encouragement to a soldier who will not be home this Christmas (get address from mom)

6. Thursday 16^th: Invite people to the Christmas program at church

7. Friday 17^th: Hand some spare change to a street vendor

8. Saturday 18^th: Send an online Christmas card to another MK in another part of the world

9. Sunday 19^th: Compliment people you see all day today

10. Monday 20^th: Hand out candy canes in the airport along the way

11. Tuesday 21^st: Put some change in the bell ringers bucket

12. Wednesday 22^nd: Think of a random act of kindness you can do for someone today just to bless them

What do they hear?

I can hear most things that go on inside of my neighbors homes. Our home sits very close to the other ones on my street and everyone lives with open windows and doors trying to cope with the heat. So, I hear. Lots of things. I hear the daily calls to my elderly neighbor from her children. They call to check in at least twice every day. I hear the neighbor on the other side of my home as she prepares breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. I hear as she cleans the dishes from the meal she has made. Across the street there is a large family from the East. They have many generations in the home. This afternoon I heard all of the kids laughing and playing, singing songs together. I hear cars that come and go. I hear babies cry. I hear parents correct. You get the idea. So today, I started thinking. What do my neighbors hear from my home? What do the things that they hear say about my family? They hear the dog, the laughter, the frustrations, the phone, the tears, the cooking, the music. They hear our life on some level each and every day. Just as I hear theirs. The same is true in your home. Sure, you may not live as I do with windows and doors wide open. Those that live around you can still hear. They may "hear" differently than my neighbors do. They may hear with their eyes. So, what do they hear when they look at your family? In your conversations, in the things that are important to you. Makes you think, doesn't it.
I am pretty sure that there are no wrong or right answers here. Just pondering and evaluating. And perhaps changing of tones that need to occur. At least in this home.

Bocas Del Toro Family Get-Away

Trinity wrote her thoughts about our recent family get away. Enjoy!

9 hours and 2 boat rides from the bustling city of Panama sits a small island where the fastest means of transportation is a bike. The 9 hour drive is dotted with villages of the native Embera people. They live simply with no running water or electricity but an obvious love for colors and fresh fruits. Our small wooden boat arrives at the island of Bastimentos and we are welcomed by a group of local islanders. There are no roads on this island just winding walking paths to enjoy. One of our greeters makes some of the best fresh fish ever tasted. We are so humbled becuase while it seems that these people have so little, they share with the newcomers as if it is just a way of life for them. Our home for a few days is a cabin overlooking the ocean and we drift to sleep hearing Caribbean music being played throughout the town. We awake to the sound of the rooster. Our first morning has sprung on this beautiful island. We begin the day with fresh pineapple and strong coffee. Yet another boat is taken to a neighboring island and we explore the new grounds on bicycles. The streets are flooded with people who stand watching as the Children's parade sweeps through. This is the time of year they celebrate their Independence. Freedom is a beautiful gift. As we ride, we see new sights, smell new smells and are reminded that most people in the world do not live like we do. They live simpler. I would argue maybe even better. That night, we're back on our host island and fall fast asleep after a busy and full day. Early the next day, the soft rain is hitting the roof and we stumble out into the brisk, wet morning. A small covered boat arrives to take us on what proves to be an amazing adventure. The rain lightens even further as the small boat enters the realms of Dolphin Bay and the gentle creatures come up towards the surface of the calm water. We stare in amazement at the beautiful creatures God has created jumping within reach of our small boat. In time we bid our new friends farewell and travel farther towards a small restaurant out in the middle of the ocean. There, we dive and see all the beautiful sea life God has made with such creativity. The playful fish circle around our legs as we reach out, trying to touch them. All different shapes and sizes, every color of the rainbow. Later, the boat travels to a small opening in the forest trees. The old, careless dock stretches 5 minutes into the land and brings us to a beach covered in tiny red frogs. We spend a few hours there in the roaring waves. We dig in the soft sand searching for treasures. The tiny red frogs dance around the island as we play. God is so creative in his creating. That night the whole family lays in hammocks as we talk about the way that God has led us to this place. The bumpy roads, the turbulent boats all seem worth it. Life is a gift meant to be enjoyed. We are grateful for it.

Thomasville Team Wrap Up

The week is over and our time in Panama is done. We have experienced so many emotions this week because God has shown up in some big ways. Our team had the privilege of working closely with a fantastic team of missionaries who are passionate about leading people to the Lord. During the week we were able to play and love on children who were thankful for our attention because they live without lots of the things that our American children take for granted. We were able to go into a school and teach about the 10 Commandments and love of God. That certainly doesn't happen in public schools in America. We were able to witness walls and strongholds come down as Baptist ministers from all over Panama City met with the Urban Panama team to discuss God's love and how they must work together to spread that message. God allowed us to lay hands on two young men who surrendered to the call of missions. What was most amazing about this event was that we were able to worship and sing the same song, "Open the Eyes Of My Heart Lord," while singing it in three different languages. Although we couldn't understand what the other Panamanians were singing, God heard a beautiful choir of voices lifting their praises to Him. The stories of God's goodness could continue, but I simply want to end by saying that God is real. God is good. God is faithful, and God is mine. I hope He's yours too.

Thanks for praying for us. Your prayers helped us to plant seeds all over Panama City.

Leigh

Final Day in Panama

Today we met with the members of the UP Team and some Panamanian translators to go into a small public school in a neighborhood called San Fransisco. According to Panamanian law, Religion has to be taught in the public schools. The Lord opened a door for the UP Team to teach the Gospel to over 200 elementary school children. The principal of the school welcomed us in to spend the morning teaching the 10 commandments and singing about Jesus. We were so blessed to be part of the day! ~ Debby


From Amy~
It is difficult to express the bridge built tonight between the Urban Panama team and the local Baptist pastors in Panama. In fact, I believe it will be impossible this side of heaven to glimpse just where or how far it will extend in reaching others for Christ. A banquet was held tonight in appreciation for those pastors and their wives to encourage them in their ministry, introduce them to each other, and encourage a working relationship which promotes a unified effort in reaching Panama for Christ. The pastors and their wives were SO APPRECIATIVE. Joy radiated their faces as they expressed their desire to work together to plant more churches in this city of 1.2 million people.

Serving

How do I put into words the things of today? God already did Matthew 20:28 - "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." This is our heart and this is why we came. Today was absolutely indescribable. Our plans changed today due to unforeseen events, but our resolve was quick. We were able to go to a community center and play with children and perform some construction. It is so sweet to serve. The afternoon was full, both spiritually and time wise. We attended one of the most eloquent services we've all ever experienced. We laid hands on two brothers in Christ, named Ariel and Wika, who are leaving for the mission field on Friday. These men have received training from Tim, Cavin and Derek through a Church Planting program that they created. Last Tuesday Ariel decided to quit his job and go into the mission field. He will be leaving his family on Friday to go with Wika to Bocas Del Toro and then into a remote jungle for two months. The church they attend have 10-15 members. They are sending two of their own. Fantastic percentages!!

God is good and again isn't it GOOD TO SERVE! - Steven H

Ariel and Wika, 2 new missionaries

Tuesday in Santa Fe

We had a full day in the hot Panama sun! A few weeks ago God opened the doors for us to work in an area here called Santa Fe. It is a family community with a large community center and several parks in the area. This morning, we prayer walked the area and were able to have some great conversations with some of the local families. The people were so friendly and we can see so much potential for house churches in this area. This afternoon we handed out fliers for an upcoming movie night we will host in the community in a few weeks. It was a very productive day.
The Thomasville team has 3 young men who have joined their parents to minister to the people of Panama this week. Caleb, Ben and Brady have been such assets to the team. The have been such troopers and worked so hard!

We asked each of them to share their favorite part about the day. Here are their thoughts. :)

"I really liked how people were so friendly when we talked to them. No one was ever rude to us. They always wanted to hear what we had to say. I also liked getting pulled over by the police." (that is a whole other story!) Brady-8th grade

"We got to talk to 4 girls who were my age in the park. They had lots of fun having their pictures taken and trying to say English words." Ben-7th grade

"I liked prayer walking the town and the school. We prayed that when the school is finished being built, the missionaries here would be able to go there and talk about Jesus with the kids." Caleb-5th grade

The Living Water

Hola!! Today was our first day on the mission field in Panama. We started the day at the Louderback house for a meeting with the Urban Team (Tim, Tina, Cavin, Charlotte, Audrey and Derek). We learned a lot of interesting information about Panama City. Out of the 1.2 million people who live in the city, only about 2% are Evangelicals. With this in mind, we all went to Ancon Hill to pray over the city of Panama. We are really praying for God to use us to do some amazing things this week. After praying over the city, we went to Omar Park to give out water to people. On the bottles we had labels that explained how Jesus is the Living Water. We had great conversations with lots of Panamanians. Hopefully lots of seeds were planted today. Tomorrow is another great day full of many mission opportunities. Please pray for our team. We love all of you and have already felt your prayers. ~ Leigh

FBC Thomasville Georgia Visits Panama!!!

We are getting ready to head to the airport to pick up a group of friendly faces! Our home church, FBC Thomasville, Georgia, is sending a mission team to work with us for the week. We are BEYOND EXCITED! We are not only excited about seeing our friends and getting to serve with them this week in beautiful Panama, but about what God is going to do through our work. We are going to update the blog throughout the week, so be sure and check back in. Please pray for the Urban Panama (UP) Team this week along with our Georgia friends:

Leigh
Ben
Steve
Amy
Caleb
Brady
Lori
Stephen
and Debbie

Chick- Fil- A in Panama!!

In an effort to scratch an itch of missing Chick-fil-A, we decided to get creative. We did some online research to find out all of the tricks and trades of Chick-fil-A. Then, we went in search of all of the ingredients and got together with our team for a night of fun and yummy Chick-fil-A! Audrey's mom had somehow convinced a Chick-fil-A store owner in TX to give us some "special" batter. So, she brought it on a recent visit. I am sure she told them some sob story about poor missionaries living with no Chick-fil-A.:) I have to say that it was a lot more work than walking into the restaurant, but man did it taste good!!! We are thinking we might make this a monthly event and try out different restaurants that we miss. Enjoy the pics from our Chick-fil-A night.

Personalize a collage

Thanks to our new Oklahoma City friends!!!

Tim with some new friends in one of our ministry areas.

The Urban Panama Team has officially hosted and lived through our first mission team! In reality those wonderful folks from Capital City Baptist Association in Oklahoma City survived us! :) The team was beyond gracious and ever so flexible! We had an amazing time getting to know them and most importantly, lots of work was done for the Lord! We sent them home good and tired. In the time they were here, they canvased a large area prayer walking, completed several construction projects and we were able to provide an amazing family block party in an area of Panama City we are working in. With their help, the UP Team saw work completed that would have taken months to do alone.

Thanks to all of our new Oklahoma City friends, you blessed us with your time and sweet spirits.

A new addition

We promised the kids that once we were settled, we would fulfill their heartfelt cries for a new furry friend. So, meet the newest member of our family:
Jericho

We think he is super cute and hope that he behaves well so that we can keep him around. :)

Our New Home in Panama

Free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Mom Interview

Quick fun update. I was asked to be part of a fun interview on a blog. You can check it out at Mama Moderne.

I Have The Wrong Couch

I mentioned in my previous post but in case you missed it, it is HOT in Panama? No really. I mean HOT! Tim says it is not that bad, but I disagree. I think it is HOT! In truth, we have adjusted pretty well to the heat and lack of AC. Our house sits up on a hill and so we get a rather nice breeze most days which is very helpful.
I could not possibly remember of all the fun things that have taken place over the past few weeks as we have set up our home. So, I will share a story which pretty much sums it up. We bought a couch and they were going to deliver it for us. A week passed, and then another. Finally, they arrived with a couch. The only problem is, it is not the one we bought. Nice. So, we have a couch although it is not the one that we want. They will be bringing that one back next week. Or the next or maybe even the next. Only time will tell. Really, we have had fun and lots of laughs (maybe just a few tears) setting up the house. It is feeling like a home and we love it. The kids have settled in amazingly well which is such an answer to prayer. They are ready for school to start so that they can make some friends but all in all, they are happy as can be.
Tim and I had 3 days of training last week and our first team meeting this week. We are ready to get busy! We really love the folks we work with here. We have already met some folks in the community that we hope to be able to work with in the future as well. God is already opening doors and we are so grateful. Would you pray that God will continue to bring Panamanians into our path that we can walk alongside and disciple?
Our visit with the Barwick family was just what the doctor ordered. Lots of laughing and catching up. Noah and Ben were stuck together like glue and it did all of our hearts good to just be together. They brought lots of fun goodies from our Thomasville friends. The kids felt like it was Christmas in July! Thank you for loving on our family through your generosity. You blessed us!

Setting up shop in Panama!

It is midnight, I am melting and I just finished setting up my kitchen. Let me rewind a few days......
We have been in lovely (and HOT) Panama for just over a week now. We arrived with all of our luggage and a dreadful flu like ailment. All 3 girls were sick chicas for several days. They even shared their germs with some other kids on our mission team. Nice way to make friends with the team, don't you think! :) In between tending to sick kiddos, we have managed to buy lots of wonderful things to set up our home. Can I just say that Panama is a shoppers heaven!!!! The variety here is amazing and we have been so happy with our new purchases.
We were able to stay in a mission apartment for the first week we were here. Last night was the first night in our new home. We kind of feel like we are living in a mansion after our year and a half in 700 square feet with one bathroom. The kids love the house and the yard, so all seems happy on the home front.
Our wonderful friends, the Barwick's, are headed our way in just a few days. Bless them, they have no idea what they are walking into. Tim has big plans for Ken in the yard and I feel sure that Leigh and I will have plenty to keep us busy. We are thrilled that they are coming and cannot wait to spend a few days laughing and catching up. Noah is beyond excited to see his best friend Ben. Life is sweet!
We feel beyond blessed that God has called us to this beautiful country and cannot wait to see what He has in store for us here. Thanks for lifting us up in prayer as we continue to settle in.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica~ I will never forget the day we first met. All I could think about was how to get away from you and go home. I will never forget that feeling. I have thought at times about why it was that our meeting was….. less than magical. :) Perhaps it was all the bars. The trash in the streets. The people and animals in the streets. The language that sounded like gibberish to me. Those first sights, smells and sounds are still vivid in my memory. All I wanted to do was run.

I am pretty sure that I cried more in those first few weeks than I thought was humanly possible. Scared. Intimidated. Lost. Those are the feelings I remember. Slowly, I began to settle. In my spirit and in my new home. Over and over again, I learned to trust the Lord. It became so much more than just words. It became a way of life. I learned lessons. Hard ones. But I would not trade one of them in for my old comfortable life.

Eventually, life in Costa Rica seemed almost normal. I learned the language. I made relationships. I learned how to grocery shop and cook with ingredients that I had never heard of. I got lost more than once. I always found my way home though. I traveled your roads to places so beautiful that words cannot describe them. I saw physical poverty and spiritual wealth. I saw what it looked like to put people before things. How to slow down and enjoy each day. And at some point along the way, I fell in love with your culture and your country.

So, I will leave you with a much different view than the one I had of you when we first met. You changed me. I am wiser and more at peace because of you. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my relationship with my family and my Lord are stronger because of you. I am better for having landed here and for having stayed.

Noah, our 6th grade graduate

Congratulations to our 6th grade graduate! This past school year has been full of challenges for Noah. We are so proud of the way he has handled them, and of how hard he has worked this year. We have been beyond blessed to have teachers who have loved and encouraged our son!

Congratulations Noah!!! We love you!

My blog just had a make-over!

Welcome to the new blog!!! I am so excited about how it has turned out. I have really wanted to be a better blogger, so I am hoping this new fun gives me some inspiration.
Please do me a favor and sign up as a follower on the right hand side of the blog. That way, you will not miss anything! Our life is about to pick up speed as we head to Panama to begin our work there, so come along for the fun! :)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! After a wild and crazy few days in the airport, thanks to a blizzard in Denver, we are all together again! Praise the Lord! I never dreamed that Noah and I would be gone from Tim and the girls for a MONTH! We truly enjoyed our time in the states and had great time with family and friends but goodness, we were glad to be HOME! I can truly say that home is where your family is and I am thrilled to be back with mine!
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement to us. My leg is so much better! The nerve pain is gone. There is still healing to be done, but the doctor feels like it will be back to 100% within 7 months. Noah is doing great too. We are trying some different medicines to help him and are still working on finding just the right combination. We feel like we are on the right track and have a good plan in place to help him thrive with this new challenge.
We are ready to get back into a normal family and ministry routine. Tim has been busy researching Panama and we are looking forward to what God has in store for our team there. In fact, maybe I can convince Tim to write a little post about what kind of work we plan to be doing once we get there.
For now, thanks again for your prayers. God has been so faithful to us during this time.

Post Surgery Update

The surgery went well. The doctor was able to release 2 entrapped nerves and now we just wait. I am still very sore and swollen from the surgery, but the pain is different. So, I am very hopeful that I am on the way to a full recovery. I have a follow up appointment on Monday. I am sure at that time, we will talk about what kind of rehab I will have to have. I am praying that the doctor will release me to travel at that time. I am enjoying the good ole USA but I am ready for my whole family to be in one place!!! Please pray that the nerves will continue to wake up and that I will have a total recovery from all of this!
Noah is still waiting to begin the medicine that the doctors have recommended for him. Because of some of the side effects of the medicine, he had to have to have some tests done to make sure that he was a very healthy boy overall. We expect for them to be just fine, but until they all come back, we can not start the medicine. I spoke with the doc this AM and he is hopeful that we will get to start the meds by tomorrow. Noah is anxious to start. Please pray that they will work well and that there will be minimal side effects.
I will continue to update you as we have news to share. We can not thank you enough for your prayers!

An update from Texas........

THANK YOU so much for all of your prayers and emails to our family. I wanted to give you a quick update about where we have been the past few days, and where we are headed in the next few weeks.

The doctors that I have met with for my leg have been so amazing! The orthopedic surgeon feels very confident that he can fix both my pain and my numbness with surgery. I never even dreamed that would be an option! As much as I dread having another surgery, I am SO EXCITED about the possibility of it being all better! My surgery will be first thing Tuesday AM. The doc will have to see me a week later, and then we will make a decision about when I can return to Costa Rica.

We saw a pediatric neurologist for Noah yesterday. He was so wonderful! He did give us an official diagnosis of Tourettes. He also gave us lots of hope and great ideas about how to manage with this new information. He also agreed to work with us as much as possible via internet and phone. We walked away feeling very good about how to manage this new challenge.

Tim and the girls are, of course, living large! They seem to be managing well with momma gone.

Here are a few specific ways that you can pray for our family in the days ahead:

Pray for the surgery to go well and relieve the pain as well as repair the nerve damage.

Pray for the medication that Noah will be starting. Pray for it to work well for him and for there to be no side effects.

Pray for Tim and the girls to hang in there while momma is away

Pray for our family in general. It is hard for all of us to be away from each other, but we are trying to be positive and remember that it is just a short time.

Pray for my mom as she is having to put her life on hold to take care of us here in Texas. I know she does it willingly, but I also know, we are a lot of work these days!

We are so blessed to have such amazing friends who pray for us. Thank you!

Thanks for the prayers and keep on praying!

A huge thank you to all of you prayer warriors out there! In record breaking time (and with the help of my amazing sister-in law) both Noah and I have secured appointments with specialists for next week! What we thought might take several weeks at best, took only a few days! Praise the Lord! So, we are in a bit of a whirlwind packing and getting ready to head to Houston. We are leaving tomorrow and will be back as soon as possible.
Here are some specifics you can pray for during this time:

Monday~ Tina's doctor appointment. Pray for the doctor to have wisdom and know how best to treat my damaged nerve. Pray for there to be a clear vision as to what is going on.

Thursday~ Noah's doctor appointment. Pray for Noah (and mom) to feel at ease with the doctor. Pray for him to be able to give us practical advice on how to help Noah manage what it going on.

Pray for Tim and the girls as they are at home in Costa Rica.

Pray for sweet time with our family and friends in Houston.

Thanks again for being willing to lift us up in your prayers! You are the best!

Medical Update and Prayers Needed

I want to share a little bit about the challenge our family is facing. I will begin with my medical issue. As many of you know, I have had severe nerve trauma in my leg following a bone biopsy in November. I have been taking a whole bunch of medication, and going to physical therapy almost every day since that time. Recently, the doctors performed a nerve test on my leg. It seems that even with this intense effort, there has been no change in my nerve function in 3 months. The doctors at the International Mission Board have made the decision that I should return to the United States for a second opinion. I will plan to be there a few weeks while I seek medical advice.
Now for the situation that is much harder for me to talk about. Several weeks ago, we began to notice some irregular behavior and actions in Noah. We also became aware that for the past two weeks, he has been really struggling in school. Those of you who know him, know that he has always been FULL of BOY, but he has never had trouble focusing or excelling in school. Noah came to us and shared that he felt as if something was wrong with him. We of course, made a doctor appointment. After several office visits and tests, the doctors have told us that in their strong opinions, we are dealing with Tourettes Syndrome. We have continued to see behaviors from Noah that confirm this diagnosis. Noah is going to join me on my trip to the States, so that we can meet with a specialist who can help us better understand how to manage this disease.
I could type for the next 2 hours and barely scratch the surface of how God has been with us in this time. He has orchestrated so much in our lives to help us handle this challenge in our family. As a mommy, I will say that this is the hardest road I have walked. However, Tim and I have not had to walk it alone. I have walked knowing that there was a purpose in the hill we were climbing. We trust God's plan for Noah and for all of our children. It is just not always easy to watch it unfold.
We have chosen to see doctors in the Houston area. My mother and brother live in the area, as well as good friends who are available to help us as we need it. There are amazing medical facilities in the Houston area, and we are so blessed that the IMB is allowing us to go there. As you might imagine, getting into these kind of specialists can take months. Please pray that God would move mountains and calenders and allow us to get in to the doctors quickly. Also pray for the right doctors to be found for each situation. We will head to the States as soon as appointments have been confirmed.
We know so many of you love us and pray for us while we are serving in Central America. We just want you to be aware of how to specifically pray for us at this time. We will keep you posted. Thank you again for your prayers. Much Love- The Louderback Family

February Newsletter

Hello from beautiful and sunny Costa Rica! We pray that this New Year is starting off well for each of you. One of our personal goals for the New Year is to do a better job at keeping you informed about what God is doing in our lives. Your support and prayers are a vital part of our ministry!

We are enjoying getting to do some “hands on” ministry after graduating from language school. We will remain here in Costa Rica until June and train for our work in Panama.
We are working in a local community called Los Yoses. We are getting to know the families in this community, and are praying that God would open the doors for us to begin a Bible study in one of the homes there.

The kids are all having a fantastic year at school! Trinity is in the school play. Noah is playing basketball on the school team. Gracie Lynn is on the gymnastics team, and Eden is spending lots of time watching plays, basketball games and gymnastics meets.

Our family has been blessed with a special friendship with a local Costa Rican family. The Vaverde family has taken us into their hearts and home. They have 4 kids very close to our kid’s ages, and we are enjoying spending time together. Please pray that this family would know what it means to have a real and growing relationship with Jesus.


Prayer Requests:

· Pray for Tim as he meets with Jason each week to study the Bible.
· Pray for Tina as she meets with Rosie to study the Bible each week.
· Pray for our work in the Los Yoses neighborhood.
· Pray for safety and health for our family

Many of you are aware that Tina has been dealing with significant nerve damage in her leg. Please pray that the doctors would have wisdom in how to treat the situation. Pray for Tina to have joy in the midst of a difficult situation.

The State of the Louderback Union

Last night as I watched our President talk, I had a few thoughts........Not to worry, this is not a political blog. I just thought it was a cute title.

The new year is off and running, and so are we! The kids are all busy with school and various other events. Noah has decided to try his hand at basketball this season. Of course, since it involves a ball, he loves it! Trinity auditioned and got a part in the school play. She is busy learning lines and practicing. Gracie Lynn started gymnastics again yesterday. I tried very hard to get her to switch over to piano. I bribed and begged. She finally looked at me in disgust and told me that playing the piano was not going to help her at all in her quest to be a cheerleader. Good point. :) Eden is as always, a delightful doll. Recently, Noah taught her to throw and catch the football. He says she is the best 5 year old football player around.

Tim and I are enjoying getting into the swing of life without having to go to language school. Tim is doing lots of reading and learning about church planting and Panama. He also is enjoying just hanging out in the community and talking to people. I know, some things never change. I am really enjoying having more time to be a mommy. I am doing some logistics and organizing for our team, so that keeps me busy too. It is really fun to be able to use our gifts, talents, and the things we enjoy to bring glory to God!

We are looking forward to what God has down the road for us in 2010. Stay tuned for more. :)