making this house our home

i've been working on some things here and there to dress this place up a little & so far this is what i've got...
 made another sign out of my uppercase living words....

baler twine & twigs can go a long way.... 

....and a twig wreath

as you can see i've gotten a little carried away with the whole twig thing, but hey, they are free and i really haven't got a whole lot of other resources........so for now my house shall be adorned with a bunch of dead branches...or if you want to be more tasteful about it...twigs :)


a couple of our Bible Club kiddos...don't let that cuteness fool you... actually this here is a great group of kiddos and we surely do have a wonderful time together

Belisha, Selina, Donnell, Javel, Terina & Joshim

passion fruit ......yumm.....makes some real good juice

Faces of Labori....don't let this one fool you either. Oh, he can be as nice as he is cute, but he also has an attitude the size of Texas, but when I look into those eyes...I see a boy that is longing for love & acceptance. So many of these dear children come from broken families & sad, sad homes. Oh, that we would be able to show the love of Jesus to these hurting souls...

I Made Her Because I Love Her

I made her - she is different, She is unique,
With love I formed her in her mother's womb.
I fashioned her with great joy.
I remember, with great pleasure, the day I created her.
(Psalm 139:13-16)




I love her smile, I love her ways, I love to hear her laugh,
And the silly things she says and does.
She brings Me great pleasure. This is how I made her.
(Psalm 139:17)




I made her pretty and not beautiful,
because I knew her heart, and knew she would be vain...
I wanted her to search out My heart,
And to learn that it would be Me in her that would draw friends to her.
(1 Peter 3:3-5)




I made her in such a way, that she would need Me.
I made her a little more lonesome than she would like to be...
Only because I need for her to lean and depend on Me...
I know her heart, I know if I had not made her like this,
She would go her own chosen way and forget Me
...her Creator. (Psalm 62:5-8)


I have given her many good and happy things because I love her. (Psalm 62:5-8, Romans 8:23)




Because I love her, I have seen her broken heart...And the tears she cried alone.I have cried with her, and had a broken heart, too.
(Psalm 56:8)


Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone, only because she would not hold my hand,
So many lessons she's learned the hard way. Because she would not listen to My voice...
(Isaiah 53:6)




So many times I have sat back and sadly watched her go her merry way alone.
Only to watch her return to my arms, sad and broken.
(Isaiah 62:2)


And now she is Mine again...I made her, and then I bought her...because I love her.
(Romans 5:8)




I have to reshape her and remold her...
To renew her to what I had planned for her to be.
It has not been easy for her, or for Me.
(Jeremiah 29:11)




I want her to be conformed to My image...
this is the high goal I have set for her,
Because I love her.
(2 Corinthians 2:14)


--author unknown

...love me some white sand..blue water..bright sunshine

Hubby & I spent a few hours at the beach yesterday morning. It was blissful!!! I don't think I will ever tire of the beauty of this island. We had a perfect sunshiny day, which is quite rare for when i go to the beach. I seem to carry a rain cloud over my head, but this time we had sunshine :) and the best part about it all was that this particular beach was secluded, meaning it was just him & I, well and this dog that seemed to think that we were best friends...

*just in case you are wondering. No. This is not all we do down here..it is just that it is more fun to take pics of the fun stuff :)

Some fresh, squeezed limeade please....
8-10 limes
water to make one gallon
2 cups sugar (Grenadians like their juice very sweet)

..little of this...some of that

Well September 6, 2010  means labor day for most people but for us it means that a month ago we had packed the last of our boxes...said our last goodbyes...and headed out into the great unknown. It truly is hard to believe that it has been a month since we left our friends and family & set flight for Grenada. It has been a good month in alot of ways. It has also been a stretching month. We have met alot of new people...learned alot of good lessons....trusted in an all-knowing God. As i look back on it all i can truly say that God is so Good. I think I've learned anew what it really means to rely fully on God. At times we felt so small...so helpless..but that, I believe, is when God can receive all the honor & glory through our lives. When we know that anything good that has possibly come out of our lives, was of God. Today is also the first day of school here in Grenada, so things will probably settle into a new normal for us once again...a good normal. :) Dengue fever has also been spreading here in Laborie especially....first Pastor Erlis had it...then Pastor Nevin had it and still has it since last Monday....and now it looks like Keith might have it :( We are hoping and praying that Ben don't get it yet, cuz that would wipe out all of the men in Laborie) Please pray for healing for those who have it now...Nevin has been very sick...spent some time in the hospital because of dehydration...i think it is getting rather old for them. They say...first you feel like you are going to die & then you wish you could die... Some people don't get it nearly as bad as others, but I think Nevin has had a pretty severe case of it. 

Here are some of Larry & Lystra's cute kiddos:

Sheldene

Wisem (sp?)

MaKayla

 Isaiah

Love me some tropical plants.. .. Ben & John were trimming bushed at the girls' house so I helped myself to some of these beauties...

...another project that i have been working on:

I had gotten this vinyl word at an uppercase living party before we even knew if we were coming to Grenada for sure....then i thought it would be an easy to travel with piece of art, but the more I thought about it I just coulnd't hang it directly on the wall, cuz that was that...once it is on you can't transfer it & who knows how long we will be living in this house.. so I got a piece of plywood....painted white....sanded the edges slightly...stuck my word on...& done. Now i can take it with me wherever I go :) I was thinking of drilling  2 holes in the top & putting baler twine through to hang it on a nail....we shall see. Now I am trying to decide whether to hang it in the bedroom (which was my original idea, but it has a pinkish, purple wall) or in the living room where it would match alot better. But would the word "dream" be to tacky to hang in the living room? I dunno.....

...and a little "love"....

ampersand pillow

Well...for quite some time now I have been intrigued by these cute pillows...and since I did have one ugly old pillow in my house and Grenada does have fabric, I decided to give it a try...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

just a couple simple steps and viola!!!!!! Easy Peasy! I am not by any means and advanced seamstress but I had alot of fun putting it together...although if you look too close I am sure you could find alot wrong with it...I am a happy girl right now. And although my hubby thinks I might be going off the deep end..I think deep down inside he really likes it too :)

...a new day

thanking God today for a lovely new day....with a clean slate.....and a fresh outlook. Well, I think I can safely say that things are beginning to feel like they are falling into a bit of a routine. We are beginning to understand what our responsibilities are & I am afraid I might regret complaining about being bored as our "to do" list is really starting to grow....but it is a good feeling. Keith & Kathy are back from holiday and he has a nice long list of things for Ben to work at (which makes Ben very happy). He can only stand so much studying time per day & even though that is a large part of his ministry..preaching, teaching...etc. It feels good for him to be able to get out and work with his hands, which is a gift that he enjoys.  I am really being inspired with ways to add a personal touch to our home & make it me....but there really are not resources around here so I am trying to learn how to make something beautiful out of nothing....i will let you know how that goes :) Other than that there are the typical day to day things that need done cooking, baking, cleaning, sewing. yeah you heard me right... I sewed my first complete solo dress this past week & I actually enjoyed it. :) Plus we are often having children stop by through out the day asking for water and just wanting some time and attention. We have taken over Bible Clubs in Peterfield (otherwise known as "The Hole") that were started by Erlis' and we had our first solo attempt at that this past monday also. I won't even tell you how that went...just say I came home ready to pack my bags. :) It will just be a journey to know how to handle BAD attitudes, disrespect and all that good stuff. But it my desire to find JOY in the journey!  My joy cannot be based on how things go but rather in knowing that I have received the beautiful gift of salvation & have a Heavenly Father who loves me and is walking beside me every step of the way! He never promised that this journey would be easy, but he DID promise that he is in control and will guide us as we seek His face.

oil down...beach....Quarantine Point

Well...we had our first encounter with oil down on Thursday night. Can't say for sure how I felt about it...I think it must be one of those things that kinda grows on you...I hope :) It really wasn't bad...it just had alot of new foods in it that I never ate before. But I was brave and ate everything that landed on my plate...and if you know me...that is a stretch as I am rather picky about what foods I allow entrance into my mouth. Thaddeus was our cook. He wanted to have make a pot of oil down for Erlis & Dorothy before they left & we had the privilege to be there as well...here are the stages of oil down....

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what your seein' there is some chicken...salt fish...pig tails.... :)

...with some seasonings...

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...add some figs....breadfruit (similar to potatoe)...and callaloo root

That is our cook Thaddeus.....fanning the flames to get a good fire going

cute kiddos that we are going to miss

Oh...the lovely Carribean beach... a place to rewind...relax....rejuvinate....and SNORKEL!!!!!!!! I wish I would have an underwater camera to show you all the awesome fish we see. There is another world underneath that water...it is just incredibley beautiful

The other night we went to Quarantine Point for the evening with Erlis and Dorothy & this rainbow greeted us when we got there. God's Promise to Us!!!!!!!!

After we bribed the kids with chewing gum they were willing to smile for the picture....

We are getting settled in here...after two weeks it is starting to feel more and more like home. We look forward to the time when we can kinda figure out a schedule that works for us, but God has been good & we are excited for the work here in Laborie. It feels like such a huge responsibility to show the love of Jesus to all these people and to be an encouragement & example to the new believers here. A friend sent me an email with this quote and I though I would share it here

The Lord doesn't ask about your ability, only your availability, and, if you prove your dependability,the Lord will increase your capability

for some dumb reason it wants to put this picture last and I am tired of arguing, but this is the finished product...okra....callaloo...field corn...and it is all cooked in coconut water...anyone say YUM??