Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving comes but once a year...

It's a cool, crisp Autumn day in San Juan Ostuncalco. The corn is all dry on the stalks, rustling in the wind. The morning air is like crystal with a bit of frost on the edge until the sun rises to oversee the bustle of harvest.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with a couple of other missionary families yesterday. The fellowship was nice, and the laughter hearty! My soul is full of gratefulness for God's blessings, for the abundance of His provision, for friends and family with whom to share the abundance. God is so good to us!

I have to admit that even though each year I very much look forward to Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday all year, I always seem to feel a little let down the day after. Did we truly honor God on this day we set aside for Giving Thanks? What did we offer as a sacrifice of thanksgiving? Was He pleased? Or was it just all about the special meal?

There is a danger in assigning Thanks Giving to one day on the calendar. Perhaps I am not the only one who lays great expectations on that one day, and when they do not all come about there is disappointment to deal with afterward. Could that be the reason that there is so much depression around this and other holidays?

I was reading Psalm 92 when it struck me that giving thanks and singing praise to Him is to be a daily thing, not a Thanksgiving Day thing..

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.."

This and many other psalms show that praise and thanksgiving are to be offered up daily! Doing so is a daily reminder to us of His great works, and it makes us glad on a daily basis. Praise Him!

Thanksgiving comes but once a year, but Giving Thanks is for all year 'round. Let us thank Him today, too, for all His blessings on us!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Look Who's Two!


THERE'S our sweet boy!


It's so hard for this mama to believe that two years have already passed since our littlest man was born. Joel adds so much fun to our family!

TWO things I love about him:

1) His eagerness to learn about the world around him.

2) The way he snuggles, even if he is stingy about kisses. (Working on that. :oD)


We took this video of Joel several weeks ago.. Every mama thinks her baby is a genius!



Joel's name means "The LORD is God", and it is our prayer that Jehovah will be his God and his Lord all the days of his life!

Happy birthday, little man! We love you so!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Where oh Where has Tammy been??

At Vacation Bible School, of course! I know, all of you in the States have VBS during the summer months. We have it in November/December because the children here get their big break from school at this time of the year.

It has been a fast and furious week. VBS always goes by so quickly, and it's always a great time for serving others and building up our team of believers in the church. This week was no exception! I plan to blog about it and post several pictures, but that will happen at The Daniel Coates Family blog, our other blog which has been sadly neglected.

Meanwhile, I have much catching up to do here at home (speaking of neglected, lol), which I will certainly get to right after my nap. :o)

I'm glad to be back in Blogland!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Alive and back with his family!

For those of you who were praying for the situation I posted about recently, the young man was RELEASED last night. The family asked that details not be posted, and so I have kept this post generic, and removed previous posts about it. They thank you all for your continued prayers!

Praise God!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Sweet Jessica's birthday



Can a mother be too proud of her little girl? I am struggling with that right now, as I attempt to write what is in my heart about our firstborn, our daughter Jessica Faith. The Lord gave her to us eleven years ago, and we were so ignorant, so unsuspecting of the treasure we had acquired in her.

When she arrived, I became a mother. I learned for the first time what it was like to carry a part of me outside of my body. So small, so vulnerable, so beautiful, she quickly won our hearts. Our lives had changed forever, and we never looked back.

As she grew, we learned so much about ourselves, about humanity, about God. We denied ourselves so that Jessica might have what she needed, and it was our joy to do so! We taught her God's Word, and promised to teach her to walk in His precepts. In training her, we were being trained in valuable life and ministry skills. We made mistakes. She readily forgave, and adored us as the gods in her little universe.

All too soon, she was no longer a toddler, but a spunky, happy little girl full of boundless energy. Her younger sister had arrived by then, and she eagerly took on the task of showing baby sister the world. How she made us all laugh! I might have kept her a little girl forever, but God knew better. He knew the best was yet to come..

As the years passed, I marvelled at her intelligence, her charm, her individuality, and her growing faith. She often surprised me with the thoughtful things she said, many times displaying wisdom beyond her years. I wrote many of those things into a journal, lest I forget them. We often talked about God and the Bible, and she loved to sing about Him! One day, she told me she wanted vida eterna, to be with God forever. That day she gave her heart to Christ.

And now she is eleven years old. Practically a lady! She chooses for herself to love God, to walk in His ways and seek to please Him with her life. She still adores us, her parents, but she knows we are not perfect. We still make mistakes. And she still graciously forgives. Whereas once we led her entirely by the hand, now she is beginning to walk by our side in this grace of the Christian life. I catch a glimpse of who she is becoming. A Christian. A lady. My friend. I am breathless at the thought that this beautiful person is my daughter.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us our Jessica for these eleven years!

And now, here are eleven things I love and admire about Jessica:

1) Her sweet, friendly personality.

2) Her kindness toward others.

3) Her willingness to help her mom.

4) She is so good with handicrafts and sewing.

5) She loves to give to others.

6) She loves and honors her parents.

7) She enjoys helping care for her younger siblings.

8) She readily memorizes God's Word, and is quick to recall key passages.

9) Her godly desire to learn how to be a keeper at home.

10) Her lovely, feminine ways which delight those around her.

11) Her sweet Christian testimony she maintains among her friends.

Happy birthday, sweet Jessica! I love you!