We recently lost a sweet friend and church member, Teodora "Lola" Ical, as I posted on our other blog. Daniel was privileged to preach her funeral the day after she passed away, and he was able to get to know more of the family that way.

The family told Daniel that it is customary to have a memorial service nine days after the death, and again forty days later, and that they wanted him to officiate those memorial services as well.

We learned that the nineth day and fortieth day memorials are a Mayan practice. It is supposed that on those days the spirit of the departed will die if not remembered. But Daniel will take any opportunity to preach the gospel, so preach he did.
I zoomed in on this a little, hoping you can see the glass of water to the left of Lola's photo. That's another custom. It's for the spirit of the deceased, who is supposed to be present during the service. I got a little shocker when I looked over about the end of the service, and noticed that the level of water in the glass was a little - but noticeably - lower than before we started!

...Then as I stared at it, I realized the water was hot, and that little bit had vaporized.

Please say a prayer for Lola's family right now, that many will see the truth and will receive Christ as Saviour.

Is it possible? One whole year ago...

This little guy joined our family.

See how he's grown!

(Notice the curl in his hair? We took care of that today...)

There's the Birthday Boy!

We had little party with just us and the pastor and family.

Daniel grilled some burgers and hotdogs, and of course there was CAKE!

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Baby Joel, Happy birthday to you!"

Hello, what's this?

Where have you been all my life?

More cake.

Still eating cake.

Looks like he's starting to feel the effects of cake.

Okay, enough of that. Let's move on to the next event... the Haircut!





No more baby look. Happy birthday, Big Boy!

FOR TODAY Monday, November 10...

Outside my window... it is foggy and cool. The fog will burn off in an hour or so, and then it will likely be clear and sunny enough to dry my laundry :o)

I am thinking... about my daughter who is feeling ill. She will need some special attention today.

I am thankful for... the lights that came back on after blinking off early this morning.

From the learning rooms... we are doing a week's work in a day, and the girls are loving it, and are looking forward to finishing sooner so they can enjoy Vacation Bible School.

From the kitchen... Jessica will be making banana bread all by herself. She is becoming such the little homemaker!

I am wearing... a brown floral jumper, and pink slippers.

I am creating... a blue plaid jumper. Just lacks some handstitching on the inner liner, then a hem.

I am going... for a walk outside as soon as it is warm enough.

I am reading... Isaiah from the Bible, and also Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.

I am hoping... to get to the mending today. My children are rough on their clothes, and that mending pile is growing!

I am hearing... little ones stirring upstairs - too early :o)

Around the house... are the signs of a busy weekend and Lord's Day. We'll be catching up today on housework, setting things straight again.

One of my favorite things... right now is our family closet. I'm still enjoying the novelty of folding up and putting away almost all of the laundry in one place!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Joel's first birthday is Friday. We are also going to meet with the mayor of La Esperanza for dinner. (We still need to find a babysitter for that.)

Here is picture thought I am sharing...


Saturday was a beautiful, sunny and windy day, and Joseph begged me to help him fly his kite. I was reluctant because I just can't make kites fly, but he persisted. I finally gave in and went outside, held up the kite for the wind to catch, and he took off running with the string... And wouldn't you know, that kite took to the wind as smoothly as a sailboat? I was as delighted as my little boy was.

Our firstborn, Jessica Faith, just turned ten years old. Her name means rich faith, and our prayer is that her faith in God will continue to grow richer and richer as the years go by.

Here are ten things I love about my Jessica:

1. She loves and serves her Dad and Mom with a smile on her face.

2. She is a sweet big sister to her brothers and sisters, helping them with their needs.

3. She helps take care of the baby, and delights in doing so.

4. She is very intelligent, and learns so quickly in school.

5. She is a true princess at heart, a daughter of the King.

6. She keeps her bed neat and tidy.

7. She is so creative, and is good at sewing and fixing things.

8. She dances when she does housework.

9. She talks to her Mom openly and honestly.

10. She has a lovely singing voice, and uses it to honor Christ.

I love you, sweet girl! Happy Birthday!

Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is : which keepeth truth for ever:

Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:

The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 146

*****

No matter how the election comes out, God's people are blessed. Happy is that people whose God is the LORD! Rejoice!

*****

All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. (Psalm 145)

*****

Regardless of what happens today, we are of a greater Kingdom, an everlasting one, and one where there is never a scary election. The LORD reigns!

*****

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth...

My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Amen!

Today I received the following letter in my email, and it expresses some of the things that have been on my heart about this election. Please read it, and then join with us to pray and fast today for the election. God's will be done.

A side note: If you are a Christian, you have probably read, heard, and/or thought of II Chronicles 7:14 a lot lately. I encourage you to read it again, and consider that God doesn't call for Obama to turn from his wicked ways, nor for the lost to seek God's face. He calls His own people to do so.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Are you sensing that there is something different about this presidential election? I was telling someone just recently that it seems like this election is far more serious than those in the recent past. Something in my spirit is very uneasy. In the past I have felt the need to pray for different elections but I have never felt so strongly the urge to pray, and pray fervently, for an election as I do for this one. I truly believe that if the wrong person (Obama) is elected this nation will be changed forever. We may not be able to undo the things that will be unleashed during an Obama presidency. My concern about an Obama presidency is not based on politics; it is based on righteousness. Look at any of the major moral issues (abortion, homosexuality etc.) and you will find Obama on the wrong side of the issue, and Palin and McCain on the right side of the issue. What makes this so disturbing is that the Obama team has raised far more money than McCain/Palin and the media is unabashedly supporting Obama with every story and headline they write. Currently McCain/Palin is behind in the polls and is having a very difficult time. Some in the media have suggested that the race is over and there is little or nothing McCain can do to change the outcome. Oh, how wrong they are!

Let me briefly share a story I recently read in 2 Samuel Chapter 5. David had just become king of Israel and the Philistines went up to wage war against him. So David inquired of the Lord and said, 'Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?' The LORD said, 'Yes I will surely hand them over to you.' So David went and defeated them. He said, 'As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me.' After suffering a great loss in the first battle the Philistines must have thought they now knew David defense strategy and they would be ready for him the next time, because once more the Philistines came up to attack David. So once again David inquired of the LORD, but this time the Lord gave different instructions. He said to David, 'Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.' David obeyed the Lord and was victorious.

This story holds a very important lesson for us at this time. In most presidential elections a frontal assault, a face-to-face battle, is what is needed. But this is no ordinary election. McCain is trying all the normal tactics but he is not prevailing. It seems no matter what he says or does it is not effective. I am convinced this election CANNOT be won using normal methods. Just as the Lord told David to go around behind the enemy and attack him there, so we must go around the face of this election and wage war where the battle is truly raging…in the spiritual realm! The fact that the normal physical methods are not effective this time should tell us that this is a very important spiritual battle and we can only win by using spiritual methods… Prayer!

What about the sound of marching in the treetops? What is that? I have read on the Internet several accounts of fellow Christians being stirred up in their spirits to pray. Many have been drawn into times of deep prayer and weeping as they intercede for Palin and McCain. Some have woke up in the middle of the night and sensed a great need to pray, other have told of how when they heard about Sarah Palin being chosen as VP that something came over them and they wept and felt a need to pray for Her and McCain. Many others are feeling the calling and urging of the Spirit to enter into a time of fervent prayer and fasting for Palin and McCain and our nation. What is this unusually stirring that is occurring? I believe it is the Sound of the Lord marching in the trees, calling his children to act quickly to pray and fast for Palin and McCain. Think about this, what would the marching have sounded like to David? It may have sounded like the rustling of leaves as when wind blows through them, but was this time something was different and out of the ordinary. Maybe it was like the sound of the great wind when the Spirit moved on the day of Pentecost. Also, God’s people are referred to as Trees of Righteous in Isaiah 61. So the sound of the Lord marching in the treetops in David’s time is a portrait of the Spirit of the Lord moving among and stirring up his children today.

So what are we to do when we sense this stirring of the Spirit? Two things, first we are to take it as the sign that the Lord is moving out in front of us. Anytime the Lord calls us to do something he goes ahead of us to prepare the way and fight for us. When Joshua returned from spying out Jericho the Lord gave him insight to see that the Lord had removed the Jericho ’s protection so Israel could defeat them. When the Lord calls us into battle he goes ahead of us, removes the enemy’s protection, and fights for us to give us the victory. Secondly, the Lord tells us when we sense the stirring of the Spirit we are to act quickly and join Him in the battle (through prayer, fasting, praise and obedience).

This election is by no means lost. For God would not be stirring up his children all across this nation and indeed around the world, to pray, if he did not want to give us the victory in this election. And he wants us to join him in the battle. God will hear the cries of his children if we will only cry out to him with fervent, earnest, prayers for this election and this nation. If those who are being drawn to prayer by the Spirit will indeed enter into a time of prayer and seeking His face, then God will have mercy on America spare us from having an ungodly leader, I’m sure of it! [Note: The passage referred to lists four things God expects from His people, not just two. Humble themselves. Pray. Seek His face. Turn from their wicked ways.]

One more thought, after the last debate, so-called ‘conservative’ David Brooks gushed about Obama:

'I thought Obama had the night he needed to have. You know, through this whole 20 month marathon, I think what struck me is how incredibly even he is. And how frankly reassuring he is. It is like you’re camping, and you wake up one morning, and there is a mountain. And then the next morning, there is a mountain, and there’s the ext morning, there’s a mountain. Obama is just the mountain. He is just there.. He is always the same, he doesn't hurt himself. McCain can sometimes lob a cannonball at the mountain, but the mountain doesn't move, and the mountain doesn't care. And so I think his steadiness, his temperament has been the dramatic theme of this campaign, dramatic in being undramatic. And it was on display tonight. And the good part of the mountain is that he is reassuring and reliable.'

I’m really glad he used the word ‘mountain’ to describe Obama. It caused me to remember what Jesus said about unmoveable mountains. Jesus said, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'

And it only takes a little faith!

This election can only be won by going around the face of the election and attacking the enemy where he is vulnerable, through prayer, fasting and praise. If you hear the sound of the Lord marching in the tree tops, if you feel the stirring of the Spirit calling you to pray, then move quickly into a time of prayer, for God is moving ahead of you at that time to give us the victory. May God give us ears to hear the marching!

Together with you in the battle,
Scott Whitley
[email address omitted]

Do you feel it? The whole world is turning upside down. Can't you see the signs?...
"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

*****

I feel that this presidential election is going to accelerate earth's journey toward the last days. Wouldn't it be something if America happens to elect the antichrist in a few days? He may or may not be who we think.

*****

I just spoke with my mom, who lives in Texas. There was an earthquake there today. Who ever heard of an earthquake in Grand Prairie, Texas?

*****

Every year there are new strains of flu virus, and they have to reformulate the vaccines. The viruses are adapting and mutating because we over-vaccinate. We are also seeing diseases reappearing that we had not seen for decades.

*****

Waves of pressure and pain coming closer and closer together, like a woman in labor.
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences [diseases], and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

*****

People, are you ready? If you are a Christian, what are you doing with the talents God has placed in your hands (Matt 25)? If you do not know Jesus, you are ill-prepared for the days to come.

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:"

Well, I neglected to post my Monday Progress Report for Mega Memory Month! Thanks, Ruth, for the nudge :o) Honestly, I did not spend much time last week on my memory work, but fortunately I only lacked three verses to have the entire Psalm memorized.

So without further ado, here is Psalm 91, typed from memory:


He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, he is my refuge and my fortress: my God, in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation: there shall no evil befall thee; neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, I will deliver him: I will set him on high because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

A HUGE THANK-YOU to my friend Tori, who not only helped me fix the problems with my blog, but also did some fine-tuning. I think it looks better than ever!

THANKS, TORI! You're a genius!



P.S....
I was wondering if there is something you can do about our bathroom?

:op

You think my blog looks bad?

Take a look at our bathroom:

Well, the graphics have completely disappeared from my blog header and posts! Please bear with me while I try to fix the problem...

I have made some progress in memorizing Psalm 91 this past week. I think my punctuation has improved somewhat... maybe... a little?

For me, there are two keys to memorizing Scripture: 1) Reading it slowly at first, absorbing the meaning of each word, and thus recording the details in my mind, and 2) Reading the whole passage often, so that it all flows together and I don't get stuck.

Here is what I have memorized so far, typing from memory:

Psalm 91:1-13

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee; neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet."

It's been a long while since I posted a furlough memory. Here we are, in one of our many "classrooms" along the way.

Taking school on the road was a real challenge to us. Sometimes we did school in the van while traveling, but it was so much easier to be able to spread out somewhere (usually a mission house or hotel room), like at this house provided by a church in Ohio.

We inevitably fell behind in the curriculum during our year of travel in the States, but I must say our children learned so much more from our experiences and the places we visited. The school of life, as they say.

Visiting the House of Representatives, Capitol building in Jackson, MI. I do not remember this man's name, but he is not a tour guide. He is an actual representative who was straightening his desk right after a session had dismissed! He was so kind as to explain to our little group the process of passing a law, as well as some of the things that were done during that day's session.



This is our family at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. They have some fascinating exhibits on flight history all the way back to the Wright Brothers, including a model of their first airplane, as well as planes from all eras of flight history. Aside from the two children who passed out in their strollers, we all learned a lot!

So many photos from other places we visited along the way were lost when our computer crashed, as I mentioned before. But the memories and lessons impressed on our children will never be erased. There is nothing like visiting one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood homes while reading her series of books about her life, and seeing where some of those adventures took place!

That's real (FUN) education. :o)

Blackberries are abundant (read: CHEAP) this time of year in Guatemala, as I think they are right now in parts of the U.S. as well. These were so big and juicy, Daniel couldn't resist buying several pounds of them.

That is a lot of berries.

So the girls and I have been having fun in the kitchen, baking up all sorts of blackberry goodies, and popping fresh berries into our mouths as we go.

Jillian made some yummy little tarts. (They did not last long!) We also experimented with two cobbler recipes. One consisted of a batter we put into the prepared baking dish, then just dropped the berries on top. It turned out more like a cake.

Oh, but then... Then we made this:


Using this recipe.


You roll out the pastry dough, put the fruit on top, roll it up and slice it like cinnamon rolls.


If your favorite part of the cobbler is the crust, this recipe is for you! To me, if the crust isn't good, the cobbler isn't good. This one is really good!

I am halfway done memorizing Psalm 91! My hubby and my oldest girl Jessica have helped by checking me. I will type verses 1-8 by memory here.

...But don't check my punctuation, okay?


He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisesome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers; and under his wings shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.


The Lord has really blessed my efforts to memorize His word, and shown me truths that I didn't notice before, because I am meditating on it. I have also learned that it is best to memorize Scripture in the morning, when my mind is fresh and uncluttered.

I challenge you to choose a chapter of the Bible to write upon the table of your heart! It's not too late to join us during Mega Memory Month.

...And now, I'm off to work on the second half of Psalm 91.

This presidential election has raised some charged issues, some of which I have already discussed here. Should a woman be VP of the United States, leaving her home and family behind? Well, no. But Palin has chosen a career other than homemaker, and even if she doesn't go to Washington, she will no doubt continue to pursue her political career anyway. So should Christians vote to put her into office? Wellll, that's debatable.

What is NOT debatable is that the alternative to McCain/Palin is a socialist who will do everything in his power to wipe out everything that remains of the godly principles America was founded upon.

A friend of ours, Bro. Ben Smith, recently made some comments about Barak Obama's "threefold attack on the book of Genesis". The book of Genesis is Truth 101, if you will, and provides the very foundation on which the rest of the Bible stands. While calling himself a Christian, Obama rejects three important foundational Christian principles, as quoted here:

1. [His] belief in evolution:

Barak Obama said: “I’m a Christian, and I believe in parents being able to provide children with religious instruction without interference from the state.

But I also believe our schools are there to teach worldly knowledge and science. I believe in evolution, and I believe there’s a difference between science and faith. That doesn’t make faith any less important than science. It just means they’re two different things. And I think it’s a mistake to try to cloud the teaching of science with theories that frankly don’t hold up to scientific inquiry.“

God said:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2. The support of gay marriage.

Barak Obama said:

In a carefully hedged statement, Obama said he “respects the decision of the California Supreme Court.” He respects a decision that disregarded the will of the people in California, as expressed by a 2000 referendum that defined marriage as between a man and a woman; he respects a decision that excoriated his own position of support for civil unions and (theoretical) opposition to same-sex marriage; he respects a decision that rejects the sort of political compromise he extols. It’s like a professed abolitionist in 1857 saying he “respects” the Dred Scott ruling.

God said:

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 5:2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Matthew 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made [them] at the beginning made them male and female,
Matthew 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

3. The support of abortion.

Barak Obama said:

"I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby,"

God said:

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

So what should we conclude?

Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

There are several things that Christians can do to be salt and light in this world. We must pray for those in authority. We must witness to others about Jesus. We must live godly lives, separated unto the Lord. And when the opportunity arises, I believe we must do what good citizens do, and that is vote. Even if it means voting for a "lesser evil".


Our absentee ballots just arrived in the mail. We intend to use them to cast our votes against the man who hates God and rejects God's Word. And may the Lord have mercy on America for a little longer. We love her.

I really love sewing, and I really love aprons, so this was a fun project for me! Best of all, I was making it for a dear friend's birthday present, so it was all the more a pleasure.


The pattern is a McCall's. I was going to make the frilly view B, but wasn't sure she would like it. I settled on view C, but added some lace to make it feminine, just right for my friend.


I used fabric that is a bit heavy, but not as heavy as denim. Perfect for a sturdy apron!


This was my first attempt to make bias tape, and - wow - that is a lot of folding and pressing! It was so worth it. I am really pleased with the nice finished edges. But I'm seriously thinking of buying a bias tape maker, folks.


The lace was super-easy to add in. I like this apron so much, I'm thinking of making one for myself.

...After the bias tape maker arrives. ;o)

This is the new mega-store in town. It's called "Cemaco", and it looks kinda like Sears, or maybe a mini-Sam's.


We went to check it out yesterday, but I didn't bring the camera, hence the photos of the ads! They have a little bit of everything, I think.


(The prices are in quetzales. Divide by 7.4 to get the price in US$.)


Oh, see that brown and black "welcome" mat on the left? We bought one of those for our front door. It is so nice, and really knocks the mud off all those little shoes that come in and out all day!


I got a little bit glassy-eyed walking through the kitchen gadget section. Look straight ahead and just...keep...walking....


And look! A real lawn mower! It used to be that you had to go all the way to the capitol to find those. Probably because most people here still used machetes to cut the lawn, lol.


Looky here, right next to the modern fixtures are the big, multi-use pilas. What? You don't have a pila in your house? LOL! It is used for everything from washing clothes and dishes, to bathing children. Now that I'm used to my pila, I don't know how I ever did without it!


And here are modern roof shingles, next to a modernized version of the Spanish tile.

How things are changing here in our beloved Xela! Modern conveniences sure can make life easier, but it makes me a little sad.

Can't quite put my finger on why.

Well, it is over at Ann Kroeker's blog anyway, and I think she has a good thing going! I'm thinking now is as good a time as any to memorize another large portion of scripture, so I am jumping in.

How about you? Is there a particular passage of the Bible that you would like to memorize? I hope you'll join in, and post a comment to let me know what you are going to memorize during the month of October.

I already have the first two verses of Psalm 91 down!

The power has been out for the better part of the day, and we couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the protests going on in town. It would blink on briefly from time to time, but mostly we just did without. So I'm posting quickly, while we have power!

I gave up on getting laundry done, but I did fire up the one thing that functions without electricity: My gas oven.

I (heart) my gas oven!

We had some strawberries on hand that were a bit past their prime, so I made three loaves of Strawberry Bread. It turned out so moist and good, I thought I'd share this delicious recipe with you.



Strawberry Bread

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour loaf pans.

3 cups flour (I used half whole-wheat.)
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 T cinnamon

Combine these ingredients, then make a well in the center. Then add...

4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups oil

Combine well, then stir in...

1 cup chopped pecans
16 pkg frozen strawberries, with the juice
(I used fresh, not frozen, and added just a bit of apple juice for moisture.)

Pour batter into two or three loaf pans and bake at 350 F for 40 minutes (three loaves) or up to 60 minutes (for two large loaves).

The recipe included a glaze to drizzle over the top, but we found that entirely unnecessary.



...I also made two apple-cheese pies, not to be confused with cheesecake. Didn't have a recipe, so this was just an experiment. I'll probably post about them once we've tasted them!

Every once in a while, we have demonstrations and protests here in Guatemala. Usually what happens is that the government wants to pass some legislation into law, the small guy opposes it, government doesn't listen to Small Guy, so lots and LOTS of Small Guys (which make up the majority of the population) get together and block off the roads, set things on fire, make some speeches and do some chanting. Unfortunately, this is usually what has to happen for the Small Guys to be heard.


Well, today the Small Guys are out making their voices heard.

The government is trying to reform its system of identification for all citizens. They want all of the local governments to turn in their records so that they can be incorporated into the new digital system. Some local municipalities are rebelling, refusing to turn over the paper records, and inciting the protests on purpose.

There is good reason for the government's proposed reforms. There are serious problems with corruption in the system: it is too easy to obtain bogus ID's, and thus drug traffickers, baby traffickers, illegal aliens, etc., can move about the country easily. Also, illegal voting occurs during each election. At least for the present, I think a new system would be beneficial.

The Small Guys argue that they are poor and can't afford to pay for it. Local governments charge the people a yearly fee that, here in San Juan, is only Q8. (That's a little more than a dollar.) If the new system is adopted, the fee here will go up to Q60 (eight bucks). Daniel makes a good point: People here walk around with cell phones, wear the traditional woven outfits that cost hundreds of Q's... They can probably afford the extra Q52 per year.

The greater and more legitimate fear is that if Big Government knows them, all the lands they own, how many children they have, etc., that the information can be used against them, and those things can be taken away on a whim.

In light of the end times, we think their fears could become reality some day.

Pray for Guatemala.

Photo from El Quetzalteco, a local newspaper.

Did you catch this when it was in the news recently? The Large Hadron Collider, a huge $10 billion project, was built deep underground on the Franco-Swiss border. They built the collider hoping to recreate the "Big Bang" and unlock the mysteries of the origin of the universe. It is the work of 2,000 scientists from around the world.

...All this to prove that the universe came into existence by pure chance, without the hand of an intelligent Designer/Creator. Does anyone else see the irony there? ;o)

One comment I read from my previous post about that wacky Canadian abortionist doctor (no offence to Canadians in general) reminded me of another issue that I want to post about.

That issue is Sarah Palin's candidacy for vice-president of the United States.

Mrs. Palin seems to be a decent person with good, conservative values, as far as politicians go. But there is one nagging flaw in her character: her willingness to choose to be vice-president, or governor, or even mayor, or anything else over her God-given calling to be a Keeper at Home.

Palin's name on the ballot has really complicated things, in my mind. Daniel and I are all set for the election with our absentee ballots on the way, but I do not know if I can cast my vote at all. To vote for McCain/Palin is to put a woman into authority over many men ("But I suffer not a woman to...usurp authority over the man..." I Timothy 2:12) and also place her under the authority of a man other than her own husband. ("Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands..." Ephesians 5:22)

...And to vote for the alternative candidate is unthinkable.

I would love to hear your comments.

Joel almost always wakes up like this: rosey cheeks, happy smiles, and ready to spend a little cuddle time with Mom.

So, the socks I was mating get set aside, and I get to relax for a bit with this delightful baby in my arms. Ahhh, motherhood.

It's wonderful!

Yesterday I read this article from the Los Angeles Times. The headline says it all, really.

Canadian Doctor Warns Sarah Palin's Decision to Have Down Baby Could Reduce Abortions

UH oh. We don't want that, now do we?

Seriously, who doesn't want fewer abortions? Even pro-choice people say that fewer is better. I mean, they don't want to sound Pro-Death or anything. Not out loud.

Evidently, this audacious doc gets a bit anxious when a high-profile, "successful" woman chooses to give birth to a baby that they knew before-hand had Downs syndrome. Has our culture fallen so low that the docs are nervous that more women will ruin their lives by choosing to let their babies live, instead of getting abortions?


Does she look like she regrets having that precious baby? I think not.

Here is a quote from the article:

In her widely-viewed acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention and a TV audience of some 37 million last week, Palin did not refer to her baby's birth as a decision or choice. "In April," she said, "my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig.

"From the inside, no family ever seems typical. That's how it is with us. Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys.

"Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love."

Thank you, Mrs. Palin, for injecting some sanity back into this world.

Remembering the victims of the 9/11/01 terrorist attack on America.

Unbearably Torturous Infection. If you are a woman and you've ever suffered a urinary tract infection, you'd agree with me! That's what I've been battling lately. I'm not one to take antibiotics too willingly, so I've done lots of research about treating UTI/bladder infection/cystitis naturally.

You may not need this information right now, but some day you might. Just remember it's here, and you can pull it up again by clicking on the label "health naturally" at the top of the right-hand column.

The first thing I learned is that there is a lot of confusing information out there. I thought I needed to acidify my system to make it uninhabitable to bacteria. The fact is that bacteria like the acidic environment!

The human body has a delicate pH balance that must be maintained in order to stay disease-free. When our pH levels are low, the body is too acidic and prone to infection. One writer put it this way: We are 80% alkaline and 20% acid. Our diet should reflect that.

Here is the list of the best tips I found for treating a UTI without antibiotics:

*Drink a lot of fluids, such as herbal teas and water. Avoid sweetened fruit juices and other sweetened drinks.
*Cranberries and blueberries contain substances that inhibit the binding of bacteria to bladder tissue. Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice regularly seems to help lower the risk of UTIs.
*Try to eliminate potential food allergens, including dairy, wheat (gluten), corn, preservatives, and food additives. Your health care provider may want to test for food sensitivities.
*Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes), and vegetables (such as squash and bell peppers).
*Eat more high fiber foods, including beans, oats, root vegetables (such as potatoes and yams), and psyllium seed.
*Avoid refined foods such as white breads, pastas, and especially sugar (which are acid-producing foods) and eat mostly fruits and veggies (alkaline foods).
*Eat fewer red meats and more lean meats, cold-water fish, tofu (soy, if no allergy) or beans for protein.
*Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or coconut oil.
*Reduce or eliminate trans-fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.
*Avoid coffee and other stimulants, alcohol, and tobacco.
*Drink at least 8 glasses of filtered water daily.
*Exercise at least 30 minutes daily, 5 days a week.

You may address nutritional deficiencies with the following supplements:

*Grapefruit seed extract, 100 mg capsule or 10 drops in water or juice, three times daily, for antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity.
*A multivitamin daily, containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-complex vitamins and trace minerals such as magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium.
*Vitamin C, 500 - 1000 mg one to two times daily, as an antioxidant and for immune support.
*Omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, 1 - 2 capsules or 1 tablespoonful oil one to two times daily, to help decrease inflammation and help in general health. Cold-water fish, such as salmon or halibut, are good sources.
*Probiotic supplement (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus), 5 - 10 billion CFUs (colony forming units) a day, for maintenance of gastrointestinal and immune health.

I hope you never have to go through a UTI. But if you do, I hope this information will be as helpful to you as it has been for me.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." III John 2