I'm sitting here in my bedroom with my heart full and unsure of how exactly to say what I'm feeling. You see I'm not a good writer I simply enjoy doing it. But I was just reading some other peoples blogs and I had tears streaming down my face. Let me explain why...
Nathan and Tricia who you can read about at www.cfhusband.blogspot.com I've written about them before but they truly have an amazing story. Tricia was listed and activated the other day on the transplant list. Which means at any time she could be called to have surgery. I was just reading Nathan's blog and he was just talking about understanding other peoples situations. He said he doesn't think we can ever fully understand what they are going through. I agree. I can't imagine how they are feeling right now. So many feelings my heart goes out to them. Congratulations TRicia!!
Pedro and Stephania Garcia www.garcias2chile.blogspot.com or www.iansadoption.blogspot.com they are in the process of adopting there 4th and 5th child. My heart feels for them in so many ways. You see concieving was never an issue for me and my husband. I truly can not understand how it must feel to desire that with everything in you and then making the decision to adopt and having that decision basically in someone else's hands. And then to finally get matched with your children and not be able to see them or hold them. Stephanie has a way of writing so beautifully about all of those feelings.
And then finally just thinking of all the little children that are out there right now suffering. I have really become aware of the country Haiti and all the people there in the last couple of months. I have another missionary friend who had been going to Haiti every other month working on a project there and my dad will be going next month and now my good friends are adopting from there. Haiti is the poorest country in the world. Children are dying there, eating dirt to simply survive, parents who are having their children die in their arms. I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it!
How can we as a society, as Christians do nothing. We were put on this earth to show Christ love to everyone. I cry for my kids when they are sad, how must these parents feel watching their children starve to death, or have them get sick and how no way of helping them? My heart cries out that this just isn't fair!!!!! My mind says "DO something Erin, don't just sit by and let all of this suffering go by for nothing" I want to be able to go to Tricia (who I have never met or spoken to, she knows nothing about me) and allow her to hold her baby and give her a wonderful set of lungs, I want to give Stephanie all the money she needs for the adoption and tell her to go pick up her kids, I want to go to Haiti and help every single person there in need. And yet.... I know this is not God's plan. I don't even try to understand the reason behind things. I know that God has a purpose for every little thing but that doesn't stop me from wanting to help. I don't know for sure yet how..... But I do believe that as child of the KIng I have a duty to show that love. I will pray for all of these people because I know that is the biggest and most powerful thing I can do for anyone. I will pray that Tricia is able to have her surgery soon and heal quickly, I will pray for the Garcia's adoption that they get the money they need and for the protection of the twins, and I will pray for the people of Haiti that they will feel the love and warmth of the One who created them!

One of those Days...

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is just making you sad? Well that was me yesterday. I couldn't seem to stop crying.
I love being a stay at home mom but sometimes it just seems so overwhelming. My 3 young kids get so bored at home all day and they having been able to make any friends yet and they were crying and I was crying. I'm trying to keep the house clean and they are so bored they are just running all over the place and it's to cold to play outside....... I just needed an adult to talk to.


BUt it's moring now and I've feeling much better. It also helps that I have an amazing husband who is terrific about helping me and just being alltogether wonderful!!!

Jhocy

I'm trying to potty train my 2 year old daughter (she will be 3 in a couple of weeks) well the problem is she doesn't want any part of it! Her answer to me usually is "I want to be a baby" So all the advice i've gotten from many other mothers who have potty trained numerous children is not to push them. So i'm not pushing her. Well today she had a full diaper I was getting ready to change her when out of her mouth came "EW" I said "What's wrong Jhocy" her response "I just smelled by myself, it's gross"

I thought it was rather humorous. If you have your own kids or have been around a lot of kids you will understand. If not..... sorry :)

Ian and Eliana Garcia

THese will be the names of the twins that Pedro and Stephanie are adopting. I want to write about some other aspects of the adoption process. Adopting from Haiti is an extremly expensive process. THey will also be sending money to the orphange every month to provide food and medical care for the twins till they are able to be brought home to the loving arms of their waiting family. Please pray that GOd would provide the money to be able to BRING IAN AND ELIANA HOME!!! Please go to www.iansadoption.blogspot.com to find out more information on this wonderful family. You can also go to www.garcias2chile.blogspot.com to find out more information on the Garcia family.

Still working on it.....

Ok well i'm still working on losing weight. And i'm proud to say that it's working. You can't really see the difference but i can feel it. And i'm also happy to say that I joined a program on line today to help me. They will give me healthy recipes, give me a trainer to talk to and allow me to talk to other people that are working on it to. So please continue to pray with me (and nag me) to eat right and to exercise. I have set a goal to exercise 30 minutes a day 4 days a week. Please help me to stay focused on this. I really want to lose the weight.....

An answer to a child's prayer....

that she had been praying for 2 years.....
Let me fill you in on some good friends of ours. Pedro and Stephanie Garcia. When we met them in TX they had adopted 3 children and were in the process of adopting there 4th one. The night I met Stephanie she told me her daughter was praying that they would get twins. (Very specifically to she wanted a boy and girl. That is what she asked for daily) We all just laughed and said "kids"
Well the adoption in TX never went through. IT did not break Eva's prayers though. She daily prayed that GOd would bless them with twins in the family. Well when the Garcia's moved to CHile they started the process there to adopt. Well once again God said no. So just out of the blue Stephanie started researching adoption in Haiti. ANd prayerfully they were able to come to the decision to start that process. Eva continued to pray....
They had been in that process for about a month when they found out that Eva's prayers had come true. They had been matched to twins.... A boy and a girl!
NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE PRAYERS OF A CHILD.

Congratulations steph and pedro.... They couldn't have gone to better parents.

LOSING WEIGHT!

Hello out there to all of you. I'm going to ask all of you a favor. I have decided to go on a weight loss endeavor. I want to be thin again. So I'm asking all of you out there to help me keep me acountable. Will you help me? Help me stay focused on eating right and even exercising. Leave me comments. I know you guys read people tell me about what is on there so I know there are people out there reading this. So please HELP!!!

A Bigger Part,,,,,

Have you ever just looked at your life and said "There has to be more than this?" That is how I have been feeling lately. Living on campus I didn't often feel like this. I think I just felt that it was ok because we were "preparing" ourselves. Now that school is over and we are here life just seems so blah. Make sense? It just seems like there has to be more. THere has to be more than waking up, Ramon going to work, me cleaning and cooking, Ramon coming home from work and then bed time.
Don't get me wrong it's not bad and I know God has a purpose for us in our time here before we move off to panama. I'm excited to get there. Excited to see the work that GOd has for us there.
BUt at the same time I know God has a purpose for us here......

Friends!!

“A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart"

The 4 years that we were in Texas we made friends that we will never forget let me just share a couple of them with you.

Congratualtions!

Graduation Day!

Last Days at RGBI

THis is the dinner a couple of nights before graudation. The first picture is Ramon and Angelica together a friend of Ramon's from venezuela who is also a student at the school. THe secone one is Pastor Pedro and Kathy Garcia who Ramon worked with our last 7 mths in Texas and people who we came to think of like family.

THe picture of the 4 men together were the people who were going to be graduation they were being prayed for. The other one is of Ramon, Mundo and Benji together. And finally that last one is of Ramon and Benji. Benji is the person who we will be working with in Panama.

Suffering

I'm doing a Bible Study by Beth Moore called Jesus the ONe and ONly. Last night the video was talking about suffering and I found that kind of ironic because the one thing I have been noticing the last couple of weeks is how much suffering there is in this world. Thanks again to my friend Stephanie who reads other peoples blogs all the time she has made me aware of so many other people stories. ONe that I really encourage you all to go check out is www.cfhusband.blogspot.com they are going through some difficult situations right now and yet both of them have wonderful attitudes about it and are praising God. I don't know them and they don't know me but they could use our prayers right now.
It seems to me that we are surrounded in a world of suffering and pain and not on purpose by any of us we seem to forget about it. We tend to just stay in our comfort zones and forget about all the people who are out there going through difficult situations. We as a society and christians need to stay more aware. We might not be able to do anything personally for them but we can definantly use the most powerful weapon we have.. which is prayer. There are people out there who need all the prayers they can get.
Everyone out there who is going through a difficult situation and who knows Christ as there Saviour knows that Christ is in control but there is a comfort in knowing that thousand even just 1 or 2 are praying for you. I encourage all of you to pray for people that you don't know. Lift them up to the throne of Christ take them to the feet of the King, where better to leave them than with the person who has known them since the beginning of time?

Graduation Pics to Come Soon!

For my Uncle Wes

Dear Uncle Wes,

Even though you are no longer here with us we continue to think and talk about you daily. Right before you died I was able to have a few minutes alone with you and was able to tell you just what you meant to me. I'm not sure if you heard me or not so I just wanted to take a minute and write it here.

You and Aunt Sylvia are in my memories from the very first one. I remember coming to your house and climbing your tree or coming and sitting on your lap. My favorite memories are of the ones when we went on vacation together. I loved that motor home. The best part of the summer was that one week with the 2 of you when we were altogether. The saddest part of moving to venezuela was leaving the 2 of you behind. I know that I didn't tell you enough but I loved you. Even in your roughness I knew you loved me to. I won't forget you and I'll tell my kids all about you. THanks for being you thank you for loving me.

I know that your last days here were filled with pain and I'm so glad that you are finally at peace. So as you go on up there in the midst of perfection in the midst of our Saviour, I will keep treking on here waiting for the day when we'll see eachother again.

I love you and you are greatly missed!

THanks to my friend Stephanie she has made me aware of other people blogs. People who greatly need our prayers right now. Me and my children are now trying to pray for these people daily. One that had me in tears today was someone that I just read about on Stephanies blog (you can see her blog by clicking on www.garcias2chile.blogspot.com ) It was about the Mathenia family. Her name was Amber Mathenia and she died last week from a car accident. She had 2 small children and a husband. Her and her family were missionaries in Ethiopia. Even though I have never met her I am deeply touched by what her friends and family had to say about her. Over and over again people said she loved the Lord in everything she did. My heart goes out to her family and my prayers to.
We need to live our lives as if we will not have another second. It seems that everywhere I look in this world anymore is pain and suffering. Sometimes it seems so overwhelming and yet at the same time you know pain and suffering are all part of our lives.
If i sound like i'm rambling i'm sorry. I'm not a good writer and yet there are times where I just need to do something with my thoughts or explode.
Sometimes life is overwhelming and yet we know God is still in control. My point is just remember to pray for the others out there don't become so wrapped up in our own lives (as painful as they may be at times) that we forget about all the others out there.

Friends

As I watched our home slowly get smaller my mind was thinking about "My girls"
My heart filled with sadness and my eyes filled with tears
These women were the reason I survived RGBI
THey were there with me through pregnancies, through hospital stays, through financial issues
They stayed up late with me, they ate icecream with me, they were on call whenever I needed them.
SO to you my 5 dear friends
Amy, Esther, Maudiene, Angi and Stephanie, I miss you guys!

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down, and if they can't, they lay down beside you and listen.”

Our 2 birthday boys

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons. ~Johann Schiller

Prayer

Please pray for a dear friend of ours, her name is Sherry Woodruff. We had the pleasure of meeting them a year ago. They came down here with a church from Simonton to minister to us and they were a huge blessing. We were able to see them several times after that as well. In June Doug (sherry's husband)found out that he was in need of a liver transplant. He had the transplant last night and had sever complications immediately following. He passed away just minutes ago. Sherry is going to be in alot of pain right now as will there 2 children. Please remember to pray for them. THey need all of the prayer they can get right now!

Tonight....

Tonight is Ramon's graduation banquet! SO many emotions this week. So please forgive me if some of my post are bit confusing but this has become the place for me to get my feelings out so welcome to graduation week from the eyes (and heart) of the wife.
When we first got here it felt as if the 2 yrs were never going to be up, as if we were just going to live the rest of our lives here. And now........ Ramon is graduating! I can not believe it. 2 years after we started dating Ramon was talking about coming here. SO this has been a work in progress for more than 8 years. Over the past 4 years since living here this place has become my home. The only home really that my children know. Logan who always wanted to move back to virginia and has always shown excitement about moving. Came to me the other day with tears in his eyes telling me that he didn't want to move. He wanted to know what was going to happen to his room and to his friends. I know he will survive this missionary kid thing (I did) but I do know that it's hard for him.
I just can't believe Ramon is graduating. I am so proud of him. He has worked hard and deserves so much. Way to go babe!
Anyways off to get ready for tonight. Have a great night out there in cyberspace.

Tonight....

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Ooh Aah CHAVEZ LOST!!!!!!!!! Way to go venezuela. The booths were packed yesterday for the voting. Even here in the US people were in line for hours waiting to vote. My prayer now is that this is the first step to freedom for venezuelans once again. The people spoke and there voice was heard!!!!

Pain

Please pray for Ramon and his family. TOday Ramon's grandmother passed away. She was very old but that doesnt make the pain any less.
Ramon is feeling very guilty as this is the 3rd person that he was close to, to pass away since leaving venezuela. He has never been able to return to be with his family and that will not be different this time. Please pray for him.

Today,

Today there is voting going on in venezuela. Please be in prayer for venezuela today. Today, will determine the future of all venezuelans. CHevez said in a speech last week that he was willing to hurt anyone who got in his way. THat he was willing to personally get his rifle and start shooting. Please pray for Ramon's brother and sister, JeanCarlos and Cenia, as they are working the voting tables in the town where they are from. Pray that the people will come out and vote no and not be afraid. Pray that the voting will be done legall and the voice of the people will come through. Just please remember venezuela and the people there!

Mops

Today I went to mops and I was very glad as we had an excellent speaker. She shared with us some poems that she has written and I loved them. With her permission I'm going to post them on here. I"m sure that you can identify as I did with them.

I'm TIred

I live a life filled with stuff and things
To do's add up like erutping springs

What am I doing it all for
Running to the church or to the store

I know that you have a plan for me
But does it include insanity

I know I won't win mother of the year
But today I gave hugs and wiped a tear

Here I go swimming in a sea of unmet expectations
I've gotta make dinner, clean the house, wash a load, call friends, and solve the issues of United Nations

Tell me houw easch of my small things will become a life
A life lived for You along with being a mother and wife

Help me O Lord, becuse I am tired
Doing an endless job, Can I request to be fired?

FIll me, Oh Lord, I have no where I'd rather be
The light just came on and I am running on empty

And there you are waiting with open arms for me
With a tank full of love giving compassionately

And Lord you knew all along that I was tired
But you let me run on caffeine until I was wired

I give up I've crashed and I think I need a 6 day nap
Then I realize you have held me close curled up in your lap

WIth you dear Lord I no longer need to be tired
YOu have filled me with your love and now I am inspired.
Michelle Price

Fearfullly and Wonderfully Made

You were fearfully and wonderfully made
Even before you were born and weighed

You sweet girl are made just by Him
No mistakes or could've been

You were made with freckles or curly hair
Every inch of you made with care

You wer given beautiful eyes
And yes even those thighs

He looked upon you with such pride
I wonder if he sang you lullabies

Your beauty He looks upon with wonder
No part of you was a blunder

You see to Him you are gorgeous beyond any to see
He knit you in your mothers womb uniquely

You were made valuable beyond rubies and gold
After He made you He broke the mold

He knew exactly what you would become
A wife, a teacher, and even a mom

There is only one you can never be replaced
God rejoiced the day you were fearfully and wonderfully made
Michele Price

me allegro de que esten por alla......

THis was in an email from Ramon's cousin. Someone who used to be very chavista. Someone who is a lawyer in venezuela. Here is another part of her email... aqui en venezuela las cosas estan mal... y si aprueban la supuesta reforma que no es ninguno reforma, pasaremos practicamente a otro cuba...... To see these words from her is not a good sign for venezuela.

Please, please pray for venezuela. On sunday they will be haveing voting again. Yesterday Chavez ex-wife was on tv begging for people to vote no. And apologizing for helping him in the beginning saying that she did not know that it was going to get this bad. Yesterday as students were protesting fighting broke out. Students were throwing rocks at the guards as guards were throwing tear gas at them. Ramon's family wants out and yet can't. If the rumors come true that we are hearing things are not going to be good this coming year. Please pray!

The other day as this picture was being taken tears came to my eyes. As I realized that something that Ramon and I have been talking about for more than 8 yrs is finally coming to pass. In exactly 2 weeks from today Ramon will be graduating! I can not even begin to explain how proud I am of him. He has grown into a strong, intelligent and Godly man since being at this school. He has always had a full schedule class wise. Never less than 18 credits every semester worked full time and has kept his focus on keeping his family number 1.

Ramon, I am so proud of you, more than words can explain. I am so glad that I have been able to go through this journey with you. We have had so many ups and downs and yet we always come out loving eachother more because of it. I consider myself priviledged to call myself your wife. I love you and the night of graduation I will be crying tears of happiness and pride. Job well done my love, well done!

Good TImes

Over the weekend Ramon and I were able to go away with some close friends of ours. People that we have know our whole lives. People that we grew up with. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed us to be able to share in this special time with them. THey came here to the school 1 year after Ramon started. We had visions of spending many nights playing games with them and drinking coffee together but life just kind of took over and before we knew it 3 yrs had gone by and we were getting ready to say goodbye. So even though we haven't spent that much time together we had a WONDERFUL weekend. It was so much fun and I'm very thankful for the 2 of them. So to you Esther and Mundo we will miss you guys more than you know.

Brotherly Love....

THis is what I walked into the living room this morning to see. Logan was watching cartoons and had gotten Jesse and his bottle up in the chair with him and they were watching cartoons together. THere are so many moments when the kids are fighting and I wonder "do they even like eachother?" So to walk out to this warmed my heart. What a terrific start to the day!

Jesse