Johnson Journeys

Vacation 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:10:00 +0000

Last year we enjoyed a wonderful family vacation in Acapulco as our "Christmas gift" and so we decided to repeat that again this year! Thanks to family who generously gave towards this time, we spent 5 days in Acapulco at the beginning of January. The week was so relaxing and refreshing. After having come off a few busy weeks and a lot of sickness, the Lord blessed us with sweet time together! We played and on the beach, swam in the pool, enjoyed a fun water park, played family games at Starbucks, ate McDonalds, Domino's Pizza and Sushi (my favorite, YUM!!!), watched some movies, rode four-wheelers, and took in an amazing sunset! It was a good time to just give thanks to the Lord for what He has and is doing in us and through us. So, here are some memories from our time!

Team Johnson Sand Castle!

Day at the Water Park!

We spent the whole day there and had a blast! Lydia won "The Most Fearless" award! Hailey and Brady loved swimming around the lazy river, and Chayce was content riding slides with Daddy and just throwing the inner tubes in the water!

Four-Wheelin' It!

Boys vs. Girls, and I believe the Girls Won!!! (although my husband may argue that one!)

Games and Starbucks--what a life!

Paddle Boat ride with Dad--one lap was ENOUGH!

The Girls!!

(Camera ran out of battery before I could take one of the boys!)

Thank you, Lord for our wonderful family! You have blessed us greatly, and we are so thankful for the memories we made during these days in Acapulco!

Campamento 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:47:00 +0000

Just after Christmas we joined about 80 high school/ college age students for 5 days at the camp. Ben and Chico were in charge of the games and group activities for the week. The kids always have a blast at the camp, and it was fun to see how much more confidant they were this year compared to a year ago. The girls were right in the middle of everything, wanting to be a part of the worship times, the small group meetings, the games. They LOVED hanging out with the older girls! Brady would have stayed in the lagoon the whole time if we had let him, and Chayce was content to just follow his daddy around!

Enjoy a few pics from the week!

Christmas 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:01:00 +0000

We spent the morning of Christmas Eve decorating a gingerbread house together. It was so fun to see each personality come out in their own side of the house! Then we set it out to see how long it would take for it to be covered by ants--not long at all!!!

Later that night we made some pizzas, lit some sparklers and watched the Polar Express. What a great Christmas Eve it was!!

Christmas morning!!!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:40:00 +0000

Birthday parties and fiestas are a huge part of the culture here in Mexico, so we decided to have our own "Birthday party for Jesus!" On Wednesday, December 22st we had about 35 kids at our house to celebrate Christmas! Most of the kids were from our church, but some were neighbors and others live in the Polvorin neighborhood, where Ben trains his youth teams each week. The kids made sugar cone Christmas trees, star ornaments, and colored nativity scenes. We played "Hide-the-gifts" and had a huge star pinata! Ben shared the Gospel message, we ate some fluffer-nutter sandwiches and cake, and then gave out some Christmas boxes sent from Operation Christmas Child. It was such a fun afternoon, and we pray that each kid who came left feeling loved and hearing the Good News of Christmas! Here are some pics of the day!

Birthdays!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:53:00 +0000

I know I'm a week late in posting this, but Happy Birthday to Lydia and Brady!! On the 15th we celebrated Lydia's 5th birthday and on the 19th we celebrated Brady's 4th birthday! What a blessing these two kids are!
Lydia... a sweet and caring sister, Lydia is a good friend and playmate! She is a nurturer at heart (her little brother Chayce adores her!) and a real servant (so quick to offer to help with dishes or other cleaning around the house). Some of our favorite memories from this year with Lydia are: watching her grow in her Spanish, seeing her grow to adore Juliana and enjoy helping her around the house, seeing her perseverance in learning to ride a bike and how to swim, hair-styling and nail-painting times together, getting bread from the panaderia together, early morning "good morning" hugs, doing exercise videos together, watching her diligently work to learn her letters and numbers (she has such learned so much this year!). Lydia, we love you so much! You are beautiful, inside and out! You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and we thank the Lord for you! Happy 5th Birthday, sweet girl!

Brady...our goofy, fun, sweet BOY, who is all-BOY!! Brady makes us laugh so much! He is a patient and sweet brother to Chayce and a willing participant in the "dramatic play" of his sisters! Some of our favorite memories from this year are: reading books in the hammock, seeing his ability in and love for memorizing scripture, watching him help his brother learn many new skills (from playing baseball to going potty!), watching him grow in confidence in the water (jumping in the waves and starting to swim on his own a bit), hearing him speak more and more Spanish, and playing baseball, soccer, basketball, football on the patio...name a sport and Brady is there and ready to play! Brady, we love you so much, buddy! You are such a blessing to us and we thank our Lord for you! We love just how He has made you! Happy 4th Birthday, Son!

Maranatha Teams

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Above: Ben’s Primera team, coached by Carlos (far left). Carlos is a faithful, loyal person, with a great spirit and enthusiasm for soccer. We continue to pray that God would bring him into a personal relationship with Himself!

Below: Juvenile Teams (ages 14 to 15) Matt (far right) is here for a few months helping serve in sports ministry. Matt played with the LA Seahorse PDL team (with MAI’s LA office) and has an incredible heart for serving!

Every Saturday Ben, Chico and Matt drive around and pick guys up for the games! It can be a bit tricky working out the schedule of everything, with 5 games going on each weekend, but God continues to provide!

This past Saturday night at our house! Over 50 players and coaches! We enjoyed tamales and then shared an Athletes In Action video, “The Prize”. 50 young people heard the Gospel on Saturday night!

After the video, Chico (below) shared his testimony a bit and prayed. Chico’s heart for ministry is growing, and it is so fun to watch him really step up and love these youth players and develop a passion for sharing the Gospel! We are so thankful for what God is doing in his life as well!

La Boluda

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:46:00 +0000

Through playing in a tournament a month or so ago, Ben met a man named Mystico. Mystico teaches PE at a school in a small pueblo about 20 minutes outside of Ometepec, called La Boluda. Three days a week Mystico goes out to the school and coaches these 12 to 15 year old kids in soccer. He showed up one day at our house and asked Ben about putting these kids in the youth league here in Ometepec. So, Ben and the Maranatha club have taken on this group of boys as another youth team. Once a week Ben and Chico and Matt go out to La Boluda to coach these boys, and then they play games on Saturdays. Not only are these kids eager to be coached in soccer, but they are eager to listen to testimonies of the Gospel. Each week someone has shared their personal testimony of the Gospel with these kids. Mystico is not a believer, so pray that God would continue to use these times to draw him and these young people to Himself.

Below: Mystico (left) and Chico (right)

This past Thursday we went as a family to the school and had a great time. In good international fashion, our plans were changed, though! When we got there, Mystico informed us that we would be teaching the kids volleyball instead of soccer!! It was great!! And a good experience for all of us in being flexible!! There are a number of girls there who love playing soccer as well, but who were really excited to “ooh and ahh” over our kids! Here are some photos from the day!

And it’s gone!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:56:00 +0000

About an hour ago, Hailey came and asked me, “Mom, can I have a thread to pull my tooth out?”

After much perseverance and help from Fatima, Hailey has lost her first tooth! She is SOOOO excited to put it in the same little tooth pillow I used as a kid! Wow, can’t believe my girl is old enough to be losing teeth!!

Going to the Moon!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:59:00 +0000

This past week we studied about the moon, so today the kids wanted to make space helmets. With the creative help of Dad (he's much better at these types of things than I am!), they each made a space helmet. While we were sitting there,
Brady, in all serious, said: "Mom, we have to go over to Juliana's house today."
Me: "Why, Buddy?"
Brady: "Because we need to pick Juliana up. She said she wants to go to the moon with us. So we have to go get her and we can then go quickly to the moon with her."
Me: "Does Juliana have a spaceship at her house?"
Brady: "I don't know, but she wants to go to the moon with us."

Well for the rest of the morning they played "going to the moon"--the tire swing was the spaceship, then they played soccer on the moon and much more. So Fun!!

Blanket

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I was putting away the pack-n-play, since Chayce is now sleeping in a big bed. I took the sheet off and put it in a pile of other sheets to wash. Well, apparently Chayce was pretty attached to that brown sheet! He came into my room carrying the sheet and sucking his thumb. Then he looked at me and smiled and said, "Chayce, mommy, chayce." Well, he found his "lost blanket" and now refuses to sleep without it!!

Going to School

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:54:00 +0000

So, about a week ago we found out that Lydia and Brady could go to the "kinder" just two days a week, and not need to go the full week. They are basically "auditing" the class. So, we decided this would be a great opportunity for them to meet some kids their age, to learn the language a bit more, and to have some fun at school. They were SO excited!! Yesterday marked their first day! They will go every Tuesday and Wednesday, from 9-12. Here they are in their uniforms, full of excitement and ready to go!

I am still homeschooling Hailey and will continue to do some stuff with Lydia when she is home. It has been a blessing to watch Hailey respond with such excitement for her brother and sister, as well as excited about time alone learning with me! It's amazing how fast our kids are growing up! We praise the Lord for them!

Fun Quotes to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 01:16:00 +0000

Chayce:
“Nana” Juliana, “Bady” Brady, “A E” Hailey, “Ydia” Lydia, “Oul” Saul, “Ma” Fatima (These are the special people in his life right now, and he LOVES saying their names!!)
“Cheeekko” Chico, “Ardo” Gerrardo (he is always looking for these two guys!)
“Taint u” Thank you, “Gacias” Gracias
“Bamo” Let’s Go! (Vamanos!)   “Agua” Water
“Bayo” Horse (Caballo) or cow or donkey or any such animal!

Me: “Cuantos anos tienes, Chayce?”
Chayce: “Two”
Me: “Dos?”
Chayce: “No, Two!”

Brady:
“Let’s play soccer running!” aka a soccer game!
“Dad, can you make me a pitcher’s mound too?” (after Ben put tape on the patio for the bases. The boy LOVES baseball!)

Lydia:
“Yo necesito make my bed.” A little Spanglish!
“(Big sigh)…I just want to go to Charlotte TODAY!” while picking out games to play on a family night!
“Do I look pretty?” (Nearly everyday after she gets dressed, does her own hair and puts on lotion and lip gloss! She’s my girly girl and I love her!!)

Hailey:
“That Veggie Tales movie was very good, Mom, because it taught a lot about Jesus. Bob was saying things about Jesus from the Bible. That means it’s a very good movie, right?”

Family Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:58:00 +0000

The kids have been LOVING playing basketball lately! So yesterday we had a family basketball day!

Chayce, however, is much more into his scooter! And after a week of sheer determination to ride it, he has gotten pretty good! It’s quite impressive, I must say!

Rainy Day Fun! The kids decided today to run and play in the rain for a while! It was great, minus a few slips and bumps on the head (the ground gets SO slippery when it’s wet!)

Home School Here We Go!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:18:00 +0000

Well, we are off and running with homeschool! We had our room painted, and the kids each picked out their own stool. We hung some things on the wall, and so…let the good times roll! So far the kids have really enjoyed it, and the schedule has been good for me. We are still figuring out lots of things, but it has been fun! As a mom, it is fun to watch my kids learn! I’m amazed at how much their little minds can soak up and how much they can remember. My prayer is that this year will be one of learning together and also of growing closer as a family! Stay tuned for fun homeschool stories!
SNACK TIME!!

We took a couple days break while Mark Schrock from our California office was here visiting. It was great to have him here and to give him a taste of our life here and what God is doing! Thanks, Mark for visiting us and for your encouragement!!!

Our Baby Turns 2!!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:13:00 +0000

On August 10th, Chayce celebrated his second birthday! It’s hard to believe my baby is already two years old! Where has the time gone? Chayce, we love you so much! You are so full of life, so full of personality! Things you LOVE: climbing on everything, riding your tricylce all over the place, playing with any and every type of ball (but calling them all “baseballs”), wrestling with your brother and Daddy, your sister Lydia (you have a special relationship with her!), drinking water from a big boy cup, sleeping on the bunk bed in the kids’ room, singing, and reading books on the hammock! Chayce, you are speaking so much more each day, and it is so fun to hear! You love saying everyone’s names that you know, and you love to greet everyone that you see! You want to shake everyone’s hand at church! You are full of energy, but also love to cuddle and you give the biggest hugs! We love you so much and thank the Lord for you! We are so proud to be your parents! Happy 2nd Birthday!

Chayce protested the whole Mexican fiesta thing: he wanted nothing to do with the pinanta and nothing to do with the cake! He only wanted his lollypop and peanut butter sandwich!

A Journey of Forgiveness!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:37:00 +0000

"Have mercy on my, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin...
Create in my a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit...
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12, 16-17

The Lord has been leading me on a journey of understanding His grace and His mercy, but also of recognizing the depth of my own sin. I've had many chances lately to listen to a friend share her struggles in her marriage, with her family, her hurt, her disappointments. I often just listen, not knowing how to respond in Spanish (or at all for that matter!) But the word that has come to mind each time is "forgiveness." And yet, how can we truly forgive someone if we don't ourselves understand the Gospel? Can we? How can we extend grace and live with joy and peace in the midst of hurt if we don't understand the grace that has freely been given to us? I don't think we can.
And so this question has penetrated my own heart these last two weeks, and started my own personal journey. Why am I so quick to get offended or hurt by people when they fail me? Why do I have such high expectations for people, and yet expect people to just accept me and love me for who I am? Why am I slow to forgive and overlook an offense? Is it because I don't fully understand what Christ has saved me from? Do I truly grasp the depth and the depravity of my own sin? David writes in this psalm, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Is this true of me? Do I understand the Gospel for ME? That I am a sinner, saved by grace. I am learning that it is only when we truly understand the depth of Christ's forgiveness, that we are able to forgive others. "As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Col. 3:13) As He has forgiven me... How has He forgiven me? Unconditionally and fully--and before I could do anything to earn it!! It seems that I often "expect" something before I will truly forgive. I often have the attitude of, "you owe me something to make up for what you did." Yet this is not how Christ has forgiven me. I don't have to "make it up to him." It is FREE!! He lavishes His grace on us, freely!! I have been sharing this message to our friends here, and yet the question is the same for me: Do I truly believe the Gospel is for me?? And am I extending that same Gospel towards the people closest to me?
Lord, teach me how to forgive this way, how to extend the grace of the Gospel unconditionally, how to overlook an offense. Show me the depths of my own sin, the depravity of my own flesh. And overwhelm me Your grace, that I may overflow with grace towards others. I want to love much, because I have been forgiven much!

Clausuras!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:09:00 +0000

Hailey graduated from the "kinder" here on July 2nd! It was quite the celebration! Here in Ometepec, kids go to three years of "kindergarten," starting at 3 years of age. The culmination is a formal clausura, or graduation, which includes formal dress, dancing, speaking, and the presentation of certificates. Another custom here is to have padrinos for your clausura. People have padrinos for many different events, including birth, baptism, wedding, 15th birthday for a girl (for which she may have several padrinos), confirmation in the church. So, Hailey asked our friends Pily & Gerrardo to be her padrinos. They accompanied us to the ceremony and presented Hailey with flowers and a gift, and then shared a meal with us afterwards. Hailey was so excited--mostly about getting to wear such a beautiful dress and dance with her class! Here are just a few pictures from the day!

A Flight Worth Missing!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:44:00 +0000

(It's been a while since I've blogged, and when I got on tonight, I realized I had written this story of our travels back to the States, and never actually published it! So, it's more for our own journal that I am posting it now, as many of you probably already heard it!)
Well, we left our hotel at 8:00, grabbed some rolls and drinks at Starbucks and headed towards the airport. We were pulled over by the police for "speeding", although several cars were passing us, and for not having Chayce in a carseat (never knew this was a law in Mexico until TODAY!) So, the police tell us it will be 16,000 pesos, but he will graciously reduce it my half--8,000 pesos, or $750!!!! Are you kidding me? Ben and I were so mad! Well, needless to say, the only money we had on us was $100 and about $14 worth of pesos. So, after much arguing and talking, they accepted what we had. However, when Ben asked for a receipt, they weren't so happy about that! That's when the truth was really revealed! Not a great way to start off the day!
Anyways, we stopped at Costco to return a few things, then went on to the airport. We had decided to check in early with our bags, and then go eat at a nearby restaurant. Good thing we went early! Even though we have visas and all, we had to go through so much paperwork just to leave the country! So, after about 1 1/2 hours of checking in and filling out more paperwork, we finally had boarding tickets and went to grab a good meal. The meal was fantastic, and that family who owns the restaurant graciously gave it to us for free and is letting us leave our car there while we are gone! Thank you, Lord, for this sweet reminder of your goodness and provision!
So, we arrived at the airport about 1 1/2 hours before the flight and made it through security, only to find out that our flight was delayed and we probably would not catch our connecting flight! The kids ran and played while we waited, and then at 3:45 we finally boarded our flight!
We arrived in Houston at 6:05, with 45 minutes to get through customs and to our gate! Yikes!!! We RAN!!! It was quite a sight, but I was so proud of our kids! They ran the whole way, and it was a LONG way to customs! We got there, and it was packed with people! Hurry up and wait, the theme of every international tour, so I guess this was no different! A man from our flight told a security guard that we were late and trying to catch a flight, and he let us pass through faster. But when we got to the counter, they scanned Ben's passport and asked him if he is trouble with the law!? WHAT??? So, they sent me and the kids ahead to get our bags and called for an escort to take Ben and question him. At this point I was about to lose it! So, with four kids, all of our carry-on bags and a really bad attitude, I headed down to the baggage claim. We waited about 15 minutes for Ben, who said they only asked him 2 questions.
We got through customs and turned the corner to find we had to go through security again. But again, a guard allowed us to pass to the front and another lady assured us that the crew of our connecting flight knew we were coming. That energized us just enough to RUN some more. Well, after all that, we arrived at our gate to find it empty! Our plane had left!
Around 8:45 we were checked into our hotel and the kids were crashed out! After calling the Swineharts to inform them we would not be arriving in Charlotte, we learned of bad weather in Charlotte. We checked online and found that the flight we were supposed to be on did not make it to Charlotte--it was re-routed to Raleigh, NC and landed at 10:45! THANK YOU LORD THAT WE WERE NOT ON THAT FLIGHT! We were so thankful for God's grace to us, even in the midst of what seemed like such an inconvenience, that we did not make our flight! So, the journey of being back in the states begins!

Fun Brady Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:14:00 +0000

"Mommy, look what it is doing outside!!" (it was raining, and we haven't seen rain in 6 months!)

"Daddy, come here! There is a huge mouse outside!" (a squirrel, which we don't have in Mexico, but we have plenty of mice and rats!)

In the airport in Houston, "Mommy, there are LOTS of people who speak English here."

Happy Birthday, Hailey!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Our girl, Hailey Marie, turned 6 years on May 11th!! I’m a little late in posting this, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!! We celebrated by taking a group of 10 kids to a nearby swimming pool. Hailey, loves the water, and loves being with her friends! It was a great afternoon, swimming and then eating some pizza and cake together!

Hailey Marie, six years ago we welcomed you into our family and we began the journey of being parents. You are a girl of incredible energy, ambition and love! We are so thankful for you, and for the privilege of being your mom and dad! This past year you have been so courageous and brave—I am so proud of how you have learned Spanish (you speak much better than I do!!), met new friends, excelled in school, and adjusted to a new culture. You have helped bring your sister and brothers along as well. Hailey, you have a sweet heart for people. I love how you LOVE to celebrate people’s birthdays, you LOVE to make cards and give things to people to encourage them, and you genuinely want to care for people. My favorite memory from this year is when you came in and told us that you shared the Gospel with Lydia and prayed with her to ask Jesus into her heart! I am so proud to be your mommy, Hailey Girl! And I love the work that Jesus has started in your heart, and that He promises to one day bring to fulfillment! Happy 6th Birthday!

Dia de las madres (Mother's Day!)

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Wed, 11 May 2011 03:58:00 +0000

Here in Mexico they celebrate Mother's Day on the 10th of May! So, today we celebrated with them! The day started with a group of youth from our church singing the traditional birthday/fiesta song (Las Mananitas) outside my bedroom window at 4:00am!! It's a tradition here that the youth go around to houses starting at midnight and sing to mothers and wish them a happy mother's day! It's really a neat tradition! I was also awakened several times in the early morning to LOTS of fireworks! But once the day really started, Ben and the kids gave me sweet cards and made pancakes. Then I went shopping for some shoes with my friend. In the afternoon, we joined our neighbors and went to a restaurant and enjoyed some food and music together. Overall, it was a good day.
The highlight, though, was just being reminded throughout the day of the blessing of my children. God has indeed blessed me with four wonderful children, who are so full of life and joy. Being a mom is the hardest thing I have ever done--and at times the task seems overwhelming and absolutely exhausting. I've failed so many times, and for that I'm so thankful for the Lord's grace. But being a mom is also the most incredible privilege and the BEST job in the world! Hailey, Lydia, Brady and Chayce--I LOVE you all so much. I thank the Lord for how He has uniquely made each one of you, and for the joy of being your mom! I pray that you will always know how special you are to me and how proud I am to be your mom!

La Feria!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:41:00 +0000

Campamento de Futbol

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Mon, 02 May 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Well as of Sunday night (the night before we left) we had just 4 kids signed up to go with us for our first ever soccer camp. I told my group of leaders that we needed to prepare for 15 to 20. Monday morning surely came, along with 8 new kids. We headed out to the camp in Tierra Colorada with 12 boys, ages 14-17. About half of the group was from my youth team and the other half were new kids I had never met.

(Ben with Antonio and Piña, two of the coaches)

It was a great time. We practiced three times on the beach, which was an opportunity to help teach the guys the importance of practicing, how they should practice, as well as some principals that overlap to much more of life than just soccer. We tried to help teach them the importance of teamwork, hard work, encouragement, and perseverance.

We had two tournaments going on throughout the three days also. First was a soccer-volleyball tournament. We made nets among the coconut trees and we had teams of three guys. It seemed like the guys really liked this because it was a break from playing on the beach.

The other tournament was the “Copa Colorada”. We had 4 teams playing 4 v 4 on the beach, with a semi-final and final on Wednesday morning.

Another highlight was playing some water polo with the guys in the lagoon close by. The guys as well as coaches really had a blast playing in the water, and it was a good change of pace from the incredible heat of the sand.

Throughout the day, as well as in the evening, we had coaches chats with the boys. We tried to help reinforce some of the things we had taught them throughout the day. Each evening we also had a coach share their testimony with the boys. One of the guys named “Piña”, shared his testimony of how God changed all of his life including his crazy life of soccer and alcohol. I really hope that the boys saw a great example of a life changed by God.

(Above, playing a little Bulldog in the sand when we first arrived.)

Katie and the kids came as well to help run the little store at the camp. They sold sodas, gatorades, chips and candy. They also had a great time playing at the beach and in the lagoon, getting to play with the boys and helping in the kitchen. Juliana came with us to help out. It was so great to have them there to be a part of the camp.

The camp had 2 purposes. One was to minister to the boys that came to the camp. I really think we as coaches did a good job just sharing our lives with the boys—living with them and loving them well. The other purpose was to encourage the coaches that came, and to give them a better understanding of how they can use soccer for ministry. To live with non-believers and share Christ through your daily testimony. At first when we left I was discouraged that a few leaders did not come that I thought would. Now I see how the Lord brought just who he wanted to. I hope and pray that the leaders—Antonio, Piña, and Omar—were challenged and encouraged to live there lives for Christ, and also in the practical ways that they can use soccer to influence others for our Lord and Savior.

(Above, this is armadillo, and yes, we ate it for one meal! Not as bad as I (Katie) expected!)

Thanks for your prayers for this first soccer camp.

Two Girls, Two Unique Personalities

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:23:00 +0000

This morning we had a great time just snuggling in bed with the kiddos, taking our time getting up! Bradyn didn't last too long, before he was off and playing in the playroom. Chayce was still asleep, so it was just Ben and myself with the girls. One of the girls lay between us, very still and quiet, asking me to scratch her back. The other lay next to Ben, singing, kicking her legs and waving her arms, and just in CONSTANT MOTION!!! Can you guess which is which?? I told Ben we had the velveteen rabbit and the energizer bunny in bed with us--one soft and snuggling, and the other with unlimited energy and rearing to go!!! I LOVE how God has made each of us and each of our children so uniquely different, and I was reminded of that this morning!

CiCi's WaterPark!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie J) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:50:00 +0000

Yesterday I went with a bus full of kindergarten kids and moms to Acapulco for the day. Hailey's school has started taking the third-year kindergarten classes to a waterpark in Acapulco. We left at the crazy early hour of 4:30 am (seriously, no 5 year-old or 33 year-old wants to get up at this hour!) and we arrived in Acapulco around 9:00. I was kicking myself all day for not taking a camera with me, but I was very unsure of where I would be able to store it or keep it while swimming. So...unfortunately I don't have any pics of the day, but just great memories. We ate breakfast at a restaurant by the cliffs, and got to watch the cliff divers dive while we were there. They had a special show set up just for us! I must say, it was impressive!! Hailey assured me over and over again that she had NO interest in doing that, though!
After breakfast we headed to the waterpark. It was fun to watch Hailey goof around and laugh with her friends! She LOVES swimming, and was having a blast being there with her buddies from school. We swam for a while, went down a couple water slides, and then saw a dolphin show. (When she was describing the show to her dad, she said..."The dolphins jumped so high throw a hool-a-hoop, Dad. I don't think even I could jump that high!")!!! After plenty of sun, we headed to a local mall to eat and shop a bit. We shared a plate of Chinese food, a welcomed change from Mexican, and topped it off with some ice cream! By 5:30 we were back on the bus headed home, and within 5 minutes my sweet girl was crashed out!
Hailey, I loved spending the day with you! I am so thankful for you, and for the way God has made you. I am so proud of you--you are a brave young girl! You have surpassed me in your Spanish already, and I'm amazed by your confidence. I thank the Lord for the privilege of being your mom!