{Not all those that wander are lost - Tolkien}

Waves in Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 12:44:00 -0500

Bet you did not know we have waves in Arkansas.

Samuel had been land locked for 12 months and 26 days when we received heavy rains during the night on July 2nd. He woke up talking about river surfing and how he knew where there was going to be a wave today and could he go surf it. What?!? Wait, WHAT?!?

"I don't know, I'm trying to fix breakfast. We have church, go get ready for church."

What the heck is he talking about? We go to church. Our church can be a little long...in a good way, except not so much when the rain has stopped and you are worried about your wave disappearing. We talk and eat and pray and catch up and read scripture and talk about scripture. He patiently waits. We close in prayer.

"Mom, I have my board in Hannah's truck, can she take me to the river, I want to surf that wave before it is gone."

"Ummm, ok?"

After we say our goodbyes and get in the car, I pause and look at Sam. Wait, WHAT?!? "Ummm, I told Samuel he could go surf a river wave, maybe we should go check it out."

We locate Samuel, with his little brother in tow. He was right, there was a wave. How did he know there would be a wave there? {little brother was not going to surf or get in the water, but I can see how him standing by a fast following drainage area in the middle of town could cause some concern} Two concerned citizen were urging Samuel not to get in the current, as he was insisting it was perfect for boarding. A police officer was also pulling up.

After some discussion, the police officer noted that he thought it was dangerous, but he did not know of any laws that were being broken. {I want to put another caveat in here: my boys have spent a good amount of time in rough waters and surfed Zicatela Beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico...think big waves, so I'm not recommending this for anyone without experience}

We go to Lowe's for a rope to help Samuel get to the wave. This proved unnecessary. I choose to be in denial that I have to live with the consequences of raising adenine junkies and walk over the Barnes & Nobles to peruse books on tiny houses and gardens. {More on the tiny homes later}.

Okay, so it is not as good a getting up at the break of dawn, dipping into the Pacific and feeling the rush of breaking ocean waves, but it is pretty nifty. Now my boys are constantly watching the weather for heavy rain. Especially since Josiah had other obligations and missed this wave.

Transitions: Part one

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 22:18:00 -0600

You might notice that this says "part one", that is because it does not seem complete. We are transitioning. We have been on the transitioning merry-go-around since we began packing back in April...9 months ago. During that time Sam and a missionary friend stood nose to nose with the Mexican mafia while our kids waited outside in the van, we experienced a gas strike, made an international move, sold the majority of our belongings (again), said some heart wrenching good byes, our kids changed schools, they have learned to drive, and navigate American fast food menus just to name a few. (Just an FYI: you should never take a MK to a fast food restaurant and ask them to order whatever they want. It is extremely generous...and overwhelming.) That being said, we have more clarity this month than we did last month, and for that we are grateful, but we are still spinning. I described it to my friend like this, I feel we are in the very calm eye of a roaring hurricane and I am trying to navigate my next steps very carefully so I do not move out of the eye and get smacked in the face with debris! This may be a ten part series, but I have no idea what part two looks like.

As we were making plans to leave Mexico, we talked over a lot of places we could go. We even strongly considered a move to Honduras and took a survey trip there. Oh how I love working with pregnant women and their families at Hospital Loma de Luz, it made so much sense, such a great fit, and yet our hearts weren't quite there. Partly because we felt we needed better training to be truly effective, partly because we are pretty worn out from the last five years on the field, and partly because our hearts are planted in the rocky Oaxacan soil.

We strongly felt we needed to return to Northwest Arkansas were our sending church and family are located and set our hearts in that directions. Sam felt very strongly God was going to provide a home for us. It was not long after that we received confirmation that we were moving in the right direction, when a family offered us a great home rent free for a year!!! This was a blessing in so many ways, as we could not have made it financially without this extremely generous gift.

We also felt that I needed to get my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. We wrote out charts and researched and researched to figure out a scheme that would accomplish this mission and get us back to the mission field as quickly as possible. I already have a bachelors degree, so we thought I could do prerequisites for a nursing program and then do and accelerated program nursing program. This would hopefully, with no hiccups, get us back to the field in two years. We did not feel easy about this, but we marched ahead. On our wall was the quote from J.R. Tolkin "There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest". And that is how we all felt trying to navigate this vaguely familiar, but oddly foreign land. We had gone on a grand adventure and we were not the same. We could not unknown the grand world full of needs that we had witnessed.

As we met with frustration looking at accelerated programs, the one in Arkansas was six hours away and we had already put the family through a lot of transition and the closer one would charge us out of state tuition and would still require a lot of driving and being away from the family, Sam suggested that we drive over and check out a local Christian College. The tuition was more then we could even think about paying and the time was more than we wanted to stay. Interestingly, they were very willing to work with me to get me in the nursing program and the program was brand new. If I attended I would be a part of the first graduating class! We left the admissions office feeling like it would be a great school for Hannah, if she could get a scholarship or grants. Upon their request I sent them my unofficial transcript. Did you know I graduated from college with a 3.6 something? That's actually pretty good! When the hand of God moves, it is actually good enough to get a scholarship to a nursing program! The scholarship does not pay for all my school, but it is very generous. Wow! I'll just let that soak in for a while....
Just before I was offered the scholarship, we became conflicted by a quote from the amazing missionary/martyr Jim Elliot. He said, "Wherever you are, be all there". Our hearts struggle. We see the things God is doing here, yet we are not completely comfortable here. We see the things God is doing all over the world and we long to be there, even if we are not completely comfortable there. Maybe, comfortable is a little over rated. Maybe broken and stretched and completely present wherever you are is just right.

Extending our furlough is a direction that we have walked down very reluctantly, but we strongly feel that in order to be effective missionaries we need to spend some time preparing. Originally we had hoped to have enough support during this phase of preparing, so we could continue making trips and stay engaged in the things God has allowed us to be a part of in Mexico. After six months of trying to make it work, we have decide it is time to be "all here" for this time. Sam is looking for a job right now and we are excited about this "tent making" phase of our ministry. God has already used these last six months here in the U.S. to begin building us back up. He has sent wonderful people who are encouraging us and pouring into us and he has even given us ministries to be involved in.

I think our next quote will be from Dr. Suess, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" or maybe one from Corrie Ten Boom that says, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." What do you think would be a good quote for the Mean's board? What are quotes you have in your house?

I just started my second semester out of six this week. God was gracious enough to allow me to maintain a 4.0 during a very challenging first semester back to college after...well, several years. :) I'm so excited for this amazing opportunity! I really do like school and learning! I know, unleash the inner nerd. Since, I was not offered the scholarship until early August and classes started in late August. We were certainly scrambling last semester. I am hoping to be a little more organized this semester and I think I am off to a good start.

Equiping and Retooling

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 8 Jan 2016 11:47:00 -0600

Well, if there was anything we learned doing cross-cultural ministry overseas, it is that we did not know much about doing cross-cultural ministry overseas. And most of the things we were told or thought we knew, we were wrong about. And that is okay, because now we have experience and because now we know what we don't know, or at least we have a better idea of what we need to learn.

Learning a new language and cultural has a steep learning curve, especially when you are not equipped with the tools to make that process easier or the support you need to thrive in a foreign country. Thankfully, we are generally not proud people, so when we realized we did not have any idea what we were doing, we did a lot of praying and leaning on Jesus. That praying turned into a lot of God made opportunities and guidance.

God gave us the opportunity to pastor for a furloughing missionary and that is were He taught us about oral learners and how to better communicate with people that learn differently than we do. We are hoping to do some more training while here in the U.S. to better prepare us in this area. If you are unfamiliar with orality, you can start by picking up a very short and easy read called Making Disciples of Oral Learners. It is a new year, be enlightened!

In preparing to present at a Christian Midwives International Conference, I stumbled upon some really great books on cultural intelligence, transformational development, and helping the materially poor. All things we would need for a special family that would soon knock on our gate and all things we face often in our own back yard and on the foreign field. If you are interested in learning more about these topics, I would suggest Serving with Eyes Wide Open, When Helping Hurts (don't be offended by it), or Walking with the Poor, which I am currently reading. Also a great documentary to watch on a family movie night is "Reparando" (Repairing). As you watch, let it be a good reminder, that where ever you are going, you are stepping into an already ongoing story. Sometimes we are only helpful, if we take the time to "read" the back story. {Here} is a trailer for the film on youtube and you will find the full documentary by clinking {here}.

God brought opportunities, kind nationals, and missionary friends into our lives. He brought Roca Blanca Language school, who not only teaches Spanish, but encourages cultural engagement and are happy to sit a share their years of experience as well. All of this made for healthier more successful ministries that did not point to us, but pointed to our Savior and encouraged and uplifted those we would leave behind during this next chapter in our lives. God allowed us to be apart of a church plant and Bible Institute that will continue on long after we have left. He allowed us to finish well for ourselves, our ministry, and our children even though I was so done long before that last year. And in that year, He allowed us to see a very up close and personal view of the medical system, gave us vision and direction, and deepened friendships for when we relaunch into cross-cultural overseas ministry again.

2016 is starting out a little shaky for the Means family. We are transitioning to a time of "tent making", while we equip ourselves for a relaunch in a couple of years. I'll be honest, that drop off looks pretty scary and it was not an easy decision. Pray with us that we can find the right bridge across this daunting transition. And rejoice with us that we have found a great ministry here in NWA to plug into. A ministry that will stretch us, and support us, and hold us accountable to being missional in our everyday lives. A body of believers that will be sad and excited to see us go when we do relaunch.

This lady was excited to see our kids gobble down the chapulines (grasshoppers) like pros!

Carie

Journey

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 21:56:00 -0600

Many, many months ago I ended a post with this quote and a promise to revisit the subject of poverty.

"We must do our best to preach the gospel, to find cures for malaria, and to foster affordable housing. But part of our striving is also to fall on our knees every day and pray, "Lord be merciful to me and my friends here, because we are both sinners." And part of our striving means praying every day, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, for without You we cannot fix our communities, our nation, our world." -When Helping Hurts

And then I went almost completely silent. I know I have been quiet, but I have been on a long and difficult journey, a lonely valley journey. It has only been in the past several months that with the right people beside me, helping me process, even when they did not know they were, that I have been able to begin to climb the steep bank. I know I have been quite, but I have been on a journey; a journey I did not really trust myself to share or be honest about for a lot of reasons. Recently, D.L. Mayfield shared a post entitled "The Brutally Honest Christmas Card". When I read the title I could not stop myself from reading. From the caption and photo, I got the idea they had also done cross-cultural work and I thought to myself, "Oh-no!" Her words drifted off the page at me:

"birth and nearly died"

"said goodbye to amazing friends"

"We put our daughter through....a lot of transition"

"it is taking forever to get back on our feet"
"hard to edit when you are sad and aren't sleeping"

It caught my breath...a flood rushed in...the room was spinning. Someone had put words to my experience. She had said what I felt I could not because I did not trust myself to in a healthy way and because the religious culture we came from demanded I stay silent and only share the positive. I still do not trust myself to be half as honest as she was, so if you want to read about what my last several years really looked like (not the exact same events, but our own hard things relating to cross-cultural work), you can go read her blog. She says it honestly, but with the same hope our own hearts are filled with right now. Mission work was amazing. God was so good to us. I am grateful for the things he allowed us to see and learn, and the people he let us work along side. What a privilege to not just get to praise God in one tongue, but with fellow believers in their heart tongue. One of my favorite moments in Mexico was in a little national church that was hosting a medical clinic, a prayer went up; at first a lone voice in Spanish and then one in English joined it, then Korean and the indigenous language of Amuzco. Can you image!

But it was also hard, I have some pretty deep battle scares, some of them in my back. I have experienced things that have left my heart broken, but I am grateful I am broken and my heart is broken, maybe God can really use me now.

"But perhaps the most significant thing is that Jesus is no longer an abstract person, a walking theology, a list of do's and dont's to me. This is the year I recognized him as my battered, bruised brother, and I see how he never once left my side. " -D.L. Mayfield

The words from the quote surprised me when I read them as I sat down to try to start blogging again. Reread the quote. There is a lot packed in that humble prayer. We are all suffering from a sort of poverty that is brought on by living in this fallen world. Does not my own story bear witness to this; my struggle these years in Mexico as I grappled with my own identity, my own sometimes ugly heart, my own feeling of shrinking options. It also surprised me that, while I had not come back to this blog in months, this prayer had really become a part of me. It is the eyes through which I see the world. A broken girl, living in a broken world, called to not look away.

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 21:06:00 -0500

I know I promised to continue the series on poverty and the story about the lady that knocked on my door asking for help. I will very soon, I promise. It has proven much more difficult than I thought it would be, but after wrestling to find the right word all week, I am almost there and Sam says it is half way decent. So stay tuned, I think it will be worth the wait. In the mean time, here are some photos of a recent mission trip two of our boys were priveleged to be a part of. Both the boys bonded with the young MK who lives there with his family.

They drove about six hours into the mountians. This included a lot of curves, dirt roads and some fog, donkeys and turkeys.

Their objective was to help paint a literacy center. People will be able to come and learn to read in their indigenous language. This is very important, since many indigenous people in Oaxaca understand their heart language better than Spanish or only speak the indigenous language.

What a good looking group! All photo credit goes to Donna Shaver and Anna Perez.

Messy, Messy Missions Series: A honest look at poverty

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 23:45:00 -0500

Missions is not about projects, it is about people and, well, let's face it, sometimes getting involved in other peoples lives can get messy. Many of us know this from experience. Maybe we have tried to help someone and it did not work out the way we thought it would.

Like my friend in the Philippines who offered her box of take home to a homeless person on the street. Upon opening it and inspecting it, he remark he did not like this particular type of food. I think I understand better why he did that now, but we will get to that later.

The focus of our ministry here in Mexico is not to those in poverty, but we are faced with it often. The fact that it is not our primary focus does not give us the liberty to turn our heads and pretend it does not exist. Just because the situation seems too large for us to ever see results, does not me we are excused from doing anything.

So what do you do? What is a good way to help? What will help the most?

A little over a year ago, I answered a knock at my door. A woman was telling me her young daughter was pregnant and they needed money for doctor's visits and the birth. As I asked more questions, she stated her daughter was having contractions.

The need seemed urgent and I had the means to provide what she was asking, about 200 pesos, which is less than $20 U.S. dollars. I could give it to her, accept her thanks, send her on her way, and go about my day feeling a little better about myself.

As I spoke with her and asked questions, I began to pray about the best way to handle the situation. How we deal with people is messy, but important. We can hurt ourselves and those we are trying to help without even realizing it.

In the next several post, I will tell you how we handled this situation, and open myself up to the judgement that may come with that. I do it gladly and humbly in hopes that maybe a conversation can be started about what poverty is, how to best help and if we should even help at all.

For today I leave you with a quote from When Helping Hurts.

"We must do our best to preach the gospel, to find cures for maleria, and to foster affordable housing. But part of our striving is also to fall on our knees every day and pray, "Lord be merciful to me and my friends here, because we are both sinners." And part of our striving means praying every day, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven, for without You we cannot fix our communities, our nation, our world."

What are your intial thoughts on poverty?

Mamut Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 23:30:00 -0600

Here on the field life is a little different, we are aware our children miss out on somethings their counterparts in the U.S. have and do. In light of this, we try to create traditions that the kids can look forward to, that make life unique and special and create memories. For example, we did not have room to bring Christmas decorations when we came to Mexico, so we have a tradition of making decorations every year. This year we made Peppermint ornaments, which you can see by (clicking here). We also do Tostada Tuesdays, which you can see by (clicking here). Another tradition is letting kids choose what kind of birthday cake they want to be made for them. One year everyone wanted ice cream cakes, the next year everyone wanted cheesecake. This year Josiah wanted pecan pie.

So this week Haden and I walked to the store for some carrots I needed for dinner. He asked if he could bring a few pesos to buy a treat. As we were walking along and he was thinking about his treat, he said he wanted a Mamut cake for his birthday. I was a little confused, so he explains this is his favorite sweet treat at the tienda. I tell him I have no idea what it is and need to take a look before I can promise anything. After two tiendas we find carrots and mamut, which is what we called Moon Pies when I was growing up. A round cookie sandwich with marshmallow filling, covered in chocolate. When we got home I typed "Moon Pie" into the Pinterest search engine and there were actually several recipes for homemade moon pies. Figuring out how to modify the recipe to make it the size of a cake was pretty easy. It turned out very yummy, very sweet, but very yummy.

The kids and I had fun with the PicMonkey edits.

Mamut means Mammoth, by the way! Before you get too impressed with my Spanish, I only know that because one of the kids told me. This is the blog where I found the recipe for homemade Moon Pie. (Click here)

Pinterest Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 00:03:00 -0600

When we moved to Mexico our Christmas ornaments were one of the things that just did not fit. So, we began a new tradition of making Christmas ornaments. We have made popcorn chains with chilis, popcorn balls (very yummy, they make great gifts also), paper snowflakes, origami cranes, dried apples and oranges (bonus: they smell great), cute little peanut snowmen, gingerbread cookies, ect. The kids love this tradition.

I turned to Pinterest for inspiration this year and I found this neat idea that SEEMED very easy and staight forward. The idea was to place peppermint candies in cookie cutters and place them in the over to melt together, producing {these} cute ornaments. Honestly, I thought the hardest part would be finding peppermint candy in Oaxaca, Mexico. Super, mega easy...right? I mean, I'm crafy...right? :)

I think this is when you say...NAILED IT!

In the end, we did get a few to turn out nice enough to hang on the tree.

How about you? What Christmas tradition do you enjoy with your family?

Hopping Around the Internet Today

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 1 Mar 2015 23:01:00 -0600

So, I'm kind of doing a fun and new thing today...well new to me anyway. Some of my missionary blogger friends around the world are doing a "Round Robin" hosted by Baptist Mission Women. So be sure and click the link on the bottom of the page to go to the next blog and discover a whole new mission field and missionary family.

As part of the "Round Robin", I am sharing 5 interesting (hopefully interesting anyway) things about myself.

Five Interesting Things About Me:

1.) I am an outgoing introvert...it's complicated...be patient with me when I do not answer your call.

2.) I have ridden in an ambulance in a foreign country. {click here}

3.) I have jumped out of a military airplane...five times. Sorry I do not have any pictures, but I do have the wings to prove it. Here is a picture of one of my boys, who is now big enough to wear my old uniform.

4.) I have swam in the Pacific Ocean, but never been to California. {click here} And I can not completely confirm, but we may have been invited over to a pastor's house to eat iguana while living on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico.

5.) One time we built a sun oven from stuff we got at the thrift store and baked bread using only the energy from the sun. {click here}

So I asked my kids to list some interesting things about me. This was the best I could get:

1.) You have a very ominous oder in the morning. I ~~think~~ hope he was joking. :) But you kind of have to be proud of the creative use of the word ominous.

2.) You wax your legs instead of shaving.

3.) You can come up with games and activities at a moments notice.

4) You can grow a garden anywhere.

5.) You have six kids that are oozing with awesomeness who do the dishes.

6.) You take great pictures.

Thanks for reading today! Now {click here} to visit Johvi, Estonia where Rachel writes Rachel's Reflections: My life as wife, mom and missionary.

Thankful Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 20:04:00 -0600

I'll be straight with you. I've been hurt very badly during this missionary journey...by people in "the ministry". Much worse than I ever thought imaginable. I have spoken of it to very, very few people. Healing has been slow and painful. Today someone posted a post by Women Living Well Ministries.

She very concisely pens some things that I have journaled or thought in my journey to heal that is far from over. One thing she said that I had never quite been able to put into words was "Moving on is not...Trust or reconciliation. It takes two to reconcile. When no acknowledgement of the pain they have caused you comes, this leaves an open wound that only Christ can fill."

This struck me in two ways. First, I am not the only one this has happened to, I am not crazy, I have been deeply wounded. And secondly, for the moment, healing means a daily battle to turn my pain over to Christ and let him fill my open wound.

Elizabeth Elliot, who knows great pain and great healing and forgiveness, adamantly and Biblically argues in her book A Pathway Through Suffering, that this was no surprise to God and He is in control, even in allowing this hurt.

So, how am I working towards healing. I'm doing lots of things. I cry sometimes. I journal. I read my Bible and try to sit still at Jesus's feet. I pray. I pray blessings on those that wounded me (more on that later).

One of my life lines during this time has been thankfulness. I try to be actively thankful. All. The. Time. Not only is this Biblical, it is now being back up by research. Don't believe me? Check out this TedTalk by Shawn Achor, the founder of GoodThink.

So, today, today I am thankful for my washing machine and water for my washing machine. When we moved here, a Mexican lady gave us a washing machine. It was in very bad shape and I tend to work my washing machine to death anyway (there are eight of us). But it was a great sacrifice for her and a great blessing to us. However, by the time it was put out to pasture, I don't think it really cleaned the clothes, I just put them in and pretended it did. When we were in the U.S. for visa paperwork at the end of 2013 one of the families that supports us, bought us a brand new washing machine! Hand wash a few loads of clothes and you will see why I am extremely thankful for my washing machine.

So, thank you Lord:

For my washing machine.
For the new little person in our house that is making more laundry.
And for a pump, so we can wash clothes, even when there is no city water.

What are you thankful for today?

Tostada Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 08:26:00 -0600

Almost every Tuesday, and especially since the kids started school, we have tostadas. For the most part we have also adopted Comida. The tradition of eating your large meal in the early afternoon. This works out great since 1.) Sam works a lot of evenings and dinner is over and cleaned up well before he needs to leave 2.) The kids come home hungry and waiting until dinner just makes them more hungry. We have actually had left overs eating on this schedule. That's pretty much a miracle with two teen boys. 3.) Dinner is over and cleaned up and you have the rest of the evening free to do other things. We usually have a lighter meal in the evening, something easy to fix and easy to clean up...like cereal, a sandwich, or left overs.

Tostadas are perfect for this schedule, especially on Tuesdays and Thursday. On these days the kids workout hard the last hour of school and I try to go workout also. When we get home everybody helps get toppings out while the beans reheat and dinner is ready! One of our friends told me tostadas are comida floja...or lazy food. Lazy or not, it is defiantly easy. It is really that fast when you have refried beans that you took out of the freezer in morning. Once upon a time, I blogged my bean recipe, but that blog platform isn't even available anymore. I'll try to repost the recipe soon.

Toppings always include beans, cabbage, and salsa. Other options are sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and chilis. Everybody makes their own, which is even better.

What is your favorite "comida floja"?

Ministry Monday: Small recaps of the going-ons around here

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:58:00 -0600

We have a lot going on ministry wise. The church hosted a Christmas movie night right before Christmas. The movie had a clear presentation of the gospel and afterwards, one of the men of the church gave a short gospel centered sermon. Almost everybody brought visitors. I love seeing the church reach out.

That same week a church in Oaxaca city had a mission conference, so some of our church went a few nights. The first night, Sam got a call from the pastor shortly after they had arrived at the church. The conversation went something like this:

Pastor: Brother Sam where are you? (This is very odd, because culturally you always begin with a friendly greeting and then ask how the person is doing.)

Sam: I'm here.

Pastor: At the church?

Sam: Yes.

Pastor: Come up to my office!

When Sam arrives at the pastors office, the pastor informs him the speaker has not arrived and is having car problems. You have to remember, a lot of planning has gone into this meeting, the church is packed and people from other churches have travelled to be here. The pastor asked Sam to preach the first sermon, because "your a missionary". So, Sam stands up and preaches in Spanish with almost no notice. I stayed home with the baby that night, because he was still quite small, but I heard it was great!

We are also trying to minister to the family I spoke about in a previous post. You can read about it by (clicking here). Grandfather became very sick and was in the hospital and as soon as he was out grandmother fell and broke her wrist and is currently in the hospital. There 18 year old granddaughter has been staying with her baby at what looks like a refugee camp just outside the hospital, leaving only grandfather to care for the children. The church is taking meals this week and we have spoken with a Christian Children's Home here in the area that is ready to help. This would allow Lupita to focus on her own baby knowing her brothers and sisters are taken care of and hopefully the church can continue ministering to her and her grandparents. Please pray God's hand continues to guide us, as he already has.

Looking Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Thu, 1 Jan 2015 01:00:00 -0600

As 2014 draws to a close and 2015 is brand new, it is very exciting to be making plans for a medical clinic to the island region. You can read about our first trip to this area by clicking here. This will be a collaborative effort of the missionaries currently church planting on the island, our church here in Huayapam, and a local group of doctors that often do mountain medical clinics as part of their ministry. You can also read our latest prayer letter by clicking here.

Church Planters!

We had the privilege of being a part of something very similar in March of 2014, that you can read about by clicking here. The trip will help the missionaries and their church on the island reach out to their community. “We are the bait that the fisherman use,” as one of the doctors likes to put it. It will be exciting for the church members here having the opportunity to be a part missions, we are praying they catch a vision and passion for missions and reaching the state of Oaxaca. There is much planning, coordinating, and prayer that needs to go into this trip. We invite you to begin praying with us on this.

Translators!

How about you, what mission trips or Global Adventures ,as my BIL likes to call them, are you planning on going on this year?

A Mission Trip for Missionaries

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 21:52:00 -0600

I had every intention of posting this back in May or June, but pregnancy and morning sickness really caught up with me. I am posting it now, obviously. :) Our missionary friends are in the U.S. on furlough and we really miss them, especially this time of year. The following is just one of the fond memories we have with them.

Early May we were honored to be invited along by some fellow missionaries on one of their out reach efforts. The goal was to assist and encourage a national church planter, as he and his wife live and labor among a very closed neighborhood. The neighborhood has permitted their children to come for daily after school tutoring and Bible studies, but the adults have been very reluctant to engage with Manuel and Glenda in anyway. We offered very limited services; a very basic eye exam, dental care workshop, barber (turns out you can trust a bald barber), and ear cleaning. I was able to weigh a few babies and go over warning signs in pregnancy with some of the ladies in the waiting area.

All this gave the community a better opportunity to get to know Manuel and Glenda and to speak to some about spiritual matters. We are thankful to our missionaries friends for allowing us to join them in part of their ministry. It was a great ministry trip for our visiting niece and our kiddos. They helped out in lots of areas. Glamorous things like hauling water, sweeping up hair, and examining and cleaning out ears. However, the best thing they did, the thing I am the proudest of is, they showed themselves friendly. Well done my young people.

What do you think? What makes short-term mission trips successful or not so successful? What was the most important way you helped on your last mission trip?

New Visas: Ministry Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 16:16:00 -0600

Image courtesy of pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the less glamorous sides of long-term, cross-cultural work is immigration. Last year we were finally able to go from tourist visas to year long temporary visas, temporary resident visas. You can read about it here. With temporary resident visas we do not have to leave the country to renew, but renew we must. And the time for renewal has come. Sam has spent much of the last two weeks buried under copies and copies of birth certificates, letters of invitation, passports and various other paperwork he had diligently been gathering for our renewal packet. Due to changes in the process, some of our documents had to be translated this year. Thankful, a missionary friend knew someone very good that could do it for us quickly. In addition we have been working on getting Gracen a Mexican birth certificate and registered as a Mexican citizen. This requires several trips to various offices and two witnesses to go with us for the final step, but it is now all completed. Because Gracen is a Mexican citizen, we qualify for permanent resident visas, which means no more yearly renewal and more liberty for us. We will now begin work on his U.S. documents at the American consulate.

Image courtesy of scottchan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thankfully, only two trips to the immigration office were required this year! Well, actually, they have accepted our packet. We will still have to go in and get our cards and get finger printed and such, but getting our packet accepted is a big step. Pray with us that the rest of the process is completed easily.

Our little "anchor baby". :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 22:20:00 -0600

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

We were blessed to be able to celebrate with fellow missionaries that we love. Everybody pitched in and we had turkey, stuffing, pecan pie...the works really. And of course, we have so very much to be thankful for this year. You can check out this post about Gracen's birth or this post of some of the fun ministry things we get to be a part of to see some of the awesome things we are so thankful for this year.

One of the things that is hard to find down here is sweet potatoes like the ones that grow in my grandmother's garden. However, it might be that one of those sweet potatoes from my grandmother's garden ended up down here after one of our trips and it might have sprouted and then ended up in my garden. Wednesday we dug up the area to see if we actually had any sweet potatoes under the ground...

Thought I would add this one, because, well, this is what is going on at our house and it's great! Just have to share the cuteness!

Gracen's Birth

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:30:00 -0600

All photos taken by Anna Perez and are owned by Purposeful Wandering. Use of photos is theft.

Two weeks ago today we passed through the waters on dry land. As we watched the wild, angry sea swirl on each side, I wondered if it was there to scoop me up and whisk me away or if we would make the journey to the other side. What we felt was the hand of God leading and the many prayers of friends and family. Not only prayers, but many were working very hard to get much needed blood donated to replenish the liter and a half I had lost and in case another surgery was needed to remove my uterus, which no doubt would include even more blood loss. There were times when I said out loud, "I'm scared". Scared I was leaving behind my children and husband and newborn baby I had barely been able to hold. Sam was a rock. He reminded me my vitals were stable, my hands were warm, I was still alert and everybody was doing everything they could.

Our beautiful boy made a spectacular entrance into the world after a very quick labor. It was a little over two hours from the first contraction to when I held him in my arms.

Did I mention it was intense.

It was not what I was expecting, but it was wonderful and overwhelming and we gave thanks for this fresh new life we were privileged to have in our home.

Really intense.

After a bit Sam and I settled in to cuddle and admire him. I felt great, he had done great from the beginning, all was well.

Then I noticed I was bleeding...a little too much. We tried emptying my bladder, herbs, all the uterotonic drugs our midwives carry (oxytocin, misoprostol, ergometrine), we began an IV with oxytocin and reexamined the placenta for completeness. Despite my uterus maintaining tone, I continued to bleed off and on and we decided to transport. On the ride to the hospital I felt prompted to pray aloud and thank God for the midwives, our baby, this trial, for his guiding hand. After six completely natural births, I received my first epidural! I know, I have things a little backwards...I always have...never have been able to do things like everybody else. I prayed aloud again in the O.R. as the doctors began trying to save my uterus and my life.

That day was filled with times when my mind was clearer and I felt more stable. In those moments, Sam and I put our heads together and stared at our new son and declared our love for one another as I tried to nourish the new life we had been given and enjoy my husbands embrace. We all lay there together feeling God's arm around us and hands directing us. We listened to the words coming from Sam's Ipad and we sang along.

"You broke my chains of sin and shame
And you covered me with grace
And you mend my life with Your holy fire
You cover me with grace" - All Sons & Daughters

God gave wisdom to our midwives, to our doctors. He sent friends to donate blood and friends to pray. He also reached down and comforted us and, I believe, touched my body. We are thankful for our chance to walk through the raging sea on dry land. We are thankful to be able to look back two weeks later with both my life and my uterus. We believe God did not have to show grace that day and we know we did not deserve the grace and kindness, but we are thankful for it.

That day showed me many things, not all can be said here...one thing I can share here is how touched we have been by the outpouring of love and prayers for us. Thank you!

"And yes Lord
We are grateful
For Your grace
And for Your love

Yes Lord
We are grateful
For Your grace
And for Your love" - All Sons & Daughters

And we gave thanks.

Preterm Labor: The 33 week scare

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 17:40:00 -0500

We wanted to say thank you one more time for all who prayed for the baby and I throughout the pregnancy. From the first announcement you rejoiced with us, and we needed those extra prayers. I had pretty extreme "all-day" sickness and even though I was tired and weak, little Gracen kept growing strong.

During the summer I felt well enough for us to take a trip to Honduras. What a blessing to see all they are doing there and to get to be a little part of the ministry at hospital Loma de Luz. You can read about our trip by clicking here.

Upon returning we jumped full strength back into life here in Oaxaca. The kids with school. Sam with Bible studies, classes, and disciplining. Everyone at the church was excited to see my growing belly and give it a little rub. That's very socially acceptable here and even expected. I didn't mind, we were so grateful for the new little life growing, we were happy to share the blessing.

The kids had settled into the new school routine and I was even getting my garden in order. With all our comings and goings over the last several years, it seems getting the garden in order (a.k.a. weeding, lots of weeding) is a very reoccurring theme around here.

The kids had September 15 off of school for Mexican Independence Day, so I high-jacked a part of their day with gardening. Do you know how much more weeding you can get done with 5 able bodied kids? After I relieved them from their gardening duties I returned to the garden several times that day. The problem was, with all the day's activities, I think I forgot to drink enough water. As evening approached, I quickly changed clothes so we could head down town to see all the festivities going on for Independence Day. We had a great time drinking coffee on the down town square (zocalo), people watching, parade watching, and we got a very close up fireworks display. You can see it here.

It was shortly before midnight that we headed back to the car. On the walk to the car I noticed I was having some pretty serious contractions that seemed close together. By the time we got home, they were every 3 minutes and I had to breathe through them. I got in a warm bath, started hydrating and contacted one of our midwives and our doctor. Our doctor answered his phone, but he was out of town. After trying a few more things the contractions calmed down and I slept for a while, only to wake up several hours later to strong contractions again. This pattern repeated several times until late afternoon.

After consulting several doctors, we decide it was time to go to the hospital. I went and took a shower and tried to get all my crying out, so I could be strong for whatever the next days and weeks had in store. Because, the way the contractions felt, I was sure at a mere 33 week, our baby was about to make an entrance...and I was scared. The hospital most equipped to take care of premies (the Civil Hospital), really doesn't have a NICU. Take a deep breath and let that sink in a minute.

Up until this point we had kept our little trial to ourselves, but in that brief time I was trying to pull myself together in the shower, Sam sent out a cry for help, I mean an email asking for pray. Your response was overwhelming.

Also while I was in the shower, I remembered an OB/GYN that I had worked with a few times and we gave him a call. Not only was he in town, he was at the Civil Hospital where we were going to need to go. What a huge relief to see a familiar face in all the chaos.

The incredible thing really was that after all those contractions, my cervix was still closed and long and the contractions did slow down and eventually stop after an injection of terbutaline. I remained on bed rest for a week or two and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief as week 37 of my pregnancy came and went. This has been what Sam has come to call the 33 week scare. Little did we know it would be a good thing that we were a little familiar with the civil hospital, as I would end up there after Gracen's birth. You can read about his birth here.

A note to all my midwifery friends. I am aware of the studies coming out showing bed rest to have no effect on preterm labor, however, when it seems like every time you move you have contractions, you tend to try not to move. No matter what the studies say, it seems even the best of us are susceptible to anecdotal evidence.

The Gift of Friendship: Not. Forgotten.

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Tue, 5 Aug 2014 00:29:00 -0500

Over the past 4+ years in Mexico we have moved several times. Phone numbers and contact information has changed, sometimes we haven't had internet, email, or facebook. And I had fallen out of the habit of reaching out to the lovely women who have walked with me through various places and stages of my life. My husband encouraged me to reach out, seeing the harm isolation was bringing.

However, my culture has changed too. I no longer am privileged to think of those that do without theoretically. I try to make my ever changing house a home, but at the same time those struggling to exist and feeling very trapped in their circumstances literally knock on my door. I think I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relate to anyone anymore. That talking about playdates or kid's school or home improvements would render me speechless.

And then I was given the best birthday present ever! All morning, to my great surprise, I received phone call after phone call from women taking time out of their busy days to chat and wish me a Happy Birthday. And you know what I discovered? It was not hard to relate at all. It was wonderful to talk about our shared passion of birth. It was wonderful to hear their children were growing and thriving. It was wonderful to hear they are enjoying new work and new opportunities. It was wonderful to hear how they are seeing God work in their lives and walk with them in difficult situations.

Their were so many of you who called that I didn't get to talk to you all, but I plan to reach out very soon and I am excited to hear all about what is happening in your lives.

It was not until about 1:00 in the afternoon that I began to realize this was all put together by my wonderful husband. In his desire to give me the most wonderful birthday present that I desperately needed, he reached out to many of the special women in my life that I have had the privilege of calling friend.

Your response was overwhelming!

Thank you for being a part of one of the best and most meaningful gifts I have ever received.

Ministry Monday Week #13: On the Solid Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 5 May 2014 23:09:00 -0500

One of the songs we sang while traveling around the country on deputation was "I'm Standing on the Solid Rock." It relays a great message and has a wonderful southern gospel tune. Well, last year we sang the English version at a church here in Oaxaca, and the response was tremendous. Many asked if we knew it in Spanish. Finally, after a year of looking and even trying our own hand at translating it (to no avail), we found it.

Here's one of our first attempts at it.

Ministry Monday Week #12: Children's Church

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 23:30:00 -0500

We are really loving the new church here in Huayapam. We feel so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here. They have asked me to help with children's classes on occasion. I am so grateful my Spanish is finally good enough to do classes comfortably....note I said comfortably, not perfectly. Some sweet friends sent us an old school flannel graph set the first year we were on the field, so I've busted it out and use it sometimes. The first class I used it, one of the kids said, "Oh! Que Bonita!" (How pretty!) They really like it. Sometimes I let them come up and retell the story using the flannel graph...big hit! Kids are always fun to work with!

Lena is usually my helper, because we can practice the night before and make sure everything is smooth and we have all the right characters.

One of the really sweet things they do is prayer time. Each child writes their prayer request on a piece of paper, then they exchange papers, and pray for each other.

Ministry Monday Week #11: Resurrection Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 23:30:00 -0500

Hope you had a great Easter. We did! We got to show off the grandparents at our church here in Huayapam. What a blessing! Everything was great from the prayer service to the song service to the preaching. Sam preached a great message with a strong emphasis on the glorious victory that is summed up with three beautiful, powerful words, "It is finished". (John 19:30)

I took a few snap shots of the kids doing a small craft of the empty tomb with a banner across that say, "Jesus Cristo ha resicitado!" (He is risen!)

It is finished!

How was your weekend?

For This Child I Prayed: 1 Samuel 1:27-28

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 14:43:00 -0500

I know that every child is a gift from God, uniquely placed in our care for such a short amount of time. However, there was a time when it seemed if my husband looked at me the right way or held my hand long enough, I could get pregnant. It seemed mostly in our control. Our youngest was born four years after the other four and we thought it would be wonderful for him to have brothers and sisters around his age, so we started making plans in that direction almost as soon as Sam returned from Iraq. But God had other plans and for seven years we have prayed and waited. Just this year I really began to think that God was clearly saying the ministry we have here in Mexico and our five children were more than enough. I almost gave away the cloth nappies in January, but decided to wait just a few more months until my friend's baby was born and we would go visit her. Then in February we got this almost unbelievable, surprise blessing! After a few weeks of letting the news settle in and really become real, we are ready to announce that a new baby will be arriving later this year!

So in the grateful words of Hannah we say, " For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:" and let us not forget that as parents we should also strive as Hannah place our children back in the hands of the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Have to say, our kiddos are really good sports! :)

Ministry Monday Week #10: Pure Religion

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 22:53:00 -0500

I know some of you may have read this in our prayer letter or on Sam's blog, but I wanted to share it here also. I have not included any pictures here, because we try to walk a fine line between sharing and not exploiting as this is actually a very delicate situation.

In late January, we received a knock at the gate by a lady asking for money to take her “laboring” daughter to the hospital. It is not our practice to give money, so Carie being a midwife volunteered to go with the lady to check on her “laboring” daughter, Lupita. To no surprise, Lupita was not in labor and was only in her 7^th month. However, that knock on our gate has changed our life, added to our ministry, and has re-taught us a scriptural truth, “Pure religion and undefiled.”

Since that knock, Carie and I have made many visits to that family and the mother has since abandoned the family, once again, and has been on another drunken hiatus for more than two months. They are unsure when or if she will return. What does that mean? Lupita (18) has been left to care for her newborn and her 1 year old, 4 year old, 6 year old, 9 year old, and 13 year old siblings, as well as her grandparents, grandfather (92) and grandmother (80). Though the grandparents try to help, their age limits them greatly.

We are always mindful and careful to not establish a dependency on us or American dollars, but we have been heartbroken for this family, their lost-ness, and the affliction they are going through. We were at a loss, for what we should do, so we prayed. So one night on visitation I took one of the couples of the church to visit the “Luz” family, as we left they too were heartbroken. They have since motivated the church to gather food dispenses and gathered for a work day to clean and repair the small home of Lupita, which included the burning of old mattresses and purchasing of new ones. Many brought clothes and sheets, clean supplies, etc.

The CHURCH has felt the call to reach out, the CHURCH has been praying and working with this family, and GOD has received ALL glory and honor for what has been happening. However, they are still lost.

Please be in prayer for this family as we continue to minister to them. Carie has been providing post partum Carie to Lupita and the baby. The kids go with us every Sunday to church, and I plan to start “listening” to the bible with the family by use of a “Proclaimer” one or two afternoons per week since the grandparents cannot read. Somehow I have earned the respected name of “Don” Samuel, please pray for me as I continue to share the gospel and the love of Christ with this family. Please pray for their salvation.

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:26-27

Ministry Monday Week #9: Celebrating Four Years!

noreply@blogger.com (Carie) — Sun, 6 Apr 2014 21:39:00 -0500

April 3rd marked the four year anniversary of the eventful trip from Rogers, Arkansas to Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico! You can read about that trip by CLICKING HERE and HERE. It has not been the easiest four years, but we are still here and hopefully it is God who has gotten the glory.

You do not have to do a very thorough search to find the hard fact that missionary attrition is very high. Some say as many as 80% will not finish their first term (traditionally a term has been considered four years). We would like to send a huge and humble thank you to all who have supported us and prayed for us.

On one trip back to the US we were visiting my grandmother's church way out in the country of Arkansas. An older couple came up to talk with us, both faithful, humble Christians of many years. They said, "We want you to know we pray for you everyday." I could not hold back the tears. I thought to myself, that is why we are still on the field, because you pray for us everyday.

To celebrate our four year milestone, we tried a new restaurant. Not just a new restaurant, but a whole new experience. We had "sopa de piedra" or "rock soup". It is a traditional way of preparing soup in which all the ingredients for the soup are placed in a large gourd bowl. Then a very hot rock is placed in the soup and immediately served to you. When they bring it, the soup is boiling and bubbling. By the time it stops, your soup is cooked and ready to eat. Now that gives a whole new meaning to fresh!

Hey Samuel, I think the dog chewed up your boogie board. WHAT! Just kidding! LOL! Sorry about the picture quality. We only had our phone camera with us.