Photos from today

We have been talking with the church in Sacha Runa about beginning a Compassion International program at the church. There are a few obstacles in our way. Today, a little girl from Sacha Runa was over at our house. She has been part of the compassion program through a Quechua church in Shell. We know her family and we know what a blessing it is for her to be able to be a part of the Compassion program. Please pray that the Lord would put in order the things necessary so that we can further look into establishing a Compassion program in Sacha Runa.

For now, our home provides a respite for some of the children from Sacha Runa. These three girls were on their way home today. The oldest pictured (Britany) stopped by our house with her mom earlier today (her mom goes to our church and recently accepted Christ). Her mom went on to work (which she does each weekday) and Britany went to pick up her two youngest siblings in town. On their way back, they were covered in sweat as Britany carried the baby and Joseline carried a bag of their things. It is always a pleasure to open our home as a safe place for these girls - provide them with ice water (to drink as well as to take home) and to allow them to play. People passing by that know them stop by to tell me how sad it is and what poor little children they are....but to us they are treasures - precious children, just like our own, who just happened to be born into different homes. They are our children's friends and we have so much respect for their mother. Living alone, working full time during the week in town and running her own business in Sacha Runa on the weekends (selling food to the people down swimming in the river), supporting six girls. Given the opportunity, she always offers to give us what she has (food on the way back from church, a jungle bird today). She is not a project, she is our friend, our sister. 

I hope you enjoy some of our photos from today. The older girls were out in the jungle area behind our house with Britany for part of the afternoon...they were too far away to get good photos.

Valerie Grace (wearing a leotard whether in Florida or Ecuador)

Brittany genuinely happy

First time I have seen Abigail totally filled with joy

Joseline loves seeing her photo on the back of the camera along with people she knows (if you were in Shell, you might have heard her squealing with delight each time she looked at the back of the camera)

Every princess needs a piggyback ride out of the jungle  

two beautiful gifts from God

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."
(Matthew 18:10 ESV)

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My kingdom for an amphibious vehicle

Our 1997 Land Rover has been the center of this weeks excitement.

We had a big box of stuff for Maria to distribute in Sacha Runa on Monday, so, deciding to be chivalrous I offered to drive it over for her. Brooke and Valerie rode along because it would be culturally inappropriate for me to be alone in the car with Maria. When we got to the bridge I asked Maria if she thought I could drive across it (which I have done many times). The water was low so she said she thought we could cross. After six months, the river bed has shifted slightly, so the path I normally drive across didn't look right - just a little too deep. So, I wisely decided to drive to the left of the "deep" spot...right into the really deep hole that the kids jump off the cliff into. The car didn't go all the way in, the engine choked out long before that, but I was worried that the car might slide in, so I got the girls and Maria out the high side quickly. My next concern was rain. It wasn't raining at the time, but cloudy. Even a moderate rain will significantly raise the river, and when the river really gets going it could roll my car right down the river. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

You ever get that feeling when everything seems to be going wrong and you and all you can do is stand there hoping to wake up soon. It was one of those. I had no cell phone with me (there's no AAA anyway), the car is quickly filling with water, the children are all standing around laughing at the free entertainment, and I'm standing knee-deep in ice cold water staring at my half-submerged car. We finally walked up the hill to Maria's house and got Agusto to come have a look at it. His plan was to dive underwater with my car jack and try to get the front end and wedge rocks under it until it was level enough to push out or restart the engine. None of those things was going to work, but the deal was sealed when my jack decided not to work (never had problems with it before). Agusto called a friend who had a truck, but it wasn't strong enough even to get it out of the hole, let alone up the steep bank. The driver went to go call a guy with a volqueta (big truck). It turned out to be the guy who I use to deliver rebar and cement a lot. He pulled the car out and towed it to a mechanic he know.

The mechanic wasn't there, but he

borrowed some tools, pulled the spark plugs, jacked up the back left tire (using his jack), put it in 4th gear and hand-spun the tire to pump the water out of the cylinders. After that we were able to get it started. I ran it for a while, thinking that the heat would drive out any remaining water. Maybe not a good idea. There was also a good amount of water that had gotten in the oil pan through the dipstick hole. Either the heat or the churning turned it into a foamy white mess (as seen in the picture). Anyway, the next morning it wouldn't start. I changed the oil and pulled the spark plugs again, but no dice.

So this morning I took the bus into Puyo to try and see if I could get a tow truck. On the way in I stopped at my favorite mechanic's shop to see if he knew someone who had a tow truck. I told him my story and he said he would come out this afternoon and see if he could get it running at my house so we could drive it in. Only in Ecuador to mechanics make house calls.

Sunday was challenging in a different way. I ended going to both church services in Sacha Runa and another one in Puyo. My brain just wasn't ready for all that Spanish. I enjoyed getting to go to another one of Paster Sely's congregations. The worship music was much more sophisticated than Sacha Runa's and I really enjoy's getting to meet some new believers. This may end up being one of the churches I will be working with in the future.

Please pray for the people of Sacha Runa. They are still struggling in the aftermath of Maria's brother's death. Pray that they will not succumb to fear but will seek the Face of God and His comfort with new vigor.

Craig

Photos from today

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Romans 8:28

Though tragedy hit this small village, many are coming to the Lord. At least 5 baptisms planned for next week (including the mom of the 6 little girls who are so special to us). Family relations have been healed. The church building was full yesterday (people standing and sitting on the floor). Just 2 years ago, the believers were meeting in a small room of a house, now there are more people than there are seats. It is amazing to see what the Lord is doing. Please continue to pray - for continued spiritual healing. For truth to be evident to all.




"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Rom.8:28

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After six months in Florida (and some of the coldest weather I've ever experienced there), it feels nice to sit up in the office with the door and windows open, a nice breeze blowing, and still sweating. It's easy to remember the good things about Ecuador when you've been gone a while and forget the bad ones. But they're still here: the smells, the mold, the dust, street dogs, language deficiency, clean water issues, etc. But all that aside, we're very glad to be back.

The trip down went very smoothly. We had the joy and pleasure of riding down to Miami with Dave and Cheryl Feather. The flight down went well. We stayed with Don and Mary Wolfram in Quito, and the drive to Shell was uneventful...though a little on the fast and harrowing side.

Today is Brooke's 12th birthday. She went with me this morning to the market in Puyo and I bought her a new bunny. They do grow up so fast. Thank you to all of you who sent her birthday cards, she was delighted.

I just got back from church in Sacha Runa. Alcibar was preaching and I'm relieved to say that I was able to understand 80% of it (that's good for me), so I haven't forgotten all my Spanish. They have instituted a "hugging session" in the service (their version of the meet and greet). I think that this has risen from all the groups we've had come down, because Quichuas just don't hug much. Anyway, it was very nice to see them open up to each other and adopt this part of our culture as an expression of Christian family. After the service, I saw Magdalena sitting in the back on the other side of the church. (For those who don't know, Magdalena is Maria's mother. She was also Nancy's mother, who was Alicbar's wife, who passed away several years ago. It was Nancy who was one of the first Christians in her family and responsible for leading many of them to Christ. She was also the one who had the vision of building the church in Sacha Runa. Magdalena took Nancy's death very hard.) She came up to me after the service and just hugged me tight, started sobbing and speaking in Quichua. I couldn't understand a word but I knew exactly what she was saying. I just hugged her back and cried with her. Romulo, her son, was killed last week on the road to Sacha Runa. I don't think there are many details available, but I sounds like they're saying he was murdered. There is a tangible spirit of fear in the community right now. Please pray for Magdalena, Maria, Lordis (Romulo's widow, who works at Casa de Fe), their children and family. Also pray for the community, that God would use this opportunity for His Glory. Neither Romulo was not a Christian and Lordis is not yet.

One of the things God was teaching me during our stay in the US was about allowing myself to express my sensitivity. (In our culture, we may call this "getting in touch with your feminine side". I think that that is a terrible label in that it is discouraging to men and implies that masculinity and sensitivity are mutually exclusive. I was very sensitive as a child, but years of public school, peer pressure, bullying, and rejection taught me how to defend myself with a nice thick shell of callousness, sarcasm, and stoicism. These don't disappear quickly or unintentionally. But that sensitivity that God put in as a child was a gift. It's a shame that kids are so cruel to each other. That gift is still there, just hidden pretty deep. I have seen through struggles in my marriage over the past year, which sensitivity would have avoided, that God has been coaxing my to let it out, to accept the gift given not because it seems desirable, but because the Giver knows what I need and only gives good gifts. While I was hugging Magdalena this morning and crying along with her, I saw what God meant by it all. She didn't need me to build something, or fix something, or teach something, or provide funding for something - she needed someone to share in her grief and pain. That Gift was the only one that would be effective, and our Father knew it would be needed.

Heavenly Father,

You alone know what our lives hold in store. You knew before we were conceived and You fashioned and equipped each of us according to our needs. Father help us to accept the Gifts given whether they seem desirable or not, trusting that You have a purpose for them in serving both You and those to whom you send us to serve.

Craig

Back in Ecuador

We are here safely. Our friends, Dave and Cheryl, drove us to Miami. It was a wonderful trip and great to have 5 hours of fellowship before flying down. The flight went well. LAN gave us 8 seats, which allowed us to spread out some. We arrived in Quito around 9:30. It is always interesting to see mothers holding their children's hands as we get ready to land. The runway is short and you can see inside people's homes (because they are so close). Everyone seems relieved when the plane is safely on the ground. We made it to Shell in record time (4 hours). We drove through the new and improved tunnels, came to a screaching stop because someone broke down in one tunnel, and also passed by the devistation at Manto de la Novia waterfall. The picture with Brooke is from 2008. It is now two waterfalls and small homes are now gone. People lost their lives - yet another reminder of some of the difficulties faced here (landslides, flooding, etc).

Maria and her boys came by yesterday. Bryan and David stayed a while because Maria went to talk with the local government about putting lights on the road to Sacha Runa. The six girls that we love so much came by with their mom to say hello. Megan Shepard (from our home church) and Lindy Waskosky stopped by to talk and Tracey (MAF missionary) brought us a wonderful dinner with her daughter. We felt very welcomed!

I spent this morning with Lourdes, who was married to Maria's brother who was killed this past week. I am so thankful I was able to go by today and give her a hug and spend some time with her. Please continue to pray for her as she continues on here without her husband. Please pray that people will be sensative to her needs.

I spent an hour hearing (in Spanish) about the things that go on in the military here. Even the Ecuadorians were surprised. Please pray that the believers will be able to stand for Jesus and not have fear of consequences if they are true to what they believe. Many of the men in Sacha Runa serve in the military....it was very eye opening to hear about everything and gave me a better understanding of why some things happen. 

We enjoyed catching up with old friends in town. We were very surprised about how many people knew why we were gone. Even the neighborhood children and a mother asked about Valerie Grace when Brooke went to the store. We feel very blessed to have so many people who love us (and whom we love).

The girls spent time in the water cistern, cleaning out the mud, leaves and bugs. They went swimming in it afterwards. It was quite hot and sunny today - so they had fun (and didn't realize they were actually working). The girls are all excited to be back. They have all been playing together a lot, and helping out when needed. I weeded and replanted my garden, and began dusting the house. I have a dust and mold allergy and have been feeling quite bad in the house (sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose). Hopefully that will settle down. Surprisingly, we have had great water pressure (17psi - which is really high for us), so we are able to shower (unlike right before we left). 

Maria's dog would not leave our gate tonight, so Craig walked it to Sacha Runa. He came back sad. He said a woman was walking with her two children and when they saw him, they went to the other side of the road and stood under the one street light with their arms straight down and tight together. They stood still until he had passed. It is so sad to see how much things have changed in such a short time...women are now afraid to walk to and from Sacha Runa alone at night. Before, there were people walking up and down that road at all hours, feeling very safe. Please pray that the local government will come through with the promise they made yesterday to put lighting in on the road to Sacha Runa (the whole road). Please pray also for safety for the people in the community and traveling back and forth. Please pray that the hearts of the people will be drawn to the Lord and that a great revival would take place. The land disputes also continue. Please pray that the hearts of people who have caused these problems will be convicted, that they will repent and change their ways. Pray for peace for the believers, that they would not have a spirit of fear - this is all very fresh to them.

Out of all of my returns to Ecuador, this time has been the most difficult. I know we are supposed to be here, and I am not upset or unhappy....I am just so sad at how difficult life is here. I could point out all of the things that are inconvinient, but my heart cries out for the people here to know the Lord, to have a personal, rich relationship with Him...doing that in a community that has been hit so hard by drug and alchol abuse, sexual abuse, lies, home burnings, and death is beyond challenging. The longer we are here, the more invested we become in people and the better we understand the culture and reality of life here. This isn't some fun week long trip, this is real life, this is hard. I had no idea the depth of all of this 3 years ago, I had no idea - serving a people that don't have the opportunities we have, bringing hope to those without hope. It is like the reality has just hit me in a whole new way. We are invested in these people's lives, these are our friends, our family. Please pray that the Lord will use our lives to touch the hearts of the people we love and all those we meet. Pray that we are emptied of ourselves, of our own agenda and that we are led by the Holy Spirit in all we do and say. Please join with us in prayer.

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Sad News and The Best News

Please continue to pray. I don't want to share too many details on here, but Maria's brother (holding the umbrella) was killed on Saturday. Some of you had been praying for him over the past two years. That is his wife beside him (they were sharing a song sheet during a worship service we had in Sacha Runa). Please pray for her and their sons. Please pray that this brings many to the feet of Jesus. 

We will be reunited with our friends on Friday. Please pray that we are sensitive to their needs. Please pray that this will bring non-believers in the community to the Lord. Pray that the group of believers in Sacha Runa will have even more of a passion to go out and share the good news, the best news, with those of other communities as well. 

Time is short here, the time to share the good news is now. I would encourage you, If you know someone who does not believe in Jesus, that you will boldly share with  them what He has done for them, so that they may have eternal life with God. A life that doesn't depend on circumstances for joy, but is full of joy because of who they are (children of God). If you don't know what I mean by all of this, please email me or call (352-275-5978) or read an explanation below.

Love and prayers

Celeste

How to Know God Personally

What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you?

You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.

The following principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ...

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Principle 1:

God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

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God's Love
"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." ¹

God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful]. ²

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because...

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Principle 2:

All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

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We Are Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ³

We were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

We Are Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God]. ⁴

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful. A great gulf separates us. The arrows illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion -- but we inevitably fail.

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

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Principle 3:

Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.

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He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ⁵

He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." ⁶

He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'"⁷

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these three principles...

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Principle 4:

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

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We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." ⁸

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." ⁹

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him." ¹⁰

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two circles represent two kinds of lives:

Which circle best describes your life?

Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer

Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 

2 Corintians 5:17

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Please Pray

Please be in prayer for our friends in Sacha Runa. Today held great sadness for them and I just ask that you join me in praying that the Lord would bring a great revival out of this sadness.
We will be flying down on Thursday and will be reunited with our brothers and sisters down there on Friday.
'Father in this tragedy, glorify Your name'

Thank you
Celeste

You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
       abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86:5

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Joy in the Kitchen

Our cookbooks have arrived.

 If you would like a copy, please click on this link for more information. We have added many new recipes and revised others. There are 350 recipes, including many of our favorite, authentic Ecuadorian dishes.

Throughout the book you will find kitchen helps, lists of substitutions/equivalents, and other tips. Our girls have included some of their recipes (great for children to make) as well as craft recipes (for making play-doh, sidewalk chalk, lasting bubbles, and more).

100% of proceeds go towards sharing Christ's love with those experiencing challenging circumstances in the US as well as helping those with critical needs in Ecuador. We do this through mailing gift boxes to families who have a child newly diagnosed with a brain tumor in the US. In Ecuador, funds will go towards helping meet critical medical needs of children and providing vitamins to expecting mothers.

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Our trip to Memphis

Valerie Grace and I had a smooth trip to St Jude (they even flew us first class on the return flight - nice, but it feels sort of bad being on the other side of that curtain (though not having to wait on a bathroom or sodas was a treat, not to mention the pillow and blanket...all things we take for granted on the flight to Ecuador). Craig's parents drove to Memphis and were a great help to us (driving us from and to the airport in Memphis and to Valerie's low vision appointment at UT). We were also able to visit with Valerie's two great grandmothers again and to meet Craig's aunt Janie for the first time. 

This was one of our busiest return visits. Monday and Tuesday were both very full days. St Jude does a great job of fitting appointments in together, and since most everything is there on campus, there is rarely a reason we needed to even walk outside, other than to go to our room in the evenings. We were thankful for this, as it snowed 4 inches within twelve hours of us arriving in Memphis. It was pretty, but I think I have seen more snow in the past two years than in my previous 35. 

We enjoyed spending time with a friend of Valerie's who received treatment last year with her. Valerie and she played together in our room and ate together in the cafeteria. It was a really sweet time. 

The medical stuff - They felt the vision in her right eye is stable and that her left eye is not seeing light anymore. While I would have loved to have heard improvement, we are thankful for stable. 

Her blood work came back good. The thyroid levels were up a bit and cortisol was fine. 

She had her MRI and a CT angiogram. The MRI report says the cysts are smaller, but when I look at the scans, the tumor looks much smaller as well :) The CT angiogram showed some artery issues, but apparently other arteries are picking up the slack. Thank you so much for your prayers!

The scan on the left is from September of last year...the one on the right is from this week.

 The doctor felt that Valerie Grace was fine to go back and we were told that we could wait a longer period of time until the next scan. 

That works out great because Valerie Grace was invited to be the flower girl in the wedding of one of her favorite "boys" in July. This way we can fly back once and have both her follow up MRI and let her share in the Joy of her Boy's special day.

In two weeks, we will fly back to Ecuador. I had spent time praying that the Lord would put in me a great excitement for going back down to Ecuador....the other five certainly have had it, and I wanted to really look forward to going, rather than just going out of obedience. I feel such an increasing joy now. It is so much easier going down knowing there has been improvement in little Valerie Grace's head.

 The next two weeks should be busy - praying that we will have sweet times with family and friends before we leave. My mom will be flying down next week to spend 5 days with us.  This has been a relaxing time back in Florida. I have become quite comfortable with having clean water come out of the tap, reliable electricity, smooth sidewalks, a drivers license, good dentists nearby, air-conditioning and heat, privacy, quiet, blue skies, fellowship in English, convenience foods, and a big bathtub. But, as Beth Moore said so well.... "Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "'Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!'"  I am looking forward to being more thankful for when we do have electricity and water, becoming more observant again while walking down the street, walking more often, opportunities throughout the day to talk with new people who come by our gate, the sounds of parrots and children, rainbows, the richness of hearing and reading God's Word in a different language, cheap fresh fruits, vegetables, and beef, and being able to learn new lessons in humility and gratitude. 


We are so thankful for our friends and family here. Thank you for partnering with us in so many ways in serving the people of Ecuador. Through your love, prayers, and support, we are able to more effectively serve with the beautiful people of Ecuador.

And when they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.     Exodus 4:31 


"Your words have stood men on their feet." Job 4:4

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Flying to Memphis tomorrow - St Jude Appointments Monday - Wednesday - Prayer Requests

Tomorrow we will head to Orlando so that Valerie Grace and I can fly to Memphis. Please pray for Valerie Grace. Monday she will have blood drawn (and IV access left in) at 7:30am. She will then be seen by Radiation Oncology. Next will be a very long wait until her MRI, which is scheduled to start around 3pm. Since she is sedated for the MRI, she will be without food for quite a while. For everyone who knows Valerie Grace well, she loves having food available. Thankfully she will have only been at St Jude a short time prior to the MRI, so she will not have time to build up her in room buffet. Because of how late the MRI is, she will be able to enjoy breakfast, which will make her very happy.

The blook tests are done to check her hormone levels. Due to the location of the tumor and the radiation treatment, they keep a close eye on her hormone levels.

Tuesday, she is again scheduled for a long day. She will meet with the endocrinologist, the eye clinic,

radiation oncology follow up, then an appointment at UT with a low vision specialist.

Wednesday she will see the dentist and occupational therapist. Thursday we will fly home.

Craig's parents are driving up to Memphis now. They will spend time with both of their mothers and will also be able to pick us up at the airport and spend time with us.

Prayer requests

Pray the tumor is smaller, the cysts are gone and there is no bleeding.
Pray that the arteries and vessels in the brain are working properly.
Pray that her cortisol level and thyroid levels are higher than last time.
Pray that her visual fields have increased and for her optic nerves to have sufficient blood flow.
Pray for Christ to be glorified in all that we do.
Pray for Craig, Brooke, Courtney, and Natalie Joy - that they would have a special time together while we are gone.

Praises

Valerie Grace is doing so well and is so happy
The perfect clarity of her vision
She is growing despite having no natural or synthetic growth hormone for years now
The joy this special girl has brought to our lives and the lives of others

Though you have not seen him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.                  1Peter 1:8-9





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Tea Party

The girls have been asking to have a tea party for quite a while. Goodwill had some great Nortaki cups and saucers for 50 cents that we used for the little girls. They had such a good time (sugar cubes are quite the novelty).

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Five Amazingly Blessed Years

One week from today, Valerie and I will be on a plane to Memphis for her next round of follow-up appointments.

 Five years ago today, Craig and I sat in a small MRI waiting room for much longer than we expected. Our dear friend, Erich Richter walked by the glass windows and Craig went out to say hello. Erich sat down and knew something was going on since the nurse came out and told us that they were waiting for one of the doctors to come down to look at the scan. About 30 minutes later, we were taken back and shown a picture like this....

 The left scan lights up the largest cyst white while looking down on her head, the right scan shows the tumor lit up white looking from the back of her head.  (I don't have any more of the first scan, because we sent them out to other hospitals, but these are from 10/05, 9 months after 70% of the tumor and all of the cyst was removed, and regrew). 

Erich then fought for us to be able to take our daughter home and not be admitted to the hospital. I believe the Lord had Erich there, to show us from the beginning that we did not have to sit back and take every word from the doctors as something we had no choice about. Just one of many things that helped us in choosing God's path in all of this rather than the world's.

Some people say "nothing could have prepared me for that day"....but I am so blessed to say, my God prepared me for that day. He prepared me through His Word which I was so deep in at the time. He prepared me so much during that special time with Him. He prepared me through relationships we had built over the previous years.

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-3

pictures after surgery - she had an incision from ear to ear like a headband (which the surgeon did without shaving any hair).

 

 It wasn't always easy, and at times it seemed almost unbearable, but He sent people to love us (people we knew and people to this day that I have never met).

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

To the dad and daughter who brought a white angel bear to the hospital - you have no idea what your testimony meant to me, even receiving it second hand once I came back to the hospital after some much needed time with my other three girls. For a year I tried to find a way to contact you to thank you, but I trust that your reward is waiting for you.

I have saved every card, every gift, every email, wrote every verse that the Lord spoke to me on individual note cards (at the suggestion of my friend Kerry) and was blessed by a mother and daughter who sent me an enormous stack of verses they wrote on note cards for me.

Through all of this, my fleshy knowledge of what I thought I knew about faith, healing, health, and life have been eternally changed, for the better (though I still have lots to learn). I have learned to be careful about saying what we won't do, for the Lord has led us to do many things we thought we would never do. I believed five years ago, that the Lord wouldn't have wanted us to watch poisons be pumped into our child's bloodstream or squirted into her mouth. I believed He would never lead us to "microwave" her brain. I imagine some people who read our updates will not understand - I too didn't understand. I imagine some people reading our website will have some reason they are thinking of why our child was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and that's okay for I too thought I knew those things before five years ago, and I thought that our lifestyle would protect my children from things like brain tumors - after all, we didn't give vaccines, we ate organic food, we didn't use pesticides.

 In October of 2005, we were told by one doctor that Valerie Grace most likely had a couple of months to live and would not be seeing much longer. We invited my Aunt Kathy to come and meet Valerie Grace

"My faith does not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

1Corinthians 5:7

From January to March 2006, Valerie Grace went through three surgeries (going into her brain, but nothing like the first one). She sailed through a shunt surgery (getting home the same day) and a surgery for an ommaya reservoir (getting in and out the same day). And some how, through a not yet two year old, the Lord helped me get over my fear of hospitals.

From November 2005-March 2007, Valerie Grace went through almost weekly chemotherapy. She became quite used to the routine.

In 2007, the Lord called us to Ecuador - certainly throwing out all thoughts of practicality and comfort.

But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory. Philippians 4:19

  I have been humbled to see how He has used her visual impairments to open doors in ministering to people in Ecuador.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

His plans are so much bigger than we could ever imagine. Valerie Grace learned a new language and became like a daughter to the people we were sent to serve with.

So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5

At the end of 2008, Valerie went through two more months of IV chemo, handling it amazingly well.

Valerie laughing during IV chemo.

Then six weeks (30 days) of being sedated for radiation treatments.

Valerie Grace just walked in as I am typing this, saw this photo and said "That surely was the best day of my life"....this was taken the last week of radiation - she was minutes away from having a tube hooked up to her chest, propofol pumped into her veins to put her to sleep for about the 25th time in less than two months so that her body would be perfectly still as the radiation beams were targeting the tumor in her brain. She knew the routine all too well, and here she is smiling, holding Brooke's favorite manatee that she gave to Valerie Grace in the morning to help keep her company, with one of the many incredible nurses at St Jude. 




This life is full of hard things. I believe it is only through a relationship with Jesus Christ that we can walk through something like this and see the blessings that have come out of it. We are forever changed by these past five years. I have been humbled by seeing what the Lord has done through the life of Valerie Grace.Our Lord had that all worked out in ways we could never have planned.  I have been humbled to live on this side of  a brain tumor. I still have so much to learn, but living on this side of things has helped me gain a new perspective on life, on the Lord - I cannot imagine walking this journey without Him. It is so possible to live and enjoy new life in Him despite circumstances. This place is not our home, but abundant, eternal life is available to everyone now.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. Isaiah 61:10. 

Our joy is not dependent on how comfortable life is, our joy is dependent on who we are. We we repent, accept the free gift of salvation and are buried through baptism and rise to live a new eternal life - we have every reason to rejoice no matter what life throws at us. 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say Rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:4-7

Thank you to each and every person who has visited us in the hospital, mailed gifts and cards to our four girls, called, emailed, and especially for your prayers. We are eternally grateful. For every short term mission team member who has been "the puppy's owner" for a week, we thank you. To every nurse, doctor, office staff member, and fellow parent who made this walk easier, we thank you. To the elders, pastors, and members of our home church, we thank you (you have no idea what that trip to our home meant to us all between the first MRI and surgery). To our friends we have meant since being in Ecuador, both Ecuadorian and American - we thank you. To friends who didn't know what to say, but stepped out and just came and hugged us and prayed - we thank you!

Celeste

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy6:7

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Big Blessings from a small Children's Church in Brooker

Last night, Brooke and I had the great pleasure of visiting a small church in Brooker, FL. We brought some things for them to see from Ecuador, showed a short DVD slideshow, made Ecuadorian bracelets (using string and seed beads from our friends in Ecuador), and enjoyed some very precious people. The children blessed us by giving us a large jar of change. The children brought in their change and put it in the beautifully decorated jar. Our girls were so touched by what they did, that they began topping the jar off with their own change when we arrived home. We are praying about what special thing we can do with the money. Craig was planning to make soccer goals for the community, so I think that there is a good possibility the children's gift will purchase some soccer balls and volleyballs for the children and youth.

The children had written letters to some of the children who regularly attend church in Sacha Runa. They received four letters back so far. It is really sweet to see children from two different cultures writing and encouraging each other.

Another precious family came as well. Their children made wonderful wooden cars for the children in the community (just a few are pictured to the left). When I arrived home and showed Craig he said he could picture the boys playing with the cars and having a wonderful time. Hopefully in another month we will have photos up of the children playing with the cars. We were so blessed by the ideas we received about some of the projects we are working on, the encouragement, the prayers, the love and partnership.

The children were so well behaved and an absolute delight.

We were incredibly blessed and encouraged last night. Brooke was asking when we could go back before we even arrived home.

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