The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday, we had a delightful family outing at the Pumpkin Patch! Watching our children have fun is one of our greatest joys. Taking them to see new things, learn, and enjoy life is such a thrill! Life's road isn't easy, but the beautiful moments along it's path are priceless. Even the smallest of miracles like a smile on Sevilla's face or the mischievous twinkle in Vienna's eyes, the cooing noises of our baby who doesn't yet know how to talk, or the ramblings of our toddler who is daily learning new words.








Parenthood is full of ups and downs, feeling inadequate, daily being on your knees begging God for wisdom, and trying your best. All the sacrifice, the sleep deprivation, the lifting, the diapers, the tantrums, the messes, the discipline is all so worth it in light of their little giggles, their unique personalities, their unwavering love, and their eternal souls. Wow, I am in awe at the goodness of God in entrusting our two little angel babies to us. I love them more than I can begin to describe. They are such a gift. May I cherish each moment, even in the midst of often not having it all together. Even though I am weak, God is strong and He will meet their every need.








Truth is, as a mother, it is vital to wake up with a contagious joy that overflows to my children. I am often unsuccessful at this, but my heart longs to be. I want them to witness a faith, a love, a joy that they will want to have. Yes, children must be instructed, but let us not forget that the way they learn best is by observation. Just like they pick up on the things we'd rather they didn't...they also see and learn from our positive examples. I want to model for my kids what it means to be a devoted lover of Christ, a faithful loving wife, a patient and caring mother, a sacrificial servant to others in need. I have SO very far to go, but I know that life's path is one step at a time and God does not expect for us to "arrive" all in one day :) We must live out for our children what we want them to become...it's more than words we must put before them.

Burkina Faso 2010

Well... this post is a wee-bit overdue... like over a year. This is my first foray into the blogosphere, which is a rather daunting task considering all the brilliant posts my wife has such a talent for. So, without further ado...

Since childhood, Nikkae has had a heart for missions and dreamed of a life on the field. It's one of the things that really attracted me to her when we first met. How we get there together has been a nagging question ever since. Nikkae has been able to participate in short term trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic. In March or April of last year we attended a informational meeting at Oak Hills Church about their short term missions program. The trip to Burkina Faso immediately captured my interest because of the water well ministry. But the cost for a trip for both of us to go seemed overwhelming so I didn't give it much serious consideration. A couple months later, Nikkae suggested that I should just go so I could catch a brief glimpse of what life on the mission field was like and see if it really was something I could see bringing my family into. So we took a leap of faith, not knowing where the money would come from. God provided just enough at the very last minute. Thanks to all who helped make that trip possible because it was truly a life changing experience.

Despite being thousands a miles away from my beloved family in strange land so different from anything I have ever known, I had never felt such peace that this is the kind of place God has been calling me towards. It's now my pleasure to share with you a few pictures from this experience. It has been no easy task trying to narrow down some 1200 pictures to a mere 20 or so (Nikkae found great humor over my angst during this selection process). Enjoy.

Apparently we went during a very beautiful time of year in Burkina. We were told not to be fooled, for much of the year the land looks much more barren than this.



Mr. Barry is a tailor that been befriended by the team in Dano. We had tea with him one afternoon. A very nice and gracious man.



Doing laundry outside of Mr. Barry's home



Every visit to a village began with after a time of socializing much like this. The approach used by the team in Burkina is very relational and this is a very important part of building those relationships.



Getting down and dirty with a well repair!



It works!!!



Access to clean water, something so easily taken for granted in America, improves nearly every facet of life in Africa.



First time I heard a story of Geoffrey Richter (left) being thanked with chickens, I have to admit I snickered. But when you realize how little the Dagara have, and yet you see them with grateful and joyful hearts giving up an important food source during the "Months of Hunger"... you can begin to see how honorable a gift of chicken can be.




Raising up leaders is a vital part of the process of building a self-sustaining Christian movement. Here, James Massie (left) observes as Andy Johnson (center) trains Yombechelli (right--and I know I've butchered the spelling). The team gets so excited to hear of the church spreading from village to village without their direct influence. The challenge then is to come in behind the church and help build a solid foundation.



The service we attended on Sunday made a huge impression on me. Christianity so new and fresh, this must be the closest thing I've ever experienced to what it must have been like for the early church. With only a few books of the Bible translated into their native language, the Dagara are hungry for more.



In Dagaran culture, parents select which of their children will attend school and which ones will have to focus on day to day living.



At dusk...



We went to the weekly market to pick up a few items for the widows sacks. People come from miles and miles around to sell their wares.



One of the widows that received one of the sacks that contained two meters of material, soap, comb, two pairs of flip flops, a sleeping mat, pasta, tomato sauce, and the biggest hit--bullion!



The widows were so grateful and proud of their gifts. I don't know how, but somehow they figured out how to bundle it all together and balance it on their heads.



A typical mud house.



Taking my talents to Burkina Faso... teaching Miriam and Miriam how to shoot hoops!



And the children... stole my heart...









Nikkae and I have hearing God calling us towards missions and finally we believe that God is calling us to this specific place, among the Dagara of Burkina Faso. We covet your prayers as we take the next steps in preparing for this extraordinary journey.

The Circus...

It was an exciting adventure that Daddy took Mommy, Sevilla and Me on last night...




It was my first time to watch the Circus and wow was it amazing! I got to ride an elephant with daddy, get my face painted, see clowns, dancers, tigers, and lots more! When all the lights got turned off, lots of people started waving glow sticks that looked really neat, and the guy who did the bike flips and the ladies who swung way up high on yards of fabric were incredible. I also got to eat popcorn, and dance around to the music :)






I had so much fun! I wanted to ride the ponies too but mommy and daddy said that I could go to Grandma and Grandpa's house to do that for free ;) I wasn't so sure about the face painting part at first, but I finally agreed to it when daddy let me sit on his lap. When I got home last night, I looked in the mirror and got a little startled at what I saw, it kind of scared me! haha.




It was very loud...baby Sevilla didn't like all the noise but mommy covered her ears and she finally fell asleep. I'm not sure how she was able to go to sleep with all the flashing lights and loud sounds but she did...that's what babies do I guess.






What a fun night...I hope we get to do it again next year :)

Sevilla Marie...her birth story

On July 22nd, 2011 at 12:04 a.m. God changed our lives forever by blessing our little family with a healthy baby girl. Born at 8.5 pounds and 20 1/2 inches long, our little miracle, Sevilla Marie instantly made my heart expand in special way. This is the story of how she came into the world, and how God once again showed Himself strong to our little family...





Sevilla's due date was on the calendar for July 18th. I made the mistake of thinking she might just come meet us early...After all, I was carrying very low...so very very low, and I had started some contractions a week and half before her due date. On and off they would come each night...some small, some quite uncomfortable. I tried to be patient but let me tell you, when you are having contractions, dilating and then end up going past your due date, this is very difficult to achieve ;) Every morning, Vince and I would glance at each other and joke that I was "still here"...

As the due date came and went, those "jokes" became emotional floodgate starters...I did my morning ritual of crying before rising...I felt miserable, I was dilated to 4 cm and I had lost my mucus plug. Again, another day came and went...and another...

Thursday morning (July 21), I woke up an emotional wreck. "Yes Lord, I do trust You, but this is hard. I can barely walk more than a few steps without pain and I really want to be brave about the birth but the longer this goes, I get fearful of the labor because I have more time to think about it. Thank you for being patient with my emotions, please have the baby come soon." God was not the only one having to be patient with me and my emotions...my dear sweet husband was so loving and kind throughout this difficult time.

My midwife came to check things out. My contractions were still on and off and it ended up that I hadn't dilated any more than what I was a few days earlier (of course this brought more tears). My husband, seeing I needed a change of pace and my mind on something else, whisked Vienna and me off the Starbucks and Wal-mart. It was refreshing being out, I couldn't walk much but hey, it was still great! We were loading up the car with our purchases in the Wal-mart parking lot when suddenly...my water BROKE! I was in denial, this couldn't be...I just didn't believe this was actually it!

Reality soon hit when on the way home, the contractions really kicked in hard...

Minutes later, we met the midwives at our house, the project of setting up the birth pool commenced as I stayed focused on my breathing :) I was SO excited. Truth is, I didn't mind most of labor. Sure it hurt, but until about 8 cm, it wasn't unbearable. I was able to labor in the water, which was wonderful.





However, my fear of having a similar complication as I had with Vienna ended up coming to pass. The final "lip" of my cervix was being stubborn. With Vienna, I was stuck at a 9 1/2 cm for five hours...it appeared that this was happening again and I wept. I didn't want that pain, I was too exhausted, I was disappointed. Thankfully, the Lord guided my midwives. They hooked me up to a fluid IV to hydrate my body and moments later, I began to complete the opening process. Pushing Sevilla out was extremely painful...more painful then I remember it being with Vienna. Unfortunately, I express my pain during childbirth. When it's time to push the baby out...you know how I feel about it :P Yes, I screamed, yes I begged my midwife to save me, yes I thought I would die :/ haha!

Then...
Sevilla arrived and I was relieved, overwhelmed, excited, exhausted, in love, and blessed all at once. IT'S A GIRL! I can't believe I have another princess to cherish. God is good and I am so thankful He pulled me through the dark waters of childbirth once again. Praise His name. We love you baby Sevilla Marie...you brighten our every day with your priceless sweetness :)













My amazing Midwives: Stacy Lewis and Jessica Arno...




My dear Mother and sweet Sisters came to help during labor and delivery and to welcome our baby girl into the world. I am so thankful for ALL the work they did to make things run smoothly. I am truly blessed...






It was quite the event...and we were all sleepy when it was over :)