Saturday, September 10, 2005
Sept 10th, 2005
We’re here, we haven’t disappeared! Here’s what we’ve been up to since our last update. . .
Baby News: Last week we had our monthly baby check-up. Our doctor confirmed that she is an Emma and not an Emelio by pointing out little girl parts. She was very active, so we weren’t able to count fingers, but we got a better view of her face and were able to see her eyes, nose, and mouth! She has grown so much since our last visit! The doctor was very happy with her progress and with my health and steady weight gain as well. We were also gently informed that the beautiful glowing feelings and experiences of the 2nd trimester will soon come to an end and the uncomfortable, unpleasant “symptoms” of the 3rd trimester are just around the corner. I feel great so far, and I get so excited every time I feel her move. Sometimes Mark and I fall asleep with our hands on my belly hoping not to miss a single movement. It’s been wonderful sharing my pregnancy with the Crossroads Fellowship and also with the Mexican community. Here there are no hesitations for women to come up to me and feel my belly, so I got over the “this is my personal space” thing pretty quickly. My next appointment is October 3rd at which time I’m scheduled for a routine Doppler (level II ultrasound) in addition to my regular level I ultrasound. We can’t wait to meet her!
Some of you have e-mailed and asked about what our apartment looks like. We have added a few pictures of our “casa” for you to see. It’s a very simple 2nd floor place with 1 bedroom large enough for Emma when she comes and an eat-in kitchen. Our bathroom is located right off of our kitchen. Just 3 rooms, that’s all we really need. It does have air conditioning, which is a necessity, especially since it’s been upwards of 110 degrees and the humidity is about 80%. Our favorite part of the apartment is our view of the bay from our rooftop “terrace”. The sunsets are amazing, and we plan on spending a lot more time up there once La Paz cools down. We even have a table and chairs up there, so we can enjoy meals some day. We have enjoyed getting to know our neighbors as we practice Spanish with them. Since they both have little ones, I get lots of advice on pregnancy and babies. Our 15 month old neighbor Azul loves to play with Mark and smiles from ear to ear when she sees us. Our 4-year-old neighbor Augustine always helps us with the gates, our groceries, and always wants to know where we’re going or where we came from. We are very happy in our little Mexican community.
O.K., Mark here…
Classes start next week at the seminary. It looks INCREDIBLE! It is awesome to have completed yet another phase in the construction. We now have a classroom, library, bathroom, garden area, and a large enclosed piece of property off the back. The First Baptist Church is going to use the newly enclosed space in the back to celebrate the new construction and the fall semester. They are expecting about 300 people! One of the pastors suggested we put an arched roof over the entire area (some day) to be used as a multi-purpose room...not a bad suggestion! Even better is the vision that is taking hold for the possibilities of this shared project.
With classes starting, I will be able to spend more time working on Mary and Raul's new house. We are still working on securing the foundation with lots of rock and cement. David and I have spent a couple of evenings with Raul building the much needed retaining walls. Their original house was demolished in order to widen the road on which they live. No provision or compensation for their loss was made. The Crossroads Fellowship has committed some of its limited resources to the purchase building materials. This is just one of the projects the youth from FBC of Bethlehem will be working on this December. Please remember to pray for that team as they prepare to come to La Paz.
Some sad news, last week we had to say “good-bye” to Pastor Francisco and his wife Lolis. Francisco was the pastor of the 4th Baptist Church, Emanuel. Francisco accepted the call to a new ministry in Tijuana. Please pray for them as they transition. For those of you who know Francisco…pray for Tijuana! Pancho and family will be greatly missed.
We are excited to welcome the team from FBC arriving October 7th and pray for God to prepare them as they travel and work on the Santa Rosalia Mission.
Our prayers continue to be with you all – our cherished friends and family back home!
Baby News: Last week we had our monthly baby check-up. Our doctor confirmed that she is an Emma and not an Emelio by pointing out little girl parts. She was very active, so we weren’t able to count fingers, but we got a better view of her face and were able to see her eyes, nose, and mouth! She has grown so much since our last visit! The doctor was very happy with her progress and with my health and steady weight gain as well. We were also gently informed that the beautiful glowing feelings and experiences of the 2nd trimester will soon come to an end and the uncomfortable, unpleasant “symptoms” of the 3rd trimester are just around the corner. I feel great so far, and I get so excited every time I feel her move. Sometimes Mark and I fall asleep with our hands on my belly hoping not to miss a single movement. It’s been wonderful sharing my pregnancy with the Crossroads Fellowship and also with the Mexican community. Here there are no hesitations for women to come up to me and feel my belly, so I got over the “this is my personal space” thing pretty quickly. My next appointment is October 3rd at which time I’m scheduled for a routine Doppler (level II ultrasound) in addition to my regular level I ultrasound. We can’t wait to meet her!
Some of you have e-mailed and asked about what our apartment looks like. We have added a few pictures of our “casa” for you to see. It’s a very simple 2nd floor place with 1 bedroom large enough for Emma when she comes and an eat-in kitchen. Our bathroom is located right off of our kitchen. Just 3 rooms, that’s all we really need. It does have air conditioning, which is a necessity, especially since it’s been upwards of 110 degrees and the humidity is about 80%. Our favorite part of the apartment is our view of the bay from our rooftop “terrace”. The sunsets are amazing, and we plan on spending a lot more time up there once La Paz cools down. We even have a table and chairs up there, so we can enjoy meals some day. We have enjoyed getting to know our neighbors as we practice Spanish with them. Since they both have little ones, I get lots of advice on pregnancy and babies. Our 15 month old neighbor Azul loves to play with Mark and smiles from ear to ear when she sees us. Our 4-year-old neighbor Augustine always helps us with the gates, our groceries, and always wants to know where we’re going or where we came from. We are very happy in our little Mexican community.
O.K., Mark here…
Classes start next week at the seminary. It looks INCREDIBLE! It is awesome to have completed yet another phase in the construction. We now have a classroom, library, bathroom, garden area, and a large enclosed piece of property off the back. The First Baptist Church is going to use the newly enclosed space in the back to celebrate the new construction and the fall semester. They are expecting about 300 people! One of the pastors suggested we put an arched roof over the entire area (some day) to be used as a multi-purpose room...not a bad suggestion! Even better is the vision that is taking hold for the possibilities of this shared project.
With classes starting, I will be able to spend more time working on Mary and Raul's new house. We are still working on securing the foundation with lots of rock and cement. David and I have spent a couple of evenings with Raul building the much needed retaining walls. Their original house was demolished in order to widen the road on which they live. No provision or compensation for their loss was made. The Crossroads Fellowship has committed some of its limited resources to the purchase building materials. This is just one of the projects the youth from FBC of Bethlehem will be working on this December. Please remember to pray for that team as they prepare to come to La Paz.
Some sad news, last week we had to say “good-bye” to Pastor Francisco and his wife Lolis. Francisco was the pastor of the 4th Baptist Church, Emanuel. Francisco accepted the call to a new ministry in Tijuana. Please pray for them as they transition. For those of you who know Francisco…pray for Tijuana! Pancho and family will be greatly missed.
We are excited to welcome the team from FBC arriving October 7th and pray for God to prepare them as they travel and work on the Santa Rosalia Mission.
Our prayers continue to be with you all – our cherished friends and family back home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)