English Class

English Students Fall 2013
Left to Right: Anita, Patricio, Holgar, David, Angelica, Pablo, Diana, Karina, Deanna,
Nathly, Maria Jose, Mariana, Aurelio, Howie and Jhonny.

For the final class each student had to give a three minute presentation on their
"Family Tree".  Patricio giving his presentation.
At the end, they had me (Mariana) give my presentation in Spanish :) 

We had a class party with lots of great food!

On the way to taking our class photo, we had a bit of a mishap getting into place with the camera timers.

The women of the class...

...and the men!

The Garden ~ El Jardín

Aerial View of the Garden before the summer work teams.
As you can see the Cypress trees on either side of the Grace Center.

Aerial View taken at the end of the summer.
Thanks to our various work teams the Cypress trees were cut down, taken out and all the wood moved to dry.

East Gate of the Garden Before.
This view shows the Cypress trees from the inside of the garden.

East Gate of the Garden After.
Once the Cypress trees were removed, construction was then started on a retaining wall.

West side of the Garden Before.
Another view of the Cypress trees from inside of the Garden.
Also, a view of the upper pond.

West side of the Garden After.
A view of the completed retaining wall on the opposite side of the Grace Center.

Lower Pond at the beginning of the summer.

Lower pond with the water flowing freely from the upper pond.
Another project was to construct a stream, or "a creek" as they say in the South,
to allow the water to flow freely through the Garden.

Howie saw a bridge like this when we were in Guadalajara.
 With Holgar's help they figured out a way to make this one for the garden.

Psalm 129 ~ Paraphrased by Mary Scholl

As the loud speaker from

the Barrio blasts messages,

so the enemy has done since

my youth, messages of

worthlessness, insecurity and fear.

Now the grooves are

long and deep,

in my soul.

Over time, as a healer,

God fills in the grooves,

making them smooth.

Please God hold at bay the enemy, 

as he attempts to re-open wounds.

Make my ears deaf,

to the loudspeaker.

Father tune your ear,

to the frequency of my heart.

Savior tune my heart, 

the the frequency of your spirit.

Bridge in the Quebrada ~ Summer 2013

One of the summer work projects was to have teams construct a bridge across the ravine (quebrada) below the zip line.
Design by Howie and Holger.

The biggest challenge for the project was getting the well casings up the hill and into place.

Finished product by summer's end.

The bridge now provides access for people across the ravine. 

To illustrate,  below our good friend Pat Tanner on the zip line, is the ravine where people used to cross.

With every project, there always seems to be the required days of pouring cement.
To give you an idea, on this particular day, they poured 18 mixers full,
which they then had to carry, by relay up to the bridge.

Lest you doubt the scope of my husband's abilities, the next morning he and Robin McCart (left) cooked a pancake breakfast for the team.  Pictured here with our fabulous cooks.

Psalm 123 - Paraphrased by Mary Scholl

Our oldest daughter Nicole with her oldest daughter Addison Mae

As you take my face

into your hands,

You turn me to look full

into your wonderful glory.

I look away, you draw me back.

I am distracted, you focus me.

So I learn to gaze,

on my Savior and Lord,

as a continual action.

Lord.  Mercy and Grace.

When I feel devalued and

minimized by others.

Lord.  Mercy and Grace.

Year in Review "Ally the Intern"

Ally, Howie and Mary

Ally's Birthday.
Personally, I loved how she thought I was so funny.  Good for my soul :)

Ally spent many a work day with Howie

Mary, Katy, Ally and Katelynn at Katy's Birthday.
Good, good times!

As 2013 winds down, I thought this would be a good time to go back through the year and review some of the highlights I missed along the way.  

Let's start with "Ally the Intern".  There have been several people I have come into contact with where, for some reason their name is always attached with a descriptor.  For example, Sarah with an "H" or "Jenny Luth" not just Jenny.  Every time I talked to my kids I would say, "Ally the Intern" and she was that indeed.  

Ally was with us for six months.  During that time I was assigned to be her mentor and I loved every minute of our time together.  For me it was very fun to journey with her as she explored exactly what God would have for her in life.  She was a great example of the purpose of our intern program.  Because she didn't have a clear idea of what she wanted to be when she grew up (who does at 19 years old?), she spent the time here seeking God for His direction and purpose for her life.  

While here, she helped in every area of ministry, some she liked others not so much.  However her infectious laugh and amiable personality made her a person people quick gravitated too.  For Howie and I she was such a blessing.  Both of our love languages are "words of affirmation" and she was quick to tell us "how cute we were" or "when she got married she wanted to be like us".  Who doesn't want to hear that?  Let's face it, we all have people in our lives who are critics.  From Ally I learned how important it is to love on people and to be quick with compliments and words of encouragement.  

Would you add Ally to your prayer list as she continues to seek God for direction in her life?