July 17th!!!!

After I hung up the phone and pushed close on the screen on my computer I felt something rise up from my gut and it just kept on rising until it came out of my mouth as a high pitched squeel! I had just purchased our tickets back to Thailand for July 17th and I could hardly contain myself.
I ran to John and told him…and about 30 minutes later I came up to him again doing a little dance “We’ve got our tickets…we’ve got our tickets…” Oh man, it feels so good. The previous 3 weeks before purchasing the tickets I was really under some serious anxiousness.

All I could think about was…bye bye wonderful smelling clothes (no dryer), bye bye biscuits (bye bye fast easy breakfast for that matter), oh the HEAT…ugg…and Jossalyn with red hair…we’ll have to work double hard to fight the Thai’s off! LOL! (they love to oogle our kids and it’s a great open door but sometimes it’s hard…on us and the kids), I kept thinking…bye bye blue bell ice cream…

And saying goodbye…OUCH…I only thought about that once and I pushed that far from my mind. But after it was done and the tickets are ours and the money was spent I was shocked at the pure childish joy that rose up in me. It’s like the enemy just wanted me to focus on the hard things and the things I would miss instead of remembering the joy that I find in being in Thailand.

He didn’t want me to remember my love for the Thai people and how much I love doing what the Lord has told us to do. Nor did he want me to remember he easy it was for us to adjust to the weather and that it’s not so bad after a week or two and that 90% of the time I LOVE it when the Thai people stop me and my children and we’re surrounded by them asking all sorts of questions.

He didn’t want me to remember how much I love the people we work with or the incredible food that I miss so much…he just wanted me to walk in sorrow in hopes that I would not want to return but boy did he underestimate the hold that our God has on our hearts.

The enemy is so tricky…I wonder why I listened and focused on all that stuff instead of telling him where to go. I suppose I just didn’t notice it - isn’t that a shame? If you are reading right now make sure you aren’t letting the devil steal your joy. If you are living where you are supposed to and doing what God has told you to do then hold on to your joy and keep your eyes fixed on heaven. Remember what is real and what is good…remember the love that God has for you and that he has plans to prosper you according to His will.

So it’s official…we’re heading back July 17th and we are both so excited! We’re waiting on Josiah’s new passport to come back and then we can apply for our visas and we will be all set! God is doing awesome things and allowing us to meet some awesome people and we are so encouraged. Please keep praying for us and please make contact before we leave! I’ll be updating the blog with some random craziness relating what it’s like getting ready to leave again.

May you be blessed!!!

Here's some pics of my babies...

Freed...once again...

Today John and I laid on the bed with our new little girl between us and the door bell rang. John got up and it was Joy from FBC Whitesboro bringing over a check from the “Biscuits for Thailand” that they held for us at their church this last Sunday evening. He returned and opened the check…he handed me a check for almost $1,200 dollars…I just stared at it for a little while…jaw gapping and thanked God. We had no idea that we would be receiving so much…but it was just what we needed.

Then my thoughts went on to my to do list for the day which now included getting this money into our bank account. Then I realized that after I deposit this check we will have $4,000 dollars in our bank account. Why in the world and I’m I talking about how much money we have in our bank account?…well, just keep reading. I sat there and thought about the fact that we’ve never had that much money sitting in our bank account before and how nice it would feel if the money wasn’t just going to be gone in a few days.

My mind whirled at the thought of having all that money to spend on whatever we wanted…some nice new clothes…new shoes for the boys and some cool new toys…fancy…really girly dresses for Jossalyn…good glasses and dental work for John…a shopping spree in LifeWay…all the books my heart desires! My mind wondered and it wondered. And then I woke up to the reality that this money was going straight for our tickets to return to Thailand and our visas…which would take the whole amount and a bit more.

Then a feeling rushed over me…an awesome feeling. I was taken back to our garage sale before we left for Thailand and a lady had my beautiful comforter in her hands asking me to sell it to her for $10 dollars…she didn’t know I had saved and saved to buy that comforter and it meant the world to me and I thought I would have it for years to come. She didn’t know that it was one of my most favorite things…and as she tried to bargain and talk me down I felt this same feeling as I took her horrible offer. My heart was freed…

Freed from needing anything beyond my Lord and His will for my life. I was also reminded of when we left our car behind to be sold for whatever they could get for it even though we were only about half a year from having it paid off and oh how we had struggled to keep that car for 4 years!! That payment was a thorn in our side but we fought hard and kept that car…knowing that one day it would be paid off and all ours. But…once again my heart was freed and I still remember the moment when I took one last look at my car that had become so much a part of who I was (sounds silly doesn’t it?)

Here I sat on the bed…freed. My heart sang “All for you my beloved God…all for you…” (As if I had done anything to bring in the money in that check…it came by the hand of the Lord anyway- but the one thing I can give my God is my life, my dreams and my desires and surrender them to Him)

I let go of the feelings that had been rising inside me…all of my wants and my dreams of an American life and all of it’s perks. I let go of the want to control our income and not have to trust God. And boy did it feel good! I can’t tell you how good it feels to know that my life is not in my hands…and the Lord loves me enough to care and have these plans for us. What an awesome God you are and how honored I am to know you and serve you!

We're headed to Yala!

Recently the days seem to be slipping through my fingers. A week passes by so fast it feels as though we're living in fastforward! I believe we're finally in the groove of being a 5 person family...the boys LOVE their new sister and she is a wonderful baby.

We spent all day today at church and I can't tell you how blessed I feel. The people of First Baptist Church in Whitesboro have been so kind to let us stay in their missions house and today they poured out their love on us through encouraging words and prayer. It was awesome - we were able to share our video with both services and I was able to speak to the youth. After the evening service they held a "Biscuits for Thailand". I had never heard of a "Biscuits" for anything before but apparently it's a pretty normal thing that is done to raise money for things.

So after service we all gathered in their gymnasium and ate delicious homemade biscuits and gravy with bacon. It was such an awesome time of fellowship - It's going to be very hard to leave this time. I mean, it was hard last time...I still remember my eyes feeling like sandpaper and being as red as possible when we left last time and I can only expect it to be the same or worse this time.

No matter how at peace we are with what God has in store for us and how glad we are to be returning to Thailand...nothing can take away the sting and ache of seperating from family and friends each time. I have a feeling this time it's going to be a bit harder simply because we've been here longer this time.

I am so glad to finally get to give you the low down on what's going on. God has given us some really clear changes in what he has us doing in Thailand. Through a series of events and incredible confirmations God has shown us that we are going to be moving further south to Yala. Why is this significant? Well, as I've written before, the 3 southernmost provinces of Thailand are plagued by a Muslim insurgency and there is a desperate need for the word of God there.

More than 2,000 people have died in the provinces bordering Malaysia since the insurgency erupted in 2004, some say it is fuelled by accusations of decades of misrule by the central government. The insurgents have not announced their goals, but are believed to be fighting for a separate state imbued with radical Islamic ideology. The police believe that the attacks are planned to cause division and create fear among the people. They want to show that they are capable of carrying out attacks and it is rumoured that the insurgence are trying to get people to leave and sell their land cheap so that they could buy it.

The most recent bombing was June 4th of this year. Click here to read about it. We will no longer be working with our team: The Garsees and the Stubenrauchs on a daily basis. They are still like family to us but God is sending us in different directions. God has shifted their main focus on to serving the local churches and they are going to continue on doing the awesome work they are doing and growing up the believers in the church that was planted in Baan Phrut and helping churches from the surrounding areas with their needs. We will be now joining with the extended part of our team that used to live in Baan Nam Khem and keeping our main focus on reaching out to villages and spreading the gospel.

I have written about them before...they are incredible people. There are two families but are actually one. There is Todd and Renee Pruett and Trent and Amy Pruett. God put it on their hearts to reach out into Southern Thailand where there are few missionaries and even fewer churches. This part of Thailand is heavily populated with Thai Muslims and there is even a whole other language that they use: Pattani Malay.

Here is a small article on Yala from thaiway.com:

Yala Province:
Yala is the southernmost Province of Thailand situated on the Country’s
border with Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The province was before a region
under the semi-autonomous Pattani Kingdom which was under the Sukhothai Kingdom.
The Province has a population of about 500,000 people.

The City of Yala situated in Amphoe Mueang Yala is the administrative
capital of the Province. The City is home to an estimated 65,000 people. Islam
is the main religion in Yala Province and is widely practiced by majority of the
population. Buddhism is the only other major religion here. Yala is served by a
small mainly domestic airport and a railway line linking it to Bangkok and other
major cities in the country.

Violence and armed conflict over the last
two years have hampered government efforts to promote Yala as a tourist
destination. Militants fighting for a breakaway republic have increased the
number of attacks on government installations and civilians especially in remote
areas of the province. The conflict has resulted in casualties on both sides and
has also affected civilians caught up in the crossfire.

While the idea of going to Yala does not sound like a good one...(God uses the foolish things to confound the wise) we are confident in what God has shown us and are excited about what God has planned for us. John will most likely be going into dangerous places but we will make sure that we find a home that is safe and take every precaution to protect our children and keep them from any harm. Please know that we would not be going into this area if we were not sure...beyond a shadow of a doubt...that this is what God wants of us.

So please be praying for us and keep checking back for updates. I am going to keep this blog updated every week starting today. Read with us as we begin what seems to be Act 2 in this incredible adventure God has us on. I was thinking about the scripture that says that we are never to hide our light under a basket but instead to put it up on a lamp stand for all to see...What better place to shine our light for all to see than the darkest place in Thailand? Thank you again for reading...

Jossalyn stretching...doesn't that look like it feels good?

Pretty in Pink!

Jossalyn has arrived...

Jossalyn is here! She arrived into the world 8.2 pounds 19 1/2 inches...redish blonde hair! She's amazing and very healthy...she loves to eat! I had to stay in the hospital until Tuesday because the spinal block punctured some wall...and it was leaking spinal fluid...causing me to have horrible horrible headaches while sitting up...but if I layed flat on my back (which I couldn't do while feeding the baby) there was no headache at all. It was crazy...

Anyway, we prayed for about 2 days before I finally decided that I wanted them to do an alternate procedure...which is give me an epidural and insert 20 ccs of my own blood into the spinal column in hopes of forming a blood clot over the puncture and henceforth stopping the spinal fluid from leaking.

After the procedure my headache was completely gone...but had some pain from the epidural...we're at home now and Jossalyn is doing wonderful and I'm soooo greatful for my little girl. I just can't hardly look at her without thanking God for her. It just seemed like this pregnancy lasted FOREVER! I am so excited that we can now begin to take all the steps needed to return to Thailand.

We've almost got enough money to purchase our plane tickets and as soon as I receive Jossalyn's birth certificate and social we can apply for her passport and then apply for our visas. Then...on to the daunting challenge of packing! AHH!!!!

But man, I can not wait to set foot on Thai soil again...and see the faces of the Thai people, speak Thai and eat some Thai food! I mostly can't wait to get on with what God has us to do in Thailand. Like I said in the previous post we have much to share about what we are going to be doing when we return...and I will save it for my next post because I can no longer sit in this chair and I want to get some pics up...AND Josiah is about to come home with Daddy and Jude and there will be nothing but nonstop excitement for the next few hours in this house.

He is always raring and ready to go when he gets home...so I'll leave you with some pictures and many thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Beautiful Jossalyn Dove...

Thank God for my little girl...and that this double chin will go away soon...

Jude and his little sister...He's saying CHEESE!!

Daddy and Josiah showing baby Jossalyn some love...

Isn't she just precious!!

LOOK at those LIPS!

Jossalyn is coming April 25th!!!

Hi out there!

It's been way too long since I've written and my blog numbers show it!!! There are only a handful of you out there reading now and it just makes me sad...well, onto the update.

Jossalyn Dove is going to be officially arriving outside of the womb THIS FRIDAY! I am having a c-section sometime in the afternoon. We are sooo excited and time could not go by any faster!!! It seems like this has been the longest pregnancy ever! I've had some hiccups which included one quite scary trip to the emergency room but everything turned out to be fine. And I've been quite immobile due to some serious pain in my legs and hips...but all in all, everything has been good and our little Jossalyn is a big healthy baby!

I can't wait to see her face to face. In other news...Josiah turned 6 on April 16th and had a wonderful "army" party here at the house. It's amazing how fast they grow. Jude had his surgery and is recovering wonderfully and John had his birthday in March and had a great time playing laser tag with family and friends.

A lot has happened over the past 2 months and I can not wait to share with you what God has shown us about where and what we are going to be doing when we return to Thailand at the end of June!! I will have to save that post for a little bit longer but I just wanted to share that we are so excited about what God has instore for us and can't wait to get back to Thailand.

Please be praying for us this week and thank you so much for reading and thinking of us!

Josiah and his friend Caedman having a blast together!

Jude before his surgery playing hard on the floor...

Here I am...in all of my pregnant hugeness...almost done!

March Newsletter - SNOW!!

March 4^nd, 2008

Greetings from Texas!

It snowed in March! I can't believe it! Before we left Thailand to come to America to bring our new baby girl into the world one of the main questions our son Josiah asked was “Momma, will there be snow?”. I can not tell you how many times during the first week that I had to explain that it wasn't going to snow yet...he'd wake up and ask “Is it going to snow today?”.

Josiah hasn't seen snow since before we left for Thailand 3 years ago and our second son Jude has never seen snow...so to this Daddy and Momma...snow was a big deal this year. Having lived in Texas most of our lives we know how hit and miss the weather can be and that it was a 50/50 chance that any snow would fall.

Our son had remembered some helpful advice that some missionary teenagers had taught him before we left “Don't EAT the yellow snow!”. While Josiah didn't quite know why he wasn't supposed to eat yellow snow he proudly waited for the opportunity to follow this tidbit of wisdom. We arrived in November and the weather has steadily played with our emotions as we go from freezing to a nice 75 degrees...so a few days ago...realizing it was March I gave into the notion that it is possible that our aspirations to see and play in snow once more could quite possibly be gone.

But much to our dismay yesterday evening my husband caught a glimpse of a winter wonderland and let out a holler “IT'S SNOWING!”. Josiah squealed with excitement and Jude (2 yrs old) soon followed although he had no idea what was going on. We bundled them up and headed out to play in the snow. A bit of snow remained this morning and we made the most of it...snow angels, snow men, snow ice cream...YUM and even a snow fight!

Now, why am I babbling on about snow in this newsletter? Well...while I am NOT saying God made it snow just for us...I am saying that I feel so incredibly blessed that this small but HUGE thing has happened. I had prayed several times for God to help it snow so that my boys could have that memory before heading back to Thailand and not getting to experience snow for who knows how long.

As I walked in the house to get the camera while Daddy and the boys played out front...praise filled my heart and worship poured out of my lips. The whole time we've been here in America God has consistently met our needs and in this case our wants and desires. Whether it was needing a place to stay, our next meal, transportation, ministry opportunities or simply hoping for a stray cat to wander by so our boys could play with it (they LOVE animals and we can't have any). When things look to be impossible and when the world thinks you are crazy for trusting God...he proves them to be fools for not trusting in Him.

We have been given opportunities to share and minister here that have filled my heart to the brim...ways that we have been unable to minister in Thailand because of language barriers. What freedom to be able to open your mouth and express your heart and share the truth without
your tongue not knowing how to perform. It's truly a wonderful thing. While the liberty in sharing that we experience here is great John and I both have a burning desire and an expectation of returning in June to continue the work that God has set us there to do:

Making the name of Jesus known to those who have never heard it, praying for the sick, meeting needs, teaching Christians to walk as true sons and daughters of God, showing God's love to a culture that is bound up in religion and most of all shining His light in one of the last “open” countries in that part of Asia.

Please pray with us as the count down begins. Jossalyn Dove is due to join us outside of the womb April 16^th or so and we plan on returning to Thailand 6-8 weeks after her birth. (allowing enough time for applying for a passport and visa for her) At this point we are once again facing impossible odds since we do not yet have the finances to buy our tickets or pay for our visas but we know where our help comes from...the maker of heaven and earth. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion...they will not be moved... Once again we will have an awesome testimony of how God made the impossible possible.

As always...thank you for reading and thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

All for King Jesus!

The Blakes

PS - One of the VERY talented members of our team (Brian) made a team video of our work in Thailand and it is awesome - if you would like us to send you a copy please email me and we will make it happen as long as we don't get too many requests...DVD's are expensive! hehehe....Our partners will be receiving one in the next 2 weeks regardless...email me at: stephydove@yahoo.com

Fun in the snow!

Snow Ice Cream! Yum!

Here is a link on "How to make Snow Ice Cream"

Jude loved his first snow ice cream!

Hooked...

Do you ever have those days when you can almost hear God calling your name out loud? While you are carrying on with your normal duties of the day and you feel a pull in your heart as if someone has sunk a hook deep into a place you didn't know existed and is gently but firmly pulling you toward them? While your duties call for you...your hearts beats the way only a heart in love can beat...almost drowning out all other voices...

What a great God that we serve...that even when we've given our day over to be consumed by the things that drown him out...He is still calling for more. He's still wanting and still planning. What greatful creatures we should be and what a heavy burden we should feel to drop everything and listen...to meet with the one that saved our soul. The one who cares for us above all else...the one who will never fail you.

Through all that is going on...through the chaos...through everything that the enemy throws us - there is peace and joy if only we could pri ourselves from ourselves! Life is always crazy and the enemy is always putting up a smoke screen to try to make you believe that the impossible is nothing but impossible...but we know our God. We know what He is capable of...we know His justice, His love, His inability to fail. He makes the impossible possible...He makes the blind see again, He restores broken hearts, He heals the sick, He makes a way when there was NONE, He sets FIRE when there is nothing but a flame retardant heart left. He is the God of our forefathers...and the God that saved me.

And for that I am eternally greatful and in awe of His love for a lost girl...in much need of perfect love.

The God that NEVER FAILS...

Man it's been a while and life has yet again thrown us another turn...actually that statement is completely incorrect...let me say that how I really mean: God has yet again taking us in a direction that I didn't think was possible.

About 2 weeks ago we needed to starting finding another place to stay and since most people were willing to allow us to stay with them but only for about 2 weeks or so...I started investigating finding apartments. I called every apartment in our area I think...including government housing and at the end of that day I sat down in utter defeat and surrendered it to God.

All the apartments, after electricity, water, application fee, deposit were way over anything we could ever afford on our ever changing monthly income. All the government housing was full up for at least 6 months. But there was one bit of info we had received about a home in a small town about 15 minutes away that was used solely for the purpose of housing Southern Baptist Missionaries when they were on "stateside assignment".

I had been told this house was only available for 3 months and usually only to Southern Baptist missionaries...so I hadn't followed up on it before...but out of desperation I called and within one day...despite the odds...we were approved to move into this home for the duration of our time here in the states!! Even though we are not Southern Baptist missionaries...and we hold no denominational ties...and much less any recognized qualifications...they approved us (after a few phone calls of course).

When I arrived at the house I honestly expected a small little home...with modest amenities but much to our dismay it is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath BRICK HOME! It even has a fenced in back yard! These people have pour love into every inch of this house and I'm seriously moved by it almost every day. I cried when we were told that we were approved and that was before I had seen the house...I wish you could know the deep honor that I felt and just amazement as I walked through this house.

It is fully furnished...washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator with every kitchen utensil known to man available...comfortable beds and beautiful bathrooms. I really still can't believe it sometimes. Get this...all bills are paid...except for phone and cable...internet is free and already up and running.

The boys absolutly love this house and being able to stay here...I have seen a drastic difference in them during the past 2 weeks as we have been able to get back into our normal family routine of spending time together, eating meals together and praying. Josiah was sad about leaving his school in Tom Bean but has already started here and is doing wonderful!

Oh and I haven't told you the most amazing part yet - the house comes with a van for the occupants to use!!!! AHH!! A nice minivan! We are blessed beyond my imagination. The First Baptist Church here has had this vision for a long time and have housed many missionaries in this home. In the living room there is a curio cabinet that holds pictures of missionaries who have stayed here.

What an awesome vision! So we no longer have to worry about where we will stay and all the hardships that come along with staying with family and friends...and we will have a place to bring little Jossalyn Dove home to before packing her up and heading back to Thailand. I am only 6 months along but I look 9 months!! People keep asking me if I'm having twins!!! :( That's ok though - I am so happy to be carrying my little girl it doesn't matter a bit.

Another great testimony is that I WASHED OUR CELL PHONE! Doesn't sound like a great testimony does it? I mean, super wash, rinse cycle and 2 spin cycles! And one day later that baby turned right on and WORKS!!! Can't really read the screen BUT! It works!

On a different note, I am really missing Thailand and the Thai people. I find myself wanting to answer people in Thai just because I yearn to use and hear the language...I crave the food (might just be pregnancy...) and I really miss our church family there.

It seems like each day is creeping by...(sure that's pregnancy too) drawing out the wait until we can head back...but with that being said I have such a strong feeling that God has something planned. Something big...I have no idea what but something that he's doing with us here. I believe there is a very specific reason for us to be here right now and it's not just to have a baby.
Please keep us in your prayers as we reach out to those that we can here and serve where we are needed. John has been driving a taxi whenever he can get hours and also working for his dad when he needs him. It's been rough because John can not stay in this small city when he is working the taxi because he would use his money in gas just getting to Sherman to pick someone up...so he has to stay in Sherman at his cousins during his shift - which last time lasted 2 days.

John's back is doing a little better and he's trying to take it easy. We're a bit handicapped between his back and my huge pregnant belly. Ha! We're quite the sight when something needs to be picked up. But all in all God is at work...here is another example of his awesomeness. John had been working on trying to get a motorcycle so that he could commit to a job and be able to get there without spending lots of gas money.

An old friend had a motorcycle for sale for a very very good price and John worked very hard to save half of it up...and was going to make a deal to pay the rest off. When John called to setup a time with him he said that God told him that he couldn't sell him the bike! John was very disappointed until he said that "God said I have to give it to you!" John couldn't believe it and he offered to pay him and told him that he didn't have to do that but his friend said that he knew God had told him so he must obey.

So John went down to get the bike and it wouldn't start - so him and his friend loaded the motorcycle up on a trailer and brought it here to find out what was wrong with it - turned out the carborators needed to be cleaned out and something else...which was going to cost close to $400 dollars!

John was going to try to do it himself and then we received a call today that a friend had found someone who would do what needed to be done for $100 dollars! I know all this has to do with money and our God is not a God that is all about money but in our lives...God is constantly coming through and showing us his love for us by making the impossible possible.

It seems that God wants to make us a prime example that if you put your trust in God...and your life in his hands - He WILL NOT FAIL YOU ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. Every need is met when it needs to be met and even though, by all qualification standards, do not belong anywhere on the mission field...and by all worldly view we should be sitting on the side of the street with our children...begging for food...here we are, once again, provided for by the great provider.

Provided not only with physical things and a means to make it each day but also with love, wonderful friends and family, people who pray for us and most importantly provided with his spirit and his guidance.

I am reminded of an awesome song that I always wanted to make into a drama by a young girl named Katy Hudson. It echos the cries of all the disciples when they were being persecuted and killed and yet they knew that their God was worth every moment...because he was and is the one and only TRUE GOD!

Please read the lyrics...I could only find part of the song to put up on the blog...but here are the full lyrics.

You could throw me in the fire And I won’t be burned
For my faith is your desire And your love endures
You could throw me in the prison cell
Shackle me up against the rail
But time and time again My faith won’t fail

For He’ll prevail
In the midst of all my trials and tribulations
And He’ll prevail
In the midst of all my sin and temptations
He’ll prevail When I fail and He will pick me up
For time and time again My faith won’t fail

You could throw me in the lion’s den
But they won’t harm me
For Your grace surrounds me
And it sets me free

And I can walk upon the water
And I will not drown
For my eyes are set upon You
And no one can bring me down

For His angels surround me
And you’ve poured out this blood covering
And I will walk and not fail
For time and time again My faith won’t fail

Thanks for reading! I know it's been a long time since I've posted and I will be posted more often now that things are much more settled...please check back soon - I'm going to be putting up some pics soon. Thank you for reading and for praying for us!

Wonderful news and a few more pics!

I have some wonderful, incredible, awesome...WOW news to tell you! If you don't already know...we had an ultrasound and much to our SHOCK...we are having a GIRL!! We are so elated and extremely thankful. I don't think I have ever wanted something so much in my whole life...well, at least thats the way it's felt the past 2 months.

I had had an ultrasound in Thailand at 3 1/2 months along and the Dr. said that hey were 80% sure I was having a boy...so John and I have been mentally hashing out whether or not we'd be ready and/or willing to have another child after this one - making it 4 in all - in order to try for a girl again. Don't get me wrong...if this had been a boy that would have been awesome too - my boys are so wonderful they have forever changed my heart on whether or not I am a 2 child kind of woman.

John and I had mentally prepared to have 4 children - which is HUGE step for us! LOL! So...now...are we STILL mentally prepared to have 4 children knowing that we are going to have our girl??? Uh....I'll answer that in about 2 years. 3 is enough for now!

We are so excited!!! Our due date is at the end of April and it seems sooo far away. You know...I still go and watch the VHS tape of the ultrasound just to confirm that we are having a girl. I thought for so long we were having another boy it's almost hard to believe. In other news, we had a wonderful Christmas. Liberty Lighthouse held a baked goods auction and raised money to buy gifts for our family for Christmas. It was sooo incredibly moving! They even had the Children's group that raised the money...hand paint a nativity set that they gave us.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed Christmas and Josiah has been a real stickler about figuring out all of this Santa Claus stuff. Santa came to school one day and Josiah told all the kids that he wasn't real and that their mommy and daddy were lying to them!!! AHHH!!! I LOVE that Josiah is a lover of the truth and wants to always speak the truth but man I wish we could have prepped him just a little bit...I can only imagine some of the shocked parents faces when their child came home and asked if they were lying about Santa.

Josiah has really become a little evangelist at his school. He came home and told us that his friend, who hardly ever smiled and was pretty mean, now believes in Jesus and she smiles now. I haven't met this friend but you should have seen Josiah's face as he told us how he had been telling her about Jesus and what God did for us and that she needs to know the truth. I would also like to say that I have not taught my child to evangelize. I would love to take credit for this but all we have ever focused on was making sure that he knows the truth and what we are seeing now is a result of his belief and faith.

He's such a smart boy with WAY TOO much energy at times but he is our Josiah. Jude is changing and growing every day and is definitly showing off his "2" colors. MAN! I'm being TESTED! LOL! My patience is fully tested everyday! Jude can test you to your limits one second and the next melt your heart..it's amazing.

Welp, I'm going to close up and wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! We're heading to Dorchester this Sunday to talk to a Sunday School group there and I can't wait! I'll leave you with some pictures. Thanks for reading!

Josiah toping the tree

Jude giving a hand
John and Josiah having fun with Josiah's litebrite

Jude with his favorite toy
Josiah working hard making Christmas Eve cookies

Jude doing his part
The best part about cookie making...Josiah and Mommy...I just got my hair done!! After a year of grown out mess...FINALLY!

My new hair do...Yes my hair is still incredibly curly but it was so nice to have it straight for a little while. :)

Picture Update

Hi Everyone! I finally have some pictures of the boys to show you.

So here are my handsome boys living it up in America.

Josiah...seriously jet lagged. He has NEVER fallen asleep eating before...

Josiah and Jude waiting for a parade to go by...

Jude watching his brother sing on stage...

Josiah getting ready to sing on stage...

Josiah reminding me to be quiet...

Josiah and Jude hanging out outside.

Jude taking a break from playing hard.

Jude's 2nd Birthday Party at MickyD's.

Jude with his cousin Ethan. Aren't they handsome?

I'm King of Skee Ball!!

Jude posing with some cute art.

Jude laying back for his check up...looking not so sure about all this.

NOW he's ready...

Josiah showing off his "Jesus on the cross" sketch.

Josiah's million dollar smile.

American Life...Josiahs nose issues...10 things that shock us...

We are finally settled in somewhere and it is so nice! We are staying with a lovely family that had a rather large upstairs room completely empty and they have 2 boys like us so there are plenty of toys and lots of boy companionship to be had.

I can not tell you how much I am enjoying American luxuries...don't worry...no thoughts of not returning here! But it is oh so nice to cook meals without sweating and simply placing the dishes into the dish washer. OH and the PICKLES! I have three different kind of pickles in the refrigerator as I write. :) Current favorite: Valasic Zesty Dill Pickles.

The feel of carpet under my feet and the cold weather causing me to bundle up like I haven't done in 3 years!! BlueBell Ice cream still tops my list of American favorites...I've also realized that the Internet is faster here too...I mean...I THOUGHT we had high speed Internet at our house. Now I know what high speed Internet really is. I can't complain though...at least we have Internet where we are!

Seeing family and friends is incredible. Being in their lives and being able to pick up the phone and call is truly a wonderful blessing. I love the conversations but even more than that is that fact that I can...I can pick up the phone and call my mom or let Josiah call his Aunt Christel if he wants to. It's nice.

But of all the nice things we're experiencing there are a lot of things that we are so shocked about. Here are a few:

1. The number of pharmaceutical drug commercials on TV.

2. The number of commercials talking about bringing the family "together for the holidays" - AROUND THE NEW HD TV!!! Or in the new family car with a TV for each seat!!! UGG...makes my tummy hurt!

3. The phones are absolutely incredible and half of the ones I've seen...it takes me at least a few minutes to figure out how to make a simple phone call and I'm a techie...err...I was!

4. How busy everyone is!! Talk about being entangled in life...I don't hardly know anyone who isn't. And I understand why...it's so easy to get caught up in what's going on in life and forget to be eternally focused.

5. The amount of Christians that are just barely hanging on.

6. Watching National Geographic on HD TV is absolutely amazing.

7. How easy it is to make a meal now a days...When I was living here last I thought Hamburger Helper was the easiest meal but now - all you have to do is pick up a box and even the chicken comes in it!!

8. The price of gas and food!

9. The amount of people who have lost weight because they had a messed up Thyroid and got on some prescription drugs...and lost tons of weight...

10. How many people have fallen out of love and have no where to turn to for Godly advice so they just give up. Marriage in America is in serious trouble....serious trouble...more than I ever understood before.

We're staying in a small city right outside of Sherman. After checking out the school here and going in like a detective...John and I decided to let Josiah go to school while we're here for social interaction and it has been wonderful. I still do a lot with him when he gets home but I'm saving most of his curriculum for after we leave.

The curriculum has done wonders for him already - he does wonderful academically at school...while he is learning daily how to interact with other children in America and how to follow instructions at school. We both feel like this is a really good thing for him right now.

Today I was going to grab Jude up and go have lunch with him at school today and right before I started to get ready the school called. Josiah had stuck a piece of paper UP HIS NOSE! For those of you who have been reading for a while...remember the beebee? Yeah...

So they had him in the nurses office, and while he was not freaking out or crying, he would not let them get anywhere near him with tweezers. For those of you who don't know about the beebee...Josiah put a beebee up his nose quite a while back and we had to take him to the emergency room in Thailand. They wrapped him up in a blanket so he couldn't move and used this really scary looking instrument to hold his nostril wide open and went in with tweezers...needless to say, he doesn't like tweezers.

Luckily, with the nurses coaching, while I was still on my way, Josiah blew hard enough to shoot that paper wad right out! We had a great lunch together and while I was there I was moved to tears.

As we were eating a small girl joined us and informed me that she was new. Her name was Isis. The first thing out of her mouth was the following:

"I know 4 things really smart! 1. My family and friends love me very much! 2. 5+5=10 3. 2+2=4 4. 10+10=20" she said proudly.

I told her how very smart she was and asked her name. She later continued on:

"wanna hear a really big story? It's about how my daddy beat up my mommy!"

She later continued on to say while looking at Jude: "He's a real cute little thing isn't he? I used to have a brother but my daddy stole him."

I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms and hold her and protect her from all the horrible things this little girl is going through. She's a smart little girl and not just because she knows what 10+10 is. She was really on top of her game and she's in Kindergarten. I can only imagine what she's lived through and seen already.

I encouraged her and showed her love as much as I could until it was time to head back to class. Please pray for little Isis tonight...my heart still hurts from our encounter. As I sat there looking at all the other children I wondered what they were experiencing.

I wanted to find some way to be there for these children while I'm here but it seems as though it's next to impossible to do anything in schools now a days...but I will pray for her and the rest of the wonderful kids I met today.

In other news, Jude had his 2nd birthday and since then he's just been a bundle of personality. It's like he was waiting to turn 2 and now that he is he is growing like a weed in every way. Both of my boys are growing so fast! I'm so glad we're having another one. Speaking of which - I'll have an ultrasound on the 20th of December! WAHOO!

I've already written a lot so I'll save your eyes and your attention span...IF I haven't already lost you. Please be praying for us - the job that John was supposed to get doesn't seem to be panning out so we're still looking and God is still providing...need by need. Thank you God! You are so good!

I miss Thailand and I miss our family and friends there. As we continue to serve him here and cherish the time with family and friends I am so thankful that God is helping me really be HERE and not feel lost. God has a plan for us while we're here and I'm confident in that...I'm not just having a baby and going back...God is always at work and so much we be.