keep calm... and hug a pet

Keep Calm

and

Hug a Chicken

(Brynlee and Mary)

Keep Calm

and 

Hug a Dog.

(Eden and Sadie)

in our family the pets are family.  Yes, my chickens are considered pets. I like them way better than the angel fish.  No matter how rough life gets it will make you feel better.

I choose motherhood

I choose lullabies in a rocking chair 

peanut butter and jelly sandwiches smeared on the wall

I choose worry wrinkles and laugh lines

sticky fingers and grass stains

I choose fairytales and dress up clothes

picnic blankets and dirt

I choose sprinkles and hotdogs

tears of worry and hugs of forgiveness

I choose ABC's and broken crayons

a handful of weeds and butterfly nets

Princess Alexis (8) and John Truman (15 m.)

I choose motherhood,

Let it go

Sometimes

 you have to be the sweet little girl watering mama's rose bushes.

And then there are those times

 where you just have to

 let it all go and squirt someone with the water hose!!!

What kind of a day are you having?

 

going through the fire

As the black flames billowed up into the sky hiding the sunshine on the warm Jamaican day my heart sank.

We do Christians hurt?
Why do bad things happen?

As a Pastor's wife I often dread this {tough} question.  I want sunshine and smiles and happy endings.  My heart hurts when others hurt and have sorrow.

How do you explain to someone who is going through such a dark valley that God knows and hasn't left them?
When they feel so alone and abused how do you tell them God is love?

How do you tell them Why?

Recently we were traveling through another parish that is unusually flat for Jamaica.  There were sugar cane fields stretched out on all sides of us.  We could see black billowing smoke filling the sky and I remarked to my husband that something large was burning.  He said they were burning the fields.  The beautiful healthy sugar cane was being burned.

True Facts: Burning of the sugar cane field is part of the harvesting process.  During this time the field is set on fire and the leaves are burned off leaving only the cane.  The part burned off is called "trash" and is made up of straw, the tops, and green and dry leaves.  The burning process kills any microorganisms and the trash left behind help keep the fields rich.

We pulled to the side of the road and watched the billowing black smoke filling the sky.  We could see the flames leaping up and running throughout the fields.  My heart was touched thinking about the sadness of watching something that you've worked so hard for being destroyed right before your eyes.  So often life can be the same way. There was the fire.  The heat.  Your pain.  Your suffering.

There's so much that we can not see.

Through the fire God has a plan to perfect the sugar cane.  It is hard to tell when the flames are licking at the tall stalk... but some day that will be little {brown} grains I stir into my tea.

Pain and trials of life are never easy.  Often they are very painful.  At the time it is so hard to see the point.

We always come through stronger and more perfected into the image that God has for us to be.  If we allow ourselves to be.

dirt…glorious dirt

{my dad's voice} "a little dirt under your fingernails never hurt anyone"
I'm not positive but pretty sure my relatives have said this {a time or two} to me.  My parents always made me help in the vegetable gardens growing up.  Picking miles and miles of green beans.

So because my kids love their papa so much… I'm thinking they pretty much live by this rule.  Keeping them clean and sanitized is a full time job.  Not that I need more to do, but it sure keeps things interesting.  Especially with our current water situation.  The water is off 2 or 3 days each week.

Being kids they don't mind at all being dirty.  The dirtier the better.  This particular day they were instructing their baby brother on the fine art of digging for worms.  No, I didn't take any pictures of the little night crawlers they terrorized…even though they begged me.

Meanwhile in Jamaica…this is how we do it.  All my good mixing bowls.  My poor neighbors.

John Truman loves his rubber boots but has not quite mastered the art of keeping them on yet.  Brynlee kept busy just putting his shoes back on.

It's the little things...

broad little shoulders

Little boys are different than little girls.
Boy, that was profound, huh?

Broad little shoulders.  
I am daily amazed at my growing son's characteristic and natural boyish ability.  Nobody teaches little boys to make car sounds.  John Truman is always going in daddy's office and getting screwdrivers out of the tool boxes. If Daddy is outside {correction....while daddy is always outside} working on something lil' John is right there at his knee mimicking his every move.

Yesterday, I was working on my latest {pinterest} project and John Truman came up and noticing that I was on his level snuggled with me.  Just a few seconds is all he needed but it was precious to me.  I'm lovin' these broad little shoulders.

Valley Baptist Church 4th anniversary!

January marked the 4 year anniversary of our church in Spot Valley.  Wow, that is exciting to me.

Warning: there are a lot of pictures in this post!  God is so good.

  We were honored to have the national pastor of Heritage Independent Baptist Church (in Spanish Town, Jamaica) come and preach the service.  Heritage Church is our sponsor on the Island.  We worked there for 3 months when we first moved to Jamaica.

There was an amazing service with over 90 (something) people in attendance.  The members of Valley Baptist worked hard inviting their neighbors and friends to church.  There was an excitement in the air.

After the service we had a great big Thanksgiving meal.  One of the men in our church is a chef and he put many hours of hard work into preparing the jerked chicken and pork, rice and peas, and vegetables.  The members brought in fruit, vegetables, fresh fruit juices, and cakes.

Bro. Farouk Reid and son Tariq

All the food except the cakes were prepared on the grounds.  

The meat was cooked in these cookers

 and the rice and peas were prepared on the little fires.

Probably one of my most favorite pictures of the day.  

Tariq Ahdik Joshua Reid called me "Auntie" for the first time that day!  

My heart melted a little.

My ladies were so good to me.  I didn't lift a finger all day.  Without anyone asking they worked together and served all the plates out.  In Jamaica, you don't walk by and prepare your own plate like at a "carry in dinner" in America.  Here you are treated like a guest and your prepared plate and drink is carried to you.  The woman all worked so hard and took care of every detail so all I had to do was flutter around and visit with everyone and kiss all the babies!

Ok, so this might be another favorite from the day.  

Newborn Tiandra and her Great-Uncle

Ms. Avril is our older children Sunday School teacher

Ms. Marsha and Tristan have been faithful members of our church since the first Sunday.

Moriah and Atena

Tristan and Aaron

deep conversation

Corianne service fresh fruit drink with ginger

This man donated the pig that was jerked for the celebration meal.

Christina and baby daughter

Tati and Tristan

It is so sweet to see family attend church together.

  The lady in the hat is called "mommy" by everyone.

  These are her three daughters and grandson.

Sisters Corianne and Glorianne

Mr. and Mrs. Farouk Reid and son

John Truman playing the tambourine.

He has surprisingly good rhythm for a 13 m. old!

Ms. Shawna and her daughters

Sisters

Mrs. Shelly and her children

Tiana is so very proud of her new sister.

Serving chicken foot soup.  

Cook fire

Bro. Rayson and the cooks did a wonderful job.

Mrs. Carlissia and her daughter Makayla

sweet family

A lot of sweat and tears have went into the last 4 years.  

This growing little church were the doors are open every week could not be possible without the love and support we receive from back home.  Also, there are many others that have been essential to Valley Baptist Church. Veteran missionaries Wesley and Evelyn Hutchens were there for us from the beginning.  They took us under their wing and taught us the ropes.  We worked side by side with them walking the roads in Spot Valley and starting the church.  When we had to come back to the States, to have our son, missionaries T.J. and Christa Kimmel filled in for us for 5 months and took wonderful care of Valley Baptist Church.  

Many times my husband and I have discussed how you can literally feel the prayers of those back home.  Times when we are in danger and the angels protect us.  Times when we have a need and it is met. Times when we are low and discouraged and motivation comes.  

We are very thankful for what God has done and is continuing to do in Spot Valley, Jamaica.

There is nothing special about us.  We just want to honor God and live elbow deep in the plan that He has for us today!

Prince Charming and Pastor Mason 

on the way to take Pastor Mason to the bus station the next day.