Has it really been 90 days...so much has happened!

We have been here at YWAM now for almost 2 weeks and have had a very busy but amazingly enjoyable stay.  We have met and got to know so many amazing people and have been able to hear their stories of how God has worked in their lives.  Our "jobs" have been wonderful and we have sweat and worked very hard in completing them.  The kids, and the family as a whole, have continued to amaze me.  I am so proud of them!

Our first task here was the garden that Caleb fell in love with.  It is thriving and we have plants coming up already!  Caleb checks on it a dozen times a day, waters it, and tells the plants how great they are doing.  It is amazing to see how much love he has found in working with the earth and how much he cares for it.  We are about to pull our first tomato and I bet it will be the best one we have ever had!!!  Tonight he checked and one of the tomatoes are ready to be picked tomorrow.  He told me that he has 2 ideas for it.  1) He wants to give to someone who is homeless. 2)  He wants to share it with all of his friends here because he said they were very encouraging to him while he worked hard on the garden.  We also had a large task of clearing and leveling a LARGE amount of dirt.  A tractor, shovels, rakes, pick axes, chainsaw, concrete, and allot of sweat helped us to complete our second task rather quickly.  We worked to get this fence up to create an area for a new sign for YWAM.  It also creates a much nicer looking area to the entrance and gives direction.  We are so pleased that we were able to build this and even after the cuts, bruises, scrapes, bites, and baseball size swollen hand (I smashed my hand) we thank the Lord for the opportunity!

 

The infamous garden...we have new plants and a red tomato!

Getting started and dealing with some roots and stumps.

Playing in the dirt!

Driving the tractor with daddy.

Working as a team!

Finishing up with the fence and making it look pretty.

Caleb and Kamryn helped clean our this herb garden with our friend that came here from Vancouver Island and knows of the same folks that we know. 

 

Caleb is drying herbs that were otherwise going to be thrown to the compost bin.  He is going to make tea with them! 



We finished the fence in just a few days; allot quicker than we thought we would.  The benefit was that we worked great as a team and the heat, the sun, the work itself (and some pains) did not deter us from completing the work the Lord put before us.  We are waiting on some landscaping materials and we will see how things progress next. 



We were invited to dinner to the home of the person that Zachary cooks with each day (more on that in a bit) and the kids got to harvest from a bigger garden...they loved it!  This was  a wonderful evening with badminton, bocce, soccer, a walk in the woods, some play with the dogs, and an amazing dinner and great company.  They have a wonderful daughter that we have been getting some of our direction from and have enjoyed getting to know her and her beau; they are both part of YWAM.  The amazing story with this family is that they were in Biloxi, Mississippi at the same time that we were when we entered the Air Force in the 90's.  We were in (stood in) some of the same places at the same time, literally!  Also, they were in Hurricane Hugo when Kelly went through it.  This was only a bit of the parallel that we shared with this family but God really gave us a common interest to talk about!  This has proved to be an amazing relationship as Zachary has also spent time with Alan (the husband/father) as he was "interviewed" to help in the kitchen and has worked each day since, cooking for 30-40 people a day.  Zachary has shown great fortitude and has learned great things while being in there.  Zachary is also earning respect from the folks that he spends time with as he shows great respect and hard work.  

We are gathering items for dinner!

Zachary and Dan getting carrots.

Zachary is loving the kitchen.  He is doing so well being independent and learning so much.

One of the things that we prayed for when we arrived (after our family meeting) was that we would find strength and the "want to" in ALL tasks, no matter how difficult or how mundane.  We are thankful for answered prayer and this family serving in all ways that are put before us.  WE had another family meeting yesterday and followed up on how we each think we are doing in regard to the first meeting that we had.  Everyone is pleased and we continue to see the Lord working. 

Daily worship has proven to be a real blessing.  Each day we spend time as a group, studying, praying, singing, and talking about the Lord.  Each day is a different way of worshipping and it has been amazing to experience the Lord this way each day.  A couple of days ago on "Creative" day, we went outside to praise God individually and spend time in Creation and come back and share what we experienced.  Caleb came back in and shared what he experienced.  Without detail, he shares an intimate relationship with the Lord and it is amazing to see how it is expressed in his own way.  Zachary has also shined in his experiences here.  He ended up wanting to go to worship on a day when the rest of our family was not going to attend.  He went to "intercession" day and afterwards, we were told that we should be very proud of him because he spoke out and prayed for the subject in a way that made the other adults pleased to be with him.  Overall, this YWAM experience proves to be a blessing as much for our family as it does for those whom we are able to serve.  One of the many things that we do each week is "Character Club".  This is a time when we go to a local community center, play basketball/crafts/games, share a short message, and feed those who attend.  I will tell you that it can be a very different world in inner city environments.  It is not only interesting but necessary for my children to experience the "happenings" of what these kids experience on a daily basis; some of these kids live a life that they should not be experiencing.  At the same time that I hurt and shed tears for some of these children and the life they are living each day, for some of them, I see so much maturity and potential.  It makes me so happy when they ask or comment about Christ or something that is a positive in their lives.  Zachary is doing a great job with some of the older guys.  He has stepped up and overcome any anxiety about being the outsider in a realm that he has never been exposed to.  Kamryn has proven to get along with the younger girls and Caleb loves just being a kid with the rest of them.  We are SO thankful to be able to meet all of these kids and  be a part of their lives.  I am so glad that the people of this YWAM love them so much.

A family night of ping pong with our friends from Brazil. 

Kamryn and Rachel having a girl date. 

Kelly learning a new skill from our Victoria friend.

I have to praise the folks that are "working" here.  They have dedicated this season of their lives to serving this area and spreading the Good News.  They serve in so many ways and have invited us to be a part of it.  They come from all over the country (and the world i.e Germany and Brazil at this current moment) and have a heart for serving with only support that they bring with them. 

We have some upcoming tasks lined up and look forward to being able to allow the folks here to fulfill their mission.  We are staying busy and also allow our home and space to be open at all times.  Our fifth wheel has become a great attraction for many of the folks around here, especially those who are here form Brazil.  The people we have met here are wonderful and we have a great time interacting with them and spending time with them each day.  We are learning some Portuguese as we teach a bit of English and share our story, laugh, and love on everyone we meet.  The cool thing is...they are loving us back more than we can give.