Hangin' with Family!

Jon, Cheri, Emily and Ian are here! We've had a blast with them. Joy will post more shortly...

Christmas is a coming!

Merry Christmas to one and all... well... soon it will be. It has been a while since our last post. Let us just say there has been a lot going on.

After returning from the wedding of Lee and Rachel Ken jumped right back into things to wrap up the end of the first quarter.

Then... we had some random illness' in the family which hit all of us... some over lapping others. I think we had a stretch of about eight or nine weeks where there was at least one sick soul in our family. I tell ya - *sigh*.

Then there was the Messiah Choir, which Joy participated in. It was an amazing time and amazing program.

Now, with the Christmas festival program coming this Friday we're once again struggling to get through another week. And then... Joy came down sick with some sort of derivative-like death sickness last Thursday. She has been out of school two and a half days with less than a week to go before the concert.

After the Christmas program we rapidly will wrap up the first semester. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of Joy's brother and family. They will arrive Christmas Eve afternoon. We've a few trips planned and are very excited to see them all.

We're working on our next newsletter but doubt it will get out in the mail before January. Those of you who are on our e-letter list should receive it before then. There is a link on the main blog page to subscribe to our e-letter, if you would like to.

Merry Christmas to all, from Kenneth, Joy, Abigail, Emma, and Sara.

Congratulations Lee & Rachel

We want to wish Lee and Rachel Sims a heart-felt congratulations! Lee and Rachel were married Friday night. It was a blessing to be able to be in attendance and witness the awesome moment.

Joy and the kids are in Guatemala. They continue to recover from a recent virus which ran around our home. It started with Emma, then passed to Kenneth, then to Abigail and then to Sara. Joy started coming down with it early this past week.

Many thanks to all who continue to support us with prayers and financial gifts.

Volcanic Eruption - we're safe

Huh - just found out that Volcan Fuego blew its top today... We're ok... Some pictures are available on one of the news sites.

On the road again...

I just can't wait to get on the road again.  Who on earth ever wrote those words?  I think they were at the end of a furlough when they did!  We have had a very enjoyable, albeit busy, time visiting friends and family (many of whom are ministry team members) for the past month.  You know that feeling you get though, when you are ready to be back in your own bed again - no matter how wonderful your trip has been - that's where we are at.
We are currently in New York City while Kenneth finishes up his work here at the church.  We were treated to Mary Poppins on Broadway yesterday, which was a great break from the ordinary.  For Emma and Abigail, for whom life is a musical, it was a dream come true - a dream they had never even thought of since they had no clue what Broadway was.  Today the girls are at a Day Camp that the church runs, and having a great time.  We hope to visit with some friends, see some sights, eat some more Chinese food (hey, we're in China Town), and spend time together before we go back to Guatemala and hit the ground running.
We appreciate your prayers during this time of transition back to what is our "normal."

Cloned... *sigh*

So imagine my confusion this morning, whilst I was updating our bills, when our online bank statement said we withdrew money from our checking account at 10pm on 6/22.... and then again at 8:57pm on Monday night?!

:9/

Imagine my surprise (or lack there of) when I checked with Joy and she knew nothing about it either. Apparently one of our fine establishments here in Guatemala took some extra liberties and cloned my credit card. The toll? As it stands presently just over $517 missing...

I spent time talking with our bank, State Farm, walking through the details of what we need to do next. Obviously, my card has been flagged and canceled. There will be contestation papers awaiting us in NH when we arrive next week. We don't use Joy's card very often so they kept it active.

Oh the funs of life...

-knme

Survival is for the Fittest, eh?

It is Wednesday, day number four without Joy - who is teaching at a Guatemalan music camp in a nearby town.

When asked, "how you doing without Joy?", I've been responding with, "oh, we're surviving." My hat goes off to any and all single parents, or parents whose situation results in one parent carrying the bulk of the load for any period of time.

Parenting is difficult at the best of times... ok, nap time is normally a pretty good time. In our case the shoe is on the other foot from April when I was in NY and Joy was here with the kids.

Praise the Lord for the Rivera Family who have offered to take the girls today. I will keep Sara and take her to the Canadian Embassy to submit her Canadian Citizenship documents - Oh, yes, we know how to have a good time in our family.

-knme

What a blessing!

Loren & Bambi - we miss you!

Friday morning I (Kenneth) took Loren & Bambi to the airport. This ended an amazing visit of some very awesome friends.

Many things were done, places visited, and LOADS of "Ticket to Ride" was played.

Tomorrow Abigail heads off to her very first summer camp. What are we going to do without her for the next five nights?! Emma and Sara are going to be somewhat lost without their big sister around.

After Abigail returns then we have a couple days and Joy heads off to teach at a Guatemalan Music Camp. She will be gone for five or six nights. When she comes back we quickly pack for our trip to the States. Loads of work remains to be done before the trip.

That is all for now...

-knme

2011/2012 Academic Year now in the books

Finally, this school year is complete. We await final grades but overall most everything is done. This is exciting! Now we can take a few deep breaths.

Next up for us is the arrival of Loren and Bambi from Dover Baptist. We're super excited to have good friends from our home church come to visit. It has been nearly eighteen months since our last visitors.

Abigail will resume piano lessons this month - but with a new teacher. This will be very challenging for her because her new teacher is Korean... and doesn't speak any English... and only marginal Spanish.

Emma is anxiously awaiting the start of Kinder... still. She is a bit bummed that she will have to dress in "standard attire". She has been rather used to dressing herself lately and so we're expecting a few fashion battles once August comes.

Joy will be beginning revisions to her various curriculums. She was approved yesterday to submit plans or an "AP" music theory class. Also, her grand plans for student-teaching-elementary was approved. This will be an awesome opportunities for some of her upper-class students who have expressed an interest in majoring in Music Education.

I (Ken) am now getting my detailed summer plans ready to hand off to Edgard. He will be doing the bulk of the system changes and upgrades while I am in New York. I'm super excited for this opportunity. For me the funny thought of the week is this: after Tuesday I won't need to set my alarm for 5:20am... rather, I can sleep in to 5:45 when Sara will be sure to have me up...*sigh*

On a sad note - the season of "goodbyes" has begun. Today we said goodbye to the Miller family. They are returning to the States after many years serving here. There will be a few more goodbyes this week as it is now the season for folks to return to the States. Please be in prayer for our family as a lot of these goodbyes will be difficult for us and our children.

Overall we're pleased with this year. It was fun and exciting... but challenging and frustrating at the same time. Satan tested us but the Lord had the victory and the glory.

-knme

Have you ever heard that saying "The center of God's will is the safest place to be?"  I certainly have.  I wonder where that came from?  I have to say, I don't think it was the Bible. 
Lately I have been reading a book called "Radical" by David Platt.  An excellent read, I highly recommend it.  In fact, I think that every believer should read it.  (Yes, it is available for the Kindle.)
In this book he points out so many Biblical truths that we as a society, a Christian society, have chosen to overlook.  This is the one that hit me today, as I was driving along on my way to school and a motorcycle pulled up slowly beside me.  (For those who don't know, moto crimes are very common here.)  In that moment I did not feel safe, nor really should I have, I could have been in real danger...but did that mean I wasn't in the center of God's will - No!
In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be sending them out like sheep among wolves.  Let's see, he was sending them so we know that is God's will.  Sheep among wolves, that's safe right?  NO!  A sheep among a group of wolves is one of the most dangerous places for the sheep to be, and yet God sent them there.
I love this paragraph from "Radical":  " Jesus was saying to his disciples then - and, by implication, to you and me now - "I am sending you to dangerous places, where you will find yourself in the middle of evil, vicious people.  And you will be there by my design."  Jesus told them, "Go to great danger, and let it be said of you what people would say of sheep wandering into the middle of wolves.  'They're crazy!  They're clueless!  They have no idea what kind of danger the are getting into!'  This is what it means to be my disciple."
So, is the center of God's will the safest place for me, or my family to be - maybe not, but it is certainly the best place.  May it be said of us that we followed God even when it seemed crazy to the world.

(And please, pray for us and others who have been called to serve in the dangerous places of this world.  We are in danger here from violence, but so many are in danger for their beliefs.  Pray that God would keep his servants strong in the face of danger.)

Bye bye April! Hello May!

I'm very sorry - did you just say, "Hello May?!"

With those words the end of our third school year is in sight. We have a meer eighteen days of school left. This is a truly scary thought.

Since the last installment Ken has gone to NY and returned - unscathed. Many tears were shed by Abigail and Emma as it was the first time he was away from them for that amount of time since our short work trip back in February 2008. It is difficult to gauge the success of the trip as his recommendations are in the hands of the church leadership. They're praying over it and deciding the next steps. Ken was able to fly home eight hours early and surprise Joy and the kids at school.

On the flip side of that Joy and the girls survived. They made a trip to Chichi to visit Don, Heather, and the kids. Joy was able to be there in person as Pastor Don began a new sermon series titled, "Flannel Board Bible Stories for Grown-Ups." - not yet available on Amazon :9(

All joking aside this year has been good - challenging, yet good. It seems that with every year we learn things which we need to improve upon for the next year. Yet the next year will change again as Emma will begin Kindergarten. This will make two in school.

With the summer plans still awaiting the concret we look to finish this month and then to June. Remaining in May will be a few school events. In June Abigail will be going to her first summer camp and Joy will be teaching at a Guatemalan Music camp. Bigger news than that - Loren and Bambi will be coming to visit! We're very much looking forward to seeing them!

Well, that is all for now. Blessings to all. And, many thanks to all our faithful supporters.

-knm/jr/ac/eb/sje

mid-April Update

Life is normal... whatever that means.

Since our last writing we have focused on normality. The week after the show we coasted right into Semaña Santa (Holy Week). It was near perfect timing because we could all sleep in. We decided to stay local and not travel... this was a wise choice.

Ken returned to the US Embassy and finished Emma's passport renewal. No problems - and, actually, it was a rather enjoyable process. For the rest of the week we went to a couple malls, the Zoo, and double dated with friends from CAG. A truly relaxing week. The big project was moving Abigail and Sara's rooms. Abigail, being the oldest, now has her own room (used to be Sara's). Sara and Emma now share what used to be Abigail & Emma's room. Everyone is happy.

Easter came and went. Ken helped out our local church, Union Church (UCG), with the sound for the Sunrise Service, which was held at CAG. Joy played piano for the Easter Cantata at UCG for the two other morning services. An Easter egg hunt at Chris & Mike's concluded the days festivities.

Last week was rather uneventful so I won't use up anymore ink about it.

On a positive note, our summer has started to take shape. Back in October/November Ken was approached about doing some IT work for a church in NY. This has pretty much been confirmed. Ken flys to NY this coming Thursday for a survey mission to determine the scope of the project. With no other complications we will return to NY in very early July where Ken will work and Joy and the kids will head to NH. Exact dates are not yet cast in stone.

Thanks and blessings to all who continue to pray for us.

-knme for the whole family

March...

March has come... and march has gone. And where did it go you ask? Why, to Oz - to Oz! We're off to see the Wizard... err, well - no not really.

March was pretty much the "month of Oz". It was fun, it was tiring, it is now behind us. Now, with Semaña Santa before us we can try to recharge our batteries for the final stretch.

Oh yes - we had a thrilling day at the US Embassy today. Emma's passport is due to expire in September so we thought we'd be on stick and start the renewal process. And well you see - we got there and then discovered that I'm a ding-bat - and forgot Emma's birth certificate... problem is we don't have it in Guatemala. Luckily they accept copies so I can print the scanned copy of her BC and we're good to go... oh yeah, except since she is at that stage where we're replacing her infant passport they need pictures showing her through the years. Oh... and that isn't on the list of things you need which I printed off the US Embassy's website on March 2nd. So now I have to return to the US Embassy next week to get these final things in for her passport renewal.

Then there is the odyssey with Sara's Social Security Number. The conclusion is... no one seems to know why Sara was denied her SSN, nor does anyone seem to have record of such denial. Whilst waiting for Emma's passport interview Joy popped over to window #1 to ask them about it. She was told she would need to speak with the Social Security department in Costa Rica b/c they're online and Guatemala is not. So, she got to use the secure beige phone to call them directly. Of couse Costa Rica had no record of the denial nor had any open applications for Joy or Sara. So, they said to refile. AHHHHH... you have got to be kidding me. See, this all apparently stemmed from the line on the application where we were asked to put in the last name of the mother (at the time of her birth)... silly us we put WILSON. Then her supporting document, namely her passport, has last name EISNER... duh, they don't match - so, please provide supporting documentation for this change. I have to say my love for governmental bologna is a little stronger after today.

Anyway - the girls are all wonderful. Abigail did surprisingly well for being in the Oz play. During show week she had five nights when she was up to about 11 o'clock.... PM. Emma and Sara did well too, surviving with Daddy. Joy... well, if you saw the play you'd know the amount of work which went into the music. Ken, me, was mostly only used as a tech resource... once the sound was setup our junior Nolan was able to run the whole thing...

We're looking forward to having some time off next week. Joy is going to work on some lesson plans and I plan on roasting coffee. We have lined up some games with friends and thought about taking the girls to see a movie and perhaps the Zoo.

Not much else to talk about so I will say good night.

-knme

Seven weeks - where'd they go?

So my jaw nearly hit the floor when I realized seven weeks had passed since our last post (whooops). Thing of it is - yes, we've been very busy at school but I would not count it as post-worthy material.

Abigail: has continued along nicely in school. She continues to practice violin and continues scheming how she can take ballet lessons. She has a part in the upcoming "Wizard of Oz" musical, which she is excited about. She also gave the "Bible-less Peoples" presentation in Elementary Chapel (she did awesome!)

Emma: has started practicing the piano on a more regular basis and, according to Joy, is quite good for her age. She also loves her "pre-K" group. I have increased hope that she will succeed in Kindergarten without the need for a "talking/detention room". Now, before anyone calls me out for such a comment you first have to understand that it has long been a joke of ours that Emma would not be able t start school until either A) she learned to control her talker or B) CAG built a talking room for her. If I had to pick a future job for her it would be simply whatever job would allow her to talk the most.

Sara: continues to grow into herself and change daily. She has upgraded from walking to fast-walking to nearly running. She may have a tad of OCD because she likes to turn on/off lights in each room she enters. She knows that when mommy comes to the nursery it is time to leave - so she goes and opens the cupboard to get her lunch bag then proceeds to walk to the door where she bangs on it saying, "ma-ma, ma-ma." Whenever the girls comb their hair, she has to get a brush and do the same.

Joy: continues to feverishly work on "Wizard of Oz" preparations. She has done a much better job at delegating. She is also trying to get lesson plans ready and homework graded - you all know, the life of a teacher. We are actively looking for ways to reduce her workload for next year. The best way we've found so far is to eliminate her elementary classes - but for that to really happen CAG will need to find another elementary music teacher (prayer request!)

Ken: uh, me. I've spent the previous three weeks either in preparation or administering of the MAP tests for K-10. This week I've tried to play catchup for what I did not get done the previous three weeks. We've had some exciting power outages and some failed equipment which has kept me busy. I can continue to honestly say, "I love my job." I've also picked up some website design/maintenance work with our local church, Union Church.

We've renewed our attempts to get together with the Logan family (Chichi). We were to Chichi in January and early February and then hosted the Logan twins last weekend.

I'm sure there is more which I'm forgetting... if so I'll catch it up next time.

-knme

Guatemalan Return

It was a very long day... but it ended well.

Saturday night, during her birthday dinner at Newicks, Joy's mom decided to be taken to the hospital. Turns out she has pneumonia. She was admitted.

Started out Sunday morning with the last minute packing then a trip to seem Joy's mom in the hospital. After the farewells there Jon and Dad took us to the airport. We were checked in and through security in under fifty minutes - I think that is some sort of record (considering three small children).

First flight was nearly 4 1/2 hours... (loooonnnnggg)... We had some delicious BBQ at the Houston airport as part of our 2 1/2 hour layover. We chatted a bit with Alan and Jen Velesquez.

Our flight was delayed while they waited for more fuel. We took off at nearly 7:45pm (instead of 7:05) and arrived at 10:25pm. We cleared immigration and collected our bags - by the way, if you're travelling to Guatemala with checked bags you need to keep your bag claim tickets handy b/c they might verify you're taking the bags which match your tickets.

Richard and Jean picked us up at curb side and took us home. As I recall we were home for 11:30pm. Long day...

Joy's mom is still in the hospital but is improving well. Please keep her in your prayers.

-knme

Update Night Planned

To any and all who are able to come - we will be having an update night at Dover Baptist Church during their "First Wednesday" event on 4 January at 6:00pm. If you are able to go please call the church office to let them know (for food preparation).

-knme