Being Born Abroad

Yesterday, we went to the government offices here in town and registered Eliseo. He is now the proud owner of his very own Mexican birth certificate.
Today, the children are finishing up their studies while Daniel is working. We plan on leaving after lunch to head 6 hours south to Los Cabos. There is an American Consulate there where we can apply for Eliseo's American passport and Born Abroad Certificate.
Pray for safety as we travel and that the paperwork will get done quickly without any problems. We have to get a picture taken for his passport before we leave today; the tricky part is that his eyes have to be open for it. Since newborns sleep like 20+ hours a day and even eat with their eyes closed often, this might not be easy. But we know the Lord even cares about little things like passport photos for our children . :)

Baptism yesterday

Yesterday, we rejoiced to have another baptism during our evening service. Hna. Rosa began attending our church last summer and faithfully came each week. She immediately showed interest in each message Daniel preached and had a deep concern for her soul and those of her family.

Before Daniel baptized her, she stood in front of everyone and shared how she has come to believe in Jesus Christ as her only Savior and how she wants to be obedient to Him in baptism and hopes and prays that her family will follow Him as well.

After the service, Daniel was talking with her husband; Daniel has witnessed to him on several occasions and he too has been very receptive. Last night, he told Daniel that he would like to get baptized as well. Daniel will be talking to him more this week. His name is Ramon.

Here are a couple of pictures of Rosa following the Lord in baptism:

The man in the center of the picture below is Ramon, Rosa's husband. What a blessing it would be for Him to give his life to Christ and follow him! Pray for Ramon.

Eleven Little Missionaries

Romans 10: 15 "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace."

The Little Lockwoods :)

Sleeping Eliseo

No, our family does not know karate, has never done the hula dance, nor do we surf. :)

Question for Jaynee

Marla R asked- You mentioned being very tall--how tall is that?

Answer- I (Jaynee) am 5 ft 10 in. and since baby #5, wear a nice size 11 shoe :). My dad is almost 6 ft. 6 in. and wears a size 15. Our boys all want to be "tall like Grandpa" someday :)

Questions from a 10 year old

Bethany, a 10 year old girl who has 8 siblings, recently emailed us with these questions:How do your children learn to understand Spanish and English, and can they understand both without any trouble? Do they understand Spanish speaking people easily?My last question is for Rebecca. Do you like horses?

Answer: Good questions. Because we live in Mexico, we know that all of our children will eventually learn Spanish simply because that is what everyone here speaks. Because we want them to also know English well, we speak only English in the home (unless we have Spanish speaking visitors). Many children learn another language in a foreign country by attending school. Since we home school our children, they are learning a bit slower. Our two oldest boys (ages 11 and 10) now speak and understand Spanish and are able to ask for an explanation if they don't understand something. As they are the oldest, they have had the most opportunities to be out with Daddy as he preaches, enjoy spending time in the afternoons with our neighbors playing soccer, and have studied the language on their own as well.Our younger children are learning, and have various levels of understanding, but mainly just use English right now.

And yes, Rebekah does like horses. Our neighbors have a horse and have given the children rides from time to time. The last time Rebekah was on a horse, she had quite the adventure. A couple of men were riding horses down our street. The children were outside watching them, and they stopped and asked if the children would like a ride. Rebekah wanted to ride with her Daddy, so Daniel mounted the horse first and then the man helped Rebekah get on as well. While she was getting settled in behind her Daddy, she accidently kicked the horse's side and it took off running! Daniel has only been on a horse a couple of times himself and they both just hung on for life. Rebekah was quite shaken up, so when the horse finally settled down, the man helped her get off. Daniel stayed on to ride a bit, and the horse decided he wanted to go home and took off running again toward his corral. :)

More questions answered

Elijah woke up this morning with a stomach bug, so Daniel took the oldest 4 with him on the bus route and to prayer meeting which leaves me here with a quiet household of only 7 :) Really, it is quiet as Elijah is sick, Nehemiah is still not up to par and lying in his crib, Eliseo is next to me sleeping, and the 2, 3, 4, and 5 year old are doing puzzles.
So I thought I'd take a few minutes and answer some more questions.

Michelle asked: What is the missionary you are working with/for?Is it with a particular religion?How is your family supported doing missionary work? Is it strictly donations given to you by friends and family? I see the boys have majority. How do you manage all that energy? Also, do you have any holes in your walls? LOL! What is a typical week of meals for your family for dinner.

Answers: #1- We are missionaries sent out by our local church- Millville Community Baptist Church in Millville, California- sent here to Mexico to share the gospel with the people here. Though we pray that someday the Lord will send other missionaries here to help, we are so far by ourselves. We praise the Lord for those we've seen accept God's wonderful gift of salvation and rejoice to see them grow in their faith as the Lord through His Word works in their hearts and lives. While my husband, Daniel, pastors the church here right now, it is our goal and prayer that soon a Mexican man will be called to pastor the people here, that that church will continue to grow and reach out to not only the town here, but farther away as well, and my husband wants to continue to share the gospel and see a church start in the many, many other towns and villages here that have none.
#2- We are Christians- Baptists.
#3- Our support is donations from churches and individuals (friends and family).
#4- Yes, the boys do have to majority around here and most all our children seem to have an endless supply of energy! I'm very thankful for our back yard and the empty field next to our house where they spend most of their free time running and playing. We try to keep them busy too and direct all that energy toward something useful. :)
#5- No, we do not have any holes in our walls! :) Of course, I would hope not because our home is made entirely of cement and cement blocks! :) We do have a hole in one of our doors though...I saw it the other day...one of the boys told me it was their mail box as I pulled out some coloring pages neatly folded and stuffed inside it.
#6- We typically eat the same foods most of the time...the goal is something economical (with so many mouths to feed), nutricious, delicious (that is easy because our children eat anything!), and of course, we have to consider what we can buy here.
Every week is different, but some of the things we frequently eat are:
*Beans, Rice, Tortillas, Salsa
*Eggs and Beans or potatoes and Salsa with tortillas
*Chicken with beans or rice
*Stew (chicken or posole) with homemade bread
*Tostadas with beans, salsa, and cheese
*Tuna Salad with tostadas
*Spaghetti with homemade bread
*Bean or potato tacos with rice
*Chicken Fajitas with beans or rice
*Quesadillas with beans or rice

For special occasions, like birthdays, we will have hamburgers or hotdogs or I'll make pizza :)

Whatever I make, I have to make A LOT...people are usually surprised when they see our little bottomless pits. I guess all that energy requires a lot of fuel. A typical breakfast for us is:
40-50 eggs
1/2 kilo of chopped ham or potatoes
3/4 kilo of beans
1 kilo of corn tortillas

or A BIG pot of oatmeal (I put in 8 cups of dry oatmeal in the water) :)

Rebekah's 9th Birthday

Sunday, our "first baby girl" Rebekah turned 9 years old. Since Sunday is such a full day around here with the routes, church services, visitation ect... we were going to have her party on Monday. Well, Sunday evening, Beka began running a fever and was sick most of Monday too, so we postponed her party another day.
Yesterday night, when Daddy got home from preaching, we had her party. Since it was so late, the children had already eaten supper (Omelets...Beka's birthday meal choice :) ), had taken their showers and put on their pajamas. The boys blew up some pink balloons and we set her gifts and cake out on the table. When Daddy arrived, Beka opened her presents. She got a a clay set from her Grandma Lockwood; a bead craft kit and a fleece quilt kit from Grandma and Grandpa Smith (the quilt set is so neat...I will have to post a picture of it when Rebekah finishes it); her brothers bought her some pencils (colored and regular) for school, a new eraser, and some treats from the store (a banana, a juice, a piece of chocolate, and some gumdrops); and the little siblings gave her some special treasures from their backpacks and colored her lots of pictures.
Daddy and the boys had spent much of their free time the past week working on her gift from us. When I was a little girl, my dad fixed up a kitchen set for me that had been my mom's (made for her by her Grandfather). On our last trip to the states, we brought that kitchen down with us. It was in need of new paint and repairs again, so the boys sanded, Daniel painted(pink and yellow...the girl's favorite colors) and did the needed repairs, and I found some plastic kitchen wear to fill up the shelves.
She was very surprised and so excited. We put it in her room last night and I let her and Abigail stay up a bit longer so they could "set up house". :)
Last night, we went around the table and let everyone tell Rebekah how she blesses their lives. These are some of the things that were mentioned:
*She always looks for and sees needs and then takes care of them without anyone mentioning anything (like taking Daddy and the boys some cool water when they are outside working; cleaning up a spill or mess in the kitchen; changing a diaper; wiping a little ones nose; comforting a hurt child; watering the plants and trees; handing her Daddy the needed tools as he is working on something)
*She is sooo bubbly...always smiling and laughing; so full of energy and such a joy to be around

*She loves to play with her siblings in whatever they want to play

*She memorized Proverbs 31 this year, and has really tried to learn to be a virtuous woman for the Lord. She loves to cook, sew, clean, care for the babies, wash and hang clothes, take care of and help her Daddy and she does such a great job at all these tasks. She is a great help and blessing to us...we are so proud of her and the lady the Lord is making her.

*She take such good care of Susannah (her buddy) and always is willing to help her go potty (Susannah can't get up on the potty by herself yet) and makes her "all pretty" every morning.

*She loves the Lord and often will say she is sorry and ask for forgiveness for something before we even know she did anything wrong.

*Her goal is to grow up and help her Daddy until she gets married. Then she wants to take care of her husband and have as many babies as the Lord gives her. She wants her Daddy to help her find a husband that speaks English because she likes it better than Spanish. :) She wants to go whereever her husband goes, but she hopes he goes to Africa to be a missionary (quotes from a conversation Rebekah and I had a few weeks ago :) ).

In Mexico, they have a birthday tradition that everyone says "mordida, mordida" which means "a bite, a bite". As the birthday girl/boy gets their face close to the cake to take a bite of it, someone pushes their face in it. I thought it was awful the first time I saw it, but everyone here (our children included) seem to think it is GREAT! :) Last year, my birthday was on a Sunday and they had a cake for me at church, and I got the special face treatment as well :)

Rebekah's Cake Face! :)

The kitchen that Daddy and the boys got ready for her birthday. :) Made by her great, great grandfather many years ago!

Back to work....and another question answered :)

Today we got back to our regular schedule. Little Eliseo made a blessed addition to our daily routine :) He either slept or nursed quietly in my arms as I worked with the children on their lessons this morning. After lunch, when the little ones were napping, the older ones took turns loving all over him while I did the laundry and some housework.
In the later afternoon, we went to the home of Hna. Tola (one of the ladies in our church) to trim her bushes for her. Well, Daniel and the boys did the work while I got to sit with her on her patio and visit. :) We were there about 3 hours and for the last 45 minutes or so, Daniel was able to witness to Hna. Tola's brother who happened to drop by while we were there. He said he has read the Bible many times, but doesn't believe any of it. I was praying as Daniel shared for God's Word and talked with this lost soul. I didn't catch his name; I'll have to ask Daniel when he gets home tonight, but if you think of him, please pray for him. On our way back home, little Nehemiah threw up all over Rebekah. He was better for about a week, then got sick again with a fever and cough. We appreciate your prayers for him.

Hna. Tola and little Eliseo

Timothy the bush trimmer

Benjamin raking up some leaves

Here are the answers to the questions that Sileena asked in her comment-

Questions: 1. How long have you been on the mission field?2. Do you have a school in any of your work(s) or do you homeschool?3. I know alot of our S. American missionaries with larger families hire helpers because of the culture...do you do that or are you the sole caretaker of your home?

Answers: 1. We moved to Mexico in March of 2004. When we first moved down, we lived in Rosarito in Baja North. It is a city about 30 minutes from the US border. We lived there for a year and attended/helped out in a church where we knew and were dear friends with the Pastor. We were able to get acclamated to the culture and learn more Spanish that year as we prayed that the Lord would show us exactly where would have us work. The following year, we moved 800 miles further south to the area in which we are now (Cd. Insurgentes, Baja California Sur). We rejoiced to see the Lord raise up a church here as we share His wonderful gospel with the many that have never heard.

2. Yes, we do homeschool our children. Our oldest is 11 years old and we began homeschooling him from the get go when we still lived in the USA. With our children so close in age, I'm homeschooling 7 of them right now (grades 6th to K), so we spend most of the day until lunch working on that day's lessons.

3. Yes, I am the sole caretaker of our home...not that I do all the work...I've got lots of little helpers! We too know many missionaries that hire help and we did prayerfully consider it, but decided against it. The main reason is that the things that we would have a helper do are things that are already being done mostly by our children. We do not want to take away opportunities for our children to learn and work. We view work and teach our children that it is a God given privilege and responsibility, and as they are part of a big family, we all work together to help and serve each other and keep things tidy and running smoothly. If my children were all preschool age, then a hired hand would be a big blessing I'm sure. But since we have very strong, capable 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 year olds :), I don't want them to miss their chance to learn important, invaluable lessons...diligence, initiative, responsiblity, working as unto the Lord, joyful service, patience, endurance ect... And I usually always have a little one in training at my side as I carry out my daily duties. Plus, the older children will often after finishing their regular duties, ask for an "extra hard chore" to earn a few pesos usually to buy a birthday gift for a sibling :) There is only one thing for which I have on occasion hired help....ironing! Hna. Tola (the lady in the picture above) is married, but her husband had an accident a few years ago and is mentally and physically unable to work. We love to help her out when we can. My ironing pile seems to grow at an amazing rate! And it is a chore that I don't feel confident letting Rebekah tackle yet due to her age. I have a hard time sometimes finding time to do it as it makes me nervous to iron with the wee ones underfoot, but often, in the evening when they are tucked in bed, I'm tired and easily talk myself out of it! Honestly...it is not my favorite chore! :) So we have dropped off our Mt. Everest of wrinkled clothing at her house and paid her to smooth it all out for us :)

Some pictures from our weekend

First, a picture of the very sweet and brave lady who watched our children when I was in the hospital. Her name is Josefina and she was the first lady we rejoiced to see saved and baptized when we first came to this town about 3 years ago.

This is a picture of our dog, Butterscotch, taken on Saturday morning. In front of him is the lovely gift he brought to our front porch to greet us as we opened up the door. He does this on a regular basis. Yes, we do feed him...usually :). What is it? Or from what is it? And where does he get such treasures? Do we really want to know?

Finally, Saturday night, we walked across the street to visit our neighbors, Don Pedro and Dona Luz. Here we are all visiting in their living room. The kitchen is there behind them and there is a small entry way behind us and 2 bedrooms off to the right. Like most all homes here, small or large, poor or very poor, they have 2 televisions there. And yes, the walls are pink...the brighter the better :)
Pray for Pedro and Luz when you think of them. She is very close to accepting Christ; he is very stubborn and though he is happy to listen to the gospel again and again, has so far rejected it. They are both in their 80's so do not have much time here on this earth left. Thursday evening, we invited them for supper. Please join us in praying the Lord will work in their hearts and that they will believe and accept God's gift of salvation before it is too late.

Question 3...and some pictures of Eliseo :)

Our oldest and youngest :)

(Timothy- age 11 & Eliseo- age 1 week)

Benjamin (age 7) was the first one up and dressed so he could help mommy with the baby this morning.

Proud to be a big sister for the second time

(Susannah- age 2 and Eliseo)

Sweet dreams :)

We had quite a few people comment or email with basically the same question. It is a question that I get asked a lot, as well as a question that I remember wondering myself when the Lord first began blessing us with little ones.

Question- Annonymous asked- "I homeschool but I have 3 children and find it hard sometimes to "fit" everything in. HOW do you do it?"

Jennifer asked- "I have the same question. I have three children and can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get everything done!!! How do you do it????? "

Laura asked- "i'm agreeing with the other ladies! how do you do it all? any books that you would recommend. i have three as well- (5, 2, 8mo.) any tips on teaching with toddlers in tow?"

Answer: I remember going to the grocery store with my then 3 little ones in tow and a pregnant belly between me and my cart and wondering how would I ever go shopping with everyone once the new baby arrived. I remember when our 6th little one was born and my oldest was still 5 year old~ my hands were very full and I often thought it would be nice if I could grow another hand :) I couldn't imagine how I would manage it all once the next one arrived.

I answer these questions as one who is still learning and growing myself; I have cried out to the Lord so many times myself asking for help. Praise the Lord, He is so faithful even when we are not! I will share some of the things He's taught me in my life as He's given me the wonderful joy of being a wife and mommy.

Over the years, the Lord has so graciously and patiently and lovingly taught me many things. First and foremost, His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9). What a wonderful God we have! His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When I had 2 or 3 or 4 children, I did not need to worry about how I would take care of 5 or 6 or 7. The Lord gives me the grace I need to care for and accomplish just what He's given me.

Secondly and equally important is that my strength is renewed by waiting on the Lord (Isaiah 40:31). Starting and ending my days with the Lord through reading His precious Word and in prayer is so vital. Giving my burdens daily to my Savior, asking Him for the wisdom I need as I train my children, asking for forgiveness where I've failed and claiming the precious promises in His Word...it is these things that bless my day and give me strength, rest, and encouragement.

Finally, as I'm sure you can imagine, I must be organized! One book that has been very helpful and encouraging to me in the past years is Managers of Their Homes (MOTH) by Steve and Teri Maxwell (http://titus2.com). It is a wonderful resource which is written especially for homeschooling moms to help them accomplish what the need to each day. We have a daily schedule we follow each day...each child and mommy too has their day broken up into various time increments and so everyone knows just what they should be doing at any given time. When the day is done, we know that we've accomplished just what we needed to simply by following our schedule.

Before I read the Maxwell's book (I think I got it when I was pregnant with my 7th), I was very organized. I made lists, scheduled and the like to keep everything on track. But through reading the MOTH book, the Lord taught me two principles that changed me and ultimately our home.

The first thing was to spend time asking the Lord just what he wants you and your children to accomplish during the year. Often times we as moms feel that we just can't get it "all" done. But that is just the problem...we aren't suppose to get it "all" done. We only need to do what the Lord wants us to do. There are many, many "good" things that we can undertake, but we should only be doing those things that the Lord has directed us. When I make me schedule each year (we make 2 schedules a year...one for the school year and another for the summer), I make a list of everything I think I need to do each day...my goals, chores, activities, ect... including things that are set (meals, sleep, family devotions ect...) I do the same thing for each child as well. Then I take my lists to Daniel (my hubby) and ask him what he thinks. Is there anything that he does not feel we need to focus on right now or rather is there something that he would like to see us do. Then, as my lists usually tend to have more on them than we can do each day, I spend time in prayer and ask the Lord to give me wisdom as to what is truly important. With a little bit of work and listening to the Spirt's leading, I have our schedule done within just a week or so and though we have days when don't follow it (we're out of town, baby being born, sickness ect..) overall, we do and each day we are making progress toward the goals we have for our family.

The second thing I learned really changed the amount of things we were able to accomplish. I use to not undertake many projects because I was so busy I never had enough time to sit down and do a big undertaking. But I learned that doing just a little bit each day adds up so quickly that I am amazed at how much we get done in those minutes that were otherwise wasted. Here's some practical examples: Just 10 minutes a day working with my preschoolers on their alphabet flashcards, they learned all their letters and sounds in about 8 weeks. Phillippians chapter 1, Proverbs 31:10-31, Psalms 1- Those are the passages my 11, 10, 8, 7, 6, and 5 year olds learned by just spending about 5 minutes each morning learning a new verse and reviewing the others. Many, many, many household projects were accomplished over the course of a few days by spending just 30 minutes of "project time" a day on them (organizing closets, sewing projects, organizing kitchen cabinets, ect...).

A couple last minute thoughts...though my children are still young (ages 11 and under), they are getting bigger each day. A couple years ago, we began to "pair" them up. Each older child has a younger partner whom they help out throughout the day as needed (help them get dressed, make their bed, with their hair and teeth, get them a drink as needed, ect...). When they were all really little, "mommy" had to do most everything (though they loved to help me); now, our mornings for example, I nurse, change, and dress Eliseo. I get Nehemiah up for hugs and kisses and cuddles, change him, and then Rebekah gets him dressed; Abigail dresses Susannah, Timothy dresses Noah, Elijah helps with Josiah, and Benjamin helps Isaiah as needed.

Another key is CHORES! Chores, not only get done the necessary household work, but they help produce truly joyful children. From the time my little ones are walking, they LOVE to help. Usually, for the first couple of years, they are largely "in the way" and making more mess than they are helping, but I let them do it anyways. They learn to love to work with mommy. As they get older and we continue to teach them, they really are big helpers! Mommy comes in to check their chore and they are grinning ear to ear as I tell them what a great job they did and how very helpful they are to mommy and daddy.

I could go on and on sharing how the Lord has used others and His Word to help me become the wife and mother He wants me to be. The exciting thing is that though I know I still have so much to learn, He never tires of patiently working in my heart. What a wonderful, blessed Savior!

Questions 1 and 2

Things here seem pretty much back to normal; we're getting back into the routine of things with an extra little blessing to constantly cuddle and kiss. :) I'll post some more pictures within the next few days.
A week or so ago, we posted (http://lockwoodfamily.blogspot.com/2008/04/any-questions.html ) asking if anyone had any questions they wanted to ask about anything. We had several comments/emails come in with a wide variety of questions, so as little guy has a full belly and is contentedly sleeping for the moment in his Daddy's arms, I thought I'd answer a couple of them.
I may not answer them in the order they were asked only because some of them may take a bit more time to answer, and I only have a few minutes right now, but I will address all the questions in future posts. :)

Question 1- (from Jenny) Do you have a name for the baby?
Answer- Yes! :) Eliseo Edward Lockwood. You can read why we chose this name for him here- http://lockwoodfamily.blogspot.com/2008/04/little-lockwood-11.html
This is the first time we had not decided on our baby's name before they were born. We knew we wanted the middle name to be Edward, but did not have a first name yet. We had talked about several different names, but it wasn't for several hours after he was born that we decided to name him Eliseo.

Question 2- (from Smockity Frocks) What are the sleeping arrangements for you children?
Answer- We are so thankful and blessed as the Lord through the love of so many provided for us a 3 bedroom home here. When our house was finished, several people from our hometown in the USA gave us some furnishings for the house including...bunk beds for the children! :) Right now, we have 3 bunk bed sets in the boys room (this sleeps 6 boys- 11yo, 10 yo, 7 yo, 5 yo, 4 yo, and 3 yo). In the girls room, we have a bunk bed (which sleeps 2 girls- 9 yo and 6 yo) and a crib for little Susannah (2 yo). In our room, Daniel and I have our bed, we have a crib for Nehemiah (our 16 m. old) and the cradle Daniel made years ago for little Eliseo (although he sleeps with us usually :) ).
We are so blessed to be able to all sleep so comfortably and I am reminded of the Lord's amazing and gracious blessing all the more as I remember when just over a year ago, I brought little Nehemiah home after his birth. We were living in a travel trailer and it was wall to wall of sleeping bodies at night. When little Nehemiah came home, the 3 oldest boys moved...first to a tent and then (since the dog decided to destroy the tent) to the van (which the boys affectionately called their bedroom) :) Between all our travels and different living conditions in the ministry here, I'm thankful that the children have learned to be very flexible and can sleep anywhere.

So good to be home

Last night, after a spending our first day home together as a family of 13, we finished a late supper. The little ones were getting sleepy and there were still after meal chores to do, but we wanted to just take time to thank and praise the Lord for bringing little Eliseo home safely.
The past few days had been long. Friday, Eliseo was born; Saturday morning, Jaynee was released from the hospital less than 24 hours after her c-section. Rather than going home to rest and recover with a little baby, she was sitting next to an incubator talking to and praying for her son. Sunday, Jaynee sat there from early that morning until almost midnight that night providing milk to feed Eliseo through his feeding tube. Daniel had the other 10 children with him as he preached and took care of things as normal for the morning and evening services. Sunday afternoon, the pediatrician gave little hope of Eliseo leaving soon. She was hopeful he would be able to start nursing sometime during the next few days.
You can imagine our surprise when Jaynee went back to the hospital Monday morning with a little cup of milk for Eliseo and the nurse said, "Your baby is getting hungry; you need to come nurse him". Jaynee followed her back into the nursury and the handed her Eliseo for the first time. The doctor came in a bit later and said that his breathing had dramatically improved, and if he was nursing well, he could be released that afternoon.
The lady who had helped watch our children over the weekend had to go back to work, so all the children waited patiently all day long at the hospital to meet their little brother. Normally, no child under the age of 12 is allowed past the waiting room, but the doctor who was attending to Eliseo that day said that while they were waiting, the older children could take a quick trip back to hold their new brother.
We know it was simply and wonderfully the Lord who heard the prayers being given for our son who laid His hand on his little body healing him so quickly. Thank you so much for bringing our son before His throne.
Yesterday, Eliseo went from one person's arms to the next. I think the only time he was out of someone's arms was when he was getting his diaper changed. Jaynee was finally able to relax and woke up this morning feeling so much better. We had to go back to the hospital this morning to get another blood test done for the little guy. We walked in together and then back out all together. And now as our home as been expanded by "two more feet", our hearts our full of joy as we serve our Lord together.

Home Sweet Home!!!

Good bye plastic box~

Here I am on my mommy's lap waiting to go!

Psalms 127

Thank you so much for your prayers and sweet notes of encouragement. Little Eliseo is home!

We'll update later with more details....right now, we are going to cuddle with our new little treasure.

Update on Little Eliseo

I know many have been waiting and checking for an update. I (Jaynee) was at the hospital all day with our little guy and Daniel had the children along with the normal Sunday church services.
Thank you first so much for praying~ so many have written and just encouraged and blessed us by letting us know they are lifting up Eliseo and our family to our Heavenly Father. We are resting in Him knowing that He has a plan and purpose for everything.
The doctor said that Eliseo is stable. They took him off the oxygen today and started tube feedings last night. His respiratory rate is still around 80. Once it reaches 60 or below, they will allow me to hold him and begin nursing him.
I sat by his little incubator most of the day. They let me touch him and even kiss him a couple of times which did my mommy heart good. :) One of the nurses even let me change his diaper.
It's just after midnight and I'll go back to the hospital early tomorrow morning. The doctors do not yet say when he can come home...it's dependent on his respiratory rate being in the normal range so he can begin nursing.
As I sat in the hospital today, I was thanking the Lord for the situation. I Thess. 5:18 says "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." During our time in the hospital, we have been able to meet and talk to so many people about the Lord. I spent about and hour today talking to Eliseo's nurse about our family, why we are here and share with her the gospel. I spent about a half hour talking with his evening nurse as well. Though I dearly miss my other children (they are not allowed in the hospital here) I have had much time to pray for them and spend time in the Word. Thank you all so much for praying. We'll update again as soon as we are able.

LIttle Lockwood 11!!!

Our precious little treasure is here! Eliseo Edward Lockwood arrived Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 8:30 am. He weighed in at 7 lbs 11oz (3.5 kilograms) and was 20 1/2 inches (52 cm.).

Thank you so much for your prayers. Little Eliseo is having trouble breathing, so he's been in an incubator with an iv and oxygen since birth. They said normal respirations per minute in a baby should be 40-50 up to 60. When he was born, Eliseo's rpm were at 90 and then later went up to 120. They were considering transfering him down to La Paz (about 2 1/2 hours south) to a bigger hospital. We really prayed over him and the Lord graciously put his hand upon him; he started improving and was back down to the 80's and 90's this morning.

Please pray that his breathing continues to improve quickly~ we haven't been able to hold him yet nor has Jaynee been able to feed him. Jaynee did really well, and got discharged this morning; she only had to be in the hospital for about 24 hours all together. She was eager to get up and walk so she could go down to the nursery and see our baby.
We named him Eliseo (pronounced Ellie-say-oh) which is Spanish for Elisha. We wanted an Elisha, but thought it would be a bit confusing having an Elijah and Elisha, so we gave him the Spanish name for it.

His middle name is Edward which was the first name of Hermano Lalo. Lalo was our first best friend here in Mexico. He helped us all with our Spanish, loved our children, and was a blessing to us in a place where we often felt very lonely. We met him when we first moved to Mexico; later, when we moved further south, he came for 4 months to work with us. He wanted to come back someday, but had a real burden to see his family saved first, so he went home asking the Lord to use him to lead them to the Saviour. He told a lady at his church that even if it cost him his own life, he would do anything to see him family come to Christ. Last year, he died unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was only 29 year old. At the funeral, his dad and 3 of his sisters got saved.

Please continue to pray for Eliseo. Since she can't feed him yet, Jaynee is going to go home to change, see the other children, and rest for a bit (as she is a bit uncomfortable after the c-section and there are just hard plastic chairs to sit on.) Daniel will stay with the baby and then pick Jaynee up again in the evening to go back to the hospital to stay with him.

Pray he will continue to improve quickly and we can soon bring him home to the family.

Thank you too for praying for Nehemiah; he began to improve Thursday afternoon and has been much better the past couple of days. We know the Lord hears and answers the prayers of His people~ We are resting in Him.

I'm leaving for the hospital in about 6 hours...

And will return with Little Lockwood #11~ and hopefully a name for this little treasure! :)
Thank you to all who prayed for little Nehemiah. He's still not 100%, but did not throw up today or run a fever and ate and drank! He's still filling his diaper quite regularly, but looks like he's on the mend. Praise the Lord for hearing and and His grace in answering!

I had to go to the hospital this morning to have another blood test to check my iron. I took our 3 girls with me and the boys stayed home with Daddy to work. When I walked in, a nurse said, "One, two, three...and another one on the way....FOUR....WOW!" The other doctors and nurses that know our family said, "Oh, they have way more than that...how many do you have?" I smiled and said, "Eleven with this one (pointing to my belly)." The nurse did not believe me, but the others assured her I was telling the truth. She then said, "Don't you know how dangerous that is?" I smiled again and said, "Well, why don't you tell her that (pointing to Susannah)...she's our ninth" They all laughed and said they couldn't argue with that. :)





Although the hospital service/facility hasn't changed much (this will be my 3rd delivery there), I'm encouraged that as the staff has gotten to know our family, they seem to have soften...rather than chewing me out all the time, they often say how beautiful it is to have so many children. I pray that the Lord will give me an opportunity to share Him each time I'm there. I've got my Bible and tracts packed :) Thank you so much for your prayers!





WE'LL UPDATE AS A FAMILY OF 13 SOON!! :)

Pray for Nehemiah

Our little Nehemiah is sick. Sunday afternoon, he started throwing up and continued throughout the day and night. Monday, he it was coming out of "both ends"...it is Wednesday evening, and he is still losing everything and looks like he feels pretty miserable.
He seems to get sick with something every 3-4 weeks and has always been delicate of health. The strange thing (if this is a stomach bug) is that nobody else in the family has gotten it. I have been praying for the rest of the children to stay healthy as well as for little guy to get better, so the Lord may be answering my prayer.
Of course, I always begin to wonder if it is something other than a flu when he is the only one who is sick. He's had a low grade fever off and on too.
My doctor called today and wants me to go get my blood drawn again tomorrow morning because my iron was low last week when they tested me and he wants to check it again. I'm not sure why since he said he still plans on doing the c-section on Friday morning.
Anyways, I would feel awful if I had to go the hospital when Nehemiah is still so sick. I had to stay home with him Sunday evening, and am home during prayer meeting tonight as well. If he is still sick by tomorrow afternoon, I will probably call my doctor and see if we can postpone the delivery. I know he won't be too keen on that as I already talked him into a week later than he wanted.
Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom and that little Nehemiah will feel better soon.
Daniel just called me as I was finishing this post...the lady from our church who is going to be watching our children on Friday just found out her cousin died today. He was only 28 or 29 and died from a heart attack. In Mexico, the funeral is the same day or the next; they do more of a wake than a funeral~ it lasts from the evening through the following morning. Daniel will probably be going after church tonight. Pray he'll be able to share the gospel there; often they allow people to get up and speak during it. We have a busy weekend ahead too, so please pray the Lord gives him strength too as he'll not get much sleep tonight.

Any Questions?

Little Nehemiah began throwing up this afternoon and has continued, so I dropped the boys off for evening service and the girls and I are here at home. I smell like sour milk and tuna as little guy wants to snuggle (and lose his lunch) on my lap.

I was checking a blog from a missionary in Romania, and they had a neat idea for a post and I thought I'd try it.

I'm not sure how many people read this blog, but I imagine that maybe some out there might have some questions...about anything...the ministry, the country, the people, our family, our day to day routines ect... So if you have any questions you've wondered about or wanted to ask, just leave a comment here under this post, and I will post the questions and answers in a future post.

Today during morning service, a man walked into church late in the service. He had never set foot in a church before and seemed very burdened and so Daniel and Brother Macario spent some time after services talking with him. He has a very dark past, is very troubled over his sin, and Daniel was able to share Christ with him. I didn't catch him name, but if you think of him, please pray that the Lord will save him.

Here is a picture of Daniel teaching this morning. I always feel funny getting up to snap a picture, so today, I just stayed in my seat, turned off the flash since it was so bright inside, and nobody even knew I took it :) Last month, Daniel taught everyone the order of the books of the New Testament. Now everyone, including us :), knows them....I knew them in English, but couldn't say them in Spanish without thinking about them. Today we started learning the books of the Old Testament.

Friday little Lockwood #11 is scheduled to make his arrival! We'll update you all on that as soon as we can. Thank you so much for your prayers. Have a blessed week in the Lord.

I think he meant well....?

Out of the mouths of babes! :) My oldest son Timothy (11) the other day had this conversation with me:
Timothy- "Mommy, did the people at the hospital where you gave blood think that you weren't 9 months pregnant?"
Me- "Why do you ask? Were you listening to mommy and daddy's conversation in the car?" (We had been talking about how funny it is that nobody believes that I'm due when I am...I've very tall, so baby has lots of room to spread out)
Timothy- "Well, I sort of heard something...but why do they not think your 9 months?"
Me- "Because mommy is so tall, my tummy doesn't stick out as far as normally a 9 month pregnant lady's tummy does."
Timothy- "I think that your tummy is WAY big...it's HUGE. I think it is bigger than most people's tummies. They shouldn't say things like that to you huh?"
Me- "Don't you have some chores or something to do? :)"