Request for prayer

I'm on my way to the hospital, but thought I would ask you all to pray. I have been having some problems physically and they worsened this week. Daniel took me to the doctor today, and we found out I was pregnant but the baby died at about 2 months. I'm having signs of an infection with other problems, so they will need to do a D and C. The Lord is good and I'm so glad that He is always with us. Thank you so much for praying.

Blessings

The group from Ustick Baptist arrived safely here Friday night. I wish I could write in words what a blessing it has been to have them here with us. The sweet fellowship refreshing our souls; their generousity in meeting so many of our needs; their willingness to sacrifice of their time and money to come to see the field and serve.

It is certainly not anything like a "vacation" here, but I pray that they will bring back with them something far more valuable than the most elaborate vacation could offer.

I know our pace...just our day to day life down here...can sometimes be a bit overwheliming. The heat, the complete physical tiredness you feel at the end of each day...

But the contentment you feel having given your all to serve our Lord gives such an unexplainable joy.

The group has given their all with such sweet spirits, never complaining, willing and eager to help.

They visited and went soul winning with us Saturday morning, helped us clean the church, went visiting in the evening, went to the youth meeting, helped with all the preparations for Sunday service.

They shared their testimonies with the people each service Sunday, brought crafts for our children's classes, ran the routes with us, suffered through a day with no running water, and were still so content :). Oh, how the joy of the Lord is our strength!

They have done work projects at the church, work projects at our home, and the next 3 evenings are helping us put on a VBS for the children of our town.

We are so glad they came and how we will miss them! But we just rejoice and thank the Lord for bringing them here and pray He blesses them richly and that we may be a blessing to their lives as well.

He is so good and faithful!

Little Pudgy Samuel and Hna. Tola who has, along with Hna. Meche, done all the cooking for the group.

Girl's Class working on Crafts

Ivan helping the boys in his class with a craft

Carlos' class in the Bus

Hna. Meche helping with the crafts between cooking

Daniel preaching to the adults' Sunday School class

Nehemiah praying for his Sunday Morning Breakfast:

"Thank you for Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Samuel and Brother Carlos. In Jesus name, Amen" :)

I looked through our photos to find some of the girls in the jumpers I've made...Here's one of Susannah
Another jumper...okay, this one has buttons and I am terrible at button holes, so since it just slipped over her head, I sewed on buttons w/o making holes :)

This has nothing to do with jumpers or girls, but Noah who is watching me type said, "Put a picture of me up! :)"
And this is the only picture I have of Beka in one of the jumpers I made her. I've finished 2 others and am working on a 4th. I'll try to remember to take some of the others later :)
Thank you so much for your prayers!

Gather up...that nothing be lost

Have you missed us? :) It is hard to believe March is almost over! We are enjoying our nice spring temps of 90-95* each afternoon. When anyone complains, Daniel smiles and says, "It's March...these are the nice cool days." Those they are! It's given us all a bit of spring fever. While I'm in the mood to clean and organize everything and have all sorts of projects planned, the evenings right now seem to end up with everyone running around in the back yard, neighborhood children coming over to play and swing, water ballons, baseball games, and lots of laughter and fun. :)

We rejoice in seeing the ministry grow. I can't help but to think that in part the abundant work in the hearts of the people here is due to you who are praying. Each day is so full. Sunday, services and bus routes all day; Tuesday, Daniel is in Jesus Maria; Wednesday, visitation and prayer meeting; Thursday, meetings in Zaragoza; Saturday, soul winning/visitation, church cleaning, and youth meeting. Monday evenings, Daniel and I have been going together to visit someone in our church together. What a blessing it has been! I love watching my husband witness or counsel those who are seeking; I love being able to help in any way I can, and I do so enjoy being with the people.

As the ministry continues to grow, my love for the people here as well as my burden for their souls grows. What an answer to my prayers! I remember thinking when we first came to Mexico that it would be my children's home. This would be their culture and where they would have all their childhood memories. But I just couldn't imagine my heart being here as I did so miss "home" in the states.
How many times I went to the Lord asking Him to give me more of a love for the people here, to help me understand them, to help me to love being here. At the time I prayed, I simply couldn't imagine feeling that way, and I doubt I even had the faith that the Lord would change my heart. But what a gracious Heavenly Father He is for while I don't know exactly when or how it happened, but I feel so at home here now. And I love these dear people so much.
And just to see the Lord change my heart so, it encourages me to pray more knowing that He loves to answer prayers according to His will. The same Lord who healed the leper and made the blind see wants today to open the eyes of the people here to the truth. He wants wants to continue to change my heart in so many areas where I know I fall short! And how blessed it is to have the confidence to go bodly before His throne and ask for His grace.

Lately, I have had to really seek the Lord in keeping my focus and priorities where they need to be. Daniel is very good in wanting me to be home as much as possible. There are some areas in the ministry here in which he wants or needs me to be a part and then others which he leaves up to me.

Since coming back from the states after Eliseo's surgery, I began to feel a bit overwhelmed. It seemed like I was working so hard and so long yet not making definate progress in certain areas or worse yet, saw some areas slipping.

I can be like the ostrich with his head in the sand and if I think an area is beyond help, I can just ignore it. But thankfully, that doesn't happen to me for very long. I began praying about some areas that were burdening me-

*home school
*laundry
*clothing needs of the children
*involvment in the ministry
*training/discipline of the children
*emails/computer

After praying, I always feel better just having shared my burdens with the Lord. But it is rarely and "instant answer" that strikes me like lightening. But in the days and weeks that follow, I can undoubtedly see the Lord's work.

Benjamin was memorizing a verse in one of his school assignments a few weeks ago..."Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." John 6:12 After Jesus fed the crowd of over 5,000, He had His disciples gather up the bread that was left over and they gathered 12 baskets full. He surely didn't begin with much...just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. As the Lord made that little lunch sufficient to feed all who hungered, He too can make the time He gives me sufficient to fill each area of need He wants me to fill. I began to think of my time like those fragments of bread that remained after everyone had had their full. While I've always had a schedule I've followed during the day, I began to see several areas in which I had fragments of time that rather than gathering up to be used, I was simply wasting.

What was all the more special to me was that the disciples gathered up 12 baskets and the Lord has given me 12 children. The Lord reminded me of being faithful and diligent with what I have and simple trusting Him.

I have never been very good at sewing. I had a few lessons when I was young, but never learned enough to really make anything wearable. :) But a lady gave us a big box of fabric last year...beautiful fabric. And it has mostly sat under my sewing table. But as the girls have been growing so quickly and their dresses getting shorter and quite worn and simply not being able to find anything here that we would want them to wear, I asked the Lord to help me and I started sewing more.
I got a couple of simple jumper patterns and while I couldn't see a way to fit in a sewing time in our already full schedule, the Lord gave me so many ideas!

-I had the older children cut out already pinned pattern pieces when they finished school early
-I put my machine each morning at the kitchen table and sewed a little bit here and a bit there while I could when teaching...this worked great while quizzing them on their spelling lists or multiplication tables
-I got up 15 minutes early a few mornings just to sew a bit before breakfast

A month later, I've completed 3 jumpers for Beka and 3 for Susannah with one more in the works! They are by no means perfect, but they are wearable, fit them well, and most importantly, they are sooo happy to have them and think I'm the best seamstress in the world. :) Aahhh, ignorance can be bliss in some ways I suppose :)

I was getting simply all flustered and worried over our home schooling this year, too. I think I supposed that when the Lord put in into our hearts to home school our children that He must have not taken into consideration that He was going to give us 12 children in 12 years. At least the way I was fretting and doubting and worrying, I surely wasn't trusting the Lord nor standing strong in Him or courageously walking the path.

I thought of all the things that would help...none of which I had of course. But this didn't help my attitude nor help the children in their learning either.
Daniel always simply tells me, "Jaynee, do the best you can do each day. Be faithful, don't get discouraged or give up. The Lord just wants you to do what He has called you to do the best you can unto Him."

And how easy is that? Can I do my best each day? Of course! Asking the Lord for His strength, grace, and wisdom, I determined anew to faithfully do the best I could do each day. And you know, the Lord has blessed this past month so much! He's blessed the children's understanding in what I've been teaching them; He's blessed us with groweth in our character..both the children and mommy; He's blessed us will good progress in our subjects; and He's blessed me with so many new little ideas that helped some of the problem areas I had.

Oh, His yoke is easy and His burden is light and how often I forget that and take upon myself my own burden...expectations of others, my own rules or desires, and so many other thoughts that certainly do not come from my Lord.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Tomorrow, we have a group of 17 men/women/teens coming here from Ustick Baptist Church in Idaho. This church sent down a group 2 years ago right after Daniel's surgery. They painted the church building where we are currently meeting, and we are so excited to have them here again with us for about a week. Their youth pastor was Daniel and my youth pastor when we were muucchhh younger :).
The children are sooo excited; I gave them each a name or two from the group and they made them letters and have been praying for their special person(s) each day all month. Daniel and the boys are out preaching in Zaragoza right now; the girls, little ones and I stayed home tonight to work on packing lunches for Daniel and the group as they will have a 5 hour trip to our house from the airport.
Since this upcoming week is a vacation for the school's here, the group will be helping us have a VBS at our church for the children of the town.
Well, I'd better get back to cutting veggies and putting together our cleaning schedule for tomorrow. Daniel will leave early in the morning to pick up the team and the children and I will...clean! You always do when you know company is coming, right? :) We appreciate your prayers for this group from Idaho as well as for saftey for them and Daniel as they travel to and from the airport.

Learning to sing in harmony

We wanted to share this with Grandma, but couldn't get it to email; I knew I could post it here and she could follow the link, so you all can listen too :) It's Elijah's 12th birthday today. Daddy is going to take him and Timothy rabbit hunting for a bit this morning. Hope you are all having a wondeful week in the Lord!

The Windows of Heaven

The windows of heaven are open.

The blessings are falling tonight.

There's joy, joy, joy in my heart

Since Jesus made everything right.

I gave Him my old tatered garment,

He gave me a robe of pure white.

I'm feasting on manna from heaven,

And that's why I'm happy tonight.

Do I believe?

How often do I believe I will receive that for which I pray? Is it merely the words which one prays that moves the hand of God or the simple child like faith from which those words flow?

I'm afraid for much of my life, I have prayed not really expecting an answer. I know this because I think of how often I have been surprised when that prayer is answered.

I know often I have prayed because it was the right thing to do. Often I have prayed for somebody asking the Lord to save them or change them but while I would have never outright said it, I didn't really think it would happen. That person was about beyond all help in my mind...too hard hearted, too stubborn, too set in their ways, etc... How quick I can be to limit in my mind what the Lord can and wants to do! And how sad to think that it would be any harder for Him to work in one person's heart than it was/is for Him to work in my own!

What has drawn me to my knees more in my life than anything else is when I am going through a trial. I have been so very convicted the past several weeks about how often I neglect the Lord. How often I go about my day or my plans without being in constant communion with Him. I asked the Lord to show me how much I need Him. And I meant it. And He has gently been answering.

Do you know how He answered? I have felt more insecure in myself than ever before! What I mean by that is that each day, I began to see more and more how futile everything "I am" or "I do" or "I think" really is. I can be so proud!
How much I need Him to direct each step of my days! How much I need His strength, grace, and love. My strength is so weak; my love falls so short. When I am trusting in the Lord with all my heart and not leaning unto my own understanding; when I am acknowledging Him in all my ways allowing Him to direct my paths, then I can be assured that my labor is not in vain in the Lord!
What are those things that are most important to me?
* That my children would realize the condition of their sinful hearts, see the amazing love and mercy of a God who gave Himself for them, accept Him as their Savior and Lord, walk in obedience to Him, and grow in their love for Him and others.
* That the Lord will use my husband to preach His Word. That the Lord will give him all the wisdom, strength, courage, and guidance he needs each day. That he will be used in whatever time he has here on earth to bring to others the gospel.
* That the people here in our town will come to Christ and grow in their faith, knowledge and love of Him; that they will themselves reach to all those around them.
*And oh how many things I desire in my life- patience, love, meek and quiet spirit, wisdom, humility...so many things that only HE can work in me!

All these things...I can do none of them. It is only Jesus Christ! And how I am finding myself leaning on Him, cleaving to Him, and going to Him more and more.

And I am beginning to pray believing and knowing that He will do what I ask. When I feel angry and I know I should show love...but all I want to do is get away or say something I know I shouldn't...I pray, "Lord, I am angry. I know it is wrong. I am sorry. Please change my heart. Help me to love this person as you love them...as you love me. Help me to think of ways to bless them." And while it does not usually happen instantly, I find that my heart does change! And it's not something that could have possibly ever come from me nor was it a change at all in the circumstances...it was the Lord's work!

Oh, He is so wonderful, so faithful, so just, and so true.

Yesterday afternoon, Abigail didn't know what to do, so I asked her if she wanted to help me make a dessert for supper. We settled on a cake and while we were mixing it up, the thought popped into my head to divide it between two smaller pans and take one to Brother Juan and his family. So I told the children we would all have just a tiny piece of dessert and give a cake to Brother Juan too. The children readily agreed...except for Noah...but he got out-voted :).
So after the children were asleep and the older boys were playing a game, Daniel and I took baby Samuel and went over to Juan's house to visit for a bit. When we got there, Juan's brother, Juaquin was there. Juaquin also goes to our church and was saved/baptized this year and has been so very faithful and excited about what the Lord has done in his life.
We asked Juaquin why he was there, and he said sadly that his wife (who is not yet saved) got upset and told him to leave the house. He said she wants to end the marriage.
Daniel was able to open the Bible and share several verses with Juaquin about what he needs to do right now and then we were all able to pray together.
One of the first things Daniel told Juaquin to do was to fast and pray for his wife. Juaquin said that he could but it really would probably do little good as his wife was so influenced by her family and he didn't see any way she would reconcile with him.
And Daniel said, "If you can't pray in faith believing that the Lord will work, then you shouldn't pray. If you lack faith, then ask God to give it to you. Ask with your whole heart; beg Him for it. He will give it to you. And then you can pray and then God will work."
That touched my heart as how often this past year I have asked the Lord for the faith I know I lack. Oh, how He loves us! Oh how He loves to give such precious, priceless gifts out of His abundant never-ending grace...faith, wisdom, love, peace, joy, meekness.
Oh, I have so far to go, yet He has brought me so far. It is a narrow road, but a blessed one!
If you think of Brother Juaquin and his wife (they have 2 little girls) please pray for them. The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance!

Today is Samuel's 1st Birthday!

S weet and precious baby boy whom we were not sure if we'd meet,
A lways excited each time we saw your heart on that monitor beat.
M y heart cried out day and night to our Father in heaven above,
U nderstanding and knowing that all He allows is because of His great love.
E leven siblings prayed each day for their brother and their mommy too,
L ittle voices praying with hardly a doubt...just hearing them, my faith grew.

T he night finally came, I shall never forget, you could no longer in me stay,
H olding your Daddy's hand so tight, Psalms 23 we did pray,
O nly silence and then the voice of the doctor full of surprise,
M iracle that they could not explain, the Lord had answered our cries!
A name we needed for our little boy, then suddenly it came,
S AMUEL means "God has heard", a testimony shared through his name.

L ittle by little, you began to grow, we spent hours each day by your side,
O unce by ounce, you reached four pounds, a few weeks more, you hit five.
C ounting the days until you could come home, on day 44 that day came,
K isses and hugs, tears of joy, our lives would never be the same.
W eeks passed, and then you got so sick, we watched you struggle with each breath,
O ur hearts so broken, praying day and night, you were so close to death.
O ur littlest son, for whom we have prayed, littlest brother to eleven,
D eclare each day through your life and name, the glory of our Father in Heaven.

Praising the Lord today for the great things He has done!
Thanking Him for giving us Samuel.
Remembering how near He was to us during all those uncertain days and the peace He gave.
Holding right now, my chubby, little baby boy, surrounded by children laughing and giddy with excitement as we plan a special celebration to thank the Lord for little Samuel.

Abigail, don't try to fly :)

The last of the children just went to sleep and the house is quiet. I have papers to grade, a couple letters to write, a sewing project to work on, and long to spend some time in prayer. But I wanted to write to let you know, by the grace of God, we are all alive and well. :) I know some of you worry when you don't see a post for a while.

Sigh...while I have more than enough things I want to share...things the Lord is teaching us, how He's working in our hearts and the people here... I have 12 children. :) And they are growing so quickly. And it seems while as they grow, they are able to help do so much more, I'm needed all the more as well.

They need my time, my attention, my love, my teaching...and I find more and more, the need to lay my desires aside to give myself to them. My desires may be good, but I want to chose to lay aside the good for the best.

The longer I've been a mother, the more I've come to need the Lord. The more I yearn for His grace in my life and in the lives of each of my children. And the more I see my own flaws. And the more I love Him for His salvation.

It was an extra busy week last week. A propane line to our house accidently got cut during a plumbing job, so we were without stove/oven, hot water or dryer for a couple of days. My clothes line had been taken down as we were finishing enclosing the back yard, so I was at a bit of a loss as to how to dry the laundry.

Then last Tuesday night, Abigail was apparently standing on the top of the fort and jumped off. Don't ask...we don't know what ever gave her the notion to do such a thing...she is like me sometimes in that she has trouble keeping her balance on the ground. :) She doesn't know why she was up there either...she doesn't remember anything.

Benjamin saw her jump but wasn't sure why she did. Poor thing, she suffered a bit of a concussion and was throwing up all through the night and into the next morning. I just added the dirty blankets and towels to my already huge mountain of laundry.

Thankfully, she recovered by the next day and my gas line was repaired soon after!

Friday and Saturday, Daniel took our two oldest boys and 4 men/young men from our church here and traveled 5 hours north to a mission's conference. What a blessed time they all had! Brother Juan, Juaquin, and Ivan shared testimonies of the time there last night during our evening service. It was so exciting to them to see other Christians who have the same Lord and faith!

I need to get going, but thought I'd post a few pictures from last week.

We got a surprise care package in the mail...we were really excited!! How sweet...literally!

I love mornings! New day, new beginning...children scattered around working on their chores, reading their Bibles and waiting eagerly for the call for breakfast.

Oh, and I can't forget to share about our second trip out to the town of Zaragoza Thursday. We had a whole group of teens listen to the entire message. Daniel preached right to them! Praying they will return this week!

The Lord is so faithful and good! What a wonderful God we serve!