And that's just because it's a leap year! If it weren't for that, we'd already be in March! What a busy month! The stinging cold sore on my bottom lip reminds me of that! Every time I get over tired or stressed (aka not trusting/relying on the Lord like I NEED to!!!), I get a cold sore. Last weekend, my sister called and reminded me I haven't updated for 3 weeks. It has really been a busy month!
A couple weeks ago, we had our first Ladies Fellowship for this year. I was VERY nervous! I feel so inadequate sometimes...most every day...to be a "pastor's wife". I love the people in our church so much. I don't speak Spanish even close to what I wish I did, but I told the Lord about a year ago that I would use everything I have for Him! I get frustrated wanting to express things so much more fully that I do and well, learning a language is great for humbling ones self!! I wasn't nervous about planning the evening as the people here are so sweet and love anything! And while I would MUCH rather follow that lead anything, I wasn't nervous about heading everything up. But I was so nervous about sharing the devotional! I knew what the Lord had laid on my heart to share and was very excited about sharing, but so nervous they wouldn't understand me or I'd run out of what to say due to lack of vocabulary.
PTL! It was such a fun night! We started with a game! We played "Dibujar or Actuar"...."Draw or Act". I divided everyone into 2 teams. Each team took turns, one person at a time, coming forward to draw a slip of paper with a word on it out of a bag. They then had to decided if they wanted to draw a picture of the word on the white board or act the word out. No talking or sound affects allowed! Ha! It was great! Each person on the winning team got a bag of M and M's! And, because I know how much we ladies love chocolate, each person on the losing team got a bag, too :) I made each lady a little book mark with Proverbs 14:1 on it..."A wise woman buildeth her house."
We opened our Bibles and using that verse as the theme, I shared about how we can build our houses. What I really wanted the ladies to understand is the importance and blessing of spending time each day with the Lord in His Word and in prayer.
Well, I didn't run out of things to say! Ha!! :) Daniel would read that and say, "Duh!" :) And the following Sunday, several ladies gave testimonies sharing the blessing they received being together during our night of fellowship and as they shared what the Lord impressed on their hearts through the devotional time, I was so thankful! They understood! The Lord is so good!!!!
We all made a craft together and ate tamales, champurrado, chimangos, and brownies! :) Such a sweet time and I'm already looking forward to the next time we get together. Will I be nervous again? Of course!!! But maybe not as much :)
Last week, we opened our home to 4 Pastors and their families who are serving here in the state of Baja Sur. They were able to be with us for 3 days and 2 nights and we played, ate, were encouraged by God's Word, fellowshiped together with our church one evening, and even went out to see the whales!!! We've only gone once as a family about 3 years ago, so this was such a treat! The whales were HUGE!!! And were right next to our boat! We got to touch them!!! They baby whales are sooooo spongy and squishy and smooshy and smooth! The mama whales are BIG!!!
Then this past weekend, we had another wedding at our church! So exciting to see the Lord bring two people together who love Him and love each other, get married, and a Christian family is created!! I love weddings! I love my husband! I love wedding cake!! :) Not in that order...hubby first, then cake, then weddings :)
We had another baptism this past Sunday! We've been praying for Hno. Joaquin's wife for 2 years now! PTL! She came to Christ this year and got baptized this month! We have 3 teens ready to get baptized next service, too!
I love my home! My family! Our church! My friends! It's been a some what difficult month. I know the battle is raging. I'm reminded of that each day! I know so many our praying for us. I am so thankful for each one of those prayers! The notes of encouragement sent, the love shown. How precious is the body of Christ!
Oh, it is March!!! :) Time for bed!! The Lord is so faithful and so good!!
Oh, it is March!!! :) Time for bed!! The Lord is so faithful and so good!!
Hi, Jaynee, thanks for the update. We are praying for you and your family! I figured you were really busy, etc. when you didn't post for quite some time. Loved the updates on the Ladies' Fellowship, the wedding, the baptisms....And I'm so glad you had a wonderful experience at the Ladies' Fellowship. God was with you the whole time, right? Proverbs 14:1 is my "life verse" because it just says it all for a woman, I think. God bless you, love from the Alleys.
ReplyDeleteI love that verse, too! So good for us ladies to meditate on each day! So good to hear from you, Julie!! Thank you for your email, too! We love and miss you!!
DeleteJaynee you are such an encouragement to me. I love reading about your family and what you are doing in Mexico. I know how busy you are as a mom to many and pastor's wife, but so look forward to your updates. I'm so glad you were able to share a bit about your past month with us:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katherine! I love being busy with what the Lord gives me to do and it is a blessing to share the great things HE is doing!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!
DeleteHappy March, friend! I am sure you were a huge blessing to your ladies. If we thought we could do it all, the Lord wouldn't want to use us, now would He?! (Reminds me of Moses, who also felt so inadequate, but look how the Lord used him!)
ReplyDeleteLove your baptismal tank. Looks a little rustic like ours. :o) Isn't it fun serving on the mission field?! Seriously, what do people who live in the states have to talk about?!
Get a little rest, my friend! *Hugs*
I learned this new way to reply to comments from you and I LOVE it!!! It was super easy!!
DeleteIt is an adventure here everyday! And there is so much joy in serving Jesus! I am so glad that when we are weak, He is strong!!!
Love you, my friend!
Jaynee, I never tire of reading your blog! You are so full of joy! Thanks for sharing your life in Mexico with everyone. I have been out of the blog world for a little while, but so refreshing to return and read your blog! I just love it!
ReplyDeletePraying for your family!!!
You are so sweet, Nicole! The Lord gives me joy and my family makes me smile all the time!
DeleteThank you so much for your prayers!
I love your excitement for the Lord, and life! So glad you are back home and just enjoying being there. God has been working on me a lot over the last few years in just that subject...being content where I am. And He has sure moved us around enough for me to let go and bloom where I'm planted! God bless you and your family! Happy (Almost!) Spring!!
ReplyDeleteHappy almost spring to you too!!! I have to think of something "springy" with which to have the children help me decorate the school room! It is so good and brings so much peace and joy to just let the Lord use us where ever he has placed us and to just be content each day with all He gives!
DeleteI am soooooooooooooo glad you updated! I missed you this last month. It is wonderful to see the Lord's working in the ladies lives there!!!! You are such a blessing :). Praying for you and sending hug! Now your message has reached waaaaay over here and I NEEDED that reminder today ... I am off to build my house :). Thank you :)!
ReplyDeleteI am soooooooooooo glad when you update too! Especially now that you have Leah pictures! Nothing personal, Nick...but she is a bit cuter than you are! :) ha! :)
DeleteAnd you do so much better at updating than I do! And I LOVE your school room pics! I LOVE your white board! Makes me what to study at your house :)
Well, actually, I really would love to just visit and eat something...sweet of course... :)
Love you!!
I shall take comfort that before Leah came along, I apparently was cutest. :) LOL Wish we all could visit again!
DeleteNick
Yes, I am so glad you updated! I love to read your blog! Makes me homesick for Mexico. Curious, did you get the note I sent you? Love you, lady!
ReplyDeleteDamara P.
I did get it!!!!!!! And just re-read it last night! I was organizing notes of people I want to write and had your sweet note (and the Kool Aid) in my organizer. Last month flew by so fast that I didn't write hardly anyone :( so I was getting all set up to get back to writing this month! I didn't make up the Kool Aid cuz my mommee taught me to not use a gift til you write the thank you :) ha! :) I really want to write you, too!!! I miss you!!! Thank you so much for stopping by to say hi!
DeleteWell hello there! You're still alive!!:) Did love reading every word!! Could you pretty pretty please get a free xanga accnt so you can read my blog?!!! I dont use blogger anymore. It's at http://celebratinglifeandmotherhood.xanga.com if you do make an accnt then add me as a friend (I hope you do!!!)
ReplyDeleteLove your back yard!! How in the world do you keep it so clean? My kids strew their outdoor toys EVERYWHERE!!!
I LOVE JOY!! and love reading here cause you fight to have it in all circumstances. Thats very encouraging!!! and I think of you often in my daily life. Those who are the least selfish are the happiest people on the planet!!!!
Hi, Tereza! Soooo good to hear from you, too :) I'll try my best to check out your blog as soon as I can. I love our back yard too and am thankful for a safe, fun place for the kiddos to play (plus 360+ days of sunshine a year to boot :) ). Honestly, the yard wouldn't be clean if it was up to me. I'd be content to let it be messy and just clean it every now and then, but it is really important to my hubby that it's clean, so I try my best to have the children clean it up every afternoon before we come inside for the evening....I give them all an area...one cleans/sweeps the patio/picnic area, one takes one grass area, another takes the other, one works in the sandbox, two others on sweeping the sidewalks, and all the others pick up garbage/stray shoes/socks etc... Since we do it most every day, it doesn't take too long. Of course, our yard isn't too big, and with lots of helpers, it goes fast.
DeleteMy kids throw toys everywhere, too! And the dog sometimes dumps the trash, and we eat lunch out there every day and sometime supper, and everyone takes off their shoes/socks to jump on the trampoline and they end up everywhere too, and we have tons of dust/dirt that blows in each day, so don't think it always looks nice :) It's very much used during the day!! The pic of the kiddos playing playdough was taken right after breakfast, so they hadn't had a chance to mess it up for the day yet! :)
Thank you for thinking of me and what you said is so true....the ones who are least concerned about themselves truly are the happiest! I think of that all the time because I can get so weighted down when I think about ME and can be so selfish/proud :( but I know my Lord is able and will continue to work in my heart!!!! And He gives us soooo much joy when we just follow Him!!! Take care and have a great weekend, friend!
It's kind of important to my husband too! We are moving this summer and I am hoping to keep up on things better once we move.
DeleteI really enjoyed this post. You have such a joyful way of writing. I feel as though the words themselves are smiling :-) I was chuckling through the post and loved your comments about weddings, your husband and cake, so funny!
ReplyDeleteYou ladies ministry sounded like a lot of fun as well as a special time of learning. I've been praying about starting a ladies ministry here... but still struggle so much with the native language.
I just wanted to say your post really encouraged me today! Thank You!
Thank you, Carole! :) I know the Lord will use you and your precious family much in Greenland! Thank you so much for serving Him there! I get sooooo cold thinking about being there!! :-) You are such a blessing and and encouragement to me as well!
DeleteHi Jaynee,
ReplyDeleteI dreamed last night that our family went to visit you all in Mexico.We forgot to get passports and had no idea how we were going to get back into the states.I thought it was funny that you were on my mind as I slept.:)I made sure I prayed for you today because God obviously laid you on my heart.:)
That is so funny, Nikki! I guess we'd just have to keep you here then! :) Thank you for praying for me! That blesses my heart sooo much! Hope you are having a wonderful week so far!
DeleteHi Jaynee,
ReplyDeleteI want to say I love reading your blog. i am encouraged and lifted up when I read of your famlies activities . I have a couple of questions that I would like to ask. Well maybe one for sure.
My husband and I and our two children are currently planning to move to Mexico Lord willing in the fall of this year. We want to evangelize in Mexico and I will continue to homeschool our girls, my questions is do you have to report to the Mexican government as a non-native do you report to your home state how does this work? We are planning to head to. SanCarlos and Guymas area and see where the Lord leads us. Primarily we want to be in the Lords will and are willing to go where he leads us. Thank you for your time in responding either here or via email kbuitendykatgmaildotcom
We have chosen to be under a Christian home schooling organization in our home town area (CA). As I understand the Mexican constitution/law does require education for minors through 6th grade but it does not say that the education must be carried out in a government/public school. We were reported once years ago for not having our children in the public school here and the Mexican social services came to visit us, but when they saw our school room/books/schedule/samples of curriculum and we explained how/why we choose to educate our children here in our home, they were pleased. There is a missionary who works specifically with home schooling in Mexico. His name is Mike Richardson. He has a website... www.elhogareducador.org. It's in Spanish (don't know if you know Spanish yet) but has a place to contact him if you have questions.
DeleteHope that helps! God bless you!!!
Jaynee,
ReplyDeleteJust a note to let you know I just love your blog. Sure hope everything is well with you all. Always miss when you don't post for a while.
Blessings to you,
Cathy
How sweet to know you are thinking about us :) All is well and I'll try to post soon :)
DeleteHope you are having a good week in the Lord!
;) Have a blessed day!!
DeleteHello Jaynee~ Loved reading your comments on the blog. You make me smile with each one you leave.
ReplyDeleteImagine that, you having a busy month? haha!
What a sweet wedding, honoring the Lord right from the start.
So glad to hear about the fellowship. What an encouragement for all of you.
Miss you! ~Cinnamon
Awwww....I miss you, too! I'm home tonight with sickies. I thought maybe I'd blog (finally!) but didn't get that far. I almost caught up on our emails and did put away the laundry and spent much time being nurse :)
ReplyDeleteI think a letter to Gaela from Abi went out the end of last week. Apparently she had another letter written on sitting on my desk for a month...I saw it but didn't know who it was to (helps when they write the name of the person they want the letter to go to on the envelope before they seal it! :) ) and I didn't think much of it until she finally asked me about it. There is some bulky thing inside it...hope it's not something perishable...yikes!...that I need to see what it is as I'm not sure I can mail it as she has it packaged. :) But Gaela's b'day letter is on it's way.
Okay, time to get the troops tucked in for the night. Daddy said to put them to bed very early...I think they are ready!
Love you!