CHRISTMAS 2012 IN OUR HOME - II

Isaac got his firts trycicle.

The girls got an Easel.

Sara G., is really good at drawing.

Ingrid has improved a lot too.

Opening their gifts from Papa and Nana.

This year Sara and Ingrid got the New Generation Doll (cheaper version of the American Girl doll by Target) from grandma Marie. I think they were ready for dolls, they are loving those dolls. They have been playing with them all day, they slept with their dolls on Christmas Eve, since we let them open theat special gift from grandma the night before Christmas. Isaac is loving his First Train Set we got him from Zulily.com. This website has really good toys for children.  Also, they are loving their mini gator, they ride it everyday. Thank you to the grandparents for the gifts, they made a good choice.

CHRISTMAS 2012 IN OUR HOME

First of all, Praise God for Jesus that we can celebrate another Christmas with our children.  Jesus is the reason of this celebration, otherwise there would not be Christmas in this world.  I Praise God and give thanks for my husband and for the new ministry where we are. He is a hard working man, husband, and dad and he try to give the best to his family. I pray the Lord to renew his strength and protect him everyday. We love you daddy.  Our children had a beautiful Christmas and today December 25th, our girls learned how to ride their  bikes with no training wheels, yay!!! Daddy decided that today was the day to teach them and they learned at the first try.  We are very proud of them!  These are memories we will never forget.

BEACH PHOTOS

Relaxing time at the hamoc.

Con mi principito.

Mi preciosa familia.

Este es uno de los puentes que tenemos que cruzar para ir a la playa, no me gusta para nada por que solo ves agua debajo. Cruzamos como 3 de estos puentes.

At Nags Head beach in September 2012.

HAVING LUNCH WITH SARA AT SCHOOL

Sara is really enjoying School. She is very smart and learn new things quickly. She loves make friends and really enjoys riding the bus.

Ideas for my home

Dining room.

I got some ideas from Pinterest and made this fabric wreath for my front door. It looks adorable!

My school board in the kitchen wall.

Sara, Ingrid & Isaac - June 2012

NEW FRIENDS

The people from Warwick B.C., are very friendly and loving. Some of our new friends are Joy and Dennis Chappel. Joy like her name, is a joyful person, very sweet. She loves my kids and everytime she has some free time love to babysit my girls, so that I can have a break, or have things done at home. I really thank the Lord for her friendship. In the other hand, Dennis, Joy's husband is a nice guy who loves to help Frank in any project that he is working on. We really value their sweet friendship.

EDENTON, NC

Living here in Hobbsville, we are very close to different small country towns and also very close to Virginia. Edenton, is a very old town, with a beautiful waterfront and old buildings. The first time we visit there was a family day in downtown and we had to ride the boat for free. We really love to ride in the van and visit new places we have never been. Giovanna

Life in Eastern North Carolina

We now live in Chowan County, about an hour and a half from Nags Head. We visited the beach there recently and had a wonderful time. It was nice to leave at 10am and be on the beach having a picnic at noon, then returning home a few hours later. Our new home is so nice and our new church family is so caring. I have been spending alot of time driving the roads with the church directory in my hand trying to locate people and learn about life here. I have gotten lost a few times, but it was fun asking directions and learning the country side. I can see how God has prepared me for this particular place: growing up in a rural area working on a farm, studying cross-culture relationship building in seminary, and learning how to relate to people and live in biblical community from various mentors. Giovanna and I are having to adjust to a slower pace of life and a longer distance to travel to get to stores. She misses her close friends at Open Door and the SEBTS community. The girls miss their friends in Wake Forest but they have been learning to play together more and are growing closer in the process. Isaac is loving having a big house to run through and play and they all love their new playground set. I am excited for what God is doing in our lives and His grace continues to amaze me. -frank

A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES!

We started a new chapter in our lives on May 25th, 2012. Frank is the new pastor at Warwick Baptist Church in Hobbsville, NC. We moved last Friday 25th to our new place and it has been a smooth transition. Several families from our new church haave been helping us with babysitting, proving meals to us, helping Frank putting furniture together and showing us so much love and care, making our move so much easier. My kids have adopted Mrs. Edla and Mr. Pluck (one of the deacons at Warwick) as grandparents, they are really a blessing to us. Mrs. Edla made a beautiful cake for Ingrid's bithday on Tuesday 29th; she said it took her 4 hours to make it, bless her heart!. I was so busy unpacking that I completely forgot about Ingrid's birthday and of course I didn't have any time to make a cake so Mrs. Edla put everything together and threw my kids a birthday party. She made a cake for the 3 of them to celebrate their birthdays. God bless this wonderful couple and we are so blessed to be able to serve them and experience life together with them. Another lady that has been precious to us is Mrs. Joy, my girls love her so much. The Lord has been really good to us and we are so amazed to all the blessings we receive everyday. Now, that I live in a bigger house, I feel like I have more work to do, I start early in the morning and continue working until 10pm at night, maybe when I finish unpacking things will get more easier for me. I am almost at the end of unpacking, thanks to the help of my brothers and sister from our new church. Also, I need to add that Mrs. Edla helped me to organize my pantry and cabinets, she is a very sweet lady and loves to serve others. I am in debt with her forever. We are so excited to serve in our new church and get to know the people.

Isaac and Ingrid's birthday party

Isaac turned the big 1 on May 9th and Ingrid will turn 4 on May 29th. Since, we are moving in two weeks we had to make one big party for both of them.  The entertainment for the kids was a bouncing house, that we borrowed from the grandparents. It was really a lot of fun for the young kids and big kids too!.  I was so glad the weather was nice and we get to enjoyed outside.

From a 900sq.ft Apartment to a 3000sq.ft House

 Front house

 Front door

 Love this big kitchen :)

 The upstairs possible play room area. Picture below the living area, love the wood floors :)

No we didn't win the lottery, nor have we bought a new house. Last year, we were willing to follow God's call to the mission field and go to Indonesia to work with the unreached people. However, God shut the doors for us there and as His Word says He had other and greater plans for us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9. We began to pray for God's leading last November and it was hard for a couple of months because we didn't hear anything. In February this year, Warwick Baptist Church contacted Frank and they developed a good relationship.  We were praying and asking God to show us His will in this job position and we felt God's peace about it. This house is located in called Hobbsville, NC, a 30 minutes from drive west of Elizabeth City. This is the place where the Lord has invited us to live and work in the ministry.  The church just built a new house for the pastor's family to live in and it is located about 1 mile from the church. We met the people this past weekend and both of us were overwhelmed at the warmth and love we felt from the people. They have a hunger for God's word and for missions and the people are eager to serve and work hard in the work of the ministry, especially the deacons and key leaders. So, it seems to be a great fit for us and we are excited. However, our hearts are heavy for leaving the Raleigh/Wake Forest area and all of our seminary and Open Door friends. Biggest of all is Frank's sadness for having to leave the people at Vaughan Baptist, where he has been preaching and helping them over the past 3 years. It was so hard for him to pick up the phone and inform them of this news.  We would be praying for God to provide the right person in this loving church at Vaughan Baptist. In the same way, please be in praying for us since a new move is not always easy. We are in this world to follow God's will not ours because God's will is right and perfect( Romans 12:2)