We are still waiting for the house to sell, but have
had so much activity on it... it can't be long now! My wonderful cousin, who has been in Honduras for the past 4 years, and went to start Calvary Chapel Pena Blanca, found us a house to live in! It sounds like a wonderful house, and we are SO excited! The house is in the community of Los Naranjos, which is about 3 miles from Pena Blanca.

Here are some photos of Los Naranjos!

These waterfalls are in Los Naranjos - gorgeous!

A bridge in the park in Los Naranjos

Please continue to pray for our home to sell and for us to get everything done that we need to have done for the big move!

Tenth Avenue North - You Are More

More Love

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA&ob=avznm

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.
Galatians 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Lately God has been shaving off my rough spots, and I have been convicted of my need to show more love to those around me. The more I study the Bible, the more I am convinced that my main job as a Christian here on earth is to love others, not to correct them or to show them the "right way". It is easy for me to see the areas that those around me are falling short in, and want to steer them in a better direction, but although I may be doing this out of my love for them, it's not my job. Instead, I need to love them, encourage them, pray for them, and make sure that I am being obedient to God in my own life. I really think that if I can do this, I will be more joyful and more effective in bringing others to Christ.

I am resolving to not allow any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up. I know this isn't easy, but most worthwhile things in life aren't easy.... I know that this will be a good step for me to take in showing more love to those around me.

As a family we are starting to go through the book, "LOVE as a Way of Life" by Gary Chapman. There is a book and a devotional that we plan on going through together, and we are excited to see how God leads each of us through this study!

On another note... we had TWO showings this week! Things are really picking up on the home-sale front, so I think our time of waiting may be coming to an end! God knows exactly when we need to be in Honduras, and we are trusting in his infinite wisdom to lead us.

Waiting on the Lord

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

We had FOUR showings on our house while we were in Florida! No one making an offer yet, but at least people want to see the house! We are no longer speculating as to when we will actually be leaving for Honduras, as only God knows when that will be. We had thought that the house would sell quickly and we would be gone by October, but that was not God's plan for us! I admit that at first, waiting for God's timing was quite difficult for all of us, but each of us has come to see that God's timing is perfect, and there definitely were some things that God needed to work out in each of us to prepare us for our work in Honduras!

We have used this time to prepare for our ministry in the following ways:

• Gordon has really become the husband of my dreams, and has become a great leader. He makes sure that we are reading the Bible daily and our family prayer time is much more intense and meaningful than it ever had been before.
• Alyssa has recommitted her life to Christ, and has blossomed as a result of this and her one-on-one discipleship with a couple of amazing Christian women who have given their love and time to her. She has recently become friends with a very godly man, and we are excited to see how God is working in that as well!
• Chantalle has also grown immeasurably as a result of her discipleship with a young woman from our church who has really gone out of her way to invest in Chantalle. Chantalle has worked on worrying less and trusting God more, and it is so nice to see the joy in her life! We are so thankful that we are the parents of such amazing girls!
• I have spent more time in prayer and asking God to show me things in myself that need to be changed, and He keeps on showing me things... I am still a work in progress, but I am thankful for a willing spirit, and for the changes He has made in me.

As a family, we did a 10 day "Daniel" fast, and that was a very pivotal point in our family life. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get closer to God, and purify their life! Essentially what we did was just eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and water for 10 days, and we didn't watch any TV or listen to anything but Christian music. We did this early in November, and we still watch a lot less TV than we had before - it opened all of our eyes to a lot of things, and was amazing... I am looking forward to doing it again soon!

Waiting on God isn't always easy, but His timing is perfect, and while we had hoped to be in Honduras by now, God knows what He is doing, and His timing is always perfect, so I'm thankful that He is running the show and we aren't! Please keep praying for the house to sell! All of us are healthy right now, and excited about this new year!