Sixteen years ago, Dulcie and I were preparing to become parents. Where does the time go? Now, here we are, getting ready to celebrate our oldest child turning 16! We are very proud of her and the young woman she is becoming. When we asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday, her response took us back a bit. She wanted to go to the beach for 2 days, but she wanted to bring the girls from New Vision and City of Refuge who were also turning 16. She wanted to make sure they had a nice 16th birthday party as well. What an unselfish attitude! She could have made this day all about her, but she chose to include others. As a parent, it really makes you proud when your child comes up with these kind of things all on their own.
What a huge lesson we can learn! Many times we want to make the situation all about us, when we should really be concerned about the well being of others...especially those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
This holiday season, let's all make it a priority to go out of our way to minister to someone who needs some extra attention or love. Too many times we make this season just about us and our family, but let's endeavor to reach out. Work at a homeless shelter, volunteer at a boys and girls club, or visit a nursing home and pass out cookies. Just a few hours or even a whole day can make the difference in someone's life this Christmas season. And really, in light of eternity, what's a few hours?
Extended Hands Ministries motto is: Helping Others Reach Up! Let's do just that this Christmas Holiday.
Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year! We love you all!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Settling In
Well time has flown by, but we've been at the City of Refuge for over a month now, and we're settling in very nicely! The Puffpaffs have gone back to the States for their year of itineration, and the Rudy family has come to join us as Missionary Associates. J.R. and his family will be working with the coffee farm, construction, and implementing a pre-school. They have 2 daughters who fit right in with our girls, so all is good! We also have another young lady here, Laura, who is teaching Kindergarden. We're all becoming one big happy family.
The kids here are warming up to us, and we've been having a fun, but hard time getting to know their names...all 60+ of them, plus all the staff! But, we'll get it eventually. They've all been great about being patient with us.
We have now moved into the Puffpaff's house, which is AWESOME! Finally, a real live house with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms...2 stories! You can't even imagine how excited Dulcie is! And it is BEAUTIFUL! God has certainly blessed us!
Our first week in charge here has proven challenging, as this is a much larger operation than New Vision, but we have survived! God has said He will not give us more than we can handle! Altho, at times I wonder!
We are extremely busy trying to manage our time in the office, running errands, homeschooling Jaycee & Hannah, helping Levi & Alyssa adjust to Jamaican school (they go to school on the property), and managing home life! But we are loving being in Jamaica, fullfilling the call God has on our lives. When I think about the fact that we only have one more year left, it actually saddens me a little! But, that's another day!
Anyway, God is good, and continues to provide all we need, both materially and emotionally and spiritually! Everyone is doing well, so we can't complain!
Thanx for all you do for us! We so appreciate your love, prayers and support!
Blessings to you all!
The kids here are warming up to us, and we've been having a fun, but hard time getting to know their names...all 60+ of them, plus all the staff! But, we'll get it eventually. They've all been great about being patient with us.
We have now moved into the Puffpaff's house, which is AWESOME! Finally, a real live house with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms...2 stories! You can't even imagine how excited Dulcie is! And it is BEAUTIFUL! God has certainly blessed us!
Our first week in charge here has proven challenging, as this is a much larger operation than New Vision, but we have survived! God has said He will not give us more than we can handle! Altho, at times I wonder!
We are extremely busy trying to manage our time in the office, running errands, homeschooling Jaycee & Hannah, helping Levi & Alyssa adjust to Jamaican school (they go to school on the property), and managing home life! But we are loving being in Jamaica, fullfilling the call God has on our lives. When I think about the fact that we only have one more year left, it actually saddens me a little! But, that's another day!
Anyway, God is good, and continues to provide all we need, both materially and emotionally and spiritually! Everyone is doing well, so we can't complain!
Thanx for all you do for us! We so appreciate your love, prayers and support!
Blessings to you all!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Time of Transition
Times of transition come for us all. Sometimes they are easy, sometimes more difficult. We are in the midst of a transition in our ministry. We have just moved from New Vision up to the City of Refuge in the Blue Mountains, near Kingston. This was a very difficult decision for us to make, but after much prayer and consideration, we feel it is what God wants for our family. We have been serving at New Vision for 1 year now and will spend the next year at the City of Refuge. This home is twice the size of New Vision...over 60 kids!...with a coffee farm and many more employees. It will be a challenge for sure, but we know God will be with us.
It was very difficult to leave the kids at New Vision. Many of them call us mom and dad, and we feel like they are our own children. But knowing we will still be on the island, able to call and visit, has made this a little easier for all of us. Since the move, we have already visited them 3 times. It has been so good to see them come running when we pull in the driveway...it feels like a family reunion! Please pray for the kids at New Vision as they have gone through this kind of transition many times before. It's hard for them, but Jesus is able to sustain them.
We were able to take them all on a fun trip to the water park before we left...thanx to the generous donation of a team! It was a GREAT time, and everyone had a fabulous day! It's a time we will all never forget! (I'll try to post some pics soon!)
We will be in training for the next month, learning the in's and out's of this home. The Puffpaffs, the directors, will be returning to the States for a year of itineration, and they will need your prayers as well. They have been at this home for almost 9 years, and it will be hard for them to say goodbye and be gone for so long. The kids here have never been through this kind of transition before, so please lift them up in prayer as well.
As for our 4 kids, they are handling this well. They miss their freinds at New Vision but are doing great making new freinds. Sadly, just before our move, our dog Zeke was hit by a car and killed. As you may remember, we lost a dog in January to rat poison, so this has been very hard for us all. (We've decided to wait before getting any kind of pet!) They will be starting up school soon. Levi and Alyssa will go to the school here on the property with the Jamaican kids, and Jaycee & Hannah will attend the same online academy as last year. We are expecting a great year for them all.
We are confident that this is where the Lord wants us for this time in our lives. He has made that abundantly clear. We know the challege ahead is great, but He has promised that He will give us what we need, when we need it. So we find comfort and rest in Him, and trust that He has everything in control. Please continue to pray for us and all the kids at both homes. We all need it very much!
It was very difficult to leave the kids at New Vision. Many of them call us mom and dad, and we feel like they are our own children. But knowing we will still be on the island, able to call and visit, has made this a little easier for all of us. Since the move, we have already visited them 3 times. It has been so good to see them come running when we pull in the driveway...it feels like a family reunion! Please pray for the kids at New Vision as they have gone through this kind of transition many times before. It's hard for them, but Jesus is able to sustain them.
We were able to take them all on a fun trip to the water park before we left...thanx to the generous donation of a team! It was a GREAT time, and everyone had a fabulous day! It's a time we will all never forget! (I'll try to post some pics soon!)
We will be in training for the next month, learning the in's and out's of this home. The Puffpaffs, the directors, will be returning to the States for a year of itineration, and they will need your prayers as well. They have been at this home for almost 9 years, and it will be hard for them to say goodbye and be gone for so long. The kids here have never been through this kind of transition before, so please lift them up in prayer as well.
As for our 4 kids, they are handling this well. They miss their freinds at New Vision but are doing great making new freinds. Sadly, just before our move, our dog Zeke was hit by a car and killed. As you may remember, we lost a dog in January to rat poison, so this has been very hard for us all. (We've decided to wait before getting any kind of pet!) They will be starting up school soon. Levi and Alyssa will go to the school here on the property with the Jamaican kids, and Jaycee & Hannah will attend the same online academy as last year. We are expecting a great year for them all.
We are confident that this is where the Lord wants us for this time in our lives. He has made that abundantly clear. We know the challege ahead is great, but He has promised that He will give us what we need, when we need it. So we find comfort and rest in Him, and trust that He has everything in control. Please continue to pray for us and all the kids at both homes. We all need it very much!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wow! We've Been Busy!
Ok! Let me apologize for taking so long to send an update! We have been so busy lately, but that is really no excuse. In April we had 1 medical team and 1 ministry team...what a wonderful time we had with Dr. Sykes and his medical crew, as well as the awesome ministry of C3 Church in Pickerington, OH! May has been and continues to be a time of relaxing and preparing for a full month in June! (multiple teams in June!)
The kids at New Vision had a wonderful time when the C3 church was here. They focused their ministry on celebrating the lives of the children and teaching them to celebrate who God has made them to be. We had an awesome birthday party to celebrate all of our lives at the beginning of the week, had a bonfire where everyone was uplifted and edified, and ended with a lesson on purity (and the girls had makeovers!) They blessed the home tremendously, not only with their lessons and their love, but with many wonderful donations. It was an absolutely amazing time for all of us!
We've also been busy with normal routine activities in a home of 26 kids, plus our own 4! Doctor visits, dentists visits, counselling sessions, shopping for birthdays, going to devotions, Youth Group, church, Missionettes, choir practice...the list goes on and on!
We've also been able to take some great days off, which is much needed on a regular basis or we'll go crazy! LOL. We've gotten to see some amazing parts of this island! We've been to places that most tourists never see and met some very loving and interesting people. We scoped the Blue Mountains, visited the coffee farm that is known to have THE best Blue Mountain Coffee in the world!, four wheeled the mountain roads, visited beautiful waterfalls on a day when NO ONE was there but our family, visited the location of the origin of Jerk Chicken (AMAZING FOOD!), and visited the beach where we found a star fish which measured 12 inches from the end of one arm to the next! Not to mention the wonderful times we've been having with our missionary friends, or should I say "family"! They are the best and we love them all very much! And the best part of it is that most of it was free! Thank you Jesus!
As we are coming up on our 1 year date of living in Jamaica, we realize that most of the ministry, and the most effective, is that of the day-to-day touching of the children's lives. While we've had our moments of defiance and disobedience, most of our time here has been very positive. We are just loving on these kids to the best of our ability and using daily events to show them what God's Word says. Basically what we do with our own kids. And in the lower times, we are reminded that we're doing a good job, every time one of the kids gives us a hug or tells us they love us! That makes it all worthwhile! So, while we are looking forward to a 2 week vacation in July, we are glad to be here and love these kids more everyday!
The kids at New Vision had a wonderful time when the C3 church was here. They focused their ministry on celebrating the lives of the children and teaching them to celebrate who God has made them to be. We had an awesome birthday party to celebrate all of our lives at the beginning of the week, had a bonfire where everyone was uplifted and edified, and ended with a lesson on purity (and the girls had makeovers!) They blessed the home tremendously, not only with their lessons and their love, but with many wonderful donations. It was an absolutely amazing time for all of us!
We've also been busy with normal routine activities in a home of 26 kids, plus our own 4! Doctor visits, dentists visits, counselling sessions, shopping for birthdays, going to devotions, Youth Group, church, Missionettes, choir practice...the list goes on and on!
We've also been able to take some great days off, which is much needed on a regular basis or we'll go crazy! LOL. We've gotten to see some amazing parts of this island! We've been to places that most tourists never see and met some very loving and interesting people. We scoped the Blue Mountains, visited the coffee farm that is known to have THE best Blue Mountain Coffee in the world!, four wheeled the mountain roads, visited beautiful waterfalls on a day when NO ONE was there but our family, visited the location of the origin of Jerk Chicken (AMAZING FOOD!), and visited the beach where we found a star fish which measured 12 inches from the end of one arm to the next! Not to mention the wonderful times we've been having with our missionary friends, or should I say "family"! They are the best and we love them all very much! And the best part of it is that most of it was free! Thank you Jesus!
As we are coming up on our 1 year date of living in Jamaica, we realize that most of the ministry, and the most effective, is that of the day-to-day touching of the children's lives. While we've had our moments of defiance and disobedience, most of our time here has been very positive. We are just loving on these kids to the best of our ability and using daily events to show them what God's Word says. Basically what we do with our own kids. And in the lower times, we are reminded that we're doing a good job, every time one of the kids gives us a hug or tells us they love us! That makes it all worthwhile! So, while we are looking forward to a 2 week vacation in July, we are glad to be here and love these kids more everyday!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
New Vision Takes the Prize!
Yesterday we attended an awards ceremony for a poster competition held in our parish in December. This competition was for all children's homes in the Manchester parish. Several of our kids entered and did a fabulous job. There were 3 ages groups...8-11 years, 12-15 years and 16-18 years. NEW VISION SWEPT THE COMPETITION AWAY! We came home with 5 of the 9 awards! Merlene won 2nd place in the 8-11 age group, Sherika won 3rd place in the 12-15 age group, and we won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 16-18 age group...Tiffany, Marlon (Roland filled in for his brother!) and Brittany! What an awesome boost for their confidence! They did a great job and we are VERY proud of them all! Way to go guys!
Reunion
A couple of weeks ago we had an amazing thing happen at New Vision. We had a reunion! Not a reunion of past students or staff, but a family reunion. In December we received 5 new children...all siblings ages 18 months to 10 years old. They are precious, beautiful kids. But we were told at that time that there was still one sibling yet to come, and that she was 3 years old. At that time, no one knew where she was living...Kingston was all anyone knew. (Kingston is a city of 1 million people!) We began to pray that God would send this precious little one our way. In January we got word that she had been found, but had been sick and in the hospital, and that she would be coming soon. Again, we went to prayer. In February, we got a call that we could come and pick her up at another children's home in Kingston. Upon arriving, we learned that she had not been sick, nor in the hospital, but had been living there for over a year. ??? We were confused. After verifying that she was indeed the sibling to our other kids, we brought her home to New Vision. Imagine being 2 years old and seperated not only from your mother, but also your 5 siblings and placed in a strange place. Our hearts broke for her.
But, oh what a reunion we had! When we drove down the driveway of New Vision, there sat her 5 brothers and sisters waiting to see their sister! They were overjoyed at seeing her again! Lots of love and laugter! Unfortunately, she did not remember them, as she was too young. We are just thankful that she is with us and is getting to know her family again. It's so neat to see them playing and laughing and sometimes fighting, as siblings do. She is doing very well adjusting and wears a beautiful smile! We are so thankful that God has used New Vision City of Refuge to reunite this precious family. Thank you Jesus...our Healer and Restorer!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Life Goes On...
Okay, so as I sit here today, totally exhausted, I have a new puppy by my side. Our puppy, Oreo, died about 2 weeks ago. We're pretty sure she got into some poison. It was sad to watch her die, but we are thankful for the 2 months we had with her. Zeke is our new pup. I found him in our yard after he and his 4 siblings and mother ran across our soccer field. He got caught in the thicket, so I rescued him. (I wanted to name him Abraham or Issac, but got out voted!) He's a cute little guy, we've had for about a week now. He's about 8 weeks old and the vet has given him a clean bill of health.
I'm thanking God today for all He is doing here at New Vision. Yesterday was a great day of prayer here at the home. We anointed each child with oil and prayed over them that God would bless each life. We walked around our property believing God to do great things here. The Assemblies of God Bible College came out and prayed with us for about 2 hours. We had a wonderful time just praying for the kids and believing God to save each of them and do great things in their lives. We're believing for answers to those prayers.
January has been a very busy month for us. There seems to always be something to do or somewhere to go! We've been repainting the interior of our team dorm, as well as the girl's bathrooms, and the kitchen in our apartment. I like to paint and have found one of the older boys does too, and does a great job! Since we had so much paint lying around, we've taken advantage of it, and are sprusing the place up a bit!
We also had another medical team come down. Jaycee had the opportunity to assist the team and pull files and count pills. She was so excited after the first day because she got to watch the Dr. lance a cyst on one woman's foot. GROSS! But she enjoyed being able to help out. Of course this meant she was out of school for 2 days and had to make it up. During this week, Hannah, got to go to Kingston to our sister home and spend a week up on the mountain with the Puffpaffs and a team of girls from Michigan. She had a great time, and wasn't quite so homesick after coming home. Thank you Miss Kim!
Of course, after being out of school for 3 weeks for Christmas break, getting back into the swing of things has been challenging. Dulcie has really been working hard to get the kids back on track! She is doing a GREAT job home schooling them!
We started having chidren's church with the little kids this month, as well. We have church with them a couple times a month. We start at 9:30 with the kids under 12. We have worship with everyone at 10:30 and then dismiss the under 12 kids to watch a video (usually Veggie Tales or McGee and Me). Then we have service with the older kids. God has been meeting us and the older kids are beginning to respond to the altar services. We are thankful and grateful that God is moving on their hearts. We are staying involved in the local church, as well, with Awana club, Youth Group, Youth Choir Practice and Monthly fellowships. Plus, we attend Sunday morning when we don't have kids church. We believe it's important to keep them active in the local church, as well.
We're also working hard to get our new kitchen up and running. Hopefully, some time in February we'll be able to cook in there and eat in the new dining hall. That is...if all goes well. You never know what challenges will arise!
For the most part, we are doing well and chugging along. They finally brought cable to our area, so we are grateful to be able to have a sense of America on the tube. The kids are glad to have Nickelodeon and Disney channel again. I'm just glad to watch something other than Everybody Loves Raymond or Home Improvement! (DVD)
As we watch the news and see all that is going on in America today, we refuse to let discouragment take over. God is still on the throne! He is still in control! I'm reminded of the Scripture that says, "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or God's seed begging for bread!" As long as we stay in His will and follow His ways, He will ALWAYS make provision for us! I believe that even tho 2009 may look grim to some, it can be an amazing year! Know that we are praying for God's blessing in your lives this year. Thank you for all you do for us. We love you all!
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