Good Friends

Isn't it great to have good friends. I sure think so. My friend Natalie, from high school, is here with her daughter Megan visiting us for a week. It is so fun to just hang out, talk, let the girls play, and relax. I was able to rearrange my work schedule to have all the time off with them. Natalie has started a home based business as an independent consultant with Arbonne and after looking into the opportunity I believe that this could be a good business for me as well. So, she is here helping me launch my new business. I am praying that this will give me the freedom that I so desire in my life. I guess I will have to wait and see.

*Chrissie

Catch Up Time

We have a lot of catching up to do, so let's get started. Don't worry we did not freeze up here although some of the temps have been at 25 degrees below 0. So, where do we start....

Our biggest news is that we bought a house!
It is nothing fancy or huge, but it is our home and we love it. The process of finding and buying a home was not easy or simple, but God definitely protected us along the way and led us to this home. We have plenty of space and room to grow in the future... We moved in during the 2nd week of December and had everything unpacked in time for Christmas. We are looking forward to making this our home for as long as God keeps us here. If anyone is in the area, make sure you give us a call, we would love to have you stay with us.

Marissa had fun dressing up for her 1st Halloween. Of course she had to be Cinderella and loved every minute of it. She got to dress up for daycare during the day and then we visited her grandparents and aunt and uncle at night. We all had a great time!

Let it Snow...

The snow just keeps falling this winter. We were all very excited when the first snow fell. Marissa finally got to practice making snow angels outside. We have tried sledding, tubing, and ice skating or should I say boot skating. We are enjoying the winter. We also figured out really quick that shoveling is not that much fun. Our driveway is long, too long. We are looking at buying a snow blower, but want to wait to get one on sale. So, it will be shoveling for a little bit longer for us.

Ministry Update:

Enrique's work at the Salvation Army is going great. It was exciting to see how God provided just enough funds at just the right time through the Kettle campaign during Christmas. It made both of us take time to remember that God is bigger than the economy. It was one of those times that renewed our faith and trust in God. Enrique is finally getting to focus more of his time and energy towards outreach in the Hispanic community. We are both looking forward to seeing God work through this new outreach. The after school program is going well and the kids are enjoying a walk through the Bible. We have begun a new Bible study called The Truth Project at church and love it! Chrissie is also starting to teach a new teen/young adult Sunday School class this Sunday. She is excited to finally have a place to minister alongside Enrique. She is also looking for a new job as a school nurse. We feel that this move will allow Chrissie the freedom she needs to commit more time and energy working with Enrique during his special winter & summer camps. So pray for us as we continue to minister here in St. Paul. Pray that the outreach to the Hispanic community will be fruitful.

We hoped you enjoyed the update. We hope to send out a similar update via email that will include our new contact information as well.

Talk to you soon...

WE ARE BACK!

Hi Everyone,

We finally got internet access in our home! Yes, it is shocking that it took us almost a year to hook up internet here in the good old USA... So we will post an update within the next day or so.

Looking forward to reconnecting with everyone.

Summer Camp at the SAL

I don't even know how to begin... I realize it has been a very long time since I have shared about my new ministry here in St. Paul. What an adjustment this has been with a steep learning curve over the past several months.

Summer Day Camp has just ended and it was my first time ever directing and organizing such a venture. 10 weeks, 45 kids on average, ages K-6th grade, & 6 staffers. These are the stats, yet they hardly begin to describe the challenges and joys that I experienced during the summer. Each week was spent focused on a different Biblical attribute such as trust, love, & forgiveness. The weeks flew by as we traveled all over the Twin Cities doing such activities as swimming, visiting museums, and playing at waterparks.

Although, the weeks flew by, sometimes the days dragged on. Yet, it was the small things that kept me going and reinforced the reason why I am here in the first place. One example of this was when 3 girls sat down with me and began asking me what the book of Genesis meant or why do we have communion? This is why I am here! To share Jesus with kids that otherwise might not have the chance to hear.

Keep praying for me as the new school year begins and I start up the After School Program again. Also, pray that I can begin to reach out to the large surrounding Hispanic community.

-Enrique

Marissa's hair

For all of you out there that had doubts as to whether Marissa's hair would ever start to grow... Well, it finally started!

Summer Storms

Summer has finally arrived here in MN, yes a little late, but it is in full swing. One thing that we are not used to yet are the summer storms. We are not used to hearing the tornado warning siren go off and watching the hail come pouring down. These storms are forceful and scary. We have watched on the news as several people in surrounding communities has lost their homes and loved ones as a result of these storms. So, we thank God for keeping us safe and we pray for those whose lives have changed forever.

A Little Gift

I believe sometimes God just does things because He can. He did one of those things for me today. After almost two weeks of learning new policies, procedures, and computer documentation at my new job, I was finally going to begin my orientation on the maternity care unit. I was really nervous and anxious as I have been out of hospital nursing for more than 2 years. The day was going along alright, yet, I felt very overwhelmed and sad. I missed our ministry in Guatemala. I never thought I would return to hospital nursing again. I know that God led us here, but sometimes He is hard to follow. Well, the day was almost over and a new patient came into our unit. She was not my patient, but since she only spoke Spanish, the nurse assigned to her asked me to translate. I went willingly and prayed that I would be able to understand her Spanish. It turned out not to be a problem at all as she was Guatemalan and lived less than a 10 minute drive from our old home in Guatemala!!!
I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe God gives us little gifts sometimes just because He can. And that is exactly what He did for me today.
*Chrissie