A Close-up

We took a few minutes out of our normal schedule to take a few photos of the family.  Our friend who took pictures of Kiana’s birthday bash snapped this one in a park near where we used to live.  This was in an arch in a "round about" (traffic circle) nearby.  We were relaxed!

Treasured memories

We’ve had a house-full with Tracey’s sister and her daughter visiting us, and Keila’s photography friends coming down to shoot Kiana’s birthday party.  There was a lot more “English” conversation going around and a lot of “going outs” to fill the day.  Here are some of Marian’s photos to help us remember these special moments.

“When you get left out in the rain…”

That’s what I felt like when I took our chairs and equipment to our Sunday afternoon service.  Without notice, a birthday party was in full swing in the place we have our music & English classes and our services.  So what do you do?  We confiscated the local “roofed” basketball court and it was business as usual.  I know that God wants us to go out and make disciples, but I wonder if he wants us to do it more publicly?  What do you think?

Making the old, new

To be honest, after a while my creativity begins to wane and I have to scramble to make things exciting and new again; if not for those I work with then for me.  There are many areas in my life and work that are “under construction” with that respect.  But the youth and adolescent meetings always squeeze out of me whatever artistic juices are left to give. 

 

So when push comes to shove, I have to imagine myself playing the same old game in a different way.  So that’s what we did.  We took an old game that we’ve played many times and just limited the youth’s movement by tying their knees or ankles together.   Ever played soccer with your ankles tied together?  It’s called penguin soccer.

Princess for a Day

We weren’t sure if the birthday girl, Kiana, would be able to put on the “poofy” dress and hair, and at the same time hang a guitar on her shoulders to play the songs for the service.  But she looked great, played wonderfully and sang with an awesome voice.  As one friend said to me, “I’ve never heard Kiana sing before, but she has a gift.”  Glad that the party was unique and special in that way.

Making their moves

The youth practiced for several weeks to bring to a packed crowd – Kiana’s 15^th Birthday guests – several moves to music that were fun to watch.  I could see the joy, energy and confidence in their eyes as they hopped and slid to the music.  I’m not sure what the families thought, but this was much more tame than other 15^th birthdays that we’ve been to, and much more exciting.

Missing some…

A few weeks ago, we “lost” one of our families due to moving away.  Ivan and his grandmother left us for a border town where his mom lives.  He came to us as a rambunctious kid and left a very special place in our hearts.  “He was really beginning to do well,” commented Kiana.