BREAKING UP is HARD TO DO

BREAKING UP is HARD TO DO…..Breaking up a family, that is.

Ryan’s suitcase packed and ready.

 Last meal – TGIFridays

 checking in

7-15-17 was the hardest day of my life.  Our family had to say a gut-wrenching good-bye to Ryan.  Seventeen years has flown by fast and I am not ready to have him leave the nest.  I want to school him another year, to have all 9 of my kids under my roof another year, to take vacation with him next year, to have him around our dinner table longer, to see him walk out of his room each morning and think Did he grow taller overnight? hear him laugh and see his smile daily…for another year…or two.  This all happened way too fast.  Yesterday he was a baby and then – poof – he is spreading his wings and flying…literally.   

Ryan is excited about this new adventure.  He will be in Texas a week, the at a MK re-entry camp for a week in Colorado, then an extra week in Colorado with team mates and back to Texas.  He’ll have a week and a half before moving into the dorm and beginning college life.  He is attending University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas; majoring in psychology.    

annual SPIRITUAL LIFE CONFERENCE

July 9-14

It is such a sweet time each year when our entire team gets together.

This is our team that we love so much!

These are all the kids on the team who make our team awesome!

These are all the 10-12-year-old boys that make our team loud (and a lot of fun too)

These are the high school boys that are growing up way too fast

This retreat was extra special because former team mates came back to help with childcare during the retreat.  We were all delighted to see this family again.  The below picture is with two returning team mate girls, along with Ginny and her best MK friend.

It's the one time a year we are pretty much guaranteed to get a family picture

It’s winter in Paraguay right now, but you would never know it from the incredibly wonderful weather we had.  We swam every day.

If I've learned one thing here in Paraguay, it is this: where there are boys, there is a soccer

 The MK band leading us in worship.  Man, I teared up big time at the last performance.  These boys have been blessing us with their music since they were little.  And now the band is breaking up due to college and home assignment.

Ginny playing a duet for special music

Teen guy session

 Teen girl session

 And this year’s retreat boasted the very first MK musical.  

Our team has been very blessed to have several new families arrive recently.  Often it seems that as soon as we say hello to someone, we must say good-bye to someone else.  At retreat, we always have a couple good-byes of team mates leaving for home assignment or leaving permanently. Good-byes are tough.  Good-byes never get easier.

Speaking of good-byes and tough things…Jeff and I did one of the hardest things we’ve ever done – commission Ryan into the next stage of his life. In front of our mission family Jeff and I shared…we both cried….and others shared over Ryan.  Jeff prayed over him and then Tom called our family up and prayed over our family.  It was a sweet, sappy and very special.

July 13-15, 2017

After we retreat we went back to the guest house and counted down the hours till we said good-bye to Ryan. His last days were just as he had hoped – surrounded by friends.

Makayla at 7 months (7-10-17)

Currently loving:
Crawling
Babbling....lots of babababa...and I am pretty sure I've heard a mamamam a couple of times
Fuitloops, crackers, and oatmeal
splashing in the bath
being tickled, especially under the chin

Currently not loving:
Having her first cold

9-14: Joshua had 4 wisdom teeth pulled.  He cheeks swelled up so much.

A FEW DAYS in ASUNCION

July 5-9

The same day the TIME interns left the Jones family arrived. 

This is a God thing. What started in March as an application for a high school math and science teacher turned into a family of 4 arriving just 4 months later. We are thrilled to welcome family to our little town. They have a small house and limited Spanish/Guarani. They have big servant hearts and give tons of encouragement. They have wonderful smiles and a great sense of adventure. And (maybe this is the best trait) they are fellow Texans.

 Martha will be teaching math and science to Ginny and Joshua.  Jim will be teaching a science coop to six 5-7th grade boys (to of them mine).  Their two boys - 17 and 12 years old - will be homeschooled for the first time.

 These days are very precious to us because they our last week and a half with Ryan before he goes to live in Texas. 

We are spending lots of hours breaking in his new breaking in Ryan’s new terere equipo (the one he picked out to take to the states with him).

We have our annual Spiritual Life Conference coming up so the MK band got some practice in for a couple worship sessions.

What fun it was to see our former team mates who came to help with our upcoming Spiritual Life Conference.  They brought a church group with them which we enjoyed getting to know.