November 24th
Greetings to you! We are sorry that we can’t update this blog more often but the internet here at the camp has been down for 2 weeks so when we get to go to town we try to do as much ‘wireless interneting’ as possible before our kids go CRAZY in the back seat!
The Samuel’s house is at the mudding/sanding stage and Willie is finding that to be an exciting challenge. He has enjoyed working with all the different groups that have come through and working with everyones strengths and abilities to complete this home. It would be a real dream to complete it by Christmas! I went out on Friday for about an hour... the kids were both napping in the truck so I got out and helped mud some screw holes in the ceiling. Not much of a contribution but hey... you do what you can when you can...
We went to another high school football game on Friday night. The kids stayed at the Glenn’s (Luke and Sara) and they had an amazing time. It was a great date night for Willie and I and even though it was cold we enjoyed the game (until half time anyway... then we realized half time was 28 minutes... so we went to Walmart to buy Samuel his birthday gift from my mom and we went back to find our kids did not want to come with us. Again I say we’re so thankful for Jason and Leeanne and their kids.
Sunday brought us another gift! We were once again blown away by a God who loves to ‘wow’ us. We went out to a country church (and I mean country... not a whole lot but a church down this road!) All but 5 people in the congregation were in the choir and how sweet it is to hear the voice of God through a beautiful black choir!! The lady on the piano came by the camp on Thursday to bless us with her talents and now we got to experience it on a Sunday morning worship! The neatest thing about this is that they weren’t expecting us to come. She had invited us but had no clue we were all going to come (there were about 20 of us) She had woken up on Sunday morning and God told her to prepare food for us - so she called her mom and asked her to prepare chicken and all the amazing things that go with that - and for 20 people!!! How exciting it was when we walked through the door and she saw us file in to this tiny country church!!! God is so amazing! And Samuel got to meet the sweetest lady - her birthday was this week too! She turned 98!! So he got to wish her a happy birthday and she just blessed him with her sweet warm hands!! (then we had to cruise because I was standing on an ant hill but I was so caught in the moment I hadn’t noticed!!!) I love how it’s such a different ‘world’ and yet we all serve the same God - just in totally different ways!! He is glorified and He is here!!!
We are so enjoying our time and are again forever thankful for a God who has given us so much! We are however a little (or actually quite a lot more than a little) disappointed that no one has come out on a short term to see what MDS is about... we do encourage you to do it!! Just do it!!
November 25th - Samuel’s Birthday!!!
I must admit that before we left I was a little bummed because I knew we wouldn’t be able to a birthday party for Samuel at home - but wow we had a great day. We did a lot of our favorite things today... we went over to the Glenn house for ‘Birthday Pancakes’ (which were John Deere green!!), went to the library with Luke, went out to McDonalds for nuggets and fries, got some balloons, played with Luke and Sara, played with some really cute puppies and talked to Gramma, Grampa, Auntie Dewey, William & DJ on the phone, listened to Mr. Pete, Bethany and Benjamin sing Happy Birthday, had a Lightening McQueen birthday cake! WOW.
So thank you so much Pete for having the kids call that was really special - a highlight forsure! And yes Dad, Samuel instructed me to pull his ears for you and he liked that (had to do it twice).
So thank you Jesus for giving our sweet boy a great birthday day from Morning to Night. Samuel was born on American Thanksgiving day and he truly is a gift that we are thankful for daily!!! As I go to bed tonight I’m amazed that He has been so good to us and I wish I would spend more time praising Him for his goodness... always something to work on I guess!!! Goodnight.
November 26th - the Morning After
Okay now my boy is flat on his back - resting. He has said that his head hurts for the last three days but today he had no ambition and he’s doing NOTHING! I was a little concerned but thought it was just because of all the excitement of yesterday and he was tired. But then I looked in his mouth... he’s got his adult teeth coming behind his bottom baby teeth... and the baby teeth are not comin’ out anytime soon!! I’m freaking out a little but trying to stay calm. I threw the kids in the truck and went over to Leeanne’s since she’s got 4 kids and much calmer than I am... but everyone is saying it’ll be okay and that the baby teeth will fall out but yikes... it looks painful. And anyone that knows Samuel knows that he’s pretty tough - for him to say his head hurts it must be pounding! So I guess I’m asking for prayers again...
Becky if you’re reading this I know Cassidy had this but just in the past year right? And the dentist had to pull the baby teeth if I remember correctly. Let me know if you have some advice. Thanks... later.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Beginning Week Three
Well we’ve been outback for a week - no internet service for over a week - I’m going crazy!! Sorry for not being able to keep you updated.
Willie finished his second week and they’re drywalling the inside rooms and hope to be painting real soon. There is a large crew out this week so we’ll see how successful things are.
If you want more ‘updates’ on the building you’ll have to call Willie - he says he’s a more verbal person - not a virtual person like me! I’ll give you some basics but I don’t know all the specifics.
I don’t know how to answer the comments on the blog so I’m sorry if you’re asking questions and I can’t answer... I’ll try to email you personally.
A few answers:
Our mailing address until December 13th is
Willie & Jacquie Friesen
c/o MDS
P.O. Box 272
Newton, Texas 75966
Please feel free to send mail up until December 5th... I think after that it just might not get here in time before we move on. We will have a new address come January through to the time we return home.
The kids are still crazy and so is their mom! We’re having a great time but we are missing our playdates and all the regular things at home... familiar faces instead of new ones every week. We have so appreciated the Glenn family here at the camp and will enjoy being with them until we have to move on.
We are struggling with training our little spitfire... I knew it would be a challenge but being away from home makes it more difficult for me. Our bathroom area is super small and well I just don’t really like hanging out close to the potty all day... but I realize I need too because I’ve washed a lot of Tinker Bell panties the last day! Maybe I shouldn’t give up after one day but I feel like a quitter right about now...
The nights are getting super cold so for all of you that are jealous - don’t be. It’s cold here too. No snow but cold. As you see in the pictures my Christmas decorating has been kept to a minimum but it’s still making us feel festive...
We spend Tuesday mornings at the Newton Library and we LOVE it. It’s great to watch Samuel in a learning environment and he’s doing so well. The children’s librarian is so sweet and so fun to listen to.
Anyway it’s time to head to the dining hall for supper... take care. Love you all.
Willie finished his second week and they’re drywalling the inside rooms and hope to be painting real soon. There is a large crew out this week so we’ll see how successful things are.
If you want more ‘updates’ on the building you’ll have to call Willie - he says he’s a more verbal person - not a virtual person like me! I’ll give you some basics but I don’t know all the specifics.
I don’t know how to answer the comments on the blog so I’m sorry if you’re asking questions and I can’t answer... I’ll try to email you personally.
A few answers:
Our mailing address until December 13th is
Willie & Jacquie Friesen
c/o MDS
P.O. Box 272
Newton, Texas 75966
Please feel free to send mail up until December 5th... I think after that it just might not get here in time before we move on. We will have a new address come January through to the time we return home.
The kids are still crazy and so is their mom! We’re having a great time but we are missing our playdates and all the regular things at home... familiar faces instead of new ones every week. We have so appreciated the Glenn family here at the camp and will enjoy being with them until we have to move on.
We are struggling with training our little spitfire... I knew it would be a challenge but being away from home makes it more difficult for me. Our bathroom area is super small and well I just don’t really like hanging out close to the potty all day... but I realize I need too because I’ve washed a lot of Tinker Bell panties the last day! Maybe I shouldn’t give up after one day but I feel like a quitter right about now...
The nights are getting super cold so for all of you that are jealous - don’t be. It’s cold here too. No snow but cold. As you see in the pictures my Christmas decorating has been kept to a minimum but it’s still making us feel festive...
We spend Tuesday mornings at the Newton Library and we LOVE it. It’s great to watch Samuel in a learning environment and he’s doing so well. The children’s librarian is so sweet and so fun to listen to.
Anyway it’s time to head to the dining hall for supper... take care. Love you all.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Second week gone... where did it go??
Wow time flies when you're hanging out with MDS!!! We are shocked that we've already been here for two full weeks - feels like just yesterday and yet when we said goodbye to friends today it felt as though we had always known them! Crazy how God works! We are so thankful for the chance to have met Frank & Shirley Enns and Issac & Elsie Bergen... they received us with open arms and were so wonderful to work with and live with. We only wish it would have been fora longer time.
Our week was a little rainy and yet so fun for the kids! Apparently 3.5 inches in one night (Willie just informed me) Looking back I'm having a hard time remembering what the week was like. Olivia cut another molar (thank you Jesus) Samuel is still coughing at night but we're getting used to that.
Our friends Jason and Leeanne are still a saving grace most days because the kids love to spend time together and I just really enjoy the great chats with her. We're planning on spending the weekend here on the camp with them... I'm excited to go 'shooting' with Leeanne - she had a 9mm (not sure what that is but I guess I'll find out) We're going to church and then shooting (kinda random but hey we're in Texas!)
I'll upload the weeks pictures on Tuesday because our 'internet date' is almost over!
Thanks for the love!!
Our week was a little rainy and yet so fun for the kids! Apparently 3.5 inches in one night (Willie just informed me) Looking back I'm having a hard time remembering what the week was like. Olivia cut another molar (thank you Jesus) Samuel is still coughing at night but we're getting used to that.
Our friends Jason and Leeanne are still a saving grace most days because the kids love to spend time together and I just really enjoy the great chats with her. We're planning on spending the weekend here on the camp with them... I'm excited to go 'shooting' with Leeanne - she had a 9mm (not sure what that is but I guess I'll find out) We're going to church and then shooting (kinda random but hey we're in Texas!)
I'll upload the weeks pictures on Tuesday because our 'internet date' is almost over!
Thanks for the love!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Some more miles
We went out to Beaumont Texas this last weekend and enjoyed doing nothing and just being the 4 of us and the hi-light.... a full size bathtub!
Samuel has been coughing quite a bit since we got here - usually at night. We don't know if it's the A/C or the changes in temperature from hot during the day to cool after dinner.. On Satuday night he was starting to again so I went to pick him up so that he could breathe better and he threw up all over me. Oh what a great thing to be a mom with a sensitive nose!!! Let's just leave the details and say that Willie had to grab him to clean him up so that I could have some time alone to try to keep my food where it belonged!
We're back on the camp again and realize coming back on Sunday night that this already feels like home! Thanks be to God for all His wonderful blessings and so many people around us that love the same Jesus!!
If you're reading this and are wondering what to pray for I'll ask you to pray for a young man that came out to help out last week (for a two week short term). He had seizers and some other things happen to him earlier in his life so he was a little handicapped but such a willing servant! He came out and worked hard everyday and he was pretty easy to love! Well this morning he got a call that his dad was ill and he needed to go back to Winkler now. (they don't know if his dad will still be alive when he gets there.) They got him a flight out this afternoon and we're all praying that God will do a miracle for Corny and allow him to say goodbye to his dad. (His dad had colon cancer and was doing okay but now they found a tumor). So the details are little but please pray for Corny - in all his innocence we weren't sure how much he understood.
We are welcoming people who want to experience life to the fullest to really step into His throne room and spend time with Him. He'll direct you and keep you and give you all you need - just allow Him to. Don't scale back - the miracle can be yours! God wants to live through you and we love meeting people who want to spend time with God and to help others see Him in the everyday living. We've experienced so much in the last little while - so much undeserved goodness and we just want to share it with you all. (or should that be y'all)
Thank you for your prayers and your comments.
Mel I'll get you an address. Not sure what it is.... I'll put it on the blog maybe - or email it.
Sleep well!
Samuel has been coughing quite a bit since we got here - usually at night. We don't know if it's the A/C or the changes in temperature from hot during the day to cool after dinner.. On Satuday night he was starting to again so I went to pick him up so that he could breathe better and he threw up all over me. Oh what a great thing to be a mom with a sensitive nose!!! Let's just leave the details and say that Willie had to grab him to clean him up so that I could have some time alone to try to keep my food where it belonged!
We're back on the camp again and realize coming back on Sunday night that this already feels like home! Thanks be to God for all His wonderful blessings and so many people around us that love the same Jesus!!
If you're reading this and are wondering what to pray for I'll ask you to pray for a young man that came out to help out last week (for a two week short term). He had seizers and some other things happen to him earlier in his life so he was a little handicapped but such a willing servant! He came out and worked hard everyday and he was pretty easy to love! Well this morning he got a call that his dad was ill and he needed to go back to Winkler now. (they don't know if his dad will still be alive when he gets there.) They got him a flight out this afternoon and we're all praying that God will do a miracle for Corny and allow him to say goodbye to his dad. (His dad had colon cancer and was doing okay but now they found a tumor). So the details are little but please pray for Corny - in all his innocence we weren't sure how much he understood.
We are welcoming people who want to experience life to the fullest to really step into His throne room and spend time with Him. He'll direct you and keep you and give you all you need - just allow Him to. Don't scale back - the miracle can be yours! God wants to live through you and we love meeting people who want to spend time with God and to help others see Him in the everyday living. We've experienced so much in the last little while - so much undeserved goodness and we just want to share it with you all. (or should that be y'all)
Thank you for your prayers and your comments.
Mel I'll get you an address. Not sure what it is.... I'll put it on the blog maybe - or email it.
Sleep well!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Civilization
How quickly we become spoiled! We had an amazing week and felt 'trapped' because we couldn't share it "virtually" with anyone because the internet situation at the camp is less than ideal.
We got out to the East Texas Baptist Encampment on Saturday night (Nov 1). We were a little less than excited when we saw the size of the hotel room that we would be living in for 6 weeks. But you know when you go in a spirit of service it changes your (mostly mine) attitude about certain things. We had driven through some neighborhoods and were so amazed at the quality of some homes... most people in our community would not be able to believe how a lot of the population lives like. It's so heartbreaking! So ya, when we saw how small our 'home' was with the images of others homes we were thankful.
We had a super awesome church experience in Newton. We were the white population and yet I've never felt more welcome in a church that wasn't our home church. Thank you Jesus for such a gift. I had a few tears of thankfulness and just took it all in. We will miss them this weekend but home to go back next week.
Willie started the week on Monday early morning. He had an awesome day and was excited about the rest of the week. There are short term volunteers from Manitoba and one guy from Chicago.
Tuesday we found ourselves really curious about the election (since we didn't have internet or TV or radio...) but late at night we sat on a log and got connected to the internet and found the news... We feel that we need to pray for the US... a lot!
Willie's crew shingled the house, roughed in all the wiring and began the siding. The A/C and heating guys completed their work on Friday as well. The family that they are building a home for consists of Mom and Dad, 3 kids plus a niece and nephew of Mom's sister who passed away a short while ago. Dad is a delimber operator so that's kinda neat for Willie, as he works in the heat he hears some very common sounds of the 'bush' machines in the distance (so just like winter work at home - just with a farmers tan happening) :-)
Samuel has found a new friend named Luke. God gave us another amazing gift! A family has just moved to the camp - he's a Youth pastor and she's a full time mom of 4 kids and one more on the way. They just moved there about a month ago from about an hour down the road. So they have little Luke who is 4, Sara who's 2 (see how perfect that is!!!) and 2 older kids. Luke and Samuel play great together - the girls don't always play perfectly because they're both shoe freaks so they have some arguing to do about that.
On Friday we experienced "Friday Night Lights" and that was fun! For $5 we could go watch a High School Football game in Newton. It was so neat - pretty much the entire town of Newton was in the stands and wow is it a big deal! They get to the game about an hour and half before kick off!! And you think La Crete hockey moms are crazy --- we just found a whole stadium full of them!
We also met a family that has a connection to home. Larry (and Sandra) Neufeld's brother and his family is here at the camp on their way down to Belize. What a small world! And they have amazing kids that enjoy spending time with our wild kids too!! So we haven't lacked in the entertainment section of life and Samuel is so happy to have someone other than Mom and Olivia to play with!
God is showing us daily how much he loves us and how He is going to take care of us. I'm thankful for the experience God is allowing us to have and I pray that we will continue to be used by Him! I pray that each of you at home will search for an opportunity wherever you are to bless someone's socks off!
Monday, November 3, 2008
We arrived... with not the best Internet service
Sorry - we're here but we don't have a lot of time to blog and when we do the internet seems to be lacking in service.
We arrived on the site on Saturday and we love it. There is so much room for the kids to run and play - very dreamy!
Willie started work today and hoping that he's going to be effective in the work and in sharing Christ.
We had an AMAZING church experience yesterday. We've never felt so loved and invited! We were hugged about a million times and they feed us and just took us in. It was so encouraging and we thank God for His gift to us! Praise Him for all that He does to encourage and to inspire. These people were truly inspiring! They had so little and yet talked about doing a food drive for the elderly and needy in their community and giving was a very important part of their service. Just amazing. More details when I have time.
Take care and hold fast to the One who loves you the most!!
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