RAIN!!!

Rain, rain go away!!!!

We are in rainy season right now and we are always amazed at the amount of rain we see each year. We can never get over some of the images we see. Here we are the other day stuck in traffic and I happened to have our camera. BINGO!! great pictures at the expense of some poor red car. Check them out for yourself.

traffic jam

we are coming up on the red car which is causing the jam. Well traffic was backed up because we are also driving up a small river!!

the fire truck is here to help

and there it is

sorry buddy, I couldn't resist.
now, the tow truck has arrived

All in an afternoon's rain folks!!!!

P.S. I never appreciate complaining about Springfield's drainage system~~~

Please Pray!!!

Please be praying for my little brother Troy this week. He is entering "Hell Week" for his Navy Seals program.
*Please pray God will protect him physically and mentally.
*Pray God would give him strength when he feels tired.
*Pray God would keep his spirit and mind refreshed.
*Pray for him to be able to think clearly.
*Pray for his friend Swindal as they have each other to keep one another encouraged.
*Pray for his health to hold up.
*Pray for Troy to glorify God with his life above all.
*Pray for our family as we pray and WAIT this week.

This is a huge moment for our family. Thanks for your prayers in advance. We will definitely be proud of him NO matter what!! But I promised him we would be going before the throne of God and asking for these things in HIS power.

Wedding Bells

Wedding bells rang down here in P.V.....LIKE in JUNE!!! Oh well, I am very far behind but several people had asked for pictures so I had to share even though I am beyond fashionably late.
BTW: if you don't know Silvia or Roberto or you don't want to see the wedding pics then you might want to skip this post because there are LOTS of pictures. But hey, this is Preston's first wedding that he officiated. Go Pastor Preston!!!

Mexican weddings are very much like our weddings except they have a religious ceremony first and then they have a civil ceremony. I will talk more about the civil ceremony in a bit but first....the religious ceremony.
(people generally only attend the civil ceremony because it is at the location of the reception)(hints why there are not many people at the religious service.)

Where is the event: Our house by the pool
Officiator: Pastor Preston
Bride: Silvia Magdalena
Groom: Roberto
Wedding date: June 12, 2010

Preston, Groom and Groom's brother

Flower Girls

Here comes the beautiful bride!!

She is escorted by her father

I always tear up when daddy's have to give their daughters away

Yes, the wedding is in Spanish :)

It was perfect weather....ok, it was hot

exchange of rings

This is a Mexican tradition (it might be Latino in general) but it is a lazo. It is a symbol of the two families being united as one now. Kind of like a unity candle. I think it is beautiful. Preston and I were the "god parents" of this gift. We were the ones who bought it for them and then during the ceremony we were the ones who put it around them. It was a sweet time for us.

What a smile she has. She is glowing.

I now pronounce you husband and wife....

you may kiss the bride!!!

A sweet hug after

and there you have it!!

A beautiful couple

Now, on to the civil ceremony

This is the civil ceremony. A city judge even comes to perform the ceremony. They have to say vows, exchange rings and then sign like 1,000,000 papers and then put a finger print on each of those papers. The bride and groom have to each have a witness. Silvia asked me to be her witness. It was quite funny hearing the judge try to say my name!!!

In this picture we are all up front with Roberto, Silvia, their parents and the two witnesses.

the guy in the white suit is Roberto's witness (hey, he is not watching....come on witness)

Roberto signing all those papers. His parents are behind him.

My Mexican wedding debut. I am signing my approval on their marriage.

Look at these two wedding crashers :)

The reception

cake

look at those two crazy birds on the dance floor. Erika's parents.

Father/daughter dance...lots more tears

The couple's first dance

There you have it! A quick over view of our first wedding in P.V. We are super excited for Roberto and Silvia. Continue to pray for them and their marriage. Thanks for reading this post! Sorry it took so long :)

Grandparents

Well, today is Grandparent's Day!!!

Callie is one blessed little girl. She has 4 grandparents who love her very dearly. I pray she will grow up taking advantage of ever moment she has with them.


Grandparent's Day was started in 1978 from the efforts of Marian McQuade. Her goal was to educate youngsters about the important contributions seniors have made throughout history. She also urged the youth to "adopt" a grandparent, not just for one day a year, but rather for a lifetime.

The purpose of the day is to "to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer".


I know we are, and will be very diligent to teach Callie about the importance of people older than us and the wisdom they can bring to our lives. I pray for her to have amazing relationships with each of her grandparents. The love they already have for her is amazing and quite infectious.

I hope Callie's grandparents feel VERY special today. Today is about you and how far you have come in life. You have done an amazing job raising your children and now you can sit back and watch the next generation of your family begin. We pray we will be half the parents you were and are. Thanks for loving us and loving Callie. Again, she is beyond blessed!!!

Happy Grandparent's Day
Grandpa Goings
Nanny G
Popsie and Mimi

Good Times.....

Good times had with the interns and Jeffrey this summer!!
See for yourself....HERE

Basketball Team

24 hours after the baseball team left, we had a team of 13 people from Second arrive. They hosted a basketball camp in the same neighborhood. Again, we had an awesome turnout . Around 70 kids attended the camp. It was a great chance to meet more kids and their families but also spend another week with some of the kids from the baseball camp. We also held a BBQ the last night of camp. There were so many people that we ran out of hot dog buns! Thankfully there was a little corner store right there to buy some more. It was another great week. Here is the video from this team.

Thanks basketball team for all your hard work!
We love you all.

Baseball Team

In July we hosted a team of 13 people from Second, to put on a baseball camp for a week here in a local neighborhood. The camp went great! By the end of the camp we had over 60 kids!!
The last evening we had a BBQ for the kids and their families and Preston was able to share the gospel with the kids and some of the parents.
Since then, Preston has been to the majority of the kid's homes to deliver their "prize" which consists of, a single picture of each child, a group picture, a certificate and information about the church. We are looking to start a Bible study in this neighborhood starting in September.

Click HERE to watch the baseball team video and pray for the faces you see.

Thanks baseball group....you did a FANTASTIC job.