Ankle update

Like all 'em colors??!! No that is not my new tan line! I wish. It's all bruise.

As many of you know, I slipped and fell off a slightly elevated floor Friday evening. I've twisted my ankles a lot through the years. When I was younger I was able to snap them back. I guess with age you aren't able to do this anymore. My ankle is healing but it is still very sore and swollen. Thanks for all your prayers! I made it through the crucial time of our Christmas Program without any problems. Now I just have to learn to take it easy. Not something I enjoy. I still have major shopping to do to get ready for family that is coming over Christmas. I'm having to just relax and trust God that everything will come together in His time!! By the way, I updated my status on Facebook. I didn't iceskate nor bowl. I sat on the sidelines!!

Christmas Program!

Thank you so much for all your prayers! Our Christmas Program went very well!! We aren't sure how many folks attended (forgot to delegate this to someone!) but we had more guests than we've ever had before at an activity!! The cast and the choirs did so well! Of course the Children's Bell Choir is the cutest thing ever. No one fell up or down the stairs when filing on or off the platform!! We did have a couple of dropped bells. No biggie. We had wonderful tamales and atole afterwards. And then the grand finale was the breaking of piñatas!!

We started out the day with our normal worship service. Then we all stayed and had lunch here at the house. Wall to wall people!!! It was fun because we also ate together the night before after our final rehearsal! Right now we are all experiencing a little let down. Not because of anything that happened yesterday but because we have all enjoyed all the Saturday practices. We have all grown as a church body the past month and a half of Saturday practices. We will all miss the fun time of singing, laughing and eating together! I have to admit that I'm exhausted but it is a good exhaustion. A very clear presentation was given of the True Meaning of Christmas and any tiredness we are experiencing today was well worth it!

My ankle held up well yesterday with all the activities. Thanks for your prayers! Nicole's ears are doing much better! Double ear infections are pretty painful. She still has a lot of flem and is coughing a lot but on the mend!!

Trust everyone keeps Christ in the center as we wrap up these final days before Christmas!


So thankful for the long great room that transforms into a lunch hall!


Best place to be when it is lunch time is around the table where the food is!


Food and Fellowship!


Drama Team


Children's Bell Choir!


More of the Children's Bell Choir


Teen Tube Choir! What a great bunch of kids!!


Alfonso was the person manning the rope of the piñata!


Piñatas are a big part of Christmas here in Mexico!


Ernestito smacking the piñata!


All rushing to get the candy out of the piñata!!

Sneak Peek!!

This is the scene we are using of the shepherd family's home. It took six hours to paint each scene.


Here is half of the pasture scene. You can still see the LG logo through the paint. You can see that we recycled our fridge box!!



The night scene where the shepherds meet the Angel!

Thank you so much for your prayers concerning our Christmas Program Practices. Tonight we have our final run through here at the house and tomorrow evening we will perform at the party house we are renting. Last night while we were there for a basketball party I tripped off the dance floor (no I wasn't dancing!)and twisted my ankle pretty bad. I'm gimpy but not out! I'm posting a few pics of the scenery that the folk here at Nueva Vida have been working on. We appreciate the five folks that worked very diligently to get this done. I think it looks great!!

Basketball

Natalie and I at a Basketball Christmas Party!


Natalie and her team had a gift exchange! Can you guess what they exchanged?!

We have really enjoyed our time with basketball here! Natalie has had an opportunity to play now for four years. It has been really nice for her to get exercise as well as form friendships. I, too, have had opportunities to share the gospel with several of the moms. Natalie will finish up her time in this particular b-ball program in June of 2009. Nicole however wants to continue! I love it that all three of my children have enjoyed playing a sport that I truly love. Of course it comes with some frustrations. Having both played and coached basketball, I tend to get a little too emotional during games. I've often thought it would be best if I took a roll of duct tape to use on my mouth. It's hard to not "help".

So much to be Thankful for!!!!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week and believe it or not we also celebrated a week before Thanksgiving! Can we ever be too grateful? I think not. We are so thankful for the missionary families that God has allowed us to fellowship with here in Mexico. It is times like Holidays that we are reminded often of our loved ones and what they are doing back in the States. It can be difficult. This year we went to the Onofrios and celebrated a week early. The Onofrios used to work here in Mexico City but are now church planting outside of Tulancingo, Mexico. It was fun to get away from the Big City for a day! The girls got to ride horses and get dirty! Nicole and all the rest of the younger children played on dirt hills and rock mounds close to the Onofrios house. What fun!!! We wrapped up the day around a bonfire cooking marshmellows for S'mores!!! I don't know where we found room for S'more but we did!! We feasted all day and it sure was yummy!! Thank you Grace and Jennifer!!

On Thanksgiving Day we hosted this time and really stuffed ourselves with delicious food. (again!) We had fun fellowshipping, eating, playing video games, watching football (NOT) and playing boomwhackers!!!!!! I can't forget that some of us played Apples to Apples! Fun, fun!! Then we wrapped up the evening with Prince Caspian!!! Yes, we've had the movie for over a month and no it isn't pirated! One of the perks of living in another country!!! I'm so thankful for all our missionary friends!!!! I was too busy to take any pictures of Thanksgiving Day but I hope you enjoy these from our first Thanksgiving at the Onofrios!


Finished up the day cooking marshmellows over a fire for S'mores!!! Yum, yum!! Thanks Onofrios for a wonderful day!


"Where is they?" (Daniel Onofrio and Benji Hornbrook)


Sarah Palin, eat your heart out!!! I'm sure that Nicole done killed some'um that day!!


War! Cowgirls vs. Cowboys! Not sure, but I think the girls won!! (Elizabeth Onofrio, cousin Claudia Hornbrook and Nicole)


Nicole also got in on a little horseback riding!! (thanks Jennifer!)


Natalie enjoying a horse for a whole day thanks to Jennifer Onofrio!