Thursday, April 25, 2013

   Time slips quickly by and we are already in the last week of April. Our family is very excited because on the 15th of May our daughter Esther and her husband Stephen will come and be with us for 7 whole days....we haven't seen them since their wedding last June so we are very happy for this gift!!! And I will be happy to have someone come who talks EnglishLOL. Some days are fine and then other days it gets so overwhelming how painfully slow it is on my progress in being able to communicate. Thank God my kids can do reasonably well and interpret for me!!
 
   The first of May Jason and Nicole will be back to celebrate Jasmine's 12th birthday and there will be a baptism at the river..I hear there are a lot of baptisms that day altho I do not have names and numbers..we'll write those details in the next blog:) Since we last wrote Jason and Nicole left for the beginning work in Mexico City. That was 2 weeks ago...like the beginning of all new works it is not easy sailing for them so please pray for them.
 
  Since we are now getting 6 to 8 gallon of milk a day my work has increased in managing all that...there is so much that can be done with milk:) I make a pressed cheese in little round disk...not pressed like with a weight and board but while it is warm I press it with my hand in this round shape and then salt it and its wonderful eating plain or in a tortilla etc. I also make butter  and yogurt and use the buttermilk in baking...all in all I have enjoyed it...altho it can get time consuming making 20 to 30 round disk of cheese. We sell it when we can for 8 pesos a disk and if it doesn't sell there is no problem giving it to our family here..the Mexicans love the cheese:) We go to Market on Wednesday..I get up and make cinnamon rolls and then we sell cheese and rolls...its usually 250 to 300 pesos worth...which buys some feed:) Then again on Sunday I make cheese for the Mexicans to take to San Lorenzo and they sell cheese and Milk over there..again about 250 to 300 pesos worth...so we are not making any big money but it at least helps with feed cost. And its good my girls will now know how to make cheese as well and Natalia has helped me several times so eventually the Mexicans will able to carry it, too:)

   Just alittle update from the last time...not much trouble with the vampire bats lately..and  Manchitas had a heifer calf!! And Rekaka and the calves cooperated and she and her 2 calves are now out in pasture and they are both enjoying Mama and growing nicely. We had a headache for awhile with cows getting out of the pasture and in the neighbors corn but finally we got the fence fixed to where they will not get out and now things are more peaceful:)
 
  We have a new single mom here with her year old twins...Jose and Iris. The twins were pretty sick when they got here but are slowly improving...Iris is a little more open to others holding her and helping with her needs..Jose clings to Mama but is slowly allowing others to hold him.....you know us we are just loving all the babies:) Carlos(Juana's boy) at 14 month isn't really walking alone yet..he can, he will take steps between people  and he loves for you to hold his hand and walk around with him but he just won't be adventurous enough to just do it on his own. He adores Papi(what he calls Asher)...Asher is good about taking time to hold him and do things with him...and he loves to come crawling into Grandma's house...I have a box of toys that I do not let go outside so it is special to come in Grandma's house:)...its nice for Juana to be able to get something done while he plays at Grandmas house..he's sad when we are doing school and I don't let him come in...its not because he is a problem but because he is so darling and we all want to play with him and school work goes out the window:(
 
   2 weeks ago we went to Puebla because Edith needed to do her ACT test. We spent the night with a pastor who had visited here a few months ago...Jorge and his wife who is a doctor. There were very kind and he spent Saturday morning showing us around where we needed to drive. We dropped Edith off at Puebla Christian School(in a house and only 2 others took the test.)..Edith enjoyed talking English:) They told her about this English Bible School Camp they have in the spring...we missed it for this year ..but it may be good next year for the older girls to meet new friends who are on the mission field and be able to encourage each other. We hope to ask questions of what they have learned about paper work, about colleges etc etc. It was nice to meet other Christians and we will see what all God has for us in making this contact. While Edith took her test we went to a park so the kids could play..Michael and Rafi enjoyed trying to catch squirrels:) They have some pictures of the squirrels eating out of their hands:) After picking up Edith we headed for home and Asher was more than tired of city driving and traffic till we ever got out of there..he would be happy to never do it again:)
 
  Asher had to fix the brakes on the van this week...even if we just fixed them when we were in TX...some things just wear out quickly here:( Like shoes for the kids too. I have never had to buy so many boots and shoes...I guess the wet weather is hard on shoes or boots. Such is life in Mexico!!:)
 
  Blessings friends. Thank you for reading, thank you for praying. We are grateful for our friends support!!