Corpus Christi

 We made a trip we have never made before.  (I love going places we have never been.)  We headed to Corpus Christi.  STEPHANIE'S WEDDING!  (She is our beautiful niece)  It was a long drive but we are so thankful that we got to go.

We were so glad we got to spend time with little Ryan.  He is Mickeys grandson.  Zach's little boy.  We brought him a toy to open.  This is Uncle Todd putting it together.

 This is Pawpaw (Mic) with Ryan checking out the water.

Turns out Corpus Christi is very windy.  Yea I think they picked the wrong city to call Windy City.  Sorry Chicago.  But hey, if you can move Mawmaw's hair around -- It's windy!

We saw this dead puffer fish at the waters edge.  Gross!

We had dinner before the wedding at the hotel.  These sweet boys- Ryan on the left and Grayson on the right- were looking at the boats across the way.  It looks like they are just looking at the road, but the water was over there, trust me.

While we were waiting for our food they got a little restless though, so I let them take turns using my camera.  Ryan snapped this one of me and Grayson.  Excuse my "look".  I as you can see had not finished my hair.  Or started it actually.  Todd and I had just been on a walk at the waters edge in the wind.  So yea...

Then Grayson got this one of Ryan and me.

And I dont know what this face is about but Ryan captured it.

We had to get a little creative because the wait was a little longer than expected.  FUNNY FACES!

Seriously we enjoyed getting to spend time with these sweethearts.  They were very good.
After lunch was over it was time to tame my hair and get ready for Graysons' mommy's wedding.

Wedding post ahead!!!!!

Funny much?

I guess it was funny!

I cant remember what we were laughing so hard about.  I wish I did.

Hurry Up May

I remember one day a few years ago Todd and I were having lunch at a Mexican Restaurant with Mark and Mickey I think.  During lunch Mark asked us for suggestions as to where he could go for supper that evening.  I found that a bit humorous since we were in the middle of eating Quesadillas and such at the moment.  Turns out he was trying to figure out somewhere nice to take a date for the evening.  He said he was going out to dinner with Paige Staggs.  I said "Who?"with this crazy eye look on my face.  He repeated himself to which I replied "You're lying."  LOL  That still cracks me up.

I had known (and loved) Paige for a while and so had Mark actually.  (Well not the loved part) He had never mentioned her to me before, ever once.

This is she and I a LONG time ago, when she was sick.

Mark wasn't lying and basically they have been inseparable ever since that first dinner date.  Except for that time he had to move to Birmingham and then Shreveport.  Can you say "Face Time?" Or "texting?"

Several months ago Mark let us in on the little secret that he planned to ask Paige to marry him!  We were so excited.   He showed us the ring that he'd had designed and made for her.  IT.IS.AMAZING!

He decided though that he wanted to put it away in a safe place until he was ready to ask her.  He wanted to be settled back in our home town and working before he popped the question.  So we waited.  Everyone kept asking us when...   we waited.

After we got back from our wonderful and blessed trip to Peru, one day Mark called me and asked me what I was doing on the following Thursday.  He invited me to be in on the shenanigans!  He wanted me to bring my camera to catch her reaction.  He had gotten a job here in town and was moving back home.  He was going to surprise Paige with that news and then propose.  We went to her house to wait on her to get home from work.  We parked across the street in my car so she wouldn't notice we were there.  Once she came in the door, Mark walked into the living room from our hiding spot down the hall.  She was so surprised to see him and said "What are you doing here?"

 Thats when he told her that he was home for good!  She burst into tears immediately.

 He told me she would.  I was a bit skeptical, but he was right.

After they hugged a bit, he told her he brought her a "happy".  (I'LL SAY!)  He did bring her "happies" from time to time so there was no reason for her to think anything of it being more than a bag of chocolate, or you know, some bullets... hehehe  He told her to close her eyes, no peeking.  He grabbed the ROCK ahem,  I mean ring and got down on one knee.  Then he told her to open her eyes.  Thats when he asked her if she would marry him.  We were all in tears.

She said YES!

They are such a cute couple, if I do say so myself!

Paige said they needed a "Family Portrait"  She told Bella she had a real daddy now!  :)

After things calmed down a bit we headed over to our house to show Todd!

We are so blessed to have sweet Paige to be a part of our family and are equally thankful to have her sweet family accept Mark into theirs.

May cant come soon enough.  I say that a lot actually, but this time it will be for wedding purposes and not end of school purposes!

May 16th, here we come!

Thinking Back

I really did mean to do a sort of final Peru post.  Starting back work plus busy weekends has slowed me up on that.  But I decided to sit down this eventing a go ahead and do that.  After our thankfully uneventful flight home and landing in Houston we drove back to Vidalia.  On that drive home I spent time thinking about our time in Peru.  It was unavoidable because there was so much to think about.  So much to sort out.  So much that I never want to forget.  I remember thinking about the people we met.

• Parts of our team 

Dan and Charla

Aaron and Marla

Paige

 Amber (On the right)

Very sweet people wanting to make a difference.  Wanting to share Gods' love.

• Abundant Life Ministry Team

Trent (Matias) (In the red "jacket" cause its WINTER!) 

His wife Shawn and their children.

His nephew Nathan

Courtney and Andrew

(This is Courtney leading the way)

(And Andrew with sweet Teddy)

Nedi (On the left)

Michael and his wife    (He was our very capable interpreter)

Rudolpho and his wife   (Thats not her...)

and many others

They have given up their lives.  They literally are living new lives for God in a new country away from the ease and riches we have here, and have made an entirely different life now with orphans and others who they know are so important to God but who society seems to be able to throw by the wayside.  

• The safehouse guys

Todd called them the Safeway guys  :)

Former addicts who have been rescued from the streets by God through Trent and his team.  They have been loved on and shown the love of God.  Their lives have been made NEW.  Now they are serving God and the people they previously lived among.  Addicts, prostitutes, and the poorest of the poor.  They are showing them how God can change, and save, and rescue, and love, and protect.

Jonathan
Gustavo
Marcos
William
William the Chef

• Jessica House Girls

Dolly
Louana
Johnnie  (Thats Johnnie beside me in the yellow)  What a story she has.

A new place of hope for them.  A safe place to go and bring their kids where that team will show them Gods love and forgiveness and help them find freedom in Christ from all those things that have kept them bound for so long.  A new world for them so different, seeing people who really care about their lives.

• The Peruvian children

Their dark beautiful shiny eyes

Their dirty faces and clothes

Their little hands reaching for yours a little hesitantly - not accustomed to seeing a white face.  Not used to seeing an adult smile at them or want to play with them.

Shalom
Abrianna
Christina
Marco
Javier
Rico
Christian

And so many names I couldn't understand.

Pastor Danny asked us a few times what we were bringing home from Peru.  It was a lot to think about and couldn't be answered for me simply.  I still may not know it all even at this point months later.  But this I know

• Showing Gods love is KEY.  His love, his kindness brings the needed change.
• What Trents ministry is doing is important.  It touches many and requires a lot of energy, time, money, people, effort, and love.  We should help.  
• We need to open our eyes to see the hungry and hurting around us.  Don't turn a blind eye.  Smile, speak, get out of that comfort zone.  Put an arm around someone.  Talk to them.  Love them.
• Love is an action!
• I certainly have a comfort zone.  I have never denied that.  I like it there. It's, --well, comfortable.  God though, doesn't really call us to be comfortable.  He calls us to lead those he loves to the only one who can bring real comfort.

" Love looks like something.  What does love look like?"

 Trent Rolfzen