Liz the Lizard

This past weekend, the kids found a lizard crawling/sitting on the side of the house. The boys were too scared to catch it, so Taliah grabbed it. She was soooo excited that she actually caught it and that it wasn't as gross and 'slimy' and icky as it seemed (I don't know if I would have grabbed it like that ;-), hehe). In any case, Becks and Taliah went out and got a terrarium and Taliah got to name the lizard. She calls it Liz (hopefully it's not a 'he' and won't get offended). Well, we knew Taliah is the tomboy of the family - she loves climbing trees, catching bugs and now lizards. She is usually the first one to try new things - a little adventuress! In fact she takes after her godmother - Auntie Lia!

Anyways, the kids have been catching ants, earwigs, flies and roly-poly's (pill bugs) to feed the lizard. And today we went to the pet store and got some meal worms and crickets as a special treat for little ole Liz.







Snagged! Aint't he cuddly?!?!
NOT!















Sooo excited!
















Home Sweet Home












Liz the (hopefully female) Lizard

Liz the Lizard

This past weekend, the kids found a lizard crawling/sitting on the side of the house. The boys were too scared to catch it, so Taliah grabbed it. She was soooo excited that she actually caught it and that it wasn't as gross and 'slimy' and icky as it seemed (I don't know if I would have grabbed it like that ;-), hehe). In any case, Becks and Taliah went out and got a terrarium and Taliah got to name the lizard. She calls it Liz (hopefully it's not a 'he' and won't get offended). Well, we knew Taliah is the tomboy of the family - she loves climbing trees, catching bugs and now lizards. She is usually the first one to try new things - a little adventuress! In fact she takes after her godmother - Auntie Lia!

Anyways, the kids have been catching ants, earwigs, flies and roly-poly's (pill bugs) to feed the lizard. And today we went to the pet store and got some meal worms and crickets as a special treat for little ole Liz.







Snagged! Aint't he cuddly?!?!
NOT!















Sooo excited!
















Home Sweet Home












Liz the (hopefully female) Lizard

Science Phun

This past week, Jesaiah and Taliah had to present their science research projects at the school science fair. Jesaiah did his research on 'friction' - what it is, how it works, what has more friction, etc. And Taliah did hers on the 'surface tension of water' - again, what it is, how it works and how you can see it. I got the opportunity to help them with this - science is right up my alley! I have to admit it was really fun - i enjoy science a lot. Anyways, they did really well on their research and the teachers (and other students) were impressed with their work. And it was fun to see the projects from the other kids at the school - there were some truly impressive ones!

So, here are a few fotos of Jesaiah and Taliah doing their research...





Talk about 'sticky' rice!



















What has more friction - smooth plastic, rubber or sandpaper??












Fill 'er up!













My cup runneth over!












Cutting water?!















Finished products...













and Taliah's











Random...'hey take my picture too Daddy!'
Zachie and his 'sleeping-bag'.













'Me too' says Dariah, 'look what I can do!'

Science Phun

This past week, Jesaiah and Taliah had to present their science research projects at the school science fair. Jesaiah did his research on 'friction' - what it is, how it works, what has more friction, etc. And Taliah did hers on the 'surface tension of water' - again, what it is, how it works and how you can see it. I got the opportunity to help them with this - science is right up my alley! I have to admit it was really fun - i enjoy science a lot. Anyways, they did really well on their research and the teachers (and other students) were impressed with their work. And it was fun to see the projects from the other kids at the school - there were some truly impressive ones!

So, here are a few fotos of Jesaiah and Taliah doing their research...





Talk about 'sticky' rice!



















What has more friction - smooth plastic, rubber or sandpaper??












Fill 'er up!













My cup runneth over!












Cutting water?!















Finished products...













and Taliah's











Random...'hey take my picture too Daddy!'
Zachie and his 'sleeping-bag'.













'Me too' says Dariah, 'look what I can do!'

Father and Son Getaway

This last weekend, Jesaiah and I got away for a quick overnight camping trip to Joshua Tree National Park in the desert beyond Palm Springs. It was a great trip, just Jesaiah and I - we were able to do many fun things. On the first day, we saw 2 rattlesnakes, not more than 3 feet from our path. On the second day, we saw another snake as we were in a cactus garden, again not more than a couple feet from us. It's spring, so the reptiles are out in force to mate and enjoy the warmth.

We were also able to do some rock-climbing - Jesaiah surprised himself by climbing a rock that was over 2 stories high (20 feet or so up). He didn't think he could do it, but with a little exhortation and guidance, he easily climbed to the top and even more impressive, climbed back down (much harder!). We also did a lot of bouldering on some smaller and shorter boulders - lots of fun! We both loved that!

We also visited a huge Cholla (not chollo) cactus garden, a rock that has been wind-blasted into the shape of a skull, drove to the highest viewpoint in the park to look down into the Coachella Valley, hiked 4 miles round-trip to an original goldmine - all this and much more crammed into a day and a half!

But my favorite part and the main reason for this trip was to give Jesaiah undivided time for conversations. We spent about 4 hours sitting around the fire-pit, splitting wood for kindling, making the fire and roasting hot dogs, corn and marshmallows - all the while talking about anything and everything - both fun stuff and more 'meaning of life' topics.. Jesaiah learned a very practical spiritual lesson from the embers and coals. He saw that when he takes a red-hot ember out of the bed of coals, it soon dies down and turns black and cold. He learned that all believers 'burn' hotter when they stay together, but when they try to go it alone, they soon burn out and turn cold. He applied that to 2 of his friends from school who are Christians, but don't go to church and don't 'act like Christians' (his words). And we prayed for them on the spot!

All in all, it was a great trip!

Father and Son Getaway

This last weekend, Jesaiah and I got away for a quick overnight camping trip to Joshua Tree National Park in the desert beyond Palm Springs. It was a great trip, just Jesaiah and I - we were able to do many fun things. On the first day, we saw 2 rattlesnakes, not more than 3 feet from our path. On the second day, we saw another snake as we were in a cactus garden, again not more than a couple feet from us. It's spring, so the reptiles are out in force to mate and enjoy the warmth.

We were also able to do some rock-climbing - Jesaiah surprised himself by climbing a rock that was over 2 stories high (20 feet or so up). He didn't think he could do it, but with a little exhortation and guidance, he easily climbed to the top and even more impressive, climbed back down (much harder!). We also did a lot of bouldering on some smaller and shorter boulders - lots of fun! We both loved that!

We also visited a huge Cholla (not chollo) cactus garden, a rock that has been wind-blasted into the shape of a skull, drove to the highest viewpoint in the park to look down into the Coachella Valley, hiked 4 miles round-trip to an original goldmine - all this and much more crammed into a day and a half!

But my favorite part and the main reason for this trip was to give Jesaiah undivided time for conversations. We spent about 4 hours sitting around the fire-pit, splitting wood for kindling, making the fire and roasting hot dogs, corn and marshmallows - all the while talking about anything and everything - both fun stuff and more 'meaning of life' topics.. Jesaiah learned a very practical spiritual lesson from the embers and coals. He saw that when he takes a red-hot ember out of the bed of coals, it soon dies down and turns black and cold. He learned that all believers 'burn' hotter when they stay together, but when they try to go it alone, they soon burn out and turn cold. He applied that to 2 of his friends from school who are Christians, but don't go to church and don't 'act like Christians' (his words). And we prayed for them on the spot!

All in all, it was a great trip!

'...among the nations...among all peoples'

Well, it's been a while since we posted - sorry. Life has just gotten faster and faster these days. Anyways, just a quick note to update you all on the trip to Europe and Africa last month. As you know I was able to visit a couple we sent out (from CCFreiburg) to Luxembourg to start a bible study. They are doing well and it was great to see their fist child also - he's a cutie! I stayed there overnight and then headed down to the border between Germany and Switzerland to visit my godchild and her family.

Again, I stayed there overnight and then took another train to Freiburg to visit the church I used to pastor. It was a great time seeing all the people there, but more importantly, it was awesome to see what God is continuing to do in the fellowship through the current pastor. For me, it was confirmation that we heard God correctly and made the right choices. And it was funny/weird - I thought being in Freiburg would make me miss living there, but in actuality, it didn't - another sign that that is not our 'home' anymore. Of course, we miss the people and the ministry there, but we also know that God is finished with us there.

And that is why I also visited Cape Town, South Africa - to see what the needs are and to just seek the Lord about the possibility of serving Him in Africa. The pastor of Calvary Chapel Cape Town and his wife were gracious hosts and answered many questions, showed me the town a bit and explained their vision for their city. It was awesome to just get to know them and their 2 daughters, and to see what the Lord is doing in their fellowship and their city. In any case, I was hoping God would make it clear one way or another if our next missions journey would take us to South Africa, but alas, I didn't get a clear answer.

I did, however, get confirmation that we ARE to go back out on the foreign mission field - that was something we weren't 100% sure about either. We were ready to go back out, but we were also ready to stay in the USA and serve here - whatever the Lord wanted. But on this trip, the Lord spoke to me through Psalm 96, especially verses 2-3 -

'Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.'

It just burdened me once again to go and to proclaim the good news AMONG the nations and AMONG the peoples. I have to admit, we were beginning to get a little too 'comfortable' in SoCal, so this was just a timely reminder to what we as a Phamily are called to. So pray with us and for us, as we continue to seek the Lord about where, and of course when and what exactly!

PS - I will have to one day find time (right...) to share a little more about Cape Town - it's a wonderful city. I loved it there.

'...among the nations...among all peoples'

Well, it's been a while since we posted - sorry. Life has just gotten faster and faster these days. Anyways, just a quick note to update you all on the trip to Europe and Africa last month. As you know I was able to visit a couple we sent out (from CCFreiburg) to Luxembourg to start a bible study. They are doing well and it was great to see their fist child also - he's a cutie! I stayed there overnight and then headed down to the border between Germany and Switzerland to visit my godchild and her family.

Again, I stayed there overnight and then took another train to Freiburg to visit the church I used to pastor. It was a great time seeing all the people there, but more importantly, it was awesome to see what God is continuing to do in the fellowship through the current pastor. For me, it was confirmation that we heard God correctly and made the right choices. And it was funny/weird - I thought being in Freiburg would make me miss living there, but in actuality, it didn't - another sign that that is not our 'home' anymore. Of course, we miss the people and the ministry there, but we also know that God is finished with us there.

And that is why I also visited Cape Town, South Africa - to see what the needs are and to just seek the Lord about the possibility of serving Him in Africa. The pastor of Calvary Chapel Cape Town and his wife were gracious hosts and answered many questions, showed me the town a bit and explained their vision for their city. It was awesome to just get to know them and their 2 daughters, and to see what the Lord is doing in their fellowship and their city. In any case, I was hoping God would make it clear one way or another if our next missions journey would take us to South Africa, but alas, I didn't get a clear answer.

I did, however, get confirmation that we ARE to go back out on the foreign mission field - that was something we weren't 100% sure about either. We were ready to go back out, but we were also ready to stay in the USA and serve here - whatever the Lord wanted. But on this trip, the Lord spoke to me through Psalm 96, especially verses 2-3 -

'Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.'

It just burdened me once again to go and to proclaim the good news AMONG the nations and AMONG the peoples. I have to admit, we were beginning to get a little too 'comfortable' in SoCal, so this was just a timely reminder to what we as a Phamily are called to. So pray with us and for us, as we continue to seek the Lord about where, and of course when and what exactly!

PS - I will have to one day find time (right...) to share a little more about Cape Town - it's a wonderful city. I loved it there.

Just some randomness

Ok, so while I'm at it I'll put up some random pictures too :-). These are just some pictures from different things over the last couple of months, and for anyone who's interested, some of the cakes I've made in the last couple of months

Pictures...finally!

It has been way too long since I've posted anything here....sorry about that! Facebook has sucked me in, and even there I don't do a whole lot!
I just wanted to post some pictures of the time the kids and I had with visitors while Davey was gone to Germany and South Africa (which was a great trip, but I'll let him post on that another time ;-) ).
We had a great time with the girls while they were here...while everyone was healthy at least ;-).
We spent a day in San Diego and then a day at the Santa Rosa Plateau, which is a nature preserve about 20 minutes from our house, it is really beautiful up there!
So here are the pictures:

Just some randomness

Ok, so while I'm at it I'll put up some random pictures too :-). These are just some pictures from different things over the last couple of months, and for anyone who's interested, some of the cakes I've made in the last couple of months

Pictures...finally!

It has been way too long since I've posted anything here....sorry about that! Facebook has sucked me in, and even there I don't do a whole lot!
I just wanted to post some pictures of the time the kids and I had with visitors while Davey was gone to Germany and South Africa (which was a great trip, but I'll let him post on that another time ;-) ).
We had a great time with the girls while they were here...while everyone was healthy at least ;-).
We spent a day in San Diego and then a day at the Santa Rosa Plateau, which is a nature preserve about 20 minutes from our house, it is really beautiful up there!
So here are the pictures:

Duuuude...

Well, it was bound to happen. I knew that when we moved back to SoCal that eventually, something like this was going to happen. It was inevitable. I was just hoping that it wouldn't happen so soon, I mean, we have only been here 7 months or so. But it did happen this past week. The unthinkable, inevitable.

A co-worker and I were in the company truck on our way to work late one night (yes I worked nights this whole past week. But that's a story for another post). Anyways, we were driving to the job-site, just chatting (can't remember what about though), nothing special. And then suddenly out of nowhere, it happened........the words 'dude' and 'man' and 'cool' slipped out of my mouth. All in ONE sentence (as in 'duuude, that was like totally cool, man')! I haven't used the word 'dude' in that context like in 10 years! And in combo with 'cool' and 'man' - not since...well, I can't remember when! AHHH, the SoCal surfer/skater vernacular had slipped back into my life!

When I realized what had just happened, I was hit with shock at first and then embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eyes, I furtively glanced over at my co-worker to see if he noticed anything strange in what I just said. He didn't. And he's even from Nevada. So it was all good. We got to the job-site ( I didn't say much else during the rest of the night - too fearful of what I might say next!), did our job and got home again without another 'duuuude' slipping past my lips. Now I just have to watch out for 'rad, awwwesomme, fer sher, sweeeeet, gnarly' and other forms of verbal coolness. ;-)

Duuuude...

Well, it was bound to happen. I knew that when we moved back to SoCal that eventually, something like this was going to happen. It was inevitable. I was just hoping that it wouldn't happen so soon, I mean, we have only been here 7 months or so. But it did happen this past week. The unthinkable, inevitable.

A co-worker and I were in the company truck on our way to work late one night (yes I worked nights this whole past week. But that's a story for another post). Anyways, we were driving to the job-site, just chatting (can't remember what about though), nothing special. And then suddenly out of nowhere, it happened........the words 'dude' and 'man' and 'cool' slipped out of my mouth. All in ONE sentence (as in 'duuude, that was like totally cool, man')! I haven't used the word 'dude' in that context like in 10 years! And in combo with 'cool' and 'man' - not since...well, I can't remember when! AHHH, the SoCal surfer/skater vernacular had slipped back into my life!

When I realized what had just happened, I was hit with shock at first and then embarrassment. Out of the corner of my eyes, I furtively glanced over at my co-worker to see if he noticed anything strange in what I just said. He didn't. And he's even from Nevada. So it was all good. We got to the job-site ( I didn't say much else during the rest of the night - too fearful of what I might say next!), did our job and got home again without another 'duuuude' slipping past my lips. Now I just have to watch out for 'rad, awwwesomme, fer sher, sweeeeet, gnarly' and other forms of verbal coolness. ;-)

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival

This past week, our company serviced the kitchen fire suppresion systems and fire extinguishers on the food trailers at the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival in Indio, out in the desert past Palm Springs. It was a lot of fun learning how to service the fire suppression systems installed in these kitchen on wheels. But it was a lot of work - we worked 12-13 hours a day for 3 days straight to get all the food vendors' trailer kitchens serviced, cleaned and upgraded before the fair opened. And man, it is amazing (and sick)to see how much grease gets collected up in the hoods and ducts over the professional-grade deep-fryers, griddles and gas burners! I am talking literally an inch thick of hardened grease, fat and oil that you have to chip off in chunks as big as Oreos (and it's black like Oreos too)!

And speaking of Oreos, I serviced a trailer known as Chicken Charlie's - this guy is famous for deep-frying just about anything. Like Oreos, Pop-Tarts, cheesecake, frog legs, White Castle sliders, s'mores, peanutbutter sandwiches, watermelons, Twinkles (umm, that sounds good!), assorted veggies (my favorite - cored zucchini with a hotdog stuck in the middle, then dipped in batter and deep-fried - sounds good).

And one of the most interesting concoctions he invented - deep-fried Coca-Cola! How the heck do you do that!?!?! Well, he mixes Coke syrup with a bit of flour, deep-fries it, then tops it off with more Coke syrup and powdered sugar! Talk about sweet! But it makes me really want to try it, being a Coke lover and all. ;-) He ain't called the Deep Fry King for nothin'!


PS - Here's a short video from YouTube of Chicken Charlie fryin' up some Pop-Tarts! That looks really yummy!

Riverside County Fair and Date Festival

This past week, our company serviced the kitchen fire suppresion systems and fire extinguishers on the food trailers at the Riverside County Fair and Date Festival in Indio, out in the desert past Palm Springs. It was a lot of fun learning how to service the fire suppression systems installed in these kitchen on wheels. But it was a lot of work - we worked 12-13 hours a day for 3 days straight to get all the food vendors' trailer kitchens serviced, cleaned and upgraded before the fair opened. And man, it is amazing (and sick)to see how much grease gets collected up in the hoods and ducts over the professional-grade deep-fryers, griddles and gas burners! I am talking literally an inch thick of hardened grease, fat and oil that you have to chip off in chunks as big as Oreos (and it's black like Oreos too)!

And speaking of Oreos, I serviced a trailer known as Chicken Charlie's - this guy is famous for deep-frying just about anything. Like Oreos, Pop-Tarts, cheesecake, frog legs, White Castle sliders, s'mores, peanutbutter sandwiches, watermelons, Twinkles (umm, that sounds good!), assorted veggies (my favorite - cored zucchini with a hotdog stuck in the middle, then dipped in batter and deep-fried - sounds good).

And one of the most interesting concoctions he invented - deep-fried Coca-Cola! How the heck do you do that!?!?! Well, he mixes Coke syrup with a bit of flour, deep-fries it, then tops it off with more Coke syrup and powdered sugar! Talk about sweet! But it makes me really want to try it, being a Coke lover and all. ;-) He ain't called the Deep Fry King for nothin'!


PS - Here's a short video from YouTube of Chicken Charlie fryin' up some Pop-Tarts! That looks really yummy!

Wie Geht's or Como Esta??

This past Sunday in the Spanish Fellowship, I met a couple who had lived in Germany for a long time. And we spoke in German!! That was the first time I got to speak in German for an extended time. Wow, my German is rusty - I had to really concentrate to find the right words. Anyways, they are a neat couple - she is Mexican and speaks English, Spanish, German and he is African-American and speaks English and German. I am praying that they will come back this Sunday so we could speak in German a bit more. ;-)

Wie Geht's or Como Esta??

This past Sunday in the Spanish Fellowship, I met a couple who had lived in Germany for a long time. And we spoke in German!! That was the first time I got to speak in German for an extended time. Wow, my German is rusty - I had to really concentrate to find the right words. Anyways, they are a neat couple - she is Mexican and speaks English, Spanish, German and he is African-American and speaks English and German. I am praying that they will come back this Sunday so we could speak in German a bit more. ;-)

Quinceañera

Quinceañera is the Latin American (or mostly Mexican - I am not so sure exactly) party for a girl who is turning 15 years old. Technically the party is called 'Quinceaños' which literally means '15 years', while the girl turning 15 is called 'la Quinceañera'. It is kind of like a Sweet Sixteen party in American culture or a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in Jewish culture.

It is a festival marking the end of the girl's childhood and her beginning as a young woman - she cease to be 'la niña' and becomes 'la señorita'. In Catholic tradition, it is also the time when the young lady dedicates her life to God (and even to the Virgin Mary I heard). Over the years, Christians have changed it a bit so that the young girl dedicates her future to the Lord Jesus. Usually it starts with a service (Mass for Catholics) - the priest/pastor gives a message, then the young lady dances a Waltz with her male companion. All in all a very touching time.

This last weekend, I got the chance to 'officiate' at my first Quinceañera - to give the message exhorting the young lady to become the woman that God has called her to be and to follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads her. Also to pray for her at the end of the evening. The young lady is the godchild of a couple in the Spanish Fellowship and she is a neat young girl. She accepted the Lord about 3 years ago and already feels called to become a missionary in Africa (coincidence??). Anyways, we really enjoyed learning the traditions of the Mexican culture, getting to know members of the Spanish Fellowship better and seeing this young lady dedicate her life to Jesus. Oh yeah, and we ate LOTS of authentic Mexican food. I mean LOTS. And real stuff - not Taco Bell or Green Burrito stuff - but food made by real Mexican ladies in their homes! Ummmmmmhhh.

PS - pray for some of the young lady's family and friends who don't know Jesus as Lord. I preached on Romans 1.16 - where Paul says he is not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. Pray that the seeds planted will take root.

Quinceañera

Quinceañera is the Latin American (or mostly Mexican - I am not so sure exactly) party for a girl who is turning 15 years old. Technically the party is called 'Quinceaños' which literally means '15 years', while the girl turning 15 is called 'la Quinceañera'. It is kind of like a Sweet Sixteen party in American culture or a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in Jewish culture.

It is a festival marking the end of the girl's childhood and her beginning as a young woman - she cease to be 'la niña' and becomes 'la señorita'. In Catholic tradition, it is also the time when the young lady dedicates her life to God (and even to the Virgin Mary I heard). Over the years, Christians have changed it a bit so that the young girl dedicates her future to the Lord Jesus. Usually it starts with a service (Mass for Catholics) - the priest/pastor gives a message, then the young lady dances a Waltz with her male companion. All in all a very touching time.

This last weekend, I got the chance to 'officiate' at my first Quinceañera - to give the message exhorting the young lady to become the woman that God has called her to be and to follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads her. Also to pray for her at the end of the evening. The young lady is the godchild of a couple in the Spanish Fellowship and she is a neat young girl. She accepted the Lord about 3 years ago and already feels called to become a missionary in Africa (coincidence??). Anyways, we really enjoyed learning the traditions of the Mexican culture, getting to know members of the Spanish Fellowship better and seeing this young lady dedicate her life to Jesus. Oh yeah, and we ate LOTS of authentic Mexican food. I mean LOTS. And real stuff - not Taco Bell or Green Burrito stuff - but food made by real Mexican ladies in their homes! Ummmmmmhhh.

PS - pray for some of the young lady's family and friends who don't know Jesus as Lord. I preached on Romans 1.16 - where Paul says he is not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. Pray that the seeds planted will take root.