On The Way To Where We Are

 

...the local pulperia (cornerstore) where you would buy anything from candy to eggs

...this one of the houses along the road to the Ranch

 

 ...a local neighborhood kid

 

...entrance to a cemetery

....an awesome view we see while still climbing up the mountain

Christmas Morning

We had a great Christmas morning together as a family. The Christmas story was read in both English and Spanish (you can see the boys were very interested). Among other things, Darwin got a new guitar and Jafeth got a new nerf gun. They were very excited. We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and start to the new year.

Tanner Arrives

After many problems with the weather in Virgina and in Tegucigalpa, Tanner finally arrived 2 days late but in good health. Praise the Lord. We didn't get his luggage until almost 20 days later (yes that is a 20), but at least in time for him to fly back. In spite of a couple of unexpected trips to the store for underwear, toothbrush, basic clothes etc... we are having a great visit with him.

Jafeth turns 7

We just celebrated Jafeth's 7 th birthday. The whole day was his special time. We had a traditional Honduran meal, watched a movie, and of course he received a few presents. Everyone had a great time. What a happy kid. Enjoy the moment with us.

The broken leg

We were just having normal playground time. Only 10 minutes before all of us were to head home for dinner. At the top of a 5 foot platform, Darwin decided to go to the opposite side of the ladder and make his way down. In the blink of an eye, Darwin was sitting on the ground screaming and crying while gripping his thigh. I was by his side fervently praying I wasn't going to encounter blood or anything else gross. To no avail because his shin had a weird contortion and was swelling rapidly. 3-1/2 hrs later the main ordeal was behind us. The next 6 weeks will be a challenge due to no pressure on the foot, aka: no walking. Fractured bones can surely make for a memorable Christmas season this year. Karen
The first picture is our 1 hour ride to the hospital. The second is after returning home. Last is a video of Darwin telling his story.

Another New Family Member

It's been 3 months of Darwin being the only boy in the house. Winds of change are blowing. Earlier this week, we welcomed Jafeth to our home. This guy is 6 years old (just shy of seven) and speaks only Spanish. We have lots of help from the ranch families here and all the ministry kids are bilingual.Jafeth is in the 1st grade here at Ebenezer Academy and loves it (see his 1st day of school pictures). It's fun to have an elementary age boy again! Darwin and Jafeth are blending and we pray the upcoming days stay positive.
Our Spanish speaking skills are sharpening at an amazing rate, but Jafeth will probably become bilingual way before us. Keep praying! Seriously, He is a delight in every way and please thank God with us that he is now a part of our family. Just thought you all should be updated as soon as possible.
We'll be posting more pictures soon (including the main page picture of our family), so please keep coming back.

Dave, Karen, Katie and Emily

Chicken A La Stitch

Just to set the stage. We signed up for 4 medical classes that were offered at the Ranch to be taught by a RN, Sheila. This was the class I was dreading most. “How to suture/stitch a wound”. Medical stuff and body fluids make me woozy and have caused me to dry heave many times. I was ready this time with my walking gear on and ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. Dave on the other hand was giddy and ready to immerse himself wholeheartedly. I think he would have cut up the whole piece of chicken we had to work on, just to stitch it back together. I wanted to fry it and enjoy some potato salad on the side. We were both proud of ourselves for learning to do the procedure and mastering it. The other classes offered were great and we learned that it is never too late to learn! I am absolutely certain there will be no surprise calling from God for me to work anywhere in the medical field and any and all emergencies in our home will be referred to Dave every time.