Sunday, January 29, 2012

School Supplies 2012

On January 28th our mission team provided school supplies for 467 kids in the super-poor community of Armenia Bonito outside of La Ceiba, Honduras. Without this blessing many of these children would not be able to afford school in the 2012 school year.

Watch this 2 minute 30 second video to see the happy faces:

Friday, January 27, 2012

San Francisco 49ers / NY Giants Food Challenge

A week before last weekends playoff game, Mike challenged me to make a SF/NY fun meal to eat during the game. So, I had to think of what I could either purchase or make - most things you might think of you can't run down to the store to purchase.


So, the meal to represent San Francisco was sourdough rounds, scooped out the innards, and seafood chowder was put inside. Had to start the sourdough rounds a few days ahead of time as it takes quite some time. The only way I had even considered this was because about a month ago I had made my own starter, so it was waiting for me. Then the chowder - clams are all but impossible to find here - I've found some tinned clams before, but none this time - so instead I used shrimp, oysters, crab and potatoes - whipped up some chowder and put in the hot bowls...YUM!!!

The meal for New York - home made pizza! Thin crust so you had to fold it to eat it - and of course GINORMOUS size!

Those with a couple of beers...and we watched the game!

Fun times!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Puerta de Esperanza - Door of Hope - Honduras

On January 25th our mission team opened a home for young mothers and their babies in La Ceiba, Honduras. Puerta de Esperanza (or Door of Hope) is a place where these teenage mothers can escape the streets, violence and substance abuse and find the hope, love and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Watch this 2 minute 45 second video:

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Piecaken

So...my husband gave me a food challenge.   Why you may ask?!  Because our friend Jamie (of the Very Worst Missionary) tweeted about it.  I don't know if she's still my friend after this challenge...

And so it began - piecaken.  You've heard of turducken, right? (a duck inside of a chicken inside of a turkey), same idea - just in dessert mode (pie inside of a cake) there are no instructions for this kind of thing so I just did what I thought would work.  And learned some VERY important things for the next time (I still haven't decided if there will BE a next time).  The idea is when you cut into it you get both cake and pie.

What did I do wrong?  Chose too gooey of a pie (apple definitely for the next one - or chocolate pie), chose too small of a cake pan (going for the BIG springform pan the next time), and used too much cake batter (bubbled over and made a mess on the bottom of my oven).  So - lots of changes the next time - but here is what it looked like:

blueberry pie made the night before

first layer of cake dough

pie removed from the pie pan and placed on top of the layer of cake dough

batter poured to cover pie

out of the oven - yes, it sunk

cream cheese frosting

first cut

plated

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

It Is ALIVE!!!

Okay - go with me on this...I KNOW you've done it!  I KNOW you've gone to Google and hopefully/prayerfully/wishfully typed in some totally ridiculous sentence hoping SOMETHING will appear, say, "Who was the brother of Mindy on Mork and Mindy who appeared in the third scene of the 5th show..." and somehow/usually SOMETHING shows up, right?  And you sit and are amazed at the incredible universe of the WWW.

Well...before we left on furlough, I had been saving $25.00 a month for quite some time so when I went back to the States I would be able to purchase a KitchenAid with a few accessories.  And that's what I did - Macy's was kind enough to have most of their kitchen stuff on sale and my BFF Mindy happened to have a discount card I was also able to use.  I walked out with my red (so me)  KitchenAid and several accessories, and a huge grin on my face.  Six months later I arrived back in Honduras and used it a bit - played with it - used my accessories to shred cheese in seconds...that kind of thing.  The time my mother was sick, and all but comatose, one of the things I did was read through the 600 page Bread Bible.  When I returned to Honduras I subsequently started making a new type of bread almost every day.  I blogged on several of them.  Then one fatal day...I was making pizza crust - LOTS of pizza crust.  Why?  It was our Lord-of-the-Rings-extended-watch-a-thon and we watched them all day and ate home made pizza.  Until I decided to put way too much dough in (instead of making it in two batches), and put the speed up way too high.  I know...I know... - WHY?!  do you ask?!  Because I thought I could!  It was a KitchenAid afterall!  I've beat it up, abused it, dropped it - whatever - and it just keeps on keeping on.  But suddenly it wouldn't turn my dough hook  Oh my gosh...and here is where I will admit to my weakness.  I cried.  Not like out loud, sobbing, "Dobby just died" kind of crying, but a huge tear ran down my cheek and my chin was dropped to my chest and I thought, "what in the world am I going to do now?"  Forget the 1-800 number - been there done that with other things and the second they hear we are out of country it's always "sorry, I can't help you."  Well, I don't need to tell you that there IS NO repair place here for KitchenAid's.  No one for me to turn to, no Sears department that can fix anything.  I already started thinking if I saved $25.00 every month again - how long would it take for me to save up to buy another one.  It had already become a part of my routine kitchen prep.  I was so sad, and couldn't imagine not having it.

So, in a desperate state - I sat down in front of my computer.  I went to Google.  I don't even remember exactly what I typed in, but something, I'm sure to this effect, "What do I do if my Kitchenaid doesn't spin and won't knead my dough anymore...." (like anything would come up - what was I thinking?!) and yet...there it was...what came up?!  A You Tube Video entitled, "How to fix a KitchenAid Mixer that isn't spinning."  Seriously?!  Can it be that "easy"?!  So I looked at the video, took a deep breath, got my hammer, screwdrivers, and put my head phones in and started the video.  I started getting farther and farther in it, my entire KitchenAid was completely apart, and then the fear began.

WHAT have I done?!?!
Are you freaking kidding me?!  I'm stupid.  What was I thinking?  Like I could actually repair this thing. There is NO way I'm going to make this thing work ever again!  There are so many parts!  But onward I went.  What was my choice?  And there it was...the CULPRIT!!!!  The "Worm Gear" - see...I even sound smart!  (because that's what the guy on the video said it was), but of course he pulled out his handy dandy replacement Worm Gear.
The culprit - the Worm Gear - see those smashed in pieces of 4 teeth - the gears would just slip and not turn
My next stumbling block...there was NO way I would be able to find one of those here.  So - I did the next cool WWW thing.  Amazon.com.  Typed in Worm Gear and sure enough!  There it was!!!  I ordered two!  Sent them to my sweet mother-in-law, then waited.  A week to get to her, and then over 2 weeks to get to me.  And today it came.

So there I sat...with ALL my pieces of KitchenAid.  Seriously?  OH my gosh...there's no way...the fear came back.  My heart skipped a few beats...okay not really...but it SHOULD have!  I pulled up my video that I first watched over 3 weeks ago and watched the second half of the video, "how to put it back together again."  And 30 minutes later, lots of huh? going on, a small plea to my husband to get the stupid pivot bar back in...and then THE moment.  Plug it in...I literally held my breath...this was it.  Start saving $25.00 a month or get back to bread making.  And?!?!?!.....

Final Product!

IT WORKED!!!!  I DID IT!!!!!  I was So amazed that I could do this with a little help (okay - a LOT of help) from the WWW - but I did it.  A fully functioning KitchenAid.  Now - time to get back to bread making!

What in the WORLD did missionaries do even just 20 years ago?!  Surely not fix their KitchenAid.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sun dried Tomatoes

Before
If there is one thing to know about me if you don't, if there is something that I want that I can't get here I figure out how to make it!  I wanted to make a recipe that included Sun Dried Tomatoes.  Can't buy them here...so I was determined to make them.  Well...6 hours later I went from 10 full tomatoes, to a small container of sun dried tomatoes.  And OH are they amazing!  Yum!

After

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

My dad is coming!!!!

My mom passed away November 17th...it's a date that is forever in my memory.  She was such an incredible woman, a loving mother, a devoted wife, and a sweet lady.  Much of what I do I do with an undercurrent of thought, "would what I'm doing be approved by my mother?"  With that in mind I try to be an upstanding woman, a good wife, a good mother.  She leaves behind a beloved son - my brother, and a sweet husband - my father.  I called my dad today and he said he is going to try and come see me in March!  My parents were just planning their trip here when my mom got sick and passed before they were able to come.  But my dad is coming!  He's coming!!!! Hasn't purchased the tickets yet, but we were talking and making plans.  My heart is full.  I can't wait!  I love him dearly and can't wait to give him a big hug and love all over him!!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Quilting

laying out the pieces on the sketch Madison drew
I made a quilt for Madison when she was 4 years old. Let's just say you almost can't recognize that it's a quilt anymore. It's falling apart. I've patched and patched and re-patched parts until I told her she just had to put it up. She took one look at me and said, "Not until you make me another quilt." Okay then...so my challenge to her was - design the quilt that you want me to make. Her room has a Chinese theme, and one of her walls is painted dark blue, and she has placed stars in many constellations. So, she drew a picture of a swirling universe, surrounded by stars. I've quilted for quite some time, but I must say, I've always used a pattern to go from. Never had I truly created a quilt completely on my own. It was going to be a challenge indeed. On top of the fact I didn't have my incredible sewing machine anymore. Gave that up before we left for the field. I have this piece of garbage sewing machine that I use, but that's all I had - so the challenge was on. Madison picked out the material, designed the quilt, and helped pencil it out and lay it out. Finished it a few days ago and she LOVES it! Has told me she will be taking it to college. I love my kid :-)


Center of the Universe

Madison laying out her stars

final product

 close up of final product

Friday, January 6, 2012

Vision trip to Honduras

Vision Trip To Honduras

Did you ever wonder what our ministry in Honduras was like? Have you or your church ever considered getting more involved? Now is the time. In conjunction with MTW, our mission-sending agency, we are organizing a Vision Trip to Honduras so others can see and learn about God’s work here in La Ceiba.

April 21-27, 2012 we are inviting 20 people to come down to Honduras and spend time with our eight-person mission team. Participants will be introduced to the missionaries and Honduran nationals who make this work possible. We will provide tours of the community and explanations of our work and the ministry we lead.

Participants will discover more about our StreetChild ministry, Door of Hope, medical ministry, church planting and short-term mission trips. This trip will help expose you to the amazing work being done here and give you or your church the information you need to get further involved.

Your lodging, meals and ground transportation will all be arranged for you. If you wish to learn how you or your church can attend this Vision Trip to Honduras click HERE.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Urgent Need In La Ceiba, Honduras

For over a year our mission team in Honduras has been simultaneously constructing two ministry centers in two super-poor communities in La Ceiba, Honduras. On these properties we are building two high schools, two medical clinics, two churches, a covered soccer field, a theological seminary and a center for homeless children.

We are asking you to prayerfully consider giving a one-time financial gift to help us meet the construction costs. Here are two exciting reasons why you should consider giving now:

1) For a limited time a generous supporter has agreed to match every gift received $1 for $1. If you donate $100 we will receive $200.

2) Any financial gift you give is tax-deductible.

Honduras has the 2nd poorest economy in Latin America. The average Honduran makes only $3,000 a year and the unemployment rate is above 30%. These ministry centers will greatly address the physical and spiritual needs of this 250,000 person city.

Downtown La Ceiba Ministry Center
To learn more about our downtown ministry center watch our 3-minute video by clicking HERE.

To make an easy online contribution with your debit/credit card to our downtown ministry center click HERE.

Armenia Bonito Ministry Center
To learn more about our Armenia Bonito ministry center watch our 3-minute video by clicking HERE.

To make an easy online contribution with your debit/credit card to our Armenia Bonito ministry center click HERE.

Send an e-mail HERE if you'd rather receive information about writting a check.

Please be in prayer that God will provide the funds we need to complete these ministry centers. Also, please consider forwarding this information on to your church or friends and ask them if they would be interested in supporting God’s work in Honduras.

Thank you so much your prayers and support.