Back to the Grind...

Forgive me for not posting anything sooner.  I returned from Guatemala late Saturday night and I have been slow to get back into the swing of things.  The good part was that my Mom stayed until Tuesday and I didn't have to work on Monday, so I got to spend a little extra time with her.  And I only had to work one day this week. I am  out of sorts from being away on such an intense trip for 9 days.  So its starting to feel like I'm getting back to the grind of everyday life.  I guess next week, with a regular schedule, should help.

For those of you wondering, Guatemala was beautiful!  Here is a picture with 2 other team members, Julie and Carrie, overlooking the valley on the way to Chipel, the aldea our sister church was located in.   I plan to post a lengthier blog entry with a lot more details/highlights of the trip this weekend, so be on the lookout!  I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Tessa woke up this morning with the yuckiest croupy cough (funny how quickly it started, she was fine last night) and she's had a pretty bad diaper rash for a week now (her first!) so we are off to the doctor this afternoon.  So its definitely back to the daily grind of life. Believe it or not, I like the regular routine of things.  I just have to get myself back into that routine! 

Becky

Survivorman...

I found a TV show last night that was awesome.  It's called Survivorman.  You can also see more info and a blog here.  I don't know how many sites it needs, but it is here also.  Have you seen it?  I guess this is the second season of the show.  Basically, the guy goes into a wilderness area for 7 days and roughs it.  He comes in with a few supplies, but that includes no food and water.  He brings one match.  Last night, although I was trying to get some work done, I got distracted and watched 3 episodes.  He was Canada, the Amazon, and the Dessert.

If you haven't seen it, it is on Wednesday nights at 9pm eastern on the Science channel.  Check it out!

Rob

Do you think PETA will accept me?

Ok, here is your opportunity to set me straight...

I don't think I get it.  Yes, Michael Vick broke the law and should be held accountable for his actions.  Yes, he did something that was very repulsive and inhumane.  It makes my stomach turn.  Yes, he has done other very stupid things.   Yes, he is getting more attention because he is a public figure.  Has race got anything to do with it?  I don't know....but...

Why the extreme hysteria?  I love dogs.  I really do.  We need to treat them rightly.  We should not be inhumane.  Then again, they are dogs.  Dogs, not people.  Those in the media are giving way too much attention to Vick killing and fighting dogs.  What is the deal?  There are some very serioys issues that we should be discussing.  Dog fighting, although wrong, is not among what I think should be making prime time news.  Move on FoxNews, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN, etc etc.

Jail time?  The end of his career as a football player?  Are you kidding me?  I don't know what is appropriate, but it sure seems that there is clear inappropriate disparity between the sentences that some get for much greater crimes (in my estimation) and the sentence that is being rumored for Vick.  A year to 18 months in jail for killing and fighting dogs?  I am apparently inappositely prepared to join PETA.  Go ahead and label me, I am obviously a dog hater...

Rob

I'm fascinated with the moon...

Have you looked up recently?  I don't really know why, but lately I have been fascinated with the moon.  Here are 2 pics I have taken in the last 2 weeks.  God is Good, all the time...

Rob

I found Heaven!

Now I know exactly where I am going...

"Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's an expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday."

Very interesting.  Click here for the full story.

Rob

Can I just say I am excited???

View Story Here

Happy Birthday Tessa

Yesterday was Tessa's 1st birthday!  We aren't really going to celebrate it until Becky comes home.  But, we just had to do something, so I went out and got a Carvel ice cream cake.  She loves ice cream (uh, so do I).  Mom-Mom, Drew and I sang (actually Drew refused to sing).

 Yesterday on the way home from buying Tessa's cake I asked Drew if he wanted Mommy to come home.  I was trying to get out of him how he was feeling.  He instantly and emphatically said no, and started screaming and crying.  This was not the response I expected!  Through his tears, he kept saying he did not want her to come home because the big car and the 2 cars are going to crash into Mommy's car.  I have no idea where this came from.  He kept going on and on about the crashing cars.  "No no no, I don't want mommy to come home."

When we walked in the door at home, Becky was on the phone.  I asked if he wanted to talk to her and he started sobbing and squealing again.  We tried to talk to Becky, but he just couldn't talk through the tears.  I think Becky was a little upset as she hung up saying she didn't want to hear him crying. 

Luckily, once Drew calmed down (while he was eating his ice cream) we convinced him to talk to Mommy.  I called her on our missionary's cell phone.  They had a good conversation.  Whew.

Pray for us, Drew's head and heart is all messed up.

Rob

Update

I heard from Becky.  She and the team are going great!  Monday's medical clinic treated 35 patients (the max that they could handle).  During VBS, 4 kids came to Jesus.  My understanding is that more came forward, but these 4 seem real genuine.

Drew is good.  The swelling in his eye has gone down to being barely noticeable.  I think it was a bug bite of some sort.  I guess the drug wrestling was worth it.

Today will be busy at RMI...  I will continue to work on some "systems" that will help us facilitate our Sister Church Relationships.  I will continue to work on designing new receipts.  The process of  communicating with our constituents is about to change dramatically.  So today's task list includes Pre-Trip Admin Tickler, receipting redevelopment, and web development.

Have a good day!

Rob

Hurricane Dean, and Hurricane Drew...

Our Missionaries in Haiti are safe after Hurricane Dean.  This picture is from our missionaries in Haiti Tom and Karen Ferris.  Our missionaries Billy and Debbie Moses wrote on their blog, "We are doing great! Dean got about 100 miles from us. The hurricane force winds extended out about 60 miles so we were spared by about 40 miles. We had some leaves and branches down and a little rain. Other than that, big bad Dean didn't do much. I think his focus is on the Yucatan." 

It seems that Dean will go north of Becky and our missionaries in Guatemala.  You can bet I am watching closely, but no worries at this time.  Good thing Becky has a rain coat though.

I picked up Drew from nursery yesterday and quickly realized that the side of his head (temple area) was really swollen.  No one knew what happened.  Kids are kids.  We came home and got some Benadryl in him because it appeared it may have been a bug/spider bite, and not from a hit on the head.  It didn't really get much better.  This morning, the swollen area has moved down, more around his eye.  I called the doc, and they said to watch it and bring him in if it get's worse, or is red and hot.

Giving Drew medicine has been impossible.  He wants nothing to do with it.  And I mean nothing, no pleading, begging, bargaining, or mandating works.  So, I am left to pin him down and force it.  No fun, for he and I.  Think giving a pill to a cat/dog...  Pin them down, put the medicine deep in their throat, hold their mouth shut so they can't breathe while stroking their throat until they swallow.  Yup, that's a pretty accurate description.

Rob

Just Heard from Becky

Just got off the phone with Becky.  I miss her.

The team arrived in Guatemala yesterday afternoon, and arrived in Quetzaltenango, or Xela (Prounounced Shayla) at 7:30 local time (9:30 eastern).  That's 14 hours of traveling!  Today was a day of prep.  They spent time in devotions and then spend time repacking and organizing their medical supplies so they are ready for the clinic.  They also got some Mam (Mayan) culture help from a local.  They went to the market this afternoon. 

All the team members are doing great and having a great time.

They leave tomorrow morning after breakfast for Chipel, the location of the Sister Church. 

Keep praying!  By the way, if you didn't respond to Becky's email about praying for her, then you did not receive her prayer guide.  It is available here.

Rob

Photos with Impact...

I am no photo editing expert, but I have been having fun with image editing recently. Becuase I am apparently slow and the photoshop learning curve is severe, I have not been able to make that jump yet. I want to use PhotoShop becuase that is what the experts use, but it is just so darned hard to figure out.

So, I am left with PhotoImpact. I have used PhotoImpact for probably 15 years. I love it. Many people will argue it has the same functionality, but it is easier to use, and comparitively, incredibly affordable. I don't believe all of the hype, but I am finding that for a 5th of the price, PhotoImpact is doing well for me.

So, here are some samples for you to feast your eyes on...









Rob

Preparing for Guatemala

I am off to Guatemala on Friday with a team from my church. These are 2 pictures from Rob's previous trip to Guatemala. I am so excited to see the people and the sights of this beautiful country. I am even more excited to see what God is going to do through our team. We will be holding medical clinics in the mornings, doing VBS and sports clinics in the afternoons, as well as various meetings of groups within the church (women, men, leadership). We will be doing evangelistic-type activities in the evenings. I am looking forward to working alongside the people of our sister church in Chipel.

The reality of leaving Drew and Tessa for 9 days is starting to set in. I'll miss Rob an aweful lot too, but I've never left the kids before! My Mom flies in today to help with the kids while I am away. They are going to have so much fun with Mom-Mom, that I think leaving is going to be harder on me!

I still need prayer partners! If you would like to support me and our team in prayer, email me and I will get you a prayer guide for the week. Thank you to all those who have already comitted to praying!

Becky

My laptop crashed...

You know how when you come home from vacation there is a long list of things you have to get down right away?  And I am quite sure you all know how tethered I am to my computer...

Well, last Tuesday, my laptop decided to stop functioning.  I am in quite a frustrating position.  It is under my extended warranty plan, so that is good.  But, my warranty plan requires me to send it away.

So, I sent it away on Friday.  They say 7 days...

7 days of frustration...

Rob

Our "little" sinner...

Where is my little innocent, well mannered, reserved, well-behaved, thoughtful, precious little boy?  What happened to him?  Where has he gone? 

I am afraid he has been replaced with a 2 year old.  A very defiant, self absorbed, naughty, way-to-talkative-for-his-age, beast.  I just can't believe the difference.  We say high, he says low.  We say now, he says later.  We say later, he says now.  etc etc etc. 

We are doing everything we can to be consistent in our discipline.  I think he is in time-out about 98% of the day.  And don't ask me about the color of his behind.

Don't ask me how, but I love him to death even so.

Rob

Back in the Saddle...

We are back from vacation.  We have actually been back fro almost a week, but it took me some time to sort of get back up to speed.  We had a great time.  Let me try to sum up the last two weeks...

FYI.  Click on either of these 2 slide shows to see our full albums online.

Our week with Becky's family in Lake Harmony was great.  Highlights?  Family.  Food, lots and lots of food.  Card Games at night.  Beach.   Feeding Deer from our hands (wild, yet tame deer were everywhere, even fawns).  Sunset.  Bushkill Falls.  Canoeing (ask me about the ticket I received for operating a motorized canoe without the required registration).  Children everywhere.

 My brother Brian is married.  Welcome to the family Becca!  A great time was had by all.

The week with my family in NJ was great.  Highlights?  Family.  Pictures (We came home with 2800 pictures of our vacation).  Activity 24/7 (my family is loud).  Beach. Pool.  Riding on Pop Pop's Golf Cart and Lawn tractor.  OC Boardwalk.  Smores.  Wawa. 

I was asked when we got back, "So, are you all refreshed and ready to go?"  I guess I had to answer no.  We had a great time, and it was great to "get away from it all", but did we rest?  Not really.  Vacation with 2 children in diapers doesn't include much rest.

Rob