Happy 6th Birthday, Ellie! February 17,2011

Ellie and Grandpa

Ellie and Grandma

For Ellie's 6th birthday I made her a storybook highlighting her 6th

year and letting her know how special she is to us and to Jesus.
We love you very much Ellie! God bless you in the year to come!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

We had fun celebrating with Ellie on her 6th birthday. Ellie made her little gingerbread house and shared pieces of the candy with all her brothers and sister and cousin, Jay. You will have fun playing with all the fun gifts you received.

Happy Valentine's Day! February 12, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day! We had to get our grandkids fix, so we went to Paul and Amy's Sat. night to watch the kids while they went out. They took Selah with, but we got some cute pictures of her before they left. Amy left us some yummy home made pizza for dinner and then Grandpa had gotten a valentine cookie cake we shared with the kids.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of it.

Grace and Ellie wanted to dance so Grandpa gave them some great lessons in dancing, twirling and following. The girls are really quick to learn and loved having grandpa twirl them up in the air. I didn't get any pictures of Grace, so we'll have to do that again, Gracie.

We always like to do a little craft so each of the kids made a little valentine's flower pot with their pictures in it. Noah didn't stick around for pictures. He had gone up to bed and was asleep when I found him. We must have worn him out. The kids tried to show Grandpa how to play baseball and bowling on the wii? It's not like the real thing! The kids really enjoy it though! Wii followed by a movie and it was time for bed. Good Night to all our sweet little grandchildren!!!

HOME AT LAST! February 11, 2011

Home at last! After two and a half weeks on the road, we made our last stop yesterday at the lake. We were greeted with a foot of unplowed snow on our road, so parked at the top of the hill on Country Oak Drive and made the trek down the hill on foot. I followed in Les' footsteps. I don't think I'd have made it on my own. We carried a small suitcase ( I should say Les carried the small suitcases and his computer) and I carried my purse and computer. We found everything in order when we arrived, running water, electricity and heat; so enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon and evening there. Les did some shoveling up the steps. And I did some blogging.

Early to bed and early to rise, making the trek back up the hill. Les made two trips, the first one without me and the second one, I followed again in his footsteps. I must say we are glad to be home and found the weather around the country wasn't much warmer than here, but we did miss out on the snow! Thank you so much Paul for shoveling. What a blessing to come home to a nice clean drive way.

TRAVELING IN OKLAHOMA! FEB. 9,2011

Don't let the sun fool you! What a day of travel! We stayed in Dennison Texas last night and when we got up to leave this morning it was snowing with low visibility. We waited 'til 10 AM to leave (when it quit snowing) taking Route 75, 69 up into Oklahoma. The farther north we traveled the smaller our 2 lane road became. We were traveling at a rate of about 25 miles/hour. Then our speed picked up to 35; Les said, "Well, we're going 35 now." Right after Les said that, we came to a halt. We sat sandwiched between miles of trucks behind and in front of us. Les walked to the truck behind us and asked the trucker if he knew what was going on. He said one of the trucks in front of us couldn't get up the hill. After one and a half hours and singing and praying, we saw some activity ahead of us. The fire departement, sheriff, and high way patrol all came on the scene and slowly one of the trucks began moving slowly forward up the hill. Then another one started; but shortly afterward stopped and another 20 minutes of waiting, the caravan began to move. And 7 hours later traveling a total of 250 miles, we arrive safely in beautiful Joplin, MO. We did notice a big difference in the road maintenance between OK and MO. Much better in MO.

More tomorrow as we check out the roads down to the lake after their 22+ inches.
SNOW, SNOW, SNOW EVERYWHERE!

THIS POOR FELLA DIDN'T FARE VERY WELL!

THANK YOU LORD FOR A SAFE TRIP!!!

Mel and John - Texas 2011

Starting the long journey back north; we stopped to see our friends, Mel and John, in Sun City, Texas, just north of Austin. We did enjoy a balmy 50 degrees while we were in Austin. Mel and John took us to a fun place to eat, Rudy's Barbeque, inside a gas station with picnic benches and placemats for plates to eat on. We found this Del Webb had younger retirees than the one we visited in Florida, so would be a better choice for retirement if we were to move south, which we won't. We have found we bring the cold weather with us so we might as well stay home.

A VISIT WITH MOM AND SYLVAN IN TEXAS!

Mom and Sylvan on Sunday morning ready to go to church.

Wednesday, February 2nd we arrived in the deep south at Mission Texas. Who said it's warm there in February. We are as far south as we can get in the United States and are greeted with 35 degrees the first day and then on down to the 20's and an ice storm. We went outside the next morning and thought it was hailing.

While visiting Mom (Grandma) and Sylvan, we discovered they had very little water pressure. Les said, "We have to do something about this." So on Friday Les cut into one of the water pipes and as you can see in one of the pictures, the pipe was almost totally blocked. So what a blessing, Les replaced the pipe and wow! Now Mom and Sylvan have lots of water pressure to take a shower, flush the toilet and run water in the sink. Les, you can fix anything!!! Thanks!

Mom and I went shopping while they were doing the repairs as they had to turn the water off. So we went to Mimi's Cafe for lunch! Mom walks with a cane or walker and becomes short of breath with little exertion so we didn't venture out very far after that. Mom loves to play cards, so we played some golf most every night; with a bonus night at the recreation hall with an Elvis impersonator. We were glad we made the trip down to see them in spite of the weather. By the way, it did get up in the 70's on Saturday and 80's on Sunday.

Visit with our nephews in Texas - February 1,2011

Our road trip started with the first three nights at the lake; out to eat with the Dockerys at Chances R. Then on to Chandler Texas to visit with Les' high school buddy, Larry Pfeiffer.

Tuesday night brought us to the Rainbow Courts in Rockdale Texas where we met Daniel and Carolyn and Emma who arrived first. Little Emma is such a cutie; she kind of reminds me of Elise with little or no hair and about the same age. Micah and Jenny arrived next, taking us to The Oriental Restaurant where we met Michelle, Matt, Tyler and Hannah. It was fun seeing all of them again which is less than a year ago at Micah's wedding.

After dinner, Micah and Jenny took us out to their house and gave us the tour. They had just moved in November, so are still getting settled. The horseshoe wreath and cross were both made by Micah for Jenny for Christmas. How cool is that!

Tyler shared that he enjoyed the letter he had received from Caleb and Hannah told us about a school project she had making a creature out of recycling materials.

We really appreciated the boys and their famililes getting together with us.

On the way out of town we drove by Michelle's new office which is being built

right off the main street.

JAY'S 2ND BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Jay! We celebrated Jay's birthday on January 26, as we decided to take a trip to the southern tip of Texas to see my Mom and Sylvan who are wintering in Mission, Texas, about as far south as you can go without being in Mexico.

We had a fun time with Jay, being the Woody fan that he is. He was all taken up with the gift bag with Woody and Buzz Lightyear on it and kept saying "Woody and Buzz Lightyear." We even found rings for the cookie cake with Woody and Buzz. Jay gave us a little dance routine with his keyboard tunes. What a blessing to get together with all our grandkids. We will miss them while we're gone.

John, Carrie and Jay meet Selah

Sunday, January 16, 2011, John, Carrie and Jay meet Selah for the first time. We got together at our house for pizza and enchilladas after the Bears game. Da Bears won and will play the Packers next. Jay was okay with Mommy holding Selah as long as he could sit on Mommy's lap too. John provided entertainment for all the kids with games on his iphone. It was fun to watch Jay and Nathan; Nathan was trying to get Jay to come to the table and eat his pizza and was successful in getting Jay to the table. A fun day was had by all.

Rossy Prepares to go home as Bears play Packers, Sunday January 23rd

Betty stopped to see Rossy before she left to go back to Mexico.

The day before Rossy left the Bears played the Packers, so we had two sets of fans rooting; Paul and his boys were dressed in Bears shirts while Jenny and her boys were dressed in Packer shirts for Dan, a big Packer fan. All this after a busy morning at church with Rossy.

Jenny and I and the boys went to see Selah and the rest of the Larson family on Saturday.

On Monday we were up early and to O'Hare for Rossy to catch her 8:30 AM flight back to Cancun. We were on our way to Jenny's then before 8AM, as Jenny was working Monday night and Dan was going to the Bears game, so we watched the 3 kids. It was fun as Elise took a liking to us and cooperated with her feedings, while the boys enjoyed playing with Grandpa.

ROSSY'S SHARING HER VISION WITH CHURCH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Rossy shared her story, Bonfil's story and her vision for Mission Educ-Arte. Rossy's Vision is transforming lives and changing hearts through the love of Jesus.

Pastor Jim encouraged Pathway Christian Fellowship members to support Rossy and allowed her to share during the Sunday church service with some slides to visualize Rossy's needs. Rossy was allowed to display her jewelry and people were generous in supporting Rossy and her ministry.

Les, Pastor Dave, Florence and her husband attended the open house for Rossy!

We had an open house for Rossy where she was able to share her vision and needs with friends and church family; she also had a display of her jewelry for people to purchase. Everyone was very generous in supporting Rossy.

Mark and Lois Simpson met Rossy and were very helpful in helping Rossy with her vision and providing a means for Rossy to receive donations through their River of Life Ministries. We are praying for God's moving here in providing a team to go to Cancun to help with some rebuilding and establishing outreach programs.

MISSION EDUC-ARTE - SHARING VISION WITH BIBLE STUDY WOMEN

Linda, Rossy, Stacie, Shirley, Laura Lee and Alice Sylvester along with Almy, Linda, and Mary Etta were in attendance at our weekly Wednesday morning Bible Study. Rossy made yummy enchilladas and beans for the group and displayed her jewelry, and shared her story.

Barb, you're a great hostess!

MISSION EDUC-ARTE

EDUC-ARTE has a vision for reaching mothers and children of Bonfil, meeting their physical and spiritual needs. You can be a part of this mission by helping us take care of our urgent needs, such as:

• Teachers and workers who have a servant's heart.
• Food, because many children do not have daily meals.
• Rebuilding from the destruction of Hurricane Wilma, such as the loss of the classroom's roof.
• School supplies and Bibles for the children.
• A vehicle for transportation
• A spiritual foundation in which the children will learn and grow.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Mission teams are needed and welcome for:

• Vacation Bible School
• Outreach Programs
• Building projects and repairs
• Worship Teams
• Arts and Crafts
• Making Jewelry
  

Your help and support will expand God's kingdom where together we can make a difference.

For more information, contact:
ROSA MARIA ARRIOLA
rossyarriola@yahoo.com.mx

Send donations to

RIVER OF LIFE MINISTRIESAtt: Mission Educ-Arte, P.O.Box 2035, Bolingbrook, Illinois 60440 http://www.riveroflifeministries.com/

ROSSY'S STORY

TRANSFORMING LIVES AND CHANGING HEARTS

ROSSY'S STORY:

I know what it is to be alone as a single mother with children to raise and many bills to pay. I know what it is to live with no mother or father and no real friends around. But most of all, I know what it is to live with terrible emptiness and deep wounds in my heart. I struggled with this life until I found Jesus and His love and grace. He was like water in the desert; His word a bright life that gave meaning to the darkness of my life. I have a passion to share His love, teach His word, and show love and compassion to others. As it says in Isaiah 58:10:

"Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.

Then your light will shine out from the darkness,

and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon."

THE STORY OF BONFIL

Thinking of Cancun creates a picture of white sand beaches, luxury resorts, and perfect weather. However, few people are aware of the level of poverty in the neighboring village of Alfredo V. Bonfil. The majority of famillies in Bonfil are led by single mothers living in one room houses. Mothers work full time jobs to support their families, leaving their children alone during the day. Because of their level of poverty, most of these children live in the shadow of drug abuse and alcoholism. What they suffer from most of all, is the lack of God in their lives.

The vision God gave Rossy for this place is to bring the light of His love to the darkness of their lives by teaching about Him and educating these women and children with different skills. Here at the mission, they feel safe, they learn new skills, and they receive some food for theier bodies and their hearts. If you have a passionate heart for the mission, your visit and/or donation is a big blessing and your prayers and support keep us working.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ HAPPY JANUARY

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY JANUARY!

Where did the month of January go! I'm finally getting around to blogging! We had a great start to the New Year with Rossy, our friend from Cancun, coming home from the hospital. Rossy's surgery went well and the doctors, nurses and everyone were such a blessing! We are so thankful for all the prayers and God's grace and goodness for having all of this happen!

I would like to share Rossy's story with all of you, but first I need to explain our story and how we met Rossy and got to this point in time.

Les and I have been going to Cancun since 1992 for the best vacation we could have ever dreamed of. We like it there so much that we always go to the same place and never trade our week in Cancun for any other vacation spot. Over the years we have prayed that God would make our trips to Cancun more than just a vacation.

So over the past several years, since the big Hurricane Wilma in Cancun, God has been opening doors for us. The year before the hurricane, we met Rossy at our resort, The Royal Caribbean, on the hotel zone. Rossy was selling jewelry in a booth set up by the pool at the Royal Caribbean. We had our dear friends, Brian and Marlys Bernhard, with us. We bought some jewelry from Rossy and she had a poster made up with a Christian symbol, so as I inquired, I found Rossy had some property in a nearby town where children would come after school for crafts and Bible teaching and treats.

We started communicating through e-mail and Rossy e-mailed us about how Hurricane Wilma had devastated her property and tore the roof off her school building So on our next trip to Cancun in 2006, Rossy took us to Bonfil to see the devastation from the hurricane. We collected some money for Rossy to make temporary repairs to her property but were praying that somehow we could get a team to go down and help her make permanent repairs to the roof, etc.

I had mentioned something to a friend and missionary, Mark Simpson, that we would like to get a team to go to Cancun. Mark said that's what he does, is take missionary teams out to various countries. I registered that in the back of my mind and prayed for something to happen.

Finally last year when we visited Rossy, she was having medical problems. We were praying for Rossy, and when we got home I e-mailed my retired doctor and asked him for advice on what we could do to help Rossy, since he had come from a missionary family and helped missionary families in the past. God answered our prayers and my doctor e-mailed me and said he knew a Christian doctor who would be willing to do the surgery and a hospital who would be willing to help also. This was beyond my wildest dreams. What an awesome God we serve. Which brings us to this point in time. Rossy was able to get a visa and come to the states in December and the doctor was available to do the surgery right after Christmas. So praise the Lord for his goodness and mercy. We give Him all the praise and glory for what He has done. Rossy has taught us so much about giving and being in tune with what God would have us do ~ being obedient and trusting in Him.