Cool things that our friends are doing in support of our mission to Roatan

Here's how some of you are helping:

■If you read our blog this summer you are aware that soccer is the sport in Honduras. We played with kids and adults on dirt fields in 100 degree heat. Most of them played without soccer cleats or even shoes. Well, we now have enough cleats, soccer balls and uniforms for two whole teams thanks to Michelle Nelson. This girl took the bull by the horns and contacted each and every contact she had in the soccer world and made it happen. Not only did she get to GIVE to the cause, but she invited others to participate in giving in a way that they were called to do so. God works in all of us and what may not seem like much, in donating gently used or new equipment, will have a huge impact on someone else. What is your calling?

■The children of Roatan, Honduras are not raised the way many of us in the United States are raised when it comes to oral hygeine. With one phone call, Rita Loveless was able to secure a whole box-full of toothbrushes, toothaste and dental floss from her dentist. The crazy thing is, she was even able to get soccer balls, undies, sunday school supplies and arts and crafts too. A simple phone call ignighted a fuse in others and the result was exponential. How can you make a difference?

■Not everyone has the means to GIVE financially, however, when God calls you to do so He won't let it go. We have several one-time and monthly contributors that have never been on a mission trip or let alone had the desire to participate in one, however, they listened and followed. Our number one response is that of thanks and they better hold on because the ride only gets better! What will your impact be?

As Pastor Kerry says, "It only takes a pebble to make that ripple effect". Just think of the impact that each of us has the ability to have on others, the possibilities are endless.

We are so very grateful for our friends and their belief in us as we partner with God on this great journey. Without Him we are nothing and with Him we are everything.

check out our website if you haven't already, we have weekly updates and loads of information about our trip http://www.vick6roatan.yolasite.com/

Getting ready to Go during the holidays.....eeek!

While we realize it is the holidays here in the US, we also realize that we have SO much to do to get ready to GO to Roatan! Packing the essential items like flip-flops and swim suits is the easy part but when it comes to the everyday things like bug spray and believe it or not spices to cook with, we need a plan of action. Yes, they sell bug spray in Roatan, but it is twice as much as it is here and you use it everyday. There are very few American spices on the island, so Sam's Club-size Tony Cachere's is a must, especially when eating a lovely diet of rice and beans. We will, of course, make our homemade tortillas and pizza crust like we did this summer; you gotta have something familiar when in the mission field.
So, Trey is helping out a family of five that is moving to Roatan in a couple of months. They are from Colorado and will be joining our friends at Living Water 4 Roatan for the next three years. Trey met them in Dallas to pick up their trailer of things and will bring it back tonight to combine with ours for a better shipping rate. In the next week or so he will take it to New Orleans to put in a container on a cargo ship and we are done with the big packing. The rest of our small stuff will go with us in our bags on the plane, whew, it seems so far away but I know it will sneak up on us before we know it.
We have had some great interest in our mission trip and are so grateful for each and every person that has stepped out in faith to support us in any way possible. Thank you for your prayers, your support and your giving. We could not do this without you and we are excited to have you on this journey with us.

Take Care and God Bless,
Connie and Trey
Our Website

Thanksgiving At The Beach

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the beach this year! This was our very first holiday at the beach and it was beautiful outside and the kids had a blast baking and getting ready for the feast. Trey's uncle, James, joined us for the day and we had a great time eating everything in sight. When we said our blessing over the food we also asked everyone to say what they are most thankful for and it was unanimous, FAMILY, FAMILY, FAMILY! How great is it that even with a small crowd on special days that we take time to remember our family members that can't be with us? Life is too short not to take time to thank God for each person in your family, we are all gifts that have been put together in an effort to achieve awesome things while here on earth.

We are putting together our next email campaign to go out this week, just a reminder and update to our plans for Roatan. Great things are happening for us, especially now that we have totally given this journey and all the details over to Him. Our plans are to arrive in Roatan mid-January, so we have SO MUCH to do! Please pray for us and continue to follow us for many updates to come. Also, if you feel led to do so, please visit our website and consider joining us on our journey through Giving or even eventually Going on a short term mission trip. We would LOVE to have you beside us in any way possible. Stay tuned for more....

We love our family and friends are so very greatful for each one of you!

Take Care and God Bless,

Connie and Trey

Kids on a mission in Crystal Beach, Texas

Our kids got the whole week off this week for the Thanksgiving Holidays. Not sure who approved this, just kidding...we have had a great week so far:
Anna and Wiley and a few other classmates from their school spent the day handing out food to families in need. It was awesome to see kids, whose families were waiting in the food line, jump in to help give back to their community while getting served themselves. I am not sure if they realized it, but the impact of seeing kids willing to serve is huge, especially these days when so many children seem to "expect" everything. Anna passed out oranges and grapefruit while Wiley was knee deep in milk boxes, I had the pleasure of serving up bananas, we were a complete mess once we were done. A little boy in the first grade, Gabriel, was sitting up on one of the tables surrounded by giant green cabbages and just smiling and passing them out, it was priceless (and of course, I forgot to take my camera!).
I must also report on our support for our mission to get back to Roatan. Not what we expected, we have had a ton of great emails with well-wishes (so awesome) and a handful of pledges to commit to monthly support, but zero has actually been contributed....so, we are questioning if we are supposed to be leaving on this journey right now. I think Trey is having a much harder time than me, it is what it is and if what we want to occur does not happen, then HE must have other plans for us right now. We get another financial update in two weeks and I will report again at that time, right now we are going to focus on enjoying our family for Thanksgiving and being thankful for perfect health and an awesome God that has HUGE plans for us.
Take care and God bless,
Connie

Monday, Monday

It has been two weeks since the launch of our support campaign to return to Roatan. Now, comes the hard part, waiting to see if everyone is on board and ready to join us on this effort. Our financial statements are sent to us on the 2nd and 4th Monday every month, so this Monday will be our very first report. The excitement of knowing that we have so many people that are rooting for us and sending us awesome messages of support is very encouraging. Now, we just have to see how many people believe enough in what we are doing to actually support us financially. Not everyone is called to support in this way, it is a God thing, not a Connie and Trey thing. Neither of us will be drawing a paycheck while in Roatan, our sole purpose is to go out into the community and let others see God through our actions. That is the easy part for us, not everyone is made to do this type of work and God totally puts each of us in areas of service that HE intended us for. Whether it is being a stay-at-home mom or dad, a real estate executive, or a minister, God gave each of us talents and it is up to us if/how we use them. We would love it for people to come to Roatan and serve on a short term mission trip with us. Let us know if you are interested and we will help arrange travel, lodging, etc. Everyone that participates in a mission trip is forever changed, we are living proof of this.
Thank you so much for following us on this journey, join us if you are led to do so!
Take car and God bless,
Connie and Trey

Vick Family Launches Campaign to Raise Support...

Well, we did it! We finally launched our formal campaign to raise support for our long-term family mission to Roatan, Honduras. If you haven't already, check out our website http://www.vick6roatan.yolasite.com/

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Our plans are to be there by March at the latest and to fulfill a 6-month to a year commitment with rChurch. We are so excited to begin our journey and would be delighted to have everyone continue this journey with us through following our blog, checking out our website updates and most importantly praying for us.

We also ask that you consider going to Roatan on a short term mission trip. A week in an impoverished country can do wonders for your outlook on life. You would be surprised at how the small things that you do can make such a difference in the lives of others. Everyone has talents and gifts that they can use. Whether it be playing with the kids at VBS, playing soccer, building a house, repairing a house, or just just hugging on kids that may not ever get hugs at home, your gifts will shine so brightly! Another way that we need help is through financial support. We ask that you prayerfully consider to give toward our monthly bills and ministry needs. This will be an ongoing campaign and we will keep everyone posted on our progress in all areas.

We look forward to hearing from you and we will update the blog and website weekly, if not daily. vick6roatan@gmail.com

Take Care and God Bless,

Trey and Connie Vick

New Things On The Horizon....

Here recently we have been enjoying the awesome weather as well as some other great things.

My mom and her husband were in for a couple of days to visit with us, that was fun and we did all the Galveston fun stuff of hitting The Strand and of course the beach. They are back in Seattle now, missing the grandkids and the fantastic weather we are having.

Trey went to Arizona for the meeting with the University of Arizona. Very good results and they are glad to have him on board for help with the project in Roatan. This will be a long process that could be 6 months to a year down the road, but wonderful news that the Colonia may actually have a water treatment facility and possible indoor plumbing! God is great!

We had some of our friends from Roatan stop in and stay with us for a couple of days. Henry and Frances of LW4R were in the states for a couple of weeks and graced us with their presence. While they were here we had a great meeting with Lakewood Church's Ministry Team, which was very exciting and uplifting. Good things to come for sure. We got to hang out with them and share some great family time together. They are so committed to the cause and so blessed to have been able to share their experience in Roatan with oneanother.

We are also in the process of firming up some great plans with some of our other friends in Roatan, as well. The pastor and his wife, Jeremy and Melissa, which we totally connected with while there this summer, have been in BIG talks with us of late. We will be sharing some cool stuff soon on our blog and via email...so be watching!

Take care and God bless!

Connie and Trey

Since our last blog, we have had a few changes occur. Our three oldest started school here in Crystal Beach, Texas, Parker turned 3, I signed up to start substitute teaching at the school here on the peninsula (I am the only sub located here...negotiations need to begin very soon.....) jj:)
So much change with being here at a beach front school and yes, you can see the beach from the windows in the hallways. Each of the kids got to pick out one new outfit for school, a very large change from the past, all of our school supplies were provided, even back-packs (not done yet), their breakfast and lunch is provided, and Parker (our 3-year-old) gets to attend school all day, the bus picks and drops off at the front door too...Oh, and Anna was chosen by her new principle to represent the school at the monthly Superintend ant's Advisory Meetings. So much favor and we are so grateful for absolutely everything that we are blessed with! Thank you, Lord. Wiley and Anna have also lost a couple of teeth at the same time in the past couple of weeks too. That Tooth Fairy fund is amazing. We go to the beach most days after school for a little boogie boarding and skim boarding. There are no extra curricular activities here on the peninsula since the Hurricane Ike one year ago, we are fine with that and embracing the ease of no 'scheduled practices' at a ball field. These kids of ours are so resilient, thank God.

So, we also have a pretty cool trip that Trey will be taking at the end of this month. He will be traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona, to meet with engineers from NAU about building a water treatment/sewer facility in the colonia in Roatan. Quick background: a few years ago, some engineers from NAU took a mission trip to Roatan through Living Water for Roatan (our dear friends) and felt moved to put them on their list to receive the benefits of the funding of a waste water treatment system/sewer plant. They have moved up the list and now are contenders for the funding and this could be a reality for the people of the colonia that have zero indoor plumbing. God works in mysterious ways and this is just another example of how great His reach is.

Trey actually had quite the events fall into place in getting him to Flagstaff. First of all, he waited to book the flight so that he could be certain of what time to arrive, in that time the flight doubled in price. So, he checked into staying over one night for a better fare, this worked. Only problem, he flies into Phoenix (Flagstaff is a very small airport), which is 3 hours from Flagstaff. So, Trey contacted another meeting attendee, Dr. Patrick, to see if he could catch a ride to the meeting. Well, he says he is planning on taking his private plane and that Trey could tag along. Seriously, how much more "open" does the door have to be? So, Trey will fly to Phoenix, catch a ride with Dr. Patrick and they will meet with Henry and Frances of LW4R and the engineers of NAU. It gets better. Trey remembered that Tom Hackett of Alternative Missions has a condo in Phoenix, Tom and his wife, Linea are actually going to be there and he offers for to Trey stay the night. Just so happens, that our family needs to speak with Tom about mission work and our future endeavors. Man, when you pray for all doors to open, they do!

Please pray for our family that we find our way and follow what He has planned for us.

Take Care and God Bless,

Trey and Connie

Where did you guys go???

Where did you guys disappear to?

Well, sorry that anyone has had to ask, we sincerely have been trying to find our way. We promise.

After our 'sabbatical' to the ranch, we headed to the beach house for a couple of days and then to to the gulf coast, through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and then on to Florida. We had a great time catching some Florida waves and hanging out with family.

Of course, we had to take a few pix of the kids crossing the state lines and do the usual tourist stuff... we started the journey in Louisiana in Baton Rouge to stay with Trey's cousin, Jane and Ted. They are so giving and wonderful! We have such favor, even with family! They welcomed us and took us to their favorite haunt and all...we had great Cajun food and stayed up late telling great family stories; DV, you were well represented!

Next stop, the alligator farm. We hopped on an air boat, no problem, four kids aged 1 to 9. Seriously, we dodge major illnesses in foreign countries and such

All hands on deck and we were all six ready to go, as usual. Our tour guide, Smitty, was very thorough and loved having the kids on deck. We threw marshmallows because as they hit the water they drew attention to the alligators and the color 'white' attracts them. Good thing Laney was not in a white onesie! jj We zoomed forward and backward and sideways; the boggy water was our destiny and let me say that the ride was incredible and the babies loved it! Afterward, we got to hold a baby alligator, the kids absolutely loved this part! All in all, the alligator speed boat thing was a little pricey but worth every penny.

So, off to Mississippi. We went off the beaten path (who would have guessed) and look Dauphin Island. It is just like Bolivar, only white sand and no IKE. We moved on and ate some great seafood. Off to our I-10 turn-off, 331.

After the turn-off to 331, you are on the path of white sand beaches and some sort of money pocket that not many 'residents' think is 'weird'. Does that make sense? What I mean is, those that actually live there on the beach, are not aware of the fact that no one else can actually afford to live next door to them. Can you imagine that? If you can, how blessed are you? Run and spread it, we can help you!!!

Anyway, we had a great time, hung out with my dad and his wife and parents. We wish that there weren't so many days that pass in a year. The kids painted a new piece of art with their grandmother for the beach house, a big one, 2x4 at least. They are so talented. We even got to welcome a tropical storm while there and laugh at it as well. We love them and miss them already!

So, on our return to Texas, we headed straight back and stopped only to take a break and get a snack (you parents know that we mean potty breaks every hour or so).

What a whirlwind. We are so blessed in the midst of so much turmoil; health care, octomom, Pensacola murder case, Michael Jackson, Obama health care, etc......

We are absolutely aware that we are not in control of anything except our own actions. Lord, help us, seriously.

So, on our way to Crystal Beach, Texas, we came upon the realization that we would go ahead and move our family to the beach house that we love while we get ready for the next leg of our journey. Please continue to pray for our family and thank you in advance for getting us where HE needs us!

Take care and God bless,

Trey and Connie

Week One back in Texas

Okay, so it has been an entire week since our last blog. We have been quite busy and there is no slowing down anytime soon. We spent a couple of days at the beach house in Crystal Beach. We actually visited the local school here, Crenshaw Elementary, the kids said they want to go to school here. Lord, we need a sign of some sort, please make it so obvious, like a fire in the sky with very specific writing that tells us what to do, is that too much to ask? Anyway, we absolutely loved the school, only 8 fourth graders, and a handful of kindergartners and they even have a program for Parker, our 3-year-old, an ALL DAY PROGRAM, yes, I am so ready to move here. We had some great times at the beach, Anna's friend, Caleigh, and her mom and brother, Connor, came to visit. It was a great time.

Then, we had to head out because a family checked in for the weekend so we headed to San Antonio to Trey's brother's house. It was a great time and a chance for the kids to see their only first first cousin, Owen (although, another cousin is on the way in November). We actually looked at some land and some different areas that we have always been interested in; since we first met, Trey and I have always said that we would end up in the Hill Country of Texas or on a beach somewhere... seriously.

So, one of the rentals that we looked into got rented, when we pulled up to the house, they let us know that they were the new tenants. Another door closed, lets get this show on the road already. We found some awesome tracts of land, some with seasonal creeks, awesome views, you name it, we just are not sure that we should let it ride just yet...

After a full weekend in San Antonio we headed back to the beach house in anticipation of spending a week or two in solace in order to finish a few things that have lingered (ie: garage apt., outdoor speakers, etc.) as well as make some major decisions about where we are going to settle down.

Well, another door closed, the beach house rented for the week (totally awesome mixed blessing) so we had to find somewhere else to go. Goodness, can we get a break? We got into Crystal Beach at midnight and left at 10am that next morning. Where were we going? Good question. We headed to Madisonville, Texas, about 90 miles north of Conroe, our home town. Our very good friends, Brandon and Fawn Creighton have a ranch that they offered up to us; we have such great favor! Well, once again, the kids went crazy for this 'new' place, they want to move here...these kids are so great, what can't they go through and just keep 'keeping on'? How many places can we drag them and have them just say, "can we move here?" God, to be a kid again...I wish we could bottle up their enthusiasm for life. Still not sure where we need to be. It has been a week since we got back from Roatan and we are still very 'shaken', not sure where to plant our roots, but very sure that we have an awesome calling and will go wherever called. Wherever that may be. Man, Henry, He sure does have a way of 'messing with us.'

So, we have ridden the TRex all over this ranch, fished, hunted for cicadas and all sorts of bugs, followed the cattle, pet giant cows, too much to name. It has been quite the journey. One minute we are in Roatan, Honduras (kids ready to move there), next minute we are in Crystal Beach, Tx (kids ready to move there) and then in San Antonio area (kids ready to move there), then on a ranch in Madisonville, Tx (kids ready to move there)...

We are planning to visit my dad in Florida and some very good friends in the Dallas area either before or after, whichever works out best. So, what after that? Good question.

Not sure.

Please pray that we will see that clearly-spelled-out-plan for the Vick family! We need eyes that will see and hearts that will accept, also minds that will agree. We love our family and friends, even those that we have just recently met, thank you for loving us unconditionally, we love you and will forever be grateful.

Take care and God bless!

Our last day in Roatan

Our last day in Roatan, Honduras was eventful, to say the least. We decided to start out with a quick breakfast at 7am and then straight to the beach. It was so strange knowing that it would be our last time piling into the little Nissan pick up, all windows down, kids hanging out the windows, no seat belts, you name it, we did it, only if it was something we didn't normally do in America. Too funny. To put minds at ease, there are hardly any cars and the roads are so hilly and curvy that no one can go over 40mph, seriously. So, it is not all that bad, really. We even end up picking up hitch hikers often, don't think that we have mentioned that little tid bit yet, but as we drive by and slow down a little they hop in the back of the truck and off we go. No big deal, everyone gets around here that way, like I said there are hardly any cars here. What is so amazing to us it that the hitch hikers are so polite and thankful, they say, "thank you, sir" or if it's just me and the kids, "thank you, momma" and they even say, "have a blessed day"...it is very refreshing to see such gratefulness. Anyway, we finished up at the beach and headed home from the beach for the last time, it was surreal, almost to the point of knowing that we would be back some day, hopefully soon :)

We got home to the power being out, great, we actually need to shower at this point and we have a load of clothes in the washer that have to be dried before we can finish packing....can it get any better? All we wanted was to get our last beach day in.....

Well, of course, a knight in shining armor always has been found while we have been here; Henry of lw4r, called and came straight over to grab our clothes and take them to their house to dry them for us (they still had power). How great is that? We truly do have favor in the midst of many moments that seem hopeless at first, even if it is only laundry. Henry and Frances are just like a set of parents that God hand-picked and placed in our lives while here in Roatan. What awesome role-models that we know our own parents would want right by our side in if they could not be here themselves. So, we ended up calling on Jeremy and Melissa (rchurch) for our showers, they have running water when the power is out, we do not. Gotta love crashing in on our friends with sandy kids to just shower and run, oh and say good bye. The thing is, they are just a great, normal, family that we will know for the rest of our lives and like she said, "we don't even need to go there," (of, me saying, "we wouldn't know what we would have done otherwise"). We miss them so much!

So, we get all the bags into the back of the little Nissan and off to West End for lunch with Henry and Frances of lw4r; as well as get our now dry laundry. Goodness, it does get better, doesn't it? Our lunch was much needed nourishment for the journey ahead and we were running a little behind getting to the airport. Nonetheless, the ticket agent that said he would be there, was actually there, we were the last to check our many bags, and off to pay our$34 per person to exit the country. Does America do that? Surely we have thought about doing that??? We said goodbyes and hugged and took pictures and it was a great farewell. Jeremy, Melissa and the boys showed up to see us off and help out, Henry and Frances were there and even as we were paying our fees we saw Marvin, a teenage boy that we met while working at the Colonia. What a blessing that was, he had little puppy dog eyes when he saw us leaving and I can promise you that he will never forget us for the rest of his life. He remembered all the kids' names and said goodbye to them; what an angel. He even had told me that he 'loved' the group from Roopeville, GA. that had just left a couple of weeks ago. "I love them, " he said. So, I promised to let them know that he said hi and of course will tell them every word he said. This is what it is all about, even if you only effect ONE person, you really end up having an effect on EVERY single person in that one person's life, forever.

So, we sat in the VERY back of the plane, the flight attendant nearest us was a grandmother, so of course, our awesome favor was as such, she passed m&ms when needed and we had a great flight home. Customs was a breeze and our good friends, Brandon and Fawn Creighton, picked us up at the airport. We had to go by and get our car from Trey's grandmother's house and then to our friends' house, Spencer and Karyn Ashton. They were out of town, so we just unloaded and got everyone bathed and in bed. Lord, thank you for getting us home safely, we could not have done it without you!

Sunday, we hit FOTW, our church, and then went to lunch with some friends that we usually do lunch with every Sunday. Wayne, Stacia and the kids are actually moving back to Louisiana, so this may be the last time we see them until they have their fourth baby and Craig, and Craig and Diana just wanted another excuse to go to Wings and More (right?).

After lunch, the kids stayed at Karyn's house to swim while Trey and I divided and conquered. He went by one storage place to drop off extra stuff while I went to another to pick up sheets and towels for the beach house. We left Conroe and are here in Crystal Beach, TX. We slept like rocks, all six of us, last night. It was great. Time to get our ducks in a row and figure out where we are supposed to be.

Take care and God bless!

The last Thursday and Friday in Roatan

Our last two full days have come and gone in a flash. Thursday we took it easy, knowing that we soon would be full speed ahead with packing and airport stuff and kids and all that. We met up with who else but Melissa and Jeremy and the twins to swim and go to the Iron Shore. The iron shore is an area of what looks to be dead coral or volcanic formations that formed along the seashore. Pirates hated iron shore because it was impossible to dock near these giant iron like formations. Anyway, we took the boardwalk over the iron shore to get to the edge where it meets the ocean. The waves hit it like a ton of bricks and splash way up high and fill up little tide pools among all the little cracks and crevices that it can find. There are tons of snails of all shapes and sizes all over these formations, even some little turtle shell looking things that we could not get to come off of the rocks; hopefully these creatures are not dangerous or in any danger of extinction...needless to say we were unable to remove them and we have not come down with anything. We found some hermit crabs that had totally outgrown their shells, the kids did not want to leave but we had to get home to eat dinner because Mr. Tom was coming over to talk about Alternative Missions. We had a great discussion about what the organizations does and how he started it. Pretty cool stuff. Definitely sparked some deep discussion.

Friday we started our day with a trip to the airport to get our boarding passes in order to alleviate any time that we had to stand in line with four kiddos. The agent said he would be there tomorrow for our flight and to just head down the Elite area and he would get us right through; it is so awesome to have such favor! While at the airport we couldn't resist getting a shot of the man in fatigues with his rifle sitting on his lap. Former President Zelaya is supposed to try and step foot back on Honduran soil, so security is pretty much everywhere over here, again. We even have noticed quite a few Apache helicopters patrolling the island, in pairs. We ran some last minute errands and headed home to eat lunch and get the babies down for their naps. Anna, Wiley and I headed to Gumbalimba Park to go kayaking while Trey watched the babies and did some work on the computer. The kids and I had so much fun however, I will probably be unable to move tomorrow. This evening we went to Flowers Bay to the dedication of the Dwellings House by Alternative Missions. It was a huge revival style dedication. No other way to describe it. They had a guy set up to sing with his keyboard and large speakers, lawn chairs, the family, extended family and friends all in attendance and the ladies had even prepared food, drinks and cookies. At one point everyone was jumping and clapping hands; we were waiting for someone to start doing flips like John Belushi in "The Blues Brothers". It was awesome. They said a prayer of thanks and each of the guys that had helped build the house got to say a few words, even Trey, I was so proud of him (he totally is not the center stage type guy in a big crowd). All the kids played together and had a blast, they were totally filthy and hot and tired by the time we left. Afterward we headed to West End to eat at The Dive, we had Texas style burgers. The owner is from Dallas so he takes pride in his meat, he even ships it all the way from Miami, I bet it is the only place on the island with 100% Angus burgers, made fresh. We hit the ice cream shop afterward and headed home.

We plan to head to the beach first thing in the morning for our last dip in this beautiful ocean then head home to pack up. For lunch we are planning to meet Henry and Frances of lw4r for and then we are off to the airport. Jeremy, Melissa and the twins are meeting us there too, so we will have just enough arms and eyes to help out with the kids while we get the bags unloaded and checked. We will miss everyone dearly.

Take care and God bless!

Our last Wednesday in Roatan

Keeping up the trend of 'last ofs', we have now officially had our last Wednesday in Roatan. The days are flying by and the thought of returning to reality is really unsettling...when we return, we will stay the night at a friend's house, all of our belongings are still in storage, we have to pick up our vehicles and then we will spend a few days at the beach house in Crystal Beach...trying to plot our next move. Should be interesting. Not sure if we will blog about those occurrences, but it is so tempting, jj no one would probably be interested in our 'normal' life.

So, on our last Wednesday we hit the beach first thing this morning. But first we had to make sure and get our customary chicken empenadas, delivered via moped. We were short a couple of dollars so we had to go back later and square up with the wife that does all the actual cooking right on the side of the road; portable gas cook top complete with cardboard surround. Then, off to the beach with full tummies....

Not a soul was at the beach but we could feel them approaching, it was cruise day, so at least a thousand tourists were on their way. It was clear and the water was so calm, we snorkeled, built sand castles, jumped off the pier and got eaten alive by no-see-ums. We are so not used to the amount of blood sucking bugs on this island. At least you can see a mosquito and smack it, these little sand fleas are so tiny and almost clear that you never even know what hit you. Needless to say, we should have thoroughly applied insect repellent. bugs-1, vicks-0.

Anna and I hit West End while the babies were sleeping at lunch time, she needed some mother-daughter time. It can be so hard to remember to take time for things like that when there are so many kids running around all the time. I am constantly reminding myself that if we are not there for her, someone else will gladly take our spot. Anyway, we did some shopping and ate at the Noodle House, a little 10X10 wood frame shack. It was so yummy, Thai peanut noodles with veggies and shrimp and some California rolls with spicy shrimp and mango. Get out of town, it was so good! We ended up burning up about three hours and decided to head back to check on Trey and Wiley and the girls. Both babies were still asleep and Trey was finishing up a book, "Lone Survivor", about Marcus Littrell (a former Willis Wildkat), the owner of this house was in the military and has tons of military books, small world.

This evening our last Wednesday dinner consisted of homemade fried chicken and french fries. Micheal, the care taker got the fire going in the outside adobe cooker. It is made of mud and keeps one heck of a fire going. Trey fried the potatoes and chicken and we devoured all of it, he is such a good cook, probably because he absolutely enjoys to cook, just like DV did.

Tomorrow we plan to check out the house in Flowers Bay that Trey helped get started last week. The presentation of the home to the family is on Friday afternoon, we can't wait to see everyone and try to capture the moment. In the evening we plan to meet up with Tom Hackett, the founder of Alternative Missions.

Take care and God bless!

The Official 'Last Ofs' Begin

This is the beginning of the official 'Last Ofs' of Roatan; Our last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, etc.

On our 'last Sunday' we started out our day at rchurch, Laney spent some quality time with several of the male friends that we have made, she absolutely adores men, who of course just scoop her up and will hold her for as long as she wants; atta girl. Before the service was over, Jeremy, the pastor and our new good friend, prayed for us that our family would find our way to follow the path that He has for us, it was very moving and extremely thought provoking in that we truly are seeking that which He wants for us as a family. No matter what IT is, we definitely have come to a place in the last five weeks that has prepared us to follow. It was not a coincidence that we met so many amazing people from so many different walks of life; Henry and Frances with lw4r, the mission team from Georgia, Jeremy and Melissa of rchurch, Tom with Alternative Missions; the list could seriously go on and on. We pray that when we return home, wherever that will be, that we can stay focused and not get caught up in any of the 'land of need' stuff.

Sunday night we hit our 'last crab races and fire dancing show'. We met up with Melissa and the boys and her parents. The kids get so excited to run around on the beach and drink Fanta. The entire fire dancing family was there again and the kids just ate up those child fire dancers. It was a great time and we even had another winner in our group, two free ice creams at Ms. Vicky's ice cream shop.

Our 'last Monday' began a little rough with the power out most of the day. We tried to go into town and get some shopping done so as not to go stir crazy in the house; not only was the power off but there was no wind and it kept raining, it was more or less like a sauna in the house. Not fun. Anyway, Trey's back had been out since Sunday, he twisted or pulled something, so he was in some kinda pain and not the best person to be around, so our shopping trip was cut short in an attempt to track down the local 'back' guru, Cathy. Needless to say, we never got ahold of her so he just kept taking ibuprofen and aleve with hot compresses. Btw, he is doing much better and on the road to working it out. Monday afternoon it finally quit raining and the power came back on, so we took the kids to the beach to run off some of their pent up energy. We decided to have our 'last Monday night pizza', they have a two for one special on Mondays that we have hit for five weeks straight, brick oven and very yummy! They even have a swimming pool that you can swim in while dining, kinda like the sand boxes at some of the restaurants back home, only less messy. Well, our last Monday would not be complete without more drama of some sort, so we ended up taking it to the limit. The floors in the restaurant are wood decking with tiny little cracks in between, one would never notice them much unless they happened to drop just the right size item and it fell in the cracks. Our item was our car key, yes, we are mostly shoeless, wet from the pool, full tummies and kids ready to shower and get to bed; oh, and it's about 7:30 and after dark and there are tons of mosquitoes outside at this point. Our cell phone decides to run out of minutes, the waitress calls the rental car agency and they do not answer the phone; so, we lock up the truck and start walking down the road to get a taxi. We were quite a site to behold, swatting the bugs, kids crying because we have no shoes and the gravel, water-filled pot-holes are killing our feet, carrying the baby and all our towels and crap from the beach....that was the best $5 taxi ride ever, and we only went about 1/2 a mile uphill all the way. At least when we got home the power was on and we could shower and hit the hay. Laney ended up getting a mosquito in her room and she woke up in the middle of the night screaming and scratching at about 50 bites all over her body, bless her little heart, ours too, we got zero sleep. Our last Monday was eventful and I'd say the longest day of our trip so far.

On our last Tuesday, we all were up at about 5am and it was raining most of the morning so we stayed busy inside, playing on the computer, watching DVDs and driving each other nuts. Finally after lunch, Anna, Wiley and I met Melissa and the boys and her parents at the Butterfly Gardens. It was like the butterfly exhibit at the HMNS, but totally rustic and up close, no real rules and our guide was barefoot. They ended up having quite a collection of butterflies, a bunch of cool parrots, toucans and macaws, a baby deer and a cohote. The kids got to hold the birds on their finger, they were a little unsure of this, I'm still not sure why since they just about hugged the iguanas the other day, but they had a great time. They even got to bottle feed the baby deer, which is of the breed that is actually found on the island. After the butterfly gardens, we had everyone over for dinner, we had good food, great conversation and the kids were bouncing off the walls having a blast playing hide and seek. Laney became very good friends with Melissa's dad, Mike, he was at her beck and call, as are all men in her life. After some yummy homemade brownies, we called it a night.

We are planning to hit Gumbalimba Park and the dolphin show at Anthony's Key Resort over the next couple of days as well as have a couple more lunches/dinners with friends before we leave on Saturday.

Take care and God bless!