Sonidos Serranos: Sounds of the Sierras... Reflecting some of my family's interests: God's wonderful creation (especially mountains and hills!), music, and language...
Psalm 121:1-2 (NASB)
I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
The ship Logos
Hope was docked in Montevideo for several weeks. DJ and I got to make the first
visit as part of a school field trip. We then visited as a family the next
week – and got a better look at the wealth of books in the on-board
bookstore!
On Saturday morning and afternoon we visited again with a couple of former students. Book prices were very
reasonable, and JM purchased some titles for both the FEBU and Bible Institute
libraries.
Please join us in praying for
the seeds that were sown in this secular port: The gospel has been given
directly, along with repeated productions of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe which we were able to attend.
“Christ is proclaimed, and
in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice...”
We continue to be thankful, as Jona’s extended family, for you who take a moment to let us know that you not only pause to remember but also to pray – and to let us know that you’re remembering and praying! We appreciate you!
Today a former classmates of Jona’sposted on the family’s fb page:
8 years. It’s amazing how fast time flies.
I remember waking up 8 years ago around 4 in the morning. I couldn’t sleep and checked my phone to see the title of a blog “Jona is home.” My heart wanted to believe he had just made it home after another trip to the hospital, but that wasn’t the “home” being referenced.
If you didn’t know him, his obituary sums up his life as best I can find words to convey through social media:
“On his fifteenth birthday he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma cancer, which God used to demonstrate to thousands of others around the world how much Jona enjoyed the eternal life that the Lord had given him through the gospel of grace. He was a man of prayer and a warrior of the faith.”
I still remember sitting in chapel listening to his testimony through this video. A high schooler, but a young man that will never be forgotten. The memories come back every year, happy and sad, along with the joy of knowing we will see him again one day.
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3) [Thank you, Joseph, for sharing these thoughts...]
Minas has been a favorite destination for our birthday drives. And realizing as we drove by on our recent trip to Treinta y Tres that JM had never been to “Salus” (on the western outskirts of the city) clinched it as our choice for this year’s birthday outing.
Known as “Parque Salus” when I was growing up there in Minas, it was recently rebranded as “Reserva Salus” (allegedly due to changes in ownership as well as to the fact that the hotel and restaurant remain closed for the time being).
In spite of the changes (since Minas holds my favorite memories of childhood and adolescence), we enjoyed the outing.
And I treasure so many childhood memories in the city’s central plaza... Being there was especially nostalgic this year...
JM and E surprised me with an early celebration (last week) with institute students, plus a few added FEBU students, who are in JM’s class on Wednesday evenings. I’d been out, helping to chaperone a field trip with DJ’s school that afternoon, and didn’t get to make the weekly “coffee cake” we like to share with students. So JM and E got some (very yummy!) pastries from the neighborhood supermarket and put together a little celebration with everybody that evening...
We also celebrated (a day early) on Sunday evening at church.
And Julia and I celebrated our shared birthday (the day of) with a “tea” and the leftover cake from the evening before – plus more pastries AND a fresh and warm cinnamon coffee cake!
The academic year began on March 11. We’re thankful for our Loving Shepherd and His faithful guidance and provision during this first month of both teaching and learning, new locations, and additional opportunities for our family.
We leave the house shortly after 6:00 a.m. to catch the first of two or even three buses with DJ; on the other hand, most of E’s classes are in the afternoons, here in the neighborhood.
First day of school!
Watching DJ mature and love being at school has been nothing less than a hug from our Loving Shepherd!
Acting as chaperone on field trips has been a highlight for me!
We’re keeping busy – and we’re thankful for these opportunities!
Hace un mes empezó las clases; hace una semana creó este cuento solito en clase. Tenía que elegir entre escribir enunciados para cada una de las palabras siguientes o escribir un cuento.
pizarrón sacapuntas dientes mesas flores
(Los que conocen lo que ha sido su saga escolar, sabrán apreciar lo que significa esto para nosotros...)
“Sonidos Serranos” was begun in March 2008 partly for our parents who were all overseas at the time. Since August 2009 and especially in early 2011, the blog became a practical way to communicate updates on our nephew Jona’s battle with cancer and God’s graciously giving him ultimate healing. I’ll still be posting about God’s amazing grace in his life ~ and our lives as well...
As for me:
I’m happily married to John Mark, my best friend. Our greatest joy is knowing Jesus Christ as personal Savior. After years of preparing and waiting, we are excited to be in Uruguay as full-time teachers, sharing the message of salvation in Christ alone in this part of the world.
Our E and DJ are also great sources of joy ~ and wonderful answers to prayer! They have a great heritage: Their grandparents (all of them!) are or have been missionaries. And they continue to be an important reason for this blog.
