~Trying to touch lives...one life at a time.~

~On the Sunday after the Colombian wedding we had Juan Martin and 2 of his children over for a Special Christmas dinner and to give them some Christmas gifts we had for them. Our table all ready for guests.~~I served baked pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, broc./cauliflower salad, corn, and iced tea. We had a nice meal and visit together.

~Here we are eating our meal...sorry the picture turned out so dark.~

~Juan Martin had just had a birthday so we gave him a nice writing pen, and a good Holiness book, and a 2009 calendar that I had had made up with pics of his family with our family.~
~Felipe opening his gifts. A neat Holiness book on raising a godly family (so he'll know what to look for in a wife =), and to inspire him to want to raise his future family for Jesus. He is like my Phillip and LOVES good Holiness books. We also got he and his sisters a 2009 desk calendar with pics of their family and ours in it.~
~Paula didn't really have a warm coat and was always borrowing one of Kimberly's coats, so Kimberly suggested that we buy her a coat for Christmas. We found her a nice black coat with fur around the hood, and she seems to really like it. We also sent home a gift for Paula's sister Karen and their mother.~

~In Colombia this "Natilla" is very common at Christmas time. It's like a pudding. I made these for our dessert. The one on the left is coconut and the one on the right is caramel.~
~Juan Martin made me this cute little Christmas tree candle holder...that he made out of wood. I'm not for sure how he did it, but he told me that he also used a decorated paper napkin for the front somehow. I was very happy with this cute gift.~
~And here it is all lit up.~
~Juan Martin also made us this cute little "window". (It is hanging on the white decorated tile in my kitchen...so that is what is showing through the window.) He put our name at the top and even made the cute little curtain. This is to hang our keys on, and has a place to put our bills that need paid in between the wall and the window. He has a little clay pot of flowers he wants to bring and glue on too. Very cute and creative.~
As you know we Christians are in a battle. As these lines of a song says:
"It's a battlefield brother, not a recreation room...it's a fight and not a game."

This past week Phillip and I were facing a HUGE battle...and so we decided that we would bind together and PRAY HARD that God would answer prayer! One morning while Phillip was having his devotions, He felt like God gave him this promise for Colombia.
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St. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
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Needless to say that was VERY ENCOURAGING to Phillip and I...and we can see how God is already working in the situation that we are praying about. Thank you for your prayers...the devil does NOT like us trying to touch souls for JESUS, and often tries to discourage us and our Colombian Christian friends.