~Hallelujah we're home safe and NOW have internet!~

We JUST GOT INTERNET 10 minutes ago, so NOW I can update my blog.  =) 
THANK YOU TONS FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!!

While we were packing to leave Argentina...Phillip's debit/Visa card came up MISSING!  
We SeArChEd HIGH and low...and COULD NOT find that card ANYWHERE!
Finally just before leaving the house in Argentina, Phillip called our bank and CANCELLED that card!
After a 45 minute drive to the airport...I asked Kimberly to look through Elijah's backpack, to make sure he didn't have any Kitchen knives, lighters, etc. (things that boys think are cool) in it.  ;-)
GUESS WHAT SHE FOUND?!
Yep! you are right!
She found Phillip's debit card, which he had JUST CANCELLED... IN ELIJAH'S BACK PACK!  =)   
Gotta LOVE that "little Leader!"   
We are excited to see how God will use his take-charge type personality!! =)
~ ~ ~  ~ ~ ~   
Jesus gave us a safe and uneventful trip home from Argentina.
As you know we flew all night.  I had asked Jesus to PLEASE help the plane to NOT be a full-flight, so that I could have 3 seats on which to to lay down.
Jesus did just that, and so I was able to stretch out for several hours.  Praise the Lord!  =)  (Of course, one doesn't sleep very soundly on the airplane, but at least I could get off my feet and rest.)
I was also concerned since my "baby bump" is rather LARGE...that the airport authorities could question HOW FAR ALONG I WAS...and not let me fly.  (I was 7 1/2 months along, but could appear to others to be further along.)
So, I tried to "hide baby" under a coat and scarf.   ;-)
THANK THE LORD, no one even questioned me about my due date, and we arrived safely in the USA.  =)
~Here we are standing in the check-in line in the airport in Argentina.  
The lady was very kind and didn't charge us for our extra suitcase, and gave us seats together.~

 ~Our dear friends Uncle Charlie and Leo took us to the airport.
Leo parked and helped us get everything into the airport.
Leo and our family!~

 ~We landed in Atlanta around 5:30 A.M., went through customs, grabbed our suitcases and sent them back through, and boarded the plane for CINCINNATI!!!!   We were GOING HOME!  =D
Our Dear mission director and wife, the Beckers, and Daddy and Moma, and my 3 nieces and nephew were are FUN Welcoming party!  =) ~

 ~Elijah sat down in the middle of the airport to pull his "treasures" out of his backpack.  He loves his monkey hat and sunglasses.~

 ~The day we arrived was my DEAR sister Laura's birthday.  
After I got a L.O.N.G. nap, Laura served us a YUMMY supper.
Daddy bought a cake, and Phillip got some ice cream, and Kimberly made some choc. syrup to celebrate Laura!
Laura and her family were a HUGE blessing in getting our beds ready and cleaning off the 5-month layer of dust from our house, and putting some groceries in our kitchen!  
We have NO CLUE what we'd do without them, and LOVE THEM TO PIECES!!!~

 ~Cousins!  Happy to be together again.
Natasha, Brittany, and Kimberly.~

 ~We had planned to make a trip to TN this week, to see my GG (Grandmother) and family there, and take our family camping before baby comes.
Camping is one thing that we REALLY MISS when we are not in the States.
However, plans changed, and we couldn't go to TN this week.
So, we've just been at home trying to catch up on REST, finding the clothes our kids out-grew while we were gone and getting rid of them (or storing them for the next kid =), unpacking, and organizing.
This picture of Mary shows you how we all feel.  Exhausted, but HAPPY to be home! :-) ~

 ~And since our camping plans were cancelled or post-poned, we got the supplies and have had fun doing S'mores with our kids in our back yard.  :-)
Baby and I have an appointment with my midwife group next Tuesday.  I'll update you after that appointment.~

~Phillip had a Happy Father's day!~

After 2 days of STRAIGHT RAIN, God answered PRAYER and sent SUNSHINE!!!
Praise the Lord!
As you know, we have no dryer, and of course use clothes lines OUTSIDE to dry our clothes.  So now that God sent sunshine...we can get all our clothes washed, dried, and packed up.  =)
Your prayers are appreciated as we finish last minute things and packing, and for our trip back to the USA.
(BABY AND I REALLY need your prayers!  
With the stress of traveling, and my not being able to eat a lot of RAW veggies (can't take those from one country to another), and with the lack of sleep Wednesday night, those things can do crazy things with my sugar numbers.)
Lord willing we leave Wednesday night and fly all night and arrive on Thursday morning, June 19th. 

We are SAD to leave our DEAR friends here =( , but excited to get home to see our DEAR family and friends there. =)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~For Father's day our family had an invitation to a house of a lady from church.
So, I found out how many Fathers were going to be at her house and on Saturday night I made a double batch of my chocolate chip cookies.

 I made up a bag of 3 cookies per father...~

 ~and made 12 bags and tied them with blue and white ribbon.  Baby blue and white are Argentina's national colors.  ~

 ~And since I know our friend Leo loves American cookies and had just had a birthday...I took one of their bags that FLOUR is sold in here, and made a "gift bag" for him from our family with 12 of my choc. chip cookies in it.  =) ~

 ~And then for a Father's day treat for Phillip and our family I made ice cream sandwiches out of some of my cookies and rolled them in mini choc. chips.~

~Phillip took a picture of this cute Father's day sign in the front of the church Sunday morning.~

 ~A few weeks ago the Sunday school teacher had asked Kimberly if she could teach the S.S. kids some kid's choruses.  Then, after they learned them, she asked her to lead the kids in singing those choruses up front for Father's day.~

 ~Sarah isn't in S.S. anymore, but joined the kids to help them sing.  I played the piano for the 2 choruses they sang.~

 ~They sang "Amaras al Senor Tu Dios" ..."Ye shall Love the Lord your God", and "I saw a Wiggle Worm" both in English and Spanish.~

 ~The kids did a great job singing.~

 ~The church gave each father a small stainless steel thermos for their gift.  Phillip really liked his nice gift.~

~After a delicious lunch at church Kimberly practiced with the choir one last time, then we went to that lady's house for the afternoon.
My Dear friend Caro made these ADORABLE tie name tags to put on the glasses for the Fathers.  Phillip and I LOVE the one with the Chinese writing. =) ~

 ~And she also made this Adorable banner made out of ties that says, "Happy Day, Daddy."

 ~And on either end she blew up 2 balloons and Phillip drew a mustache on there for her.~

 ~Some of the ladies cooking in the kitchen.  The one on the left is the lady of the house.~

 ~Some of the Fathers visiting.~

 ~There were LOTS of yummy snacks to snack on all afternoon until the main supper at 7:00 that night.~

 ~This man is Kimberly's choir director from church.
He and his wife own a Chinese restaurant and make the YUMMIEST food! =) ~

 ~Here they are putting the final touches on supper.~

~Nico (the dentist), Alicia, and their family.  It was Alicia's mom's house where we spent the afternoon.~

 ~The supper was what they described as sort of a "Chinese Taco."  It was all put inside a "shell" which I think it was made out of rice.  It was delicious!~

 ~Daddy and 5 of our 6 PRECIOUS children!!~

~Happy Father's Day!~

How VERY THANKFUL Phillip and I are for our own Dads that Jesus gave us.  Of course, we couldn't "pick" our Dads...but if we could've...we'd pick Daddy and Dad D. all over again.  =D
We love our Dads to PIECES!!
The longer we live the more we appreciate them both and the lives they live.  We are so THANKFUL that God has saved and sanctified them both and that they have remained faithful to Jesus for YEARS!
L to R:
~Dad and Mom Dickinson and my Moma and Daddy at our church Christmas dinner in Ohio this past December. ~

We are also very Thankful for how MUCH our 2 Dads love our 2 Mothers!!!

And for how much they love us kids and our kids too.  =)
We are Thankful that they taught us how to love Jesus as well, how to work, how to stay faithful to our mates through thick and thin, etc.
This Father's day we are VERY THANKFUL FOR  our 2 Dads!!!  How VERY BLESSED we are!
Happy Father's Day, Daddy, and Dad D.  May y'all have a very SPECIAL day!! 
We love you both, and of course we love our Moms too!  =)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 ~Phillip and Kimberly leaving on a date.
Since she's being so FAITHFUL to her studies, he gave her a break one day recently and took her out for some special Daddy-Daughter time.
(Sarah wants Daddy to wait until she gets to the USA to take her out on her date, so thus I don't have a picture of Sarah and Daddy together.  =)~

 ~You already saw this picture, but I love it of Phillip and Mary.~

~What our Daddy is made of~

Our Daddy (Phillip) is "made up of" bolts and screws,

Suits and ties, and black dressy shoes.

Saws that cut and hammers and nails,

Fun times, exploring on hiking trails.

Daily devotions, songs, and family prayer.

Hugs and kisses, and showing He cares.

Takes the boys "out for coffee" and the girls on a date.

Talks with our kids whenever they want, even late.

Has a great sense of humor and makes us laugh.

Helps our kids with their studies, especially MATH!  =)

Loves our kids TONS and what's important to them...

Is the VERY THING that is important to Him!

He takes time for each one from Mary to Kimberly...

And is super excited about our new baby!

Reads stories that make us want to live a Holy Life.

Keeps Peace in our home, by settling "strife!" =)

Takes us to the park, goes jogging with our kids.

Shows us his "muscles" by opening jar lids.  ;-)

He's an early riser and rises to pray,

Giving God the first part of each day.

He's a hard worker and is teaching our boys,

that a job well done brings so much joy.

Phillip L.O.V.E.S. to read and is very VERY wise.

He loves my cooking, especially my pies. =)

He's teaching our boys how to remain pure...

Which now-a-days is quite the task for sure.

He's a God-made artist and amazes us all...

And takes the time to show our kids how to draw.

In our Home our Daddy is THE KING!

In our eyes He can do ANYTHING. =)

Talks about God when rising up and when lying down...

Yep! He's pretty much the BEST DADDY around! =)

                                                                          ~Heather June 2014 Argentina~
~Phillip taking me out to eat to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary!~

 ~Phillip and I watching Kimberly and Sarah learn how to tie a Chinese knot.~

 ~The finished product.  This takes LOTS of patience! ~

 ~Phillip taking Elijah and Noah to Noah's classical guitar lesson and then "out for coffee."
Happy Father's Day, Phillip!  
All 7 of us LOVE YOU TONS!!!  =) ~

~GOD ANSWERED PRAYER!!!!~

Does God stills answer prayer?  Our family IS EXCITED THAT ~YES~ HE STILL DOES!!! =)
When we first moved here to Argentina we arrived at night.
Early the next morning we started hearing the LOUDEST screams, yelling, and carrying-on outside our window.  I began to PRAY for I didn't know WHAT IN THE WORLD was going on.  I seriously thought there was a RIOT and Prayed for God's protection!
Well, we soon learned that there was a DRUG BAR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE just a few doors down from our house.  =(
The young people would go there and stay ALL NIGHT and then around 5:00 AM the young people VERY HIGH ON DRUGS would come out and have RIOTS in the streets, screaming, yelling, banging drums, BREAKING GLASS in the nearby store windows, racing cars and motorcycles up and down the main street, etc.
Each morning it made my heart SO SAD!
So, I told my family that I was going To PRAY THAT JESUS WOULD CLOSE THAT BAR DOWN (and save the owner and those young people.)

Nearly every morning I would hear their car races and PRAY that God would protect anyone from getting killed and going out into eternity without JESUS!!!
It was such a SAD thing to hear those YOUNG people (ages 15 or so and up), wasting their lives by doing DRUGS and being so high they acted like animals!  What if it were MY Kimberly out there?
Those young people never DREAMED that there was a concerned American Mommy inside a house nearby PRAYING for their souls!
My family then joined me in praying for the closing of this bar!

Well, Just this week I thought to myself,
"Hey!  I haven't been hearing those young people screaming in the mornings lately."
I kept meaning to ask Phillip about it, when he brought up the subject.

TONIGHT... Phillip had asked someone who works in the store next to the bar about the bar, and he said that ....
THAT BAR CLOSED DOWN...
IT'S DONE!!!!  
PRAISE THE LORD!!!  

I'm not for sure if the owner and young people got saved yet or not, but God has answered PRAYER and closed down that HORRIBLE BAR!   
THANK YOU, DEAR JESUS!!!

I have no idea where those young people are, but God does and can still save their souls.  Will you join me in praying for them as they cross your mind?!  Thanks!
  

~Our Last English class~

 ~ Since we leave Argentina in about a week, last night was our last English class for a few months.   =(
It's also our dear friend Leo's birthday this week, so we planned a simple birthday supper for him at the same time.
I made an ice cream cake for our dessert.
I made this 2 layered choc. cake recipe (only I put instant coffee in it), then I put choc. chip ice cream in between the 2 layers, and for the icing I mixed up whipping cream, and added a tad of coffee in it as well.
I toasted walnuts and chopped them for the side of the cake.
And... ~

 ~Then I used mini choc. chips to make the "L for Leo" on top of the cake. =) ~

 ~Found these fun paper napkins that looked sort of manly... with a mustache and glasses =), so set the table with a light blue table cloth, my white glass plates, and my black re-usable plastic plates for the center plate.
Then I used my 5 little white frames as place card holders.~

 ~The center piece.~

 ~And wrote "Happy Birthday, Leo!" in my frame that is made for 3 photos. =) ~

 ~The Voice of the Martyrs put out a ministry video called "Stephen's Test of Faith."
It's a short Challenging story of a 12 year old boy who learned the lesson to stand up for Jesus among his friends at school and it also talks about some Christian martyrs.
For our last English class we watched this video in English. ~

 ~I served this salad, my french bread, Italian chicken Spaghetti, and my ice cream cake. ~

 ~The kids table.  2 of our "kids" who normally come to practice English on Tuesday nights couldn't be here tonight, due to sickness.  =( ~

 ~The girls' table.~

 ~Our table.~

 ~And just since I had an extra volcano candle on hands, I threw it on his cake just for fun. =) ~

 ~Our DEAR friends Leo, Caro, Jonathan, and Valentina.  How we are going to MISS them!!~

 ~Their family and ours. (Their family gave our boys and our whole family these shirts with Argentina's national colors as a go-away gift / Argentine souvenir. =)~

 ~Jesus helped my cake turn out yummy. =)
We've fallen in love with these dear children / young people that were here at our house tonight (as well as William and Lisa who were sick), and have enjoyed our Tuesday evenings with them.~