Sunday, July 13, 2008

Don't drink the water!

We're not sure what it was but Renee somehow got something inside her this last Thursday that has caused these last 4 days to be quite the blur. After many trips to her new best friend (el bano), lots of prayer, a trip to the hospital (which was really just a doctor visit at a hospital), and some dedication, she is feeling much better. Our prayer is that tomorrow all will be back to normal. She has done really great throughout it all. Thank you God for strength and healing.
Gracie's mouth decided it was time for some more teeth, so in the last 2 weeks she received 7 new ones. !Una fiesta en su boca! (Party in her mouth!) It was great to see those new teeth in actino as she ate some corn off the cob tonight. Check out her wild picture below. 
Between taxi rides to the hospital and new mouth discoveries we have quickly made it half way through our current session of Spanish. So fast! We continue to do our best to soak up new vocabulary (like 'Cafe de ida y vuelta' for instance-Coffee for truckers and bus drivers-very strong coffee!). Depending on how Renee feels we hope to practice our Spanish with two new friends from church when they come for dinner this week. They are great and have a 1 year old as well.
After the remaining 4 weeks are done with this session we plan to hop on our return flight home and be back in the Reedley area on August 11th. We knew these first 4 months would go quick but now that we are almost done it is hard to believe. We will be in town for about 4 weeks before returning (perhaps by car for Jake) for our next two sessions (4 more months) of Spanish, which will take us up to the beginning of Decemb
er.
We continue to pray and listen for the voice of God to lead and guide us as far as future direction goes. It is fun to listen as God speaks in so many ways: our passion, desires, and feelings, newspapers, people, and of course His voice and the Bible. To name a few. As we continue to seek Him, He continues to reveal His goodness to us. 
Well, it's about time to get Gracie down for bed and do some more studying. The afternoon rain has already come refreshing the ground. We hope and trust that some of that refreshing will come to our minds, bodies, and hearts as we start a new week.
Very thankful to able to walk through life with an amazing God and great people like you whom He places in our lives.
Con amor y alegria,
Jake, Renee, and Gracie.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Adorable!! Ay Gracie!! Ay yi yi Renee! Sorry about the bugs! Hope you're feeling better. As one who has been there... I feel your pain. The good news? If this wasn't a public post I'd tell you, but I'll save it for later.

I just want you to know that you are greatly missed. I'm way overdue for some good Renee time!!

By the way, friend, you did some amazing AMAZING stuff for CYM. Put us on the map my dear sister. GREAT information - and I'm using it ALL right now for strategic planning and grantwriting. Yep, you should be laughing out loud on that one! I could go on forever cuz I miss you so much today! No wonder you've been on my heart and mind and in my prayers - you got the bugs =)

YOU ARE LOVED! It's so great to hear about what God continues to do in you and Jake. And it's way cool to see Gracie's teeth. Sweet. Hasta pronto -s

Melissa said...

Hello Harder Three!

Wowzers on the 7 teeth! That's a party in the mouth for sure! Little Paige is holding steady with four total. And two of those 4are only half sprouted. :p
Gracie is adorable and looks like a little bundle of fun.

Renee, hope you are back to full form soon! Hang in there!

Anonymous said...

Hey Harders: So sorry to hear that you're sick, Renee, and we pray you get better soon. We miss you all very much and are eager for your short visit home... I can't wait to see the girls together again...they've both changed so much these past few months (Chloe turned one on July 15th and then started walking the next day!- And the teeth... I know exactly what you're going through. Give Gracie a hug for us and keep up the good work in school- and Renee "Espero que te mejores pronto."

Natali said...

I'm so sorry to hear that Renee became so sick! Poor Gracie too, that's a lot of teeth to cut at one time! Keegan is cutting three right now, and incisor and two molars, and MAN is he ever grumpy. I can't imagine what 7 teeth must have been like! How cool to experience eating corn on the cob for the first time though :-) If you have time, it would be fun to get the lil' ones together while you're back in the area. Peace, love and much fulfillment and Spanish vocab to you! Hugs!