Guatemala Bound

www.jakenrenee.com

2009-06-16T18:11:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone - if you're still out there!

We're excited to announce our new website: www.jakenrenee.com. Jake has worked hard on this and with the generous assistance of Andrew Shinn (www.shinnphoto.com) it is up & running!

One of the cool features on the new site is a blog. Therefore, we will start using that as our regular blog site. SO, as of right now, this will be our last blog on Blogger. It has served us well these past few years, but it's time to say good-bye!

Hope to see you all on our new site!

Josiah Isaac

2009-05-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

Hi all! In case you have not heard, we found out last Friday that our second child will be a boy! We are very excited and look forward to meeting Josiah in August. A cool thing was a few months ago I was really sick (that's not the cool part :) and Jake was praying for me and the baby. He felt he should pray for "Josiah". Since then, we've been thinking of him as a boy and that was confirmed last week!

In case you're having a hard time figuring out what's what...look at it like he's lying down and you are looking at him from the side. On the right is his head and profile, the left is his body. Good luck!

Gracie & The Train

2009-04-15T20:56:00.003-05:00

This is a play area in a nearby mall that we take Gracie to when weather is bad. She loves it. She especially loves when the "choo-choo" drives by. There have been times when she had tripped because she's so excited to see it. She doesn't ever show a desire to ride the train, which is fine with us! Free is good!

The Hunt

2009-04-11T12:54:00.009-05:00

We voyaged out to an Easter egg hunt at a church near our house here in Charlotte this morning. Tons of kids. We were very thankful that they divided them into age groups or the little ones would have been trampled! Gracie's group (0-2yrs) was - hands down - the slowest. They weren't too interested in the eggs. Gracie was much more excited about the slide! We did manage to get some pics of her Easter egg hunting!

2009-04-09T13:34:00.005-05:00

Hey all!

Now that we have a regular monthly newsletter, we've decided to change the focus our blog to be more personal and updated more frequently. This means things like how we're doing in these upcoming transitions, Gracie moments, pictures, video, ups & downs, etc will be more of what we write about than the overall ministry stuff. That will be taken care of in our newsletter. We want to be able to communicate with family, friends and interested folk about how are lives are going - the day-to-day - from a distance. A distance that will be a little further in the near future!

If you would like up to receive our newsletter by e-mail, fill out the form on the right hand side of this page. We would love to share it with you.

Thanks for reading this and being interested in our lives. It means a lot to us!

The true story on the reality of the drug cartel in Guatemala

2009-03-17T17:48:00.004-05:00

Guatemala City has nearly 4 million people!

A few days before our most recent visit we read an article posted on Yahoo.com regarding the drug cartel in Mexico. It was very intesting to read that as Mexico continues to literally fight against the drug cartel (resulting in thousands of known deaths, many others unknown) among the police, the cartel, and normal citizens. This is not new. What the article went on to say was that there is a good amount of personel from the Mexican cartel that are tired of looking over their shoulders in Mexico and therefore moving to Guatemala. Guatemala just doesn't have the abilitty to fight off these people like Mexico, therefore it is easier to lay low and do business as usual. Guatemala realizes this and has currently received monies and equipment from the United States to beef up its forces. Over dinner one evening, Renee and I were sitting across the table from our well educated Guatemalan friend who travels with an armed security guard/driver. I thought, 'Hey, I'm going to learn about this drug thing from someone who lives in the country." So, I made reference about the article and proceeded to ask him what he thought and if he sees any activity in his day to day activity. Speaking in English, he responded very generally, saying that whereas the report is somewhat true, the activity isn't really anything to be concerned about. Come to find out, after our meal, he said to us, "Sorry I wasn't able to discuss more about the question you asked." going on he said, "did you see the group of people at the table next to us?" "Yes", we replied. He went on to say that of that group of about 8 people, 4 of them were carring guns, and he believed could very well be involved in just the thing I was asking him questions about! During our meal he even called his driver and had him get the vehicle ready in case we needed to get out of there sooner than planned. Wow!

We share this with you to inform you of the kinds of situations that happen in Guatemala. Please take this information and use it to better pray for the Government of Guatemala to make wise decisions. For the safety and protection of the people. As well, pray that the men and women involved in the cartel would have heart and life transformations because of the love Jesus has for them. As the Apostle Paul says, Our battles aren't against flesh and blood (the visible things we encounter), but against powers and principalities in the heavenly realms.

California Here I Come!

2009-02-20T05:06:00.005-06:00

Gracie with her hair done after being at daycare.

Well, here we come. And, just for a few days. Jake & I will head to Guatemala for a week of meetings and research; Gracie will be staying with grandparents, aunties, and uncles. While we are in California, we’re excited about seeing my brother Sean, who lives in Alaska with his wife Stephanie. We haven’t seen him since the day before Gracie was born almost 2 years ago. In other words, this will be Sean and Gracie’s first meeting.
In Guatemala, we will be looking at the ministry facility land that is being purchased, as well as meeting with potential contractors of the church/multi-purpose building. This will be the first building to be constructed on the site. We will be doing this along with two leaders from World Reach. After they leave, Jake and I will spend time in the town of Jocotillo, where we will be living in just a few short months. We hope to make some contacts as well as look at housing possibilities and hospital/doctor options for the delivery of our baby in August.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We can sense the hand of God here in Charlotte, and in the planning and preparing for Guatemala. We look forward to sharing all that happens on this preparation trip to Guatemala soon after arriving back in Charlotte on the 6th of March.

Our prayer is that like Jesus, we too will know the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout each day, each situation, and each moment so that love win over everything and everyone. God’s best to you all!
With lots of love and excitement,

Jake, Renée, and Gracie

January Newsletter

2009-01-29T09:53:00.003-06:00

<>
Hello all below is our update for January. These past few months we've been joyously overwhelmed by His goodness shown through so many of you. We are trying to create a newsletter that we can send via email with pictures and words but have found it difficult thus far. Hopefully in coming months we'll work something out. For now, please check our blogspot: jakenrenee.blogspot.com for updates with photos coming soon.

We have now been in Charlotte for about 2 weeks (depending on when you read this) and have felt at home from the beginning. The warmness and joy shown us upon our arrival has only grown. We continue to experience the reality that a Christ follower has family wherever there are other Christ followers.

This week we began our work at the Medical Clinic. Renee jumped right in helping in administrative roles, meeting with patients to connect them to other services (in Spanish), and even offering some of her wisdom for a grant they are in the process of writing. Jake gets to roam the waiting room of the clinic talking with patients and praying for them if they want. No one has said no. He even was able to pray for a woman from India (most patients are fully Spanish speaking) - her husband was extremely curious after this about the ways of Christianity. He continues to see how simple it is to love people. He is working on developing a way for others from the church to volunteer in this capacity in the future.

Gracie gets to be a little Mexican girl (guerita - pronounced 'wedita') most mornings at the home of a lady connected to the church named Lucia. She eats food they serve and is spoken to fully in Spanish. Lucia has told Renee that when Gracie is there, she is 100% Mexican. We laugh with joy at the fact that Gracie is so able to adapt and fit in to a culture much like she will know in Guatemala.

God provided a mother-in-law home for us a few days after being here. As it turns out the couple who is renting it to us (for a very good price) had just prayed a couple days prior for God to fill it with a missionary couple! We live farther away from church as we anticipated and the public transportation isn't what we thought so we are currently borrowing a car from a generous family in the church who was looking to sell it but is glad to allow us to borrow it for a couple weeks as we figure out what to do.

We look forward to our Guatemala trip February 24th. We've bought our tickets and are now doing some pre-work to set up appointments with the US Embassy, Housing agents, Doctors, and friends (Mario Xona - former CASS student at Reedley College). We will be traveling down with two other people from Charlotte connected to World Reach as we all do necessary work for the vision God has placed on our hearts for the town of Jocotillo, Guatemala.

As all this newness comes our way we do our best to 'remain in Jesus', for only in Him do we find strength. Our circumstances are unfamiliar, Renee and Gracie haven't been feeling the best, we are still on the learning curve of Spanish - but we know that God works out everything for our good. We must rest in Him.

We hope and pray that this finds you enjoying the love of our gracious God no matter your circumstance. Thank you again for your love and support! May you be encouraged and strengthened today in the goodness and faithfulness of our wonderful, personal Jesus.

Que Dios les Bendiga!
May God bless you all!

Love,
Jake, Renee, Gracie, and the bun in the oven.

Mailing Address:
Camino del Rey
133 Stetson Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28262

Email: jakenrenee@gmail.com
Website: jakenrenee.blogspot.com
Telephone: 559-372-3519

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T13:39:00.007-06:00

It's 2009 - can you believe it! 2008 was such an awesome year for us and we are looking forward to what 2009 has in store. We have been enjoying family and friends these past few weeks, all the while raising support for North Carolina and Guatemala.

Here are a few tidbits on the Harder Three:

We're flying out for Charlotte, NC on Jan. 17th. Only 2 weeks left here in California!
We will soon no longer be the Harder Three - we will be the Harder Four! The next family member should be arriving around August 23rd in Guatemala. We are thrilled! Our very own US/Guatemalan child. Renee has been having a lot of "morning" sickness (more like all day sickness), so please pray for her.
It's exciting to report that we've raised over 50% of what we need for the next 16 months! God is very good and above recession and tight holiday budgets. A HUGE thanks to all of you who have committed to partnering with us through prayer and finances.
We are having our last info meeting tonight, January 3rd. If you are unable to make it but still want to talk to us, please let us know!

Trusting the goodness of Jesus and His love for an even better year where His kingdom comes even more to this earth as it is in heaven.

Love,

Jake, Renee, and Gracie

Next Steps

2008-12-10T15:08:00.010-06:00

Hi Everyone!

We made it to California safe and sound. Gracie was a trooper on the long 2 1/2 day drive - she hardly complained at all. At the bottom of this post are pictures from our graduation and from Jake preaching at our church in Guadalajara.

Now, we're full swing into getting ready to head to Charlotte. There are a few things we would like to invite you to - if you are in the Reedley area:

1) This Sunday, December 14th we will be speaking at Reedley First Baptist Church. The services are at 9am an 10:40am. We will be sharing for a few minutes each service how God is leading us to Guatemala.

2) We are having 2 informational gatherings regarding Guatemala. Folks who want to

partner with us both in prayer and financially are invited to come and learn more. The dates

for those are December 18th and January 3rd, both at 7pm. They will take place at 1300 W. Eymann (Jake's parents, Larry and Gail Harder's home). Since these are taking place in a home, we are asking that anyone who would like to come RSVP to us at jakenrenee@gmail.com. We would LOVE for you to be there!

We're very excited about sharing! We realize that this is all during a very busy holiday season, so we are even more honored to have you come.

For those who aren't in the Reedley area, but want to partner in some way, please e-mail us and we can set up a phone call. We can even Skype and talk via video! Don't you love technology! :)

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. We really do need them and are grateful for them. If you have any other questions, please call or e-mail us!

Sincerely,

Jake and Renee

Graduating from Harvest Language Center

Our Mexican pastor, Moises, introducing Jake before he gave his first sermon in Spanish, the last Sunday we were in GDL.

Adiós Guadalajara

2008-12-01T22:01:00.002-06:00

Our last post from Guadalajara!

Bittersweet - this has truly been a great place for the last 8 months: an awesome school (Harvest Language Center - if you are interested!), many great friends at La Cosecha (the church we attended) and school, and many memories of our journey of Spanish.

We graduate tomorrow after taking our last exams then hop in our stuffed car for a 4 day journey to Reedley, CA. We'll see how Gracie does :) - It is amazing that the Mexican driving laws allow children who've turned 19 months to drive, well, at least steer......when the car is parked......and turned off.

We welcome your prayers!

All for now, back to studying.

Love,

Jake, Renee, and Gracie

"Guatemaltecans"

2008-10-25T14:12:00.008-05:00

This is the term used for people who live in Guatemala. That will soon be what we call ourselves as well. Yup, that's right - sometime next summer we will be moving to Jocotillo, Guatemala.

Needless to say, we had a great time on our recent trip there. God is doing amazing things and we believe He wants us to be a part of what is going on. It's a long story, but we'll try to make it short(er). Basically, there is a large greenhouse business there that has donated land for World Reach (Rusty Price's organization, see last post) to build tomato greenhouses on. The income from those greenhouses goes directly to World Reach and the work in Guatemala. Two of the greenhouses are built and already generating funds, which are at the moment funding two pastors in the northern part of the country. The greenhouses are southeast of Guatemala City, a short distance from the El Salvador border. World Reach wants to purchase additional land for more greenhouses, as well as a "Hub." The Hub is where we fit in. While there are many dreams and plans for The Hub, the current priorities are our home and a church/multi-purpose structure. Other plans/ideas include: a school (currently the school system in Jocotillo only goes to 6th grade), a pastor training center, short-term housing for medical/mission teams, and a medical clinic. We are dreaming of an orphanage as well. The idea of the Hub is to create something sustainable that can be reproduced in other areas of Guatemala as well as other parts of Latin America. There is so much potential for the Kingdom of God to be worked out in that community.

So, our next steps are: 1) finish language school in early December; 2) return to California and begin fundraising, as well as celebrate the holidays with family and friends; 3) move to Charlotte, NC in early January for 6 months for training with World Reach; 4) head to Guatemala sometime in early summer of 2009.

We are thrilled about the future. To be honest, it is really hard to stay here in Guadalajara, because we are ready to get going with these next steps! But, now more than ever we know that we need to finish language school. So, with that said - off to more studying!

Lots of love, Jake, Renee and Gracie

Gracie and Renee on the greenhouse property.

Gracie with her Pollo Campero crown - the most popular restaurant chain in Guatemala!

The tomatoes.

Jake and Gracie with our friend Mario, who went to Reedley College through the CASS program, but now works in Jocotillo - right across from where we are going to be living - a God-sized miracle in itself!

Our new home

We're Off!

2008-10-08T20:10:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to write a quick blog to remind you that we are leaving tomorrow for Guatemala for 7 days. We would really appreciate your prayers during this time. If you haven't had a chance to read our blog for a while, read the previous post to get updated.

We're also really glad to have Session 3 completed in our Spanish studies! This session was by far the most difficult, mainly because we ended up missing a ton of class. But, we still managed to average low A's to high B's. Through the grace of God alone! We will begin our final session on October 20th.

We look forward to updating you soon about Guatemala.

A God-Sized Orchestration

2008-09-30T20:55:00.008-05:00

'Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high' -King David

These words kind of help put words to what we are feeling and thinking right now. God is so amazing, so good! He sits on His throne but is so approachable and very concerned to the point of action so that His love will be felt and known on this earth.

Through a series of events God has been doing a little reshaping of what we feel being our first step of ministry. What has gotten us to this point has been the driving passion to do orphanage type work. To give the hope of Jesus where there is none, provide family where there is none, and to strengthen families where we can - this is just how God has made us. The idea was always in our minds that as part of this orphanage would be a church. Either one that we'd start ourselves or one that we would partner with. The church would flow out of the orphanage. However, we had been feeling stuck in knowing how to pursue beginning our work with an orphanage. Then, through a series of events, God spoke to us about the church being the first part and the orphanage coming from that.

Renee and I (Gracie was with her 2 sets of Grandparents) were given the opportunity to be flown into California for a 4 day 'Discovery Center'. A group of people who help others discern if planting churches is the best fit for them. They potentially also give funding to the candidates.

We felt God saying, 'Go for it!' So we went! California for a month. Drive/fly to Guadalajara - here for 2 weeks, hop on a plane back to California for 4 days; hop back on a plane back to Guadalajara! Wild, Crazy - but totally good!

We had a great time at the Discovery Center. We learned more about our strengths as individuals and how to honor and enjoy our differences. One of the main things we kept thinking on was that God really wanted us to be us. Not try to be somebody else, but to really let who we are come forth. God didn't create us to be like other people, he created us to be uniquely who we are. It is such a freeing thing.

So, the day of truth came, the staff had decided if we were a good fit or not. They used a stop light for a picture of what they were talking about: Red light - not recommended, Yellow - Recommended, but with some things needing to be done first, and Green - Go for it! We were given a Yellow. Our conditions given in order to be fully ready to go were: finish language school and attend a Church Planting Conference or training event. Wow! They really believe in what God is doing through us.

Now, for the juicy God stuff. We met a couple named Rusty and Anna, part of the staff there for the week but usually live and work out of Charlotte, NC. We met them the first day and instantly liked them. They have a strong Latino church in Charlotte, where people from 20 Latin American countries worship. They are also working in various Latin American countries. Needless to say, we clicked pretty well. The next-to-last morning there, Renee woke up with the single thought "Rusty is your next step." She didn't mention anything to her husband :), but went to eat breakfast in the hotel lobby and bumped in to Gilbert (our pastor from RFBC who was there as staff) who asked us if Guatemala had come up in our conversation and I said no, but told him my first thoughts of the day. He said, "I agree." Goosebumps. To make a long story short....well, a long story shorter...we met with Rusty, Anna and Gilbert after the Discovery Center. There, they offered us the opportunity to do an internship-type work with them in Charlotte for 4-6 months. To learn from them and their 15 years of experience in this area - the area that God is strongly leading us toward - being Jesus to the whole person: physical and spiritual. We would also be able to use our Spanish daily! They also invited us on a trip to Guatemala to see the work that they are doing there. As it turns out, it "happens" to fall during our break in school. We drove away with tears of joy in our eyes. God is so good. He has a perfect plan. For everyone.

So, now we are headed to Guatemala City in less than a week. October 9th-15th. Needless to say, we're really excited (well, Gracie doesn't know it yet, but if there is people, she's in!). We can't promise that Guatemala is where God is calling us, but we feel this is a definite possibility at this point. We feel that this trip will clarify a lot for us. We invite you to partner with us by praying for us during this time. We don't want to miss what God is going to do.

Before we knew anything about Language School or Guatemala God spoke to us very clearly that he would provide for our needs. Something he has already done through many generous people without us having to ask. Thank you generous people! We are quickly realizing as God continues his leading that we will now need to ask people - people who believe in what God is doing through us for this provision promised by God. Please pray with us as we figure out how best to do that.

We will say by for now but look forward to sharing with you all what God does in Guatemala and beyond and where we feel we must follow. How fun it is to be the friend of God.

Love - Jake, Renee & Gracie

If you want more info, please feel free to e-mail us at jakenrenee@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you.

Independence Day

2008-09-15T21:54:00.005-05:00

Today was a big day here in Mexico - the day before Independence Day. There are huge celebrations all over the country - most of which climax at midnight with fireworks and more. We were fortunate to have our own celebration right here in our neighborhood. There were TONS of people - we were very glad to not have to find parking as traffic was completely jammed, as there really isn't anywhere to park. We had a good time walking around looking at all of the games to play, food to eat, Mariachis to enjoy and juggler's to be amazed at. It's funny that in California Cinco de Mayo is so huge, but here in Guadalajara no one acknowledged it. And vice-versa for today!

Cali Visit

2008-09-13T14:27:00.005-05:00

Is anyone still there? If so, sorry we haven't updated in over a month - yikes!

We've just got back from our visit to Reedley. We were gone almost a month - and we feel it in our Spanish. It's been a mad dash to catch up since returning on Tuesday, however it was worth it. We had a great time visiting family and friends, as well as being a part of Lisa (Renee's sis) and Craig's wedding on September 6th. Gracie was a great flower girl - she charged down the isle with her basket of flowers, screaming with delight the whole way. Unfortunately, our computer deleted most of our pictures of the wedding, but we'll try to get some from other family that took some. If we do, we will post them!

Jake and his dad, Larry, drove our car back to Guadalajara. They had fun and didn't run into any complications along the way. Uneventful, in this case, is an answered prayer! Renee and Gracie flew, but for some reason Gracie did not care for flying this time. Her first few flights were filled with sleep. However, this time it was filled with screaming and frustration. Renee was VERY glad to touch ground, as were the rest of the passengers, I'm sure!

We do have some more things to update you all on, but that will come in the next few days (no, we're not pregnant :). In the meantime, here are some fun pictures of our trip! The first is Gracie and Grandpa, then Gracie and her favorite cousin Robert, then my beautiful sister and the flower girls, and finally the wedding cake (the topper is an "R" for Reed, but it's mirrored for some reason). That is there because it's pretty and I'm shamelessly advertising for my other sister, Heather, who made it!

Some Firsts

2008-07-29T11:00:00.004-05:00

Hey all! This will be a short blog. We're getting ready to take finals for Level 2 and will move on to Level 3 for a week, until we head back to Reedley for a month. So, this will be packed with studying! The first pictures are of our apartment. The first is our living room, the second is the outside and the third is the path to our apartment. We really like it there. It's quiet, yet we have neighbors that are more than happy to chat. It's just a matter of getting them to speak Spanish, as they are bilingual.

The next pictures are some firsts for Gracie. In the first, she has started to feed herself with a spoon. Very messy at times, but she is very proud of herself. The others are of her first "piggy tails". I don't know if they a really are, but they're what she has! Since that day, she's figured out when I put them in and promptly pulls them out. Oh, well. I tried!

Don't drink the water!

2008-07-13T20:26:00.003-05:00

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.

More Spanish

2008-06-29T16:39:00.002-05:00

A lot has been happening since we last wrote: we've moved into a new apartment where we actually have neighbors! We have begun our second 7-week session of language study. If you described the speed of this section so far it would be a run. We are praying for lots of help to keep up. An awesome thing is that as Christ followers we have the mind of Christ. There is none better!

As we look past these next 7 weeks we see a bit more clearly than we did prior to heading south of the border. After starting our first session our eyes were opened to how much Spanish there is to know and therefore how much we'd lack if we only completed 2 sessions. So, as we prayed about this obvious fact we felt it was good to complete all 4 sessions; which means we will be living in Guadalajara until the beginning of December. We will be home at the end of August, as Renee's little sister is getting married September 6th.

If we look past December we are still unsure where we will be. We are praying for God's relevation and direction for a location. We invite you to pray along with us. Not just for a location, but also for the children God will lead us to. Pray that we would be able to communicate clearly and simply the good things that Jesus offers: Abundant Life, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control. God truly wants to be a Father and Mother to the fatherless and he wants us to use people like you and me to be those who lack those important people in their lives.

As we study, the reality that we will be able to share the good news of the Kingdom of God with children pulls us forward. A recent verse spoken about this last Sunday at church comes to mind as a perfect example of what we get to be about. You can read it for yourselves in the New Testament book of Colossians, chapter 1, verse 27. Here Paul, the author, says about this glorious live offered to everyone: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." So, if Christ is in us, we carry the hope of His glory. What responsibility and honor given to us.

Thanks so much for your love and support. Time to study! Love, The Harder 3

THE GRACIE CORNER: Gracie is cutting at least 4 teeth right now! She loves to sing, especially when she wakes up and is alone in her room. We can't figure out what to call her, she has so many nicknames here: Chela, Chelita (both short for Gracie), Che, Graciela, and that doesn't include the constant terms of endearment given by friends and random people: Hermosa, muneca, perciosa, etc. Her pride level continues to increase as she is learning how to climb up on chairs, up steps by herself and helping mom and dad clean. It is a lot of fun to watch! It also seems as though she is understanding and responding to Spanish spoken to her, which is fantastic!

Gracie at the Beach

2008-06-27T14:18:00.004-05:00

"Internetless"

2008-06-20T11:53:00.004-05:00

Hello all! We've been having a great visit with Jake's parents, Gail and Larry. They've been here since last Friday and are leaving this Monday. We spent a few days in Puerto Vallarta and are now touring around Guadalajara. We begin session 2 of our Spanish classes on Tuesday!

We also moved to our new apartment. It's really great! We love it. And that brings me to the title of the blog. We understood that having DSL in our house would cost more than we were previously paying, but decided to go for it, as it serves as our contact with loved ones back home. However, when we arrived we discovered that it was a lot more than we previously thought - about $70 US/month. So, we decided that internet cafes were going to be the way to go! All that to say, if we don't return your e-mails for a week - that's why!

The next post will have pictures and perhaps more Gracie footage, but I forgot to download new pics to the computer before I came to the internet cafe!

Gracie Hugs

2008-06-11T21:33:00.002-05:00

Finals!

2008-06-03T21:26:00.004-05:00

Greetings all!

Things have been rolling right along here in Guadalajara. We can't believe we've been here almost 6 weeks now! We're currently in our last week of "real" classes for the first session - next week is pretty much all final exams. We would really appreciate your prayers during this time. There is a lot of information that we've taken in and now it's time to use it!

A friend from back home - Denny Mason - is currently in Guadalajara visiting family here. We went out for ice cream and met her daughter and beautiful little grand-daughter. It was really great seeing a familiar face! Thanks for calling, Denny!

A few weeks ago the leader of the language school let us know that they were trying to find a different location for the school (for various reasons). Therefore, that also meant that we needed to find a new place to stay. So, we prayed about it and a few days later were walking down a quiet residential street in our neighborhood when we passed a "for rent" sign. We then saw the owner watering his lawn. To make a long story short, we'll be moving into a really great furnished apartment next Friday. We're really excited - there are 6 other apartments and most of the residents are Spanish-speakers (there's one retired doctor from Rhode Island). We've really wanted community and we now have it. Thanks be to God!

We're also really excited because in just 10 days Jake's parents - Larry and Gail - will be visiting for 10 days, while we have a break from school. It will be really great to see them!

So, please pray this week for all of our exams. We will update more later, along with some video footage of Miss Gracie. Who, by the way, has said her first Spanish word - agua. Go Graciela! Bye for now!

Like a Child

2008-05-21T21:18:00.006-05:00

Hello all :) Thanks for reading and keeping up to speed with the three of us Harder's down in Guadalajara! We have loved your notes written our way - thanks; unfortunately we don't have e-mails for many of you who post comments...We'd love to write back, so if you could either leave an email address for yourself in your comment or send it to reneeharder@gmail.com, that would be great.

We're now half way done with our first 7 week session of school. We've had midterms this week which have come with a good amount of studying and thankfully good signs of retention and progress. With the help of Jesus. Like a Child - the title of this blog - or becoming like a child has been a theme running through my mind and heart for a little while now, as we day in and day out attempt to learn Spanish. I (Jake, and I'm sure Renee would agree) find myself not understanding language and therefore simple things like: when and where buses leave from, when to get off (needless to say we've been on some adventures we didn't plan on), having people look at us with that confused-crooked dog face-look....like, 'what in the world are you talking about?' Or probably more often we turn our heads in confusion and say, 'mande?'

So we've kinda flipped around. Our lives in the States are lived with full understanding how things work, how to talk, people we know, and using the gifts and talents we have for God's goodness. Now, it's as if we are children, learning for the first time simple things that are taken for granted most time: directions, prices, culture, with the biggest being language.

It can become disheartening. Life can swirl around us at times. 4 million people can definitely swirl. But this is where being like a child in the spiritual sense really keeps things together. Jesus told us to become like the little children. To believe in Him with wonder, simplicity and therefore live with Him in relationship with those same characteristics. Everything comes back into perspective when I try to live this way. we laugh at mistakes, thank God for wherever we find ourselves, and rejoice in knowing that we are alive, fed, and breathing and that God is good despite our circumstances.

I've still got a lot to learn, but I think I'm on that path. God is my Father and He is good and

therefore I can live from that perspective rather than one where I'm trying to be god: knowing everything, being in control, having it all figured out. Learning Spanish helps me in this quest, and I thank God for it. I hope as Spanish becomes easy my childlikeness only deepens.

'The Gracie Corner"

Gracie continues to bring us such joy. All those little things

kids do that are so silly or random: her immediate word 'dog' when she hears or sees a dog. The way she does her clap and little leg and bottom wiggle during times of worship at church. Her great ability to connect with anybody anywhere with her smiles and blue eyes. Her desire to pick up random sticks and bring them to us at the park. Or when we say, where's your bellybutton? She pulls up her shirt, pulls up her little tummy until she see it, then pokes it and smiles. So silly. We love her so much!

Mailing Address

2008-05-13T17:31:00.004-05:00

Hello all!

We'll update our blog in the next few days, however we wanted to get this posted before we forgot - again! Just in case you want to drop us a note, you can send it to:

Jake and Renee Harder

Avenida Tepeyac #4030 Interior, Dept. #3

Col. Ciudad de Los Ninos

Zapapan, Jalisco C.P. 45040

Vacation Time

2008-05-05T20:14:00.006-05:00

A funny thing to write, as we just got here! We've actually had the the last few days off of Spanish school. The first was for "Labor Day" (Thursday and Friday) and the second for - you guessed it - Cinco De Mayo (today). So, we've tried to take advantage of the situation and explore our huge new city. We took a bus to the city center, where there is a very old cathedral and other buildings.

We've taken lots of walks around our little neighborhood, slowly discovering what surrounds us. Sunday's are days when people get out and about it seems. Part of the road we live on, Tepeyac is closed for half the day for people to exercise. We hope to take advantage in the weeks to come. Here is a picture from our window 3 stories up.

We found a little park that is perfect for letting Gracie roam free. She loves to pick up sticks she finds on the ground and walk around with them in her hands. Funny girl! Like any big city there is little grass and greenery, so the park - which is about a 10 minute walk - is a great find. On Sunday we visited a church - "La Roca" - on the other side of town. It was great to be around people who love Jesus and worship with them!

We are looking forward to going back to class tomorrow. We are excited about learning more and the teachers have been really good. It is a great place to be! Please continue to pray that we are able to soak it all in. Thanks to all who have posted! It's great to hear from folks back home. "El Senor te bendiga y te guarde..." (The Lord bless you and keep you...) Love ~ Jake, Renee and Gracie

Guadalajara Greetings

2008-04-30T14:02:00.000-05:00

Greetings everyone!

We finally have a chance to sit down and update you all on our journey thus far! You might have heard by now that our journey down here was a bit challenging. We thought we were doing great in our timing to get to LAX - and we were doing great according to the time we thought our flight was departing. However, when we got to the check-in counter, we discovered that they had moved our flight 30 minutes sooner! Also, our baggage had to be checked at least 1 hour before the boarding time. Well, that left us 10 minutes too late - and they wouldn't budge one bit on that. So, to make a long story short, we ended up spending an extra day in LA, which provided the chance to hang out with Jake's long-time friend, Elijah Penner, who is attending Fuller Seminary. There's always good to be found in every situation!

The following day we arrived at LAX with PLENTY of time to spare! We arrived in Guadalajara as scheduled, with no additional hiccups. At 7:30am we arrived at our new apartment, which is located on a busy street. The apartment is on the third story of a church building that is sandwiched between a pharmacy and a dry cleaners. Everything is pretty much in walking distance from us: grocery stores, taco shops, a big open-air market, you name it. It's here.

The language school is located in the same building and floor. It works out perfectly - we just walk down the hall to our classes. There is a room that Gracie and a 3-year old girl stay in while we go to class. School goes from 9am to 12:30pm Monday-Friday. It seems to be the perfect amount of time.

You might be wondering how Gracie is doing - she has been amazing! From the flight to the new living space to daycare to sleep - it has been a very smooth transition. We are very grateful to God for that! Today is her first birthday. We plan to take her to an ice cream shop to celebrate tonight! She finally cut her first teeth yesterday. Happy birthday Gracie!

Thanks for your prayers: the big and the little ones, we know the fruit of them as we have peace amidst this crazy transition, joy as we live in simplicity, love despite frustrating points, and hope instead of despair. God is the God of Guadalajara as much as anywhere and we truly know in a new way our utter need to rely on Him for our needs: emotionally, physically, and spiritually. So, thank you.

May we here and you there (wherever that is) know the Love of God so that we can share that love with those around us - one person at a time.

Off to study espanol...

Lots of love from Renee, Gracie, and Jake

(PS - we tried to insert pictures, but it wasn't working - we will try again sometime soon!)

We're Here!

2008-04-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! This is going to be very brief, but we wanted to let you all know that we are now in Guadalajara, Mexico! We arrived this morning at 6am, after quite a traveling drama. I'm typing this from a cafe, however we will have internet at our apartment soon. We should be able to Skype for those who use that. We'll update more soon!

Changing diapers, Changing homes, Changing languages

2008-03-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

So much has happen in our lives since Renee last wrote! I am excited not only to officially write something for the first time, but to also write about all that has been going on.

Yes, the diapers continue to need changing as Gracie continues to cram down the cheese chunks, oatmeal, crackers and random things from our plates - things like Abondigas, lamb meat, and piping hot salsa! Just kidding. Gracie is taking steps now too - 3 here, 3 there with some near miss falls and lots of laughter that follows. She is a joy!

About two weeks ago Renee and I packed up some stuff and drove it across town to my parents house. We moved in. They knew of course. But yes, we moved in with my amazing parents - so generous and loving they are. We were following through on plans that had been in the making for some time - moving here was just the first step of trusting God for the next many steps in the coming months and years.

We moved in to save money as we prepare to get move to Guadalajara, Mexico for 15 weeks (at least initially) in response to God's stirring up our passions to fluency in Spanish and pursuit of using that Spanish to possibly live in Latin America somewhere in the near future! Crazy, we are quitting our jobs, storing our stuff, and saying good-bye to our parents, siblings, and friends. It is bitter sweet, but there is so much sweet as Renee and I say yes to this passion we've had before even knowing each other existed.

Over the last months and years, when we allowed ourselves to sit back and dream about where we could see ourselves in the future, what made our hearts beat the fastest, and what we truly felt God had placed us on this earth for it always came back to:

Living somewhere in Latin America.....and knowing Spanish - fluently
Giving ourselves to love the children who are orphaned, abandoned, without love, and on the street

We love what we do now and feel God had called us to that for this time. But we know that God has called us to something more - and so we will go - obediently, excitedly, expectantly.

We do not know what will happen after our initial 15 weeks except joyfully support her sister, Lisa (and fiance Craig) get married.

We don't know what God will do, but we know it will be good. We are asked to trust Him. We are given the example by Jesus, and Jesus is our standard for living life.

We get on a plane at the end of April and land in Guadalajara - home of the Sombrero and Mariachi music. God offers a full life not a wishful one. We are doing our best to say yes to the best life God has for us believing that this is how we're made.

A little insane...

2008-02-16T14:07:00.000-06:00

A few weekends ago - February 3rd to be exact - we (Jake & Renee, not Gracie :) ran a Half Marathon in Huntington Beach. We went with a few friends - Andy and Tonya Pennebaker - and had a great time. When we arrived on Saturday, the weather was beautiful and sunny and perfect. We looked forward to the run. However, at about 4am Sunday morning, we heard the sound of rain outside our hotel room. We left the hotel at 6am and headed directly to a 24 hour Walgreens to purchase rain panchos - the rain had decided to stay. When we got to the start line (at 6:45am) it was windy and cold and raining hard. Did I mention it was right on the beach? What beach? What ocean? We couldn't see it....We had an hour to "hang out" before it started! There were 15,000 people running that morning, so that is the reason for our early arrival.

We found a little tent to hang out in, along with a bunch of other people. Jake was drenched and freezing before even beginning, as he was wearing a "water resistant parka". To make a long story short, we ended up all finishing - no walking - just a bathroom break at about mile 9! The wind and rain never let up for Jake, who finished in 1 hour, 48 minutes. However, for Renee and Tonya, since it took us a little longer, we did have the last 3 miles rain-free. We finished in 2 hours, 43 minutes. All in all, it was a fun experience - and one that we don't mind bragging about - our first half-marathon - in the freezing cold windy weather! Immediately afterwards, we headed to the local Starbucks for a large, hot sweet drink. Yum!

Gracie stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Harder...it wasn't easy being away from her overnight. However, we knew she was in safe hands!

A few more pictures

2008-01-23T18:58:00.001-06:00

I guess this has pretty much turned into a Gracie blog - that's probably fine with most of you, as she has kinda stolen all of the attention off of her parents anyhow (that's not a complaint, by the way)!

Catch-Up

2008-01-23T18:44:00.001-06:00

Okay, I'm just a little behind! Here are some pictures that Jen Turner took of Gracie and Robert as a gift to my parents for Christmas. We had a challenging, yet fun time getting them to sit together! Robert, 2.5 years; Gracie 7 months

She's 7 months!

2007-12-01T18:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Gracie turned 7 months. She's getting so big! She's standing up while holding on to things, getting a little attitude, eating lots of food, and - alas - slowly getting the hang of drinking from a bottle! Here are some pictures taken in the past coupla days...

CYM Website

2007-11-14T17:54:00.000-06:00

Hey all!

I want to formally announce that the long-awaited Community Youth Ministries (or CYM, as most folks know it as) is finally live! There are still some pages that need to be added, but most are in place. Feel free to let me know what you think and what changes I could make!

www.cymreedley.org

6 Month Check-Up

2007-11-13T15:18:00.000-06:00

Gracie was not a big fan of what her mom made her do this morning. First, she had to get in the stupid carseat again. Then, she had to go to the doctor. She does not like the paper on the bed - it freaks her out. Then, she had to lay on the scale. More flailing and crying. Then the doctor examined her from head to toe, poking and prodding. More wailing. Finally, to end the visit, she got 3 shots. That was the final straw - full out screaming!

As for the statistics, she is now 27" long (she grew 1" in 2 months) and 14lbs, 15oz. Only a pound gained in 2 months. Doctor says she's very active and thus the burning of the calories! Everything else was great! (Gracie has since recovered and has laughed many times this afternoon, for those concerned for her little brain).

New Family Photos!

2007-11-04T17:33:00.000-06:00

Hello all...if there is anyone left reading this! Everyone probably thinks we've abandoned this blog, yet we are just really lame at keeping it updated!

Well, thanks to the talents of Jen Turner we have new photos of our little family. Gracie just turned 6 months on October 30th - crazy how time flies!

A Doctor Visit

2007-09-11T17:40:00.000-05:00

We visited the doctor today ~ 4 month check-up ~ which overall went really well. She cried when they gave her the 3 shots, but quickly recovered. She is now 25 3/4 inches long, but only gained 1 pound in 2 months, leaving her at 13lbs, 14oz. Not enough weight gain. So, the doc said she needed to start on solids! Okay, I knew the time was arriving, but MAN does it go fast! I almost cried! My little girl is growing up! ~R

Mammoth Lakes, CA

2007-08-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Mammoth Lakes, CA. It was beautiful! We rented a little rustic cabin near Lake George. Ours was BY FAR the smallest cabin there ~ but it was perfect for our little family. We hiked, went on drives, napped, and relaxed. We also spent a night in Yosemite, but we have no pics of that. It was not one of Yosemite's prettiest years ~ it's very dry and all of the falls are just a trickle. We stayed in a tent cabin in Camp Curry ~ and interesting adventure. To make a long story short, we left the following morning before 7am!

Welcome to our Blog!

2007-08-24T14:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we've finally joined the world wide web! We're excited to be able to keep important people to us updated...especially with the rapid growth of our little sprout!