Dec. Update

   Life is good and God is greater.  We can't complain at all - we have food, healthy kids, great students who show our kids what Godly students are like, sunshine, warmth, and life in Christ!  Several wrote and asked (so some must read this blog:)  about Brice and his breathing.  It is still the same.  We ran many tests here (3 were lost and even though they lost they ask you to pay again- each test is $200US).  So, they ruled out cancer and will just await to her what is causing it when back in the States in May possibly.  Thank you for praying and loving us so well.

Daily life with the girls- now Gree walks- that baby stage went too fast!

School for now goes so well - these 2 littles are the best of buddies and love hanging out while we work.

Naiyah entered a writing contest here on "Bringing Joy to Barbados"  and she won 2nd place!  Now if only she can keep that joy with her brothers every day:)

At the same time as the contest the boys played in the annual kids tennis tournament here and Beckett made it to the semi-finals.  Here he is consoling his brother after losing. 

Even though, Thanksgiving is not a holiday here - we still celebrated with staff and students and some fellow Americans here.  And the girls got into the pie Naiyah made...

This kid peeled all the potatoes- 40 pounds for Thanksgiving!

We are so thankful for so much!

These students love and teach our kids so much - they are great role models!

My biggest and littlest helpers!

Since Brice was sick, I entered a 1.5K swim in the open ocean with these 3...with no training- 3 of us finished!  So, if anyone wants to come down next Oct to join us - it was pretty intense and fun!

We enjoy our teammates :)

And love doing life with them.

One of our staff ladies (above) is a very gifted musician, so she gives the kids - even Kensington music lessons and in exchange we make her dinner one night a week. We definitely got an amazing deal!

So, here we are in December - it went way too fast!  We baked cookies for the elderly and caroled to them last night.  We'd love to hear from you this season.  Have such a Merry Christ filled Christmas!

Life is Perfect - BAM!

     The baby girls are both sleeping all through the night.  The big kids are thriving well.  Some of our students got in.  Married life is so great with my best friend and we now have times together in the evenings after the kids are all asleep.  Life seemed perfect.  I even said that to Brice and our teammates one evening, "Man, we are so blessed.  Great marriage, kids, life, team, school - just so blessed."

     Yes, the buyers who are buying the old property still have not paid the money for us to buy the school here, which is creating a tight spot financial wise until they do or we go out on faith again and put the old school back up for sale.  And due to the economy and cuts, immigration stalled and closed down for awhile, causing some of our students not to be able to come this year.  So, no things were not perfect here, but still life was so good.

     And then last month my super healthy husband who is never sick and always so strong, got sick.  We thought the flu or bronchitis or something.  After a week he went to the doctor from pain in his chest, deep cough, fever, and other symptoms.  They said it's bronchitis - it will go away.  A week later, he was so weak, breathing hard, coughing up blood, and the doctor said- pneumonia got really bad or a bacterial infection it was. So, strong antibiotics, steroids, inhalers, etc were prescribed.  Another week went by and no improvement - still weak, difficult to breathe, no voice, cough - after blood work, more samples, chest x-ray - they said COPD (what, he has never smoked before?) and some spots on his lungs.

     Deep breath - so he has a cat scan scheduled tomorrow and then will see a lung specialist to know more.  This could honestly be an infection that got out of control (we are praying for this) and praying for our daddy to be better after a month of feeling so sick.  We still know we are so blessed - good diagnosis or a harder one.  And we are so thankful for this life God gave us, not perfect, but good.  So good and God is good!

Starting School

Our Bible College students are not here yet.  So we are getting a bit of a break from college activities.  But School did start for the Wurdeman Academy.  Can you guess which one was not excited?  :). 

 Graduation happened - the 1st in Barbados!  So special to see what the graduates will do to expand the Kingdom back home.  So many told us it would take at least 10 years to get the school going in another location- and 3 years later the first class graduated here!

Naiyah got braces!  IT was a tough go for a few days...she thought she was not gonna make it, but now she thinks they are great!

We helped with 3 different VBS on the islands, well mommy did and the kids enjoyed playing with friends!

I love this photo of our kids!  Life is so full and crazy, but so good.  

Friends came to help and visit.   The Reed's from Longview, TX came - we met them right as we moved to St. Vincent 

and they became fast friends and supporters of WISE.

Becky - the person who can make me laugh more than anyone.  She brings a smile to everyone's faces, including Greeley's. And always points me to Scripture.

Mark and Karen - spiritual giants- people we most want to be like and who we pattern so much after in ministry.

Dave and Pam- past teammates and long-time friends, plus so much more.

Our new teammates arrived.  Joe was in our youth group years ago and his mom is here for the week helping.  We are so glad to have them on our team.
















Mike and Julie Maxwell came down.  They are both on the WISE board and help WISE in lots of ways.

Home. Is. So. Very. Sweet.

   We made it home almost a week ago.  We were so ready.  We love our time with friends and family, but sure are ready to be just us in our own place and not living out of suitcases.  We started out early in the morning. The airport gave us a huge hassle with our student visas for the kids and we had to wait and hour and a half while they got a hold of immigration in Barbados.

   After traveling all day - we don't spend the extra money for seats together, so we could not be together, so Brice got a baby and I got a baby apart.  We finally arrived and got to immigration.  And wonder of wonders - there is a huge plus traveling with so many kids (travel days are the only times I question myself on having kids :) they had us come to the very front.  So after a great welcome by staff and students and church friends we were home close to midnight.  Such. a. long. day.

   But even then, both babies were crying.  We were all tired.  And yet we were all still so thrilled to be home.  Until a few minutes from home our teammate says, "Sorry, but your water pipe at your house busted yesterday and we have not been able to get anyone to fix it yet."  ....   I almost cried.  We were sweaty and thirsty and tired.  Thankfully, the cafeteria was not far that did have water.

  So the hidden blessings were - usually the next day as we unpack and get settled I am doing and hanging lots of laundry from all our dusty bedding, but no water to wash with.  And dishes just got to sit for the day.  And the floors that all needed to be mopped from not having been touched in 2 months and covered in lizard poop got to wait.  So our first day we got to spend just visiting.

   Water came back the next day and we celebrated with our other Bajamerican friends here!  So thankful for all the freedoms we have because of the courage and faith of our founding fathers.  And so glad we are home.

Our 8 week Summer Furlough Time

Started out our early morning flight!  It usually takes us leaving at 4:30am for the airport and getting in at 11 or midnight.

Each Sunday we are traveling and Brice is sharing and preaching about the mission.  We have some very, very exciting news regarding the mission to share soon (still waiting for a few things to be processed).  Often times this means long road trips, so if so....we always take advantage of the free Jr. Ranger programs!

This summer since our teammates are doing the later summer furlough, we were back for all the kids to play baseball and softball.  It is a fun break for us and neat to see them on a team and doing something their father loved too!

We have called this our medical summer.  I (Amanda) had several issues with teeth (not fun at all).  One of those things has been with our youngest, Greeley.  She had a big hospital stay with numerous shots a day for a prolonged time 2 months ago.  Since she came home, she went from sleeping mostly through the night to waking up every hour screaming.  When we visited her pediatrician here and we told him about her hospital experience, spinal tap, and all he said - she must have trouble sleeping, right?  We said - how did you know?  And he said....an infant going through that much trauma usually suffers from PTSD and will wake often from night mares.  The good news he said should clear up in 6 months.  The bad news 6 months of waking every hour with her right now :) Still, we are grateful to have her and that she is ok.

Kensington was also scheduled to have her heart Cath this summer.  We had been give a 2% chance of her holes disappearing.  After keeping her lying still for 45 minutes, the cardiologist told us one hole had disappeared in her heart, the other gotten smaller, and the other one we could just watch!  No surgery needed now.  Which meant, we could get her surgery on her ears.  The only date they have available is her birthday, June 1st.  But we are looking forward to getting that done for her, as each month she was having reoccurring ear infections for over the last year.

While back, we always enjoy grandparent and cousin time!  

So thankful for dear family and friends!

A Typical Day for US

     A few have told us living on an island in the Caribbean must be  so fun to head to the beach and sip smoothies and just relax all the time.  Though, life is at a slower pace here and not as hurried, the beach and smoothies are not daily occurrences.  We typically get to the beach when a group visits- maybe once a month or every other month.  We actually live on the other coast with the Atlantic coast of rough water and so to get to a beach that is swimmable for out kids takes 45 minutes and daily schedules are filled to where that does not happen often.

     The sun is up bright and early and with the chickens and goats making noise, we all wake up early at 6-6:30.  I get in a bit of quiet time and then we start chores of - the boys feed and water the chickens and gather the eggs and get them to the cafeteria and wash them, the boys feed and water the dogs, the girls help me wash and hang the laundry outside (with our family of 7 we have to do at least hang one load a day).  We have breakfast and Brice burns the trash and then heads to his office by 8a.m.  He is gone for the day teaching, leading, and preparing whatever needs done that day with students, staff, and ministry needs.

    This leaves 5 kids and me :). We have a pretty good schedule down.  This is definitely our time where the house is not clean and there is a ton of multitasking.  The 2 little girls are playing, crawling, and dragging out every imaginable toy while "most days" we get piano practiced, I go through Naiyah's teachings of math, history, grammar, writing and then she works independently in the morning on her subjects.  They boys read, do flashcards and then once the girls are fed and Greeley laid down for her 2 morning nap, we do their teaching and workbooks in their math, phonics, history, and reading.  There are several breaks in there where the boys suddenly decide a coconut tree needs climbed or a monkey needs chased across the backyard.

    Then, it's time for lunch where we join all the staff and students and have local rice and chicken or fish typically.  We see Daddy here!  After that, Kensington takes her big nap and the older 3 Varsity squad will do group projects from science, history, Spanish, and Bible together.  Then, we do a quick 10 minute pickup of the house and the door usually bangs open and they all run out- the 4 older at least and run and play and I figure out what to make for dinner (most things are done homemade here, so dinner sometimes take longer for dough to rise) and then Brice comes home and we'll read a few chapters of the Bible Study we are doing together on the porch.  Then, he'll play baseball with the students and our boys and depending on the night we may have Bible study with the students or one of the kids soccer practices.

    Days are full and by the time dinner, devotions, games, and baths are done, it's usually 8:30.  My role with WISE and responsibilities often have to wait until now- so I am doing letters, correspondence, website work, and other things at this time or any other breaks we squeeze them in.   Sometimes Brice talks me into watching a show and then nights get later.  It's these days where they are going so fast and I am enjoying them so much and thankful we are living them together.  I could never have imagined being in this place years ago and feel so blessed and tired - ha!