Ten Idea Blessings for Missionaries we loved!

     After 12 years on the field, it's still hard to say you "thank you" adequately for all we have been given.  God has supplied our every need.  We praise His name through His goodness through so many dear people.

    Several questions were asked of me over the last year.  How can we help our missionaries physically with care packages? What can we send them?  What have you cherished that was sent to you?  So, in just a few seconds I easily thought of this list.  I could easily list hundreds of  more things of people praying, giving, loving.  So, if you are looking for a unique way of loving and encouraging from afar here are a few ways we have been:

1) One of our home churches pays half for church camps and activities for our kids to attend.  Even though it is not the home church we are currently are at throughout the year if we are back at the time of camp it sure is a blessing for the kids to be able to attend.

2) Another church found out what our favorites were and brought 6 different gifts for each, so that way at different holidays or birthdays we would have gifts to spread out and give.

3) Supporters brought school supplies and gave curriculum we were studying.

4) Sweet loved ones gave us vans, car seats, and their gas card to use when back in country since we have no vehicle and this saved so much and allowed us to visit more people when back.

5) Dear ones sent care packages via teams coming to visit of favorite sweets we miss, cooking spices we can't get here, favorites of Sports teams, pictures, personal notes, new books to read, sweet prayers, favorite verses to hang, and Holiday decorations (this was special as sometimes missing Holidays, time with family, and the changing of seasons can be bittersweet).

6. A prime membership - this was such a blessing in being able to ship books and items to groups when coming.

7. A travel bag - a special person would got us a travel bag knowing ours get used so much.

8. When back on furlough we are on the road a lot so a couple gave us a gift card for fast food and bags with snacks & travel toys for a fun treat on the road.

9. Some have had us over or treated us out to food we miss - like American, Italian, Mexican. And getting to run around (one family thoughtfully took us to their blackberry farm where the kids go to run, eat delicious berries, and not have to be cooped up in chairs after the 10 hour car drive) was huge!

10. People checking in and updating us on them and what we can pray for and letting us feel like we are still remembered.  But they also specifically asked about us and let us know what they were praying for our particular needs.

Thanks for Prayers

     So many of you wrote and prayed for Brice - thank you!   After finally collecting tests, he did not have cancer.  Results did say advanced COPD, but we are thinking it was a misdiagnosis  and answered prayer as after several months he is feeling great again and all signs are gone.   Just wanted to update and thank you - we have the best supporters and friends!

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!