The Perfect Family

     Sometimes we just have to laugh when things get crazy.  Here are a few crazy moments that we can now laugh at from this summer:

     We were running late to a church...Brice was supposed to be preaching and we were about 10 minutes late.  Though we live in the Caribbean on island time, we still always try to be on time.  So my planning side was sweating and I was frustrated at my husband over our lateness.  Usually we start off with a prayer in the car for the morning, not this morning we were arguing.  After the hour drive, Brice rushes out into the church and as I get the kids one of our boys started fussing saying he was tired of churches and throws a fit he doesn't want to go to church.  I knee his backside and say, "You love church and you are going!"  All this in the parking lot.  As we sneak into the front....we hear the pastor saying as he introduced our family, "If you've only spent a few minutes around this people you will see how genuine and loving and perfect they are."  Ha!  The people who saw us in the parking lot know the truth:)

     Driving to another church in KY we had not had time for breakfast or to stop, so I found a bag of fruit snacks and an orange for our youngest and tossed them at him in the back of the van.  Right as we pull up to into the church parking lot, Paxson threw up all over the borrowed car and blankets.  Because of the drive to the next church that night.....we were thankful we had windows that rolled down until we were able to clean the car!

  At one church we could not find our youngest after church was over.  Most everyone had left by then.  After some searching under the pews, we found him drinking all the juice left in the bottoms of people's used cups.

   Our kids often get asked questions as missionaries.  They always thought every church was so big...we are used to a one room open air church.  And they struggled when people asked where they were from.....they would say St. Vincent (where we were) or Barbados (where we are going).  We laughed when our middle son insisted one Sunday School class that they told him he was from Missionary instead of Barbados or St. Vincent.

   We're thankful for laughter and fun times and ready for more adventure! And we are so thankful for grace!

"That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household" Eph 2:19-22.  Thankful for being apart of the body of Christ!

Only 2 days left here

     We do have a unique life.  While waiting for the closing of the new property for the school, we were in the states for our longest furlough of 3 months.  This meant 3 months of basically living out of our uncle's car.  On the passenger side we had our office- documents, cards, applications to mail students, etc.  Unless we happened to be at our parent's homes for a few nights in a row we lived out of our suitcases in visiting church friends homes.  So, while we love the United States and all it offers and love seeing dear friends and family and meeting new ones - we are so thrilled to be able to be in our home.

     We are not sure what to expect when we arrive in a few days.  It may take a few days to get electricity and water going.  OR it could take a week or more!  It will take awhile to get our stuff via boat.  We do not have transportation and live in the country.  So, we'd ask your prayers for our excitement to be home there to continue and for us all to be patient as we get settled in. And if you don't hear from us....be patient may be awhile for internet.

     This move we have seen God growing WISE as applications come in for new students and we are so grateful to the groups coming to help ready the campus this fall.  With growth and a move, we have found their to be additional costs and would appreciate your prayers for the following

- additional monthly support
- new students getting their visas to come
-our residencies
-the schools accreditation process
-the building to sell in St. Vincent

     If you are interested in more information or would like to help partner with us, please contact us at wise missions@gmail.com.  We would be happy to send you a prayer calendar, prayer picture cards, brochures, etc.

     Support is sent to
     WISE
     PO Box 8098
     Columbia, MO 65205

Growing and Moving

     So much to share and we have been on the road lots without Internet.  While we waited for the move in date (August 24th), God has done so many neat things!  Some have been teaching us to wait on His will and timing.  If you do not get our newsletter and want to see pictures and more on the latest move, please message us with your information!

      Some amazing things that have happened lately with the mission:

- One new church and 2 new supporters have committed to monthly giving as the school grows.  We are still praying for more, but so thankful for these!

- With our time waiting on the closing, our time in the states was longer than a month, so we got extra time with family and kids being in American summer sports.

-Andy Nichols, from OCC, is joining us for the spring semester to teach at WISE.

- Sweet Jenny, the owner of the WISE Center, in Barbados hosted Brice and Co. and they got to inspect the property WISE is buying to grow.

- We had a great pastor's meeting with local pastors in Barbados to help teach in the college there!

- So many have told us of their excitement and prayers for the move!

- Neighbors and Brice and Dave were able to get the shipping containers packed and sent off on the boat in 2 days in SVG!

- A supporting church paid for all the shipping containers!

- We started a new fundraising campaign for the new property and so many dear supporters have helped us almost reach $8,000 of the $10,000 matching grant that was given.

- New friends and pastors helped get inspections going for the school to soon open in Barbados.

- Applications have started coming in for new students in the new property of 6 acre college!

- Several groups have committed to coming to help ready to campus for the new start!

- Our van and gas travel was donated by family this summer.

- Dear partners and board members sent us on a special family time trip this past week to be together as our family and to have fun together.

- We have traveled over 10,000 miles seeing so many dear friends and churches, we are so blessed to have so many great partners!

-Two more weeks and we move into the new school......nothing beats having a dresser than a suitcase!


So so humbled and grateful for all God is doing and that we get to be a part of it!  

Summer Time

Here's what our summer looks like.....our very special board members above ( this group provides so much encouragement and support).  We are so blessed to have them helping make decisions for WISE.  We are missing a few here, but so thankful for all of them.  

Unloading luggage...every few days we are in a new place.  The kids usually wake up and say, "What church are we visiting today?"  :)

Our Uncle and Aunt loaned us their van to use as we drive around the country.  So nice!

Graduations and Packing

We had 2 beautiful last graduations on the island of St. Vincent.  Our preschoolers were so precious and shared their favorite songs, verses, and received their diplomas.

We are always so excited for the graduates and how they go out to their home countries and begin their own ministries!  But, we also miss the sweet friendships with them being so close.

The guys with Brice.

Special visitors and teachers with the graduates.

Our 1st years received a certificate and will be back to study at the reopening of the school in January.

We also celebrated great- grandma's 83rd birthday!  The first time we were every with her on her birthday.  She celebrated her first graduation here and the last was here with us too.

Brice's mom very graciously came and got to see Pax at prek graduation and she helped us pack.  She literally worked 6am-11pm packing and shrink wrapping.  We could not have done it without her!

And admidst the packing, we said special good-byes to beloved friends.

Happy Mother's Day!

     Brice always make me something special in the kitchen and writes me the sweetest note and my kids will decorate cards - I love, love those.  But, I also received 2 other very special gifts this Mother's Day.

    One was a sweet poem from my sister about one of our babies being in heaven this Mother's Day.  It meant so much as I was thinking and missing our 4th.

     The other special gift was Alicia's birth mom (the girl we wanted to adopt and it fell through) contacting me.  We have not been allowed to see Alicia after they took her from the house.  So, it meant so much hearing about her and from her mom.  Both Alicia and our baby meant so much to us and was so special on Mother's Day for them to be a part of my Mother's Day.

Catch- Up Family Visit

Family visiting is so very special.  This was from back in March and realized I have been horrible about updating.  My 84 year old grandmother, sister, brother-in-law, and niece all came to visit!

The kids loved cousin time so much!

My grandma is so adventurous, she even wanted to climb the volcano.  But settled for a visit to the waterfall.

We sure are thankful they came and loved the time together.