Happy Valentines

We thought Valentine's would be a great excuse to get together.  It was also a special opportunity to celebrate Lex and Alli Smith as they prepare to move back to New Zealand.  So, we swept up our terraza and got it spiffed up, which we hadn't done in a while.  We invited our leaders and some other people special to Lex and Alli, and enjoyed a beautiful evening celebrating love and frienship.  It was so much fun to have time together under the stars with good food and good company.  All in all, it was a great evening.  Our kids stayed downstairs playing, for the most part.  We have been dealing with some getting along issues with all the kids -- it's not easy!

Lex and Alli -- our excuse for food and fun (like we need an excuse!)

Guests at our gathering overlooking the city

Double whammy!

We have had some really neat Sundays the past couple of weeks, and it seems worth writing about. Most obvious, we had attendance of over 100 on each occasion, so that in itself is noteworthy. Two weeks ago we had a full house and there wasn't any kind of special activities or food we had announced (that is very, very amazing!). So, it was really exciting for us to see so many people join us to praise God. We did have some special happenings. First, we had a family share their testimony of God's greatness in their lives. About a month ago, their 18 year-old son was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. It was touch and go for a while, but Cesar Ruiz, is recovering above and beyond any physician's expectations and so his family was there this past week to praise God and share with us. When I say that they brought their family with, there were about 30 of them present, all visitors! What is most amazing is that they have only been to our church once before. They came with some friends of theirs, yet in a time of desperate need, our church rallied around them, prayed for them and helped in any way possible. It is so encouraging for the church to see how God is working and how their servant hearts do make an impact. According to their friends that brought them, there has been much more good happening in their lives than just healing from disease. Wow!!!

Cesar Ruiz and his family sharing how God healed him




Second, we had a couple of baptisms, another great reason to celebrate. Claudia, who has come to us through Lex and Alli was baptized. She has had a rough past year and was ready to give her life completely to Jesus. Please pray with us that she will remain stedfast in God's love and look to Him first in all that she does. The other person that was baptized was Francisco. He is fairly new to our church, but has wanted to do the right thing in his life for some time. He knew that this was a critical step in doing what is right in God's eyes. How he came to our church is a pretty cool story. We have a friend, Tere, who I don't even remember how we connected with her (Morelia, I think), but she lives in California. She also has a house here so she comes periodically for a month or so. From our vantage point, it seems that her sole mission is to evangelize. it is really amazing. So, she brought Francisco and his girlfriend Eloisa (who you'll hear more about shortly). She is constantly bringing new people of introducing us to her friends that are in spiritual need. She is a true warrior in God's kingdom and we praise him for her life and what she means to us.

Francisco being baptized




Claudia being baptized



A full house means we have a good sized group of kids!




Our friend Tere (in the middle) with Francisco and Eloisa




That was two weeks ago...Last week, we had our "church outdoors," as we like to call it. We went to our usual outdoor setting for worship and for something even more special -- a wedding. We had our first official wedding at Rio de Vida. Francisco (baptized the week before) and Eloisa were married. It was really neat to be a part of it and for our church to be a part of it also. Again, we had a house full and we enjoyed the joy of a new marriage, of people wanting to make their lives right with God's desires, and with relaxing surrounded by God's creation. And, in the midst of all the joy, we also had some sadness. Our church bid farewell to Lex and Alli, Caleb and Daniel Smith. They are from New Zealand and have been in Mexico for almost three years. They have only been in Morelia for six months, but they came with open hearts and people really fell in love with them. They also came as servants to help in any way they could in the church. So, they have been a real blessing for us and we are very, very sad to see them go. We pray that God will take care of them and show them what is next in their lives back in New Zealand.
These have been amazing things happening in our church. Yet, in the midst of all this, we have had some serious struggles. Several of our leaders are having tough, tough times right now. We believe Satan is roaming and looking for any way to divide and conquer. So, please pray with us that we will individually and collectively stand against the schemes of Satan and that we will see God's victories in all of this. Sam and I could especially use your prayers that we will focus on the positive and not on things that threaten to drag us down. We look forward to this next Sunday to see what God will do corporately.


Eloisa and Francisco in typical wedding garb from Oaxaca, and no it's not typical for the groom to have a bouquet of flowers also.  He was just holding it for Eloisa.  She was about to toss the other bouquet.

Somewhere, somehow it was decided our girls should be "flower girls."  So they all dressed in white and led in the bride's procession.  They were all very pretty and they were thrilled to participate.

Beautiful Gloria who is growing up way too fast!

The happy couple cutting the cake.

Lex, Alli, Caleb and Daniel Smith along with Jose Luis, Adriana, Gloria and Jose

Can't have a post without a cute picture of Isabella

Victoria turns 10!!!

Early morning birthday doughnut before school


It doesn't seem like I should have a 10 year old, but alas I do, and it has been a fun ride so far. Last week Victoria turned 10. On the day of her birthday, we celebrated with lunch at Chili's and cake at home. It was funny, because we thought about invited a few people to cut cake with us, but then decided that not to, because we really don't know the meaning of "a few." But, wouldn't you know, as we were cutting the cake, our neighbors, Jose Luis and Adriana, rung the doorbell and enjoyed a piece of cake with us. For the "official" celebration, Victoria invited three of her friends for a sleep over at our local Holiday Inn. I will have to say, that all in all, it was an excellent idea! All the girls enjoyed their time with each other and got along really well, and it was a very fun and unusual activity for them. After school on Friday, we had lunch and then I, along with Isabella, took them over to the hotel to check and in and head for the heated pool. They spent all afternoon and evening in the pool with activities ranging from Olympic synchronized swimming competitions to playing queens of nature (queens of the ocean, sea animals, etc.). They opted to stay in for dinner, so we had pizza while they played Wii and watched movies. Amazingly enough, they were all asleep by 11:00 pm! I couldn't believe it! The next morning after breakfast, they swam some more before check-out time. Sam, Sofia and Olivia joined us for breakfast and swimming. Sofia had a very, very, very hard time with all of this, because she could not understand why life was so unfair that she could not spend the night at the hotel and enjoy all the same things her sister was enjoying. I get the feeling we haven't heard the last of it yet...probably won't for a few years! If I had known how relaxing it was going to be for me also, I would have done this long ago. It was really a great celebration.
Victoria is such a beautiful young lady still somewhere between a little kid and such a grown-up! She can go from a responsible young lady to a heap of tears over her sister's harassing. It is amazing and baffling. Victoria's sensitivity to others feelings always touches our heart. She is beautiful inside and out. We are so proud of her and look forward to many, many more birthdays.

Cake with the family on her birthday



Lunch with her friends on Friday before the festivities begin


Sofia looking the happiest she did all weekend. Usually she was a mess of tears for one reason or another.


Wii action



Victoria and her friends, Elsita, Fernanda and Dania

Kings Day

I am figuring out videos, so this is a good opportunity to show you what we have been up to. On January 6, very shortly after returning from christmas travels, we celebrated Kings day with a new crowd for us. King's Day is more important in Mexico because it is when kids get gifts from the three wise men. Our church had a special contribution in December to help street kids. The first amazing thing is that we raised more than $1000 USD. That is so amazing for our group!!!! So, armed with cash, the church bought over 100 blankets, 40 or sweatshirts and sweatpants and some jackets for kids. We also gathered used clothing and toys. We joined Rodger Garcia who opens his home to street kids everyday. He has been doing this for several years. The first year he had about 20 kids, the next year 40, and now he feeds about 200 kids each day. He helps as many of them as he can get off drugs, finish school and get jobs. On January 6, we treated the kids and many families to treats that they may not have had otherwise -- they had dinner, special bread that is served on that day, piñata, candy and of course blankets and clothes. It has been estimated that 300 plates of food were served! Rodger has a lady, Panchita, who is very poor, cook the food for him on a daily basis, and she also cooked for this occasion. She did this in spite of the fact that two days earlier her daughter-in-law and grandson had been run over (some drug related disputes), her grandson was killed, and her daughter-in-law continues to be in the hospital in a coma. She wanted to do this as a tribute to her grandson. Her spirit and courage was a blessing to all of us!
Enjoy the videos...we had a great day!

Battle of the Wills

There are so many more important things I should be blogging about, especially since you haven't heard from me in forever; however, this is on the brain and rather amusing, so you must hear about our hamster, and you can hear about the rest later...A few months ago we were browsing in a pet shop when Sofia suggested she wanted a hamster and she had money to get it. So, what can you say to that? Her dad said yes...We ended up with "Sandy" a rather aggressive and Houdini hamster.
Sam had the brilliant and very creative idea to use a little wooden play cabin of the girls and adapt it as a hamster house. And, thus, the battle began. The hamster's sole mission became getting out of the house and Sam's sole mission became confining the hamster in his lovely cabin! The hamster was amazing at getting out and got progressively better at it. The little cabin with plexiglass walls turned into Alcatraz with wire mesh around the top, little ties to hold the wire down, duct tape around the edges, bungee cord to hold closed the door and finally my good kitchen towel (which the hamster chewed up completely) stuffed in the corner to keep him in. The nice high class cabin was now some kind of red-neck contraption.
After the hamster got out during our small group, and then with company on various occasions where we had to reassure them that we didn't have rodents but simply a pet taking a stroll around the kitchen, I insisted on new accommodations for the hamster. So, tonight, Sam came home with the deluxe hamster cage, and just in time as I was catching it yet once again.
As you can see, our hamster is very happy and enjoying his new place and I am much more confident that he will be there in the morning safe and sound and out of my furniture!

Before pictures -- Sam's very creative contraption (seriously, Sam gets major points for being creative and persistent in the task)






After pictures -- the new hamster condominium




Now to leave you with a look at the beauties in our home, here are a few shots taken at a birthday party a couple of months ago, expect Olivia who must have been camera shy. Instead, you see what cuteness I have to put up with at home on a daily basis...








And just in case you want a bigger dose of photos, you can check out the latest Vincent family portraits here. Enjoy

So much fun, so little time!!!

It seems like there have been several things happening in the last few weeks, and it only promises to get busier. So, I will just recap a few events...

Missionaries retreat:

For thanksgiving, we went to Guananjuato for our annual missionaries retreat. It is a highlight in our year to be with fellow workers in Mexico. This year was no disappointment. Jason and Heather Thorton from Oklahoma shared with us in a powerful way and just as refreshing was the fellowship with everyone. Are girls enjoyed playing with other kids non-stop also.


Isabella in her Thanksgiving shirt!




Downtown Guanajuato. It is a beautiful city and we enjoyed seeing it. Great place to take visitors!




We seem to attract children! This is what life would look like with twins...



The whole group of missionaries from Guadalajara, Leon, Mexico City, Tlaplan, Cuernavaca and Playa Azul. I think I got everyone.




Our happy family!


Leader's retreat:
The next weekend, we had a leader's retreat to get a head start on next year. It was a huge blessing to spend a weekend with our leaders encouraging them and being encouraged by them. We stayed close to home and stayed in Patzcuaro. It was cold at night, but the fireplaces were very warming. We were challenged to look at our cell groups and evaluate why it has been so difficult to multiply them...2009 promises to be a good year and we look forward to what God will do. We have a great group of leaders and God has truly blessed us and this church with them.



Sam and Isabella hanging out



The view from where we were at. It was beautiful!



Olivia looking mischievous.



One of our sessions with the leaders



The group at the retreat



Christmas movie:
Jose Luis and Adriana thought that a neat way to reach out to the neighborhood around where there cell group meets would be to show a movie in the park area and invite all the kids to come. So, last night they invited us to join them in doing this. It was an amazing activity. First, because it was all their idea, and they pretty much got it all together. They even had people who don't go to the cell offer to help with food and candy. They showed the movie "The Nativity" which was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. They served popcorn and hotdogs for the kids and pozole for the adults. There were around 50 people there, which was just amazing! We praise God for their faithfulness and their desire to serve him and reach out to others.

Tomorrow we have our annual "Christmas Convivio." It should be a special time for everyone. We are expecting at least 150 (food always draws a crowd). Please pray with us that people will see Christ tomorrow in what we do, also, please pray for Sofia. She went to bed with fever tonight, and there are so many fun things for her to do this coming week!

Update: Tomorrow has come and gone and I realized that I hadn't posted this! The Christmas convivio was great!!! We had almost 200 people there and we were thrilled. You will have to wait until tomorrow for all the details. It is way past my bedtime, and Isabella isn't promising to sleep tonight.

Fun stuff I promised

I mentioned that some interesting things have happened, but Sam had the camera, and no blog is complete without pictures. Now Sam is back and I finally have time to blog about it (I should really be in bed!). The first thing that happened a couple of weeks ago is a city wide prayer night. The coolest part about it is that it was in one of the plazas downtown. On the night of October 31st, while a lot of people were doing other things, it is estimated that some 4,000 people gathered in the San Francisco plaza for a night of worship and prayer. It was really neat to see something like this happen. There were even city officials, including the mayor, there to support the activity. This is a first in Morelia, but hopefully not a last.
It's funny, because when we got home, Sam and I were talking about the evening and how neat it was. Both of us talked about how we needed to keep in check our critiquing of the evening and wanting to change this or that, but simply being in the moment. We praise God that churches would come together to do this and that people who have never heard his name would be touched by what they heard and saw. I am firmly convinced that the world will know who God is by the unity of the churches! The disunity of the churches is certainly a huge foothold for Satan.










The second big event was a baptism. This is one that we thought would never happen. On Sunday, November 2, Pina, Adriana's mom was baptized. She has known us since we arrived and knows what we do. She has participated on and off for all this time, but has not wanted to make any changes in her life. She has been critical of her daughter at times, but she has been watching and listening. When she came to talk to us about wanting to be baptized, we saw a woman hurt by life and wanting desperately to be loved and accepted. So, we open our arms wide and love her with the love of Christ. We rejoice greatly for her life. God has already given her a heart of service. She is always ready, willing and offering to help. We praise God for her life and look forward to her place in this community of believers.