Brownies are here!!

We had the joy of hosting some very dear friends this week - The Brown Family (Brownies) from Washington, DC came down to see our new home life in Guatemala.

We spent the week - loving on kids, loving on each other, sightseeing, shopping, working, and eating.

I could tell many stories of all the fun we had, but I think the highlight for all of us was the Easter Party at the Children's Home. We started with lots of fun crafts. In spite of language barriers, it was sweet to see the Brown and Radford kids helping the children with their crafts.

MG & AK helping paint suncatchers.

Reagan helping with Magic Scratch eggs.

Rebecca working with Jose Pablo on a foam cross.

Gay & Arturo working with stickers.

After craft time, we told the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Each of our kids told different parts of the story and read scripture - some of them even read the Bible in Spanish! We are passionate about coming alongside families and mission teams that want to serve the peoples of the world. What a privilege to come alongside such dear friends as they share the good news of Jesus Christ. We ended our story time with CAKE! Yeah! Jesus Vive!

The girls did a great job decorating the cake.

Mary Grace played her violin while we sang songs with the kids.

Reagan teaching and practicing his Spanish.

Anna Kate reading to the kids.

YUMMY!!

As the party drew to an end, we had one more surprise for the kids. Redeemer Church of Arlington, the Brown's home church in DC, wanted to be a part of their mission trip. They generously supplied each child in the home with a new Easter outfit, plus more Spring clothes. The kids couldn't wait to open their new clothes!

I am reading a card written by 4 yr old Sammy in Alpharetta, GA to Jose Pablo.

Sammy sent cars, clothes, and chalk to Jose Pablo - so precious!

Two different people shopped for the twins, they bought matching butterfly outfits.

They didn't know the girls are sisters, but the Lord does, He cares about the little details.

The Big boys - looking dapper in their new clothes.

Sweet Spring dresses!

Is there anything more precious??

The toddlers - Very stylish!

A Perfect Pink Confection!!

Here is what I love most about this experience:

• We got to watch Mary Grace, Reagan, Rebecca, Andrew, Parker & Anna Kate serve alongside one another. We were there when God planted his seed of passion for the peoples of the world in each of their hearts.
• We had the opportunity to plant the seeds of God's story of his Son, our salvation in the hearts of these precious Guatemalan children.
• The Radford's, Brown's and Redeemer Church got to be the hands and feet of Jesus as they blessed these children. Everyone loves a new outfit for Easter, but more importantly, these kids know that God loves them soooo much he moved in the hearts of people from another part of the world to show his care and provision for them.

Gracias a Dios!!

Feliz Cumpleaños Anna Carlos

Today we had a fun new experience. We went to our first Guatemalan birthday party. Earlier this week, we received an invitation for a birthday party for Anna Carlos who is turning 2. Anna Carlos' parents work at Eagle's Nest. Her mom Thelmy runs the kitchen and apartments for retreats and teams. We frequently see Anna Carlos running around campus with her mommy. As you can see from the picture below, she is the cutest thing since fuzzy Easter chicks.

We were so excited to attend a Guatemalan birthday party for the first time. The invitation said the party started at 9:30 AM. When Lee called to RSVP, which is not required in Guatemalan culture, Thelmy told him not to come at 9:30. We have already learned that lesson the hard way. SO we politely showed up at 10:10. It is customary to show up a minimum of 30-45 minutes "late."

When we arrived, the EN campus was decorated with lots of pink and purple balloons as well as big Dora balloons. They had Dora and Boots hats for all the kids. The big hit of the party was the clown (payoso) named Fruty. He was very entertaining to everyone except Anna Carlos. He led the kids in several games and then the essential element of every Guatemalan birthday - the Piñata!! The girls smashed a Dora piñata and the  boys smashed a Boots piñata. It was really fun, but I cringed so many times as I watched that big stick come dangerously close to little heads!

After the piñatas, we sang Happy Birthday and had cake. I have never been to a party where you get a burrito on the side of your cake. Ice cream - yes. Burritos - no. That was a first!!! It was yummy!

You know what my favorite part of the party was - out of 75-80 people - we were the only gringos. The clown did his whole gig in español. We were able to understand him and participate. We had a few conversations and enjoyed being included in such a celebration. We are so grateful that God continually gives us opportunity to build relationships. ¡Gracias a Dios!

Going on a beach hunt....

Friday, (March 25th) was Parker's 11th birthday. Usually we plan a really fun-filled theme party, with lots of friends and family. This year we knew that wasn't a possibility, so we decided to plan something special. We asked our local family, Rich and Cheryl Buhre if they wanted to join us on a trip to Monterrico - a beach town on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. They quickly agreed and we made reservations. Let me just say - after the "adventure" we had, Rich and Cheryl may never go ANYWHERE with us again.

Birthday Boy! Poolside cupcakes...nothing better!

Happy 11th!

We estimated that our journey from Panajachel to Monterrico should take about 4 - 4.5 hours. It took a bit longer. We were crazy busy before we left town and I didn't do all the things I would normally do in preparation for a trip to a new place. There is a reason I have earned a few nicknames - Julie McCoy, "the cruise director," "wiki" (as in Wikipedia). I have been known to show up for a Disney vacation with typed, color-coded itineraries. Normally, when we take a trip to a new place, I check out restaurants, fun activities for families, print maps, copies of hotel confirmation, etc. I was never a girl scout - but I come prepared! Well, it's Guatemala - everything takes longer in Guatemala - and my ability to research and prepare is somewhat limited by what info is available on the internet (hopefully in English).

Sooooo...here's the story! We started on our grand adventure a little after 1:00 on Thursday afternoon. We drove down CA-1 to Antigua and then beyond. We have driven to Antigua many times, but never beyond it. We headed for a city called Esquintla, where we stopped at the McDonald's for relief and refreshments. We immediately noticed the change in climate - much warmer and a little sticky - very beachy. Yeah, we must be closer. We continued on to something like an oblong round-about. There was a LOT of traffic, big trucks and little tuk-tuks. We followed the advice of our GPS and took the second turn on the round about. This was our first mistake.

About 20 or 30 minutes later, Lee mentioned that the GPS said our next turn was going to be a right turn, when he thought it should be a left turn. I got out the map and looked to see where we might be. We discovered that instead of taking CA-9 which heads straight to the coast, we were actually on CA-2 which parallels the coast. I said, this is no problem, because there is another road that we can take that heads straight to the town of Monterrico. We find this small road and turn right, we drive for about 20 minutes.....then the road suddenly dead ends at a swamp. It's about 5:30 or so and according the the map we are only 2 or 3 miles from Monterrico, but we can't get across the swamp. Or can we?

Frankly, this dead end startled all of us, and we just whipped around and started heading back to the main road. We didn't really stop and think about how to proceed or ask for directions - mistake #2.

As we headed back to the main road, I looked for an alternate route. I thought I found one, but when we got there it was a dirt road. We started down this road with farms on either side, we came to another dead end and had to make a decision - turn right, turn left, or turn back to the main road. Rich jumps out and asks for directions. It is decided to turn right and keep going - mistake #3.

Lee was getting a little stressed as he knew it would be dark soon and we are lost in the coastal farms of Guatemala. We were not as prepared as we normally are for such a trip - I had no phone number for the hotel, no one knew where we were, if something happened - no one would know. We had no ability to rescue ourselves. We kept driving, kept having to turn right or left, kept asking for directions. Rich had mentioned that we might need to take a ferry across this river that divided us from the coastal road. So he asked several people for directions to the ferry. We followed a guy on a bike to the ferry landing, where we found a sign with a phone number for the ferry driver. We waited at the edge of the river for a small barge to come pick us up. I sat there thinking, "This can't really be happening, it's pitch black outside, we are less than a mile from the beach, and we are going to put our giant car on a boat that will take us across this river. We have asked no less than 10 people for directions. The whole area knows there is a giant Land Cruiser with lost Gringos in it!" This has to be a mistake.

Lee standing at the edge of the river, looking for the ferry.

The barge approaching...

Riding the ferry down the river...

As we waited for the ferry, Cheryl prayed over us, which helped to calm all of us. Later she said, "this is kinda like the game Going on a Bear Hunt. What should we call this game?" Anna Kate said, "How about the Getting Lost in Guatemala Game? or the Going on a Beach Hunt game?" We cracked up! It was the perfect comic relief for a very tense moment.

15 minutes later, the boat shows up, we drive on, the boat takes us down river and drops us off. We drive another 20 minutes or so to our hotel and we arrived safe and sound. Gracias a Dios! Upon arriving, we discovered that we could have taken a ferry from the first dead end road and been there two hours before. ARRRRGHHH!

The view of the Pacific Ocean from the pool.

Utz Tzaba Hotel - tropical and relaxing.

The kids had a blast in the pool with boogie boards!

The ocean was very rough, so we stayed poolside for most of the day!

So what did I learn from this great adventure?

1. I learned it pays to be prepared - bring all the necessary phone numbers and information. 
2. When you get to a dead end, don't panic. Stop to think it through and ask for help. 
3. NEVER take the dirt road!
4. Even though all the safety rules of traveling abroad would say - DO NOT get out of your car and ask for directions - if Rich hadn't been persistent, we would NEVER have found the ferry.
5. The Lord is Trustworthy. Cheryl asked me the next day if I was nervous during that drive. I was tense because it was dark, the driving was a bit reckless and we had little ability to solve this by ourselves. Yet, I was confident that the Lord had 3 options for rescuing us. He could deliver us around the trial so that we avoided it. He could deliver us through it - so that we have a story to share in which he gets the glory. Or he could have delivered us straight into eternity. I was comfortable with each of these methods of delivery. It was a tense experience, but I wasn't scared.

Radfords and Buhres - What a fun adventure! It will not be soon forgotten.

The Lord chose to humble us as we searched in the dark for the right path, yet he delivered us through. He allowed people to give us the right directions so that we could find our way to the light. We had a great adventure, and I'm not sure I would change it. I like that we have a great story to tell. We had a wonderful, relaxing time that followed our adventure. We enjoyed the pool and the beach, the sounds of the surf. Parker had a great birthday with friends and family. Gracias a Dios for your blessing and preservation!

Feathers from my nest....

Hallelujah and Praise the Lord - after 12 weeks - our boxes finally showed up this week. 

It seems fitting that our boxes arrived this week. I reminded Lee that it was one year ago this week that we began the process of packing these boxes and moving out of our beautiful home on Amberton Lane. It was a complicated move. As I look back, I think we culled through our belongings on at least 5 or 6 different occasions. And we still shipped 42 boxes!! All I can say is we were excellent consumers. 

As I opened some of the boxes, it was like greeting old friends. As I opened others, I asked myself, "what was I thinking?" Lee kept saying, "I'm really glad we payed a small fortune to ship that down here. Of course we can't live without this!"

When I saw the boxes, I was amazed we had anything but shrapnel left. These boxes looked as if someone kicked the boxes from Atlanta to Guatemala. The boxes were absolutely pulverized. Take a look...

Not sure what Homeland Security was looking for....but I think they used a baseball bat to look for it!

This is the portrait box....nothing broken! Unbelievable!

It turns out that we lost seven salad plates (my favorite!) and my Kitchen Aid mixer (a wedding gift...sniff). We had some other minor bumps and dings, but for the most part, it all arrived safely. 

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have some of my own stuff around me again. Before I left home, I selected my favorite feathers from our nest in Atlanta. I know it's just stuff, but most of it means something to me. The look and feel of our house has always been important to me. It's part of what creates that indescribable, indefinable feeling of "HOME." Now, I can finally build a nest here that is ours. It has been so fun to feather our nest this week. Here are some of my favorite things....

Books, books and more books....

 

My red dishes...the flower plates are the ones that broke.

New bedding...

Our home here in Pana is truly a beautiful home. But every wall is painted white, with maple colored wood and tan furniture, it can be a little blah. My house in Atlanta did not have a single white wall anywhere, and all the furniture was rich dark woods. We have tons of windows in this house, which brings the lovely green gardens inside. Our neighborhood is like a tropical paradise. Yet - I have missed my reds and golds and browns. I miss the warm and rich tones of home. So -  every time I walk in my room and see this beautiful red bed, my heart just smiles. It doesn't feel like someone else's house anymore, it's beginning to feel like my home.

So after moving four times, three different cities in two countries in one calendar year - it's good to be home!

Sleepless in Panajachel

It's been two months since we started getting plugged into ministry at Eagle's Nest. So much has happened, it's hard to synthesize all that God is doing in us and through us here. We have enjoyed hosting teams from the US, Lee is neck deep in understanding the finances as well as building relationships with the employees at EN. The one facet of this ministry that never fails to crush our hearts: the kids in the home.

Over the last two weeks, we have had three new babies arrive in the home. Tragically, these babies have been abandoned for reasons we cannot begin to fathom. In his mercy, the Lord has allowed them to be placed under our protection and care. It is our honor and privilege to defend the defenseless and protect the fatherless.

Last night, we had the privilege of keeping baby Victoria in our home. Because she has some special medical needs, it was decided that she needs to have individual monitoring until we are fully aware of her individual needs. She has been staying with our ministry partners, the Patlans. They went to Guatemala City for the night, so we got the joy of keeping her for the night.

It's been a longtime since I had a newborn in the house. We believe she is about a month old, but she only weighs about 5 1/2 pounds. Her hands are so tiny; she's absolutely precious. The kids were so excited to hold her and shower her with love. Lee got her in the "baby sleeper hold" yesterday afternoon - she was conked out for a good nap!

I got the night shift. She pretty much slept with me all night. I tried to put her in her bed, but it was very cold and lonely. She definitely preferred cuddling with me on the couch. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep, but I count it pure joy to "suffer" one sleepless night in order to bless this sweet girl.

Hungry girl!

All worn out after her bottle!

"O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart;

you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."

Psalm 10:17-18

For many reasons, the parents of these children feel defeated in their ability to protect and defend, but the Lord is their defender. Our family gets to be the hands and feet of Christ in the lives of these kids. We are grateful that he has chosen us to stand in the gap. Pray for us as we shepherd these young hearts. Pray for these young hearts to be healed and redeemed by the grace and mercy of their great Defender.

Guadelupe

I have been remiss in posting to the blog lately - sorry friends! The kids have been dying to share some pics of our cute new bunny! Here is Guadelupe Mendoza Radford. (Anna Kate picked her name from a book called "The Boy at the Alamo" - Lupe was a character in the book)

CUTE!

During school, Lupe loves to find a warm sunbeam for napping.

Lupe is so cute. She hops all over the house. She LOVES her veggies - radishes, beets, carrots, greens, cabbage and apples. She lives in a dog kennel with a loft. She is so sweet and cuddly. She also loves to lick us! So far, she doesn't seem to chew on cords and cables. Gracias a Dios!

Psycho-stalker Kitty - goes from door to door meowing. She wants our bun-bun!

High rise, deluxe apartment.

So sweet and tiny...

Cuddle buns!

Kisses!

Relaxing in the backyard. Lupe enjoys munching grass!

Chains Be Broken

Have you ever heard the Hillsong United song “You’ll Come?”  Probably so, it’s a popular worship song sung in churches around the world.  I think I first heard the song as a part of the ECHO ministry at North Metro Church, our home church in Marietta, Georgia.  The opening lines go like this…

Chains be broken…

Lives be healed…

Eyes be opened…

Christ is revealed…

If you have been in the church world for some 

The Kids at Eagle's Nest

time those are familiar words and biblical concepts.  For me, those four lines sum up God’s grace as he sacrificed his son and exchanged his son’s life for mine (and yours).  I had chains that needed breaking – my chains were rooted in self-image.  I was so caught up in what other people thought of me, and my career was a heavy chain that needed a loving God to break.  I heard a pastor once say there are two types of people in the world – those that have been wounded and those that have been wounded more.  I can relate to that, I have wounds that have been healed and I have wounds that are still healing.  One day, by the grace of God as he pursued me, my eyes were opened to his love, his grace, his forgiveness, and my need for a savior.  At that moment Christ was reveled to me.

So where am I going?  For several weeks I have been praying those four lines for the children that live at Eagle’s Nest.  Each child that we have in our home is dealing with issues related to abandonment.  Generally speaking children that live in orphanages in Guatemala have at least one parent.  Children end up in orphanages for issues related to abuse and extreme poverty.  No matter the reason for a child being in an orphanage, each child deals with the chains that weigh them down and keeps them from knowing Christ as their savior.  These sweet children carry a heavy burden.  They deal with shame, guilt, anger, and bitterness.  All of these issues conspire against them and keep their eyes closed.

Would you join me in praying for the 17 children that live in the Eagle’s Nest home?  Pray for each child that their…

Chains be broken…

Lives be healed…

Eyes be opened…

Christ is revealed…

Thank you God for loving us. 

LPR

The Long Drop....

Well, my friends, it finally happened. I have finally fallen off the 1st world map and experienced the long drop to 3rd world reality today. Some of you are wondering what the "long drop" is and others are wishing you didn't know what it is.... the long drop is also known as a privy or an outhouse. It's an outdoor venue for business I would rather conduct indoors....with a real door for privacy....running water....TP and any other civilized conveniences that I feel suit the situation. So, you might be wondering what was the occasion for such an adventure....well, I went to church....that's right - church.

This morning, we joined several friends at the new home of Mike & Adele. Did I mention that their home is still under construction? They have been building their home for about 8-9 years here in Panajachel. They believe in paying as you go, so they have been working on it for quite a while. They have walls and two roofs (the last one pending), but there are no windows, flooring, kitchen or bathrooms. Mike & Adele like to camp up there sometimes and they literally, set up tents inside the house. They have tucked this new home right into the hillside which overlooks the river, Pana and the lake. It's an amazing place. Recently, Mike built a "long drop" - which is exactly what it's name indicates - a deep hole and a toilet seat, black plastic sheeting for privacy and the wild outdoors.

Sitting in the future living room, singing and worshipping.

We met at the Robert's home for church. We decided to meet there because, we wanted to have a picnic after church and this is really a lovely location for a picnic. Adele has a beautiful voice and a more beautiful heart as she plays her guitar and we sing worship to the Lord. Then we set up a laptop on a chair and watched a downloaded sermon. After hearing the Word, we had "lunch on the grounds"...er in the the open/indoor/outdoor kitchen. This is such a sweet time of worship and fellowship. It's very simple, not fussy, not professional but it is genuine and sincere worship of the King.

Lungi playing the ukulele, Kasia, Anna Kate & Parker.

Sometimes I look at the life we have here and I think, wow it's a long drop from where I used to be. I used to have a big, beautiful house, with three and half bathrooms (all with doors and running water). I used to go to a really beautiful church, with tons of bathrooms (doors and water included). It was a beautiful life and I loved it.

The funny thing is...I don't really miss it. Sure, sometimes I miss our home and our church, mostly I miss the people not the places. Many people would say, I have made a long drop on the social and economic ladder, but I don't see it as a "drop" as much as a change in latitude. (and attitude....sounds familiar...might be time to dig up some JB tunes)

So what's my point? Why do I go on so...I am learning that a life yielded is a life worth living. Submitting to the Lord's call on our life has brought new friends, new homes, new foods, new language and new ways of life. I wouldn't trade this adventure for life back in the 1st world....even it means a few long drops along the way.

What does "doing church" mean?

A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of driving into the city to pick up our dear friends, Rich & Cheryl Buhre from the airport. Lee wasn't able to go and he didn't want me to drive alone. So, a new friend, Adele was kind enough to go with me. It was such a treat to spend some one-on-one time together. As we were returning from the city with the new arrivals, we had an interesting conversation about church. Adele commented "I don't like the phrase - doing church - what does that mean? We are the church, we don't do church?" (You will have to imagine hearing her lovely South African accent) As we drove and talked, we covered many topics, but that one stuck in my mind.

Church is definitely one of the things we miss most about being in the USA. We long for fellowship and community worship in our heart language. We miss the kind of teaching that challenges, chastens, encourages, spurs, exhorts, convicts and changes us. Our kids miss their teachers and friends from their Sunday morning classes. We have been worried about what church will look like for our family here in Panajachel. We pray and wait - knowing the Lord is faithful.

Before the end of our drive back to Pana, we all decided that maybe we could come together for an informal worship gathering on Sunday morning. So our three families met in a small, but cozy and intimate room. Adele played her guitar and we sang worship songs together. We watched a down-loaded sermon. Nothing fancy, but let me just say this - the Lord inhabits the praise of his people. He came and met with us. What a sweet time of fellowship, teaching, worship and prayer. Once again, the Lord has provided for us in a way that we could not imagine or ask for. He is so faithful to us, in spite of our unfaithfulness to Him. We are the church, we are the body - created in His image for his glory and his renown. What does church mean for you?

A Year End Review

At the end of 2009, we decided to follow the call of God and move our family to Guatemala. 2010 was the year of big decisions and major change for the Radford family. As I took down the 2010 calendar and replaced it with the 2011 - I thought it would be interesting to flip through the pages to review the year. Here are some highlights!

JANUARY - We started the New Year at the Passion conference in Atlanta. God has used that event to inspire and grow vision in us about our ministry here in Guatemala. We also spent several weeks preparing our house to be sold. We also took our very first support raising trip to Florida.

Our home on Amberton Lane!

FEBRUARY - 17 days after our house went on the market, we had a contract!  WHOA! When God says GO he means it! We spent time training and equipping 18 college students for a Spring Break trip to Guatemala. It was also a month of goodbyes with our dear friends the Browns - who answered God's call to move to Washington, DC.

MARCH - We spent 2 weeks in our new homeland - the first week with 18 college students! We adore each and everyone of them! The 2nd week we looked at housing, Spanish schools - preparing the way for our big move. Upon returning the the states, we moved out of our house and into the Brown's empty house for four months.

Students working on a new home for Guatemalan family.

(That is their current home in the background)

APRIL - The highlight of the month was our big trip to Williamsburg and Washington DC. Our family of four joined the Brown family of six in their tiny apartment. It was a tight fit, but we loved every minute!! We especially loved biking  to the monuments.

At the WWII memorial in DC.

MAY - The kids and I went to visit my brother in SC for his graduation from college. As we wrapped up the 4th and 2nd grade - we enjoyed several outings with the homeschool group and year-end parties.

JUNE - I returned to Washington, DC with 2 friends for a girls trip to visit Gay Brown. What a treasure to be with my kindred spirits and bosom friends! Lee & I also had the opportunity to go to Kerrville, TX for training with our mission agency Commission to Every Nation (CTEN). We were able to spend some one-on-one time with our ministry partners, Felis & Pedro Patlan.

JULY - We made a trip to Florida to see my family before the big move - the beginnings of the long goodbye. The calendar shows lots of dinners with friends. We made several outings to our favorite places with our favorite people - Aquarium, Coke Museum, Tellus Museum and more. We took a family trip with Lee's mom and brother's family to Chattanooga. We saw more aquariums and musuems...fun memories with the family. Our last week before leaving the country, we spent at the beach in St. Simons - just the four of us. What a welcome retreat after a long, exhausting but precious season of leaving home.

The Radford Clan in Chattanooga.

Patty, Beth, Blanton, Benjamin, Angel, Lee, Parker & AnnaKate

AGOSTO - On the 4th of August, four Radfords and 13 bags boarded a one-way flight bound for Guatemala City. Cultural assimilation began immediately - language school started on the 9th. We learned to get around town without a car, how to shop for groceries and made new friends.

La Merced Cathedral in Antigua.

SEPTIEMBRE - The calendar shows lots of check marks - which is how the kids ticked off the days of language school. Most of the month was spent in language school and getting used to RAIN, RAIN and more RAIN. The best thing that happened this month was meeting another family of missionaries in language school - our new friends, the Ericksons!

New friends!

OCTUBRE - I participated in teaching at a Women's Retreat at Eagle's Nest. What fun to spend time with Guatemalan women studying the Word together. One highlight of the month was our first visitor from home - Lee's mom, Patty arrived. The kids were thrilled to see Mimi - and the huge pile of loot she managed to get in her bags. We loved showing her around our new home.

NOVIEMBRE - GRADUATION from language school. Praise the Lord! We loved our teachers, but that was one of the hardest things we have ever done. Studying a new language for 4 hours a day is not for sissies. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends the Ericksons and many more. Our friends, the Everswicks visited us at our new home in Panajachel. We were so encouraged and blessed by our time with their whole family,

DECIEMBRE - Our first trip home! We returned to the US for about 2 weeks. We were able to accomplish a ton of work, but the real treat was spending time with family and friends. (Also eating at Chickfila) We celebrated Christmas here in Pana and hosted my parents until New Year's.

Dining alfresco by the lake.

As I reflect on the year, I see God's grace and mercy throughout. It was a year of counting the cost for obedience. We had a lot to lay on the altar. Was there pain in the offering?  Absolutely, but the blessing of obedience always exceeds the cost. We have no desire to go back and change our decisions. We are privileged to see his affirmation of this calling in many of our memories of 2010. As we look into 2011, we see the real work, sometimes hard work lies ahead. Our peace, comfort and courage come from knowing this -  if our God is for us, then what can stand against us.