How Beautiful are the Feet...

Just some pictures...

2012-02-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

Have grace today.

2012-02-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

I want to share a story with you. A story to illustrate what grace is. A few weeks ago Reese was going for daily blood draws. Being that he was a brand new baby they would make a small cut on his heel and then milk it for blood. This seemed as painful as it sounds. It had gotten to the point where Reese would give a pitiful little cry when anyone would touch his little feet. He had bandaids and

Mark jinxed me.

2012-02-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned how Mark had noted the lack of bugs in my recent posts. Not long after that comment this "little" guy was spotted in our house. He has been spotted in each room now. Thanks Mark!

What we are up to.

2012-02-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for not updating sooner. Mark pointed out yesterday that we have not posted pictures of any bugs in a while so before I give an update on where we are now I would like to point you to THIS post so you can remember the creepy crawlies we have here in Nam. Now I will give you a minute to get over the shock... .... .... Now what we have been up to! I have been staying home with

At two months!

2012-02-13T03:53:00.000-08:00

Doors.

2012-02-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night we attended the YWAM family evening. A family meeting is when all the people from the different YWAM ministries get together to sing, pray, and listen to a message by the speaker for the DTS school that week. This week's speaker was Stefan Hugo, he is the head of YWAM Southern Africa. He shared a basic but significant, and importnat, message about judgement and grace. I want to

Still here!

2012-01-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

We are still here! Just busy with the new year at school and our new baby ;) Things are going really well. I will write a proper update later this week...

At one month.

2012-01-12T01:03:00.000-08:00

I think today I can return to the land of the living long enough to update this blog ;) It is difficult to believe that Reese is over a months old already. I cried last night when I was feeding him. I know he is going to grow up and leave us. I am trying to cling onto every moment right now. He is already heavier and taller than he was. He is changing every day. I am so happy that he is thriving

Happy new year!

2011-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

May your year be filled with smiles!!

Birth story part two.

2011-12-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, I left off where we had just heard Reese's first baby sounds. The story continues below. I will write this from my point of view first, and then from David's his is a bit different than mine. In the days leading up to Reese's birth I had known that the only thing that I would be looking for in the delivery room, or operating room in our situation is a loud cry. I figured that would be the

Birth Story... part one.

2011-12-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

I have gone back and forth on how much of this I want to write down, about how much of this I really want to remember. But then I am reminded that this is Reese's birth story, and in the end it gives glory to God's perfect plan. It will be part of this little boy's testimony, his very first minutes on earth! Also this is going to be a very long post, and may contain some pregnancy related gore;)

So what did you do this week?

2011-12-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

We had a baby! Reese Livingstone Echols, born at 33 weeks and 4 days, 6.37 pounds and 18 inches.

Something amazing happened last week.

2011-12-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

Last week two students in David's discipleship class decided that they wanted to become Christians. Actually seven of the students decided this, but only two of them were able to get permission from their parents to be baptized, and others were told that that they are not mature enough to make such a big decision. It is a huge victory for us, and for the kids! It was surreal to stand next to the

Week 32/33

2011-12-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

I figured I should get on this and get this post done, seeing that I don't know if I have hours, days or weeks left! Things sure are getting interesting around these parts. This post is probably going to be ridiculously long. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. How far along? : Right now 33 weeks and 4 days. Total weight gain: Let's say 35 pounds for fun. There is no scale here in the

CCCB

2011-11-25T01:25:00.000-08:00

We have classmates scattered throughout the world. People we spent years with preparing and training. We have memories of eating Rita's bread rolls and rice crispy treats while brainstorming in Mike's office about how to make the missions program more effective. We spent nights preparing for missions emphasis week, hours together on buses traveling to the National Missionary Convention, and many

Week 30/31

2011-11-21T03:17:00.000-08:00

How far along? : 31 weeks 2 days today. Total weight gain: It is just around 30 pounds today! :) It is nice to be able to eat whenever I am hungry and not worry about the weight gain. How big is baby?: Big enough to give me strong kicks in the ribs! And to let me know when he wants me to change position when I am laying down. Sleep?: I am sleeping really well most nights. This could be

Wrapping paper and hot fudge!

2011-11-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

Last night some ladies from school came over to wrap the children's Christmas presents. That's right, ALL 108 students get a book and a gift, and they all have to be wrapped. Last year I did not get to be part of this wrapping party, so I was pretty excited to get to help this year. Marye, from Holland, Jodie, from Canada, Naleke from Kenya, and myself put on some Christmas music, set up a

Rango.

2011-11-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Missions and loneliness.

2011-11-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

I have to confess the loneliness that comes with living in a foreign country. It could be that now that I am going through something that usually bring gatherings of friends and family, I am feeling this separation more acutely. I woke up feeling sad today. Sad that we are so far away from home. Sad that I left my home country over eight years ago, and with that I have missed out on eight years

Maternity pictures preview!

2011-11-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Encouragement.

2011-11-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a problem at school. The kids like to tease each other all the time. I think perhaps it used to be fun teasing, but it has gotten to the point where kids are tearing each other down. They are quick to point out flaws and problems. This has left some of the classes in a bad place, especially the older class. It seems the kids have become experts at hurting one another. David

Week 26/27!

2011-10-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's here, the third trimester is here! The Christmas trees and decorations going up for sale at the local "Walmart" clued me in to the fact that we are hurtling towards the end of the year. It is getting so hot over here, most days it is well into the 90's. David has taken his P.E classes indoors at this point it would not even be safe, let alone comfortable, to be in that heat for so long. The

Acts 2:47

2011-10-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Acts 2:47 is my favorite verse. It is a non-traditional "favorite verse" in a sense. It doesn't talk about being comforted, or being filled with joy. It is not a declaration of love or a promise for believers. It is a simple statement that changed the course of history, the course of my life. "And the Lord was adding to their number day by daythose who were being saved." When I first came

Paul.

2011-10-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

Paul was a missionary. Paul preached the gospel all over the early world. Paul was not held back by lack of things. If Paul did not have a camel, Paul walked. Paul was not stopped by threat of death, threat of bodily harm, threat of imprinsonmetn. Paul was not stopped by beatings, verbal assaults, threats, jailings, presecution, hunger, sickness, exhaustion, ship wrecks or snake bites. I feel

99 days.

2011-10-15T03:58:00.001-07:00

That's all.

Fievel goes west.

2011-10-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today during my bedresting I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and guess what I saw?! A field mouse sitting in my sock drawer watching me. Just sitting there. Without a care in the world. I stayed on the bed. There was no way I was going to lumber/waddle over to it and chase it around the room. It's way too hot here for that. David came home about 15 minutes later, the

It's October, and time for a cheesy baby update.

2011-10-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hi! (waving wildly from my bed!) Things over in Namibia are going swimmingly! David is at school, he came home yesterday red from a sunburn (or tan as he calls it). On Monday he teaches 4 P.E classes. He has been teaching the kids American football. According to him it is quite funny to see them throw the ball and then pop up like meerkats to see where the ball goes. But he reports that they do

normal day... BAM! AWESOME DAY!

2011-10-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

David wearing Reese's bronco cap Baby Reese Echols (and us parents, wait I am a parent?? What? AAAAAAAHHH!) got his first package today! Squueeeeee! We picked it up and then waited FIVE hours (stupid time change) for the sun to come up in America. David's parents and brother (Hi Steve!) skyped in and watched us open the package. Surprisingly I only cried a tiny little bit, I was afraid I

This pumpkin time of year.

2011-10-04T04:19:00.000-07:00

I know that if I was in America right now I would be smelling pumpkin flavored things everywhere. Pumpkin white chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin cream cheese roll, pumpkin spiced lattes. Basically America as a whole smells like the Christmas aisle at hobby lobby. Knowing this has made me want this. I want to eat pumpkin spiced things all day long. I want to drink pumpkin chai, and I want to burn

Eyes to see.

2011-10-03T04:07:00.000-07:00

Remeber my post about Ricardo moving to America for his surgery? Well his surgery was done last week, and it was a great success. This is an email I received from Suzanne this past week about his surgery: