Lovin' on my Brenna Girl

Time continues to speed by around here--Friday we are moving all the stuff out of our house, the following Thurs. we are headed to see the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends that we have missed so much. Needless to say, LOTS to do! So, going to try to do a couple of catch up posts today and then I will probably be MIA again for a while...you'll forgive me, won't you?!

A few weeks after Brenna was born the sweet ladies at my church had a baby shower for my lil' sweetie pie. It was a wonderful, relaxing time of food, fellowship and fun. Just what I needed to help me get through all those tiring days of paperwork.

All dressed up and ready to go!

No, they are really not that lumpy! LOL

Presents!

2 tiny sweaters

All the pretties

Bib Magnet Souvenirs

Yummy Cake

My dear friends

Candy "pacifiers"

Sisters

Beautiful Brenna

One of my dearest friends was not able to make it to the shower because she was dealing with her own sick baby, but she surprised me by bringing this to church--

It looks like a ginormous frosted cupcake made of diapers and 2 super soft fleece receiving blankets. Then it was decorated with tiny hair clips and ponytail "sprinkles". So cute!

And this sweater is the most precious thing of all...my friend Yanel's grandma made this sweater, along with some blue ones, for her future great-grandchildren before she passed away. But, so far, Yanel has 2 boys and no girls and so she wanted me to use it for Brenna. Isn't that super sweet?! I was very humbled that she wanted to share such a special gift from her grandmother with me and to keep my little girl snuggly warm. Such a kind and giving spirit! The Lord has truly knit our hearts together and I will sorely miss her and all my sweet friends at our church here. They have been so patient with us and have been such a blessing to me and my family. I always say that they are my Argentine family and they will always hold a special place in my ♥.

The Story doesn't end there...

Wow! I am overwhelmed...

I jumped on Facebook for a second and found out that there is much more to the story...

You see, not only were my dear friends robbed at gunpoint {big shudder}, but God was working through it all. As sweet Mindy's faith was truly put to the test and I am sure a million things were running crazily through her mind, God gave her clarity. As the robbers quickly grabbed their worldly goods and stuffed them into a bag, Mindy handed the younger man her Bible, stating something like this,

"Take this; it's the most valuable thing I have."

Whoa! As I read those words, I felt a sharp and swift knife of conviction pierce my heart! I am severely smitten by those words and her courageous actions.

Supposedly, the older of the two said, "Don't take that!" To which the younger replied, "But the lady gave it to me!" and continued to stuff it in the bag. Now, this heroic family are praying that this man will read the words of life found in her stolen Bible and be saved!

Wow! and again I say WOW!! I am blown away by this. Would I have had the presence of mind to do the same? Or even anything remotely close? Sadly, I don't think so. I think I would have cringed in fear and humiliation and never have said a word or even have thought about trying to be a light to thieves in the process of robbing me. What an amazing testimony of God's power on my dear friends' life and of seeking a way to allow all things to work together for good to them that love Him. Obviously, Mindy is very soul-minded, even thinking of the souls of her attackers in that sinful moment. I am very, deeply convicted and pray that the Lord will use this in my life to renew my burden for a love of God's Word and to take His Word to the lost, no matter where I am or who they are.

I want to express a HUGE thank you to the many of my friends that are lifting this family up in prayer. You are a blessing and encouragement to them and me!

Here's a quick note from Mindy herself:

Thankful for God's protection

by Mindy Bush on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 9:41am

Thank you all for your prayers, messages and calls! We are so amazed and comforted with the the thought of so many people praying for us in this time. We thank the Lord that no harm came to us or to our girls and are praying that we can put this behind us. The Lord gave us a peace that passes all understanding during the entire experience and though we were shook up we knew that God was protecting us the entire time. We are praying for the thieves as one of them has my Bible that he will read it and be saved! We are so thankful for all of you who have prayed and ask that you continue to do so especially for our girls as they have a hard time processing all that they saw. It would take me forever to respond back to everyone who has written so I'm writing this note as a thank you to all of you!
 

Every missionary's nightmare

My dear, sweet friends {especially fellow missionaries who can truly relate to this!},

I am sending out this quick prayer request with a heavy heart.

These are dear missionary friends of ours, Jeff and Mindy Bush. As you can see they have 4 beautiful girls and Mindy is pregnant. Last night as they were coming home from church, they were met by a most unpleasant surprise. Every missionary's nightmare. 

Two thieves met them as they opened the door to their garage and home.
They put a gun to Mindy’s head. They stole their wedding rings, engagement ring, both laptop computers, camera, cell phone, jewelry, all the cash in both dollars and pesos that they had, which was about $1,000.
The thieves went into the house. They grabbed the necklace around Mindy’s neck and were going to jerk it off but were kind enough to take it off as they held the gun to her head.
There were two men with two guns. They were told that if they report this to the police that they will come back and steal the baby, Alexandra.
This is a horrible set back. They have been held at gun point, they were threatened. The $1,000 was money that is needed for ministry needs this week and must be taken out in cash so it is gone.
To further complicate things, Jeff's parents and nephew are visiting them and had to go through this ordeal, too. Plus, the Bush family is trying to get things together to go on furlough in September. 

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment--can you imagine the feel of a cold steel gun barrel pressed to your head? The trauma and shock and violation that comes with being robbed? The overwhelming feelings of insecurity and fear of being threatened? It is truly a tragedy.

Please, pretty please, pray for this family. They are faithful servants of the Lord with a growing, thriving ministry here in Argentina. The stinkin' devil is fighting hard. He despises all that they are doing for the Lord.

• Pray that God will do a mighty work in their lives through this. 

• Pray that He will supply them with the help and comfort that they need in this moment. As you can imagine Mindy and the girls are very shaken up.

• Pray that He will provide the means for them to replace these stolen items and pay their bills.

• Pray that His name will be glorified in how they deal with this.

• Pray for missionaries everywhere--that they will be safe and not have to go through a similar situation. 

We don't like to talk about these kinds of things, we don't like to scare you or paint a dark picture. But this is the truth. This is a part of our everyday lives. Things like this really do happen, all around us, and sometimes, to us.

Just goes to show that being a missionary is no picnic--especially today, especially for the Bush family.

I'M FAMOUS!!

What?!?, You didn't know??!?? Wipe that shocked expression off your face; it's true! lol

My sweet friend and fellow-missionary blogger, Maria, has been doing some awesome posts recently. They are simple challenges for us busy mamas to "Take the Time To... {fill in the blank}" with our precious kiddos. They are really easy things that don't take more than a few minutes, but so often get lost and left out in the hussle-bustle of our daily tasks.

Well, I am honored and privileged to be Maria's special guest and share my own "Take the Time To Challenge" over on her blog Raising 4 Princesses. Go check it out and make sure to go back a few posts and look into her other challenges as well. She has some great ideas to share with us!

Also, {lest you think I am only "tooting my own horn" honk! ~giggle~} Maria's blog, not just her challenge posts, is such a blessing to me and is what inspired me to start blogging myself. She is a super fun mama to 4 pretty princesses striving to raise them and serve the Lord as a missionary wife on the island of Jamaica. Her writing style and way of life are completely down-to-earth and she has learned to take what life brings her and make the best of it. She is the real deal and I am blessed to call her my friend.

I hope you stop over at her blog; I KNOW you will get a blessing from it if you do!!

 Maria~

Thanks so much for the opportunity to share a thought on your blog.

It was so much fun.

I appreciate you and your sweet family and the encouragement you are to me so much.

I am glad that we can be sisters in Christ and kindred spirits as missionary mamas.

Thank you for your kindness to me!

Keep on keepin' on!

Love you, friend!

Heather

Bilingual Birthday and Bowling Bash!

{Anymore good "B" words that I can fit into that title?! Hmmmm.....I am sure I can think of a few more. ha!}

Wow, so much has happened in the last few days, its hard to know where to begin. We started our celebratin' in Sunday School. Clara helped me pick out her favorite snacks to share with all her buddies. They had fun and devoured almost all of it in record time! :)

Here they are, hard at work, even Ethan ;)

The rose amongst the thorns, giving hugs!

Silly faces, she is an expert!

After lunch that day, we decided to take a few "glamour shots" for her 4 year old pictures. It was a miracle that her outfit and hair were still in tact, and that I actually got a few "normal" smiles out of her.

She looks so grown up!

B-E-A-U-TIFUL!!!

Monday morning, we awoke to a cold and very damp world outside, so no trips to the park. But, we had lots of things at home to keep us entertained. We had a good day together as a family!

Waking up on her birthday!

Princess Clara, all dressed and ready to party!

Her princess decor.

Getting ready to Skype with G. and G. Reed and open presents!

Ripping into the first gift

Princess hair clippies from G. and G. Reed

"Winnie the Pooh and the Hefalump" Movie

After presents, daddy set up the projector in the office and let Clara watch her "Pooh Bear" movie on the "big screen" er....wall. She loved it!

Playing "Don't Spill the Beans" or as Clara calls it  'the peanut game' lol!

Later mommy and Clara had to try out her new game. I Won! Not a lot of glory in beating your 4 year old in a game on her birthday, huh?! ha! She took it well, though!

Coloring the "Princesses"

Bible Story Time with Daddy {and her balloon} :)

The next day was the biggest surprise as we all got up and got ready to head to the big mall. When we got there Clara was very surprised and perplexed to see our Pastor and his family there, along with her "adopted" grandparents. It took her a while to catch on that they were all there for her!!
We ate together in the food court and daddy even bought Clara her own Happy Meal. Now that's Big Stuff!! Then we got out the cake I had brought and sang "Happy Birthday" to my sweetie. Yep, in English, right there in the middle of all the Argentine bystanders! ha!

Clara's princess cake!

More presents--Hello Kitty watch!!

Then we headed upstairs to the arcade and rides area. Matt and the guys had fun playing a game of bowling while the ladies and kids spent the rest of the money on the kiddie games and rides.

A bit blurry, as they were whizzing by!

They had to get in on the bowling fun, too!

It was so fun to see how excited Clara would get when she knocked down a pin or 2. And, of course, Ethan was right there to cheer her on.

Daddy with his babies--Ethan's going to help him throw a strike!

We saw this at a toy store and she needed a pic with Mickey!

So, our 3 day celebration was a great success! I am so glad we were able to make Clara's birthday special for her and make memories that we will cherish as the years go by, too!

Flavia's Baby Shower

Last Saturday we had a baby shower for my dear friend, Flavia. She is "heavy laden" with her 4th child--a little princess! As she has a boy (9), girl (7) and boy (3), naturally another little girl fits right into the pattern ;) . I had the privilege of decorating the church auditorium for the occasion and, in spite of recovering from the sickys, I had so much fun with it. It's always nice when the plan/idea in your head turns out the way you envision, or better!

Meet Flavia (and Luana) :)

I was especially glad to be a part of her special day as she has been such a sweet friend to me. When we first moved down here the missionaries we are working with left for a 6 month furlough. We found ourselves {plop} smack-dab in the middle of all things Spanish. Flavia is the youth pastor's wife at our church and did everything in her power, in spite of the pesky language barrier, to befriend me and make me feel comfortable and loved. It didn't matter that we could barely communicate more than a few words to each other, we bonded through smiles and acts of kindness. I am so thankful that the Lord gave me such a friend when I felt so isolated and "out of the loop." So, you see, I really feel like this was my opportunity to repay her for all her kindness to me. It's not easy trying to get to know someone that can't speak your language, dealing with the stutterings, stammerings, pauses, lack of words, etc. Not to mention me being a foreigner and not thinking or doing things the Argentine way. But she has always lovingly put up with me and been a friend to me. Also, I am grateful that things have MUCH improved since the rough beginning of our friendship over 2 years ago. Now, we can chat and laugh and look forward with much anticipation to the arrival of her little beauty. Can't wait to love on her!!

The pretty, girly cake!

Can't take credit for this--made by our pastor's wife

This is more my speed, Diaper Cake! ha

I have a lot of experience with diapers, and I used a soft blanket for the center!

My clothesline of princess' clothes :) This was so easy and fun to do!

Bulletin board (over another bulletin board) See, I am learning...

Flavia & her MIL, playing a game

What concentration! You can see more clothesline in the background, too!

Opening gifts!

Little hat and booties!

Her nephew came up for a closer look!

The much-needed DIAPERS!!

Holding her 2 week old nephew

As you can see, I used some of Clara's {gently used} clothes to do a girly clothesline and decorate the tables with booties and shoes, etc. It was so much fun reminiscing over the tiny garments and washing them up for the next princess to wear. At the end of the shower, I was so happy to give Flavia a box full to overflowing with things for her sweetheart. I know that she needs them, will put them to good use, and deserves all the nice things she received and more! Giving is such a pleasure especially when giving back to a giver.