Eli turns 12 !!!!

Eli hoping to get some candy and giving away his stuffed animals on our last day in Guatemala to two of his favorite friends.

Finally, an update

Ok, so I did not intend for over two months to go by between entries. To all you faithful ones who have checked in, thank you and I am sorry. I ran into a friend of ours at the grocery store last week and he asked if we still intended to keep up our blog and was it a good way for friends and family to stay informed. I had to be honest with him and say it is a great way to stay intouch and informed IF you actually put stuff on it. Otherwise it can just be a point of frustration, which I never want it to be for anyone.
Since it's been awhile I will try to keep this brief. Stephanie is settled in in Honolulu, not Kona. She is on Base Staff with YWAM. Which means she is in a missionary position at the school. Heads up; she may be sending out letters soon. If you'd like to be on her mailing list let us know and we will add you to it. She has had some great adventures with the Lord these last couple of years and lots of growth and maturity in her walk with Him.
Adam is a senior. He is attending Philomath High school in the mornings and Linn Benton Community College two afternoons a week. He is as busy and social as always. He is going into Culinary Arts, so we have been looking at schools around the state. If you've never had any of his cooking, you're missing out. He and his dad will be atttending a Christian Music Summit next week along with 10 others from our church. Adam plays guitar like his dad.
Eli will be twelve next week!!!! When in the world did that happen. He just finished a great season of football. He is a sixth grader. We are homeschooling him and loving it. We saw so much growth in Eli while we where in Kona and Guatemala. He has such a heart for prayer and other cultures. He fit right in. He and I are taking a Spanish class together to try and keep up with what we picked up in Central America.
I think I'll save news on Bob and I till next time. thanks for sticking with this till the end.

Spending some time with Steph before......

As some of you know Stephanie is moving to Hawaii very soon. I am going to miss her dearly so have been spending as much time with her as possible. This week we did a couple mother/daughter dates. We had a delightful tea in downtown Corvallis and tonight we went to an Oregon State football game. Beavers rocked the staduim.

California Dreamin'

Ok, so while Eli and I were in Ohio boating and sunning and swimming and just plain having a good old time I started feeling a little guilty thinking about the guys back home. Well, I need not have bothered. The big boys where off having a grand old time of their own. Bob and Adam headed down to California on an eight day road trip. Big Sur, Monetery, Venice Beach, Lake Shasta.......They were home for two days then headed off again for five days to Creation Fest in George Washington. This is a Christian festival with hours and hours of music and lots and lots of people. They had a blast in both places.
We are all back to work now. Bob full time. Adam and I part time. Steph was working full time but is not feeling well so she is home resting, getting strong and healthy and helping out with Eli. Eli has started football camp this week and loving it. He is all about football.
Hope you all are enjoying your summer. School starts way to soon!!!!

Playing at the lake.....

Our time here in Ohio has come to an end way to fast. It has been such a joy and such a blessing to spend so much time with famiy. Eli and I will have lots of great memories and stories to share. To all of you who made this time so special,a great big thank you goes out to you, and to my family back in Oregon, we're coming home.

Sailing on Lake Erie

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon out on the lake. Eli was a quick study in learning how to man the helm!
My sister and her son Mikey, both experienced sailors.

The Girls

Barb & her sisters: Margo, Carol and Donna.

Eli and Barb enjoying Ohio

Captain Jack in Cleveland?

Checking out the tall ships. They were something to see.

Relaxing in Aunt Margo's pool.

Serving the Lord and having some fun!

Banana Man, the kids loved him at VBS

VBS

Ahoy, welcome to Son Treasure Island. The kids learned that God loves us and sent his only son, Jesus, to us. The greatest treasure of all.

Summer time in Oregon

Yummy Icecream

Desperate to do a few laps?

Home at last......

This is probably the hardest post to write. How do I "end" this incredible story. This great epic we have been blessed to be a part of. We are back home and settling in. Life is good and life is weird. Thankfully God is great all the time and everywhere. We believe it is God's good pleasure to manifest His glory through those who trust in Him and his power. We saw so much of that in Kona and Guatemala. God taugth us to draw nearer to him, to choose to know him more on a daily basis, to understand a little of his character and nature just so we would want to know him more. I love how God shows us, or at least me, little glimpses of himself, just enough to keep me seeking him, desiring him. No, it is not a game he plays, he just knows me and desires to draw me to him in a way that is pleasing to him and me! Yes, God loves me so much that he does things that please me! little ole' me. How great is that. Psalm 37:4 says: "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." I want to delight in Him more and more as I see Him delighting in me. Not because he will do stuff or give me stuff, but because He loves me and I want to delight and please Him. In this we start becoming who we have been designed to be. The "becoming" is what he desires and in so becoming we begin doing. Then in the doing we become more. How awesome is that? Sorry if you aren't tracking, I am really trying not to ramble, but hey, I did say at the beginning this was the hardest post to write. Think I'll stop for now and say, I realize that this great epic will not end till I am in the presence of my Lord and Savior. And what a great story ending that will be. Thanks for listening.

Update

Hey everyone, sorry no pictures this time just an update. We are leaving Panabaj(the area in Guatemala we have been in) and moving to Antigua. We will be there till the 19 and then on to Guateamala City and then back to Hawaii on the 21. Please keep us in your prayers as we pack up and move about. Saying goodbye to the many friends we have made will be hard. The children in the neihgborhood, the cook Vilma, the twin brothers Eddy and Daniel who have been like angels to us. So many to name. God has blessed us so much while we have been here. From opportunities to share the gospel, times to just play with the kids, holding VBS´{s, teaching English classes, visiting schools and churches, shifting dirt, shifting dirt and oh yeah, shifting dirt!!!! Building here requires so much work that we take for granted. To make cement we pick out the big rocks, shift the rest into large and small chunks and then remix it all in different proportions. Crazy! We had so much fun even with all the work. It was a team effort to do the smallest things. We would fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day.
The next several days we hope to do some childrens ministry at the local orphanage in Antigua and I am hoping to visit a place called the Dreamer Center that is at the old dump. It has a project going on call the God's Child Project. I met a lady in the Dallas airport headed there and we shared infomation. It should be a real eye opener. Please pray for God to make opportunities for us.
Adios friends.

Just because......

The kids went into Antigua with some of the team members and had a fun sightseeing day. This was when Bob was going through the kidney stone incident so he and I did not go. The local boys challenged our guys to a basketball game. Not sure who won but they all had a good time.

Playing with the kids

The first two pictures are kids in the 'hood. Little Sandra loves playing with the boys and went squirrel hunting with them. Then her brothers poised her with the 3 DEAD squirrrels-she loved it. The pictures of Adam and Eli each holding a boy was taken at the large refugee camp during one of our VBS days there. Please pray for the locals as the rainy season is just beginning again and they still have much fear. Last night and the night before we had hard rain and one little slide up the road from us. All is well in our area.

Ministry

These pictures show some of the ministry we are doing here. The girls' hula is always well received. The boys' Hauka usually gets a few laughs, though it is not meant to. The Hauka is a Warrior dance that is calling down the power of God before going to battle. It just looks a little odd. Both the boys participate in dramas which the people seem to enjoy. We have ministered in churches, schools, two refugee camps and in our neighborhood. It is such a blessing to us when we reach out and do the things the Lord asks of us. We pray the people here are blessed and drawn to the Lord as we minister to them in the various ways he has gifted us. Please be praying for the people of Guatemala to get beyond religion and receive the Lord.

Easter week in San Pedro Guatemala

Stephanie in SanPedro Guatemala

in Guatemala

Hola, we are doing great. After Bob suffering from kidney stones for the first five days, things are now rolling along. Building block homes at the refugee camp and working with kids. We also have been just spenidng time at two diffrent camps hanging out with the kids and adults. Playing ball, doing bead work, nothing like they do though, teaching a little english, learning a little spanish and getting to know them. WE really desire to develope relationships as we will be here for a couple of months. Please pray we will stay strong in our health and spiritually. The team has suffered minor health issues but is doing well. The food is great. THe people are lovely and very freindly. the camp we are staying at was minorly effected by a small mud slide so we are helping them dig out. We all have beds and moslty hot showers. PTL. I will try to put some pictures on here next week. Adios.

Look Out Guatemala Here We Come!

This was taken at the boys graduation. They had an amazing time here in Kona.

Surfing Fun

Adam Enjoying Life in Hawaii. He learned to surf with his buddy Sam,from Switzerland, Andrew, from New Zealand, and Josh from the good ol' USA.. He hopes to keep it up back in Oregon.

An Angel Among Us

A visit from Emily

We had a great time with Emily here in Kona. Adam and his buddies took her surfing, and yep, she got up and rode a short distance. She was fun to have around , a breath of fresh air for all of us.

Guatemala 2006 Team Picture

This is our team going to Guatemala March 22, 2006 thru May 21, 2006
In the lower left are Hugo and Carmen Rivas and their son Samuel, they are the team leaders. Hugo is from Chile and Carmen is from El Salvador. We are so excited to have them as our leaders and look forward to getting to know them, really know them, in Guatemala. Those of you who have been on a mission trip or any trip really with a group of people, know what I mean! The whole team is looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us. With so many kids this should be a grand adventure. I have learned one of the most important phrases to know in Spanish: "Adonde Esta El Bano?"

Multimedia Exclusive: Rebuilding Panabaj - Top Stories

Multimedia Exclusive: Rebuilding Panabaj - Top Stories

Adam turns 17 in Kona!

Adam had a fun day. The family went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then Adam had a bunch of friends over to the apartment-no surprise there. Can't believe he is one year away from 18!

Bob-o thought I should put a picture of the turtle since I mentioned swimming with it. This is actually a distant cousin of the one I swam with, though they are hard to tell apart!

Barb and Eli

Guess I should put some text with all these pictures. It is not all fun and games here but we do enjoy our down time, what little we have. Adam is learning to surf and Eli is the snorkeling expert. He and I have been several times together and have seen every kind of fish imaginable (well not every kind, but lots) and sea turtles. Today I got to swim right along with one for about 3-4 minutes it was so cool. Classes have been so good and so challenging in many ways. Lots to take in and process every day. Do I fully understand the depth of his love for me? Do I want to be change in my thinking abut the sacred and the secular? Why is not every thing sacred? Why did God create this material world for us to live in and have dominion over? How do I do that in a way that is honoring to Him and a blessing to others? Lots and lots to think and pray about.
We are doing well and await the arrival of Stephanie in the next week or so. She is currently in Japan after having been in India for two months. Can't wait to hear all her stories. Till next time,the adventure continues.

Eli at Hupuna Beach

Loren and Darlene Cunningham,Founders of YWAM

Adam hangin' with some buds

Here we are on campus the first week.