I just read over last night's post and am breathing a sigh of relief because we survived yesterday/today! I turned in all my HW last night, Elvis survived the night shift after working the day shift too, and only almost wrecked twice on the way home this morning at 6 am because he was falling asleep. And that other huge thing we were praying about worked out perfectly, which means lots of transition for the henriquez-baldwin fam! bring on the adventure!
viernes, 26 de agosto de 2011
jueves, 25 de agosto de 2011
one of those days....
Here's a little run-down of today's craziness:
6:45 am- i left for work, suzy still asleep
7 am - elvis left for work
3:30pm- i come home from work, suzy's asleep again
4:55 pm- elvis comes home from work early, we wake suzy up
5:00 pm- i leave for work for a (stressful) meeting
8:00 pm- i come home from work
8:30 pm- put suzy to bed
9 pm- elvis leaves for work, has to work from 9:30 pm -6 am
PLUS all my assignments that i've been working on for the past month for my master's class are due tomorrow. I just turned in a 57 page, single-spaced final project analyzing my life, and have one more paper to turn in for tomorrow.
PLUS that really big prayer request date is TOMORROW. Please say a lil' prayer right now. Please. That everything will go smoothly.
PLUS i would really like to see my family more than 5 seconds tomorrow.
i guess i should be working or on my knees right now instead of writing a blog.....
6:45 am- i left for work, suzy still asleep
7 am - elvis left for work
3:30pm- i come home from work, suzy's asleep again
4:55 pm- elvis comes home from work early, we wake suzy up
5:00 pm- i leave for work for a (stressful) meeting
8:00 pm- i come home from work
8:30 pm- put suzy to bed
9 pm- elvis leaves for work, has to work from 9:30 pm -6 am
PLUS all my assignments that i've been working on for the past month for my master's class are due tomorrow. I just turned in a 57 page, single-spaced final project analyzing my life, and have one more paper to turn in for tomorrow.
PLUS that really big prayer request date is TOMORROW. Please say a lil' prayer right now. Please. That everything will go smoothly.
PLUS i would really like to see my family more than 5 seconds tomorrow.
i guess i should be working or on my knees right now instead of writing a blog.....
jueves, 18 de agosto de 2011
oh, just some cuteness....
I think we've got a lefty on our hands! She carefully moved her cous-cous into her soup and ate it together, all using her left hand. She also grabbed my adult spoon because her little plastic spoon just wasn't cutting it! The wet shirt is from when she tried to use her right hand =)
Elvis's mom took a 3 week trip to Dominican Republic to visit Elvis's brother who was temporarily working there. Suzy was excited to see her again when she came back!
Suzy loves rocking out to Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's her favorite band right now. She even head bangs sometimes.
Just chillin' early one morning with "Bear/Oso", Elmo, and Gaby.
Playing the piano and singing! i love how she associates going higher on the keyboard with singing a higher pitch!!
Elvis's mom took a 3 week trip to Dominican Republic to visit Elvis's brother who was temporarily working there. Suzy was excited to see her again when she came back!
Suzy loves rocking out to Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's her favorite band right now. She even head bangs sometimes.
Just chillin' early one morning with "Bear/Oso", Elmo, and Gaby.
Playing the piano and singing! i love how she associates going higher on the keyboard with singing a higher pitch!!
lunes, 15 de agosto de 2011
patience
Patience seems to be the topic for my life this week.
Right now, patience is one of the hardest things for Suzy to understand. When she asks for milk, she doesn't just ask once. She bombards you with a desperate face, saying "milk milk milk milk milk milk milk!" It's really cute. But tough if you can't give it to her in that moment.
And maybe i'm not always the most patient person myself. I am thankful that Elvis has taught me a lot about patience, through his example. The other night, he was not able to go to sleep until about 1:30 am because he was helping a friend going through a rough time. Then, at 2:00 am, Suzy woke up for some strange reason, ready to play. With Elvis, no one else.
Until 5:30 am. For one night, we remembered what having a newborn was like!
I started freaking out because Elvis had not slept at all hardly and had to wake up at 6:30am, and i asked him (very impatiently) what in the world we were going to do, and he (very patiently) said we were going to calm down and that he would be happy to spend the extra time with Suzy. Wow! What patience!
Opportunities to practice patience just keep popping up. For example, my work has stopped doing direct deposit for my pay check, which means i have to cash a check every 2 weeks. While that may sound harmless enough for those of you living in the US, it's not as easy as it sounds here. Since I don't have an account at the bank where they write the check from, i can't just deposit it into my own bank account. I have to go to the bank and wait 1-2 hours every 2 weeks so that i can cash my check. 1 hour if it is not a pay day, 2hours+ if it is a pay day. The day before vacation last week, the bank line was out of the bank, down the stairs, and wrapped around the block. This calls for extreme patience.
Scene two: I went to the post office last week to mail a little bday package to my mom, and after waiting in line for a while, it's finally my turn. I ask for an envelope to send the stuff, and they tell me that they're sorry, they don't sell envelopes. What?! You can't buy an envelope at a post office? So, I had to go to the cyber cafe nearby, buy an envelope (because it makes a lot more sense for a cyber cafe to sell envelopes), then go back to the post office and get back in line. arg.
Scene 3: Last week, my job was nice enough to take us on a little trip outside of the city. While it was a nice idea, it turned into 6 hours on a hot, bumpy, humid school bus. Patience please!
Scene 4: I'm also learning that practicing patience with real people, people you don't understand what their problem is, people that are perhaps being tried with patience issues in their own lives....that is sometimes harder than just waiting in line.
However, it is also so much more rewarding to practice patience, practice love, practice grace, practice forgiveness with those people. Much more tiring, but also much more beneficial and necessary than cashing a paycheck or mailing a package.
I heard a great sermon at Brian and Kelly's church when i was in Pasadena last month about being like a soldier, athlete, and farmer (from 2 Timothy), and i gave the same challenge to the teachers at school this past week in a devotional. All of those jobs require extreme patience....especially a farmer! No one is cheering him on, and there he is day in and day out, working patiently, waiting with faith that those little seeds he planted will sprout and provide food for his family. That's not something that happens overnight. Unless if you have a Chia pet. That might grow a little faster.
Today, i have a dentist appointment and i have a feeling it will be another great opportunity to practice patience.
We have also been waiting (somewhat) patiently for an answer to a huge prayer request, and we have some very important dates coming up that will hopefully offer us an answer. Sorry for being so vague right now...email me personally if you would like!
So, you can pray for us specifically this Friday, Aug 19th and next Friday, Aug 26th.
Thanks!
Right now, patience is one of the hardest things for Suzy to understand. When she asks for milk, she doesn't just ask once. She bombards you with a desperate face, saying "milk milk milk milk milk milk milk!" It's really cute. But tough if you can't give it to her in that moment.
And maybe i'm not always the most patient person myself. I am thankful that Elvis has taught me a lot about patience, through his example. The other night, he was not able to go to sleep until about 1:30 am because he was helping a friend going through a rough time. Then, at 2:00 am, Suzy woke up for some strange reason, ready to play. With Elvis, no one else.
Until 5:30 am. For one night, we remembered what having a newborn was like!
I started freaking out because Elvis had not slept at all hardly and had to wake up at 6:30am, and i asked him (very impatiently) what in the world we were going to do, and he (very patiently) said we were going to calm down and that he would be happy to spend the extra time with Suzy. Wow! What patience!
Opportunities to practice patience just keep popping up. For example, my work has stopped doing direct deposit for my pay check, which means i have to cash a check every 2 weeks. While that may sound harmless enough for those of you living in the US, it's not as easy as it sounds here. Since I don't have an account at the bank where they write the check from, i can't just deposit it into my own bank account. I have to go to the bank and wait 1-2 hours every 2 weeks so that i can cash my check. 1 hour if it is not a pay day, 2hours+ if it is a pay day. The day before vacation last week, the bank line was out of the bank, down the stairs, and wrapped around the block. This calls for extreme patience.
Scene two: I went to the post office last week to mail a little bday package to my mom, and after waiting in line for a while, it's finally my turn. I ask for an envelope to send the stuff, and they tell me that they're sorry, they don't sell envelopes. What?! You can't buy an envelope at a post office? So, I had to go to the cyber cafe nearby, buy an envelope (because it makes a lot more sense for a cyber cafe to sell envelopes), then go back to the post office and get back in line. arg.
Scene 3: Last week, my job was nice enough to take us on a little trip outside of the city. While it was a nice idea, it turned into 6 hours on a hot, bumpy, humid school bus. Patience please!
Scene 4: I'm also learning that practicing patience with real people, people you don't understand what their problem is, people that are perhaps being tried with patience issues in their own lives....that is sometimes harder than just waiting in line.
However, it is also so much more rewarding to practice patience, practice love, practice grace, practice forgiveness with those people. Much more tiring, but also much more beneficial and necessary than cashing a paycheck or mailing a package.
I heard a great sermon at Brian and Kelly's church when i was in Pasadena last month about being like a soldier, athlete, and farmer (from 2 Timothy), and i gave the same challenge to the teachers at school this past week in a devotional. All of those jobs require extreme patience....especially a farmer! No one is cheering him on, and there he is day in and day out, working patiently, waiting with faith that those little seeds he planted will sprout and provide food for his family. That's not something that happens overnight. Unless if you have a Chia pet. That might grow a little faster.
Today, i have a dentist appointment and i have a feeling it will be another great opportunity to practice patience.
We have also been waiting (somewhat) patiently for an answer to a huge prayer request, and we have some very important dates coming up that will hopefully offer us an answer. Sorry for being so vague right now...email me personally if you would like!
So, you can pray for us specifically this Friday, Aug 19th and next Friday, Aug 26th.
Thanks!
lunes, 8 de agosto de 2011
Shnizhana and Illya
Hey friends, just wanted to share with you an email I received recently from some great college friends, Derek and Elisa. They are hosting 2 sweet kids, Shnizhana and Illya, at their house right now. They are Ukrainian orphans and siblings visiting North Carolina via a three-week hosting program through Redline United (www.RedlineUnited.org) Here are their pictures:
Let me share with you what my friends wrote so that you can join us to pray for a family for these siblings. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in adopted, PLEASE let me know and I will pass the word along to my friends. Derek and Elisa write,
"It is amazing to love someone you have only known for such a short time. But that has been the case for us as we have welcomed Shnizhana (age 9) and Illya (age 8) into our home.
Shnizhana is outgoing, independent, and affectionate. She loves to help in any way she can and is very nuturing. She has picked up on some English words surprisingly fast and is eager to help her younger brother understand. She loves doting on her doll and could play Uno for hours.
Illya is quiet and reserved with a smile that will melt your heart. He loves to be read to and laughs contagiously when he finds Waldo. He also really enjoy cars whether playing with them or admiring them as they drive by on the road. He is meticulous in setting up toy soldiers, playing Jenga, or painting and coloring within the lines.
Despite their circumstances, they have shown us that they are true kids at heart. They are fun-loving and bring such joy, lots of smiles, and much laughter into our home.
As a host family, our goals are many. To love them with the love of Christ, that they may know Him. To know what a loving family environment can look like. To create fun and positive new memories. To give them hope. As advocates for them, we pray that they will be adopted. The statistics are not very positive for those kids that turn 16 and begin a new life outside the orphanage. And children ages 7-15 are the least-likely to be adopted.
But, spending very little time with them in person makes it real. Makes one want to do something to help change their future. Gives one hope that a better future is possible.
Please join us in praying for these two orphans specifically. If God is stirring you or someone you know to adopt, please reach out to us.
Because He first loved us,
Derek and Elisa"
Let me share with you what my friends wrote so that you can join us to pray for a family for these siblings. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in adopted, PLEASE let me know and I will pass the word along to my friends. Derek and Elisa write,
"It is amazing to love someone you have only known for such a short time. But that has been the case for us as we have welcomed Shnizhana (age 9) and Illya (age 8) into our home.
Shnizhana is outgoing, independent, and affectionate. She loves to help in any way she can and is very nuturing. She has picked up on some English words surprisingly fast and is eager to help her younger brother understand. She loves doting on her doll and could play Uno for hours.
Illya is quiet and reserved with a smile that will melt your heart. He loves to be read to and laughs contagiously when he finds Waldo. He also really enjoy cars whether playing with them or admiring them as they drive by on the road. He is meticulous in setting up toy soldiers, playing Jenga, or painting and coloring within the lines.
Despite their circumstances, they have shown us that they are true kids at heart. They are fun-loving and bring such joy, lots of smiles, and much laughter into our home.
As a host family, our goals are many. To love them with the love of Christ, that they may know Him. To know what a loving family environment can look like. To create fun and positive new memories. To give them hope. As advocates for them, we pray that they will be adopted. The statistics are not very positive for those kids that turn 16 and begin a new life outside the orphanage. And children ages 7-15 are the least-likely to be adopted.
But, spending very little time with them in person makes it real. Makes one want to do something to help change their future. Gives one hope that a better future is possible.
Please join us in praying for these two orphans specifically. If God is stirring you or someone you know to adopt, please reach out to us.
Because He first loved us,
Derek and Elisa"
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