Colon's Tomb

The first day we were in Santo Domingo, we met Javani. He decided to show us around the city using his friend, a cab driver, to drive us. Javani knows very little English, so it was interesting. There were a lot of charades and such. He kept saying that we needed to go to Colon's tomb. We were thinking that we did not know who this Colon was and we didn't care about where he was buried. We went anyway, because Javani kept insisting. He said that he discovered America. However, Colon sounds a lot different than "Christopher Columbus."

Javani took us to this huge monument for this guy. We walked in and saw a big display and a small box. I could hear Javani saying "Columbo" to Brock. Then, Brock walked over to me and said, "Whoever the guy is, he is in that box." On the box the date 1492 was written. I then realized that Javani was talking about Christopher Columbus. I guess that I was under the impression that Columbus came to the U.S. with the pilgrims and such. Teachers, you correct me if I am wrong, but I found out that Christopher Columbus (which is just the English way of saying his name) might not have even come to the U.S. Also, the pilgrims did not come until the 1600's. Christopher Columbus also had a big house in Santo Domingo, but we did not see it. Here's his tomb...


Then, they had all of these rooms with a bunch of history from all of the countries discovered.



This is Javani
We also went up to this old fort that had ancient canons just sitting there out in the open


We later ate lunch with Javani and the cab driver. It was a fun day, and we made a new friend.

Hotel Dona Elvira

I'm going to go in reverse from our trip. I will show you our experience via pictures, of course! Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas. The buildings are made of old stone. Even our hotel was 500 years old. We stayed at this cool bed and breakfast in the heart of the city and it was owned by the Belgium Consulate. Therefore the Belgium Embassy was in our hotel.

This is the courtyard area

This is where I read my Bible in the mornings
This was the front doors and lobby

This is one of the happiest guys ever! He did not speak English, but we still had a fun time with him. He worked at our hotel.

Stephanie

We were entering our gate area in Santo Domingo to come home last Saturday. Brock saw a lady whom was all stitched up and cut up and beat up. He could tell that she was from Haiti and had been in the quake. He sat right by her. He asked if she wanted something to drink, but she showed him her half full Dasani and shook her head. A few minutes later, he asked if he could get her anything and she replied that no she just wanted to sleep. Then, he asked if she wanted to use my bag to put her head on and she replied no.

Brock was being so persistent that I figured the Lord was guiding him. He was. Brock was praying that she would open up to us. An hour later, the lady asked Brock if she could use her phone. Calls made in the Dominican Republic are probably rather expensive, but he did not care. She tried to call a few people in Haiti but could not get through. Then, she told us what happened to her.

Her name was Stephanie and she was in Port-Au-Prince visiting family and friends. When the earthquake took place, she was running and fell on something. She had been all cut up and bruised up. She said that her head wound that went from the top of the right side of her forehead down to almost her nose was all open. When she went to some of the doctors on sight, they told her that she was not hurt enough. So, she had a gaping wound in her head for four days. (Realize that I am not blaming the doctors. I'm just explaining the gravity of the situation.)

She had been living in Miami and had a U.S. passport, so that is how she was able to get out. She went to the Embassy, and they had flown her to Santo Domingo the day before where she was finally able to receive hospital care. She had also been able to eat there.

After we put her on the plane, we told her that we would wait for her in Miami. We did, and Brock carried her bag for her through customs. She kept placing a towel over her head so that nobody could see her stitched face. She also walked very slowly with a limp. Brock carefully and tenderly took care of her. It was out of Brock's character to be such a caretaker (that's usually my job). Also, he never walks slowly. I felt as if Jesus were right there with us at the time exuding Himself in Brock.

Before we parted ways, Stephanie used our phone to call her brother. She wrote down where to meet him. The brother called right back just to thank Brock for taking care of her. My heart just went out to this lady. She was obviously out of it from loss of blood and leftover drugs from the hospital. Yet, here she was all by herself trying to figure out where or what to do. I don't know what she would have done if she had not used Brock's phone to call her brother.

Stephanie was smiling at the end. She was so sweet and gentle. She got our information and gave us each a hug before she left. I hope that she gets in touch with us, but even if she doesn't, I will always remember and pray for Stephanie.

God's Working in the Midst of a Crisis

If you have not read the few previous blogs, read them before this one. On our drive back to our hotel from Bariela's house, we saw several Red Cross vehicles driving to Port-Au-Prince. We also saw a truck with Haiti tags going toward Santo Domingo. There were a few guys in the back. This is rare. Usually there are several guys in the back (we counted 11 one time). Then, we saw some liquid dripping down the bed of the truck. There is something unmistakable about human blood. That's what it was. Our minds were reminded once again about the tragedy going on down the street.

When we came in after dinner, Paul answered the door. His face looked different. He was not so downcast. He had received word from his sister who lives in Boston. The house in Port-Au-Prince had collapsed, but his son and immediate family were alive! You cannot imagine the relief we all shared. We had been praying hard core for his family especially his 7 year old son. Paul still was dying to be over there, but we knew that he would someday.

Saturday was our final day in the DR. We did some last minute sightseeing and went to the ATM to withdrawal some money. We figured that we would give to the Haiti relief through many different organizations when we got back to the U.S., but here was a family whom the Lord put in our paths that we could help directly. When we got back to the hotel, we gave Paul the money. He grinned from ear to ear not only because of the money, but because he was going to Haiti. His boss, who is the Belgium Consulate, was going to go to Port-Au-Prince and Paul was going as his security. Nobody can argue with that!!! Wow! How the Lord worked it all out for Paul!

Meeting our Compassion Child

On rare occasions, you have redefining times in your life. For me, this was one of them...We got to meet our Compassion child in the Dominican Republic! It was so amazing. First of all, our translator and guide from Compassion International was a former Compassion child from The Dominican Republic. His sponsors live in Pennsylvania. Ivan is his name. That's one reason I love this organization. They use the locals to run everything. It just makes sense.

Ivan drove us three hours northwest into the mountains closer to Haiti. The people in the small town that we were in felt the quake so much more than they did in Santo Domingo. They said that the house shook and they all ran outside. It scared them, but nothing was damaged. We estimate that it was up to a 5 there. They also experienced the after tremors.

Bariela, our Compassion child, just turned 8 on Christmas Eve. You can imagine that she was a little shy with all of the attention she was receiving. I could tell that she had her best clothes on and her hair was so cute! She melted our hearts as soon as we saw her. We gave her a little backpack with a few things in it. One of the things was a picture album of us and our friends and family, so that she has a better idea about our lives. We also gave her a couple of coloring books, and she and her friend began coloring.

Brock did a little magic for them (watch the video at the end of this post to see one). As Brock began doing magic, neighbors and family members began pouring inside. Bariela's house was very small maybe 15X15 and she had two doorways but no actual doors. At one point, I counted 22 people in that little house. It made me think of that TobyMac song, "When love is in the house, the house is packed..." They definitely could teach us a few things about community. It came so naturally to them.

Toward the end of our visit, Brock asked them what they needed. He said that he wanted to pray for them. He did, but I know Brock. He was fishing, too. He likes to fulfill people's needs. Bariela's father, whom was an impressive leader in his family, answered the question. You are not going to believe what he said! "Pray for our health and the people in Haiti." Brock and my mouth dropped. They don't even have a door, and they only asked for that? If we were to ask that of anyone in this country, they would have a list of things they "needed." We have much, and we want much. They have nothing and want for nothing. It was a special time when Brock prayed over Bariela and her community.

As we were leaving, the father said that they only wanted to serve us. As Brock shook his hand, he also shook his head, and said that we want to serve them. As I hugged Bariela's grandmother, she held onto me tightly and then looked me in the eyes and said, "Blessings." I cannot imagine that we blessed them as much as they blessed us that couple of hours that we spent hanging out with them. I will always remember and treasure that time sitting in Bariela's house on that Friday morning.
Us and BarielaBariela and her parents and siblings
Bariela opening her gift
Everyone hanging out in the house
Ivan is the big guy holding the baby
The backside of their house
Their neighborhood

Friends in Haiti

Thursday of last week, we went to breakfast at the hotel. Brock struck up a conversation with the night manager who knew a little English. Paul was his name. He is from Haiti. His wife is the only one who was in the Dominican with him. The rest of his family including his 7 year old son was in Port Au Prince. He had not been able to reach them to find out if they were alive. He really wanted to go over there. Brock came away from that conversation wanting to go over there with him to search for his son. It was only a two hour drive. Our heart ached for the guy. Imagine not knowing if your young boy was dead or not. The magnitude of what had happened was setting in.Brock immediately got online and set up shop right there in our hotel room. I looked at my email for the first time in weeks and found that there were a few emails from my sister and parents. They were worried about us. I shot them an email back and they were so relieved. We realized that our friends, Mark and Aegis, were in Haiti at their orphanage Hands and Feet. We thought that they were okay because the orphanage is in Jacmel and not Port Au Prince. That is not the case. It hit there, too. They had a school and their hospital collapsed as well as many more places and deaths. All of the caretakers and children at Hands and Feet were sleeping outside because they were afraid that their building would collapse on all of them. Brock used his contact with Compassion to find out how to get them help or out of there. Compassion said that at the time, Haiti had closed its borders to most everyone. The only way people were getting in and out was by helicopter. They were using the airport in Santo Domingo as an entry and exit. Brock sadly had to tell Paul that they could not get into Haiti.Brock also told me something that was crazy. We had talked about going to Haiti that week a few months ago. I really wanted to visit our Compassion child in the Dominican Republic and then fly over to Hands and Feet in Haiti. We would have been flying into Port Au Prince the day of the earthquake. However, Brock was dragging his feet on the planning of the Haiti trip. I just assumed it was not working out. He informed me that it could have happened, but he did not pursue it. Why? Because he had a bad feeling about going...that was 3 months ago.

Tsunami Watch

Tuesday night when the earthquake hit Haiti, we were sitting on the beach in the Dominican Republic oblivious to it. We were in Punta Cana which is on the east side of the island about the farthest you can get from Haiti and still be on the island. We were at a resort there right on the beach. I heard the word "tsunami" a few times by other guests talking amongst themselves. After hearing it again at breakfast on Wednesday, I asked Brock if there was a tsunami somewhere near. He thought that maybe they were talking about the earthquake that hit California a couple of weeks before. We were on vacation, so we were not watching the news or anything.

Brock picked up a newspaper, but it was all in Spanish. He could make out a few words and he talked with someone whom knew some English to decipher what had happened. There had been some sort of earthquake in Haiti, our neighboring country at the time. (Haiti and Dominican share an island.) We later found out that we were on a tsunami watch and should have evacuated. Nobody told us. I did not hear any announcement or anything. Even if I did, it would have been in Spanish and Brock and I would have been lost.

On that Wednesday afternoon, we traveled to Santo Domingo as planned. When we got to our hotel which is owned by the Belgium Consulate, he told us more about what had happened. He also told us that they felt it there in Santo Domingo as well. It was about a 3.5 there. However, it did not do any damage in that city. Port Au Prince was a different story, though. To our astonishment, we found out what had happened right down the street from us. More about the earthquake and how it was being on the island tomorrow...

Back to the Organized Chaos

I am home! It's so good to be home after being gone for a month. Right now I am in sort of a culture shock. People are speaking English around me. (I still am saying, "Gracious" out of habit all of the time. When we were at the Miami airport, Brock ordered his food in Spanish, but they did not care there.) I don't have to throw my toilet paper in the trash. I can take long, hot showers if I want.

However, I am a little overwhelmed by all I have to do right now. My house is a mess. I don't have many clean clothes. My Christmas tree is still up! My phone and computer are not working right. In the meantime, I am driving Brock around everywhere because we realized on vacation that his license expired. Oh, did I mention that we had a pipe bust at our house while we were gone? Our wonderful assistant, John, discovered it and took care of it before we got back. It could have been much worse.

All of this sort of thing is not out of the ordinary for us, though. We live in a sort of organized chaos. It will all get done. I'm not sure if it will all get done before we leave for shows in Knoxville on Tuesday, but eventually it will get done. I am so excited to tell you about everything that we experienced while we were gone! I will begin tomorrow hopefully. Of course, many pictures will be coming...

The Subtle Additions in the Sequence Pictures

First of all, the five differences in the subtlety sequence are:
1. Chair moved
2. Crosses become bigger
3. Pillows added on chair
4. Flowers different
5. Books in different order

There is a cross in every sequence:
1. NORMALCY-on a key chain in the last picture with all of the keys
2. ABUNDANCE-it's actually not fair for me to claim this one. I know that I arranged two sticks in the shape of a cross leaning up against the water spicket. They are there, but you cannot really see them in these pictures.
3. TIME-the shape of the chain in the first picture.
4. CHANGE-the two twigs lying to the left of the butterflies
5. SIGNS-on the post below the "ONLY" sign
6. TRUE BEAUTY-on the arm of the rocking chair in the first picture
7. DIVERSITY-this is a little more difficult to find. The jacks form multiple crosses.
8. SUBTLETY-the steel crosses on the table.

Subtlety

See if you can find the 5 differences in the pictures. Some are obvious. Others are subtle.

This sequence was inspired by the funnies in the newspaper on Sunday mornings. There was one comic strip that would create a game in which you had to pick out the 7 or 8 differences in two pictures. I enjoyed participating in this as a kid. I usually could find all but one of the differences. I would try for another few minutes, and if I could not find it, I would ask my dad whom was always successful at it.

Diversity

The older I get, the more I celebrate diversity. We have the privilege to have so many nationalities represented in this country. When I go to other countries, I usually stick out because they don't have as much diversity as we do. I also appreciate diversity among people's personalities. I love quirks! I say embrace what makes us unique.

True Beauty

This, of course, was inspired by my mom. I think that every year she becomes more and more beautiful in wisdom and grace. She is still just as much the life of the party and extends generous amounts of grace.

Signs

I don't think that we should look for signs in every single thing, but I did learn that the Lord does often show us things if we would only listen or look for them. I learned this through the snake and hawk warning of the attempted kidnapping in Mexico.

Change

I love change! Most people don't, but I think that it's so exciting! You never know what adventure is around the corner. However, all change has its time and place. Sometimes, I want to jump the gun. These pictures remind me that change takes time. Also, it's an illustration of how the Lord is changing me to be more and more like Him. One day, I will be out of my cocoon of this Earth and become a beautiful, perfect butterfly in heaven.

Time

Some people are time conscious, others are not. I am the former so much so that I don't have to use an alarm clock if I don't want to. I simply wake up 5 minutes before my alarm goes off every time. Brock is not very time conscious. He is more of an in-the-moment kind of guy. However, he hates to be late to anything. He feels as if it is saying that his time is more valuable than the person's time that he is meeting if he is late. For that reason, we are a great match. I am his time keeper, and he appreciates me for it!

Abundance

The Lord has come to give us an abundant life, but what does that mean? Does it mean more money or fame? More friends or status? I think that it means the only true satisfaction that comes from being right in the center of the Lord's will for your life. Whether you are in a mansion in Washington D.C. or a shack in Africa, if the Lord put you there, it is the abundant life!

Normalcy

This piece was what first got me into the sequence pictures. I was craving normalcy so much that I began to look for it everywhere. We have such a unique lifestyle that I thought that I would never be "normal" again. I began a pursuit of normalcy. Then, I realized that there really is no such thing as normal. If so, what would be the standard for it? There is not one. So, I feel that we are all a little weird in some way or another creating us to be slightly abnormal.

Sequence Pictures

I am about to share with you my sequence pictures. These birthed in me about 7 years ago. I began taking pictures of random things and realized that there was a sort of theme to them. I began placing them in three's. After a couple of tries with "NORMALCY" and "DIVERSITY," I began being much more intentional. For two years, I saw everything in three's.

For the next few days, you will see some of my sequence pictures that have donned the walls of our house for several years now. I hope that you like them!

Below the last picture, I wrote what inspired that particular series. Also, see if you can find the cross in every sequence. I will give you the answers in a later post.

Out of the Country

As you may have guessed, I am out of the country. We went to Kansas City, MO for Christmas. Then, on Christmas day, I flew out of Kansas City to Bolivia. My parents and I spent the week there with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. On New Years day, Brock met me in Miami where we stayed for a couple of days. Then, we are going on a cruise to Honduras, Belize, Mexico, and the Bahamas. After we get back, we are flying to the Dominican Republic to experience the culture there and meet our Compassion child! Both of our birthdays are in January and it's a slow time for us. Therefore, it is a good time for vacation. Not to mention that it is a cheap time to travel especially to the Caribbean. It is cold here (which I need a break from) and it's warm there. It is going to be wonderful and I will tell you all about our new adventures when I get back.

Laughing to Death

Another time right before a show, we were eating with the youth pastor and his wife. We had done a show at his church the year before. When we were finished with that show, everyone quickly left the building. In fact, when it came time to leave, we were the only ones left in the church. We wondered if we should lock up as we left.

Here we were, with menus in hand, talking with the same guy who had brought us in the previous year. He asked if we thought that it was strange how everyone left us there the last time we were there. We fibbed and said, “No!”

He then proceeded to tell us that his mom died that night. We asked if she had been sick. He said that no, she was one of the ladies setting up chairs before it began. She got to laughing so hard during the show that she had a heart attack. She slipped out of the church and called “911.” Then, she died on the way to the hospital.

Obviously, the guy was still in shock, because he was telling this story like he was talking about the weather. Then, his wife must have realized by the looks on our faces that her husband had basically just told us that we’d killed his mom, so she tried to smooth it over.

She said that his mom was a great Christian, and in a way, she seemed ready to go be with the Lord. The dinner conversation that night had just taken a huge turn! We spent the rest of the meal trying to change the subject. Obviously, the couple was not upset with us at all, because they brought us back the next year!

That night, you better believe that I was checking people at the door. I was looking to see if everyone looked in good health. We thought about putting a disclosure on our contract. “Excessive laughter may occur. Beware!”

The Shirtless Conversion

One night, we were at the grand opening of a church. A guy was walking by and heard laughter and saw that the door was open, so he walked in and watched the show not knowing what was going on. He came in and watched the show.

Usually, when Brock invites people to follow Jesus toward the end of the show, he sends them to the back. This guy didn’t wait for the invitation nor did he go to the back. He simply began walking down the center aisle to the front. As he walked, he took off his shirt. It was an odd thing to see a guy halfway stripping in a church. All eyes were on this guy as he walked toward the front of the building.

He threw the shirt on the stage and hit his knees. You could see his shoulders shaking with sobs. Brock picked up the t-shirt to discover that it was an Emenim shirt with a bloody chainsaw on it. The guy was declaring to God and everyone in there that he was changing his life and giving it over to the Lord.

To this day, I still have that Eminem shirt hanging in my prayer closet. Because of that shirt, I am reminded to pray for Eminem. I am praying that the Lord will grab a hold of him and not let go.

In the same fashion, back in the Marilyn Manson days, a guy at one of our shows had on all of the make-up. During the invitation, he went into the bathroom and washed off all of his Marylyn Manson make-up declaring that he was making a big change. It was a physical display of his internal decision to follow Christ.

Witches in Attendance

Because Brock’s an illusionist, we have witches come to the show on occasion. One night, seven of them came. Four out of the seven gave their lives to Christ. One of them even turned over her necklace, which she had called her “life source” as a witch.

Another night, one of the church leaders came to us before the show began and told us that there was a girl in the audience who was a witch. She had only come to cause problems.

After doors opened, one of our team members came to us and said that something was not right. He could feel it in his spirit. We told him about the girl who was present. All of us prayed that she would not distract.

The venue was a gym and the place was packed, so we did not see or hear her. However, a leader kept an eye on her the whole time. She sat on the back row against the wall. During the show, she had what looked to be like voodoo dolls and was chanting curses on us. When Brock got to the message, a weird thing happened. She passed out against the wall! After the invitation, she woke back up.

We don’t know exactly what happened there, but our prayers were answered. In the time it mattered, she did not distract.

A Standing Protest at our Show

We had crazy things happening at our shows, too. While we were performing at a school assembly in North Carolina to promote our show that night, someone overheard a group of guys saying that they were going to come that night and “kill the preps.” They had made t-shirts saying things like “Keep Christians away from public schools” and “Leave and don’t come back.” That was directed at us.

We took their threat seriously and got extra security for the show. One of the ministers we would share the stage with that night said that at least if we died, we would go out telling the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The guys came that night wearing trench coats. They stood in the middle of the audience in a silent protest even as people were seated. No violence occurred thank the Lord.

After the show, Brock got to share with the protesters. Basically, they were atheists, so Brock told them about all of the miracles the Lord had done in our lives through prayer. Then, he said that he was going to pray to that same God for them. The ringleader quickly said, “No! I don’t want you to pray for me.”

A week later, one of the guys in that group emailed Brock saying that what he had said got to him. He had given his life to Jesus.

A few weeks after that, we found out that the leader of that group had been arrested. He had guns and ammunition and a hit list. The ones who were on the hit list were the students who prayed around the flagpole.

The way they found out about him was that one person in his group informed the authorities about his plan. I cannot help but wonder if it was the one guy in that group who had turned his life over to the Lord that night.

Do Not Be Afraid

I had another scare one time when we were parked in downtown Nashville in the big rig. Brock was having coffee with our friend, Michael from the worship band, Pocket Full of Rocks. I had gone back to the truck to hang out.

A little while later, Brock knocked on the back door. I knew that it was Brock because nobody but him would knock on the back door. People who were not familiar with the truck would knock on the door in the front by the steering wheel.

Just to be sure, I looked out the side window of the truck. I saw Michael standing across the street. So, I went to open the back door. As I was reaching to unlock it, the verse entered my mind, “Do not be afraid. For I will never leave you.”

I quickly retracted my hand from the door thinking, “Why did I just think of that verse out of the blue?” Instead of opening the door, I called Brock on the phone. No, he was not at the back door. He was still at the coffee shop with Michael. I looked out the window again, and "Michael" was not standing there. I am not sure who it was that was standing there before.

Trouble at the Flying J Truck Stop

We routinely stopped at a truck stop in Alabama one day. I had been sleeping in the back but awoke when the truck pulled to a stop. I slipped out the back door to go to the restroom. When I came out, I saw Brock pulling the truck out. I realized that he didn’t know I had gone inside the gas station, so I began to run toward him. He was going really quickly in the truck! By the time I reached the passenger door, I was in a full on sprint!

I banged on the door! Brock never stopped. He just threw open the door and pulled me quickly into the truck. Then, he peeled out of there (as much as a Freightliner can “peel out”).

I soon found out that some guy was trying to get inside of the truck. It started when the guy tried to get Brock away from the truck by telling him that his friend had won the lottery. He wanted Brock to come over and see the lottery ticket and something about a news channel being present.

Brock got a weird feeling so he began to leave. As he was driving off, the guy was running next to him on his side of the truck. So, he went faster. He didn’t know that I was running up on the other side of the truck at that same time.

We later found out that the state of Alabama didn’t even have a lottery. He was trying to carjack us!

Living on the Road

For the next few days I am going to tell stories from the time we lived on the road. For two years (2001-2002) we lived in our truck. It's actually called a totorhome. People use it to haul racecars. We used it to carry a magic show, and we lived in it. We had no other house or home. Here is the Freightliner:
Inside, we had a bed, couch, tv, kitchenette, and bathroom.

It was a fun time. After finishing a show, we would go back and sit in the truck and pull out the atlas. Then, we would decide where we wanted to go before our next show.

We traveled all over the country in that truck---Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, California, Washington state, Washington D.C., New York City, Niagra Falls, Pensacola Beach, FL, etc.

This last one was our favorite place to go. During those two years that we strictly lived in our truck, we stayed at a campground in Pensacola, FL called Fort Pickens a lot. It was situated on the end of the island surrounded by the whitest beaches and beautiful emerald colored ocean. There were many a mornings when I would step off of the truck and directly onto the sand.

We stayed in campgrounds, truck stops, and Walmart parking lots all over the nation. We also stayed at our parents’ or friends’ houses for extended lengths of time. Life on the road is an unusual life with extreme experiences which you will soon see...

Prayer for the Hurting

My heart is heavy this year. I know so many that are not looking forward to Christmas because of broken families or loosing a loved one. I think of Thomas Young's family and several others who got divorced this year. I want you to know that I am praying for those of you out there who are not looking forward to Christmas because it's a reminder of what used to be but is not now. Even if I don't know your name or circumstance, know that I serve a Lord that does. He wants to shower you with His love. He is the ultimate comforter.

"Lord, I pray for everyone out there who are missing Christmases past. I pray for their hurt. Heal them. If they need to forgive, help them to do so. If they need to let go of some resentment or bitterness, enable that to happen. Bring restoration in some sort of fashion. If they need comfort, comfort them in a way that only You can do. Most of all, display Your power and sovereignty in their lives."

I am weeping right now just feeling the hurt of so many out there. I wish that I could take all of that hurt away. I cannot. I can only offer prayers to my Lord Who can do anything. He can even transcend space and time by answering a prayer made on a silly blog.

Office Christmas Party

We had our office Christmas party at a pottery painting place called "All Fired Up" this year. I've never been to one of these places, so it was fun!

Here's the tea kettle we painted. The top was not on it at the time, but it was yellow too. We want to make moroccan tea in it. It's our favorite!

Here's the whole gang!

Lindsey Little's Art Show

Last week, we went to an art show for Lindsey Little. She has such great art. I stopped in front of one picture and looked at it for a while. I got one of those weird deja vu feelings. Then, it donned on me why. A few months ago, when we went to San Francisco, we ate at this amazing Chinese restaurant (the best Chinese food I've ever had). Across the street was a building and I felt like I needed to take a picture of the windows in it. So, I did!

As I was standing in front of almost the same picture, I realized what had happened. I had gone to Lindsey's art show the year before and saw the picture of these windows on this building. It was in my subconscious to snap a picture when I saw the same windows, but I didn't know why. I pulled Lindsey over to the picture and asked her if she took it in San Francisco. She said that yes, she had. It was across the street from the best Chinese food restaurant she'd ever eaten at! Not only did we take the same picture, but in all of San Fran, we'd eaten at the same restaurant! That's crazy!

Here's my picture:
If you go to Lindsey's website and browse through her photography, you can find the same picture.

I'll tell you what else is crazy...that would be Brock. At the party, I saw him slip a cookie into my friend, Amy's, purse, and then Lindsey (the Fire-eater), and then another girl's purse. All of them went home not knowing anything was amiss. A couple of days later, I read Amy's twitter and it said, "cleaning out my purse trying to find a key... and there's a chocolate cookie with little teeth marks in here... How does that happen?" Then, Lindsey's tweeted, "haha... Me too! I have a feeling @brockgill had something to do with that..." It was funny!

More Scripture about the Attempted Mexico Kidnapping

If you have not read my blogs about the near kidnapping incident in Mexico, then go here, here, here, and here before you read the rest of this post.

There were two verses that I really clung to during this time of the dreams and hawk, Psalm 91:4 and Psalm 17:8. I memorized those verses, but yesterday I decided to read the verses around them. Psalm 17:8 says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings..." I stopped there. Why did I do that? There is not even a period there. The next verse says this, "from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me." Wow! This would have given me a clue that it would be people, and they did literally surround us.

Then, listen to the whole passage in Psalm 91. "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." That's verse 4 that I memorized, but look at verses 9-13: "If you make the Most High your dwelling---even the Lord, Who is my refuge---then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent." Wow! I wish that I would have read that last January when I discovered this passage. I am so dense sometimes. The Lord wanted to tell me so much more, but I did not read the rest of the passage!

Read the last verses of this passage: "'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.'"