First Day of School

School began on August 20 at Taylor Christian School. This was the girls first time to attend school because I (Laura) have home schooled them up to this point. They looked so cute in their school uniforms. They were excited and apprehensive the first day. The second day, neither one wanted to return. There were lots of tears. Attending school all day long was a big change for them. After the first week, they have pretty much adjusted to school life.

Ariana is in the second grade. She loves her teacher Mrs. Long. She is doing very well and comes home with lots of 100's.

Ariela is in Kindergarten. Her grades are also very good. I have noticed her coloring and writing are improving. She won the good behavior award this week.

Soccer Ministry

On Thursday, August 30 we were thrilled to see 8 of our soccer boys show up to play. The word had gotten out that Jorge, el Coach Boliviano, had returned to McAllen. The boys played for a couple of hours with Jorge on our little soccer field here at the mission. Because McAllen has had so much rain this summer, the field is covered with green grass instead of dust and dirt.

The next Sunday afternoon, two teens from the neighborhood, Juan and Gilbert, came knocking at the door. They wanted Jorge to come out and play with them. Jorge was able to spend a couple of hours kicking the ball and sharing the Gospel with them. He told them that he also grew up in a Catholic home, but when he gave his heart to the Lord, God changed his life and his family as well. Juan seemed especially open as Jorge shared his testimony with them. Later that evening they returned and asked Jorge to come play with them in an in-door soccer league. He agreed to go with them. When he arrived, he found 8 of his soccer boys playing on the team. He played with them, and they won their game.

They played again a couple of days later, but the game was a disaster. The boys didn't want to take turns playing. No one was coaching the team. Jorge didn't feel free to coach them because two of the older teens were in charge. The team lost the game.

On Thursday, September 6, the boys again showed up for soccer practice. This time there were 22 boys! I (Laura) had forgotten to prepare a snack for them. I got home from school around 5:00 p.m. Jorge reminded me that the boys would be coming at 6:00 p.m. I checked the fridge for food and found oranges. I cut them into slices and then started our supper. The girls and I ate supper while Jorge played with the guys. I noticed that there were lots of guys and realized that I needed more snacks. I searched the fridge again and pulled out tortillas and cheese to make quesadillas. I also popped two bags of popcorn for them. Around 8:00 p.m. Jorge brought 12 of the guys in for snacks. We didn't even have enough chairs for all of them. He told me that the new boys left after the game. They didn't know to expect snacks. It was just as well because the ones that stayed ate up everything!

They had an hour meeting about their in-door soccer team. Jorge told them that they needed to share the time on the floor and their behavior needed to improve. They all agreed to let el Senor Boliviano coach them in their games. He also explained to them again that we are missionaries. He wanted to spend time with them to teach them about the Bible and how to have a relationship with God. He shared a short devotional with them.

The team played again on Saturday, September 8. They followed Jorge's coaching without any problems. Their behavior improved drastically. They won 6 to 2!

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that their hearts will be open to God's Word.
2. Pray for Jorge to have wisdom and energy to coach them.
3. Pray that Laura will have strength to prepare enough snacks for them every Thursday.

The Joys of Moving

We were "released" from Home Ministry Assignment on Thursday, July 27! The responsibility of raising our support was finally over. God had answered prayer. Many of our partners renewed and increased their support in us. Thank you so much. You are making it possible for us to obey the call that God has placed on our lives.

We began the process of packing and packing and packing. Then the good-byes... to friends and family which are very hard to make.




Dad bought a used trailer and painted it. We loaded it up and headed out August 4, Sunday morning at 3:45 a.m. We spent Sunday night in Harrisville, Mississippi with Rev. Joe and Doreen Moore.

Monday we again left around 4:15 a.m. We were so excited when we crossed the Texas state line. Of course, we still had many hours left to travel. After a 15 hour drive, we arrived in McAllen, Texas around 7:00 p.m.



Now the unpacking begins! All the furniture has to be brought out of storage, dusted off, and put in place. Decisions after decisions! Boxes have to be opened and unpacked. More decisions about where to put things. Everything is dusty. There is evidence left by roaches. Yuck! Hopefully we aren't bringing any lives ones into the house. Of course the temperature of 103 degrees doesn't help the process. The airconditioning in the house does work well.



The kids get to choose their own bedrooms. They do NOT want to live together! Their rooms are set up and organized, pets and all. Our neighbors David and Angie Yoder have a swimming pool. Ariana especially loves that. She gets to swim several times a day. That has helped keep the girls occupied while Mom and Dad sweat through the unpacking process.

Ariana's 7th Birthday

Ariana celebrated her 7th birthday in Kentucky on June 27. I can hardly believe she is so big. She has learned to swim really well this summer. We are so proud of her.

Pets

We promised the girls during our furlough year that on our return to McAllen we would buy them a pet. They dreamed and planned about what they each wanted. Ariana decided that she wanted a turtle. Since we had a fish tank already, we thought that was a great idea. We bought a bird cage at a flea market for Ariela early last year. She was set on having some kind of bird. I suggested the finch because it sings less than other birds.

Light Family Reunion

The first Saturday of every August, the Light family gets together to eat and visit. Rachel and Jimmy Light open up their home and beautiful yard near Goshen, Ohio, for this event. We were able to attend the reunion this year before we finished HMA and returned for another term on the Mexican border.

What a blessing to be a part of a family with a Christian heritage. Many of Dad's family have been pastors and missionaries. We really enjoyed seeing relatives. Our girls loved playing with some of their second cousins and riding their bicycles.

Laura secretly invited David and Barbara Wilson to surprise Jorge. They have been good friends of Jorge's since the Wilsons were missionaries in Bolivia and Argentina.

Laura's brother Tim Light and his son Chris came to the reunion on their motorcycles. We were glad for the opportunity to spend just a little more time with them before heading back to Texas.