BRAZIL AND INDIANA, HERE WE GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get ready!!!!!!!!!!!

This orange is OK but I'd rather try this little green thing on the floor...

What was that noise?

How did they find me here?

Mom, I'm just helping you organize the closet!!

I love my bath!!

And I love my food!!

Is there something wrong with my face??

Yes, we are getting ready to go visit both of our families!! PRAISE THE LORD!!

We are so excited that it's hard to describe! It's been over two years since we've been to Brazil and Julia and I have never been to Indiana. We are looking forward to the time we will spend among family and friends. We are heading down to Brazil on the 19th of November and will be in Guarulhos after 26h. Then we have a 4 hours drive from the airport to my parents' house. They will be waiting for us at the airport, praise God!

We will stay one month in Brazil and we will fly to Indiana on the 19th of December to spend Christmas, New Year and Matthew's birthday with his family. And then, back to Kona on the 3rd of January for a new job!! Praise God for that either!!

It will be summer in Brazil and it will probably be snowing and freezing cold in Indiana. Please, pray for our trips as well as for health during all these transitions. You know, Julia and I are "Brazilians"... we don't know what "snow" means, hehehe!!

We are going through and interesting time right now... Matthew was laid off his job this past Monday as soon as he came back from a week of vacations. We were not expecting that and truthfully, we are still a little bit in shock. But we DO TRUST God and we know He is in control, even when we completely loose it! We are not sure what we will do during this month that we have ahead of us, before we go to Brazil, in terms of job. So, please, pray with us for wisdom and direction from God!

God is so faithful that He has already been providing for us so we believe we will be able to pay our rent and all our basic expenses until the new job comes in January. If you do pray for us; please, pray for our finances too because we don't want to go into debt during those 3 months.

I've uploaded some very recent pics of Julia. She is doing great! She is becoming a social butterfly. She waves and smiles at everybody now and if anybody smiles back she wants to play peek-a-boo wherever she is. She is a wonderful, peaceful baby. A true gift from God!

Thank you Lord, for all of your blessings in our lives and for your love and faithfulness!

We are looking forward to seeing our families and friends during this trip!!

Blessings to all of you!

MY BELOVED CHILD

June the 6th, what a day of joy!!! I found out that you existed through a positive pregnancy test. It was a bit unexpected but it was a wonderful surprise!! My heart was filled with great joy as I expected and anticipated your arrival!!

Your dad and I began to dream about you and to make plans for our future with you. We were very curious to know if you were a little boy or girl and began to imagine how you would look like. We began to choose a name for you and imagine each detail of your physical appearance, personality, your gifts, everything. What a joy!!

July the 9th, what a day of anguish!!! It was our first visit to the doctor and she could not find your heartbeat in the Ultrasound. Is it possible that it’s still too early to detect? The possibility of you not being alive filled our hearts with deep, deep sadness.

We spent a week praying and asking God to breathe his breath of life upon you. We knew He could do a miracle!

July the 16th, what a day of deep sorrow!!! The doctor could not see you at all in the Ultrasound and she told me that the gestational sac was already collapsing and that I would have a miscarriage. Your dad and I could not believe it! Actually, I had a really hard time accepting the truth. I hoped and dared to believe that you were still alive or that Jesus would perform a miracle and give you back to me; especially because you are still here, inside of me…

July the 28th, day of revelation!!! Two weeks have passed and you are still here, inside of me. My hope of Jesus performing a miracle was still alive because I know God’s character and I know HE CAN DO IT if that’s His will. But today God revealed me the truth. Dad and I were praying and I saw you in my arms. Jesus was in front of us and He was asking me to give you to Him. He was asking me to release you onto His arms of love… At that moment my heart knew that you did not belong here, you did not belong to me, you were not alive! My heart broke in a million pieces under that revelation and after many, many tears and a sea of pain I was able to release you into Jesus’ arms. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life.

As soon as I gave you to Jesus I could see your face and you were smiling. In the depths of my heart I knew that that was your place; that was where you belonged. I knew that Jesus’ arms were the best place for you to be but that did not take away my pain and sorrow.

You are still here, inside of me but now I know that this is not your place…

Your dad and I have been crying and grieving since then and we feel deeply inside of us the pain of loosing you. It hurts because you are part of our future, you are part of our plans; you are part of ourselves that we are missing. It hurts to know that I’ll never be able to get to know you, to know your personality, to know your gifts and talents. It hurts to know that I will never be able to hold you in my arms… It hurts!!!

What gives us some comfort is the certainty that these are God’s plans for your life and for our lives. For reasons that we do not understand now you had a brief existence here on earth but we know that you live forever in eternity!! Praise God!! We know that God dreamt about you since before the foundation of the earth and that He planned the day of your conception. You were not a mistake! He planned each day of your existence and He even planned the day when you would meet Him. We know God is in control and we know that His plans are perfect although painful for us at this moment.

What gives us some comfort is the certainty that one day, we will see you face to face, we will hold you in our arms and we will worship Jesus together, in eternity: mom, dad you and Julia, your big sister. It was my privilege to have you in my womb for a few weeks and for that I’m thankful! You are a very important part of our lives and will always be! You will be remembered with tender love, always!

I anticipate the great joy that it will be the day that I will see you face to face and that I’ll be able to hold you in my arms. Meanwhile, I want you to know how much we love you and how much we miss you.

May God bless you, my beloved child!

With all my love,

Mom!

CALIFORNIA

We've just arrived from Irvine, California, where we spent a week at Concordia University taking part at the Exodus Conference. Living Waters (Matthew's ministry) is part of Exodus. Exodus is a ministry created to help people to understand the roots and causes of homosexuality, to help strugglers deal with it and find freedom in Jesus Christ and also it trains people that minister to strugglers. Its main focus is homosexuality but it applies to all kinds of brokenness, mainly sexual brokenness. Because, as they said throughout the entire Conference, the opposite of homosexuality is NOT heterosexuality, it is sexual wholeness; and that, we find in Jesus.

It was an amazing time with amazing teaching and a heavenly worship. I was not able to take part of all the teachings because of Julia but I prayed that God would take me to the ones I'd take the most out of and I believe He did that and I truly enjoyed our time there.

It was also great for Matthew to network with people all over the country and from other countries too. It was our first trip off island after we got married and Julia's first flight. She did great, by the way!

We came back to an awesome transition time. We finally found a new house!! So we are in the process of moving. Cleaning the new place, packing and the final move will be on the 14th of July. Coming up fast but we can hardly wait for it. We are so ready to have more space!!

We know God provided this place for us because He confirmed to both of us and to the owner, who is also a Christian so we do believe He will provide the finances because the rent is twice as much what we pay now. We live in a 400 square feet studio apartment and with Julia and a new baby on the way there's not way we can make it in here. But God is good and faithful and He ALWAYS come through! Praise Him!!

We are very excited and thankful for this new place, please, pray with us during this transition time so that things will go smoothly.

With love

New pics from Julia

HI MOM, ARE YOU GOING TO HOLD ME?

MY NEW CRIB. ISN'T IT SPACIOUS? I LOVE IT!!

MY OLD BASSINET... IT ALSO HAD IT'S CHARM...

MY DAD, MY GRANDMA AND ME AT KIKAUA BEACH

I'M RELAXING AT THE BEACH...

DO YOU LIKE MY NEW HAT?

Julia is not the only child anymore...

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! We are pregnant again!!! Glory to God!

We were not planning to get pregnant now and we were actually using contraceptives but God had other plans, obviously!

I am 6 weeks pregnant and the baby will be born, according to my last menstrual period, in February the 10th. I'm feeling great and I hope and pray that it will continue to be like this.

God already gave a Word for this baby and it is in Isaiah 25:1

"Oh Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago"

Amen! We do believe this little one was planned long ago, with perfection. He/she came at the right time, in the right place. Thank you Lord, for this gift and blessing!!

We are very happy and excited and can hardly wait to know the sex. But that will take a little while yet.

Now, more than ever, we do need a new place to live. Please, join us in prayer as we look for house/condo. Everything is so expensive here and it does seem to be impossible for us, unless we have an increase in our monthly income of, at least, 800 dollars, just for the housing. That's how much more we have to pay if we move from the studio we have to a 2 bedrooms condo or house. We were looking for a one bedroom (which is about 300 dollars less than a 2 bedrooms place) but now, with this new baby on the way, we will need two bedrooms.

We don't know what God is up to but we do know He knows our situation better than we do and we know that He has a place for us. We also trust Him for the provision and support because He has been faithful in an amazing and sometimes surprising way.

Well, we just wanted to share our joy with you

Hope to hear from you

Love

Ana, Matthew, Julia & Baby!!!

Matthew's postage

Hey friends,

Matthew has written this letter for the Living Waters Newsletter but I thought it was so good that I decided to post on our blog.

Hope you enjoy it...



Aloha Friends!!

Living Waters is in it’s 11th week and going strong. How exciting and incredible to be part of God’s plan for restoration and real change. We are now getting into the meat of the program and God is moving in amazing ways. The revelation that is being realized through listening to the Holy Spirit has given many, if not all, of the students a new look on exactly what happened to them. I will go into more of that later.
I would like to address something, which for some that would read this letter, might be an influence in what you believe and don’t believe about ministries that deal with sexual brokenness and more specifically, homosexuality. The issue is a growing militant group of folks that have decided to target ministries that reach out to people that really want to change. Just this week I heard an audio interview on one of the major network websites with someone, a woman, that went through an “x-gay” ministry. She really made it sound like the agenda of such ministries is to brainwash people into thinking that they are broken. She called “brokenness” a buzz word, and claimed that the basis of many ministries for people wanting to be free of same sex issues is an evil twisting of a person’s mind into believing they are defective and “broken”. If you are reading this and you either know nothing about a ministry like Living Waters, or other ministries that reach out to the homosexual, please read the next thing I write and know that it is not from someone that is trying to hurt others through brainwashing.
There is so much information in the world today about DNA, genetics, environment, hormones and abuse of all kinds, which contribute to mental, physical and psychological issues in the lives of human beings. Why is it that in the area of sexuality do all of these common factors that apply in other societal intricacies all of the sudden become void and immaterial? Why when a group of people that want to change from sexual issues in their lives, does this all of the sudden become an issue of brainwashing? Would you say that to someone that was a serial killer, or lets say a habitual liar? Or would you say it is brainwashing to help someone to quit smoking or maybe even stop drinking coffee? OR would you say that it is attempting to show someone that through many factors in their life they have given into, become addicted to or learned a distinct destructive behavior in their lives? Then, depending on if you are a believer in the resurrected Christ Jesus and the Holy Bible, would you say that trying to live as God intended for someone to live in their gender identity is “brainwashing” as well? Maybe it is a question of just not doing what a person knows to be contrary to the way human beings are made physically, maybe it is about not being told what to do. Now as you read the following, keep in mind, these are people that are willing to do the hard work to change, they are heroes.
There are folks in our group this session that were abandoned from birth, sexually abused during there first year of life and beyond. Some were abused in satanic ritual abuse, some were physically abused, cut off from fathers and mothers. Some were teased an ridiculed for extended years of there lives because of the way they looked or acted, some were brought up believing that there was no God, no moral guidelines. These are the folks that have come to Living Waters to learn how to change their lives through hard and gut wrenching honesty and humbleness. They are not people that are being “brainwashed”, they are people that know in their spirit, and not because of what society says, that there is something drastically wrong and they are fighting for their lives. As we come up on these next two weeks we will be talking about broken boundaries. These are things that any person, with or without faith, gay or straight, would say, “Yeah, that should NOT have happened to me”. These heroes will be letting God take them back into the pain of the abuses and “broken” boundaries and allowing Him to show them the truth that even existed at that time. The truth that they may not have been able to see because they were the ones being hurt and all they have felt from that point on is PAIN. Folks, you don’t have to be “brainwashed” to feel chronic and lifelong pain, it never goes away until you deal with it, and they are dealing with it! I think the young lady in the audio interview had is backwards, the “brainwashing” happens when the abuse happens, not afterwards by someone that is trying to help you get through it and heal from it. But see this is where the participants in this run of Living Waters in Kailua Kona have excelled; they are going for it and letting God into their pain. He will heal, He will and is there to hold them in His arms to tell them the truth of who and what they are according to His great love for His masterpiece creation, man and woman.
Responsibility in healing is something that we stress in Living Waters, what a person puts into the program and their desire to be held accountable and walk out their lives in obedience to God, directly has an affect on how much and how fast they will change. Not everyone in Living Waters is there to deal with homosexuality, these principles, these truths are for anyone, ANYONE!!! We pray that more and more people will come to the program here in Kailua Kona, and that they will learn just how awesome and loving Father God is. Next to our facility in Kailua Kona is a building that is being renovated for the newest gay bar in town. Our prayers to be able to reach out to the gay community are being realized, God is bringing them to us. The staff of Living Waters is excited and a bit freaked out by it, however, we are looking forward to how God is going to grow us through this new twist to the ministry.
Please pray for us as a healing ministry that is in the thick of the political and spiritual warfare of our day. We are not liked by the other side AT ALL, yet we know we have to love them and pray for them, that they will know the incredible love of the Lord some day. Thank you for all of your support for us in prayer and finance, without the help of people who care we can not do what we have been called to do by the Lord.

Blessings to you all and sincerely,



Matthew Schaetzle
Men’s Coordinator Choices Ministry

Happy Trails to You!!

Here is one more article written by Pr Tim Throckmorton. He talks about a country that I'm learning to love!

Enjoy!!

Maybe it’s because of the events of this past Memorial Day weekend. And what a wonderful weekend it was, Memorial day remembrance in our morning worship service on Sunday, parades and flags flying everywhere on Monday. Heartfelt expressions of gratitude for those who willingly gave their lives for our freedom. Or perhaps it’s because of where I grew up, just up the road from where Roy Rogers was reared. My good friend Monte came from Columbus this week along with his two children for the annual Roy Rogers festival. Seems that Little Monte has become a true blue Roy Rogers fan! I’m talking cowboy hat, boots and a couple of six shooters! So Thursday evening this past week I find myself with my own son Joe in the old Columbia Theater in downtown Portsmouth watching an old Roy Rogers film, “in living color no less!” Here we were watching Roy solve a mystery while putting an old fashioned whipping on the bad guys. During a particular gun fight sequence I watched with delight as little Monte pulled out one of his six shooters and begin firing at the screen, “at the bad guys of course”. As we were leaving the show I told him what a good job of shoot in he had done. He gave me that satisfied look, as if to say “Thank ya partner! “Anyway as I left the theater reflecting on this wonderful week in the good old United States of America, I though of what blessings I was privileged to enjoy.

For example the freedom to dream. Little Monte was totally engulfed in the movie, good guys winning over bad guys. Roy and his wholesome brand of entertainment was transporting this precious young boy into a world of dreams that really can come true. Dreams of good clean living that produce a good life. Dreams of a truthful and moral lifestyle that he probably won’t see anywhere else. Dream on little Monte, dream on. There’s also freedom to celebrate…. We live in the greatest country in the world that many have paid the full measure of devotion for. We celebrate their love and devotion. The oldest living republic in the world is where I am thankful to live!

Maybe it’s because of the freedom I have as well. Growing up on Duck Run, playing in the creeks and hollers I was given the gift to dream of what I could become in life. Good neighbors, clean fun and an opportunity to begin my adult life married to the girl of my dreams, pursuing the career of my choice, raising my family in the fear and admonition of the Lord with no fear of threat or reprisal. Kind of what the founding fathers meant don’t you think? In the beginning they proclaimed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” They then felt it necessary to end with these words…. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Sort of has a religious tone to it, don’t you think? Maybe that’s because those pledged their lives realized that God had brought them to this point in history and it be with God’s help alone that this country would be born and prosper! Maybe that’s why for well over two hundred years thousands felt it worthwhile to bleed and die for this great land that God has so graciously blessed. They still do!

The only concern I have at this juncture in our history is that we are inclined to forget the help we need from God. “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God's side.” Abraham Lincoln, when asked if he thought God was on our side. The founding fathers realized the truth found in Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” They knew the God who helps us dream. "And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice," Benjamin Franklin asked at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, "is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?" Franklin invoked the sparrow in service of his argument that the convention should open each day with a prayer. Which is still good advice! They, as we must realize that it is God that gives us real freedom. Not just in the physical realm, but the freedom from sin that we can know in our hearts. Listen to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome.. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Then in verses 22-23 of chapter 6 he says… “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” A free country, because of those who sacrificed for it. For this we are grateful. The free gift of eternal life, because of a Savior who gave His life for you and for me. For this we are forever thankful. Are you free to dream and free to live? You can be, if you want to. As Roy would say…..Happy Trails!

Pastor Tim Throckmorton

Pr Tim's Article

Pr Tim Throckmorton is the pastor of Plymouth Heights Church of the Nazarene in Ohio. I've met him in Brazil when he was visiting my home church there and I had the privilege to interpret his preaching a couple of times back in 2004. He writes weekly articles which are very good and interesting. I enjoy them a lot. I'm copying one of his recent articles which I thought was food for thought.

This is the link for the website of his church in OH, in case you want to check it out.

http://www.plymouthheightsnaz.org/phmain.html

WHAT MAYCEE SEE’S IN ME…..

One of the precious flowers in this garden we call a congregation here at the Plymouth Heights church is a darling little girl by the name of Maycee Burnside. The love and adoration of her parents, Brad & Heather is eclipsed only by the love of her Grandparent’s, Poppy & Nanna Moore. “They do have regular names by the way” Now Miss Maycee is the picture of innocence and simplicity. From time to time when her Pastor forgets to hug her on Sunday mornings she will take Poppy by the hand and scour the Sanctuary, marching to the platform if need be to retrieve a hug from her Pastor. “That would be me!” she sees life through the eyes of a child, a view which most of us have long since forgotten but should be reminded of from time to time. One of Maycee’s recent observations hit me pretty hard and has since challenged me to be more aware of what others see in me.
It was during a Sunday Morning service and we had a special musical guest joining us at the church. After making the proper introductions and bringing them to the stage I spotted my sweet wife Terri sitting in the back row and so I made my way to where she was and sat down next to her. Maycee and her grandparents were sitting across the aisle from us and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Maycee was looking our way all the while whispering something to them. Later after the service Poppy, “not his real name” shared with me that Maycee was excited to learn that Terri and I were husband and wife. Stop the presses! You mean, She didn’t know that already? We had been a part of her life since she was born and she didn’t know we were married? She has seen us each week here at the church and she didn’t even know we were hitched? I was astounded, shocked even! How could this be? Then I began to think. Though she had seen us together we never sat together. One of the hazards of pastoring I’m afraid. I’m always on the platform and Terri’s always in her seat. I’m always talking to members and visitors and Terri is talking to others as well. Maycee only saw us in the setting of a church service and so she just assumed we knew each other, but not as a married couple. Terri and I have since chuckled about this, although I do try to stay closer to her before and after services! This entire episode got me to thinking. If that was what Maycee saw in me and my relationship to my wife, then what does the world see in me in my relationship to my Lord?
In the New Testament book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul encourages Christ followers to be aware of what others see in them. In chapter 5 he begins… “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in Love as Christ also hath loved us, and ha given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not once be named among you, as becometh saints; not in filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.” I am well aware that some of the above scripture would be an affront to anyone today of a politically correct mindset. That’s a debate for another column, but what struck me about Paul’s words was the phrase “as becometh saints”. There should be he seems to imply, something about us that should portray to those who can see us, a life of intimate communion with God and not the world around us. There is an old children’s Sunday School song that says, “If you’re saved and you know it, clap your hands, if you’re saved and you know it stomp your feet, if you’re saved and you know it turn around.” Then each verse would end with the line “if your saved and you know it, then you’re life will surely show it!” So the obvious question is, what does our life remind others of?
During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The President met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. "Ah, gentlemen," he said, "come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work." At the barn, Roosevelt picked up a pitchfork and looked around for the hay. Then he called out, "John, where's all the hay?" "Sorry, sir," John called down from the hayloft. "I ain't have time to toss it back down again after you pitched it up while the Iowa folks were here." I don’t want to just appear to others to have my sleeves rolled up and working for the Kingdom, but I want to be found pitching hay when no one is looking. I’ve heard it said that a mule dressed in a tuxedo is still a mule. And I am sure there are a lot of dressed up mules out there proclaiming themselves to be something they are not. But I am convinced that a true Christ follower can be recognized making a real difference in the world we live in today. All the while displaying a genuine relationship with a real and living Savior. Thank you Maycee for helping me to consider what others see in my life.

Pastor Tim Throckmorton

Mima is coming today!!!!!!!!!!

I only have pics of Mima JoAn in our wedding... Don't you think Matthew looks like her?

Mima JoAn is coming to Hawaii to spend Mother's Day with us. Yuhuuuuu!! We are so excited to spend some time with her and I'm sure she is too because the last time she saw Julia was back in December, when Julia was only 1 month old.



A LOT has changed since then... Today is Julia's 6Th month birthday and we are celebrating with Mima's arrival!!!



She will stay at a friend of ours house because we still live in a studio and there's no room for visitors, unfortunately!! We sure hope to move into a bigger place soon, as God provides for us.



We are anticipating lots of fun with Mima JoAn and sure hope to honor her this coming Sunday on Mother's Day!



We love you, Mom and Mima!!

Some more recent pictures of our Precious Julia!!!

OK Mom, I'm relaxed and ready now, you can start taking the pictures...

This is one of my favorite toys...


Do you see my pinkie? I'm very feminine...

Ah, clean, at last!!!

I love what my mom and dad call "Sandwich kiss"

WOW MOM!! I feel so tall now!!

Do you like my new dress?

I love to play with my feet...

I'm having lots of fun, Daddy, you can let go of my hands now...

OK, all done! I'm ready to go to sleep now... Good night!

Julia's First Meal!!

About 1 month ago Julia was introduced to her first solid meal. We were not going to start giving her fruits and vegetables until 6 months. Her Pediatrician had recommended that we waited because that's the latest tendency. We were following her advice until one evening when Matthew and I were having dinner and Julia was sitting in her rocking chair, watching us eat.

She was actually staring at us and moving her little mouth as if she was eating too. She seemed to be very ready to experience her first meal and I simply could not look at her and not give her any food. It seemed mean!

So I sat her on my lap (we did not have a high chair prepared), put some mashed potatoes in a little spoon and took the spoon towards her mouth. At first, she didn't know what to do with the spoon so she tried to grab it. Then Matthew told me to pretend I was putting the spoon inside my own mouth and tried to give it to her again. That was it! She totally got it! The next thing we saw was a really big mouth opening and almost eating the whole spoon! Her first facial expression, as she savored the potato, was of doubt. But only for a few seconds. The second thing we saw was her grabbing the spoon and bringing it to her own mouth. She absolutely loved it!!!

She pretty much loves whatever I give her, but her favorite food so far is pear! The pictures above are from her first eating experience.

Way to go, Julia!!!!!!!!!!

"Chuchu" or Bitter Melon in English!

When Matthew and I were in Brazil (in 2005) he ate bitter melon (or chuchu as we call it in Portuguese) for the first time in his life and he loved it! He had never eaten before nor seen it and we did not even know how to say "chuchu" in English.

I've always looked for "chuchu" here but never found it until last week at Safeway. I was surprised! It was a little different from the Brazilian "chuchu", ours has more of a pear shape and the bitter melon that I bought was round.

I bought 3 bitter melons and payed 10 dollars!! It was a shock to me because you can find bitter melon in Brazil anywhere and it's very cheap. Probably, with 10 dollars you could buy a whole plantation of bitter melon back there. But I thought I'd try it to see if it tasted the same. And, after all, Matthew and I both love it.

It was exactly the same taste, thank God, and we ate it as if it was the most delicious meal ever! I even gave some to Julia who also loved it. She would grab the spoon, the food and put everything inside her mouth including her fingers. She absolutely loved it!

So it was expensive but worthy it! I'm trying to find out how to grow bitter melon here, because I think it will be much cheaper and we can eat it more often. So, if anybody knows how to grow bitter melon, please, tell me and I'll try.

Julia's pics - 4 - 5 months...

Isn't she the sweetest baby?

Now we have more hair to comb...


Ahhhhhhh!! I love my bath!!!!

And I love my fingers too!! They taste delicious!!!

I love to be in my carrier, I can see everything around!

I'm serious now!

Matthew

The day after Easter we had to come back to the ER because of Matthew's disease. It was not fun! He had diarrhea all over again and the doctors wanted to make sure that he did not have an intestinal obstruction. I was scared to death because if he had an obstruction he would need a surgery and the hospital here is not very good.

Praise God his exams came back normal and he did not need surgery. The doctor decided to treat him for intestinal infection although he was not completely sure of what was going on.

He is doing better now, still taking Prilosec for his stomach, because of the bleeding. We pray that God will completely heal him!

Thank God Julia and I never got sick. This was totally God's hands upon our lives and we are soooooooo thankful for that.

Thanks for those who prayed for all of us!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL!!!

May we all do not forget the True Meaning of Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

He is ALIVE, the cross is empty and He lives and wants to have a relationship with us. It's up to us to say yes or no!

I know Easter has nothing to do with Eggs but I certainly miss the chocolate eggs we have in Brazil this time of the year. My mouth waters just to think about them. I do miss Brazilian chocolate...

This week has not been easy for us. Matthew is sick. He's got a virus that actually took him to the hospital. It started on Wednesday with a headache, his whole body aching and a fever. Thursday he started a diarrhea and Friday he started vomiting. I took him to the hospital where they gave him an IV plus pain killers and some medication for nausea. We spent a few hours at Kona Community Hospital and, by the time we got out of there, he was feeling a little better. At least, he was not throwing up anymore.

Today he is doing better, not completely recovered, but better. He is feeling pretty weak yet. On Friday we noticed some blood in his vomit and today, in his stools so we are going to the doctor this week to check it out and make sure everything is OK.

Hopefully he will be feeling better tomorrow so that we can celebrate Easter in church and among friends because we have not left the house since Wednesday, except to go to the hospital.

We are praying for protection for me and for Julia so that we won't get sick. We are doing good so far. Please, keep the three of us in your prayers.

HAPPY EASTER and may God bless you!!!

Glory to God!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to God alone!!!

I must share what happened this week at The Pregnancy Center.

This past Monday I was there in the afternoon and I had the opportunity to talk to a young Spanish girl. She is 10 weeks pregnant, single, the boyfriend won't be involved in the pregnancy at all and to top it all of, she is here illegally. Her sister came with her and was very supportive but they were seriously considering doing an abortion because of the financial costs of having a child and also out of fear because of her situation in the country. It's very unusual for a Spanish girl to consider doing an abortion because Mexico is a Catholic country where abortion is illegal, as it is in Brazil (at least, so far!). But this one girl was desperate and was seriously considering doing the abortion.

As I spoke to her and her sister I felt she had a soft heart and was acting out of despair. I gave her some information about abortion and took her to the Ultra Sound room to find out how far long she really was.

The Ultra Sound was beautiful! This 10 weeks old baby was jumping up and down, moving his/her little legs and arms a lot, very alive and active. Little, if any explanation was needed as far as the images we were seeing because they spoke for themselves. It was very clear! After a few minutes seeing the little baby moving all around the mom started crying and I asked her why she as crying. She told me: " I AM HAVING THIS BABY, there is no way I'm going to abort him/her!" And she would not stop crying.

At that point I was crying as well and the sister had tears in her eyes too. It was so great and I could not stop thanking God for touching her heart like that! It was such a miracle and it brings tears to my eyes even now, just to remember it.

I told her that she was going to be a great mom because it was clear that she already loved the little one. And the baby would NOT stop jumping as if he/she was celebrating life, as we were! What a wonderful thing to witness, I really felt privileged!

So, every time you think of us, please, pray for our ministries, that God will continue to touch people's lives and hearts like He did with this one girl and that lives will be saved and transformed by His amazing grace, love and power!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZECA!!!!

Today is my aunt Zeca's birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU BEYOND MEASURE!!

We wish we could be there to celebrate with you... Matthew really liked the Brazilian parties. I think he will adapt pretty fast if we do go live there for a while.

This month we've been really busy. Matthew is leading the next Living Waters Program that starts this coming Friday, 23rd of March and he's been very busy getting ready, preparing everything, interviewing the participants and trying to put things together before it begins. It's a big job to lead the program and it takes a lot of time and effort. But Matthew thoroughly enjoy it. Living Waters is his passion so, praise God for that.

It is a great ministry and a wonderful tool that God uses to heal people. I've gone through the program myself last year, as a participant, and God dealt with several issues in my life. Some that I was not even aware of. It was great!

This year I took the Leadership training but I won't be involved because of Julia. The classes are on Friday nights from 6 PM til 11 PM and it's a little too much for little Julia. So I'm staying home with her but maybe next year I'll have a chance to get more involved. We want to have enough training under our belts to be able to take the Program to Brazil in the near future.

Talking about training, we have a praise report!! We've got ALL THE FINANCES to go to the Exodus Conference in June, in Irvine, CA. God is soooooooo good, He provides in the most unexpected ways. All we need now is the time off work. Matthew will try to work it out at the office. We are praying that it will all work out. We do feel that God is opening this door for us to go so we do believe this will happen. It will be so good to get out of the island for a little while. We haven't gone out since August 2005 when we came back from Brazil. It will be very refreshing, in all ways, I'm sure! Please, join us in prayers for the time off at Matthew's work.

And pray for the next Living Waters team as well. We have a few new staffs and we've changed some rules. We pray that it will all be for the better. Pray for Matthew as well, that he will have the strength and wisdom of God to lead one more program.

We love you all

Ana, Matthew and Julia

PS - Of course I had to put one more pic of our little princess!

Chocolate

This week has been a crazy week. Matthew is very, very busy this whole month because of the new Living Waters’ team that will start on March the 23th. He is leading this one too so it’s been a busy time with preparation for the new team.

On Wednesdays I teach Childbirth Classes at the Pregnancy Center from 5 PM to 7 PM and Matthew picks up Julia and takes her home for a couple of hours. Last week I arrived home, after the class, and asked him how everything was. I’ll reproduce our dialogue:

Ana – So, how is everything?

Matthew – Good.

Ana – How is Julia?

Matthew – She is doing good, we had a great time.

Ana – What time did she take the bottle?

Matthew – After the chocolate.

Ana (freaking out) – WHAT????????????????????????? Matthew, did you give her chocolate??????????

Matthew – Of course not! She took it.

Ana – Oh please, you better have a good explanation for that.

Matthew – Well, I was opening a Reeses Peanut Butter cup and the chocolate was melted. She reached out for the chocolate and knocked it out of my hand. It fell on her dress and it was all melted. I put her on the bed in order to clean both of us and when I came back she had chocolate all over her hands, face, dress and mouth. And she was sucking her fingers that were covered with chocolate.

Ana – Oh GREAT!!!!!!!!! She not only ate chocolate but also peanut!!!!!!!

Matthew – As I said, it was not my fault! She took it, I never gave it to her. But I can tell she liked it!

Well, I don’t have to go on with this, do I? You all got the idea. Julia had her first chocolate experience at three and a half months. And not only a chocolate experience, but a peanut experience.

God is good indeed and does protect the children. The good news is that she did fine. Her intestines worked just fine and I think she is not allergic to peanut. Praise God!

The Pregnancy Center

This is the third week that I’m back to The Pregnancy Center. I’ve been volunteering there since October 2005 but since Julia’s birth I was taking a break to get better adjusted to her and her to me in the house. I’m taking her with me, of course, and it’s been a blessing so far.

The Pregnancy Center is an awesome place to work and I do love the staff team. Everybody has a passion for the cause and A LOT of compassion for the pregnant women.

The majority of girls that look for the center are going through a crisis pregnancy and usually seriously considering abortion. It’s sad to see them go down this path so we do our best, in the most compassionate way, to show them that there are better options. Ultimately, it’s up to them to decide but it’s very rewarding to see them change their minds after getting more information on abortion and other options.

Basically, I’m helping doing the Ultra Sounds of the pregnant women, with 3 other nurses. It’s so amazing to show the mom the baby’s heartbeat and see their eyes water most of the times realizing that they carry a real tiny baby and not just “blood” as some people believe.

I’m also teaching Childbirth Classes for the moms that are carrying their pregnancy to term and I enjoy teaching very much!

In the beginning I was not sure how Julia would adapt to the new schedule but she is doing well so far. Of course, there are a lot of “aunties” that are dying to spoil her a bit while she is there, so it makes it easier.

It is a ministry that faces a lot of spiritual battles, so if you feel led by God, please, pray for the girls and for us that minister to them. It is known that there are at least 3000 abortions A DAY in the United States. Have you thought about how many lives we are missing a year? The numbers are too high and we are losing this battle to the enemy. We do need more volunteers there to do different things but we also need people that stand in the gap and pray for this ministry.

If you live in Kona and want to help out somehow, please, give us a call at – 808 326 1766.

If you don’t live in Kona, consider praying for us. We need this covering.

And if you want to know more details about this ministry I’ll be happy to talk to you by phone or e-mail.

Thank you.

Julia's Birth

Julia was born on November 9th, 2006, Kealakekua, Hawaii. She was 7.2 oz. and 18 inches long. I was in labor for 48h and ended up having an emergency C-section. This was a big disappointment for me because I’ve always wanted to have a natural delivery. Because I had a C-section they did not allow me to hold my baby right away. I was only able to hold her in my arms when she was 3hours old. It’s well known how important the first hour of life of a newborn baby is. It’s when the baby is the most alert and ready to establish the bond with mommy. Thank God Matthew was there and was able to bond with her and it was very rewarding for him but I felt guilty for not being there for my baby.

From the beginning I didn’t have a lot of milk. I breastfed her exclusively for 15 days and had to supplement with formula up to two months and then I stopped breastfeeding because I had NO MORE milk. This was another BIG disappointment because I NEVER thought I would not be able to breastfeed my babies up to one year. And everybody knows the advantages of breast milk, no discussion about that. But reality is that I really didn’t have milk.

Well, guess what? With all these struggles I had a GREAT time of getting closer to God for the first couple of months after she was born and I’ll share with you one experience I had during this time.

I was trying to breastfeed her one day and she was refusing my breast. She was crying, totally upset, obviously hungry, but she would push my breasts away and keep crying and fighting me. After a while I was crying as well, very frustrated and feeling totally rejected by her.

And I was also crying out to God and asking for His help and for discernment to know what to do. At one point I felt God saying:

“Do you know what you feel when she fights and refuses your breasts? I feel the same when you fight my love”. And He went on: “Stop receiving the drops of my love, I want to pour out much more on you”.

And then I was REALLY crying and repenting before God because I never thought that He would feel rejected by me and I didn’t even know I was refusing His love. So I asked Him what I should do to completely receive His love. And He answered: “That’s the problem; you don’t have to DO anything. Stop DOING, simply BE in my presence and let me take care of you. Stop striving and fighting, I want to hold you in my arms, as you are holding Julia, and take care of you, providing everything you need. As soon as you start receiving my love she will also feel it and settle down”.

And I saw myself snuggling with Jesus and hearing Him speak words of love and affirmation to me. As soon as that happened Julia stopped crying and latched on, without my help, all by herself. It was like a miracle but I knew she was feeling Jesus’ love and peace.

That was an extraordinary experience and from that I took a couple of lessons. We all know that our kids belong to God. They are NOT OURS. We all know that in our minds but not always do we feel it in our hearts. After that experience I really felt that she belongs to Jesus and that there’s no better place for her to be other than in His arms of love. It was clear that I can’t provide everything she needs and I’ll always fall short on something. So it became really easy for me to surrender and truly, give her to Him. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.

And the second thing I took out of it was true compassion for new moms. If I ever come back to work as a Pediatrician I’m sure I’ll have an extra amount of compassion for the moms of my little patients.

Isn’t that amazing the way God works? He takes what the enemy meant for evil and turns it into good. I’m SO grateful for that and for God’s gentle way of teaching us, always full of love. Praise Him!!!

I love you, Father!!!

Ana

Introduction to my blog

Hello Dear Family and Friends,

I'm creating this Blog in order to communicate more frequently with all of you and let you all know what is going on with us here in the Big Island of Hawaii.

In order to post something in our website I depend on Matthew because the program we use is in his laptop so it makes it harder for me (Ana). But here it is very simple and handy so I'll try to post frequent news of our family and ministries.

I'd love to hear from you all and know how you are doing. Comments on what I write are very welcome. They will help me to improve communication.

I'd like to give a special "thank you" for John Teague who gave us the idea of creating a Blog. He and his wife, Karen, were here in Kona and took the time to see us and collect some information about our ministries so that they can take that information to Matthew's home church back in California (Redwood Covenant Church).

Thank you all for taking the time to read.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Blessings,

With love,

Ana