Low Sunday

I am so glad that the Lord blesses even on low Sundays. Yesterday we had very low attendance. Many of our people were out visiting family in other parts of the country and there was a lot of sickness. Some of my Sunday school kids didn't know we were having service. On that aspect though, I don't know why.

We only had 22 kids and 12 adults yesterday for services, but we had a wonderful time in the Lord. Norma (Santos' widow) came yesterday with her oldest son and they looked like they were doing much better. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to them as I was busy taking down Christmas decorations after the service. She did say that it is getting easier and her son had lost some of the angry look in his face.

I don't know if I am growing more like my Dad or what, but last night we took down the Christmas tree and decorations. This is the first year that I have ever wanted to take down the Chrismtas decor. I think I need some serious mental help!

Our Christmas

Things are finally getting back to normal around here. We had a great Christmas. The kids drama went really great. The other years we have done a drama there has been sparse attendance, but this year the auditorium was filled. The kids loved it and the parents did too. We never just give the kids gifts. They are always based on faithfulness or as a prize for hard work. This year we didn't have a lot to spend on the kids and so we found stockings at a grocery store here for about $.45 a piece and we put all the kids' names on them with glitter glue. When you are not able to do a lot for each child, we have found that personalizing something takes the emphasis off of the fact that the toy was really cheap. We filled the stocking with a popcorn ball, some cookies and a small toy. Everyone loved them. We gave them out only to the kids who were faithful to the drama practices and Sunday School. We started out with 40, but the last practice was poorly attended so we ended up with 29 kids actually getting the stockings. Some of the kids that didn't get one were disappointed, but we just explained that God blesses when we are faithful to put the right things first.

Christmas eve we went over to Ernesto and Nelly's house (they work with us in Ojojona) to give them a Christmas basket. They had made fresh squeezed Orange juice and coffee for us. It was so good, but until then I didn't know that I had an intestinal parasite. I had been having slight stomach aches up to that point, but I had thought that it was just because of all the work that I had to do the past week and thought it would go away when I stopped running. Unfortunately, intestinal parasites thrive on someone that has eaten citrus. I went to bed Christmas eve feeling a little sick, but woke up Christmas morning feeling much worse. It was then that I realized what I had. Christmas day was spent with friends of ours at their house so all I had to do was make four pies that day. At 5:00 pm (when the pharmacies opened again) I was able to buy the medicine I needed and by bedtime was feeling much better. At least I can't say that my life is boring.

The kids' main gift this year was a swing set. They loved it (watch the video to see their reaction, but keep the sound low, the microphone on the camera works well). We had them open up their other presents first and then they did a treasure hunt and found the swing set put up in the front yard. We had closed all of the curtains (which are only sheers) hoping that they wouldn't see what we had put together during the night. Thankfully they didn't and they were greatly surprised. Jason's gift to me was a cell phone that also is a MP3 player. I have had the privilege to taking it back to the store twice. Once because the program to download songs didn't work and the next time because the memory chip was bad. Now that it is working, I love it. I spent many hours trying to figure it out and was beginning to think that he only bought me that phone to teach me patience. I wanted to throw it out the window many times :-). It is working great now and I love it.

Today I went in to get my eyes checked as I have been having slight headaches. I found out that I have a slight astigmatism and will need to wear glasses full time. Thankfully they are not very strong. I will get them tomorrow and then have to go through the process of getting used to wearing them again. Seven years ago I started wearing them for reading and watching TV and they corrected themselves so I discontinued using them, but now the doctor says that I will have to wear them all the time.

Egg Nog Bread Recipe

I was able to get a lot done today. Xiomara came over and helped me to make the 100 popcorn balls that I needed. I can't imagine how long it would have taken me if she hadn't come.

I also finished my Christmas shopping and started to make my Pecan Sandies. If I can get the Party Sugar Cookies (flavored and colored by Jello powder) made tomorrow I should make it.

As I have had a request for my Egg-Nog Bread recipe, here it is.

3 cups Flour

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

3/4 cups Sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup melted butter

1 Egg

1 1/2 cups Egg-Nog

3/4 cup chopped Nuts

3/4 cup Candied Fruit (I don't put this in)

Directions:

1. Sift dry ingredients

2. Combine Egg-Nog, melted Butter, and Egg

3. Stir into dry ingredients just to blend

4. Blend in nuts

5. Bake in a greased bread tin @ 350F for 60 to 70 minutes for a large pan or 40 to 45 for small pans

Bread is done when it is golden in color. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely before cutting. This recipe yields 1 large or 3 small loaves.

If you like candied fruit (I am not a big fan) you can put in, but I have made it both ways and not putting the candied fruit does not change the bread in any way.

This bread is so easy and looks wonderful when it is done. I am so glad that they sell Egg-Nog year round here as I am sure that this is going to become a much repeated recipe here.

Services

Wow, did we every have a lot of kids in Sunday School today. We had a few new kids, but most were regulars. I made 50 coloring page copies and didn't have enough. Praise the Lord for the many kids that have been faithful to church.

Please pray for Norma. She is the wife of a Pastor in a mountain town called Aragua. Last week after being confronted with issues of sin in his life and after he had been removed from the pastorate for a time to get his life back on track, he hung himself. This has been hard on everyone. Pastor Santos is the ones responsible for the church in Ojojona. It was because of his burden that several pastors got together and bought the land and put up the building for us before we even got to Honduras.

Norma is having a very hard time. Not only does she now have to find a way to take care of herself and her three boys (the oldest is almost 7), but she constantly has to live with the looks and remarks from her townspeople. She is still trying to decide if she is going to go to church with us in Ojojona for a few months or if she will go about the same distance in the other direction to go to the church where her parents attend. I feel so sorry for her oldest boy. He was in Sunday school today, but looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Yesterday evening we had a "Thanksgiving Service" at Rueben and Xiomara's house. It was a time that they have every year to witness to their family and neighbors. It was a great time, but I got so eaten by mosquitoes that I am not looking forward to next year. :-) I am praying that I won't get dengue (a mosquito born illness). With the many illness and injuries that we have sustained as a family in the past month it would just be my luck to get sick right before Christmas. I am kicking myself for not putting on Off, but the mosquitoes have been dormant with the cold we have been having and Off stinks. The past three days though have been quite warm and I guess that woke the hungry mosquitoes up.

Tomorrow Xiomara is coming over to help me make 100 popcorn balls for the Sunday school kids after the drama on Sunday. After that I only have to make about 450 more cookies. Lots of baking to do. Thankfully I have a week to do it in. :-)

Back again

I have received some comments that I have been missed. Thank you to all of you for your concern and prayers for us. Things have been a little crazy at the Tate Loony Farm. The day before Thanksgiving when my in-laws were here I was taking out the garbage and stepped on a top left at the bottom of the stairs. I went down along with the garbage and sprained my ankle. I didn't go into the doctor for a week. I had an aircast so I was using that. My leg was still hurting after a week so I decided to make sure that the bone was not broken too. The doctor took x-rays and found out that I had a bad sprain. I also have a slight bone spur growing from a previous injury that had not healed properly. So to err on the side of caution I was put in a cast and on bed rest for two weeks. The cast was made like the ones in the states except for the fact that the bottom was not reinforced so I wouldn't walk on it.

On Monday my cast came off and I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to catch up. I am so far behind on everything. I have to use my aircast for another two weeks at which time the doctor will re-evaluate the injury. I am enjoying the freedom of being able to walk through the house and get things done.

Today I am going to be making Banana Bread and Egg-Nog Bread for my Christmas gift baskets. I wanted to make Stollen as that is what I did last year when I was in the states, but I forgot to bring the recipe with me. My mom has spent a lot of time looking for it, but she hasn't been able to find it. I am glad to know that I can get the ingredients to make it here. When I go home in March for my brother's wedding I hope to find my recipe at that time.

I will try to be more on top of my blogging from now on. Thank you for praying for us and please continue to do so.