August

It's been a full month in the Marcum house. We hosted several events out at our house; God has blessed us with a big yard and big kitchen which makes it feasible to have large groups of people out from the church. We had a team day before the Forbesses left for furlough, and then invited all the school age kids and their families out for a hot dog roast and games, and then hosted our small group for a grill out the following week as well.



The following week, we left for a few days of much needed vacation. We drove about 3 hours over the mountains (a spectacular drive!) to a tropical area of Bolivia called the Chapare, and stayed in a nice hotel in a town called Villa Tunari. Michaela really enjoyed the playground (the park as she calls it) and the water slide. Mom enjoyed reading the last Harry Potter book (thank you, Katie!), and the restaurant open all day. Dad enjoyed swimming with Michaela, relaxing and reading as well. And Eliana just enjoyed hanging out.




We also visited a wildlife refuge in the area called Parque Machia. They have lots of parrots and monkeys (which just run free) and a few other smaller animals as well (an otter looking thing - I'm not sure what the name is). Michaela really enjoyed being in close proximity to the monkeys - although I was a little nervous. The day before a little girl had returned to our hotel with her finger bit! We escaped with no monkey bites, although one did try to climb up the sling I had Eliana in and stole a roll of my film!



I also took the opportunity of some free time to take some pictures of the girls (thanks again for the dresses, Jauna)! Enjoy! And click on our flickr badge to see more pictures of the girls and from the last couple months as well!





We were ready to get home, though. Apparantly, Eliana doesn't like sharing a room with the rest of us - we had several restless nights (but she sleeps all night at home!). We're getting ready to gear up for a round of fall events - a new study for our small group, Josh teaching a new class at the contact center, a ladies day once a month, a family encampment in November. We continue to be excited about the way God is working and feel very blessed to be here serving Him!

More Pictures!

Here's some of the latest pictures of our beautiful girls! They are so much fun. Eliana is living up to her middle name "Joy". She laughs all the time. Michaela is a wonderful big sister, playing and loving on Eliana, and is talking so much. We are so blessed to be their parents!

Musings and Goodbyes

Goodbyes are a part of life. And for a missionary kid/now missionary, they have become almost second nature. Not to say that I handle goodbyes in the best way. I've developed some coping strategies to transitions and goodbyes that might or might not be the healthiest. I think I deal with goodbyes in the same way I deal with past friendships. My mom always said that friendship is a blessing from God, given in certain seasons of life. We won't always have a "bosom" friend - in Anne of Green Gables language - but when we do, we should live it up and be thankful for the time we have with that particular person. All that to say, I see friendship as something that comes and goes with the seasons of life. I don't do the greatest job of keeping in contact with past friends - not that they were/ are not important. I guess I feel like sometimes I just don't have the emotional energy to maintain past and present friendships. Which is not to say memories of people and places don't surface with certain triggers. But I've found it easier to just not dwell on my memories of Kenya and of good, good friends. It's just too difficult. When those triggers arise, I might have a good cry - or journal a bit - and then I move on with the present.

I'm rambling. The reason I'm blogging today is because I had to say goodbye again, and I figured that I better put all this down while it's fresh. We said goodbye to the Custers today - it still seems all a little surreal. I can't believe they're gone and not coming back. It's hard to imagine how life will be different here with just 4 families rather than 5 (redistributing responsibilties, changes in team dynamics) - those of you who are on a mission team know that you become close like family. And our friendship with the Custers went back even farther than our team formation. We met Drew and Jamie when they were first dating - Drew was doing youth ministry and we were doing Hispanic ministry at the same church. We double dated a few times during their dating relationship, had many a conversation about our dreams of mission work in South America, Jamie and I endured several difficult years working and teaching in the Memphis school system, and finally through lots of prayer - we committed to working together somewhere in South America. Josh and Drew have been long time prayer partners, and Jamie and I have enjoyed many a "mommy" talk and prayer together as well. All that to say, we will miss them a lot - we'll miss Drew's good humor, vision, leadership and Jamie's sweet spirit, teaching skills and organization. And I'll miss the friendship that I knew would grow up between Hannah and Eliana. Since hearing the news that they were going back, I've been through a roller coaster of emotions (a little bit like the grieving process, because you're 'losing' someone important to you) -again, those who have been on mission teams probably know the best the variety of emotions you go through (and it probably doesn't help that I'm a little hormonal with 1st trimester pregnancy). Mostly I have just been sad. But we are very thankful for the 6 years that we have known the Custers, and the year and a half they were here with us in Cochabamba. They have left their mark on people's lives, on our team, and on us. We pray God's greatest blessing on them as they return to the States - that God would place them somewhere where they will feel fulfilled and content, and would use their many gifts to His glory. We love you guys, Drew, Jamie and Hannah, and will be praying for you as you transition into your new life Stateside.

Bolivian Travels

With the Harding interns here for the summer, opportunities opened up to do a little bit of traveling around Bolivia. We accompanied them to Santa Cruz for the ladies conference, and also on a survery trip of La Paz/ El Alto. Josh took the opportunity of the trip to La Paz to take the interns to a very beautiful and out of the way place in Bolivia called Uyuni, famous for the fact that it has some of the largest salt flats in the world. It is an interesting trip because you can take the train, one of the only remaining functioning train tracks in Bolivia. In addition to all these travels, Josh took some of the interns with him on a day trip to some Incan ruins close to Cochabamba called Inca Rakay. All in all - it made for an interesting summer! Here are some pictures from our (mostly Josh's) travels.


The ruins of Inca Rakay. Archeologists think this may have been some kind of watch post close to the end of Incan territory. They are fairly remote and not very well visited or maintained, but interesting nonetheless. You should have seen the car when they got back! It was covered in about an inch of dust, partly due to the fact that they got lost on the way there and went about 40 minutes out of their way.


On the train to Uyuni. They took the executive train, and Josh was actually pleasantly surprised with its cleaniness and service. He met several interesting people on their train ride as well, a family from Virginia and an Eastern Orthodox Bolivian man who told Josh he needed to do some more studying, as the Eastern Orthodox church is the only true church : )


Josh on the salt flats. The girls and I opted to skip out on the Uyuni leg of the trip, seeing as this time of year it is frigidly cold. They "harvest" the salt and industrialize it, but the good news is that it "replaces" itself. Don't ask me how - I'm not a scientist.


A view from an "island" in the middle of the salt flats.


Josh licking (well, according to him, pretending to lick!) a table made from salt. There is actually a hotel where everything is made from salt.


Josh said he felt like they were one step away from a blockade through the whole trip. They took the train to Uyuni, only to have the tracks blockaded behind them, so they had to take a bus to La Paz (Josh said it felt like they were driving on a goat track the whole way!) We arrived in La Paz only to have the whole city shut down for a civil strike. There is a debate right now whether or not to change the political capital of Bolivia to Sucre instead of La Paz. So the city of La Paz called the strike in support of keeping the capital in La Paz. Thousands of people made an 8 mile walk up to the altiplano to show their support of the strike. One of the church members escorted Josh and the guys in the group on the march. It was a definitely a cultural experience! They actually managed to hitch a ride in a dump truck with about 40 other people for half the way. Here is a picture of Josh in the back of the dump truck.

Is it Time Yet?

Josh recently wrote the following article for our team newsletter. About a week later, Miguel and his girlfriend Gabriella, both made the decision to put the Lord on in baptism. God is good! We are so excited to welcome this wonderful couple into the family of God. Please pray for the many more who are on the brink of making the same decision.

"The gestation period for chickens is 21 days. For rabbits it’s just ten days more than that. Growing up I remember waiting on each of these animals to bring new life into the world. One gets up in the morning wondering if today could be the day. JP our colt took us all by surprise because we didn’t know exactly when the mare had been sired. Usually though, one can know with pretty good precision when to expect the new little ones.
If only one’s birth in Christ were so easy to calculate. Many factors are at stake in determining one’s birth in Christ, namely cultural and familial influence, education and open-heartedness. The scale to calculate the growth and development of a soul is not an exact science but a discipline in waiting on the Lord.
We missionaries are waiting on edge with anticipation as several are on the verge of making a commitment to Christ. Their decision to put Christ on in baptism is neither an easy one nor one made lightly. Often their choice goes against their family’s upbringing and teaching. “Baptism?” the family asks. “But we baptized you on your first birthday.” However difficult the decision, C-section or inducement is not an option. We must rest on God’s time-table. They will be “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:13)
Recently, Butch went out and bought a foldable, PVC-framed baptistery. He actually spent above his budget because he got the next size up. His reasoning? “Well, I wasn’t sure if we were going to get Miguel covered in that other one,” He said. There are many like our large-framed Bolivian friend whom we hope to be “born anew” in the near future. Please be praying for their decision and our patience as we wake each morning with anticipation."

New Pictures

It has been a busy summer for us - and unfortunately, this mom hasn't been very good at taking pictures. But here are a few pictures of our summer events - thanks to one of our interns, Stephanie.

Our newest family picture. Michaela is 26 months, and Eliana is 9 months.


The Cochabamba ladies, Katie, Talia, and I (along with our 2 Harding interns, Rachel and Steph, who have been working with us the last 6 weeks), who went to the Santa Cruz ladies conference. It was encouraging to see many faithful Bolivian Christian ladies uplifting one another. Josh watched the girls at night so I could enjoy the lectures. What a great daddy!


Our VBS class during our gospel meeting. We were helped by the Aggies for Christ who were here for a week. They helping advertise for the campaign, did some service projects for the church, and put together a VBS for us.


Eliana and cousin Zion, enjoying time outside. Erik, Jenny and Zion visited us for a week over the weekend of our campaign.

Giving it to God

Lately, I've been wondering what God is trying to teach me through all the struggles of the last few months. And I think that over the last couple days, the lesson has been driven home in a way that I don't think I have ever understood before...

Thursday night, Michaela started vomiting, and Friday morning started running a fever. I called our doctor, and he thought it was probably some kind of flu virus and gave me some medicines to give her to help with the vomiting. Friday night I was nursing Eliana and putting her to sleep when all of a sudden I heard Josh yelling my name. I rushed out of the room to find him holding Michaela. She was convulsing and then went limp. I have never been so afraid in my life! We immediately rushed out the door and to the car, me calling our pediatrician on the way. I tossed Eliana in her car seat and took Michaela from Josh. He drove like a crazy man from our house to the closest, most reliable clinic - honking, passing cars, hopping curbs, running red lights. And as I was sitting there holding the limp, unconcious body of our Michaela, all I could do was say "Oh, God, please", and keep trying to get her to respond to something - at least she was breathing. I have never felt so helpless before - and Josh kept saying "She's in His hands, Julie." She finally threw up all over me in the car, and that seemed to help her.

We got to the hospital, and rushed her to the emergency room, where she started crying. Our pediatrician arrived shortly afterward - I have never been so happy so see someone in my life! We thought maybe she had an allergic reaction to the medicine, or possibly had hit her head (now we think she fell when she had the seizure, when Josh picked her up at the beginning, he thought the fall triggered the seizure). But Dr. Monroy was almost positive it was a febrile seizure - one related to the fever she had been running.

They put her on an IV, and we stayed overnight for them to monitor her and run some lab work - thankfully, the lab work all came back negative for bacteria (the doctor would have run some more tests for meningitis if it had come back positive), and her electrolytes were fine, which made him sure that it was a virus.

We got home yesterday afternoon, and she's on some meds for the fever, vomiting and an anti-seizure. Her stomach is still bothering her, and she is just really fussy and wants to be held all the time - but she's alive! and talking!

Again, I just wonder what God is trying to teach us through all of this - in my earlier blog, I talked about His sovereignty and I think that's part of it. But I think more than that, He just wants me to give everything to him - knowing it's not my strength, but His.

Josh's swollen lymphnodes - Give it to God.

Stomach viruses and amoebas and colds and strep throat- Give it to God.

Daily frustrations of living in Bolivia - Give it to God.

Surprise! Third baby is on the way! - Give it to God.

Yes, even the lives of your children - Give it to God.

"Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens." Ps. 68:24

Tribute to Moms - Past and Present

Sooo... the newest development in the Marcum house has been that Eliana has amoebas (the doctor thinks she probably got them from her bath water, because try as I might, I can't keep her hands, or for that matter, her feet, out of her mouth). Which in practical terms has meant: tons of runny diapers, a fussy baby with stomach cramps, another round of sleepless nights for Mom and baby, another 10 days of forcing medicine down her throat. Needless to say, mom feels like the world's worst mom because her baby has been sick off and on for the last 2 months (stomach virus, strep throat, a cold, now amoebas). A very wise woman at Livonia (yes, that would be you Rosemary!) told me that "guilt" is every mom's middle name. I told Josh - try as you might to be careful with your second child - it really is impossible to keep Eliana healthy with a runny nosed two year old around your house kissing her all the time.

But lest I digress to far into my pity party - I have been counting the blessings of being a mom in this day and age. Living here has given me a whole new appreciation of what billions of moms in the past and millions of moms in the present (missionary moms, moms who live in 3rd world countries, moms in the States who choose alternative child rearing methods) have to go through on a daily basis. How did/do you guys do it without ....

1) Disposable diapers. Trust me. After having 2 children with stomach viruses and 1 with amoebas (and one child potty training), disposable diapers/ pullups never looked so good. I can't imagine what it would be like washing them out, drying them, folding them, pinning them. For that matter - how did my mom do it without a washer and dryer the first few years of child rearing?

2) Canned baby food. I have a whole new appreciation for moms who make their own baby food now, because I am in the process of doing it myself. Canned baby food is too expensive to buy all the time here. It is an all day process - washing, boiling, pureeing, running it through a strainer, and storing it. And I can't imagine having to do it all without my food processer!

3) Over the counter child medication. This is one of those items that I will stock up on when we go on furlough. The child medication tastes good and is packaged convieniently (here, it tastes terrible and you have to count drops for every kilo your child weighs- really difficult when you're trying to drop it into your baby's mouth and they're screaming). How did parents do it without teething gel, baby tylenol, gas drops etc.? This is another one that I have gained a new appreciation for the last 2 months with so many sickies. For that matter, where would we be without vaccinations? It's hard enough watching your kiddos be sick with common colds and other bugs. I can't imagine having to nurse my child through a deadly or debilitating disease.

4) TV. Now let me preface this one with the fact that I have been reading recently online how TV increases a child's risk for ADHD - and so all of a sudden, the TV has been much more curtailed at our house (no more than an hour a day for Michaela, and preferably none for Eliana). But I have to admit, when I'm putting Eliana to bed and am here all by myself, the TV comes on for Michaela. And in desperate moments, it has been a salvation at times.

5) A baby swing. I went into mourning when I had to pack Eliana's away a couple weeks a go.

6) A breast pump. For my male readers, I won't go into detail on this one, but mine has been invaluable.

8) A myriad of child friendly toys and books. Thankfully, Eliana is at the stage where she can sit up on her own and play with chew toys and cardboard books. So many children and parents in the world live without a single toy in their house, much less a book. Kids in Kenya used to play with balls made out of plastic sacks and rubber bands. And so many of the toys available for toddlers here are so cheaply made, they come apart and are a choking risk.

7) A husband. My hat is off to single mom's - who I know do it all for their kids. I am so, so thankful to have a loving, involved husband and father by my side.

My list could go on and on - baby monitors, rocking chairs, etc. etc. etc.. But the real thing that is keeping me going in all of this is my Father. Knowing the extent of his love for me, the things he has endured, the fact that he is with me day by day every step of the way. How do people do it without Him? Most of all I am thankful for my relationship with the Lord.

Under a Cover of Prayer

For those of you who are in the dark about what has been happening the last couple weeks, I deeply apologize. Part of it was wanting to be sure before we broadcast anything, and part of it has been that we have just been in survival mode.

A couple of weeks ago, Josh started having pain under his arm. At first he thought he'd just pulled a muscle working in the garden, but the pain kept getting worse and worse, and then he noticed a swelling as well under his arm. We thought it just might be a swollen gland, but after a couple days, he was having trouble doing anything with his arm and began having night sweats and cold chills in bed.

So he went to the doctor to get it checked out. The doctor thought it was probably just an infected gland, and gave him a round of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, but because cancer is genetic in Josh's family, though that he'd better do an ultrasound to cover all the bases.

The ultrasound results came back showing not a swollen gland, but 7 lymphnodes of varying sizes. The doctor was fairly alarmed, and said that the surest and quickest way of finding out if the lymphnodes were benign and infected or malignent was to do a biopsy. So a couple of days later, Josh went in for a simple surgery. They made a cut under his arm and took samples from 2 of the lymphnodes.

The results came back on Monday - NOT malignent. Josh said he's never been happier to have an infection in his life!

Like I said earlier, I think we've been in survival mode the last couple weeks with everything that's been going on. I just couldn't think very much about the biopsy, because if I did, then my mind started going over all the "what if's". But, try as I might, it was really difficult to sleep for a couple of days. I think I have a much better understanding of the feelings and thoughts people go through when they hear the word "biopsy"!

But I have never felt, as much as I did at this point in our lives, the peace that comes from the knowledge that we are covered in prayer. Over the last week, we have received more encouraging emails from so many individuals saying that they were praying for us - and so many more emails from individuals saying that they were so thankful with us about the results. I took such comfort in the knowledge that there were men and women of God rallying around us - I could almost picture you: around your tables, in your living rooms, congregating as a church, in your beds, on your knees, in your cars, with your families - praying for us. How can I begin to say "Thank you?"

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Please continue to pray as we consult with the doctors about how to treat this infection. Josh's fevers are gone, but the lympnode under his arm is still swollen and painful.

We are thankful - thankful that the results were not more serious, and thankful that the results allow us to continue with His work, and continue raising our family here in Cochabamba.

We love you all!

Twilight Zone??

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks (I keep wondering when life will slow down - maybe it never does!). Here's a recap of what it's been like in the Marcum household.

1) Rudi and Patti's wedding (see previous blog entry)
2) Josh's parents arrive the night of the wedding to spend a few days with us (For the record - I'm so glad they were here. Of course, visitors always add to the business of life - but it was such a wonderful visit. And, seeing as two of the ladies on our team are in the States right now visiting family (more power to them!), it was really nice to have them - kind of took off that edge of missing my family and wanting to be with them.)
3) Jenny and Erik Reyes and Zion (Josh's sister and brother-in-law) arrive. They are part of a team to Sucre, Bolivia that just arrived a couple weeks ago. They came to Cochabamba, a much more modern and developed city (imagine that!), to do some household shopping. We spent a lot of the week helping them purchase furniture, washer and dryer, household goods etc. Don't get me wrong - it was a joy to help them! We are so excited they are here.
4) I loose my wallet (including Bolivian ID card, American drivers license, credit card and debit card, and about $10) the day Jenny and Erik leave. Needless to say, I was very upset about the whole thing - imagining the paperwork and hours it will take to get a new Bolivian ID, a new American drivers license while in Bolivia, canceling credit cards and getting new ones while in Bolivia. We return to the restaurant where it was left on the table- nothing.
5) Josh leaves on an overnight camping trip with the men of the congregation.
6) Eliana begins running a 102 fever. After about 24 hours I take her to the doctor, and end up waiting 2 and a half hours because he's out on an emergency call. She has a severe throat infection and is on antibiotics (which give her diareaha and and upset stomach and makes for a very fussy baby who won't eat except for nursing). So I haven't had a good night's sleep this week yet, and feel like all I've done is nurse, walk, rock, and hold Eliana (and in my spare time keep up with a precocious 2 year old - who we found sticking DVD's INSIDE the casing of the TV yesterday, requiring us to take apart the TV in order to recover them - and attempt to cook half-way decent meals - our stock of leftovers is nil, thanks to this week). Josh's usual schedule continues - and I feel like this week we've been ships passing in the dark (in a too literal sense, since I've been up half the nights with Eliana.)

All of that is background to the story I'm about to tell you. I recieve a call this morning from the girls' doctor's office, saying that they have gotten some information about my lost documents. At first, I'm confused, (remember this is in Spanish, and I have the hardest time talking on the phone in Spanish) - I think they've lost the girls' doctor records and have recovered them. No, no - someone called their office saying that they found my lost ID card (I had a card for the doctor's office in my wallet as well, so I'm assuming the guy found the card, called the office, asked if they had a patient with my name, and asked them to contact me). I am so excited - my faith in Bolivia restored! The receptionist gives me all the information - name, where he works (office, street and cross street) cell phone number. So I call the cell phone - no answer. Eliana wakes up and Josh can stay with Michaela. So I pack her up in the sling and walk up to the road (about 5 minutes) and catch a bus into town (our car is in the shop). I arrive at the office, walk inside and ask for Diego Fuentes. No one knows him - no one of that name works there. I go outside - look around, ask in all the shops up and down the street, ask the kiosk sellers, ask the shoe shiners. No one knows a Diego Fuentes. After about half an hour of asking everyone in creation and looking the fool, I stand there on the street corner, feeling like I'm in the twilight zone, and ask "What are you doing here, God?" And eventually catch a taxi home.

Okay, so let me ask you. Why would a guy go to extreme measures to call my doctor's office, have them call me, and give me all that false contact information, requiring me to haul downtown with my baby and try to recover my missing papers?

Scenario 1 (suggested by the taxi driver as I was discussing the issue with him on the way home): It was a joke. The more I think about this scenario, the madder it makes me! Some joke to get my hopes up that my missing papers (of which I've already started the process to recover, having called and emailed the Texas State Department to find out the process of getting a new license, filling out the forms and getting the package ready to Fed.Ex.) are found - and require me to go downtown with my baby, wasting 2 hours of my day.

Scenario 2 (which makes me rather paranoid): The man called the doctor's office in an attempt to locate our home address/ home telephone, knowing by my papers that I am a foreigner - for who knows what reason, to take advantage of us in some way.

Anyone have any other ideas??

In an attempt to regain my perspective on life - I've been reading my Bible. Always a good thing to do. I'm studying through the minor prophets (a very good way to put things in context) and just the other day, read the book of Habakkuk. I ended up feeling very humbled - reminded of the sovereignty of God - of how He is God of history, and how my very small problems (not that they don't matter to Him) are small beans in comparison to the world wide problems He dealt with in the past and continues to deal with in our present day. Josh gave me a handbook of the minor prophets, written by Dr. Jack Lewis (one of his previous professors at HUGSR). Habakkuk 2:4 states "the righteous will live by his faith." Dr. Lewis' commentary on that verse went something like this "The righteous man will live by his faithfulness. Running the universe is God's business. The righteous man has his daily tasks to fulfill, and by them he will live [faithfullly]" - faithfully being my addition. Thank you, Dr. Lewis! Those were words I needed to hear. He is the one who "enables me" (Hak.3:19) to walk above all this. May the gracious way I approach every hiccup in my daily life be a witness of my faith and His righteousness.

More Pictures

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Rudy and Patti's Wedding

We have been very thankful the past year for our homestay program on several different notes - yes, there were times that were hard, but it gave us an insight into Bolivian life here, invaluable contacts, and a continuing relationship with a beautiful family. We have been able to celebrate several milestones in this family's life over the past year - a baby shower, the birth of a grandson, birthdays, renewal of their wedding vows after 25 years of marriage, their grandson's baptism and first birthday, and finally the marriage of their daughter. It has given us invaluable insight into the customs and life of the Bolivian people.

We were a little more involved this time than we usually are in other people's weddings. Rudy and Patti asked us if they could hold the reception in our yard - seeing as we have a large, beautiful yard out in the country. We were happy to oblige. In addition, they asked us to be "padrinos" (the term also used for godfathers/godmothers) of the rings. Here in Bolivia - and I'm finding out in many other Latin American countries - when a large celebration is held, in order to help with the cost of the party, friends are asked to be "padrinos" or "sponsors" of some area of the celebration - in this case, Josh and I were "sponsors" of the wedding bands. Which basically meant we paid for them. We said yes before we really understood everything that was involved (lesson learned: investigate local customs before agreeing to them) and were out a little more money than we were thinking, but, oh well - live and learn.

If any of you have ever had a wedding reception in your home or on your lawn, you can sympathize with how much is involved. The wedding party made multiple visits to our home to measure, show friends and family etc. Thankfully the visits were always announced, but sometimes on short notice. The day before the wedding and the morning of, workers came to set up tents, prepare tables and flowers and cakes. Josh was very perturbed when one of the workers drove across our wet lawn (it having rained all night). Michaela was asked to be the ring bearer - so we had to go shopping for a white dress, and acquire a pillow for the rings. The wedding itself started promptly at 10:30 am (much to our surprise) and was a Catholic ceremony lasting a little over an hour. Michaela did marvelously as the ring bearer. At which point the guests proceeded to our house where the civil ceremony took place, followed by a meal (not till 4:00 mind you!) dancing and music - the party lasting until 9:00 that night at which point tents were disassembled, chairs and tables broken down etc., allowing us to retire around 10:30 or 11:00. What a day!

Although we may have had second thoughts about it if we had known how much was involved, looking back both Josh and I agree that we would have done it again. The Arcos were extremely grateful for our hospitality, and we felt that it was a way to not only say thank you to their family for what they have meant to us this last year, but also a way to bless Rudi and Patti's marriage, and to show them how much we truly appreciate and love them.


Michaela, the ring bearer, with Ariana, the flower girl and the mother of the bride


The bride and groom sharing a dance (and a view of the tents in our yard)

Welcome, Sister Talia!

We were overjoyed to celebrate a new birth in Christ this past week. Talia has been faithfully attending our church services, CAFE groups, and Jeff and Katie's English Bible study for the last few months (not to mention studying with both Gary and Katie) and finally committed her life to the Lord in baptism. We celebrated her baptism with a special devotional and "birthday" cake at the Sandovals following her baptism in a close-by hostal (seeing as we are still in the process of finding/making a temporary baptistry). Join us in praying for our new sister.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Michaela!

This mom can't believe that her little baby is now 2 - running, talking, potty training, and getting into everything! I think back on the first time I held Michaela in the delivery room, and I realize how blessed we are that God has granted us the gift of being able to raise this little girl - and I am so thankful for the past 2 years. As I say frequently, I have enjoyed every stage of her development - although some have been more challenging than others : )

We were doubly blessed again this year to have Josh's parents - and this time his sister Jenny, hubby Erik, and cousin Zion - present at Michaela's birthday. The visit was too short - but hey, we'll take anything we can get. We enjoyed every minute of the last 3 days with them.

We had a very low key birthday party - just family, cake and presents (including some presents from my parents which they left with us over their Christmas visit). Michaela finally figured out the candle blowing process after a few tries! Mommy tried her hand at a high altitude angel food cake - which turned out beautifully but took all the eggs in my fridge (not to mention a trip to the grocery store to buy cream of tartar!)

This mom is looking forward to the years to come - and at the same time, looking back with nostalgia at the fun times we've had the past 2! We love you, Michaela! Happy Birthday!


Michaela with her birthday presents


Candle blowing


Michaela's present from mom and dad - her "park" as she calls it


Michaela, Eliana, Nana, Papa, and cousin Zion

Our Girls

Can I say we have the 2 most beautiful girls in the world? Maybe I'm a little prejudiced!

Eliana Joy and Hannah Lynn

We had the Custers over for brunch the other day and it was fun to see that Hannah and Eliana have reached the age where they're actually noticing each other. I can't wait to see the friendship that they develop through the years.

Bath Time at a New Level

Bath time has reached a new level for the Marcum family - because Eliana is now sitting up in her little tub, which makes it much easier to bath both of them at the same time (not to mention making it a lot more fun for both Eliana and Michaela).

Easter Sunday

Sooo... We're putting together our spring team newsletter, and I volunteered to write the article on our Easter Sunday, which we used kind of as an opportunity for a "friends day" - i.e. invite a lot of people to come and celebrate the resurrection with us (being as in Latin American, Good Friday and the crucifixion often times takes the front seat).

Thing is - I wasn't exactly what you would call "present" for most of the morning. Sundays are hard as it is with 2 kids under the age of 2 - for the most part I feel that if I can even understand the basic theme of the sermon, I'm doing well. I feel accomplished just keeping Eliana fed and happy (and if she takes a nap - I've scored!), and Michaela entertained and quiet.

But this Sunday was even crazier! On the way to church, Michaela threw up all over herself in the car. So we got to church and had to change her clothes and wash her down (not to mention prepare the Lord's Supper as it's our responsibility this month and prep a special activity we were doing with the kids in Sunday school in honor of Easter.) Michaela seemed fine, so we decided to stay. Service started - 2 or three trips to the bathroom - nurse and walk Eliana to sleep - sermon starts and I take the kids under 3 to the back room to play so parents can listen - another trip to the bathroom - and Michaela throws up again - this time all over me! I'm dripping vomit in the bathroom, wondering what to do - and remember I have a kanga (Kenyan wrap skirt that I sometimes use as a blanket) in the diaper bag. So I strip down, put on the kanga, pack up the kids and head for home - leaving right after Josh finishes preaching (of which I've heard not a word!)

We get home, get Michaela and I bathed and dressed - a little something to eat and drink - and she throws up a 3rd time - all over the couch. Another bath - and then nap time - so mommy can regain her sanity.

Needless to say - I'm not sure what I'm going to write in our team newsletter. Josh and I were laughing about it - and at the risk of sounding sacriligeous - I could say the 3 throw ups represented the 3 days in the grave which then resulted in a "rising". Enough said! I guess I'll just have to get someone else's input on Easter Sunday.

Two Peas in a Pod

Milestones

Seems like the months are flying by! I can't believe the milestones that the girls are passing and just thought I'd share some pictures of the latest ones. As I was putting Eliana to sleep the other night, I was a little sad at how quickly they are both growing - and so thankful that God has filled our lives with their lovely souls.

First solid food

Feet grabbing

Potty training

Sitting up

Tummy Time