Deck the halls!

Well friends it has been another BUSY week as we get ready to head home for a couple of weeks. We're excited to spend time with many of you who stand behind us as we serve here on the mission field and we're excited to get some rest. Some serious, much needed REST!

We're grateful to those of you have served with us and given over the course of the year and we look forward to what God has in store for 2017. 

A few have asked how they can be a part of our ministry here in the DR and so we're including a link to our support page if you'd like to be a part! There are ways you can give monthly or a one time gift.

https://www.scoreintl.org/product/missionaries/lara-robersy-sarah/

We'll try and be in touch over the holidays - but if not, please understand :) We're celebrating the birth of our Saviour with our family too! 

Here are some photos of a few activities we had with the kids over the last week. Can you see why we need some rest?! :) Hope you take some time from your busy Christmas schedule for some rest too as we celebrate the GLORIOUS coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Game day with the boys.

Proud of these kids :)

Christmas party at Youth Group

Got the kids, haha! Gave them a "dirty" diaper to eat. (Just a Snickers folks!)

More games!

Bowling with some of our top kids this year!

Most of these kids had never held a bowling bowl
and were bowling over a hundred!

Proud of their growth and testimonies!

This is US!

I don't do this very often on my blog, but those who aren't on my Facebook sometimes miss out on our random photos of life. Instead of a fancy dancy blog... here is a bunch of photos to show you what we've been up to over the last few weeks. 

WARNING. Some serious cute shots of Josiah are included :)

ENJOY!

Josiah and his new friend

Trip in to the city with friends after Josiah's doctor appt.

Daddy and son doing their devotions.

Trip to Constanza with the Lily House team

I was in charge of the turkey! EEK!

Before - bright and early!

After - Guess it was good?!

This kid LOVES his daddy!

LOLOLOLOL - Got snapchat

This is EXCITING!!! Groups who have been out to the street with me
know how badly I wanted this bar to CLOSE! Guess what!? Bar is CLOSED

Ministry in a local school. Thankful for the open door!

We had ice breakers, games and a message

Tons of kids!!!

Such a trooper.

Pastor Nate preaching the Word!

HAHA - This is what full-time ministry looks like when you're a full-time momma too :)

In the afternoon we went classroom to classroom instead of
with the whole school. 

The students loved it!

Some of our older teens leading the games. #discipleship

The guys took turns preaching in different classrooms.

Loved seeing some our young people leading well. #discipleship

Felipe, with his lovely wife Anna, leading a class.

We are thankful for the opportunities to serve, rest, laugh and cry with those we "do life" with here in the Dominican. 

Although we are looking forward to some vacation time over Christmas we love what we do and love who we do it with!

Pus.

I can eat it in a house.

I can eat it with a mouse.

I can eat it in a box.

I can eat it with a fox.

Nope. Not green eggs and ham. But every Thanksgiving I look forward to one thing. 

STUFFING! I could eat bowls full of the delicacy any day of the year. Drenched with gravy of course. Is your mouth drooling? Mine is!

Leave the turkey and the apple pie behind. But stuffing? Thanksgiving can not happen without stuffing!

I'm sure you have your favorite dish too, but we know Thanksgiving is more than the food, football and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's a moment to stop and give thanks.

No matter the tests or trials, the bad days or daily struggles, there is ALWAYS reason to give thanks.

Time and time again, (and especially this month) I've been brought to my knees to say "THANK YOU" to the ONE whom all thanks is due. When the world seems to be falling apart all around us, HE is still in control. HE is still on HIS throne.

Yesterday we stopped to say "Thank YOU!" yet again.

It all began last week with what looked like a mosquito bite on Josiah's palm. I noticed it, cleaned it well and continued with life.

Within a few days the "mosquito bite" had developed a white head. We got it checked, cleaned it up and once again, life went on.

Unfortunately the bite (which the doctor thinks started as a spider bite) became really infected and began to spread. Mixed with fever and rash (which we believe was from a tooth coming in at the same time) we became worried and went to the doctor again.

The bite was opened, cleaned and checked again only to come back more agressive over night.

Long story short, we contacted our pediatrician and after sending a photo we were told to go straight to the emergency room. There we were greeted by a surgeon who cut the whole sucker right off my baby's hand. Most expensive spider bite EVER.

Robersy wanted to take photos during the super-fast-mini-surgery but my phone was dead and quite honestly it was NASTY.

So much PUS! (bllllleeeeeuuuughhhh)

But since I know you're all dying to see the nasty bite. Here it is. 

Don't scroll if you're squimish :)

Before

After

After the surgery. Josiah was not impressed.

All better :)

We are thankful for our doctor.

We are thankful that we had borrowed a car and so we had transportation.

We are thankful for the surgeon (they call him McQueen! He has so fast!).

We are thankful for pain meds :)

We are thankful that it was not worse.

And we are thankful for all of you that will pray for Josiah's continued health and healing.

Friends. This Thanksgiving, no matter what you are passing through, give thanks. 

HE is worthy.

What are you thankful for?

Sine Cera - Without wax

Sine cera – “without wax”

To tell you the truth, Spanish is hard enough to learn. After living here off and on since 2009 I still do not have the language down, so you won’t see me trying to learn a new language any time soon.

HOWEVER, I love to use my Wiersbe Bible Commentary (thanks Carter!) when I’m doing my devotions in the morning. It helps understand the words originally used in scripture and then explains content in a way my simple mind can understand :)

This morning I was studying 1 John 2:1-6 which is more than enough verses since it is SO full of such good stuff! You could literally spend hours meditating on this small passage. But Wiersbe used a beautiful description to help me understand the word “sincere.”

“It seems that in Roman days, some sculptors covered up their mistakes by filling the defects in their marble statutes with wax, which was not readily visible – until the statue had been exposed to the hot sun awhile. But more dependable sculptors made certain their customers knew that the statues they sold were sine cera – without wax.”

“Sincera” – Spanish for sincere.

Do you see it? That’s where our word “sincere” stems from.

In our own lives, the heat of tough circumstances, frustrations, difficult co-workers, unforeseen expenses, etc. etc. ETC. quickly melt away the wax. Soon enough the real me, with all my cracks and weaknesses WILL be seen.

Question is… will I hold together?

To tell you the truth. The last few weeks have not been easy.

If you’re not on my Facebook you may not have heard, but two Fridays ago Robersy and a friend went to go pick up our youth group kids as they always do. Robersy drove our Pastor’s truck and a friend drove ours. Since our Pastor’s truck kept stalling Robersy stopped to check it out and sent our friend on to pick up a load while Robersy figured out what was going on.

Not long after we received a call to inform us that there had been an accident.

To be honest. We still aren’t sure exactly what happened. We know from the driver that something didn’t feel right and before he knew it they swerved off the road, down a slope, through a wall and into a hotel parking lot!

No tires exploded. Even driving on a spare.

No one knows what happened.

It was an accident.

Simply.

An accident.

But remember… there were a bunch of kids in the back.

NOBODY got thrown out of the back of the truck.

Contrary to rumors, NO ONE went through the back windshield (a kid’s head hit it, and shattered it, but he only got 5 stiches. He did not go through.)

Only two kids needed stitches, 3 kids and the driver needed x-rays and 1 kid got a cast.

DO WE SERVE AN AMAZING GOD OR WHAT?!?!

Just so you see the result of the Sovereign hand of ALMIGHTY GOD here are a few photos.

 

Honestly, when we got there that night, the kids were sobbing (scared, not hurt) but we were all asking ourselves, how in the world everyone survived.

GOD.

That’s the only answer!

ALMIGHTY. POWERFUL. MIRACLE WORKING. GOD.

And we are eternally grateful. As are the driver and parents of each one of these children.

But can I be “sine cera” with you?

Medical bills and a wrecked truck were unexpected frustrations for us.

Leaving earlier everywhere we go, carpooling, catching the bus are extra frustrations for us – especially with a 9-month-old.

THEN, as if that weren’t enough… both Robersy and Josiah have had some health issues come up. More unexpected frustrations.

And ministry never stops, so we had a full week of long days and late nights during Baseball Week as well as other responsibilities.

……. And the sun beams down on our statute forms. Melting the wax away. Exposing our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. With Satan rubbing his filthy hands on the sidelines wondering, “Will they hold together?”

I will tell you the truth.

I am not Superwoman. I have cried and worried.

And though he is handsome and would look amazing in tights (HAHA), Robersy is not Superman.

But we do serve a SUPER GOD!

The ONE who has promised HE’ll never forsake us.

The ONE who has promised to provide.

The ONE who brings rest to the weary.

The HEALER.

The MIGHTY ONE.

The GREAT “I AM.”

And those cracks, once filled with wax that has melted away must be filled with TRUTH! Because GOD’S TRUTH is what stands strong amidst difficult circumstances.

I have been blessed to hear TRUTH this past week amongst the “busyness” of Baseball week. I have been blessed to hear TRUTH through a group of homeschoolers and women as they served our local missionaries. I have been blessed to hear TRUTH through the study of God’s Word in preparation for Bible studies and discipleship. I have been blessed to hear TRUTH seated at God’s feet.

I don’t know what you’re passing through. Financial burdens, health issues, Spiritual warfare, doubts, unexpected inconveniences…

Whatever it is that is slowly melting the wax away to reveal to most vulnerable and naked you, speak TRUTH. For it is TRUTH that holds us together.

But what is truth? Better... WHO is TRUTH?

Well, why don’t you check that your for yourself :) JOHN 14:6

If you go and look up those verses you deserve to see 4 bonus photos from my birthday lunch and a girl's day with some youth group girls. ENJOY!!!