Sloan Update

     Wow, it's been a long time since I have been able to write anything.  So much has happened and so this will basically just be an update post.

     The end of October I  got to go to my Intensive Medical Training in North Carolina.  Wow, was that awesome!   We learned how to stitch up wounds, splint broken bones, insert stomach tubes, thoroughly examine patients, evaluate and diagnose diseases as well as treat them, and also how to deliver a baby.Very intense two weeks, but a great time.  Made many new friends with people serving all around the world.  

     As soon as we left NC we went to our last meeting in Kentucky, with Bro. Shaver.  From there, we drove to Little Rock, AR where we met some of our dear friends.  They put us up in the Peabody hotel, which was one of the nicest nights of our life!  We stayed in the vice presidential suite.  Nothing like that to make you feel special!  The following morning we drove straight to Austin, TX.

     In Austin, we finished up last minute paper work, shopping, and visiting with friends and family.  Then we  loaded the 30 foot bus with all of our belongings and said our last good byes to our church family.

  

     Friday, Nov. 11th, we crossed the border into Mexico and spent the weekend with our church in Ixmiquilpan, before we headed down to San Cristobal, Chiapas.  We stayed for the next two weeks with my mother-in-law while looking for a house.  On the 18th of Nov. my mother-in-law had her Christmas Banquet and had about 90 ladies come out and there were about 7 ladies that trusted Christ as their Saviour that night.  Since then, we have been running.  Philip and Liz left shortly after the banquet, and Tom took over the church here, until their return.

 

     The Lord provided us with a beautiful house with plenty of room for our family.  Tom's Uncle Lanny drove the school bus down with all our belongings and we have really enjoyed getting unpacked and settled in. * By the way, to anyone needing their belongings transported to Mexico or beyond, I would definitely recommend asking Lanny Ashcraft, as he does this as a ministry to missionaries.  He knows all the roads, can deal with the officials, and the zetas, and does a great job of it all.

     Over the Christmas holidays, we had fun cooking out with church people, getting together with lots of Tom's family and another missionary family the Morris's from Tuxtla.  We started off the New Year at the church having a prayer meeting.  What a great way to start the year!

     Jan. 2 we started school, much the kids disappointment.  =)  They are all doing great and Esther is loving doing pre-K.   Everyone is getting involved in the church, youth groups, soul winning, ladies meetings, van routes.  Tom preached one Sunday for his brother-in-law, Ulises, in three of his churches.  One service he preached a wedding.

     Tom has been taking a group of men every Saturday, to a town about an hour away.  There they have been passing out Chick tracts (450 the first Saturday, and 750 last Saturday).  They are trying to locate a place to hold services so they can start a church in this town.  Also, we will soon be starting another church in another town, Teopisca.  And, another man wants Tom to help him start a mission on the other side of town.  Please pray for all these doors the Lord seems to be opening for us to serve in.  

A sweet lady in Oklahoma gave us 10,000 chick tracts and in less than a month (we started on Dec. 25th) we have nearly run out.   If you would be interested in helping us buy more chick tracts, please let us know.  People are so eager to receive tracts, it is exciting!!  We are so thrilled to be used of the Lord!!!  We would really like to thank each of our faithful supporters.  What a blessing you are to this missionary family.

Happy Anniversary to My Wonderful Husband

It's 4:00 AM in the morning and I am wide awake, partly from the excitement of being back in Mexico, and partly because today is my 18th anniversary.  We won't be going away for an anniversary trip, or even going out to eat anywhere special, instead we are  headed back to Ixmiquilpan for the weekend to see all our wonderful people.  Isn't that the best present we could have on our anniversary?!

I'm not one to write a bunch of mushy stuff about my husband on this blog, it would embarrass him to no end, but today is an exception right?!  Yesterday as we headed in to Mexico I thought of the first time we drove across the border together, wow!!!! how different it is now.  (I will be writing a blog post on that later.)  My husband used to be more of an introvert, (you wouldn't know it now), and crossing the border was extremely stressful for him.  Yesterday I watched in awe,  as my husband made friends with all the border officials.  Even those that seemed like they were going to be difficult, couldn't resist my husbands genuine hand of friendship.  We were stopped three times, once at a check point, and two times from federales in cars, each time my husband made friends, witnessed to each one and was able to pray with another one.  I sat there and beamed with pride at the man I am married to.  One of the officers was even from San Cristobal and will be back there in another week.  He wants to come have supper with us!  God is so good.  What used to be the most stressful time in our lives has become a great time to witness!

I also watched my husband yesterday with his children, and how much he enjoys them.  We all sat around the table at the restaurant and just laughed and told old Mexico stories.  I watched as the girls ran to be near their dad on the walk back, and then how he helped little Esther when she fell and skinned her knee.  So wonderful to watch this great man.

But best of all was when he hugged me and told me how much he loved me....oooh can a girl resist that?!

So, Happy Anniversary to the best husband in the world!  I love you, Babe!

(I wanted to add a photo of my husband, couldn't find one he would like on my computer,  then didn't have internet for days. So, this is a bit late,  but I just must post this=)

All Things To All Men

This has been a wonderful, wonderful nearly two weeks!  While I will be doing a post soon on everything I have been able to learn here at Equip, I wanted to post one of our devotionals we had this week. 

The Christian worker has to learn how to be God's noble man or woman amid a crowd of ignoble things.

"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."  (I Cor. 9:22)

    The Christian worker has to learn how to be God's noble man or woman amid a crowd of ignoble things.  Never make this plea - If only I were somewhere else!  All God's men are ordinary men made extraordinary by the matter He has given them.  Unless we have the right matter in our minds intellectually and in our hearts affectionately, we will be hustled out of usefulness to God.  Many people deliberately choose to be workers, but they have no matter in them of God's almighty grace, no matter of His mighty word.  Paul's whole heart and mind and soul were taken up with the great matter of what Jesus Christ came to do, he never lost sight of that one thing.  We have to face ourselves with the one central fact - Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

     "I have chosen you."  Keep that note of greatness in your creed.  It is not that you have got God but that He has got you.  Here, in this place, God is at work, bending, breaking, moulding, doing just as He chooses.  Why He is doing it, we do not know; He is doing it for one purpose only - that He may be able to say,  This is My man, My woman.  We have to be in God's hand so that He can plant men on the Rock as He has planted us.

 Excerpt taken from Morning and Evening with Oswald Chambers

We have to be in God's hand so that He can plant men on the Rock as He has planted us.

My Favorite Time of the Year ....FALL!

It's my favorite time of the year again...Fall!  Which means Christmas is right around the corner.  But fall means all those yummy smells of cinnamon and spices, fresh baked pies, apple cider, hot chocolate.  It means nice chilly mornings, beautiful walks among the trees with changing leaves, some falling to the ground and crackling under foot.  It means all those bright orange pumpkins, scarecrows, hay rides and banjo playing and the kids singing fun songs.  It means Thanksgiving!  I just love fall!

This fall we are in a hurry and scurry trying to get everything done before we leave in just a couple of weeks.  Hopefully our van will be fixed today so we can head out early tomorrow towards North Carolina, where I will begin my missionary medical training.  I am so excited and have been studying very hard for these classes. 

We have also been doing last minute shopping, paper work, packing belongings for shipping.  Oh, how exciting!  We can hardly wait to return home to Mexico.  But we need your prayers!  There are still many days of travel thru Mexico, with danger lurking along the way.  

Specific prayer requests:  No van troubles -  no problems with officials, or cartel - uncomplicated, fast border crossing. Can you pray for us?

**Please check out the side of my blog, and leave your email to receive automatic updates, as well as be my friend.  I just love comments, too.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit this beautiful fall day!

Sloan children sing!!!

Ok, so maybe I am a little prejudiced, but I love listening to my children sing.  I found these on YouTube and thought I would share them.  Don't recall where the first one could have been taken, but the second one was at Central Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA.   Hope you enjoy!!

*NOTE* I've never done this before and can't figure out how to keep all the things from popping up after video is played.  Sorry. 

Missionary Medical Training

I can hardly wait!!  Just two weeks and I start my missionary medical training!  I got my book and have been studying.  I've even been practicing!

Hank cut his finger all the way to the bone, so you know what that means.....Practice time!!  Well, I didn't actually get to do the stitching, I just got to remove the stitches.  Hope you don't get queasy about things like that. 

Hank considers this his initiation into manhood.  Reckon???

I have been practicing taking the kids blood pressure, too. (Notice the unenthused look on Joanna's face!)  Esther kept careful watch on everything from the stitches removal to the blood pressure reading.  She hates for anyone to suffer pain, and said she didn't want anyone else "to get blood" (cut like Hank). Ok, so I haven't gotten to practice very much, at least not as much as I would like or that my friend and fellow missionary Carie Means has been doing (check it out).  She is going to do the training classes, too.  Which is great since she is already a midwife (isn't that wonderful!), and hopefully will be able to help me learn all this really fast!!

A great big Thank You to Silvery Lane Baptist Church and 

Pastor Staub for making this possible for me!!   

  
Please keep me in your prayers as there is a lot to learn in a short time, and I won't get to see my family for many days.  (I have never been away from them all for longer than 24 hours.) 

New Blog Button

Hey wonderful readers!! I am so impressed with all the wonderful blog tutorials all over the web.  They have really made it easy to understand how to make a blog button.  I actually did it!!

You can see it better on my side bar, and below it I posted the code so that if any of my wonderful friends and readers would like to, you can add this button to your side bar.  All you have to do is copy the code below the button and (for blogger - not sure for word press) under design, add a gadget.  Add the HTML/Javascript gadget and paste my code into content, save and TA DA!!

SO.....Would you, could you on your blog?  =)