Go to http://www.xanga.com/ColletteGang to hear all about the Ecuador Mission Trip- with photos as well.

My youngest daughter, Kelsey (17) and I are off to Quito Ecuador very early in the morning of the 28th and will return very late on the 5th. We are both excited and a little nervous at the same time I think. Doing the missionary work isn’t my worry it is the language barrier. I know ZERO Spanish! So I keep asking myself, How is God going to be able to use me if I can’t communicate? This is new ground for me and I am praying that God can use me in ways I never thought possible.

I am also looking very forward to having a week with my daughter and doing what we both like to do- serve! She is a special young woman and it is exciting to see God in her life on a daily basis. This will be a Memory Moment as we mom’s put it. I will never forget it I am sure.

No internet where we are headed so will have to clue you all in when I get back. Please pray for safe travel and loads of blessings to the children of the Quito Dumps. Pray that we are able to communicate God’s love to them all.

See you in a week! Adois’

Well the Cornerstone University Cross Country team is headed to Nationals in Kentucky for the first time ever. Dave and I are driving down on Friday and spending the weekend with Drew and the team as they see how fast they can run
Should be a great time. But it brings the season to a close but never fear Indoor Track Season begins after Thanksgiving. Yeah
If you think of it, say a prayer for the guys as there are some major injuries in the top 5 runners but they are running through the pain. So pray for numbness!

There is this young couple, Lindsey and Bill, they have just had their little Jackson Riley become one of God’s Angels this morning. I can not even imagine the pain and hurting that they are both going through as they fought so hard for Jackson in battleing his liver disease. All I can ask is that you pray for them and both of their families as this is one of the hardest times they will ever go through.
Praying…….through the tears…but praying for you all!

So out of the blue God lays this mission field in my lap.  Sunday at church there is this little blurp about a Christmas Project in the Quito Dump-  well I have seen some footage on this and it is not pretty.  Basically there are on a average around 300 children (ages 1 and up) that literally live in a garbage dump.  No parents!  No one to help them in any way.  Just living there and trying to get through another day with out being too hungry.

So instantly I know that I will help with this project.  I assumed that it meant getting packages together and gathering things to send over there and what not.  I am good at that- Good call God- thanks for showing me this need that you want me to be part of.  So I go ahead and e-mail the missions pastor and tell him that not only myself want to get invovled, but my daughter Kelsey as well (she has the only other mercy gift in our household).

Pastor Brad says that is awesome because the church is willing to pay for four people from the church to go so you would only have your airfare to deal with.  WHAT AIRFARE?  I am sending STUFF not ME!  Little did I know what God really had in store for me and Kelsey.  But we are pressing forward!

So yes Kelsey and I are heading to Ecuador on November 28th through December 5th to go to several Dumps and have major Christmas parties (again I am good at the party stuff- God knew that) and most of all share love with them and Christ.  I am not a person who likes to be in dirty places- but God is opening my eyes more and more as He leads me down this road called life.  Pray for Me!  Pray for Kelsey!  But most of all Pray for these little ones.  Here are a few samples of the little ones who we will be opening the Word to.

(Drew is the guy in the shades- He said it was for the sun- I said it coevered up the pain he was in.  This was taken at the finish line.)

Saturday I spent the day in Marion Indiana- yeah I know what is in Marion- what was there was the Regional Meet for the NAIA College Cross Country Teams.  My son, Drew, is a freshman at Cornerstone and was of course running in this meet.  Cornerstone is a very good team when they are healthy-  but this past two weeks they have seen 4 of their top 7 runners get some major injuries that should have sidelined them from running (Drew included); but this team knew this was their year!  Cornerstone has never been to Nationals and this was their best year if they were going to make it- but they needed their top 3 to run.

Derek is their number one runner- his injury- just a stress fracture in his FOOT!  Drew is number two- his injury- and IT Band that doesn’t allow your leg to fully extend and it causes shooting pain up your legs when pressure is applied- and Wes who has been dealing with many injuries that have actually had in him a cast until two days before regionals.  So that gives you an ideal as to the pain these guys are in.  They had to come in second to go to Nationals.

These guys with the power of God behind them all ran in the race and dropped their times by some as much as 32 seconds (that is alot in running) .  As each of them came across the finish line they collaped on the ground in agony- some crying from the pain and others unable to walk because of it.  They gutted this race out and God has blessed them with taking second and allowing them to go to Nationals in Kentucky.  How cool it was to watch the determination on their faces while at the same time seeing the shear pain they each were in.  I was never more proud of a young group of guys who ran for the team and not them selves.  Hard to watch as a mom knowing your kid is hurting but still fun to watch at the same time.

If your interested go to their website and read the article about the race- it tells it all. http://www.cornerstone.edu/athletics/mens_cross_country/

Halloween was a blast this year, mainly because Jake was here and having a ton of fun handing out candy to the little ones at the door. I think we took like a million photos but this one I liked the most I think. He is a ham and a hunk of burning love.

I was doing my bible study today - the one I told you about yesterday (Secrets of the Spiritual Life) and I am doing a chapter on Eternity.  I am jumping all over in the Psalms- like  27:4; 16:11; 23; 90:1; and then I get to Psalms 91 and I am like have I never read this before- of course I have.  But today as I was reading it and studying it a few things just gave me a little eye opening experience. Like….

Verse 4- It says He will cover you (me) with his feathers and under his winds you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield ..

How cool is that verse!  He is taking me under His wings and protecting me from evil.  I love it.  Then..

Verse 11- says He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot againsst a stone.

He is ordering His Angels to guard me-  little ole’ me.  Thats how special we are to Him.  Then the biggie hit..

Verse 15- you will call on me, and I WILL Answer you; I will beWITH you in trouble and WILL deliver you..

I never really read that verse correctly until today- it says He will be with me in my troubles and will deliver me.  I never thought of my troubles with God standing there in the middle ofthem with me.  What a different perspective and how encourageing to know that I am not alone and can do ALL things with Him next to me.

Have a blessed day!

I love Cider and Donuts! This is why I love October! The girls and I always make at least a couple of trip every October to a few Cider Mills just for this favorite treat. When you think about it Eve could never have chosen an apple from the forbidden tree because they can make the best things out of apples. Okay how random was that….

Lets see what else…I am working through a book called Secrets of the Spiritual Life by Rich Stevenson. So far tvery good. It is a great book to turn into a study. Some of the things that God is teaching me through this study is that I need to Trust Him; Give Grace to others; Have some Humility; Show Generosity to others; Stay focused on my Daily Devotions; take some Risks for Him; and most of all Be Ready at All times to Share about Him.

So I am working on these things and spending lots of time with Jake as well while Niki is back at school an waitressing 6 nights a week. Loving the time with just Kelsey at home- boy she is a sweetheart! Also getting to see Drew run about every other weekend. Went to Kentucky this weekend to see him- what a blast!

Thats it for this house today!