Nativity or Crèche?

Do you have a "nativity" in your house this Christmas season? Well, I would like to challenge you a little bit.

Growing up, I was surrounded by people that called it a "crèche" (say "kresh"). Through the years, I have always called it a crèche, and have had many people ask me about it. And, as a person that wonders why..... I did some research. So, let me share it with you.

According to dictionary.com a nativity is defined as "birth." This is all and good, until you read the definition of crèche. Crèche is defined as "a small or large modeled representation or tableau of Mary, Joseph, and others around the crib of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem, as is displayed in homes or erected for exhibition in a community at Christmas season."

WOW. It is pretty cool, that all those years that Mimi referred to it as a crèche, she was actually teaching me something. So, it is now my mission, as it is most Christmas seasons.... to teach people what the real name of that "manger scene" is that we all sit on our tables or mantles. So, would you rather refer to it as just birth or something that actually includes a brief description of the birth of Jesus? I know what I prefer.

So, Mimi....as a tribute to you....I would like to say thank you for teaching me the true meaning of the fun scene we lay out...using just ONE word! I am so blessed.

The difference of Arkansas and Wisconsin

We just returned from our trip to Illinois and Wisconsin... and then a few stops in Missouri on the way back. It was kind of cool to have the opportunity to Trick-or-Treat in my old neighborhood, Pebble Valley, in Waukesha. Wow, how the memories flowed! So, there are a few things that I really loved about being there instead of Arkansas for Halloween! Let me tell you a little bit about the differences:

Arkansas - A child comes to the door, says "Trick-or-Treat", and some person, usually with NO smile, comes to the door. They may say "here you go" or something to that extent, but that's about it. There are very few exceptions to this, that we have encountered!
Wisconsin - A child comes to the door, says "Trick-or-Treat", and usually they don't even have to ring the door bell because the person is there waiting for them to arrive. They smile, and ask if they are having fun. We even had a house that asked the kids to "sing a song" for their candy. What fun!

Arkansas - The parents usually stay in the car, and you would never see them having a good time with their kids. Now, there are SOME exceptions to this, but very few!
Wisconsin - This was the funny part - the parents are walking around with their kids.... carrying beers! :) We got a kick out of that - I even took a picture! (Note: Andy and I were NOT two of the people carrying a beer!) Oh the joys of being in Wisconsin. The parents were having just as good of a time as the kids. We talked to one of the neighbors that was sitting on his porch and he made the statement "when my kids were doing this [edutors note: one of his sons went to school with me while we lived there in 4th through 7th grade] we always had a wagon with a Keg in it! Those were the good ol days" (he was referencing our discussion about the beers). We even had a police officer pull over by us (Pete - my best friend's husband - was scared he would be in trouble for carrying his "open container").... and he gave the kids a happy halloween bag with candy and goodies in it! He told the kids to have a good time... and headed on his way.

Arkansas - Trick-or-Treat starts on Halloween - usually after dark. And, your houses door bell could be rung until all hours of the night.
Wisconsin - Trick-or-Treat is SCHEDULED for each neighborhood or city. Sometimes it is even in the daytime (I remember that when I was a kid). Also, it may not be on October 31st - it could be the weekend before, or something like that. This year, in Pebble Valley, it started at 5:00 on October 31 and went until 7:30. This was nice because there was some time with light and some without.

Overall, I think Andy really enjoyed the Halloween experience in Pebble Valley, too. It was fun for me to see "old friends"...walk through my old neighborhood... and make statements like "we used to ride our bikes on this court. We would start at the top... and try to get to the other side without peddling because it was downhill and then up." I think Andy and Pete were sick of hearing me say stuff like that by the end of the night - oh well, Tanya and I enjoyed it. I really loved Pebble Valley... and still love it today - 20 years later. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you do something like take your kid trick-or-treating there... you realize how nice it is. Maybe everywhere in Wisconsin is like that. Who knows. But, the memories are very overwhelming to me 20 years later. I thank God for the opportunity to take this trip - it really meant a lot to me! I hope you enjoyed your Halloween as much as I did!

Special Note: This was not intended to be a "bash Arkansas" blog update. It was more to show the differences that we encountered. I love Arkansas. There are just some things that I think could be improved upon when it comes to Halloween. It is about our kids, after all! And, couldn't it be fun for the grown ups too?

Sharing about Honduras

Well, today, I got the priveledge of sharing some pictures of Honduras, the people, and some places.... with the young kids of Grace Church. Not the 3 year old group... but the elementary/middle school group.

A few weeks ago, they asked me to come because they were talking about "going" and what that meant from a missionary standpoint. The kids had some great questions, and some really neat things have come from this little talk. So, they asked me to come back with some pictures to SHOW them what I was talking about.

I really enjoy sharing about "our Honduras". It really excites me to know that people (and in this case little people) want to know. My God is huge, and I believe that people can see that through some of the pictures that were shared today. I started out showing them where, exactly, Honduras is. Then, showed them pictures of "houses" in the neighborhoods that we work. I started with the worst (see picture above). This home is up in the Opalaca Mountains, and it is very difficult to imagine living in it. Much less, living in something worse, which many families have up there! The kids were amazed. "It looks like there is fabric on the walls, Miss Corbett", they said! And, "the walls are not whole!" (Implying that there is space between the wood slats)

I knew these pictures would be interesting for them, and that's the reason I chose them. But, I believe that these kids have an idea that they live in an incredible world. One full of clean water, electricity, washing machines, and above all, a house with walls that stop the elements. I can only hope that even one of these children remember this... and will someday... be attempting to bring God into others lives in a way we couldn't even imagine. I pray for our children of today... and for God to make an impact through someone that is put in their path.

Fire Proof

Wow. Last night, we saw the movie Fire Proof with Kurt Cameron! Well, the consensis from everyone was that it was a little cheesy, but a good overall movie. After I came home, I went to the website recommended at the end of the movie fireproofyourmarriage.com. I was excited to see that "The Love Dare" is indeed available, and is on the NY Times bestseller list as #1 (as of 10/10/08). How exciting!

So, this was a good movie. I had heard that we would cry and laugh. We did that (or at least I know I did). It was interesting to see the things in this movie that are both directed towards the men... and some at the women. I really liked how the father brought back around the information about coming to Christ as they were standing at the base of the cross on their little walk.

I don't want to say too much because, if you haven't seen it.... I don't wanna spoil it. I am still trying to process the movie, and trying to figure out where I need to apply it in my own life. I can only hope and pray that God will give those answers to me. And, I will DEFINITELY be going to purchase "The Love Dare". I am thankful that I have a husband who loves me, and I him.... and we will hopefully never be at the same point of this couple. But knowing that there is a book out there that will encourage you to do the right things... NOW.... is a good thing.

I am excited to see and hear how God works through this movie in both my own marriage, and in others around me. Please, share.

Do you ever wonder what kids are thinking?

As we got out of the car at Vazant's Fruit Stand (and Pumpkin Patch this time of year).... Makenzie kept thinking that we were going to buy the plastic pumpkin that you get to put your candy in. We kept telling her, while on the way, that we were going to buy REAL pumpkins...

So, she gets out... spots the wagons.... and then looks a little farther and sees large selection of pumpkins in small "patches" throughout the land in front of us. She then realizes these are real pumpkins. She kept saying that she wanted to buy her "a yittle one"... and "a big-uh one for mommy and a big-uh one for daddy, too".

Wow. She was overwhelmed by the large selection. Then, before long, she started realizing that we were actually going to go home with a pumpkin (or 2 or 3) for her! So, she started looking for "a yittle one". She went to a rather large one.... and then over to some smaller ones. Andy and I found a few smaller ones in one section, and started to point them out. We would point directly to one... and she would go to a different one. Then, when we said, "no - that one"... she said "where?" as if we could just say "the pumpkin right there". She didn't seem to be able to distinguish between a little bigger or a little smaller pumpkin. So, we found a few small ones, laid them all side-by-side, and said which one would be better? She said "I want this one, and this one and this one". Of course, we were planning to go home with ONE for her.

And, at the moment that we THOUGHT we had picked one out, daddy spotted another section with small pumpkins. And, it all began again.

She had in her mind what she wanted. And, after talking about what we wanted to "paint" on the pumpkin (because she is so young, we will paint this year).... she decided a PINK smiley face. Now the search begins for the smiley face that she wants. God help us! :)

50 States in 50 Days

50 States in 50 Days, are we CRAZY?
We have launched an endeavor while we are in the US and we need your help. We are building an incredible Prayer Support Team for the Warren Family. Our goal is to have someone in each of the 50 states to be praying for our ministry on a regular basis.
The reason for this new goal is twofold. First, to have people all across our home country to be praying for our ministry and everything that goes along with it. Second, to have the opportunity to hear from our Prayer Support Team, of their prayer needs, and send up prayers from Honduras.
"And, how can I help?" Well, we obviously don't have contacts in every state. You, however, Do! We only have a few states covered. Would you consider forwarding this to select people across the US and have them write us? We feel like this is going to be a really cool experience, and can't wait for you to be a part of it.
We have listed the states below that we have committed prayer warriors for our ministry, as a guide. If you would like to be one of these, please, write back and let us know.
We are serious about this, and want you to seriously consider this as well.This is going to be a fun exercise. How cool will it be to see prayer warriors from every state in America praying for Honduras, and for the students of Honduras praying for every state?
Thanks for your prayers as we build this incredible team of people by October 20th! (And, as we send our updates, we will give you our progress report!)
Arkansas
Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Wisconsin

Andy, Corbett and Makenzie

The Power of Prayer

<---Baby Albertina

Through the teams that have been down, we have completed several health clinics. While visiting the Opalaca Mountains, we found baby Albertina. She was 5 months old, and weighed somewhere around 3 ½ pounds. She was malnourished, underdeveloped, and our doctors were not real sure how she was still alive! We brought her down to La Esperanza, where she spent a few weeks in the hospital, and before heading back to her native home, she weighed around 5 pounds, was much more responsive, and actually had life behind her little eyes.

During another medical clinic we found a girl that was under 1 year old. This child was completely unresponsive to hearing and eye tests – and almost seemed like a baby doll that had no life in her eyes. We prayed for her, and about 30 minutes later, we returned to find the “glaze” removed from her eyes, and the girl responsive to the eye tests! Both of these children are doing much better, and have experienced the power of prayer first hand. We are grateful for the opportunity that we had to be around these kids, and we continue to pray that God will keep them healthy in their difficult home situations.