tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52582242024-03-21T12:19:48.900-07:00the acoustic lifelife, faith, and other random stuffabelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-65321334356763628562018-04-16T09:16:00.001-07:002018-04-16T09:16:09.843-07:00Just Dance Challenge BTS<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-qRYcZ2YIcM" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
A Behind the Scenes look at that mystery drink Rachel concocted to make the loser of the last Wednesday Twins Day drink.abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-56478060475546480332018-04-04T13:12:00.001-07:002018-04-04T13:12:38.478-07:00Welcome to the PartyOf8<br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You found us, welcome to the PartyOf8. So who are we? We're a family that loves God, loves people, and loves having fun together.<br />
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<div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-87702269745069860052018-03-19T09:35:00.001-07:002018-03-19T09:35:16.412-07:00LASER TAG BIRTHDAY PARTY // PARTYOF8 VLOG 17<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npyEXaGe2Vs" width="480"></iframe><br /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This one is all about Taylor's laser tag birthday party. A couple weeks ago our girls were invited to their friend's birthday party. They were so excited to be doing laser tag at their home. They had a blast.<br />
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<div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-36772597565228099112007-10-14T22:23:00.000-07:002008-08-09T22:02:41.461-07:00new site and rss feed (updated 7.30.08)<span style="font-style:italic;">UPDATE: since writing this post i have decided to stop using iWeb and am now using Wordpress. the web address is still the same but the rss feed changed. i have updated the post with the new rss feed.</span><br /><br />as mentioned in the previous post the new post is up and running. so if you're reading this post you either have:<br /><br />the old site boomarked: http://abendeblara.blogspot.com<br />or<br />you have the old RSS feed: feed://abendeblara.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default<br />bookmarked in your feed reader (safari, firefox, google reader, etc)<br /><br />------------<br />so it's time to update your bookmarks.<br /><br />the new site is at: <a href="http://www.theacousticlife.com">www.theacousticlife.com</a><br />and the new feed for the blog is: <a href="feed://theacousticlife.com/feed">feed://theacousticlife.com/feed</a><br /><br />there's more to the site than just that. and there will be more as time goes on. be sure to click on the link on the right to view our pics and video web gallery.<br /><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. ibuprofen<br />2. rss<br />3. making elia's day with a discount on <a href="http://www.playfirst.com/game/weddingdash">this game</a><br />4. sunday naps<br />5. a clean living room!<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-7726194544956910812007-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:002007-10-12T11:41:43.327-07:00it's happening later todayi'll be transferring this domain name over to my new site later today. for now you can visit the site here:<br /><br /><a href="http://web.mac.com/abelara">http://web.mac.com/abelara<br /></a><br />have a good day!<br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. not having sick kids<br />2. a little girl that walks<br />3. fall weather<br />4. cars that run<br />5. 73 days till Christmas!<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-34948254577803185332007-10-04T07:21:00.000-07:002007-10-04T07:29:20.124-07:00making a switch sometimegreetings readers!<br /><br />i've recently gotten a <a href="http://www.mac.com">.mac</a> account and will be trying to transfer this blog over to <a href="http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb">iWeb</a>. i'm not really sure how to go about this, since i'd like to transfer all existing blog posts over to it as well. so it may be a while or if i find a quick and easy fix it may be soon.<br /><br />what this means is that you may or may not need to update your bookmark or rss feed (depending on how you read this site.) when the transition is complete the address will still be: <a href="http://www.theacousticlife.com">www.theacousticlife.com</a><br /><br />so if that's what you use to read the site nothing will change for you. if you're still using the old: www.abendeb.blogger.com it will bring you to this site and not to the site with the updated content. and as for the rss feed? i know that it will still have an rss feed, but i don't know if that feed url will be different or the same what it currently is.<br /><br />i'll post one more time from this site just before i officially make the switch. just to let everyone know.<br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. cookies<br />2. fall weather<br />3. a car that runs<br />4. genius kids<br />5. a seven year old that's happy to have <a href="http://www.heelys.com/">heelys</a> (thanks elia)<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-33744240029790468002007-09-29T06:47:00.000-07:002007-09-29T07:05:09.153-07:00rest in peace sing and dance in joy!last night was my father's memorial services, and this morning we have the graveside service. it was good to hear so many good things said about my dad. <br /><br />it had been 11 years ago that he got his liver transplant; and kidney failure soon after that. and so for over a decade of his life he was very different than what he was like before. it was good to remember his personality before. and it was really good to see the <a href="http://www.theacousticlife.com/2007/09/9192007.html">picture of him</a> (the one in the previous post - in color) shown up on the screen for most of the service. he looked young, vivacious, and happy.<br /><br />so dad it's good to know what a wonderful legacy you've left behind. and it's even better to know that you're not suffering from disease anymore. you're singing and dancing with joy in heaven right now.<br /><br />for those who didn't know my dad, here's his obituary that ran in the local papers:<br /><blockquote>Reverend Isaias Lara, a Prosser, Washington resident for 27 years, at the age of 75 died in his home on September 19, 2007.<br /><br />Surviving are his wife, Virginia Lara of Prosser and his former spouse, Consuelo Lara of Fresno, CA and eight children: David and Priscilla Lara of Fresno, CA; Daniel Lara of West Covina, CA, Deborah Moore of Whittier, CA; and Elizabeth (Lisa) Jack of Arcadia, CA; Abraham Lara of Grandview, WA; Magdalena Najera of Prosser, WA; and Elia Belmares of Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. He is also survived by his only sister Neomi Hall of Downey, CA and 15 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.<br /><br />He is preceded in death by his parents Juan and Elia Lara and granddaughter; Abigail Najera.<br />Reverend Lara was born in Galveston, TX on October 22, 1931. He grew up as the son of Reverend Juan Lara, an evangelist, who raised the church Mission Belen in Los Angeles, CA. He married Consuelo Lara on March 1, 1957. Together they had 5 children. <br /><br />After many years of prayer from his family, he accepted the Lord while at the Men’s Honor Ranch in Saugus, CA. Upon his release, after 11 months, he returned to Fresno where he preached and witnessed through the rugged streets of China Town. <br /><br />After the death of his father he founded his own church, Templo Belen, in East Los Angeles. The church merged into the Santa Pentecostes Conference where he became Assistant Supervisor until 1975. He ministered in southern California and also traveled to Baja California as an evangelist.<br /><br />Later in life he married Virginia Trujillo, together they had 3 children. They moved to Washington in 1980 to help build the Principe de Paz church in Grandview, WA.<br />He pastored a Hispanic congregation, Full Gospel Assembly, for 14 years in Prosser. He also ministered through a weekly radio program. Isaias enjoyed raising cattle on a 10 acre ranch he owned. During this time he maintained his own upholstery business. He also pastored La Nueva Jerusalem church in Caldwell, Idaho in 1996.<br /><br />In addition to his diabetes, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of his liver and in 1996 he received a transplant. Today he stands with the Lord free from disease and pain.<br />A viewing will be held on Friday, September 28 at the Grandview Assembly of God from 3 to 7 pm; with a memorial service beginning at 7 pm. On Saturday, September 29 at 10 am there will be a graveside service at the East Prosser Cemetery.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. his leadership<br />2. his legacy<br />3. his laughter<br />4. his love<br />5. his life<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-69763182571178956352007-09-19T19:04:00.000-07:002007-09-19T22:08:50.541-07:009/19/2007<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtqTjhRcW3E5cJsUvNB_-uHB1wA8M-jqFBu5mMODSbm_7NakftEB6-DZepfnIeLK9zXzsSux0eS9DWklalUNYrwxg2efUevUvfltuID5_xqriKvU0vInHAvyrAaM2SwCAe219/s1600-h/bw+good+pic+of+dad.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 518px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtqTjhRcW3E5cJsUvNB_-uHB1wA8M-jqFBu5mMODSbm_7NakftEB6-DZepfnIeLK9zXzsSux0eS9DWklalUNYrwxg2efUevUvfltuID5_xqriKvU0vInHAvyrAaM2SwCAe219/s400/bw+good+pic+of+dad.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112112059619268514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >Rev. Isaias Lara (1931-2007)</span><br /></div><br /><br />my father passed away this afternoon. he was a month shy of his 76th birthday. his condition has been frail for the last few years so it wasn't really a surprise. but as is the case with any death, it catches you off guard.<br /><br />it's hard to describe what my feelings were when i first found out (by a call from my sister) or even in the hours afterward. i mean for the past 10 years or so there have been various times that i've thought about what my reaction should be when i first heard and now it's finally here.<br /><br />i felt my heart sink. not because my father had died necessarily but because the time i knew had been on the horizon, was finally here and i would have to face all the feelings that come along with that in the days, weeks, and years to come.<br /><br />i didn't really feel like breaking down and crying the moment i heard. in fact i don't think it really hit me what had happened until i had to explain it to some of the school staff as to why i was leaving early. it was actually saying the words out loud. "my father just passed away." i said those words and i felt my voice start to quiver. and a lump in my throat swell.<br /><br />but i think my highest point of grief (thus far) came when we got to my dad's house. we were all in my parent's bedroom; my dad lying dead on his recliner chair. none of us were really sure what to say. besides our family some paramedics and a police officer were in the room. but there was a moment that deborah left the room and went to the piano and began playing the old hymn: "i'll fly away." and some other hymns like "it is well with my soul".<br /><br />i started to cry, others in the room began to cry as well. it was very fitting.<br /><br />we have family in southern california and minnesota that will be coming to the funeral. so it will probably be next week sometime.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. family<br />2. faith<br />3. memories<br />4. friends<br />5. my dad<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-83891905190445397192007-09-09T14:43:00.000-07:002007-09-09T15:17:32.562-07:00lifegroup, grouplife, and grouplinkif the title of this post confuses you hopefully i can sort it all out for you.<br /><br />first of all group<b>life</b> is the overall name of our small groups ministry at grandview assembly of God. since last january my position at the church has shifted from youth pastor to associate pastor. as associate pastor my job description includes 1) media ministry and 2) small groups ministry.<br /><br />life<b>group</b> is the name of the individual small groups that will meet weekly in various homes and days. (okay so right now we actually have 2. one that will be meeting on sunday nights and the other on thursday nights.<br /><br />and group<b>link</b> is the name of the event by which people who are interested in joining a life<b>group</b> can get more information and then actually sign up for one.<br /><br />anyways all that to say that today was our first group<b>link</b>. and we had 23 people there for most of it and then 1 more showed up towards the end of it. out of those 18 actually signed up for a life<b>group</b>. so i'd say that was pretty good. there are actually a few more that told me they had to think about it a little bit more and would get back to me. and then there was a couple who told me in advance that they'd like to join but weren't going to be able to make it to the group<b>link</b> today.<br /><br />so i'm glad this first phase is over and now am looking forward to the next few weeks and then months ahead to see what becomes of this whole group<b>life</b> stuff. i've spent the last 9 months preparing, studying, praying, and thinking about the launch of these groups and now that day is here.<br /><br />the first group meets on thursday and the other one will start next sunday.<br /><br /><blockquote><i>"God, i pray for your blessing on each persons life as they take another step towards you by joining a life<b>group</b> for authentic community and spiritual growth. thank you for all you've already done in people's lives and for the life change you will bring in the weeks and months to come. in Jesus name i pray, amen."</i></blockquote><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. group<b>link</b><br />2. life<b>group</b><br />3. dried cranberries<br />4. our <a href="http://www.theacousticlife.com/2007/09/old-and-new-news.html">au pair</a><br />5. air conditioning<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-61062230195723469112007-09-04T23:14:00.000-07:002007-09-05T00:13:17.392-07:00old and new newswell time for my monthly post. :-)<br /><br />let's see . . . since the last post my sister has gotten married.<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/e722d0db.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/?action=view¤t=e722d0db.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />we went to idaho. to visit our friends.<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/c1dd2464.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/?action=view¤t=c1dd2464.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />and school has begun for me. and i was greeted by deborah with this selection of pictures today.<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/e8d98b15.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/?action=view¤t=e8d98b15.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br />oh and in case any of you can't read what it says . . . she was basically telling me that she's pregnant!<br /><br /><br />oh and school for the girls begins tomorrow. i don't have any pictures of this yet. but probably tomorrow. for those who don't know our kids will be doing school through <a href="http://achieveonline.org/">achieveonline.org</a> this year. so technically it's an online "public" school, but we'll get all their assignments online and we'll be the ones who make sure they have their assignments done. so we tell everyone we'll be homeschooling. but technically it's not. (oh and we got a used eMac for the kids to use)<br /><br />oh and we hired an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_pair">au pair</a>! although she's not really foreign and she only stays the night with us 3 nights a week. her name is vernice and she's a young person that goes to our church. we had her babysit for us this past summer overnight when we were on our staff trip. she did such a great job with the kids, and cleaned the house, and our kids loved her too. so we decided to ask if she'd be willing to stay with us 3 nights a week. we can't afford to pay her that much considering all the help she is to us. but she was eager to do it and we love it. she started with us sept. 1st and is here sat, tues, and thur. nights. today deb and i went on a date to see "the bourne ultimatum" because we had 'built in babysitter!<br /><br />anyways it's late now and i've got work tomorrow.<br /><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. new beginnings<br />2. an internet connection at home again<br />3. life groups launching at our church next week<br />4. <a href="http://www.kraftfoods.com/PostCereals/phc.htm">grape nuts flakes</a><br />5. buffalo wings (deb's been craving them for like 3 weeks)<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-39689856479130969852007-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:002007-08-10T09:28:13.138-07:00wow has it been that long??well as of late this blog has gone the way of the "back burner". it's been almost 3 weeks since i last posted. and had i been diligent about it there were lots of great things to write about in that time.<br /><br />let's recap quickly . . . we got back from mexico and then the following week we had all the cousins over for 3 days and 3 nights. we decided to take them all camping for two of the nights. so that was and adventure. deb and i (who don't normally camp - at all!) in the woods with 7 kids! (ages 9mo, 2-3yr olds, 5yr old, 2-6yr olds, and a 9yr old)<br /><br />the following week the girls had a week of VBS at a local church. what was exciting about this one was that on the last day (friday) the church was going to take all the kids to a water park in moses lake. anna and danielle were old enough to be a part of the vbs, but julia wasn't quite old enough. but the older girls had a blast doing something "on their own" - we didn't go with them the day of the water park. and we had fun spending time with the younger two (julia and rachel) for a couple hours each day.<br /><br />and this past week has been spent with wedding preparations. my sister, elia, drove over from minnesota with her fiancé because they're getting married here tomorrow. so we've spent time with them. went shopping for various wedding things. and basically have had a great time with "all the family".<br /><br />and this morning anna woke up at the same time that i did. i was really looking forward to getting up before anyone, getting ready, and then coming to the church to get some work done before the wedding rehearsal tonight. but while i was shaving she came in to use the bathroom and then asked if i wanted to play scrabble with her. i had a decision to make . . . would i somehow justify all the work i had to do and get out of playing a game with her that i knew in the end i'd end up helping her so it'd be like i was playing against myself. or do i put all my own things aside and take the time to spend with my six year old in the early morning while everyone else is asleep?<br /><br />it's easy to write about that today because today i did make the right choice. i played scrabble with anna and yes i did end up helping her. and i even set it up so that she would win. but if truth be told, i don't always make the right choice. there are times that i'm selfish and instead put my kids, and/or wife aside so that i can do what "<span style="font-style: italic;">i want</span>".<br /><br />to that's how our last 3 weeks have been spent together as a family. it isn't always easy, but in all actuality, if it's a priority, it's not all that difficult either.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. my sister getting married<br />2. new bible<br />3. new shoes<br />4. new shoes (i got two pairs) :)<br />5. quietness<br /><br /></span>--------------------------<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(this post was written because of a one day contest being sponsored by the parties listed below. the contest was to answer the following questions:</span><blockquote style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">What are your favorite family activities and how do you find the quality family time? And if you don’t have quality family time, how do you make up for it? What challenges do you face?</span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-size:85%;">feel free to enter the contest on your own blog or simply post responses in the comment section below.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >This post is brought to you in conjunction with </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://blog.parentbloggers.com//"><span class="Apple-style-span">Parent Bloggers Network</span></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" class="Apple-style-span" > & EA’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.wii-boogie.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span">Wii-Boogie</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >, a family gaming experience. Shake it. Sing it. Create it.</span><br />--------------------------</span></span>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-24991416189997236532007-07-21T09:38:00.000-07:002007-07-21T09:56:39.929-07:00back home(pictures at the bottom of the post)<br /><br />--------------------<br />7.16.07 -- 8.35 am<br />well a lot has happened since my last update. saturday we did a youth outreach. it was the church's first attempt at doing an outreach specifically for youth instead of kids. i don't know if it went as well as they might have hoped. attendance was low and the location was odd. let me explain.<br /><br />members of the congregation had gone into the neighborhood the night before to pass out flyers to invite people. so when we got to the neighborhood they didn't have us go out to invite people, they did announce the event was about to start over the loud speakers, but that only reached those within earshot.<br /><br />and then the location was odd because i don't think it was where they (the members of the local church that set up the event) originally intended it to be. i think they wanted to do it at a park in the area but because we were going to have "live" music for this youth event we needed to get a special permit. i don't think they were able to get it or didn't hear back from the officials in time. so we ended up having it in the parking lot or courtyard of another church. which may not have been so bad but that church was having their youth worship band practice for their service later that evening. so there was noise coming from inside the church. we were making noise in the courtyard. the people from the other church didn't really seem interested in what we were doing there. and then the fact that we were inviting those that came to go to a different church, not the one that they were at. weird, huh?<br /><br /><br />--------------------<br />7.17.07 -- 8.29 am<br />anyways back to the "weekend wrap up". also on saturday we got to go out to eat for the first time. we went to a little taco stand type place. it was a little bigger than a taco stand but not very much seating and even that was outdoor seating. but the place was packed and once you tasted the little tacos you could tell why. they were mmm mmmm good. that's all they served was little tacos about 4 inch diameter and then beverages. i wasn't sure if danielle was going to like them or not. but she had some of the "bistec" tacos and loved them. which was great since the next night we went to a different taco restaurant. this second place also had bigger tacos, about 7-8 inch diameter tortillas. and she again ordered some carne asada (bistec) tacos and eat them all. she loves them. in fact she said when we return to grandview and go to a taco truck she'd like to get those kind of tacos. (so yes deb, she is eating)<br /><br />sunday morning was church. they have a sign in the sanctuary that says the service times. it says that service starts at 10am on sundays. but we didn't leave the missionary's house until 10.30. and we got there at 11. so i'm not sure if that's just "mexican" time or if they were waiting for us to get there. it was pretty typical of other hispanic services i've been a part of. about 45 min of worship or more. then 20 minutes of alter time. (which was quite a unique experience for those who've never been a part of one) let me just say there was a lot of crying and people being slain in the Spirit. and then ending with a sermon, which this time was probably shorter than normal since the youth pastor from the other church preached so it wasn't an hour or longer. <br /><br />we were planning on doing an outreach sunday afternoon after lunch, but some of the folks from the other team were feeling quite sick - not sure if from the tacos we ate out or something else. anyways they (the local church or the engage missions people) said we should probably take the afternoon off. so we went back to the hotel after eating lunch. we got there around 3.45pm and had until 7pm when they were going to pick us up for dinner. which was really nice, i got a long nap. maggie went with nancy to the mall to try to find her some more clothes.<br /><br /><br />9.47 am<br />monday morning came and we were ready for our last day of ministry. we planned to do two separate programs today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. well the morning one didn't get started until 11 am so when we got back to the church for lunch we decided to have our afternoon outreach be in the neighborhood right around the church. it seemed kinda odd to me to go to other neighborhoods and invite them to the church and then not invite those that live right near by.<br /><br />it went great and i asked the pastor's son (enrique) and daughter (citlali) (24 & 16 respectively) if any of the kids that were there already went to the church. and the son said none. when i asked citlali she looked around and said only 2. so i hope this will bring more awareness for the church to those around the church.<br /><br />we finished just in time too, because within 20 minutes it started raining hard. so hard in fact that some of the roads were flooded and some cars were getting stuck.<br /><br />dinner was bbq chicken and jojos and corn. i was glad to be able to 'chat' with deb online during our dinner break. i love you babe.<br /><br />after dinner the Missionary Associate took myself and the other two pastors out to starbucks. we did have to wait for him for quite a while since he was getting work on his van done all day and it still wasn't finished by after dinner time. anyways, we finally went and had a great time to just talk about missions in general, his family's experience with raising funds, and just our past missions trips and experiences.<br /><br />we got back to the hotel around 9.30 pm and we ready to go to bed fairly quickly. i didn't hear it that much but it rained all night and around 2 am there was really loud thunder. i woke up around 5.30 am and it was still raining. so we're almost to the church now and it's a bright and sunny day. i'm sure the ground and grass is still wet so we'll see how many people come.<br /><br />the church moved it's mid-week service from wednesday to tuesday so that i could preach tonight. i'll be preaching a message i preached at our church on april 15th, 2007 called "Power to Change". you can find it on iTunes podcast page if you look up "grandview sermons" or you can go to our church website www.grandviewag.com and click on the media link at the top.<br /><br />i'll write more later and let you know how it all went.<br /><br /><br />--------------------<br />7.21.07 -- 8.55 am<br />well, we're back in the usa and are glad to be home. sorry (mom) it took so long to write an update. but here it goes.<br /><br />the service went fine. just like any other hispanic service. the only thing that made it memorable was the fact that it rained. and i mean RAIN! the church had a metal roof and you could hear the rain very easily. it started raining about the time the pastor was wrapping up the prayer time and getting ready to introduce me. well once i got up to speak it really started raining. in fact it seemed that the louder i got to be heard over the rain the harder it rained. finally i just said we should take a 5 minute break to experience the rain. after about 10 minutes the rain subsided and the service continued.<br /><br />wednesday was our free day. we went to a huge catholic cathedral for a little while and then we went to an open market. it was a three story building with vendors of all sorts of crafts, candies, souvenirs, electronics, food, clothes, shoes, and pirated dvds. it was huge and crowded (skinny isles and lots of people). we found some great things to bring back to our loved ones, but it was nice to get out of there. after that we went to a modern mall. prices weren't that different at the mall, but it was air conditioned and cleaner. oh and they had a VIP movie theater there. we didn't go because all the movies were in spanish. (they were showing ratatoullie - but it was dubbed in spanish) according to the engage students it's an "extra nice" theater where you sit in lazy boy seats and they bring a menu to you for your snacks. and the price is only about $10, so about the same as the price of a regular theater in the states.<br /><br />thursday was our travel home day and we were ready. our flight was supposed to leave around 2.35pm but for some reason got delayed. and then the airline was having trouble find us connecting flights out of phoenix. they ended up putting us on a different flight on another airline. the only thing was that it didn't leave until 8.05 pm! so we got time to hang out at the airport. the flight was nicer than the one we came on and it was a non-stop flight to portland. and since it was such a long flight we got a meal and a movie.<br /><br />we got in to portland at 10.49pm and then finally made it out of the airport and on our way home. we stopped briefly to get gas a little after midnight on the outskirts of portland and then i slept most of the way home. we were dropped off around 3.45am. it was nice to be home.<br /><br />on friday night we had our "thank you dessert" for those who had helped and supported us. we shared pictures and stories and even did some of the dances that we had done for the kids in mexico. <br /><br />so it's nice to be done with our trip. now it's back to all my other duties. being a husband, father and pastor. (i'm preaching on sunday)<br /><br />oh . . . i almost forgot i found out from deb that my imac was messed up after moving it from the church to the house and only showed a black screen for a while. and then after her and pastor fixed that it would turn on but the colors were all 'neon' looking. anyways i came home and got that fixed, thankfully. (it needed the PRAM reset - i'm not sure what that is or does, but i read it on an apple discussion thread and it worked) but i'm still without a laptop. i'll be saving up this time for a macbook pro.<br /><br />here's some pics:<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico 2007/de60a35d.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico%202007/?action=view¤t=de60a35d.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br />and some more:<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico 2007/bc4a1588.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico%202007/?action=view¤t=bc4a1588.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br />and just a few more:<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico 2007/c856f91c.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/mexico%202007/?action=view¤t=c856f91c.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. a soft bed<br />2. air conditioning<br />3. being home<br />4. being a whole family again<br />5. being with my wife again<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-88646062928469578272007-07-14T06:21:00.000-07:002007-07-21T09:42:07.605-07:00friday the 13th in mexico<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/IMG_9176.jpg"></a>7.13.07 -- 6.36 pm<br />we're all on "the bus" now on the way back to the missionaries house for dinner. we've completed our third kids outreach. overall the word i would use to describe it is - HOT! now it's not the 105+ that it's been in grandview, but in our defense it isn't as humid there as it is here too. <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/IMG_9176.jpg" border="0" alt="" />AND we aren't spending all day outside walking the streets, playing soccer, and doing choreographed dances either. no, instead we run from our air conditioned house to our air conditioned car to our air conditioned work place and then back again. needless to say we are all ready for a rest and some good food.<div><br />the other thing that i was struck with today was just how 'unifying' the Body of Christ can be. what i mean is that by being in the Body can make best friends and partners and co-laborers out of otherwise strangers. to give you a little picture, at the last outreach we completed there was our team from grandview, another team from yakima, four students from the 'engage' ministry, and then another handful of 5-7 young people from the church we are partnering with. we all participated in the presentations today (it was even vernice's turn to give her testimony and it was great.) </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/IMG_9185.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div>we were the Body! we had one faith, one Spirit, one baptism, one Father, and one purpose today. the moment that hit me today i just about started crying. (but i thought that would seem kinda odd to all the kids that we were playing soccer with) :-)<br /><br />this truly is a different kind of trip for me than the others i've participated in before. before we always had prepared in advance what we were going to be doing and then went and did it. this time we didn't have anything planned. not one drama, song, dance, skit, or puppet routine. we were completely open to doing whatever became available to do. and oddly enough the yakima team also came with no preset agenda either. so it makes it that much more significant and almost necessary that we all work together, all doing our share, all serving the Lord.<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/IMG_9130.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /></div><div><br />and the other thing that's different from this trip is that i've missed my family (deb in particular) more than any other trip i've ever been on. most trips i was so excited to go and loved every minute of it. and then at the end of the trip i was surprised that the time had gone by so quickly. all the while not thinking very much of my family. and when i was a teen or single i didn't really think of my family back home at all during my trips. but with this trip i began missing deborah on the drive over to portland. and i haven't really stopped missing/longing for her. if it were not for the fact that i know that God still has more prepared for me/us to do and learn on this trip i'd be just fine leaving tonight.<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/IMG_8976.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><br /></div><div><br />i miss you deborah. i miss you anna. i miss you julia. i miss you rachel. and i miss you some more deb.<br /><br />much love and we'll see you soon.<br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. deborah<br />2. anna<br />3. danielle<br />4. julia<br />5. rachel<br /><br />--------------------------</div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-23480625521600467002007-07-13T07:26:00.000-07:002007-07-14T06:18:08.220-07:00notes so far from mexico (updated)<span style="font-style:italic;">[UPDATED: i added the part that was missing from the july 12th entry)<br /></span><br />7.10.07 -- 5.11 am<br /><br />it's 5.11 am and we're finally here. "here" is on a plane on our way to guadalajara mexico. it's been many months ago when i was discussing with our church staff if we should even consider going on a trip this year. and know we're on a plane getting ready to take off. there's 7 of us: myself, danielle, maggie, cathy, nancy, vernice, & keven. we are so excited, maybe a little anxious, and a big dose of tired right now. (we had to wake up at 2 am to be at the airport on time -- my room didn't get to sleep till between 10-11pm) well we're about to take off. more later.<br /><br /><br />--------------------<br />7.10.07 -- 4.00 pm<br /><br />right now i'm on a bus with some of the "engage missions" students and the other team from stone church. we're running low on sleep. this bus is very bumpy, thus the reason for the sloppiness - not the lack sleep. (although i'm typing this after writing this and it's not sloppy at all.) i bought a mexican KIT-KAT -- mmmm mm mmm! it was really good and since ther was no nutritional label - "No Calories!!" =-) well i'm don with this chicken scratch. i'll write more later.<br /><br />PS. an interesting personal note -- i sold my macbook the day before we left. thus i'm here on a trip 'sans' a computer! (maggie has hers that i'm using, but still it's not the same.)<br /><br /><br />--------------------<br />7.12.07 -- 8.47 am<br /><br />well it's day 3 here in mexico and all is well. (almost all - nancy is still without luggage and it actually won't get to her until tomorrow.)<br /><br />i went running again this morning for the second time. i found out yesterday after coming back exhausted that the elevation of guadalajara is 5,030 feet!! (grandview is at about 840) so we're almost a mile up and a good 4,200 feet above grandview.<br /><br />[ i wrote more stuff here in my journal but don't have it with me right now to type it in, i'll update it later ]<br /><br />{yesterday and the day before we spent most of the time learning some dramas and dances to music. the hotel is nice and roomy. the beds are really low and not as soft as us "americans" are used to. but i'm grateful for a place to sleep. no cockroaches yet in our room, hooray! i actually haven't seen any while we've been here.}<br /><br /><br />--------------------<br />7.13.07 -- 8.58 am<br /><br />the daily update today is that we had a slight miscommunication yesterday during our free time at the mall. so half our team ended up separated and didn't make it back to the bus at the hotel at the right time. well we ended up finding each other so all is well.<br /><br />in other news, earlier in the day danielle woke up early in the morning and couldn't find me (i was going to go running as was waiting for someone in another room). she walked out of our hotel room in her pajamas crying down the "outside" hallway, "i can't find my daddy!" thankfully another gal from the stone church group heard her and walked out of her room and picked her up. they walked down to the lobby looking for me. i came out of the other room i was in just as they were coming up the stairs back to our room. (i didn't know that tamera had gotten her just a few doors down from our room so when i saw her coming up the stairs i thought that danielle had made it all the way to the lobby in her pajamas looking for me.)<br /><br />well he had a good heart to heart talk about not leaving the room alone and should only go places with people from our group. praise God for his protection and guidance.<br /><br />oh and in yet still other news we had our first children's outreach yesterday. it was in an area where the engage students have been going to for a while and are looking to plant a church next sept. another team from atlanta showed up at the same park we were at and had some "teenmania-like" drama. later we went back to the same neighborhood but a different park and did another outreach - sans the atlanta team. and then we started cleaning up until there was a tropical deluge of rain. i mean within 5 minutes all our clothes were soaking wet.<br /><br />we've got a great new day ahead of us. i'll update pictures later. thanks for your prayers so far and keep praying for us.<br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. your prayers<br />2. internet connection in mexico<br />3. having my clothes (nancy should get her today)<br />4. video iChats<br />5. knowing my wife loves me<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-11206022372185456632007-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:002007-07-10T17:44:07.632-07:00México!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnme_IWQm1ZZdgluM38EwCeq7dxxshoo5_4P4HfczPazX7gfg6ph11rxdNpOGsnhWYCBGZpXZkRGcZTqEIYMfwNmQVYI8IdL4ai2ICeX1WG29m6pFo0fatReef_xAZGOHHvXJ/s1600-h/happy+in+mexico.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnme_IWQm1ZZdgluM38EwCeq7dxxshoo5_4P4HfczPazX7gfg6ph11rxdNpOGsnhWYCBGZpXZkRGcZTqEIYMfwNmQVYI8IdL4ai2ICeX1WG29m6pFo0fatReef_xAZGOHHvXJ/s400/happy+in+mexico.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085732798304996578" /></a><br />aqui estamos! llegamos en méxico esta tarde. estamos muy cansados, pero estamos muy felizes. (sp?)<br /><br />anyways, we made it here to mexico this afternoon. we're very tired but very happy to finally be here.<br /><br />keep praying for us. and i'll post more as time and internet connection allow.<div><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. knowing my wife loves me<br />2. not experiencing a plane crash (we've been watching "Lost" lately)<br />3. great mexican food<br />4. being with danielle<br />5. the thought of getting a new MacBook Pro sometime<br /><br />--------------------------</div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-84289370512934230982007-06-30T16:11:00.000-07:002007-07-02T07:39:19.730-07:00the iWait on iDaywell i did it! i got my iPhone. and it's now eagerly awaiting a new home on <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320132812036&rd=1&rd=1">ebay</a>. good ole free enterprise in the US of A! (go ahead hit the "buy it now" button. i know you want to.) :-)<br /><br />oh and you thought it was for me?? well as sweet as it would be for me to get myself i can't justify paying an early cancellation fee with my current provider (sprint). and then there's the fact that currently it's the church that pays for my cell phone.<br /><br />anyways i figure that when my contract does expire (oct, 2008) there will be new models and probably cheaper.<br /><br />but for now i hope this one finds a great home. i've read news that nearly all of the at&t stores have sold out. and apple stores are starting to run out of stock. so hopefully that will bode well for ebay prices.<br /><br />here's some pics of the iWait on iDay:<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/72b2a559.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/?action=view¤t=72b2a559.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br /><br />and this is of the actual iPhone:<br /><div style="width:480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/0cc36793.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/?action=view¤t=0cc36793.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshow?action=landing" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div><br /><br />------------<br />oh and in other news i've got a crack in the screen of my macbook (i won't tell you the story, i'll let the person who did it decide whether they want that broadcast to all the world). boo hoo :-( it's a $400 fix since accidental damage isn't covered by the warranty. oh well, i guess i can start my <a href="http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/">MacBook Pro</a> fund. :-)<br /><br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. ebay<br />2. mexico<br />3. a fun friday<br />4. payday<br />5. <a href="http://relevantmagazine.com/">relevant magazine</a> podcast<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-2501623887260674982007-06-29T11:19:00.000-07:002007-07-02T08:18:23.800-07:00in linei'm sitting in front of the att store in line for an iphone. Should be a fun day! More news later.abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-30469856177736163232007-06-22T06:50:00.000-07:002007-06-22T07:03:25.038-07:00a summer full of saturdayswell summer days are here again. a couple of summers ago (or was it just last summer??) deb began referring to this time as "a summer full of saturdays". basically because i'm home <span style="font-style:italic;">all</span> the time. well not all the time because there's times that i come to the church. but more or less i'm home a lot more than during the school year (obviously) and our schedule is pretty much freed up and we can plan (or not plan) to do anything we want.<br /><br />it's actually kinda nice, but after the first 2 weeks or so. we're not really sure what to do now! now i'm sure our time will fill up. and a house full of kids makes for never a dull moment. but we've already run all our 'errands'. i guess we could "deep clean" the house. but that's not really very much fun. and then there's times that we do have the house fairly clean and then we wake up the next morning and wonder, "well now what do we do??"<br /><br />we have taken our kids to the library now that it reopened. and we'll take them to the park every so often. and one of our summer habits is to take them to a local high school where they serve free lunches to kids during the summer.<br /><br />so since our schedule is pretty much open (although our money isn't unlimited) what suggestions does anyone have for the laras to fill their time doing?? anybody want to invite us over for lunch? or dinner?? or anybody want to come over for either?? or what other kinds of stuff does your family do on it's saturdays??<br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. sunshine<br />2. airplanes<br />3. kleenex<br />4. small groups<br />5. kids with their own unique personalities<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-63549121028065197992007-06-16T13:37:00.000-07:002007-06-16T19:01:01.845-07:0022 days 21 hours and 21 minuteswell it's getting down to the last few days/weeks till our team heads to mexico. (for those who haven't heard a team from <a href="http://www.grandviewag.com/">our church</a> is connecting with a team from <a href="http://www.stonechurch.us/">stone church</a> to spend ten days with <a href="http://earntheright.com/">missionaries steve and amy shoop</a>.)<div><br /><div> </div><div>it's finally sinking in that it's actually coming since we went up to yakima to have dinner with the team from stone church. basically to meet each other, talk about the trip, share a dinner, and pray for our trip. so now it seems really close.</div><div><br /></div><div>plus the fact that this morning our team completed our "endurance climb" that i have every missions team do before we go on a trip. this is a chance for us to bond together, do something we thought we couldn't, but work together to accomplish something difficult. we have one team member that is severely overweight and on occasion has seizures so i've only asked her to make it about 1/3 of the way up the hill but everyone else made it all the way to the top. (some wanted to give up on the way, but i made them <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">press through</span>.)</div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 438px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxvt5_I2b-66sv8K29IOdeWwQzqzwtD8JJu9eDJSgHnmaDmYBdT97VNodbDq_z9e2PcmBgRjaA4MCJChkpCe_5GxZ0iKt7pFRgtWO_qTVv3-QFax-qw6oqGY62F88ifAKaXPc/s400/mexico+2007+4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076774148808210546" border="0" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>so we're on our way. and then i had danielle and her cousin cathy (the kids pictured above) give my sister (who's in town visiting from minneapolis) go and give her the "picco chueqo"* (sp?? pronounced [<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">pee-ko chweh-ko</span>]- basically sad eyes, long face, and pouty bottom lip) in an effort to ask for support for the mexico misison trip. and IT WORKED!! she gave each of them $50 towards their trip. so then my other sister maggie (in the orange shirt) and i also gave elia the picco chueqo and she's such a softie that she gave us $50 each for our trip too!!</div><div><br /></div><div>anyways, keep us in prayer and as out of the seven only 2 are completely paid off. and the rest of us have some balance left on our account.</div><div><br /></div><div>and in case you'd like to donate to our trip you can contact me for more details using my email address: abelara [at] gmail.com (i purposely wrote it like that so as to not get a bunch of spam by online scam artist) or you can mail a check directly to the church. (you can find the mailing address at the bottom of the <a href="http://grandviewag.com/">church website</a>) with a memo in the check that it's for danielle and i's trip.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. budgets<br />2. summer vacation<br />3. deborah<br />4. having a guest room<br />5. my engaged sister!<br /><br />--------------------------</div><div>if this helps any here's my "picco chueqo":</div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 458px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VdkaKs0c9nOOsSi-Q3D53q6_fp0F4HhURGVL3wB5dRn4gNkicC9fX_gJW7x4JsPxs1vUeH3EWLSg3oBjXkJKHQUhqGmbRZMb52JscsOvx5omxiA5Ate3rW0RlK137x5rmL-R/s400/Photo+352.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076778581214460034" border="0" />--------------------------</div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">* in spanish it literally means: "crooked beak"</span><br /></div></div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-81091840378999023702007-06-13T10:11:00.000-07:002007-06-13T13:56:24.751-07:00not what i expected<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46txCIeE1x20tyO_tsb91IJy8oYW0a8B2h_Y_uTeO3eq6_GMhXrsJFKq5Wk3N1B_j3d1vOBb_30OutswdcmPEsJ7Vx8uTKAmefdrCK-5rCcs47siS0awwnBYhzMnjBHCWT-36/s1600-h/podcast+subscriptions.png"></a>good morning everyone!<br /><br />well it's finally over. our 3 months of no cable or fast internet connection at home. i have several observations about our time "unplugged". and i hope to be posting those "regularly" over the next few days/weeks/ or whenever i remember something else.<br /><br />but one thing i will say now. simply . . . <span style="font-weight:bold;">we're not going back</span>! at least we don't have any<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46txCIeE1x20tyO_tsb91IJy8oYW0a8B2h_Y_uTeO3eq6_GMhXrsJFKq5Wk3N1B_j3d1vOBb_30OutswdcmPEsJ7Vx8uTKAmefdrCK-5rCcs47siS0awwnBYhzMnjBHCWT-36/s200/podcast+subscriptions.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075590898203064418" /> plans to right now or for the immediate future. we have started <a href="http://www.netflix.com/">Netflix.com</a> so that we have some media entertainment (that we can be selective and choose). and i've also restarted most of my podcast subscriptions. it might be too small to see but i've now got 61 'unplayed' podcasts and another 10 currently downloading.<br /><br />things i didn't expect from our time 'unplugged':<br /><blockquote><div>1) i'm not dying to get cable and internet access back on at home. cable not a big deal to me - internet access . . . this was something that i thought i'd be eager to turn back on. but i've realized that yes i was online <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">WAY</span> too much. and i simply don't need to be. and that by not being online so much makes my wife happier. (and what husband doesn't want that!)</div><div><br /></div><div>2) i didn't write as much as i thought i would be. but i would say that i was more mentally active. i read more. i thought more clearly. basically my mind wasn't "cluttered" with frivolous stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) i noticed my kids more. i wouldn't claim that i became the "perfect" father (lets face it only God fills that spot). but i would say that i simply spent more time <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">with them</span>. and although current psychology may argue that what kids need is more <span style="font-style:italic;">quality</span> versus <span style="font-style:italic;">quantity</span><span style=""> of time. i would say that kids need both. and that you're more likely to have those <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">quality</span> time moments the more <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">quantity</span> time that you have!</span></div></blockquote>as i said before i hope to make this blog a regular part of my life again.<div> </div><div>oh, and i almost forgot. one of the last times i wrote i mentioned not letting a "cat out of the bag". well at least for those locally, you know that the 'cat is out'. our pastor will be taking a sabbatical/respite/extended vacation (we're not really sure what to call it) for most of the summer. his last sunday for the summer will be this father's day. then on sunday evening he heads to seattle for a flight monday to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togo">Togo, Africa</a>. he will be back on july 2nd. and then will come back to preach/share about his missions trip on july 8th. and then he will be on 'vacation' until the last sunday in august. so in all he's gone a total of 8 sundays this summer.</div><div><br /></div><div> i will be preaching most of those sunday's although we do have a guest speaker for the week that i will be leading a team to mexico on a missions trip. and then my <a href="http://najeras.blogspot.com/">sister</a> will also be sharing during the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>anyways so a busy summer ahead!<br /><div><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. almost being done being sick<br />2. <a href="http://www.apple.com/safari">safari 3 beta</a> (for mac and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">windows</span> too)<br />3. summer vacation<br />4. blogging again<br />5. having my wife as my girlfriend<br /><br />--------------------------</div></div>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-33261910558624099872007-05-14T18:24:00.000-07:002007-05-14T18:29:31.290-07:00things that make you go hmmm?! - #2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOzRXon3MfWfpFB3ZkUcgUVk4diQIDCSNGzGJLadVAM0PaObRmjnKJFgMMskreZTG5Lgl10FdQA1DIc7VjQev2zgBr_PZ0K6lJ6nqncNG9xkR5Pu5vrQ5L5EGWprNHZx0Ha9R/s1600-h/154341703045.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOzRXon3MfWfpFB3ZkUcgUVk4diQIDCSNGzGJLadVAM0PaObRmjnKJFgMMskreZTG5Lgl10FdQA1DIc7VjQev2zgBr_PZ0K6lJ6nqncNG9xkR5Pu5vrQ5L5EGWprNHZx0Ha9R/s400/154341703045.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064592619808095426" /></a><i><center>seems redundant to me, don't you think??</center></i><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. 18 days of school left<br />2. warm weather<br />3. my mom (happy mother's day, again!)<br />4. going out to eat<br />5. home cooked meals ;-) (thanks deb!)<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-12982554954999142572007-05-05T15:16:00.000-07:002007-05-05T15:17:01.701-07:00what's your religious grade??i got an 88/100. if you click on the title above or <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-03-07-teaching-religion-cover_N.htm">this link</a>, it will take you to an article in usatoday that talks about how americans get an "F" in religion. on the left side of the article there is a test you can take to see where you'd score.<br /><br />now compared to the rest of the US population scoring an 88 i guess is pretty good. but it got me to thinking about how much i <i>DON'T</i> know about other religions. which really started to get me thinking . . . how in the world would i know how to reach, understand, much less minister to people of other faiths if i don't even know what they believe or where they're coming from.<br /><br />i've also been recently challenged by a message from wes davis. he's the lead pastor at <a href="http://www.newlifekitsap.com/index.html">newlife kitsap</a> church. he spoke recently at a workshop at the <a href="http://www.northwestministry.com/site/start.php?l1=level_1_9">Northwest Ministry Network</a> annual conference. you can download the individual message <a href="http://www.emergentmedia.org/nwmn/podcasts/NWMN_AC_2007_WORK_ON_THE_MISSION.mp3">here</a> or <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=152460446&s=143441">subscribe</a> to the Northwest Ministry Network podcast via <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/">iTunes</a> with these and more excellent messages.<br /><br />to give you the "gist" of it - wes speaks on the challenge that the longer people are Christians the more they begin to live in a bubble; isolated from the very people they once were and are "trying to reach". it's not necessarily that these people are self centered or snobby. but it's just a natural progression of events. if you started out and didn't know Christ and had all "non-Christian"* friends and then became saved and got involved in church. invited your "non-Christian" friends. and then they became Christians and you made new friends in your church. then all the people in your "circle of influence" are all Christians. <br /><br />so then <strike>you</strike> i have gotten to the point where it's hard for me to name 5 "non-Chrisitian" friends that i actually have a genuine relationship with.<br /><br />as i once heard it said, "if we are called to be fishers (of men), then at some point we should smell like fish."**<br /><br />i've stopped smelling like fish a long time ago. in fact i think i may have gotten to the point where i don't even like going near places that do. yes, i work at a middle school and there are hundreds of kids that i know that are in need of Christ, but i'm limited at school by how much i can say. and yes i go to the grocery store and see "mostly" the same checkers/workers, etc; but i don't see them as people i see them as workers (at best acquaintances) but i'm going to make a conscious effort to change that. and it's going to take work though. it's not easy. it's not the "natural" order of life.<br /><br />leave your score for the test and your level of "fish" odor in the comments below.<br /><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. sunny days<br />2. good news i received today<br />3. ipods and podcasts<br />4. missing my family<br />5. getting to see them soon<br /><br />--------------------------<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">* i don't really like the terms that churches and Christians use to describe those who aren't Christians. i think it tends to lend it self to the "us vs. them" mentality that i'm describing. "non-Christians", "unsaved", "unchurched", even the terms "seekers" isn't quite helpful. and it truth be known "they" may even be offended of being labeled in such terms. the most accurate term i've found is in earl crep's book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Off-Road-Disciplines-Spiritual-Adventures-Leadership/dp/0787985201">Off-Road Disciplines</a> "the Sought". because it puts more emphasis on God as the Seeker and the one who in reality is the one drawing "all men unto himself". but i decided to use the term "non-Christians" here because as you can tell it takes quite a while to <i>explain</i> the term "the Sought".<br /><br />** i understand the distinction of "being <b>in</b> the world but not <b>of</b> the world". so this doesn't mean that i'm going on a sinning rampage in order to better understand sinners. after-all the fisherman doesn't become a fish, but he does end up smelling like them.</span>abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-28213280575040024482007-04-24T21:38:00.000-07:002007-04-29T22:00:14.198-07:00things that make you go hmmm?! - #1 (updated)<i>[UPDATED: i found out that the picture wasn't actually visible so i included it. oh, and i took this picture on my camera phone in a supermarket in ellensburg.]</i><br />----------<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujb_OnPSKHzo5cnC_mCqviOAf8O5cFe5mpjzcgFoecAPp36vLW4_pm1xSG3EANX8bAmc2wPRUiSl9asWu4iAH5Nl5lPiRhau2tmI7AGQC0I8cAKiltYE4xHKBaFEQ6CwhXeDv/s1600-h/natural+cheetos.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgujb_OnPSKHzo5cnC_mCqviOAf8O5cFe5mpjzcgFoecAPp36vLW4_pm1xSG3EANX8bAmc2wPRUiSl9asWu4iAH5Nl5lPiRhau2tmI7AGQC0I8cAKiltYE4xHKBaFEQ6CwhXeDv/s400/natural+cheetos.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059081111615438002" border="0" /></a> what the heck does that mean?!?<br /></div><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. my office being complete<br />2. my wonderful kids<br />3. my fabulous wife<br />4. lunch at a <a href="http://www.cousinstricities.com/">new restaurant</a><br />5. julia's turning 3 on saturday<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-58717737747025898822007-04-17T19:41:00.000-07:002007-04-17T19:41:23.663-07:00hello friendswell it's been a long time since i've written anything, and many things have happened. the lara house has been busy!<br /><br />deb finished up her performance as a nun in the 'sound of music'.<br /><br />our cousin camp was a big success. the kids had a blast, and although very exhausting, we'll probably do it all over again next year. (that is unless maggie wants to host it at her house next year??)<br /><br />deb and i went to "seattle" (actually we went to renton/tukwila; but anybody familiar with the area would rather say they went to seattle) to meet with <a href="http://account.churchwebworks.com/acct/10066-1345/tmpl/tm265_about_staffbio.php?staff_id=6666">loran lichty</a>, the grouplife pastor at <a href="http://www.newliferenton.com/">New Life Church @ Renton</a>. we had a great time and we stopped by the apple store and got my macbook fixed. (it had a small crack in it; purely cosmetic, but i'm glad i got it fixed nonetheless)<br /><br />we then rushed home for our first "small group" meeting at our house 2 weeks ago thursday evening. (4/5/07)<br /><br />and then had our friends, <a href="http://www.thesperrysonline.com/">the Sperry's</a> visiting us from boise, idaho so that they could host the passover service. which went great.<br /><br />we had a "kirby" guy come over last week and we successfully said "no" to spending $2,280 on a vacuum! (it wasn't hard) but we did get our dining room carpet cleaned out of the ordeal. :-)<br /><br />my new office at the church is coming a long nicely. it used to be just an empty room with a bunch of junk in it, but a crew from the church decided that <a href="http://time2team.blogspot.com/">pastor jon</a> and i needed an office at the church. so after completing his a few months ago, they started to work on mine, and it's turning out great!<br /><br />other than that there isn't too much else going on. oh, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASL">WASL</a> has begun at school this week.<br /><br />there's actually one other tidbit of "big news" information concerning church that i'm not at liberty to share at this time. but when i am i'll let ya know . . . that is unless my <a href="http://najeras.blogspot.com/">sister</a> or <a href="http://time2team.blogspot.com/">someone</a> <a href="http://hollydheikkila.blogspot.com/">else</a> that goes to our church that has a blog spills the beans before i do. and since i'm not reading any other blogs until june 12th, i won't even know.<br /><br />well that's about it for now. i'll try not to have such a long gap between updates next time.<br /><br />later!<br /><div style="width: 360px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w106.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w106.photobucket.com/albums/m259/abelara/1176863948.pbw" height="360" width="360"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/getyourown.gif" style="border-width: 0;" vspace="1"></a></div><br /><br />// today i'm thankful for:<br />1. fresh paint smell<br />2. spring flowers<br />3. 37 days of school left!<br />4. being able to read<br />5. making it to the bank on time<br /><br />--------------------------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5258224.post-23727163387003145652007-03-30T22:16:00.000-07:002007-03-30T22:33:06.458-07:00"His"<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(a prayer for my kids)<br />by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">abraham</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lara</span>*</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(255, 204, 204);"><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 153, 255);font-family:times new roman;font-size:180%;" >(that you may be)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 153, 255);font-size:180%;" >confident in His might<br />full of His grace<br />flowing in His gifts<br />experiencing His people<br />living in His joy<br />showing His love<br />believing His promises<br />knowing His mercy<br />encouraged by His voice<br />obeying His Word<br />following His steps</span><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span></div><br />// today <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">i'm</span> thankful for:<br />1. "closing night" tomorrow<br />2. strawberry/banana milkshakes<br />3. beginning community (next <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">thursday</span>)<br />4. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">daffodils</span><br />5. clean rooms<br /><br />----------<br />* this was written at our recent <b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?event=AFF&p=1135587&item_no=23789">Parental Guidance Required</a></b> class when asked what we envisioned our kid's spiritual lives to look like when they are adults. the above is what i wrote.<br /><br />----------abelarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12513250907325858134noreply@blogger.com1