Kaiya's birthday was a great reason to pack up Pippin and myself, travel from Orlando, FL through Dallas, TX airport (he's a great traveler and the layover went by quickly with all the attention he received as he pranced through the terminal), and arrive at the Amarillo, TX airport to be able to spend 10 days with the family in Canadian, TX.
You can take the man out of the 3rd world country, but you can't take the 3rd world ways out of the man.
When one of the wheels came off the farm mower and the shop still hadn't repaired it, Brian found a solution to be able to mow in the meantime. So now you know another purpose for a dolley.
Had a great day spent with Momma, Uncle Bobby and Aunt Joanne.
Feasted on 3 types of BBQ'd meats, all types of tangy creamy sides, and topped off with a yummy dessert!!
Hard to believe we've been married to each other for more years than we had single years!!
Still crazy after all these years!
Happy 30th!!!
We finally received word that Daddy's tombstone was finished and placed at the cemetary. Momma; my sister, Sherry; Brian; Pippin; and I set out with Daddy's urn to Texas.
It was nice to have them all there as we gathered at the cemetary.
as well as visit a few historic sites.
A memorable trip for sure! Brian spent the last 10 days in the Dominican Republic. The goal is to be able to make a trip each quarter to spend time with the onsite team members and be of help and encouragement in whatever way possible.
He was blessed to be there again while groups were there and meet new people as well as catchup with those who've been before.
I'd asked Lisa to keep an eye on him and each time he was found out on the soccer field to tell him, "Tammie said not to let you play soccer". Apparently she had to do that several times! He said he was MAINLY being goalee and that wasn't as wearing. I guess so cause he came back without retearing his muscle or gaining a new injury.
Section II: Our (BIG) Dream Jobs
Aunt Jojo's peach cobbler is still um, um, good even the next day! Yesterday we celebrated our liberty and honored the men and women who've helped make that possible for Memorial's Day.
Pippin loved hanging out with everyone...
And Momma dusted off the piano fingers. Nothing better than time spent with family!
It's amazing how "things" continue to reaffirm what God has laid on our hearts.
The excitement we feel when we share what's happening with the ministry with others and their positive responses.
Doors that open up to people and places to help the ministry "grow".
In a week we and the MGM staff will be having our first conference in Walls, MS. There are several who have notified us of their attendence....and that excites us!!
See you there!
Rain has finally come to our neck of the woods in Florida. A VERY welcome relief.
Brian tells me how much he's enjoying it, and the line I can always expect to hear when we get rain..."This'll really make things green". He goes on to tell me how much he misses the DR rains.
I think he's forgotten!!!
After sifting through some really "great" (?) names:
Mel
Taco
Samson
Wallace
Tootsie Roll
Joaquin
Socrates
Cutie
Bobita
Wallie
the most fitting for my little guy is............PIPPIN!
Brian has a garden he started, and I wanted to get some herbs and some flowers going myself.
Okay, I follow instructions well. I do the steps, the order and the instructions to a T, do it the same as Brian. So why are the results so different?!
9Brian's back from his road trip that took him from central Florida to Texas, across to Arkansas, up to the Kansas/Missouri border, back to Arkansas and then down to Florida again...and he loved it!! There's talk of doing all his trips by driving instead of flying. He said he loves seeing all the different terrains of this country.
He was able to connect with many that have done service projects in the DR as well as meeting new folks all very interested in the expansion of the outreach work of Manna Global Ministries (MGM). He enjoyed his time at the Levy Youth Retreat and was able to chaperone quite a few of the sessions.
It's nice to have him home for a little bit!!
Here's a gift from God to help my aching heart. What a joy he is and I'm reminded all over again of being a new "mommy"!!
Now the part I'm not good at...naming! Any ideas?
Furture player?
Proud Pops ...oh where, oh where, can he be?
Gone 4 days now.
Brian's back from his DR trip. All went really well and he enjoyed reconnecting with the team down there. The only mishap was a terribly sprained tendon while (you guessed it) playing soccer. He is supposed to do some PT at home, but do you think he's got time for that!
It was great spending that time with her and to see Wesley, Ashleigh and the grand kids, Kaiya and Liam.
Happy Birthday, Momma!!
Present: Aunt Joanne, Shawnean, Helen (Birthday Girl) Tammie and Brian
Wow....70!!! Looking good! Love you, Momma.Brian's back from the DR and had a great trip. Cory and Laura Beth Lamb's transition of their 2 years coming to an end has gone well, and their replacements the Cordobas, Porfirio and Carlas and family, are adjusting very well.
The two new missionary couples, Rich and Audrey Amy and Kyle and Vicki Graham, that arrived in January 2008 are going full swing and are being a blessing to the DR work. See their updates at the "similar links".
The Children's Home boys' house mom, Belqui, turned in her notice and there's now new house parents, Nicolas and Virginia Casimero, that have been a God send.
Of course Brian took in several soccer matches with the home kids and neighborhood kids as well as with the group. It was during one of these matches that he heard a snap and when he hit the ground and couldn't get back up realized the sound had come from his leg. Once back in the states the Lord blessed us with someone to x-ray it and were relieved to find out it was not a snapped tendon but a very bad sprain. He's got physically therapy exercises that he's been instructed to do and hopefully will be up and running like new.
Brian went to the DR for the FHU team this week and will be returning to the States next week.
It was a year ago that one of the FHU team members, Shane Ruiz, went missing at sea in a tragic accident and Brian wanted to be there for the group and the DR staff. The same group members that had come a year ago returned this week as well as Shane's older brother, Michael, and had a memorial service at the beach. Please continue to keep the Ruiz family and friends in your prayers.
For more MannaDR happenings, visit:
http://mannadr.org/
Hopefully there's some of you that faithfully checked out the blog hoping to find an update, any update that would clue you in to what's been going on with us. Well, we're back. In order to avoid writing a novel of what's been going on since our last entry, I'll note a few of the notable personal happenings since our last entry.
September:
Birth of our grandson, Liam, blessed our lives.
October:
Tammie spent the month in TX with the grand kids and in FL with her parents.
November:
My dad, known as "the cutest Grandad in the world", breathed his last breathe of this earthly air and inhaled deeply of the presence of our heavenly Father.
December:
Went to New Zealand for the graduation and wedding of our daughter, Shawnean.
2009
January:
Moved to the US to be a help to my mom.
Brian went to help his mom and dad in SA after complications arose when his dad fell and required back surgery.
February:
Doors opening for us to remain involved in mission work.
Daughter, Shawnean returned to the US, when her NZ visa expired.
Tammie turned 50!!!
March:
Son-in-law, Jono, joins Shawnean with his USA visa.
This month, Beacon Light Ministries will be changing it’s name to Manna Global Ministries, which will be an expansion of the current work in the Dominican Republic through MannaDR as well as work in Haiti and other countries. Directing the Manna Global Ministries’ efforts while trailblazing a new missionary training program are Brian, founder of MannaDR, and Norm Curington, current missionary in Rio San Juan, DR and former director of Beacon Light Ministries. Brian will serve as the president of Manna Global Ministries. These combined endeavors will give vast new opportunities through missions, discipleship, worldwide relief efforts and simple everyday Christian fellowship. The goal with this new organization is to mirror the example of Christ’s love for His people on earth.
SO...exciting things are ahead and I'll try to keep you posted!
Is it possible to sum up how much someone has meant in your life in a blog post. I don't think so.
Cory and Laura Beth did a great job of throwing a farewell party with a video and memory book to express how much the McClouds have meant to all of us here in the DR.
Father, thank you for blessing us with Tj and Holly!
Thanking you all for your hard work and giving up so much of the year in planning and prepping for this trip of service to the DR. God be praised!!
