Clowning Around

Here are some photos I have taken over the past week.

We were invited to celebrate the 4th birthday of a sweet little neighbor friend.  His party took place in town and was very fun filled.  He had a Mario theme. 

Isn't that a cute cake!

The highlight of the party was this clown that was hired to entertain the kids.  My boys loved him.

My boys balloon sword fighting with the clown.  They wore that poor clown out that day.

Ben getting his face painted by the clown

Cruz getting his face painted by the clown

fun times!

Cruz participating in one of the games the clown did with the kids.

having fun on the trampoline

and more fun in the bounce house

singing "Happy Birthday" to Sebastian

the birthday boy cutting the cake

one of two pinatas they had for the kids

My boys most favorite part of any birthday party- filling their bags with lots of candy!

We are on summer break from school but that doesn't mean we have closed the books completely.  I still have Cruz read a few days a week and also review his math facts.  One day last week we did a fun science activity called nature faces.  The idea came across my facebook news feed one day.  We went on a nature walk and collected things to use for our faces. 

Here is what we made.  We glued our nature items to make faces and I think they turned out cute.  The boys both thought this was a fun activity.

I read this book to them for our read aloud time. 

Cruz will continue his piano lessons up until we leave for the States.  I plan to find him a teacher to work with him during our time there.  Here he is playing his latest song he has learned "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee".

We had Miguel over for breakfast recently and to go over the final details for our team.  The boys always enjoy visiting with him.  One of the things I cooked was biscuits. It was fun to share part of our culture with him.

the boys with Miguel  

We have spent a lot of time lately out making home visits.  Here is David on one of those visits last week near Zacapa.

David taught in Nearar last Sunday morning and attended the Wednesday night service at Bro. Fito's church in Chiquimula.  We had a great Bible study Thursday in Muyurco.  Yes, for the 5th Thursday in a row now, it rained.  We even went early to try to be finished before the rains started.  That didn't happen.  Just like the week before just as David got up to preach the rains came down hard.  Poor David.  He just talks louder and keeps on going. 

I didn't take any pictures of our Bible study time but I did take this photo of a pineapple growing.  If you have ever wondered what one looks like before it is picked here is an idea. 

We spent Saturday morning grocery shopping and buying supplies for our team.  The boys always look forward to this.  They like getting to help pick out all the things the team will need while they are here.  It is just a small way of letting them feel involved.

David and Miguel left on Sunday driving into Guatemala City to meet our team.  Normally the teams come in mid-day and travel to us on that afternoon. This team wasn't scheduled to arrive until that night.  That meant they had to stay overnight at our mission house there and they will be making their way to Chiquimula today.  They have several visits lined up to make along the way.  Pray for a safe day of travel for them and that their visits would be fruitful.

The boys and I spent Sunday morning at Bro. Elias's church in town.  They were having a special service to celebrate the family.  In addition to the music and the sermon many families got up to share testimonies of how God has worked in their lives.  It was such a sweet time!  All of the children's classes shared skits and songs that focused on the family.  I always enjoy my boys getting to participate.  It was a good service and a very encouraging time for the families there.  I am glad we were able to be a part of it. 

me and the boys headed to church on Sunday morning

Cruz's group dressed up like animals and did a skit. 

What a great group of youth!  They did a wonderful job of singing Phillips Craig & Dean's song "I want to be just like you".  I wish I had videoed some of it.  It was really pretty.

Sunday night the boys and I made a return visit to the circus.  When a circus comes to town they usually stay for several weeks with some staying close to a month.  If it is one we enjoy we will usually go several times. 

popcorn in hand and ready for the circus to begin

Ben with one of the circus clowns

David and the team will arrive late this afternoon.  The boys are so hyped up to see them!  We are looking forward to a great week together.  Would you cover us in prayer this week as we are out and about sharing the gospel?  I'll post an update about our time with the team soon.