Jiggle Another Handle?!!

Life is fun for sure! When I picture the doors that we've knocked on or opened in our time, they're never plain ol' doors...

When we diverted our journey to missions 10 years ago, we always knew that the road with the brightly lit signs would be waiting for us to jump on again. There's no doubt that we were created for a life called away from the ordinary. It's just that getting back to that road has been a bigger task than we thought.

We've had many people asking about our status, so here's the current update:

Recently, a door opened to help serve within our community to start building the base we needed to launch ourselves out for wherever God needed us to go. Since we had more juicing in our lives than we wanted, we looked to share the knowledge and healing power with others. There are so many people in our lives now who need some serious healing. I don't mean superficial healing, I mean deep-rooted, death-is-on-your-radar kind of healing. From this, we developed a business plan for starting a juicing cooperative effort where people could get quality nutrition and the workload was evenly distributed. Since we are overwhelmed in our own lives with the work of Sy's therapy, this seemed to be an answer where we could both serve and have some weight taken off our shoulders. Not only would this be an opportunity to help people heal physically, but to really focus on asking people questions about their spiritual health as well. Again, super amounts of encouragement and enthusiasm from others, but when it came to gather people together, it was not the response we needed. Ok God, you can see that we are trying here. We asked the question and you gave an answer on this one. We will move on.

Do we give up now? No way.

As you probably know from our previous post, the door before us has pointed us to look at the need in Dominican Republic and see if we can find a spot for our hearts to be poured out there. As you know, we took the trip and whoa, baby! God showed up and revealed the need for help there. Our skills lined up, we were received with open arms, and there were endless possibilities to live the life the Bible clearly speaks about. Both our hearts leapt as we saw a spot we could easily (relatively speaking) fill. Back in business, right? All doors were wide open, except for one.

Organic produce is something that we certainly take for granted here in States. We asked and looked in the local DR town for produce that would fit Sy's needs. No luck. We spoke to workers in the local hospital about where to get it. Bummer there. We have contacted friends in another DR town to get their knowledge. Another dead end. I've contacted an organic farm on the north coast to look at visiting there to get the information we need. No response. I've been in communication with the country's Department Of Agriculture with a list of Sy's needs. How about a no. We've contacted missionaries in the same organization to get information on the produce. Not looking good there either. We are looking into aquaponically growing what we need, but root veggies are still an obstacle (considering that carrots are the bulk of what we need, that could be an issue since we run through about 75 lbs per week).

Do we give up now? No way.

There are voices that are whispering to just give up and to live a normal, quiet life until we die. I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Why don't you just stay where you are for right now?" Honestly, we would love it! We live in sunny paradise... We dearly love our family, friends and church here... This is home and this is comfortable. But for us, we wrestle between our flesh and spirit every time we open the Bible because of the personal convictions that God has placed on our hearts. When we hear His voice in our lives, we know He is calling us out for more. It's hard because often times we'd rather just stick our head in the sand and ignore it. However, the call to go out and seek who we were really created to be is way too strong.

I can also see that not being willing to radically shake things up is exactly what the enemy wants. We live in a great community where a great song has been written and those that are here are singing it with excellence. However, it has been laid on our hearts that there is a new song that God wants to write and that He wants us to play a part in that. Maybe a small one, but a crucial one. The second issue is that staying where we are isn't working either. It's embarrassing to say this as a man, but the truth is that a firefighter salary doesn't work well when supporting a family of six. I firmly believe that God opened doors for my career and has given me crucial medical knowledge that I will continue to use for His glory--I've even had the priviledge to take part in saving lives. I also have a side business that is small and growing, but it's hard to develop a business with no capital and risk taking the focus off Sy's healing. We will juice in a box on the side of the road if that's what it means to keep our boy healthy.

All of this typing finally gets me to a point. Whenever doors start closing on us, we hear the creaking of another one swinging open. This post is too long already, so that's for another day.

So as another door possibly opens, please pray for clarity and wisdom. We have stood before God and said that we are truly willing to do anything and go/not go anywhere. We just want to live in obedience however scary that may be. I look at Heather and each of the kids and I want to help encourage them to bring the Christ out of their hearts for the world.

Cloth Nappies

Can I just say that I am borderline obsessed these days with being as green and non-toxic as possible but on an el cheapo budget! I'm all about saving $$ and nothing makes me happier than seeing my cloth diaper stash (Bum Genius 4.0s) all clean and tidy ready for the next day! 

I also must add that I have finally perfected the washing routine, diaper rash creams (CJs Butter rocks, not only for rashes but for a whole host of other things--holla!), wet bags (the one here is purchased from Planet Wise) & everything else cloth diaper. It's a bit of a learning curve especially if you have used disposables before, but that's what I'm here for. If you're new to cloth diapering (and scared to death), I can guide you step-by-step through any questions you may have... Just post them in the comments. I'm super particular so when I figure out a good routine I'm pretty stoked! And the best part is all of the money you'll save!!!! Yahoo! :)

We Can't Take It Back

We recently had an opportunity to follow a whisper that has been in our ears for a little while. We returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic and we were able to see and experience things that we never could in our own culture. Although it's considered to be a third world country, we so needed to step out of our lives to see how God is working in other parts of the world. (Btw, you should look up the history on how countries earn their first/second/third world ranking.)

God laid a path for us to visit and I felt that our hearts just needed to be open to what He needed to show us. Before our trip, I just prayed that He would allow me to see and feel what He needed us to. Such a beautiful country and such beautiful people. Thank you, God for such variety in people! The other side of that is that there is so much need, it's overwhelming. It's hard to believe that poverty like we saw is allowed to exist in a world where others consume so much. There's so much to say and we will have more posts, but we'll just drop a few pictures because they usually say more...

This was the orphanage on the property where we stayed. So many amazing kids here!

One of the best/hardest parts was visiting the Haitian immigrant bateys. These people live with nothing, yet are filled with joy. Although you can't see it, these kids are standing on broken glass with no shoes on.

These kids were such a blessing to be around. So much need here for love.

This was the local store in the settlement. There was not much to offer in here.

I had a chance to teach these kids how to play freeze tag for the first time. They wore me out!!

We had a chance to visit the town hospital. The conditions were rougher than we expected...invasive surgeries in rooms that were not air conditioned!

Goat anyone?

So many great places hidden beyond the litter and empty bottles...

So, the question becomes: Who will help them and share the blessing that's been entrusted to us? After returning to the U.S., this was part of the first passage that we were led to:

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.

Isaiah 58:10-11

And you know what's strange? Immediately after returning, we were bombarded by our regular lives. Lives that are so distracting that it's easy to put a trip like this in a box and on a shelf. I mean, we should just consider ourselves lucky lottery winners that were born and raised in the U.S., right? But we cannot forget what we've seen and heard. We cannot continue to read passages like this one and continue to live a self-serving, all-about-us kind of life. Even though the DR was missing so many material things that we have and appreciate here, we saw how they were rich in other ways. Things that have been untouched by the busyness and the race to get what we think we (and our kids) deserve...   There will be more about this trip and more pictures soon, so "follow us" to stay tuned!

Now In Stereo Sound!

Last night, Heather and I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Howard Straus, the radio host of "The Power of Natural Healing". We had plenty of time to dive into Sy's story and how his health has made a complete turnaround on the Gerson Therapy. If you get a chance, please check it out on his website here Monday at 11am Pacific Time. It will also be available in the archives later that week! This was our first opportunity to be on the radio and we had tons of fun. Thanks Howard!

Unexpected Gain and Devastating Loss

So God totally shocked us about six weeks ago... We found out we were expecting another baby! This was nothing outside of a complete miracle because all of our other children have required me taking meds or herbs in order to conceive. We thought we were finished with birthing babies and the doctors definitely have encouraged this... So when I say we were shocked, I really mean SHOCKED! Let's just say that we were preventing in more ways than one. :) Of course after getting over the initial freak out, we knew that God wanted this baby and we were excited to grow our family from six to seven! Wow!!

Then the bleeding started... This is nothing too unusual for me. I've experienced that with all of my pregnancies but I've also miscarried before so it's still unnerving. One night it was so bad that I had to go in to the ER. Ugh... Finally after waiting and waiting, we saw the heartbeat... That little flicker is always so exciting and reassuring. It carries with it an immediate calming to my soul. It's such a reminder of God's intricate handiwork growing inside of my body. Meanwhile, I later had a follow up ultrasound and all still looked good. I was still nervous to tell folks but I knew the facts were that at that moment all was okay. Then a few days later, the bleeding intensified and I was really expecting the worst. The doctor wanted to do yet another ultrasound due to the amount of bleeding and just to be sure. Lo and behold, there was that heartbeat--thumping even stronger at over 160 beats a minute! I've had complications with all of my pregnancies (and deliveries) but the OB came up with a valid reason for the bleeding and reaffirmed that the baby was just fine--"No need to worry." So I didn't... I just tried to "lay low" (yeah right with four kids under 8, homeschooling, and Sy's therapy, but I did my best). And I just laid the worry aside and trusted God that all was okay. And I really trusted...

So yesterday morning rolls around and I went in for a prescheduled doctor's appointment. The morning was pretty hectic and it was easy to forget the importance of what we were going to do. We remembered to stop and pray right before going into the office for the well-being of our little one.

Since I was still bleeding, we did another ultrasound. After what seemed like an eternity of watching the doc's eyes scour the monitor, I heard those words that I will never forget.

"Guys, I hate to tell you this... There is no heartbeat." Silence. "I'm sorry."

As tears start to stream down my face I keep thinking, What?! Oh, God no! Lord, just help me breathe. I can't completely fall apart here. The doctor went on about me needing a d&c asap because I was ten weeks along and I had already been bleeding so much. He could also see a lot of blood pooled around the placenta. Unfortunately, I had eaten a small breakfast so we would have to wait a few hours. I hardly heard what he said--I was still working on just breathing. Then, Jordan interjected and asked if there was any chance at all of our baby still being alive. The doctor confirmed that he was 100% positive that the baby was gone...we knew to be with Jesus. He then left to schedule my surgery and to give us a few moments alone...

Jordan and I just clung to each other, clasped hands, and then cried out to God and thanked Him for this miracle of life. We told him how we knew he was holding our little baby in His arms. That was comforting but I must admit, I felt and still feel a little jealous. I now have four babies here on earth and two in heaven. It will be such a delight to meet the other two some day. They must be pretty remarkable because God obviously wanted them to be with Him early on. And through it all, I still know that I can completely trust Him... His ways are not my ways and His ways are so much higher and better for me than I can possibly understand. Despite the hurt, grief, and sadness, I am so thankful that God used me to be His vessel to bring these children life.

I'm not one to have feelings regarding whether a boy or a girl, but throughout this pregnancy the name Corban has really resonated with me... It means a gift or offering to God. I think heaven inherited a new Corban yesterday.

Side note: Yesterday, as we were pulling out of the neighborhood, a magnificent rainbow was coming down right beside us. Thanks God, for reminding us of your love and unmatched promises!

Anderson Live Show Clips (Updated!)

**Updated show clips to show full segments, including intro video and surprises. They are hand recorded and the audio is a bit low, but it should be clear enough.

Thank you to all of you who tuned in to watch our handsome boy make his daytime TV debut. We all were very happy how the show was put together and we are so thankful to the Anderson Live crew for having us there. We really hope that we were able to help at least one person in some way. There's only one complaint...I still have not received a phone call to become a jewelry hand model on QVC. Did they not shoot my amazingly strong, yet tender hands enough?

We've been looking to find the entire interview. We've found both parts, but the first one is not the greatest quality. We'll keep looking and try to find something better. Anyway, thanks to the person who took the time to record this on their TV! Here you go! Oh, and also, just for the record, I'm really proud of both my son and my smokin' hot wife.

Lastly, a huge thanks to those companies that blessed our family in a huge way...Bunny Luv, Global Organics, and Lego! I just noticed that this part isn't on the video. Big hugs from Sy for these great folks!

If you can't see the videos below click here for part 1 and here for part 2. Enjoy!

Here's still the portion straight from the show...much clearer.

Cinco de Ashy-o & Anderson Air Date!

We've had an eventful last few days... Sunday was Asher's FIRST birthday! I can't believe it's been a year since that kid came out backside first and folded up like a laptop by a lady with no pain meds (if you missed that story, you need to read it here). It's been a great year of joy with this little guy and we were able to party at our local Mexican Restaurant (viva Mexico!) with a group of friends, a mariachi band, and a bunch of folks we didn't know. Here's some pics from the day:

Who could resist a fiesta with a bandit like this?

Don't mind if we do!

Poncho or placemat? You'll never know!

Ash was surprised when the whole restaurant sang to him! Feliz Cumpleanos, little guy!

Ole!

Someone had too much Cinco in his Mayo.

I think our Spanish-speaking cake decorator thought we wouldn't notice the English! Excelente!

It's Finally On!

Ok, so we also just got the news that our Anderson Live show will finally be aired tomorrow, May 8th. Check your local listings for when it comes on...some places it's morning, some it's afternoon. We just saw a preview today and Sy is looking great! Click here to get the show info.

Let's say a prayer and hope that our family is able to let the real Light shine in our story!