July 11th..We arrived back in Calif. just in time for a Pettit Family Reunion. They seem to be getting smaller every year now that Mom and Dad have passed on. The family is still huge but getting everyone together is more difficult. We are making a great attempt at staying connected through FaceBook though. Food as usual was delicious and there was plenty of it. Lots of catching up on what is happening in each other's lives and entertainment by one of the youngest...Red's only granddaughter.

July 5th This past weekend we were able to visit with one of our kid's family at their restaurant. We enjoyed good food and fun visit with them. As we were shopping in the Globos we heard our names being shouted, when we turned around it was one of the girls from the program with her mom and sister. It was a joy seeing the kids outside of school and with their families. We picked up some good buys too.

June 31st The Camps...one of my favorite places of ministry. It was in a camp I first understood hopelessness, extreme poverty and felt the darkness of evil. Over the years as we have worked with the people of the camps I have seen how the Light of Jesus can change all of those things. Going to the camp this week with my friend Vero helped me see it anew thru her eyes.

June 28th A busy week with the kids, lots of fun. They are always so full of joy which makes me rethink how I start my mornings. With all they have to bear they greet each day with smiles and a sweet spirit. I love all my friends that make up the staff and we are making some great memories. We have moments that make us laugh and others that bring tears. Had fun over the weekend shopping at the Globus and enjoying great food. The beach is chilly but beautiful, so we've enjoyed visiting it.

June 19th Today is Tyler's Birthday ..our oldest grandson turns 20. How the years have flown since he was born. He has brought such joy into our lives. We pray he stays close to Jesus and loving every minute of his journey into adulthood. The organic garden...named the Lasagna Garden because of the many layers it's built upon...is starting to grow. They harvested a few radishes this week. The boys I'm working with love crafts and storytime. We talked about bomberos..firemen, they all want to be one when they grow up.We had another staff party, which are always a fun time of fellowship although they are also sad as they mean another staffer is returning home.

June 11th Yesterday was a memorable one....we took all the kids in the Dayhome program to Ensenada. We began early by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then as the kids arrived they were given a special t-shirt and we spent a short time singing and in prayer. After loading up we were off...some of these kids had never been out of their town much less to a big port city. McDonalds was our first stop and the management went out of their way to give us special treats. Then it was off to the pier for a boat ride... After a few kids had to be reassured we boarded. Fun, fun as we toured around...seals...and more seals. Squealing with joy the kids had a wonderful ride. Then to our last stop, Walmart!! Nothing to children in the states but these boys and girls loved every minute of shopping and spending their pesos. We adults marveled at how special the day was...surely God was smiling too.

June 6th All of Enrique's perseverance and hard work has paid off…. He graduated from The Bible Institute tied for the number one academic placement. The day before we joined Ellie and him along with his friends and family at the mission's R & R Retreat Costa Bravo to celebrate and eat some great food. This is a beautiful beach area a few miles from the mission. There are beautiful homes here and God blessed the mission with a place that was donated to them where staff can get away to relax for a few days. Sunday night was the graduation service and a banquet afterward. We had a fantastic time.

June 3rd.....once again my sister Kathy and my friend Ellie talked me in to helping them cook for 300 people here at the mission. Like the time two weeks ago it made me appreciate the kitchen staff so much more! Preparing the correct quantity and having it ready to serve on time is not easy. With lots of prayer and organization we were able to pull it off...here is a picture of our nutritious meal...soup, salad and southern cornbread. All the comments we heard were positive and appreciative of the efforts.

June 1st We have been hard at work since we arrived and loving every minute of it! I am once again working with the kids in the school for disabled children and Doug drives the bus for them. He is also working in the organic garden with my sister Kathy and helping our friends Enrique and Ellie fix up their house. Everyday from Sala (our devotion time each morning) till we hit the sack at night, we are learning and seeing how the Lord is working mightly here. We have had some neat events going on...a talent show for teens, the dedication of the church where Enrique is preaching and an evangelistic event by another graduate and friend of Enrique's who was a famous Bullfighter but now is in the service of the King. We've had time to hit some of our favorite restaurants and visit with friends. We are also excited about our trip to the Phillipines coming up in July...more about that later. Being here as usual is more of a blessing to us than we could have imagined.

May 15th: We got to Mexico!!

May 15th So sorry I haven't been updating the blog since we got to Mexico. I can't get around the blocking site they have so I will have my neice post for me. We arrived on May 13th in Guadalupe at Rancho Sordo Mudo Rv Park and settled in. Ate dinner at our favorite restaurant stuffing ourselves. Friday we visited with our sweet friends Gio and Patty with their now three beautiful daughters. Then Saturday Kathy and Ellie arrived and we headed off to Juan and Marta's graduation from Bible College. It was a wonderful time of celebration, we are so proud of them and their hard work for the past three years. We were able to visit with Pastor Yolanda that night and the next morning before we set off for FFHM.

May 9th Spent the last 3 1/2 days in Visalia and Delano Calif. visiting with old friends and family. Spent Friday night with my friend Mary and her family...we hadn't seen each other in way too many years. We now have grown kids and grandkids! Some of her sweet adult children and their kids came by and listened to us talk about the "old days". Some friendships do not change with time and this is one of them. Saturday we spent at the lake with Doug's brother and his sister and her grandson. No fish caught but lots of lazing in the sun and chatting. Then Sunday after Church went out for Mother's Day Lunch with family.

May 4th Many counties in TN including our own were flooded over the weekend. We were fortunate and none of our family or homes were harmed. But so many folks lost loved ones and homes along with churches and businesses. We look at pictures and the news and can't believe the damage. Praying for all and know the recovery will take some time. Feel a little guilty enjoying our trip when so many are dealing with tragedy. Here we have had winds for the last couple of days...Albuquerque and into Sedona Arizona. Today we drove to Montezuma's Castle and Well. Such interesting places and we learned much about the Indian culture that inhabited these places. We love history and that has made traveling such fun b/c we're still learning new information. Then we traveled into the Red Rock area of Sedona...we know now why people rave about how beautiful it is. Neat town where we shopped and ate ice cream( I had Prickly Pear (cactus) which was delicious) as we took in all the scenery. Then we ate at a restaurant our RV park host told us about...some of the best salsa ever!!

May 1st Arrived at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas yesterday surrounded by flat landscape then driving down onto the Canyon to be surrounded by gorgeous mountains. We took a six mile hike today and are so glad we did.....as you can see in the pictures it was great. Saw some wildlife...mule deer, foxes and some animal that we couldn't identify. We keep driving up to the top of the canyon to get phone service and call home to check on the weather. Bethany has gone to Knoxville and Rachel is at her house babysitting. She say the rain is pouring down and the sirens have gone off indicating a tornado warning. Being this far away is so hard during any serious situations.