Leaving On A Jet Plane

It was time to get on a plane and leave the only home I had ever known knowing that we would not be back for at least 4 years. Everything had been done that needed to be done. Even our house sold the night before we left. The goodbyes were said by our family and friends. Our stuff was packed and had already been shipped to our new home in Costa Rica. I really had no idea what our life would be like from this point forward. Neither one of us had ever been out of the country before. I was very surprised with myself about how calm and peaceful I felt when driving to the airport. Everything was good until the wheels of our plane lifted off American soil and at that moment I missed my country and longed for the day we would return. This was one of those moments and there were many more that if you didn't have a strong assurance that God had called you to go that it would be so easy to quit.
When we arrived in Costa Rica there was a sweet couple that met us at the airport to take us to our new home for the next 8 months. They gave us a tour around the city and I immediately fell in love with San Jose. As soon as I saw a McDonalds I knew I would be fine. Our home was located in San Fransico De Dos Rios. This was the area where all the missionaries from all denominations lived while they attended language school.

We shared a duplex with another missionary family. Their names were Jim and Viola. They were with the southern baptist and were assigned to go to Central America after language school. Our duplex was centered in between a chinese restaurant and a bakery. It didn't take long at all before we felt at home.

Guy and I couldn't wait to get out with Jason and start exploring the city after having a much needed good night sleep. I wish I could say we got a good night sleep but we were awaken by cannon's going off which we later found out was the Catholic Church. It took some time getting used to our new strange noises in the neighborhood.
Goodnight  and in retrospect we'll talk again soon.

No More "NO WAY"

Now that we were completely sure that God has called us to become full time foreign missionaries in Ecuador with HCJB it is preparation time. First, we wanted to learn everything about HCJB while at the same time they wanted to learn everything about us. This process took several months. At the end of all their questions we were approved to be full time missionaries. At that time we were told what area we would be the best fit for. Since Guy was a paramedic on the Orlando Fire Department he would be using his education and job experience to work in the jungle as a medical missionary. Since Ecuador did not have paramedics the country gave Guy the closest job description to a paramedic which was a doctor. Which was pretty cool.  We were told that we now needed to raise support before we could go. They told us that usually takes about 1 1/2 to 2 years. God provided our support in 3 months from 2 churches. That alone is a miracle. The next step would be that we would have to first live in Costa Rica for 8 months while we attended language school to learn Spanish. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do.  After language school we would be on our way to our new home in the Amazon Jungle.
I need to pause a moment and share my thoughts on living in the jungle. This decision was a process. We were first told we were going to live in the capital of Ecuador which is Quito. I thought to myself  Quito would be fine but no way would I want to live in the mountain area. Then the mission called us and  said they didn't need us anymore in Quito. They now need us in the mountain area. After thinking about it I thought the mountains would be OK because there are no snakes in the mountains but for sure no way would I want to live in the jungle area I thought to myself. Then the mission called and told us they didn't need us in the mountain area they now need us in the jungle. I then said Lord I'm not going to say no way anymore to anymore locations. If I kept this up I would be living WITH the tribes in a hut.

During this time period I was excited about our adventure and how God was showing us so clearly the next step to take by faith. During all this time I was being a new mom and enjoying it so much. We were enjoying all the first of our first child. 1st Christmas, 1st Birthday, 1st haircut.  But in my heart I would have fear and doubt. Would Jason be safe living in the jungle? Would we get bitten by a snake? I don't like snakes at all. I knew that sudden fear is not of God and I knew that I would rather be in the jungle in the center of God's Will then to be anywhere else out of God's Will.

I'm sure you have been asking yourself. What is HCJB and what does it stand for. HCJB are the call letters for the first radio station in Quito, Ecuador. It stands for Heralding Christ Jesus Blessings. The mission of HCJB is to reach the world  with the gospel through (at that time) short wave radio. At that time short wave radio was the most up to date technology. Short wave radio could go where missionaries were not allowed to go. Along with radio, the mission also had 2 hospitals. One in Quito and the other in Shell, Ecuador. We were going to work out of the one in Shell. If you are interested in learning more about HCJB you can go to their website www.hcjb.org   The picture above is of Guy, myself and Clarence Jones. He is the man who started the mission organization HCJB. It was very cool to meet him after reading his book "Come Up To This Mountain".

THREE LITTLE ITEMS

Have you ever asked God to show you the direction He wanted you to go and then want a little more proof just to be sure you heard Him correctly. Well that was us. We were getting ready to quit our jobs, sell our new home, leave our family and friends and take our new born baby to go live in the amazon jungle as medical missionaries. We wanted to be very sure this was exactly God's perfect will and plan for our lives. So Guy and I decided to put a fleece out to God.  We asked God for three items that we thought we would need if we became missionaries with HCJB. We thought if God provided these items without us telling anyone what those items were we would know we are to go. The three items were a camera and film, a stereo and a ham radio.

About 1 week later we got a letter in the mail saying we have won a prize. When I called to claim the prize I asked what we had won. I was told we had won a 35mm camera with 500 rolls of film and free developing. The next weekend we got a knock on the door from our closest friends. They were in the military and were getting transferred to another state. They said they wanted to give us a going away gift. They wanted to give us something that they already had. They said they looked all over the house and decided to give us their
stereo. They were holding it in their arms with a big bow around it. As soon as we saw the gift in their arms we knew we also would be getting transferred soon ourselves. Still we said nothing. Now it was fun to see how God was going to give us a ham radio. Only a few days later Guy gets a call from Dick Rutherford. Dick is the man that invited us to his house to have dinner and meet with missionaries from our church. He told Guy that he just received a phone call from a lady in our church that had recently become a widow. She said her husband had a ham radio and she knew he wanted it to go to a missionary. Dick told the lady that he knew of the perfect person to give it to. You guessed it, us!!!! ALL THREE ITEMS in two weeks time.

There was no denying the direction God was leading us.

A NEW DIRECTION

Up till now I have been writing only about the first 5 years of our married life together. And before I move on to the next chapter I want to re-cap our life now as a family.
In-Retrospect, I can see that throughout my life I have always desired to have balance in my life. And this was one of those moments in time that seemed in complete balance. We both had good jobs, two fairly new cars, we enjoyed  married life, we just had our first child, we just moved into our new home, we attended a great church, we were close with our family and we had good friends.
As I mentioned in another blog that I desired Guy to get a little more spiritual. I was thinking more along the lines of him becoming a deacon in the church we attended. But God had different plans.
One morning Guy started sharing that he has been feeling like God might want us to go live in another country as missionaries. And what is strange is that I didn't freak out because God was laying on my heart the same thing.
We didn't know where, when or with who. So for fun we looked at a world map and closed our eyes and pointed. Our finger landed on Ecuador, South America. I thought Lets go for best 2 out of 3. I looked for Hawaii then closed my eyes and pointed. We started searching information about Ecuador. We called the Baptist Foreign Mission Board to ask if there were any openings or needs in Ecuador. And there wasn't. We knew there were so many organizations that we could apply for but which one do you pick? So we  prayed and  asked God to send the mission organization to us. In the meantime, while working on the fire department Guy started attending bible college. He was preparing himself that when a mission organization does contact us, we would be prepared.
Then one afternoon I needed to send Guy to the store to pick up some bread. When he came back home he said he ran into someone from church. His name is Dick Rutherford. Guy said we were invited to their house for dinner that night. They were having a cookout with some missionaries that our church supported. We were excited to meet a missionary from another country. This was a great opportunity to ask questions about missionary life. Take one guess of which country they were missionaries of. Your right, ECUADOR. And if that wasn't weird enough they just happened to have an application to become a missionary with the organization they were with. The mission organization was HCJB.
I learned at that moment, God knows my address and has a plan for our life. He didn't share the whole plan at once and I am thankful He didn't. But He did give us our next step to take and the faith to go through it. God provides everything you will need to do what he has directed you to do.
In retrospect we will talk again soon.

IT'S A BOY!!!! It's a BIG boy!!!!!!!!!!!

On April 2, 1980 Jason Michael Walden was born. I remember hoping our child would be born on his or her due date. And my hoping turned to reality. On April 2, we woke up and right away I started feeling like we needed to call the doctor. We were told to go to the hospital. Our bags were packed with all the items we were told from our pre-natal class that we would need during labor. Some of those items were socks, tennis ball (for back pain), an item to focus on and I don't remember what that was but I do remember focusing on the clock in front of my bed. Also last but very much not least we needed the certificate that Guy went to the pre-natal classes or he would not be able to be in the labor and delivery room with me. Back in the day that's how it was done. This was also back in the day when the epidural was not yet being used. Plus I wanted to do it all natural. No drugs!! I am very sensitive to all drugs and found out that day that I am allergic to pitocin which is a drug to help start contractions. After a few drops of pitocin I then had a 8 minute contraction. I know that for sure because as I mentioned my focal point was the clock. When the time came I pushed for 2 hours and the doctor decided to put me under and deliver the baby with forceps. Both Jason and Mommy looked like we had been in a fight and lost. The whites of my eyes were  red because all the blood vessels in my eyes popped when I was pushing. And Jason shoulder was hurt from the forceps. After you hear how much Jason weighed at birth all these events will make sense. He weighed 10 lbs. 13 oz. And 21 inches long. Our little HULK was born!!!!!!  It is true that the pain is forgotten the moment you hold your beautiful baby in your arms for the first time. Being as I was a first time Mom, I didn't realize that Jason's weight was that unusual until I put him in his newborn outfit to go home from the hospital and it was to small.  The first 3 pictures were taken when Jason was 8 days old.

Life does not get any better than these moments.

Growing God's Way

During those same first 5 years of marriage, along with working and playing, we were growing in our faith. The bible says "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". We were excited about our new relationship with Jesus. The kind of excitement that you have when you first fall in love and that's all you talk about to everyone you meet. We got baptized and joined the church. Guy and I started attending the Young married Sunday School Class. Today we call it "Life Groups". We developed good friendships with the teachers and other couples in the class that God placed in our life. The kind of friendships that if I needed help I could call these people and they would be there for me after many, many years of not seeing them. And thanks to Facebook I have been able to re-connect with many of them.
During that same time frame, Guy and I experienced a personal loss. I was 5 months pregnant and we were so excited to be having our first baby when the doctor told me that there was no baby. Everything else was developing except the baby. I had never experienced a loss of anyone in my life to this point and knew that I never wanted to feel this way again. I remember wondering why would God even allow me to get pregnant if He knew the baby wasn't going to live. That also was our first experience with Gods Grace and Comfort through family and our church family. I remember that everyday one of the Pastors would visit me in the hospital and pray. Meals and letters were sent to the house. But there was one person that comes to mind the most during that time in my life. I don't even remember what she said, I just remember feeling that everything will be alright. Thank you, Pat and Dwainn Arnett for always being there for us and teaching us through your life example.
During those same first 5 years as I have mentioned in previous blogs that we were busy going after the "American Dream", having vacations, making friends, enjoying our hobbies (Guys hobby was making cars go faster and mine seemed to be getting tickets for going to fast). Just living life. When I started feeling like we were not as close to God as we were before.
I started praying that Guy would get more spiritual. Be careful what you pray for. God might answer your prayer and God did. We started teaching a children's Sunday School Class. Thinking that teaching children would be easy. Those kids were smart!!! They would ask us questions in class that we would have to get back with them next week with the answers. I loved those kids. They helped us to grow in God's Word.

Around about this time I got pregnant again. We were so excited and I wanted to tell everyone but we wanted to be sure that the doctor heard a heartbeat and that everything was good. Because when you put that news out it went as fast as it does now with Facebook and that's pretty fast. Our baby's due date was April 2, 1980. We didn't know what the sex was until he or she was born. While waiting for our baby to be born we were also waiting for our house to be built. We were growing in so many ways.

To be continued........  "In -Retrospect"

Our First Road Trip

I do love to travel!! I didn't realize it at the time that the memories we made on our vacation we took during those first 5 years would have to last us a long time before we took another vacation. I am so glad we fully enjoyed our time together. Our next vacation was about 15 years later.

I know you are on the edge of your seat just waiting to find out where we went and how we got there. I will not leave you in suspense any longer. It was the GRAND CANYON!!!! Who doesn't want to see a really big hole in the ground. And to top it all off we saw it from our RV Camper. I love flying, I love train rides, I love going on cruise ships but small little truck campers are not my top choice. I have our first night embedded in my memory for life. It was pouring down rain, I mean really, it was coming down in bucket loads. It was cold and dark out. We pulled into the AA Campground. Guy said "You need to get out and help me back the camper in". This is the time I look at him and would have said "REALLY" if we said that back then. So I got out in the dark, cold typhoon weather to help back up my man and his RV. As soon as I got behind the truck I fell into a hole filled with mud. Guy cracks his window open and asked where I am and why am I not helping. My arms are waving and I start laughing and more laughing. Now I get to go take a cold shower in the public bathroom in the middle of the night. Finally, this night is over. That was Day 1. Can you tell this my first time camping?
Ready for a new day. The plan for Day 2 was to make it to Texas. I was really excited until I realized that on Day 4 we were finally coming out of Texas. And that was driving straight through. We were diffidently not in Florida anymore. Lots and lots of rocks and mountains and the open road. I am so glad I saw that part of the country before I saw "Hills Have Eyes".
All I wanted to do when we got to the Grand Canyon was take the donkey ride to the bottom. And after a normal night of camping we got up the next morning to start our adventure to the bottom of the canyon. Included in the price was a Boxed Lunch for all the riders. It takes 4 hours to get to the bottom. The path your donkey walks on was about 8 feet wide. We were instructed to never let the donkey face the wall because he will back up right over the edge. No pressure there!!!! At the bottom we ate our Boxed Lunch. When we got to the bottom I fell off my donkey and my foot was stuck in the thing where you put your foot. We stayed at the bottom for about 1 hour and then the climb back to the top. Same path back up.
I had so much fun that day!!!! Now, the next day was a different story. One word. SORE!!!!!!!

Now on to Colorado, where we climbed and hiked in the mountains. We made friends along the way. There was this older couple that happened to stay at the same campsite every night that we stayed in. Now, when we take vacations we are the older couple. I hear a song coming on "It's the Circle of Life".

Our first vacation was coming to an end and I can honestly say that RV Campers are still not my first choice but there not my last anymore.






              HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU
       
    YES, this was Guy and I. It must have been the "In Thing" to get your childs picture taken on a pony.
         
   

Chasing the "American Dream"

The first five years we were married we had not had any children yet.  I am having a little difficulty in remembering those years. Maybe because today when anyone ask me when events happened in my life I remember back to the birth dates of our children. I have had 13 pregnancies and of those 13, 7 children and 6 miscarriages and yes all with the same person. Some people have asked me if all our children are from the same father. That says a lot about our society. I need to stop because I'm getting ahead of myself.

Back to life before children. Before children we had a dog. Isn't that what every newly married couple does. We had a Lab and his name was Buster-runski. My husband named him. He also gave me a pet nickname (no pun intended). I had two names during those years. One was BongoBabyButt and the other was Feets which has lasted longer. But Today I'm Chickee.
Our goal back then was to achieve the "American Dream". And we were moving pretty good along that tract. Our hopes and dreams were to buy a house, a car, furnish the house, take vacations once a year, enjoy our hobbies and go to church. That is me sitting on the roof of what would soon be our first new home.  In order to make those dreams come true we needed to have good jobs which I thought we did. Guy was a firefighter and he was advancing his career by going to paramedic school. I also was working and thought I had a pretty good job as one of the Seven Dwarfs at Disney World. But my career as a dwarf was short lived (I'm on a roll right now). Again no pun intended. One day when I was on the float and tied to a poll so I wouldn't fall off I got so hot and needed air. The last thing I remember is yelling "Help Me Snow White". See how good I stayed in character. Then I thought to myself, This can't be good when the only person that can help me is  Snow White. But the music was so loud and she was busy dancing around the dwarfs to hear my cries for help. Then I must have passed out inside the costume but the pole was holding me up so no one knew until the end of the parade when they pulled Doc's head off. After arriving at the hospital by ambulance I knew my Dwarf days were over. My next job at Disney World was waitressing at the Diamond Horseshoe. Less pay which I didn't think was possible but great tips made it worth it. And then a couple of years later I moved to the Parking Lot.  I enjoyed every area I ever worked in at Disney World. FUN JOB!! Guy also loved his job with the fire department. Being a fireman is more than a job. It was family!!!!
My "American Dream" has changed a bit over the years. Life has taught me about priorities. There is nothing wrong with wanting to take care of our families and enjoying the fruits of our labor as long as we keep it all in balance.

This photo says the "American Dream" is over. Maybe its time we get a "New Dream". What is Yours?

Sweet Dreams and "In Retrospect" we'll talk again soon.

SAVED!!!!

It was 3 months after we got married on January 28, 1976. Guy was working at the Orlando Airport Fire Station. One of the other fireman asked him how married life was. He said. "Well, it's not what I thought it would be. There's something missing." Wow! Words that every newly married wife loves to hear. The other fireman's name was Charlie. He told Guy that everyone tries to fill the void in their life with something. But it won't be completely filled until you invite Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. Then Charlie shared with Guy some verses from Romans in the Bible. He also shared with Guy about something called the rapture. After they talked for a while they both knelt down beside the fire truck and Charlie lead Guy into a prayer of salvation. Guy asked Jesus to forgive him of all sins and come into his heart and be Lord of his life. At that moment Guy went from being a seeker (when he wasn't even seeking) to a believer. Old school way of putting it is he got saved, born again, Holy Spirit living inside of him and going to Heaven when he dies. Not for what he did but for what Jesus did for him on the cross. Charlie then told Guy of a good church to go to in order to learn and grow in his faith and walk with Jesus. Charlie was faithful to share his relationship with Jesus with others. It's not easy to share with co-workers, family and friends.

The next day when I got home from work, like I always do, I asked Guy what happened at work. He said he got saved!!! I thought he was trapped in a fire and someone saved him. Spiritually speaking That's Exactly What Happened!!!! Then he explained what he meant by that. Guy told me everything that Charlie told him. He even had the verses written on his hand that he asked Charlie to write so that he could share them with me when he got home. He also explained to me about the rapture and that it could happen at anytime. No one knows the day or hour that Jesus would return for those that have accepted Him as their Savior. At that moment Guy reminded me we were supposed to go to his families house for dinner. He said we'll talk about this when we get back home. The whole time we were eating dinner I thought Jesus is going to return right now and I would be left eating dinner with his family. I asked him if we could go home right then. As soon as we got home I repeated the same prayer that he had prayed at the fire station. I knew this is what I had been searching for. Jesus now was Lord of our lives and our marriage.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!  CHARLIE BRACEWELL!!!

THESE ARE THE VERSES THAT CHARLIE WROTE ON GUY'S HAND TO SHARE WITH ME
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord; and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart a person believes; and with the mouth he confesses; resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:13 FOR WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED!!!!

It Didn't Take Long

Awesome Honeymoon!!!!!! We had a cabin in the north Georgia Mountains. The leaves were changing. Well at least that's what we were told by those who went outside. Just kidding! We went out to eat. :)
I was so excited to get back and start our new life together. I am one of those people who likes everyday life. That's where the good stuff happens!! Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and make scrapbook memories but getting back where you love to live is the best!!!!
It didn't take long getting in a normal routine of me working at Disney World as a character in the parade. One of my characters was one of the Seven Dwarfs. Can you guess which one? I'll give you a hint. The only one with a doctorate degree. Doc is right. And Guy got back into his schedule with the fire department. 24 on 48 off.
It took a little getting use to each other and married life. He found out pretty quick that I couldn't cook. So he taught me how to cook chicken. So that's what I cooked every night until he told me he liked other things also. I got the hang of it eventually. On the other hand I found out that his dirty clothes would always end up beside the laundry basket not in the laundry basket. I'm not saying he wasn't a perfect housekeeper but when I used his bathroom before we were married I noticed his towels would stand up by themselves on the floor. Love is blind!!!!  It didn't take long for the little things to take away our joy.
I wanted to be the perfect wife. Girls that I worked with would always talk about their church and being a christian. So one Sunday while Guy was working I decided to go to church. I didn't realize that at the same time I was seeking God, God was seeking us. Next blog will be how we found Him.

Our Wedding Day

This October 11 is our 36th wedding anniversary. And as I look back at these pictures on our wedding day I see love and excitment about our future together. We were full of hopes and dreams like every couple has on their wedding day. We said our vows to each other "For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health so long as we both shall live". We had a pretty good plan for our life together. But God's Plan was quite different then ours. His plan  involved Faith, Hope and Love at the deepest levels I could have ever imagined. I do know that I am glad God doesn't give us the whole plan in advance. Happy 36th Anniversary to my Guy. I love you <3
And "In Retrospect" we'll talk again soon.