SIMPLY AMAZED

We continue to be amazed at the speed of time as we love on the kids here on Isla Mujeres. We get up with good intentions to update our blog and then the next thing we know, 4 months have passed. Life is that way no matter where you live we believe and it is a simple reminder to us to complete the tasks before us as God lays them on our hearts each day. Do we tend to say "Tomorrow" with so many little events (Not that our Blog is a little event) that come before us throughout the day and then realize that it has slipped away for a month or more? Since our last post, we have handed out 100's of shoes to the kids here and are always so humbled and blessed by the support of so many. Every pair is given in the name of Jesus and every foot loved on as we enter into the lives of so many here. Friends from Canada brought down 65+ pairs of soccer shoes for the kids and another family just left after handing out over 100 pairs of shoes while here. A soccer Co-op donated the shoes and the Holden families church group cleaned them all up for the journey down. The Leonard triplets sold cookies and lemonade for a year to be able to buy shoes and what a blessing to see 12 year old triplets wanting to serve kids who are less fortunate than them. We are in the process of getting school shoes for special kids that we have come to know throughout the 6+ years we have been here. Yesterday, we started out just to see if the shoe store was open, to see if they were having school, and to maybe buy a few pair. God moved in a mighty way as we ended up buying shoes, finding the kids that are scattered around the Island and also coming upon the man that sells shoes from his V.W. van for a living. When we got home we sat in amazement how it had all come together for us and thanked God for every piece of the puzzle. When we sat back and relived the day, 20 seconds either way in our journey would of meant missing the kids as they were walking home from school, standing on a corner,riding their bikes, etc.. What a treat to be able to come driving down the road and see Dyna just standing there looking around in the middle of the Colonias and to pull up and hand her a pair of school shoes. Off we went down the road to get a new toilet seat, (yes a toilet seat was our agenda during this leg of the journey), and then to have Isleni come walking across the street playing with her top. Joy filled our hearts as she went running towards her home as fast as she could go with her new shoes. Another prayer answered as we had not seen her for a couple of months not knowing

if she had moved from the Island or to a new house. Blessed for sure since where we saw her she was not close to her home but praise be to God, because He knew where she was and placed us there at the exact time needed. We love seeing God work this way as we asked for directions in our day and He answered them above and beyond our wildest imaginations. We will try to do better in keeping the blog updated in the future so that those of you that read it can be blessed along with us as God moves here on Isla through us. Blessings wherever you are and however God is using you for His glory.

We did it again

YES!!!!! We did it again. We let another 2 months pass and no updates. Please forgive us. We returned to the States for the first time in over a year and a half for the birth of our first Grand child. We welcomed into this wonderful world little "Locket Laveda Lockhart" on April 12, 2013. What an amazing thing it is, to be a part of such a marvelous event. Upon returning we hit the ministry field with four wonderful ladies on the 2nd of May with over 275 pairs of shoes going out to the kids here. Every pair of feet went out the door with new shoes and a great big smile on their faces. God is so gracious to us in providing a constant flow of support from folks abroad and in allowing us to be a part of His grand plan. Thank you Jesus and all that continue to help us "LOVE" the kids here in this beautiful part of the world. Met some new visitors the other day and a person who has lived here for a lot of years and they both had the same conclusion. The people that live here are by far the friendliest and giving folks they have ever been around. That is the main theme about the locals here on Isla Mujeres and we agree with them one hundred percent. Our shoe ministry stretches across so many areas of outreach with the locals. One great testimony of your love for them through us is with Ely, our shoe store lady. Not seeing her for a few months and returning from our trip, I thought I should go and see her before our next shoe buy. I was greeted by her friendly smile and hello but she seemed a little down on this day. Asking her what was wrong, she informed me that she had been sitting there praying to Jesus (her photo of Him on her wall) all day. I was her first customer in the door and she was asking Jesus what she should do since she was three months late on her rent. I smiled, felt such great joy, and asked her if $12,000 pesos would help her situation. She gave me a big hug and started crying and thanking Jesus for her angels, Greg and Natalie. The four ladies showed up two days later and bought $12,500 pesos worth of shoes and her rent was caught up once again. We are so humbled to watch how God uses us for His glory and it all goes to Him. So off we went to blessed Guadalapana with all those shoes and a few more for the next trip somewhere here on Isla as God leads. We have also been able to hand out numerous Bibles to both the locals and also a missionary named Rueben from here who is taking the Bibles into villages around Chiapas. The summer heat is starting to rise and we are back settling in for the summer. Thanks for being patient with us as we continue to try and keep pace with our blog and life as well. Blessings from Isla Mujeres and Thanks for remembering us in your prayers.

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

It does not seem like almost two months since we last posted about our journey here on Isla Mujeres. We have had an over whelming amount of shoes given to us and purchased since writing last and what a blessing it has been for the kids here. February we handed out over a 100 pairs of shoes and the month of March we gave away over 200 pairs as well. We went to Guadalapana, the community we love on the most and also did a shoe outreach in the community of La Gloria at the home of Evelyn. We can not thank everyone enough for supporting these efforts with love, shoes, and donations as we continue to love on the precious feet of the kids on the island. God is so faithful and we keep seeking out His will in our lives as we share His son Jesus each day granted to us here. May your days before you be richly blessed.

2013 IN FULL SWING Christmas was a grand event for the kids here on Isla. With all the normal festivities that the Island holds, we were able to hand out over 250 pairs of shoes and provide a meal with entertainment as well. Instead of Santa showing up, a clown came with his two helpers and created a lot of smiles for a few hours. Turkey sandwiches and spaghetti for all the kids along with glow sticks and a small gift. Thanks to everyone involved in making this happen for the children whom we love so dearly. February is shaping up to be another great month as many folks have contacted us to bring shoes/or buy them here and go find some precious feet to love on. Stay tuned for February as 2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year that lies ahead, as always... "Lord willing."

GEARING UP FOR CHRISTMAS We can not believe that Christmas is almost here once again and that come January 7th, we will be starting our 6th year here on Isla Mujeres. We had an exciting November as two shoe deliveries where completed and we made some new friends along the way. We also got to catch up with old friends that brought shoes for the kids as well as some neat stocking hats and glow sticks. We have been saving shoes and gifts from the kind and loving folks who have been blessing us with donations as we get ready for Christmas. There are so many kids that will have nothing this year here and it is such a humbling experience to go and give them a little something wrapped up to let them know someone remembered. Please pray for us as we continue to love on the children, and share why we celebrate Christmas. Thanks for all the loving support this past year and may God richly bless you.

STEADY AS SHE GOES

A term we have heard most of our life used by sailors abroad. The course is set, and the captain shouts, "Steady as she goes". We continue to remind ourselves of this as God has set the course we are on and we are to hold course, and keep it steady. We had the opportunity to hand out shoes this past weekend, thanks to folks from all over that continue to bring shoes, and buy some here on the Island for our ministry. Carl from Canada left shoes with Marcia, Jackie brought shoes from Oregon as well as ones Cindy , from Texas left with her, and Audrey also from Texas pitched in as well in fitting shoes. Great time was had by all as we were greeted by Shelly and her Mom asking if we wanted to use their home to hand out shoes. Tables were hauled in from surrounding homes and it was a community effort to get us set up for the kids. Over 125 pairs were handed out along with some school supplies. Who would of thought that even if they did not get a pair of shoes that they would be jumping with joy over a single pencil or a pencil sharpener. Shayla, our little helper from one of the other homes we use showed up out of nowhere and took charge with the pencils and other supplies. It is so rewarding to see the kids get involved with our outreach and minister to each other. It is easy to wonder if we are making a difference as we go, yet we keep our course and God reminds us with each adventure, "Steady as she goes." The following day we were downtown checking on our status with the ferry cards and a dear friend came over to say hello. He asked me how our kids were and I replied that our son was fine. He smiled and asked me again but added "Your kids in Guadalapana?" He told us that he was there the other day making a delivery and was talking with some of the kids. He informed us that they may not know the name of their dad but they all know Gregorio and Natalie. We continue to inch along the course God has set for us and with each rising of the sun, we hear that command, "Steady as she goes." We trust in our Captain as we look to the future and thank everyone that is helping us stay the course.

Shoes for the New School Year

It has been an exciting August and September for us as we went searching for the neediest kids to bless with new school shoes for the year. The students here on Isla Mujeres must have uniforms to attend school and along with that, proper shoes. We sought out the families that we have been ministering to over the years and picked out a few of them for school shoes. It is always a hard decision to make as to who gets them and who doesn't. We have been blessed by PEACE Org. here, who has for the last two years donated money towards our efforts to keep these feet protected. This year we took their money and some of yours and 20+ kids got school shoes. If you think it is an adventure to go buy school shoes in the states, then come on down and we will show you a whole new way of doing it. First we had to go and contact the families and let them know what we wanted to do for them. Next, is deciding when a good time would be to meet them at the store. Then, explaining which store we wanted to meet them at. That could take us all day since "Lost in Translation" takes on a whole new meaning. After arriving at the store, we pray that they remember to come on the correct day and so we sit and wait patiently. Some show and some don't, so

for those that do, we get out the catalogs and start searching. We give them a basis for cost and then stand back and watch. They can spend hours wishing and hoping over some of the shoes, but we try and keep them focused on school shoes. Once ordered, then we have to set a date to meet them there again to pick up the shoes. Hopefully they remember and that they fit. If they don't fit, then we go through the whole process one more time with catalogs, wishing, hoping and finally ordering another pair. You might be asking, why not just order the same shoes just a size or two bigger? Well, they might not have them in that size or can't find it in the catalog since that catalog has disappeared. We had one pair delivered and they were both 26's, but one was a Chica and the other a Mujer. That means one was for a girl and the other for a woman. They have all received their shoes after a 6 week span

and are happy campers at school. Even though it is a long process, the most important thing of all is, we get to continue to build relationships with the families here and that the kids get to go to school. Thanks PEACE and our other faithful donors for keeping the process moving forward.