Baby Registry!

Dear Friends and Family, Believe it or not we can't get some baby items here in Ecuador! You can help by going to our Amazon.com Baby Registry!! Click on the title of this post "Baby Registry!" above and it will send you to the right page! We have decided to cloth diaper because the disposable diapers here in Ecuador are imported and extremely expensive. You can help us cloth diaper by purchasing a diaper for us from our registry!! Thanx! If you order from the Amazon Baby Registry the item will be automatically sent to Lorens Parents house in MS who will be coming down to Ecuador the week before the baby is due. That way they can bring the items! We have been given baby clothes generously! Thank you to all who has given to that. If you do want to purchase any clothes for our baby boy we would just need size 6months and older. Thank you all so much for being in our lives and loving our little boy. Love in Christ, The growing Holland family.

Never a dull moment

Let me tell you about the last couple of months- what an exciting adventure we are on! My cousin Chandler got to come down on a missions trip to Ecuador!! We (my parents and sisters) were really excited to get to see her. It was her first time in Ecuador and she had a great experience. Thanks Chan for coming down! Hopefully we can see you down here again!!! We got a wonderful chance to go to Shell (the jungle town Loren grew up in) after school let out. It was a joy getting to spend time down by the river and hang out with my sister Katelyn who was in town for the summer from College. The whole week we were there we played dutch blitz and settlers of catan. I love playing games and Loren was a great sport in humoring me. ;-) Four Seniors got baptized at the end of this year. That was a really exciting time to witness! Our last youth group we had a party and played games. I played 'rigamarole' and Loren played 'clue' with another group. Our friend Joseph had a birthday party we got to attend. It was a funny clash of cultures because it was put on by Ecuadorians and was a cowboy themed party for an American Korean. We did the traditional Ecuadorian 'smash his face in the cake' event that everyone loves. He is here working for the Korean Peace Corps and a huge help to our youth group. Joseph's knowledge, wisdom, and insight into the scriptures are wonderful and we look forward to continuing working with him this next year! Bells, Bells, Bells, Bells.. so many weddings coming up! My brother Mirike got engaged July 14th to Amber! We are really excited for them! My brother asked Amber in such a romantic way: On a hot air balloon overlooking the texas plains while the sun was coming up! Yay- that's my brother. If you go to my facebook page I have a link to the video he made of him asking Amber to marry him! You can watch it there. So exciting! We got to watch our dear friends Ashley and Ricky get engaged! Ashley we have worked with at Alliance for 2 years and Ricky is a great man of God who also works at Alliance. They will get married this spring here in Ecuador so we get to attend! We enjoy so much spending time with them! Jessica's bridal shower was a fun event towards the end of school and we get to attend her wedding this August here in Ecuador. She has turned into a great friend of mine and we look forward to hanging out more often. Dan is her groom and Loren has known him since high school years. So we are excited for their friendship and marriage. This picture captures the day of our 2nd year anniversary! From now on we won't be alone just us two! What a blessing it was to get to hang out at an Italian restaurant with Loren and have a romantic dinner! June 3rd was Loren's Birthday! He had to work at the school so I came at lunch time to surprise him with his favorite Cherry Pie and cookies! I interrupted his small group time but I don't think they minded. Loren set up our babies pack-in-play and tried on his towel hat for size.

The Wailing Wall

Graduates of Alliance Academy International received their diplomas and the great disperse begins. The cross cultural work we do means many goodbyes. These goodbyes mean that they will go somewhere in the world and who knows when we get to see them again. We had a hard time this year (like last year) having to say goodbye to the students we mentor. Here are a few photos that capture a moment in time of that night. After graduation when you get to say goodbye to the Seniors the circle they stand in around the gym has been known as the wailing wall because it's an emotional time of transition. Sadly goodbyes do not only extend just to the seniors. The wailing wall is also a place for goodbyes to those not coming back to school at Alliance. Loren will miss Marcel as he moves to the states before his graduation. Loren and Marcel played basketball together Thursday nights. I will dearly miss Leesha. She will be doing her senior year in the States. She was in my small group this last year and is a treasure from God. She will be missed greatly. There we have a sneak peak into the life of a transitional kid- moving- again. May they learn that God will be their only constant in a life where everything else around them will change. Even if you have been in only one place your whole life- do you rely on God to be your foundation? Do you lean back on what is comfortable or step out into the unknown blackness where trust in God is all you have?