The year of the babies

2005 was the year of weddings. Cristina and Stephen Meier had decided to get married a year an a half ealier so that had been planned for awhile, but in December of 2004 Anita met Nick Gamblin on a trip to Champagne, Illinois to Urbana.

You might say,"I thought this was about babies, but there is a natural order of things and you have to give allowance for all the memories of my 60+ mind! Pacience please!

I don't think that Philip knew he would be playing Cupid when he paid Anita's way to the Urbana Conference , but there she met her future husband Nick Gamblin and soon we had two weddings in the making-Anita's in May and Cristina's in July. I remember as I walked down the aisle hanging on to Phili's arm telling Philip, "You had better not get married this year!"


In 2007 Cristina and Stephen thrilled our hearts when they told us they were expecting our first grandchild. I rememeber all the plans that were made to be able to be there for that event.

July 29, 2007 Anita and I met in Atlanta and flew up together to greet Jared, our first grandchild and Anita's first nephew. We arrived hours after Jared's birth and were amazed as we gazed at God's handiwork.

We were initiated into the world of "Aunthood" and "Mimihood" and were delighted to be there.

Did I forget to mention that Philip took me at my word and got married the next year after the girls weddings to Chrissy Dubois, September 7, 2006 and she has quickly become a very loved member of our family? Its hard now to imagine when she wasn't a part!

So it was only a year and some later that we were greeting a new grandson, this time in Quito, Ecuador. "Mimi" arrived 4 days late.. Luke decided to make his appearance a bit early from his known due date, being born January 5th, 2009. This seemed like a good time for Anita to show Nick the land where she had spent 10 years of her life and Philip decided it wasn't a bad idea so he and Chrissy joined the trip. So one week after "Mimi" arrived, Nick and Anita, and Philip and Chrissy arrived to spend a week. We went on sight seeing adventures with Luke in tow.. he as you can see in this picture slept most of the time.

It was then that I began to see the gleam in both of the couples eyes as they held Luke and played with Jared. "I want one of those!" I heard my son in law Nick exclaim that day.

So it wasn't surprising when Anita and Nick half way into 2009 called us in Guatemala to tell us that a little "Gambino" was on the way. Automatically I began to prepare myself mentally for a trip up north to receive this third grandchild.However when 6 weeks later our son Philip suggested we get on SKYPE so we could talk "better" I was really surprised when they showed us a Ultrasound of their child. Anita and Chrissy had joked in Quito that they would both get pregnant the same time. So now my mind adjusted to the fact I would spend some time with Anita in February and then in March 6 or around that time I would move over to Philip and Chrissy's house and help with their baby.

It wasn't long that I was hearing that Nick and Anita were expecting a boy and then weeks later we found out that the next Cobb would be a boy as well. Then Josh decided to come 3 months and a week early and all the plans took a different turn.

As I said before in the blog about Joshua we have been kept in the loop from Guatemala through the wonderful blogs my son Philip and our daughter "in love" have written and we have been amazed and grateful at all the Lord has done in the NICU where Josh spent so many days. We are grateful now that he is home and adjusting to just being a normal little boy.

Well January rolled around and I was anxious as I made my plans to fly up the 25th of January that this grandson might not wait for me. The other three had come before their due dates.. so I held my breath those last few days in Guatemala. It turns out that I had nothing to fear as we sailed past the due date the 29th with no action.

So February 1 Anita was experiencing some feelings of being lightheaded so we headed to Anita's doctor's office. We really thought we would probably return to wait it out.. because even though Anita was having contractions they weren't regular ones.

However as the doctor checked Anita, she accidentally snagged Anita's sac and so we just went directly down to the third floor maternity ward and so began the long saga till we had a baby. Nick got off work and came as soon as he could. Who can say totally what you experience when you go through having a baby? I was happy to be allowed to be with Nick and Anita, more as a voice of encouragement, because Nick and Anita did all the work. Labor, as it does many times in first births progressed slowly, and in the late afternoon they were administering "pitocin" since after the water breaks you have to have the baby out in 24 hours. By 4 the next morning Anita was exhausted as well as not able to handle the strong contractions as quickly as they came so we all felt good with her getting an epidural. Having done that we all went to sleep for and hour and a half and when we woke up Anita had progressed to 9 centimenters.

Philip our son arrived early on before Anita started pushing and brought us a sandwich from Panera and some coffee ( to me and Nick, Anita getting ready to go into the pushing mode could not eat). We were ever so grateful for that refreshment since it had been a long night..

So soon at 9 the pushing began.. it seemed like an eternity, when all told it was really only 45 minutes. Immediately we could see Noah's head.. his hair poking through and we began to encourage Anita as she pushed. What a priviledge as a "Mimi" to get to see my grandson be born! I found myself getting lightheaded as I held my breath with every push. At 9:45 Anita was pushing that baby out and he was born minutes later. You can see the proud papa standing next to the doctor that delivered Noah and a Nurse.

On the right you can see the proud but tired mama and her baby.

I can't express the wonder of seeing another life born into the world. Noah came out eyes open, checking out everything around him. He was a whopping 8lbs 7 ounces, with a head circumference of 14". No wonder his mama had such a hard time getting him out!

So these past few weeks have been spent getting to know this new person who has fast become an important part of the Gamblin family as well as the Cobb clan. Sometimes as he looks around he is like a little camera snapping pictures of all the new things to see.

This "Mimi" has had a hard time separating both new grandsons in her mind, so Noah has been called Josh a lot and Josh has also had his name changed to Noah. The inside family joke around here is I might as well call them both Jonah since it is somewhere in between the two of the names!

A scripture has become fresh to me in the past few years, "Oh God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.

"Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, o God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. (Psalms 71:17-18)

Steve and I look forward to proclaiming His power every time we get the chance to this new generation that is in the making!

Introducing myself-Noah William Gamblin

Hello world, you don't know I am here yet unless you are familiar with the house where I live at the moment. However I am very real to my Mommy Anita where I am presently residing. I have been alive for 5 months now or there abouts and its a pretty comfortable life. I am letting my grandmother be my ghost writer.. its kind of hard to get to a computer where I am at the moment.

My mommy Anita and my Daddy Nick began to think about having another member in the Nick and Anita Gamblin family back in January when they went to visit in Ecuador when my cousin Luke had been born. As Daddy Nick held little Luke Anita a played with Jared their hearts longed for someone like me to fill their hearts.

So in May when Mommy and Daddy were celebrating their fourth anniversary, I came on the scene. They didn't know I was there, but I was. My heart was beating almost before they left the place that they were staying, and my cells were multiplying.

So it was in late May on a weekend in Melbourne that they took the pregnancy test with them and they waited to see if I really existed or not. By then I had been growing for a whole month and then some. So they waited for the words to form on the little window of the tester. When the words pregnant came through clearly there was a lot of rejoicing in that house. I am the first Gamblin grandchild..but the third for the Cobb clan. Then on a Sunday night in June, my mommy Anita and my Daddy Nick called my other grandparents in Guatemala to tell them the good news.

Mommy and Daddy hadn't announced that I was coming.. but on June the 4th they went to the doctor and they did the first ultra sound where they realized that I indeed was there. They still didn't know if I was a boy or a girl. My mom sure did get up a lot during those days.. I felt like I was on a roller coaster at times.. I would just settle down and she would have to get up and go to the bathroom.

On June 6th they heard my heart beat for the first time at the doctor's office and my Dad was so proud of me that he recorded my heart beat on his cell phone, and played it for whoever would listen...

he was so excited.Only the family knew of my existence and a few friends.

My cousins arrived from Ecuador in July .. Jared and Luke with their parents of course. That Sunday July 5th Nick announced to the whole church at the Rock that I existed. They clapped and cheered.. can you believe it?..July 6th I was posted on Facebook so many other people would know I was coming in January as well. Here in this picture, Mommy Anita was not the only one who was expecting.. so was my Auntie Chrissy. That cousin definitely exists.. we just don't know is she is a girl or if he is a boy.

Me, what was I doing all this time?... taking it easy.. sleeping a lot, but hearing my mommy and my daddy in their world. When they first saw me with the ultra sound I was so asleep that no amount of poking could wake me up. I was so comfortable lying there floating around. Its warm, sometimes not so quiet with my mommy's stomach noises and her heart beat but those noises rock me to sleep. My mommy's heartbeat makes me feel safe and secure.

In the middle of that my mommy was worried about a job.. she wondered if she would get one and perhaps second to the rejoicing of me existing there was great rejoicing when Mommy got her job teaching 4th graders. I can hear their voices around her all day long, although I sleep a lot.

So September 3rd my Daddy and my mommy found out I was a boy. Mommy Anita and Daddy Nick called my "Mimi" and my "Papi" to tell them that a Gamblino was inded on the way. It wasn't too long that they had decided to name me Noah (which means peaceful or provider of comfort) William (which means resolute protector or noble spirit)

I am really getting more active as I grow. My Mommy Anita says that I really get active in the afternoon sometimes. My grandmother says that I am a fearfully and wonderfully made. I am in that secret place and God sees me as I develop. Even before I make my appearance all my days have been planned ahead of time for me and written in His book. (Psalm 139:14-16). I am a blessed baby!

Mi papa Carlos Whitten --un hombre excepcional

Quien hubiera pensado que un jovencito llamado Carlos, nacido en una granja en Weir, Mississippi hace 87 anos el 4 de Septiembre llegaria a ser un hombre que habria viajado por todo el mundo para este tiempo en su vida? Cuando el nacio ya habia un hermanito mayor llamado Pablo. Su abuelito habia sido un predicador que se mobilizaba en caballo para visitar las iglesias que el supervisaba, aun a veces cuando estaba nevando. Su Papa y Mama amaban al Senor y ellos ensenaron a sus hijos que algun dia servirian al Senor en cualquier forma que El les llamara.

Carlitos crecio con sus dos otros hermanos, Pablo y W.A. Ellos ayudaban a su Papa y a su Mama con todo el trabajo que siempre hay en una granja. A veces les tocaba trabajar afuera con la vacas, los cerdos, y las gallinas ademas del cultivo. Pero otras veces les tocaba trabajar adentro con su Mama que entre algunas cosas incluia trabajar en la cocina como no nacieron hermanitas que le puedieran ayudar. Nosotros, sus hijos, nos criamos oyendo todas las historias de lo que era ordenar una vaca y todas las demas cosas que hicieron.

Me recuerdo de las memorias que mi papa tenia de cuando compraron su primer carro en el pueblito de Weir, Mississippi en donde era noticia de ultima hora el tener un carro. Aqui esta Papa sentado en carro mientras su hermano Pablo esta parado detras y su mama, Velma Whitten estaba dentro mirando. Siempre hubo mucha gratitud por las cosas que el Senor proveia para esta pequena familia. Esto muchachos crecieron sabiendo que Dios tenia un plan definitivo para sus vidas. Ellos aprendieron darle a Dios el diezmo de lo poco que tenian. Papa guardo una cajita de metal por anos que le recordaba de sus primeros diezmos que dio al Senor.

Ya de joven, Carlos aprendio los caminos de Dios. En una de sus biblia viejas el escribio: Cuando yo hago una decision como puedo saber si es correcta o incorrecta?

1. Como me afectara a mi?

2. Como afectara a otros y mi influencia sobre ellos?

3. Como afectara la causa de Cristo?

Podra esta decision aguantar las pruebas de:
1. Lo secreto? (lo interno)

2. Lo universal? (lo externo)

3. La oracion? (lo de arriba)

Creciendo en mi hogar en Argentina y Espana y ademas de tiempos cada cuatro anos en los Estados Unidos para nuestra tiempo de "descanso" con nuestros familiares, yo vi a mi Papa practicar estos prinicipios. Muchas veces cuando el estaba haciendo decisiones esto principios fueron sus guias.

Cuando Papa conocio y en tiempo se caso con Nela Dean Mitchell,o Indy como muchas la conocian, el practico estas reglas en su relacion con ella. Los dos para este tiempo sabian que tenian un llamado del Senor al pueblo habla hispano, y no fue mucho tiempo despues de casarse que sen encontraron en Medellin, Colombia estudiando Espanol y despues siguieron a Argentina. Ellos se casaron en Junio y para Agosto ya estaban estudiando en Medellin. Yo se que los ajustes tiene que haber sido tremendos para esta parejita que habia sido criado en grangas sencillas en Lousiville, y Weir, Mississippi. Ellos no podian mandar un e-mail ni hablar por Skype ni ver a sus parientes por una camara de la red. Mis abuelitos en Louisville en su granja ni tenian un telefono.

Cuando nosotros los hijos fuimos naciendo sentimos el amor de nuetro Papa. Muchas veces en mi vida he vuelto a mirar las fotos mias con mi Papi para recordarme lo cuanto que el me amaba. Como mi Papa se crio con solo hermanos yo me imagino que el aprendio mucho cuando yo naci, aprendiendo a entender a esa ninita que Dios les habia dado. Yo nunca dude el amor de mi Papa y cuando supe de mi Papi celestial, yo tenia una buen modelo en frente de mi de lo que es un Papa solo por mirar a los ojos de mi Papa.

Pronto yo estaba aprendiendo compartir a mi Papa con mi hermano David. Yo estoy segura con todas sus responsibilidades de maestro en el Seminario alli en Buenos Aires, Argentina, y el trabajo pastoral mi Papa debio estar cansado muchos dias pero siempre tenia tiempo para nosotros. El bosillo de mi Papa siempre era una fascinacion para esa ninita en la foto.

Cuando llegamos a Barcelona en Espana Margarita llego a nuestra familia y aqui le pueden ver a mi Papa llegando a la casa del Seminario y tomando tiempo para pasar con sus tres hijos.

Siete anos despues cuando ya en realidad pensabamos que nuestra familia estaba completa con lo cinco que eramos fuimos bendecidos con nuestro hermano menor, Juan. Nosotros, los hijos y hermanitos estabamos felices el tener un bebe en la familia. Yo estoy segura que los ajustes para Mama y Papa fueron fuertes despues de estar 7 anos desde el ultimo bebe. Llego Juan....Para ese tiempo yo y David eramos preadolecentes, y mis papas tuvieron que tratar con todo lo que eso conlleva ademas de tener un hijos chiquito. Yo estoy maravillada ahora que he sido mama y ultimamente abuelita de la paciencia que mi Papa tuvo con nosotros.

Asi que despues de estar en la peninsula Iberica en Espana por muchos anos, y despues de eso algunos anos en las Islas Canarias, y para terminar los ultimos anos de ministerio en Guinea Equatorial [el unico pais en Africa donde hablan espanol] mis papas se jubilaron. Ellos ayudaron entrenar a candidatos que iban para el campo misionero por varios anos y despues de eso vivieron en su propio hogar por un periodo de tiempo antes de trasladarse a Trace Pointe.. un lugar que asiste a personas de mas edad. Yo observe como se ajustaron a su vida de jubilacion. En realida nunca se jubilaron de su preocupacion por las vidas de las otras personas. Ellos han sido de gran bendicion alli donde estan--a los otros jubilados y a los que les ayudan.

La vida no ha sido todo color de rosa para mi Papa. El perdio su vision central con la Degeneracion Macular y para ese entonces mi mama se profundizo en Altzheimers. Ella ha progresado a cuidado total alli en Trace Pointe y esto ha sido muy duro para mi Papa que dice que despues de 62 anos "la esta perdiendo poco a poco". Papa vive en un apartamento chiquito dentro de esta institucion en las tardes y las noches y de manana el paso con mi mama. La vida es a veces un tanto solitaria para mi Papa, no podiendo tener en companerismo que siempre tuvo con ella por el transcurso de su matrimonio.

Yo he sido bendecida ver como mi Papa ha caminado en todas estas circumstancias. El ora fielmente por sus hijos, y ahora sus muchos nietos y mas recientemente sus bis nietos. El "lee" muchos libros grabados por los ciegos en audio casete. El ministra de tiempo en tiempo en los devocionales diarios que tienes todas los dias de semana para los residentes. Ultimamente tuvo otro reto fuerte cuando perdio oir en un oido. Esto le ha desbalanceado y le ha mareado. Pero aun con todo esto a mi Papa le cuesta contarme como esta-- el no quiere aburrirme con un recital de todos sus dolores. El siempre me observa cuando hablamos por telefono que "muchos otros lo tienes peor que yo".

Al cumplir los 87 anos mi papa este ano yo estoy muy agradecida por el hombre que el es. El aun se deleita en sus hijos, sus nietos y ahora en sus bis nietos. Todos los dias el hora por nombre para todos sus hijos, sus nietos y sus bis nietos. Estoy agradecida de todo lo que su vida ha significado a mi, su hija mayor. El no puede ver esto que le escribo por su Degeneracion Macular. Un dia antes de su cumpleanos le lei lo que le habia escrito y el podia recordarse de todas las fotos de nosotros de ninos solo por mi descripcion. Mi papa estaba distrutando su computadora antes que perdiera su vision. Yo lamento ese hecho a veces, pero el ha podido aceptar sus limitacions y seguir en su camino. Yo honro a mi Papa, Carlos Guillermo Whitten o Charles William Whitten en Ingles. Yo soy entre todas las mujeres bendecida de tener tal hombre como mi Papa. Yo le pedido al Senor que me prepare mi corazon para el dia cuando El le llame a estar con El pero estoy agradecida que el aun esta aqui. Yo siempre anticipo los dias cuando le puedo llamar por el telefono y los tiempos que puedo ir a pasar con el.

Mi Papa es de verdad: "como un arbol firmemente plantado junto a corrientes de agua, que ha dado su fruto en su tiempo, y su hoja no se ha marchitado. Todo lo que ha hecho ha prosperado." Yo honro a mi papa, Charles W. Whitten, quien se ha "deleitado en la ley del Senor dia y noche." tal como dice an Salmo 1. Que heredad tan rica me ha dado!

A special man--My Dad

Who could have known that when a little boy called Charles was born on a farm in Weir, Mississippi 87 years ago September 4 that he would be a man that would have been all over the world by this time in his life? When he was born there was already a little brother. His grandfather had been a circuit preacher who had several churches he oversaw by horseback .. sometimes in the snow. His Daddy and Mother loved the Lord and they taught the boys that they were someday to serve the Lord in whatever way He called them.

Charles grew up with his two other brothers, Paul and much later W.A. They helped their Dad and they Mother with all the work that a farm entails. Sometimes it was outside work, and other times they had inside work, which included help in in the kitchen since there were no girls to take up the slack. We kids grew up hearing all the stories of milking cows, and all the things that they grew up doing.

I have heard stories of the time they bought their first car..in the little town of Weir, Mississippi where it was news when people had a car. Here Daddy is sitting on the hood of their car, while brother Paul stands looking on and Mother Velma sits in car. There always was such a sense of gratitude for the things that the Lord provided this little family. These boys grew up knowing that God had a definite plan for their lives. They learned to give the Lord the tenth of whatever little money came through their hands. Daddy kept a little tin box for years that reminded him of his first tithes that he gave to the Lord.

As a young man, Charles learned God's ways. In one of his old Bibles He wrote: When I make a decision how to know if it is:

Right or wrong?

1. How does it affect me?

2. How does it affect others and my influence on them?

3. How does it affect the cause of Christ?

Will it meet the tests of:

1. Secrecy? (within)

2. Universality? (without)

3. Prayer? (above)

Growing up in my home in Argentina and Spain with several times in the U.S. for our times of "furlough" I saw my Daddy put those rules into practice. Many times when we were making decisions those thought came into play.

When he met and ultimately married Nella Dean Mitchell or Indy as most people knew her, he practiced those rules in his relationship with her. They both knew they were called to go for the Lord to somewhere where they spoke Spanish.. and soon they began studying Spanish in Medellin, Colombia and then on to Argentina. They were married in June and in August were studying in Medellin. I know the adjustments must have been great for this couple who had been raised simply on farms in Louisville, and Weir MS. They couldn't send an e-mail, nor Skype, no see their folks on a webcam. My grandparents in Louisville didn't even have a phone.

As we kids appeared on the scene we felt Daddy's love for us. Many times I have gone back to those old pictures of me and my Daddy to remember how much he loved me. Since Daddy grew up with only brothers I am sure he learned a lot when I was born, learning to understand that little girl that God had given them. I have never doubted the love of my Daddy and when I grew to know of my Heavenly Daddy, I had a great picture of His love for me just looking into my Daddy's eyes.

Pretty soon I was learning to share my Daddy with my little brother David. I'm sure with all his responsibilities as a teacher in the Seminary there in Buenos Aires, and pastoral work my Daddy must have been tired some days but he always seemed to have for us.





When we moved to Spain ,Margaret came to join our family and here you can see my Daddy coming home from the Seminary and taking time to spend time with his now three children.

About six years later when we had really thought that our family would stay a family of 5 we were blessed with our youngest brother, John. We, children, were thrilled beyond measure to have another member in our family. I'm sure that it took some adjustments for Daddy and Mother after going 7 years since the last baby. Along came John...

By then David and I were preadolescents, so my parents were dealing with all that brings with it and a young child at the same time. I have been amazed as we have raised our own children at the pacience that my Dad had with us.

So after being in the Iberian peninsula in Spain for many years, then some years in the Canary Islands, and finally the last years of their ministry in Equatorial Guinea [the only country in Africa that speaks Spanish] my parents retired. They helped train young missionary candidates for several years and then they lived in their own home for a period of time and eventually moved into Trace Pointe Assisted Living. I watched as they adjusted to the life of retirement. They actually never retired from their concern for people's lives. They have been a blessing there where they are .. to the other retirees.

Life has not been a bed of roses for my Dad. He lost his central vision with Macular Degeneration and then my mother went deeper into Altzheimer's. She has progressed into total care there at Trace Point and I know how hard it has been for my Daddy after 62 years of marriage to feel like he is "loosing her a little bit at a time." He lives in his own efficiency apartment in the afternoon and night and spends the morning with my mother. Life is lonely at times for Daddy, not having my mother's fellowship a lot of the time.

I have been blessed to see how my Daddy has walked this time out. He prays faithfully for his children, and his many grandchildren and now great children. He "reads" a lot of books with books for the blind on cassette tapes. He listens faithfully to his three chapters a days of the Bible on Cassette Tape. He ministers from time to time in the daily devotionals held every week day for the residents. The latest hard thing for him was to lose his hearing out of one ear.. and that threw him further off balance. Even with all that my Daddy hesitates to tell me how he is.. he doesn't want to give me an "organ" recital. He always points out to me when we talk on the phone that "others have it a lot worse than I do".

So thinking about this approaching birthday of my soon to be 87 year old Daddy I am so thankful for the man he is. He still delights in his children, his grandchildren, and now in his great grandchildren. I am so grateful for all that his life has been to me his oldest daughter. He won't be able to see this because of his Macular Degeneration. He was enjoying using the computer before he lost his vision. I lament that fact at times, but he has been able to accept his limitations and move on. I honor my Daddy.. I am of all women blessed to have such a man as my Daddy. I have asked that the Lord prepare my heart for the day when he will call him home but I am thankful that now he is still here and I always look forward to the phone calls to him and the times when I can spend time with him.

My Daddy is indeed "like a tree planted by streams of water, which has yielded his fruit in season and whose leaf has not withered. Whatever he has done has prospered. " I honor Charles Whitten, who "has delighted in the law of the Lord and has meditated on it day and night." just as it says in Psalm 1. What a heritage he has given me!

Christmas Memories

How silently, how silently he wondrous gift is giv'n!
So God imparts to human hearts, the blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear Lord enters in.

Christmas has always had a special place in my heart. It has been a time of surprises, of family, and most of all of the wonder of Jesus becoming a man. What an incredible thing it was when God sent Jesus as a small baby to a stable in Bethlehem! Micah prophecied years earlier that the Messiah would be born there. So the stage was set.

I suppose my first memories of Christmas were in Spain. I have memories of visiting places that had rooms and rooms of the different events around Jesus' birth. Every year we never tired of seeing the representation of of all the circumstance that sorrounded the birth of Jesus.

Some time when I was small Daddy sat us down and told us that the only time that he knew his mother lied to him was about Santa Claus and he never wanted us think that he would lie to us.We would say that Santa Claus was bringing presents, but we would always know that in reality it was just that .. a game. Play it we did, with all our strength. ( Years later with our children we decided that Santa Claus was not an important part of the way we wanted to celebrate Jesus' birth so we talked about the wonderful gift that God had given us by giving us His son and that is why we give gifts.)

In church it was a time for all children to learn poems and scriptures by heart to recite on "Noche Buena" of Christmas Eve. I'm sure that we were nervous as we stood there reciting our poetry. Now as an adult I realize that we could not really fail, because no matter how it came out the parents were proud of those their children as they recited the scriptures or the poetry that
had been assigned to them. (I am the second girl from the left.)

Later on there was part of a poem that Cristina Rosetti wrote that
stuck with me:
What can I give Him,Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb,

If I were a wise manI would do my part,

Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

I think what remains in my heart so many years later of those years as a child in my home is the love of my Daddy and my Mother for us as well as the love of Jesus who came down to earth for us so many years ago. I remember the fun of trying to make or find something that we knew would thrill the heart of the one who would be receiving that gift. We knew that God had given his best, so we wanted to do the same. It wasn't a matter of the monitary cost of the gift, it was what it cost me personally to offer that present-my imagination, my thought. I don't remember being disappointed. I just remember the excitement that was in the air.

In Spain I remember the cold days when a good hot chocolate accompanied by churros calientes was a treat. I remember the "villancicos" (Spanish Christmas carols) we learned and sang as well as the American Christmas Carols. When I was in school Christmas also meant Christmas presentations. I was remembering one Christmas when we put on "Sound of Music". We added our Christmas repertoire in the second part. Since I was in an AirForce High School in Madrid, Spain which was on the SAC AirForce Base we had the privilidge of having the Air Force Band accompany us. The excitement of the performances became a part of my Christmas Memories.

Even now as I hear Christmas Carols being performed instrumentally it brings back the excitement of singing with the Air Force Band in the background. What delightful memories filter back to me as I sit and listen to the instrumental renditions of those songs. In this picture only my bangs are visible behind the nun on the right. I was part of the nuns singing Latin songs in "Sound of Music", a small part but exciting to me nevertheless!

Of course at that time Spain the big emphasis for the children was the Three Kings Day on January 7th. Their traditions were built around the fact that because the Three Kings gave gifts to Jesus that day if children were good they too would receive gifts.

So all the little children would put out their shoes to receive gifts. One wonders how that would transalate in these days when kids want X boxes and such-they would have to have mighty big shoes for that!

When I came to Mississippi for college, I began a whole new set of memories around Christmas. Both of my grand parents were alive-the Whittens in Weir, and the Mitchells in Louisville which was only 30 miles apart in the north central part of Mississippi. I remember walking the woods of the farm in Louisville in the cold of winter, crunching through the leaves left from Fall. My Uncle H.C. who lived in Starkville would appear with Aunt Peggy and the kids on the Saturdays to help feed the animals and some other chores. We would usually end up at his older brother's house, my uncle Bruce, for supper. At my other grandparent's house Daddy's two brothers with their kids would come down a few days around Christmas. We would sit around with big cans of pop corn and play Canasta, or Rook and tell stories days gone by. I learned a lot about my great grandfather who was a preacher as I heard them reminisce. We ate a lot of good food, among others my Mamaw's pecan pie which still makes my mouth water thinking about it.


So now looking back even thought those were only about 6 years.. those times with the family came to be precious in my recollections and a very important part of my Christmas memories.


When Steve and I got married we began a whole other set of memories. The first Chrismases we spent in part with Steve's family. One Christmas I probably didn´t even know I was pregnant, but the next Christmas Cristina had arrived and was between 2 and 3 months old. We drove from Pensacola to Mississippi to celebrate Christmas with the family and then help celebrate my sister Margaret's wedding days late. We also celebrated my Whitten Grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.



We didn't know it then but this would probably be the last time we celebrated Christmas all together as a family with the Whitten since after we left for Costa Rica for Steve to study Spanish and then to Honduras where we were to be for eight and almost 9 years Papaw Whitten would die. So that Christmas was unique for the four generations that celebrated together those 22 years ago. We have since seen my parents reach their 61 years together. But in this picture we were honoring Willie and Velma Whitten, the two wearing glasses for their 60 years together.


So began another phase in my life, as a young mother who by the next Christmas was expecting who now is my 30 year old son Philip. Central American Christmases are mind blowing if you have never experienced them. The biggest change for us was the noise on Christmas Eve. Of all the Latin American countries we have lived in (Honduras, Ecuador and now Guatemala) looking back on our Christmas Eve experiences Honduras would win hands down because of the noise that went on all night. In the following picture you can see the fireworks waiting to be sold.

Our first Christmas Steve said as he tried to sleep though it, "It made me think of Vietnam!" I was 5 months pregnant at the time and I too felt under fire. We learned quickly that the way to defeat that feeling was to visit other people and eat the sweet torrejas which was a sort of cake baked in brown sugar and just fellowship till the noise had died down. The former concept that we had of "Silent Night" or "not a creature was stirring" became displaced by the excitement of the fireworks going till at least 3 in the morning. The challenge when the kids were little was to keep them awake so that they wouldn't be awaking you early for Christmas presents in the morning. Also when we watched the fireworks they were not nearly so scary as when you listened to them in your bed and tried to sleep.

As our kids got older Philip began saving for some fireworks and he would treat us to our own personal firework show. The memories of sitting back and watching Philip and sometimes Tim setting up the fireworks are there as well in my Christmas memories. When the children became old enough to really appreciate the meaning of Christmas I realized that I was going to have to make some memories-that I couldn't sit and yearn for the days when I was little or with my relatives in Mississippi, I had to make memories for my children.

Our first Christmases it was almost impossible to find a Christmas tree like we were used to. The artificial trees were a bit beyond our budget so we decided to do what the Honduras did. You bought a dry regular tree and used detergent soap to make it look like snow all over the tree. Then we decorated it. We used to call it our painted stick but it worked and we were happy. Here Cristina was about three and Philip was a year and a half.

I remember one year when I was particularly homesick for all the fun and the excitement that I had experienced with my family as a child. I sort of sat up and said I need to make some memorable memories for these 4 children that God has given me. Tim was 7 months old, and Anita was 3, Philip was 6 and Cristina was 7 1/2. I remember getting some felt and making some green stockings with decorations on them. I also made an advent calendar with different scriptures of the prophecies that were fulfilled with Jesus's birth and his life. Nana Lassiter, their grandmother, had brought us a tree so we were able to put our "painted stick" away and here we are at that time in our lives.



When they were little I felt like it was so much work every year, but I as driven by the joy that I saw in their faces and knowing somehow that these were indeed memories that I was making every year. While I was doing that, thinking about Christmas dinner and all Steve recorded a video that year that has become traditional for us to watch of how we were then. One year, after I started working fulltime at Alliance Academy in Quito, I figured they probably wouldn't miss it. Cristina asked why it wasn't up and she made us a new set of scriptures.. mine were getting a bit shabby by that time. We kept that set for 17 more years till I somehow misplaced them last year so here you have the new set that made this year for Steve and for me. It still amazes to see how many prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus!

We got to doing our manger scene more seriously when we moved to our second house in Quito, Ecuador. Steve got a board and drilled hole in it after he had painted it brown. He bought some typical little houses at the market and put christmas lights through each hole and there we placed a house. We had our figures that we had bought years before for the manger scene. It was 18 years ago that we added that tradition to our family. We would buy the different colored dirts and grasses and make our manger scene.

So every year I go looking for the different colors of sawdust to put in the manger scene. Since our figures are small I am always on the lookout for small animals or figures that would fit in to our "nacimiento". I remember one year I found a group of little dogs. This year I found some little chickens. I remembered where I had seen pine needles this year and that became the straw for the stable.

The year of 2007 was a special year because we were able to be together in Florida with all the family. We had a new grandson who was turning 5 months the 25th of December. We just enjoyed being together. This year Tim who is holding his nephew Jared in the picture is in Iraq, Cristina and Stephen, the second couple from the left are in Quito, Ecuador awaiting the birth of their second son. We of course are in Guatemala, Philip and Chrissy and Nick and Anita being in Gainesville, Florida.

How we enjoyed each other as we sat around the table that Christmas Eve. What a blessing to see our family growing! Every member a special unique person and very precious to us!

Christmas 2008 was a quieter Christmas for us, but we basked in the memory of last Christmas when we were together. We found it to be a peaceful Christmas nevertheless. We put the faces of all the family far away on the Christmas tree and found a lot comfort in that.

Little Luke in the way we know him now is on the top left star (its his first ultrasound picture) and his Daddy Stephen is on the right. Jared is on the bottom row and his Mommy Cristina is on the right. We thank God for Stephen as a part of our family. He has been a good husband and Daddy as a very special part of our family. Cristina has always been the creative part of our family with an eye for beauty and a unique precious way of expressing it.

In this next picture is our daughter in law, Chrissy, who has been a wonderful part of the family being the wife of Philip whose face is on the star by her. Philip has always been the unchangeable son who has always been there when we needed him. We thank God for him.

Here we have our son in law Nick. We couldn't have asked for a better husband for Anita than what he is. Of course Anita is the one below him. She has always added a lot of joy to our lives!

Last but not least is our Tim. It has been a challenge to our faith to say goodbye to him and see him go to Iraq. We are so thankful for God's care over his life as he is there serving in the Army! Our life without this our youngest child who will be 25 next year would not have been the same. He is a unique individual and we expect to see wonderful things in his life in the future!

Christmas as you can see has and always will be a delightful time where we are thankful that Jesus became flesh and lived with us. I can understand how the John could say many years later, We have seen his glory as the one and only who came from the Father full of grace and truth." Its because of Him that we can experience His joy in this season!