Jonathan Springer Family

God's power!

2011-01-15T09:12:00.002-06:00

I just have to take a moment to testify of God's changing power when He saves a sinner ~ even a 4 year old one!

Kylie has prayed for Jesus to live in heart several times and that just makes us so happy that she desires to live her life for God...but her actions were not living up to her "profession". In our preschool Bible class (which I highly recommend) we learned what sin was. Well, yesterday I finally said to her, "Kylie, you have so much sin in your heart. Jesus can't live in your heart with all that sin there." I asked her then if she wanted to pray and ask Jesus to forgive her for her sins and take them out of her heart, so He could live there. She said, "yes". She then prayed and has truely been a different girl!

She ate all her supper without complaining. And it was chilli which she HATES (at least in the past!)

She didn't cry & fuss when we told her she had to take a shower.

And this morning she's been pleasant and playing kindly with the other kids

Trust me, I'm not saying she's a perfect kid now! Because she's just that ~ a kid. But we are so thrilled at what God's going to do in her life if she continues to follow Him!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-19T16:53:00.002-06:00

Long over-due update

2010-11-17T20:09:00.003-06:00

I'm sure you all thought we'd left the planet, right? Well, almost! We've done some changes in our Internet service and I don't have as much time to blog as I did before but its ok, its saving us around $40 a month so I can adjust! :)

We are still in Texas. =( Its with very mixed feelings that we are here. Our heart are FOR REAL in Mexico but its so dangerous to travel in and out of there right now, that after praying and getting wise counsel we've decided for the sake of the safety of our children we'll stay here until God leads otherwise. Jonathan has been able to find some work here and we're thankful for that! We also need to stay put for a few months to take care of some responsibilities we have on the property we are renting. I don't claim to understand God's will, we just want to be willing followers of whatever that entails for our lives! Being a missionary doesn't always mean going to a foreign field. Jonathan's had many opportunities to witness to co-workers the past month or so and its exciting us! We've wondered if maybe God's placed us here just for those people! We want to be willing and happy vessels wherever God leads us!

I started homeschooling Kylie this year with the Abeka K4 program. I've always liked it and I still do after using it for 6 weeks. She's doing really good and we're trying to work extra hard and get caught up since we started about 8 weeks later than most schools. Most days its a real challenge to get school done with 2 toddlers that still need attention, but we are working it out!

Our dog Copper had 7 puppies at the end of September! One of the benefits of us going to PA in July! ;) 3 died, but the rest are healthy and doing good! We were able to get rid of all but 1, so we are keeping her! She's a cutie and loves to play! Jonathan named her "Peanut Butter"...I think we'll be coming up with a nick name! She's that color...so it was a good name for her!

I've got some real camera issues so no pictures for tonight! :( Hopefully they will be fixed soon!

At Grandma & Pappy's ~ part 1

2010-10-04T00:17:00.005-05:00

We were very busy the 2 week we were in PA ~ with all the last minute wedding details and the cooking and cleaning, plus normal things like laundry for a house of 8 people ~ it was very busy but also very fun! The kids were great and it made for an easy week. Then add in the wedding and the few days we took to relax afterwards...it was a great trip!Eating grandma's chocolate pie!Playing football with pappy! Korey talked about playing football with pappy for weeks before we left! And they did ~ LOTS!!

North Carolina visit ~ July 2010

2010-10-03T23:55:00.004-05:00

Well, I wasn't planning to wait over a month to blog! Our lives have been very busy!! We are still in the great state of Texas! I'm picking up where I left off last time! We just got our battery charger back and are able to get the pictures off the camera, so I even found some Mexico pictures I never blogged! ~ After our quick trip to Nebraska for Wesley and Teresa's wedding...And I do mean quick - less than a week, driving straight through both ways, plus all the crazy busy days of right before & after a wedding...we arrived in back home here and started getting ready for our 2nd trip north for my sisters wedding in PA at the end of July! On our way to PA we were able to stop in NC for a few days and see our family there! Here's just a few of my favorite pictures.Kylie (4), Korey (3) & Kamryn (2)

July 2010At the North Carolina Zoo with GrandmaWalking to the playground at CCA ~ Thomasville, NC

Wesley & Teresa's Wedding

2010-08-26T12:18:00.003-05:00

I'm not even sure where to start on catching up with this blog! I guess I'll start with Wesley & Teresa's wedding in June! For some reason all my pictures are not on the computer and I'm not sure where they are!

Its been too long...

2010-08-04T22:32:00.004-05:00

since I've updated our blog! Since the last update in June, we've gone to Nebraska for Jonathan's brother's wedding, back to Texas, worked lots of hours, made dresses, buried a dog, went to North Carolina, then to PA, attended and participated in my sister's wedding, and are now getting ready to leave this week to go back to Texas...where more work awaits us! I'm not going to make any promises about updating soon!! =)

Texas

2010-06-03T09:11:00.002-05:00

We arrived safely in Texas on Tuesday around 3:00 PM! As much as we didn't want to leave Mexico it was a relief to know we made it safely without any problems! Our kids had some different reactions to being here and I thought I'd share those with you all.

Kylie: "I'm so excited to be in Texas!" and then the next time she says, "I want to go back to Mexico and see our friends. They were sad we had to come to Texas." (She's little mixed up about it all.) She is very happy though and is thrilled to see her toys and dogs!

Korey: We had just barely crossed the border and we told them they were in Texas, he thought about it for a few minutes and then said, "please, please, PLEASE, daddy, take me to Haiti!!!" Yesterday, he was very sad and said, "I won't see Mario ever again." On Sunday we spent the day with our friends in Vera Cruz, during church in the morning, he told Jonathan, "I can't like this church." Jonathan said, Why?, He said "Its not the right place"

Kammy: well, no profound words from her...unless you want to count the screaming that comes from her bed at night. But I'm sure by the time we need to leave to go to Nebraska, she'll be adjusted to Texas! =) So goes the life of a young missionary!

We do have continual praise in our hearts to God for His goodness & mercy in protecting us as we traveled back! There were several close calls with accidents but other than that it was a good trip!

2010-05-27T08:24:00.002-05:00

Remember the green material from this post...and I promised it would be back...well --
I have Kylie's to finish yet, and I still have some left so who knows what else I'll do with it. =)

Fun times

2010-05-27T08:06:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we had lots of company! =) I love to have friends to visit my house, but I was sick and having trouble keeping up with the schedule! =) It was great fun though. Friday night a family from the church came for supper, later that evening I met a family in the park across the street who were Christians that spoke some English, so they came over that night, Saturday the young people from the Mountains came down for a real fun time of games and also some serious moments when Jonathan talked to them about making sure they were saved. Sunday was busy with church and company for dinner! It was all good, but by Sunday night I was wiped out!

Please pray for these young people that one day soon they will accept Jesus as their Lord!

Morning Routine's

2010-05-26T10:08:00.003-05:00

The past month or so the kids have been enjoying 'drinkin' yougerts'! Since they are only about $.30 each here, compared to $1 each in the USA, we've made them a breakfast routine! They wake up and all come downstairs and starting asking for 'drinkin yougerts'! Even Kammy knows!!

Sewing fun!

2010-05-19T08:51:00.004-05:00

The week before Mother's Day, 3 of the ladies from the church in Tapachula came to the house and we made rice bags. It was a Thursday evening, so Jonathan had to go to Santa Domingo for Bible Study. A few minutes before Jonathan left I was starting to get the dough made for homemade pretzels and while that was rising I mixed up a batch of banana muffins. I turned the oven on and found out I was out of gas! It was a fearful moment for a while, realizing that I wasn't going to have food, and no way to get gas to make food. But God helped me and I had some taco meat already cooked in the fridge, so I just went to the little store here in the development and got some tortillas, and we had American tacos! There wasn't any left overs, so I guess they liked it! =) Bro. Antonio also came to babysit all 7 of the kids! I didn't have a chance to get a picture of them. But they had fun playing in the park.

I didn't count how many of the rice bags we made, but it was quit a few. They were planning to give them to family members for Mother's Day and even to the ladies of the Santa Domingo church. BTW, how do you like that green material? I feel in love! So...look for it to show up again! (Hopefully soon!)

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T08:58:00.005-05:00

I'm just a few days late with this post, but I am thankful for my mom! Whatever I need, she usually comes up with a way to find it!! =) For example, I am looking for a suit for Korey. I mentioned it to her and this morning I woke up with about 8 emails from her with links to places to find the exact suit I needed! Thanks mom!!

And my mother-in-law! She has taught me so much. If I'm half the missionary's wife that she is I'll feel 'accomplished' in life! She also raised an incredible son for me to marry!

My Mother's Day was just another busy Sunday! It was a good day with my family, and like always, I'm so thankful for the little people who make me a mom! I wanted to be (or thought I did) a lot of things growing up - but a mommy was always at the top of the list!

A birthday party

2010-05-08T09:59:00.000-05:00

Monday evening, Jonathan was invited to preach at a birthday party! The granddaughter of Bro. Benjamin in Santa Domingo turned 3. First we had a service. Jonathan brought a good message about training our children in the ways of God. The poor little girl was so tired and sleep though the whole service. The brought her out at the end of us to sing Happy Birthday (in Spanish of course!) and for Jonathan to pray for her. There was alot of people there who don't attend church with us, so pray that somehow God will use something in the service to draw them to Him! Then they brought out some good tamales! Jonathan was a very happy person...especially since they brought him some coffee too! They grow coffee in this area, and Jonathan absolutely loves it!

Special prayer for the birthday girl & her parents

Road Block

2010-05-07T09:55:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday afternoon, there was a road block on one of the main highways!

Volcano

2010-05-06T09:48:00.004-05:00

Finally we were able to get a picture of the Volcano that's close to Tapachula! Usually it's been either cloudy or else hazy from heat and you couldn't see it. Its actually half in Mexico and partly in Guatemala. They say its an active volcano, but the top blew at one point and it spews mostly on the other side.

New Books

2010-04-30T12:47:00.001-05:00

Saturday, the pastor of the HIM church about 2 hours away came to Tapacula to visit, and he brought some copies of Joy Budensiek's book 'Jesus, My very Best Friend' in English and Spanish. There was enough of them we were able to give all the kids one who were in Tapachula in the morning and also in Santa Domingo that evening.

3 little monkeys

2010-04-29T08:40:00.003-05:00

I seem to have 3 little monkeys who love bananas! Good thing for them they are very cheap here!

A day out with the youth

2010-04-28T12:38:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we took 7 young people from the church in the mountains to the River for the afternoon! We all had a great time. It was a beautiful river in the jungle woods (that's probably not the right way to say it, but there was trees & woods, like I would know in PA and also some more jungle greens too). The water was SO COLD! But it was very hot, so it was perfect! I forgot to take the camera down there, so no pictures of that part of the day...but after we were done there, 3 of them came home with us for home made pizza, popcorn, cookies & Coke. We played in the park here by the house, looked at pictures, ate & talked! Please pray for these young people. They have been coming Sunday evenings for the past few weeks and I know the one service God was really talking to them.

Kids!

2010-04-17T08:24:00.000-05:00

Good reports from Sunday!

2010-04-14T14:55:00.002-05:00

God gave us a good Sunday this past week! (Every Sunday is good, but we were especially encouraged!) Sunday morning in Tapachula Jonathan spoke to us about "Looking to the Hills, whence cometh our help" Well, that very easy to illustrate here since the mountains of Guatemala can be seen from here on a clear day!

Sunday evening we had a good service in Santa Domingo. There was 26 people there if I counted correctly. Its kinda hard when kids are moving around and maybe a few more came in after I counted. =) There was a good group of young people there and God was talking to them, so please pray that they will come to know the "Peace" Jonathan talked to us about!

Hope you enjoy the few pictures from the day below! Kamryn with her 'church family'! They keep her during church for me, which is a huge blessing!

Kylie, Korey & I were outside since it was a little crowded inside, they decided we didn't sing enough and they needed to again! =) (Notice Kylie's had on his shoulder!! )

Jonathan preaching

The mountains of Guatemala in the distance, at least I'm pretty sure it is...if not its really close, since the line is near here. (this is on the way to Santa Domingo)

Korey

2010-04-08T10:01:00.002-05:00

Korey's the only one who got his picture taken on Easter Sunday! He's growing up so much. He thought he was 'hot stuff' (which I think so too) in his new outfit! He went into Jonathan when he was dressed and said, "Look at I"! He has recently memorized Genesis 1:1 in English for preschool. He'll be 3 in June and I can hardly believe that!!

Kamryn

2010-04-02T08:54:00.003-05:00

Kammy always makes us laugh! A few days ago, she was climbing up the back of the dining room chairs, and laughing saying "Monkey"! She also knows when she's 'on display' because she really hams it up! Wednesday night after church we were visiting with the people and she was running around playing, and of course everyone was watching her laughing, when she stopped and saw that, she really put on the show! She has finally started talking more here the past few weeks and also has been saying some Spanish words. She loves Korey & Kylie and always wants to be with them.Here she is just after she woke up yesterday morning, in her new night gown! (Excuse the wild hair, she just woke up and always messes it up anyway!) Its fun sewing for little girls. I've been able to use up some small pieces of material that I had for a long time!I gave her these crackers to eat, and when I came back this is what I found! She'd eaten the filling out of them and put them back together, and lined them up on the table!

Amigos!

2010-04-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

A few random pictures

2010-04-01T09:28:00.002-05:00

Last week on our family day out Jonathan found a guy who makes and sells hamocks for a very nice price. So, he ordered two! It takes the man about 2 or 3 days to make one of these. Last night after church was the first time he got to try it out. Kamryn was awake so she was hanging out. It was 1am so I guess he deserves to rest! =) There was storm out in the distance that made it so cool and enjoyable to be outside.

A beautiful Sunset! This Iguana lives in the front yard. He/she even has their own hole!

Kylie's new night gown

2010-03-30T16:56:00.003-05:00

Thanks to my friend, Crystal for giving me this 'scrap' of material when she left, I was able to make Kylie this cute little night gown! She's delighted!

A view around the mountains

2010-03-28T15:09:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, we left a little early for church in Santa Domingo. We planned to go back to the area where we had the baptismal service a few weeks ago and let the kids play in the River, since it was so hot! But...until we got up there, it cooled off and the water was chilly, so we had a few hours to kill, so we drove up the mountain more, I wish you all could have been with us, the pictures can't begin to show you what it was like. I could have taken thousands of them and it still wouldn't compare! The roads were steep! (that coming from a girl that grew up in Johnstown, PA and I was still nervous!) At one point, we were stopped on a hill and the 4runner kept stalling. I thought we were going to go down, and not be able to get up! Thankfully we made it, after the front tires were off the ground. We got back down the moutain in time to visit with the family whos home we use for church, the kids & I stayed there while Jonathan went down the mountain further to pick up another guy for service, had a good service, and then the guys left to go pray with a neighbour of someone who comes to church, so the kids & I were again there with the host family! Looking down

A parade in Santa Domingo for Holy Week

So green and so pretty!

We've arrived...

2010-03-24T16:06:00.004-05:00

in Tapachula, Chiapas! After 3 days of travel from the border of the United States to the other border of Mexico, we are praising God for His protecting hand on our family! We had no problems to really speak of on the whole trip! We got to enjoy a lot of new parts of Mexico that I had never seen before! God's creation is so remarkably beautiful!! Especially in Vera Cruz and Chiapas! On one side of the road are huge mountains and the other side is the gulf of Mexico!

We arrived here Saturday, March 13th. The next day, Sunday we had a special service with both congregations here in this area for a Baptismal service. I didn't get too many pictures of that since I was busy making sure the kids didn't get into the River. To see pictures from that day visit Michael & Crystal Mason's blog.

We ask for your prayers as we try to 'hold the fort' for them while they are in the US for the birth of their new baby boy and also for deputation travels.

We are also getting settled into the culture and the kids are starting to adjust to everything. They miss their dogs in Texas and their house there but over all are doing well!

A work day

2010-03-20T13:58:00.006-05:00

I'm taking a little break from Haiti pictures today! =) A few weeks ago we had a work day at the Spanish God's Missionary Church in Donna, Texas. Since there is not a full time pastor there right now, the yard needed some attention, so another family that is attending there right now and our family got together and cleaned the house, church, and mowed the yard, and pulled weeds! It was dark when we left so I didn't get a picture of the finished results but it looked great!

Jonathan & Kylie on the mower

Rachel & Katlin pulling weeds

Korey & Renae on one of their trips back from carrying weeds to the big pile!

Isn't she too cute of a worker! =)

Thanks so much for your help Kevin, Rachel, Katie, Katlin, Ranae, & Caden!

Life at the compound

2010-03-18T09:34:00.004-05:00

There were lots of people living inside the compound of the God's Missionary Church in Carrefour, Haiti. I'm assuming a lot of them are still there. Doing Laundry

Our Last Sunday in the USA!

2010-03-08T19:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was our last Sunday in the USA for about 3 months! We will be leaving at the end of this week for Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico to fill in for the Michael Mason family while they are in the USA for the birth of their baby, and some deputation. Please pray for us as we'll be traveling. Also pray for us the next few days, we have a very long to-do list! And it seems it keeps growing instead of getting shorter!

Sunday evening Jonathan shared a power point slide show of some pictures from his recent trip to Haiti. It was interesting to hear it all again! It made me realize again how blessed I am.

Little faces in Haiti

2010-03-03T09:10:00.003-06:00

Working in the clinic

2010-02-23T12:41:00.003-06:00

The team with a group of kids
changing a dressing on a wound

The USS Comfort

2010-02-21T10:24:00.002-06:00

Seeing this awesome ship in real life was a dream come true for Jonathan!

The USS Comfort is the ship in the center

Port-au-Prince

2010-02-20T14:01:00.004-06:00

I know these pictures don't do the city justice! But here's a glimpse of Port-au-Prince.

I like this picture simply because its shows them doing something 'normal'

Day 1 & 2 ~ Traveling to Haiti

2010-02-19T09:31:00.005-06:00

The first day of travel on Monday was just from McAllen, Texas to West Palm Beach, FL! That evening he met up with the rest of the team and they spent the night in Ft. Pierce, FL. Early Tuesday morning they went to MFI. They waited all morning for their flight, but got going around 12:30 or so. At the MFI hanger in Ft. Pierce, FLAll the luggage (not bad for 5 people!) They stopped in Exuma, Bahamas to top off the fuel tanks since their is no fuel in Port au Prince.

Leaving Haiti

2010-02-16T23:45:00.002-06:00

This is a group picture of the medical team Jonathan was with in Haiti for the past week. Thank you, Bro. Don (standing on Jonathan's left) for all your hard work there these past weeks too!!

Valentine's Day Baby in Haiti

2010-02-16T23:41:00.001-06:00

On the last full day that Jonathan was in Haiti they had the awesome privledge of being there to welcome a brand new baby boy!!!

A few more pictures

2010-02-14T07:33:00.002-06:00

Here's a few more pictures - Yesterday they went to a really poor area to do a mobile clinic. Today is Jonathan's last day there. He's made a lot of friends and is sad to leave. I can't wait to see all his pictures! And hear all the stories! More updates in a few days! Thanks again to all those praying for us and who gave to help him go! He says its been a life changing experience.

More news from Jonathan

2010-02-13T19:26:00.002-06:00

These are his facebook statuses and I've just compiled them -

Feb. 12 ~ We had a very busy day today. Today was national day of of prayer on the anniversary of the earthquake. It was till noon, so we went out sight seeing till around 12. We ate lunch then opened up the clinic around 2. We saw alot of more severe cases, not as many people, but more severe cases. Most being dehydration,vomiting and diarria. We ran at least 5 IV lines today with around 9 liters of fluid being given. Sent 2 patients to different places, one to the german red cross and one to the doctors without frontier. Tomorrow and Sunday is national day of prayer again till noon each day. Really no clinic till around 12. We are going mobile again around 1 or so till around 4 or 5. I love my Haitian friends and I want to return so bad. Well I must go...so in french "Bon Nie"not sure on the spelling on the last word but it means Good Night!!! Love to all! ~ Jonathan

First Day of school

2010-02-13T13:59:00.003-06:00

We had our first un-official day of pre-school today. I wanted to start on Monday so we'd have all week to do the lesson plans I was going to write out...but Saturday we got the call that Jonathan was leaving on Monday and so we had to get stuff done for him to go instead. I'm looking forward to starting again next week, and we'll just review what we did today. My goals are to at least make it 2 hours a day. Kylie is very excited about this and spend a long time on each page! Korey was very bored, (maybe he's too young), and Kamryn, well, she only wanted to color one page! I know she's too young, but I just had her there for something to do! So, maybe I'll change our day around and do the fun stuff (singing, books, flashcards) when the younger two are with us and start the actual work stuff with Kylie while Korey & Kamryn are napping! Any advice from anyone out there??!!

You'll have to excuse their jammies today ~ its a little chilly here and we opted to just hang out in jammies today!

A Valentine box from Grandma & Pappy

2010-02-12T13:42:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday we recieved a Valentine's Day box from Grandma & Pappy in PA! The kids were very excited to open it! It was hard to get even a few pictures of all the excitment, because as soon as one present was open, they would put it down and want another one!! Inside was boxes of graham crackers, whale crackers, animal crackers and valentine's day cookie cutters, and sugar cookie mix, and a few other things I can't remember!

News from Jonathan

2010-02-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

I'm still having a blast here in Haiti. We saw maybe 100 patients in the morning and then spent rest of afternoon doing mobile clinic. We saw 90 some there. I do not wnt to leave. I have some good friends now and I enjoy what I'm doing. I'm learning little by little some french and creole. I love the people here. Thanks for all your prayers. We actually have electric for a bit. Usually at night we have no electric, so we shower, count pills, snack or whatever by flashlight.....good stuff! ~ Jonathan

Again, photos are from the God's Missionary Church in Haiti's blog. Thanks for sharing!

Pictures!

2010-02-11T08:56:00.005-06:00

Here are a few pictures I borrowed from the God's Missionary Church Haiti blogGetting his passport stamped at the Immigration office
Cleaning a wound and putting a new bandage

I did get to talk to Jonathan last night and he said they saw probably about 170 patients yesterday! The Internet was slow so he didn't upload any pictures of his own. He said they have nice rooms and showers and good food! =) He's going to try to send me an update tonight so I'll post that when I get it. Hopefully some pictures too!

Safely in Haiti

2010-02-10T09:12:00.002-06:00

After 2 days of traveling Jonathan arrived at the God's Missionary Church compound last evening. I don't have any pictures yet, I'm sure they are and will be very busy the next few days! I'm giving you two links that will be updating with pictures from there. I didn't have internet access for about 36 hours and wasn't online, and was very happy to hear from a friend that she'd seen a picture of Jonathan on here! =)

Rev. Alan Walter and GMC in Haiti

Thanks for praying! I've had some interesting days, but God is good to us and I want to give Him the praise!

Monday

2010-02-06T10:03:00.002-06:00

Jonathan got a call today that he is to leave Monday for Haiti. Keep checking back for updates and hopefully pictures! As far as I know he will have some internet access. Look us up on facebook for more up to date information! God has supplied all the needs so we are praising Him for that!! Also pray for the children & I here as we hold things together at home.

Thank You Lord, For Your Blessings on Me!

2010-02-02T13:50:00.010-06:00

There's a roof up above me

I've a good place to sleep

There's food on my table

And shoes on my feet

You gave me your love Lord

And a fine family

Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me!

Haiti preperations

2010-01-30T09:32:00.003-06:00

Now that Jonathan has his passport, we are making defendant plans for his trip into Haiti to do medical work, with either Hope International Missions or God's Missionary Church. Both groups are waiting on details for when their next teams are going in. It take a lot of planning and coordinating to work these things out!
One thing we did last night was start getting some food together! At this link, I printed 2 coupons for $1.00 off Starkist tuna pouches. They are $.92 at Walmart right now...so, that means they are FREE! If you can not help financially with this trip, but still want to do something, here's what you can do! Print these from your computer, and mail them to me at my mailing address on the right. You should be able to print 2 per computer.

Next up - granola bars! I have a coupon that makes these boxes $1.00! There are 8 bars in each box. That makes them about .12 each! Jonathan got a great idea ~ he's going try to take a back pack full of granola bars to give out to young patients! For obvious reasons, he can't take a lot, but we're going to try at least to get about 25 boxes. This will be about 200 bars. If you are interested in helping with this, email me at texmexspringers@aol.com

We are very excited about this opportunity to do a small part in helping people! That's what being a missionary is all about...not our personal gain, but to help someone else in need and share God's love with them!

It's here!

2010-01-30T09:23:00.001-06:00

Praising God!

2010-01-28T15:10:00.002-06:00

Jonathan's passport is on its way to us! It is supposed to be delivered tomorrow! Finally, after almost 4 months of working to get one. Its almost hard to believe it'll really be here!! He's working on plans to get into Haiti. He's been contacting organizations and will be ready to go when one of them has a team going in. If you are interested in helping us with this trip, please email us at texmexspringers@aol.com.

Trip to Houston, Texas

2010-01-28T09:07:00.004-06:00

Last week when Jonathan was talking with someone from the Passport Agency, they told him if he went to the Houston office they would finish processing his passport and he would probably have it within 24 hours. So, Sunday after dinner we left to go up there and spent the night with friends that Jonathan hadn't seen in about 15 years from Mexico! We had a wonderful time with them and felt right at home! Early Monday morning he was at the office, and was told that they could do nothing for him! What a disappointment!! But we enjoyed the rest of the day with our friends! We took a picnic to the park for the kids to play, and then they took us to San Jacinto and the USS Texas battleship. After a great supper Monday evening, we came the 6 1/2 hours home. Tuesday, I got all the information together and took it to Fed-Ex and overnighted it to the Passport Office in New Hampshire. While we don't understand all these delays, God knows all about it and we're learning to depend more on Him and not ourselves!

Our family in front of the USS Texas

Elsa with her two girls! =) They are just a few months apart and both wanted 'grandma's' attention! =) Neither would get down, not even to go to their moms!

Pilgrimage in Mexcio

2010-01-24T18:33:00.004-06:00

When Jonathan was in Mexico in December he got to witness this scene. These people are on a pilgrimage for the Virgin Guadalupe. They feel they are honoring her when they do this and it will help them get to Heaven! What an awesome responsibility we have (also a great joy!) to share with them that there IS a better way to get to Heaven, though Jesus Christ!

Our Eat from the Pantry Menu

2010-01-21T21:43:00.004-06:00

Just so you don't think we'll be starving the next two weeks while we 'eat from our pantry'...here's our menu:

We have tons of cereal stocked up - so that is breakfast every day!

Weds Jan 20 ~ Lunch: PB&J sandwiches
Supper: chicken noodle soup & wheat dinner rolls
Thurs Jan 21 ~ Lunch: homemade pizza
Supper: Beans, Mexican Rice topped with cheese and sour cream
Fri Jan 22 ~ Lunch: leftovers
Supper: Egg & potato tacos with cheese
Sat Jan 23 ~ Lunch: pancakes
Supper: hot dogs/hamburgers
Sun Jan 24 ~ Lunch: meatballs, rice, veggies & dinner rolls
Supper: egg salad sandwiches
Mon Jan 25 ~ Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
Supper: chicken fajitas, homemade corn tortillas, Mexican rice
Tues Jan 26 ~ Lunch: PB&J sandwiches
Supper: chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies, & cheesy biscuits
Weds Jan 27 ~ Lunch: homemade soft pretzels
Supper: Homemade Macaroni & Cheese, tomato slices
Thurs Jan 28 ~ Lunch: egg salad sandwiches
Supper: bean & rice tacos
Fri Jan 29 ~ Lunch: pancakes
Supper: pizza
Sat Jan 30 ~ Lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
Supper: Jonathan's birthday ~ we'll probably go out
Sun Jan 31 ~ Lunch: Chicken Fajitas, rice, beans, corn tortillas
Supper: leftovers

While this might seem kind of boring, we are enjoying doing our part as a family to help us save some money to help Jonathan go to Haiti! We are so rich compared to those people there.

Helping Haiti

2010-01-20T11:48:00.003-06:00

Crystal over at Money Saving Mom had a feature a few days ago about what her family is doing to help the dear people in Haiti.

This is what our family is doing:

1.We'll be sharing our husband and daddy! Jonathan is in the process of raising money and getting ready to go over to help with the Medical needs. We don't know the exact dates yet. I'll keep the blog updated on this project. God is putting the pieces together for him to get his passport soon, maybe as early as this week! He is working with Hope International Mission who is working with Heart to Heart International on sending medical teams in the future.

2.We are going to be selling some things on ebay.

3. Eat from the Pantry challenge the rest of January.

4. Have a yard sale.

5. Use the rewards we get from mypoints and swagbucks to buy things we need, like diapers! Thanks to stocking up last year that's about the only thing we buy anymore.

6. Most of all - pray that God gives comfort to those hurting people and gives strength to the workers that are working so hard. And that though this terrible situation, people can come to Jesus and be saved!

Jonathan's trip to Mexico

2010-01-15T11:16:00.002-06:00

In December Jonathan was able to go with Michael Mason to Tapachula, Chiapas to help him move some of their belongings and to help him find a house. God worked some miracles with paper work so that he could go! We were very amazed at God's goodness! He still didn't (and doesn't) have a passport and to get there and back without it was God's goodness! Mexico is now requiring that you have a passport book to get a visa! He walked out with a 6 month VISA and the truck permit in his name!!! And was able to get back into the United States without any major problems.

I'll post some pictures in a few days but for now if you want to see some, visit the Mason's blog. Crystal just did a real good post of pictures and also some details about the trip!

We also just found out from the Congressman's office that they were unsuccessful in their atemps to work with the passport agency. So, we are gathering up what information that we have to send to them, hopefully in a few weeks this trial will be behind us! We are looking forward to spending some time in Mexico soon as God works out the details!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:42:00.002-06:00

from our family to yours!

Reading Christmas books

2009-12-24T09:26:00.002-06:00

Making Homemade Pizza

2009-12-19T09:04:00.003-06:00

Last week, Jonathan was on a trip into Mexico, and the kids & I spent the week here in Texas alone! We tried to find all kinds of fun things to do..and we did! One thing we did was make homemade pizza! They really enjoyed helping...

So far behind...

2009-12-17T23:17:00.004-06:00

on blogging! I'll try to redeem myself the next few weeks...so check more often then you have been! =)

Life has taken on this very fast pace and it has nothing to do with Christmas!! In fact, the only thing I've done to start getting ready for Christmas is that we have a fur tree candle! And that is thanks to Jonathan!

My sister, Becka came to visit us for Thanksgiving! This is the 2nd year she has been able to do that...hope its a tradition we can look forward to in the future! We had a lot of fun while she was here. We mostly just relaxed since I was just getting over being sick and she was sick! We did work in a trip to the zoo! We all enjoyed that! Kamryn loved the pumpkin pie that Aunt Becka made!Our family at Golden Correl for Thanksgiving Dinner

Aunt Becka & Kamryn

A Sunday in PA

2009-12-16T23:43:00.000-06:00

Here is a few pictures of a Sunday in Johnstown! This was the last Sunday that Becka, my parents, & our family was together! She had these pictures on her camera, and I just got them from her at Thanksgiving!

Passport Problems

2009-11-24T14:34:00.002-06:00

Remember in my last update, I said that we were waiting for Jonathan's passport to come in the mail...well, a few days after that, he got a letter saying that he was denied a passport until he provided them with proof that he was indeed born in Texas! There has been some fruad in this area of birth certificates here in Texas, so I guess when they saw he was born in a clinic, that made someone wonder what was up! The problem is that the documents they are asking for are either impossible to get or very expensive to get! So, he contacted our State Rep, who happens to be a friend of his and asked for his help. He was unable to help since its a federal issue but forwarded all the information to our Congressman, who has someone working on it! Its been a discouragment to us in many ways but we are resting in God's timing and HIS plan! In the mean time, Jonathan has been able to work some and that's helping us, also keeping us busy! We are praying this passport situation is resolved soon and smoothly!

2009-11-05T23:16:00.002-06:00

Jonathan has spent the last 45 minutes trying to put Korey to bed. He just came down here and told us that he was scared. This is how the conversation went:

Jonathan: Korey why are you up?
Korey: I'm scared.
Jonathan: why are you scared?
Korey: Of the giant!
Jonathan: Where's the giant?
Korey: In my bed.

(All this time he has this too cute smirk on his face!)

Jonathan: where are you gonna sleep?
Korey: In your bed!!!

Copper

2009-10-23T08:44:00.003-05:00

We are so happy to be reunited with our dog Copper. While we are very sad our other dog, Cody died while we were away on deputation, God has helped us with our hurt and to explain it to the kids. I don't think Korey remembers him but Kylie does & is always talking about Cody going to heaven with Jesus. But on a happy note, Copper is doing great being back with us! She is tolorating the kids love nicely! =)
(This time he WANTED his picture taken! He said mommy, take my picture with Copper!!)

Louisville, Ky Wesleyan Methodist Church

2009-10-22T11:45:00.003-05:00

One of our last services of our deputation tour was at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Louisville, KY with the Gabriel Clyde family! God's presence was there in the service and I know He was speaking to hearts! We had a wonderful dinner and then stayed for their ground breaking service that evening. It was exciting to be there for that! We'll be praying for you all as you continue to serve God where He's placed you!

my girls

2009-10-20T22:39:00.002-05:00

Just had to share this sweet picture of the girls with you all! Korey didn't want to get his picture taken...that's why he's not in it!

Update

2009-10-19T10:47:00.002-05:00

I'm sure most of you thought the "Springer family" got lost somewhere! But we've been super busy. We arrived back in the Rio Grande Valley Oct 3 after Jonathan drove straight though from IN. We've been working it seems almost non stop at packing & moving into a new house in Texas to use as a base here for now. Its much bigger and better suits our family now that the kids are growing up! We are waiting for Jonathan's passport to get here. The kids & I all have ours but his is still being processed.

God's been so good to supply all our needs these past few weeks too!! We ended our 6 month deputation tour with only 35% of our monthly budget pledged. That was pretty discouraging to us but since we've been back God's been encouraging us to just keep going and that He is going to take care of the funds needed.

I'm still unpacking and getting life back into a routine of sorts, but I plan to post some pictures this week. I still have lots of catching up to do from our trip and I'm sure my family wants to see some new pictures of the kids!

2009-10-16T08:49:00.001-05:00

Kylie was outside yesterday afternoon playing with our neighbour kids. While she was out there Jonathan came home and she didn't know it. So, when she walked it and saw him standing there, she let out this excited little gasp, and exclaimed, "OH! Hi Handsome!"

Rey Azteca

2009-10-07T10:18:00.000-05:00

Always when we are in Johnstown we hang out a Rey Azteca Mexican Restruant! They've
got the BEST Mexican food outside of Mexico! The crew there is awesome and so friendly!

Aunt June

2009-10-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

One great blessing of deputation is that a lot of times you get to see family & friends! God's blessed us very much these past few months in this area! And we are so THANKFUL for that! One special person I got to spend some time with was my Aunt June.

Creation Museum

2009-10-04T10:08:00.000-05:00

Uncle Wesley comes to visit!

2009-10-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

Wesley was in a wedding close to my mom's house one weekend and came to visit for a little while!

Pappy's helper

2009-10-01T09:57:00.000-05:00

Korey discarded his precious bear to help Pappy work in the yard!

Picnic at Burnt Cabins

2009-09-30T09:47:00.003-05:00

The week before we left PA we went to Blue Knob State Park for a picnic. We used to go there all the time when I was a kid! My kids had a blast! =) It was a very relaxing day until Korey almost ran out on the road...Praise God for His protection!!

Wednesday

2009-09-19T23:12:00.000-05:00

Julianna & Korey
trying on a Peruvian hat

Heidi & Kylie

It was the first time I did Kam's hair like this! =)

Wednesday we were able to be at church here in Johnstown. It was kinda sad since it was our last time to be here. We've enjoyed being 'home' at the church here for a few weeks these past few months. They had a missionary service with Miss Rachel Steece who is a missionary in Peru. It was nice to sit back & listen to another missionary service! =) We will miss everyone at church here & will be praying for you!

Hermie

2009-09-18T10:32:00.003-05:00

When we were in NC a few weeks ago, we found a box turtle on the road, & decided to keep it for the kids as a pet! Our kids, especially Korey love animals...and I was being extra soft in this area since their dog died while we've been gone. So, we got a pet carrier for this turtle and kept for it for a few days, but after awhile we figured out that it was probably going to die too, and since we didn't want to have to explain that to the kids, we released Hermie back into the woods in the mountians of VA. It was a very sad time. We all were crying but happy that Hermie could be back in the woods, and hoping he lived and found some new friends! They still are talking about Hermie but in a good way. If you ask them where he's at they'll tell you, "In the woods playing with his friends!" But sometimes Kylie gets mixed up and says that he was sick & died and is in Heaven with Jesus, like Cody.Daddy taking Hermie to the woods

He was clean but we added water to his cage to help him and he had fun! =)

Appomattax, VA

2009-09-17T22:20:00.002-05:00

If you know much about our family, we love history! God has allowed us to visit a lot of historical places these past few months, but I think this was the most special for me! Appomattox Courthouse, VA was where General Lee surrendered to General Grant in the Civil War. It wasn't exactly the END of the war, more like the beginning to the end. But my great, great grandfather was there when that historical moment took place!
The kids & I on the steps of the McLean house, where the gerneals met & signed the treaty!

Korey's 2nd birthday pictures

2009-09-17T21:46:00.001-05:00

Almost done!

2009-09-15T22:49:00.002-05:00

As you can see by our schedule list on the side bar, we are almost done with our services! I've not counted the total recently but the last time I did it was about 50 or so services we've had! God's been so good to us and helped us, provided so many things we needed: new transmission, new tires, and a host of other things! We are at 28 % of our budget pledged per month! I did a little math the other day, we only need 139 people to pledge $10 a month to finish out our budget!

We are looking forward to getting back to Texas, we have some loose ends to tie up there and then hopefully by January we'll be able to move into Mexico on a more permanent basis! Our first aid kit project is coming along good!

We also were able to apply for our passports last week! That was a big project that was needing to be done and we finally got it done! I have lots of blogging that needs done but I've been working on so many other things, but I'm going to make this a priority this week!

Last visit with our NC family

2009-09-01T21:16:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago, we had our last trip for this tour to NC. We had a busy time with 2 services Wednesday & Thursday night, and spend the rest of every waking moment with Jonathan's family! It seems strange now but I hardly have any pictures of those few days. I guess we were just too busy having fun! =) Those fun memories will keep us going in the long months ahead away from our families!

Train up a child...

2009-08-24T11:02:00.001-05:00

in the way he shall ride in Mexico!

Eating Oreo's!

2009-08-23T08:04:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we had a relaxing Saturday in Muncie, IN. We had a busy week, and by Saturday we were feeling like doing nothing! =) That night was perfect weather, so we spend it outside in the beautiful yard of the Pilgrim Nazerene Church where we were staying. The kids had a very fun time just running and playing. Jonathan & I had a nice time just sitting and talking!Notice the discarded parts! =) We had a good laugh of it!

Kamryn's first birthday cake

2009-08-22T07:58:00.003-05:00

Almost a month late, we finally had Kamryn's birthday cake! =) She didn't get as messy as I hoped she would. She ate most of it though, so I guess she was more interested in eating it!

We are still here!

2009-08-20T09:31:00.003-05:00

We've been so busy the last few weeks! I've had NO TIME to blog! But hopefully between today & tomorrow I can get some posts done. When I might have had time, I didn't have an internet connection, but this weekend I might have both! We've been many miles the last week & a half. I can't keep track of what day it is most of the time. =) On Monday we drove from the plains of Indiana to the hills of Virginia! God has been so good to us and protected us many miles! Since we left Texas in March we've put about 16,000 miles on our truck. We are off today to spend time with Jonathan's family. This is the last time we'll see them before returning south in October.

Yellow Creek State Park

2009-08-09T09:14:00.002-05:00

Friday afternoon, we wanted to do something together with our whole family! We went to Yellow Creek State Park near Indiana, PA and rented a pontoon boat for a few hours! It was very relaxing and we all had a blast!! =) Then we grilled a picnic lunch. It was very relaxing! Thanks mom & dad!
Kamryn was so fun to watch! Her life jacket almost made her top heavy and she kept falling! =) Then she had a hard time getting up!! =)

Fetzer family pictures

2009-08-07T23:52:00.003-05:00

We finally got an updated family picture taken today, since Becka is here this week from Florida! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

Kamryn's 1st birthday pictures

2009-08-06T13:20:00.001-05:00

Visit to Fire Station

2009-07-30T08:11:00.003-05:00

Monday while we were in Westmont, we took the kids to visit 'daddy's fire trucks'. He dressed up in full gear for them too! It was a fun memory! Thanks, daddy!

Um, which pair should I try??

Monday

2009-07-28T05:12:00.001-05:00

Monday morning we took the West family to a few sights in Johnstown. We first had breakfast on the back deck! It was a warm morning for once and they kids had fun eating outside. First we went to the site of the South Fork Dam. That is the dam that broke that caused the great Johnstown flood of 1889. Then we went to the clubhouse. I love the Clubhouse! I think it would have been so fun to be 'rich' and come here for vacation like they did back then!Then on to the incline plane in Westmont. And to visit Grandview Cemetery where the unknown plot is for the victims of the 1889 flood.

A Sunday "off'!

2009-07-27T17:03:00.003-05:00

We've been 'off' from traveling for a week now and its been refreshing for us! We don't have any services scheduled until August 2nd, so we're enjoying a few days of catching up on book work, and relaxing. I've been doing some sewing & in general we've just been enjoying out time at my parents! Sunday, we enjoyed some good services at my home church. We also enjoyed the fellowship of the Sam West family as they were passing though on their vacation. Jonathan & Bro. Sam went to college together a 'few' years ago, and had fun remembering all the fun times they had. Jonathan, Bro. Nevseta, & Bro. West

This is about the last free week we'll be here before we go back to the South, so we are going to try to cram in as much stuff as we can! Next week, my sister, Becka will be home for the week so we'll be having fun with her!

Blue Spruce Park

2009-07-26T16:55:00.002-05:00

Friday night we went to Blue Spruce Park with some families around my parents area. We had a fun time enjoying a quiet evening with nature & friends.

Down on the farm

2009-07-17T23:21:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago we were with the Edward brothers in Indiana for services on a Sunday. Jonathan also had a fun few days helping them with the wheat harvest. The kids had a blast riding the combine too! Just a few days ago we were driving in the truck & Kylie started talking about riding the combine! =) Thank you all for everything you did for us that week!! =) We had a relaxing few days!

Jamie & Lynne's wedding

2009-07-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we were so priviledged to attend the wedding of our pastor's daughter at my home church in Johnstown. It was a beautiful wedding!

Happy 1st birthday Kamryn!

2009-07-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday sweet Kammy!! We love you and are so thankful God gave you to us!

At the park!

2009-07-13T22:45:00.004-05:00

When we are in the Columbus, Ohio area we usually spend most of our time hanging out with our friends, Jennifer & her kids! They have welcomed us into their home and let us crash!! We've had lots of fun and made some fun memories! Thank you guys for everything you've done for us the past few months! The other day we took all 6 kids to the park! =)

Praise the Lord!

2009-07-13T11:08:00.002-05:00

We are now have 19% of our monthly budget pledged!! God is good!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

2009-07-04T10:26:00.001-05:00

Jonathan took this picture of this flag at the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln.

THANK YOU to all who gave their lives so we can fly this awesome flag!!

Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home in Indiana

2009-07-03T22:31:00.004-05:00

Today we were so privileged to visit Abe Lincolns boyhood home here in Southern Indiana. Here are a few pictures from our day. He moved here when he was 7 or 8 and left at age 21. His mother is buried here also. Jonathan & I both love history so this was something we enjoyed very much!Mrs. Lincolns grave site

The original cabin site

Do they fit in??

A replica of the cabin

2009-06-30T09:34:00.002-05:00

First Aid Kit Project

2009-06-29T09:26:00.004-05:00

One thing we'd really like to do is to be able to give first aid kits to all the people in Mexico when they attend our classes. That way they have some materials to go along with their new knowledge. Several weeks ago we were at the God's Missionary Church in Spring Mills, PA with Bro. Gabriel Morley and the children's Sunday School class gave us a special offering they had been saving. We wanted to do something special with it, so we put it towards this project. The other day we went to Walmart and were able to get 2 big first aid kits and 10 small ones. Thank you children, so much!!

On a date with Daddy

2009-06-29T09:07:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, Jonathan took Kylie on a date! They went to Harbor Freight to look at tools, and then to get oil for the truck! =) She was so proud that she was the ONLY one going with daddy! =) Next time its MY turn! =)