Dec 2007

Volume 4, Issue1

Lake Almanor, CA

Reno, NV

December 2007

giving food in Tabacal

Moving with Adventure

Backyard surfing

Guatemala

Ballet lessons

Tasting Guatemalan rain

Dear Friends and Family,

Brookings, OR

Tabacal church inaguration

Rio Dulce (sweet river)

Some people value power, prestige, accomplishment, while others value more simple things like running water, electricity, and shampoo. In July I met a small boy who made me reflect about what I value. I like to think that I’m not materialistic, but then I’m brought face to face with the reality that I have more this year than most people in the world have in their lifetime. After finishing up a VBS a young lady and I were passing out toiletry bags. The kids hugged us and thanked us as they left for home. One mom returned

the next day to tell us of her young son who loved the shampoo we gave him so much that he was sleeping with it beneath his pillow. It was the first shampoo he had ever owned and he guarded it like a treasure. I was humbled to think of how many different types of cleaners I have beneath my sink, and how many kinds of soap I have in my shower. He felt special because he had shampoo! It’s the little things that make a difference in people’s lives. Never forget to smile, say thanks, be gracious, and if given the opportunity, give a bottle of shampoo to those who have none.

Grand Canyon

The Unknown

The Unknown Lake Almanor Camel riding in Petra

Halloween Anzo meets biological grandfatther

Anzo readopt in the US

Disneyland New home prototype in San

Eli soccer team

Heather’s Chimaltenango VBS

This year has been filled with so many changes. March and April were filled with ministry excitements as the church in Tabacal was inaugurated. Eric was asked to pray over the church and turn the key to the main water supply, spraying everyone with a sprinkler! In May our adoption was completed internationally and on May 14th, Anzo was made a citizen of the United States! At the end of May, Eric went on a 3 week project trip to Jordan, where they reviewed the design of their construction process in order to help them build more efficiently and cost effectively. He was able to swim in the dead sea and look out at the promised land on Mount Nebo. We were apart for our 10 year anniversary! In July, Eric was back in the States for the national Conference for EMI. He made many new contacts and it was an amazing time to hear about how EMI is networking to reach out in many other needy countries around the world. Balloon races in Reno Heather did yet another VBS (last one though).

In August Heather was training in the new director to take her place at the English Academy, we were saying our goodbyes and making a trip around Guatemala where we visited Tikal and got stuck in a small village during a flood! We finished another great year of homeschooling and the girls had 8 girls over for a baking birthday party, complete with their own mini pies and chef piñata, The 1st of Sep., we made the great move back to the States and thanks to the generosity of people, we were offered a house to live in during our transition. After much thought and prayer, we took a leap of faith and moved to Reno in order to pursue ministry here in the Reno area. After living with such purpose and direction over the past 3 years in Guatemala, we have come to a place we haven’t seen in quite sometime, the territory of the unknown.

We aren’t sure where we’re going to live yet, how we’re going to provide for our daily needs, or how ministry is going to look, but our heart remains open and our purpose is the same, to care for those who are often looked past. We know that God will bring the opportunities and we will say yes to care for Heather and Evelyn those in dismake tortillas by tress. hand

18’ tree

Lacama village welcomes us Heather’s English Academy

A jungle school

Best friends . Mandy and Heather

Adventures in Ericland Ericland It is never easy to say goodbye. I said goodbye to the people of Tabacal and our ministry with our church in San Lucas. After 5 months of planning and my 2 week trip to Jordan to give suggestions on how to improve their home construction process, I closed up all my projects with eMi in hopes to go to Jordan. When the Jordan opportunity closed 2 weeks before leaving Guatemala we were left in quite a spot. We returned to the states, to Lake Almanor, CA with no plans. Shortly after arriving I started pastoring a hurting church in Reno, NV that had just lost their pastor 2 weeks prior to our arrival in the states. I have continued to pastor there over these last 4 months. Just 2 weeks ago we moved from Almanor to Reno and we are hoping to close the church at the end of the year and start again as something new in January. We are not sure exactly what it will look like but we will wait on the Lord. I am looking for an engineering job to pay the bills and hopefully Intern Jonathan and water have a job by the time you are reading this. system in Palin Habitat home in Amman, Jordan

Guatemala City Sinkhole

Heather Ventures Heather Ventures This year has been a year of goodbyes, transitions, and surprise goodbye parties. I had mixed emotions (sad to say goodbye, but happy to leave it in good hands) as I trained in the new director of children’s ministry at Iglesia Galilea, trained in the new director of the English Academy, and passed on the preschool story time ministry. Throughout all that, continuing to homeschool was a challenge. The kids finished up a great year in May and the summer was busy with all the training in of new people to take over what was built! I have learned that being in charge makes you busy, and so I have turned over a new leaf, (at least for a few months). I put my kids in AWANA’s and I’m not a leader, not that I wasn’t asked, but believe it or not I said I had to pass (don’t pass out, this is a true story). Truly I’ve been a little bored and it’s hard to transition from super busy and making a huge difference in people’s lives to a slower pace. I’m trying to be content in all things and treasure the time I have to snuggle more with my kids, read more scripture and pray more.

Saying goodbye to EMI Saying Goodbye to EMI As of September, we were no longer working with EMI. They have been very supportive and we will continue to support them in their ministry endeavors as well as Eric still hopes to be going on project trips from time to time. The Guatemala office officially moved to Costa Rica in October and have found an office building to begin again about 1 hour outside of San Jose. We are in Reno now and are hoping to begin vision cast-

ing in the new year for a new ministry that brings churches together in the biblical sense that “They have everything in common”. Please pray as we seek direction and for the people of Pathway (the church in Reno Eric’s been pastoring) that we’re in ministry with. “Let there be no divisions among us”!


                After having to pick up his toys, his promptly said, “I wish I was a baby so I didn’t have to work” If he only knew what real work was!

Our pet chicken pecked the earring out of Abi’s ear and the next time she laid an egg, Anzo said, “I think Abi’s earring is in there!” When talking about what his new middle name should be, the girls suggested, Cookieman, Anzo yelled, “YES!”

One night at dinner, she was holding up her middle finger and we said that wasn’t nice and it meant something bad in the U.S. To which she replied, well we’re not in the States!

She went with Heather to her first baby shower and was great the whole time, but when she got back home she said, “It wasn’t that fun, we didn’t even get to give the baby a shower”

Be sure to check out our websites teamhaddox.blogspot.com and EriceMi.blogspot.com