Thursday, January 27, 2011
Grandma Art
Grandma Linda comes complete with art supplies! She and the girls have been having a great time playing, planting the garden (which has been on our list for months!), doing a little school, taking walks, and going to the beach. Below they are working on today's art project.
Just Another Day
Last night, I had to chuckle to myself as I recounted the events of the day. Without any further reflection, it just seemed like another normal day. We read books, did school, washed clothes, and so forth. But then I got to thinking about my "normal" day and how there is really no such thing here:o)
The first inconvenience of the day acutally started in the middle of the night when Josh went to the bathroom and found that the cheap Chinese supply line to the sink had broken, leaking all over the goodies stored under the sink and out onto the floor. So the first order of business for the day was to rescue all under-sink bathroom paraphrenalia. Fortunately for me, one of the many vestigal remnants of our semi-vagrant lifestyle is that lots of stuff is still in ziplock bags, so not much got ruined. Every time Josh deals with a plumbing issue (almost daily), he first curses the inability of the Chinese to manufacture quality plumbing parts, then vents his frustration at Honduran hardware stores for not selling better quality parts, then vows to bring back a suitcase of such parts next time we're in the States. Same story, over and over again.
The next maintenance issue was light bulbs. The ones they sell here only last a few months, so all ours are burning out at once. The little pulperia (tiny store) across the road has been out for a several weeks. Our house is slowly getting darker as we shuffle our exisiting light bulbs around to the most critical locations. The resident shower mosquitoes, apparently emboldened by the darkness afforded by the burned out bulb there, have become voracious! But a candle helps. While I was getting ready to send Guildy and Grandma Linda over to the pulperia, I also realized that our extra toilet paper and paper towels, which had been stored under the kitchen sink, had also gotten completely soaked (see reference to cheap Chinese plumbing parts above). But the pulperia came through and had toilet paper! Always something to be thankful for!
Let's see, what else. In between maintenance issues, I have been pumping extra milk for (and praying for) a teeny tiny preemie in the hospital. See Dr. Abby's blog for updates on her, as well as one of the kids from the Children's Centre who has badly burned almost a week ago.
On the docket for today: put everything back under the bathroom sink, continue recovering from the horrible respiratory flu Josh and I have had the last week, pump more milk, and try to cook something interesting. We were laughing the other day about how I (and Guildy, too:o) are kind of like the regular rats in the the movie Ratitouie (I know that's not how it's spelled!!) who will eat any old trash and be perfectly happy, while Josh is like the main character rat who prefers to eat a little higher quality fare. So it has become one of my goals to attempt to cook tastier stuff for him. Recipe ideas anyone?
Awhile ago, I wrote down 1 Thess. 1:3, where Paul tells the Thessalonians that he was remembering without ceasing their "work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." I keep thanking God for the guidance those three things give us. As I believe on Him for my salvation and labor at the things He has called me to do, all the while looking forward to his ultimate victory in my life and in the world, I have a context in which to frame the normal (or not so normal) everyday happenings of life.
The first inconvenience of the day acutally started in the middle of the night when Josh went to the bathroom and found that the cheap Chinese supply line to the sink had broken, leaking all over the goodies stored under the sink and out onto the floor. So the first order of business for the day was to rescue all under-sink bathroom paraphrenalia. Fortunately for me, one of the many vestigal remnants of our semi-vagrant lifestyle is that lots of stuff is still in ziplock bags, so not much got ruined. Every time Josh deals with a plumbing issue (almost daily), he first curses the inability of the Chinese to manufacture quality plumbing parts, then vents his frustration at Honduran hardware stores for not selling better quality parts, then vows to bring back a suitcase of such parts next time we're in the States. Same story, over and over again.
The next maintenance issue was light bulbs. The ones they sell here only last a few months, so all ours are burning out at once. The little pulperia (tiny store) across the road has been out for a several weeks. Our house is slowly getting darker as we shuffle our exisiting light bulbs around to the most critical locations. The resident shower mosquitoes, apparently emboldened by the darkness afforded by the burned out bulb there, have become voracious! But a candle helps. While I was getting ready to send Guildy and Grandma Linda over to the pulperia, I also realized that our extra toilet paper and paper towels, which had been stored under the kitchen sink, had also gotten completely soaked (see reference to cheap Chinese plumbing parts above). But the pulperia came through and had toilet paper! Always something to be thankful for!
Let's see, what else. In between maintenance issues, I have been pumping extra milk for (and praying for) a teeny tiny preemie in the hospital. See Dr. Abby's blog for updates on her, as well as one of the kids from the Children's Centre who has badly burned almost a week ago.
On the docket for today: put everything back under the bathroom sink, continue recovering from the horrible respiratory flu Josh and I have had the last week, pump more milk, and try to cook something interesting. We were laughing the other day about how I (and Guildy, too:o) are kind of like the regular rats in the the movie Ratitouie (I know that's not how it's spelled!!) who will eat any old trash and be perfectly happy, while Josh is like the main character rat who prefers to eat a little higher quality fare. So it has become one of my goals to attempt to cook tastier stuff for him. Recipe ideas anyone?
Awhile ago, I wrote down 1 Thess. 1:3, where Paul tells the Thessalonians that he was remembering without ceasing their "work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." I keep thanking God for the guidance those three things give us. As I believe on Him for my salvation and labor at the things He has called me to do, all the while looking forward to his ultimate victory in my life and in the world, I have a context in which to frame the normal (or not so normal) everyday happenings of life.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Talby Faces:o)
Baby faces are the best! Talby started smiling about a week ago, which definitely adds to her cuteness!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
To Florida and Back
The American Embassy came through for us in fine fashion, getting Guily and Talby's passports to La Ceiba with 24 hours to spare before we had to leave for our 90-day visa renewal trip last week. We knew it would be close and had been praying for a speedy, unhindered process. We were so thankful!!
So last week, we made the journey to Florida and met a whole passel (is that really a word?) of Josh's family in Orlando. It was so nice to see Josh's dad and stepmom and sisters, plus his grandma and aunts and cousins who live in FL. Of course, my camera battery died, so we have yet another family trip with no pictures. Oh well. I can snag a few from facebook....one of the many benefits of social networking:o)
While in FL, we took in some of the sights of Disney World. Below are Josh and Zech and the girls marching around the Magic Kingdom. Guildy was old enough to enjoy the whole Disney she-bang....one of the many benefits of being related to me is that at age 5 she is big enough to go on the great big roller coasters!! Hadley was completely overstimulated by it all, so she and Talby and I got to spend some time together doing other things....watching movies, going to the park that was near our hotel, etc. It was too cold to go swimming while we were there. Actually, in my opinion, it was just plain TOO COLD!! There was one day with highs in the 50s. We about froze to death!! Pathetic, I know, for a native Montanan to have such thin blood!
I love how tutus are appropriate attire for any occasion when you're 3!
Now we're back home and Josh and I are recovering from the nasty flu we picked up (and hoping no one else gets it!). Josh's mom is here visiting now, so that should make for some good blogging once I get around to charging my camera!
So last week, we made the journey to Florida and met a whole passel (is that really a word?) of Josh's family in Orlando. It was so nice to see Josh's dad and stepmom and sisters, plus his grandma and aunts and cousins who live in FL. Of course, my camera battery died, so we have yet another family trip with no pictures. Oh well. I can snag a few from facebook....one of the many benefits of social networking:o)
While in FL, we took in some of the sights of Disney World. Below are Josh and Zech and the girls marching around the Magic Kingdom. Guildy was old enough to enjoy the whole Disney she-bang....one of the many benefits of being related to me is that at age 5 she is big enough to go on the great big roller coasters!! Hadley was completely overstimulated by it all, so she and Talby and I got to spend some time together doing other things....watching movies, going to the park that was near our hotel, etc. It was too cold to go swimming while we were there. Actually, in my opinion, it was just plain TOO COLD!! There was one day with highs in the 50s. We about froze to death!! Pathetic, I know, for a native Montanan to have such thin blood!
I love how tutus are appropriate attire for any occasion when you're 3!
Now we're back home and Josh and I are recovering from the nasty flu we picked up (and hoping no one else gets it!). Josh's mom is here visiting now, so that should make for some good blogging once I get around to charging my camera! 
Christmas Letter
Now that we're 2/3 of the way through January, it's probably time to post our Christmas letter!!
Merry Christmas from the Browning’s in Balfate!
It’s a newsletter, Christmas card, and birth announcement all rolled into one!
Talby Mildred!
Of course, the biggest news in the Browning house is the arrival of Talby Mildred on December 5th. Even at just a few weeks old, she has a distinct little personality and seems quite content with her new lot in life. Guildy and Hadley are very sweet with her and love holding her and talking to her.
What We’ve Been Up To In Honduras
We arrived in Honduras in mid-October and jumped back into life here like we’d never been gone. Things are never slow around Hospital Loma de Luz (www.crstone.org), medically or in the maintenance department. Josh and the other maintenance guys are constantly working on checking broken and worn out things off the never ending list of maintenance needs. He spent the second week in December helping rebuild the motor on the tractor that is used to mow between the 30 acres of African palm oil trees, which should one day provide significant support to the hospital.
Right now, my main job is making the adjustment from a 2-kid family to a 3-kid family. But before Talby was born, I was teaching General Science and Biology classes and tutoring several of the older missionary kids in math. I am also home schooling Guildy, who is becoming quite the reader and math scholar. I will pick up my science and math classes again sometime in January.
Real Life in the Browning House
People often ask us what life is like here. Well, it’s crazy. No two ways about it. In the past month, we’ve lost several good nights sleep chasing rats around our house (finally burning one to death in the insulation of our oven), been invaded by thousands upon thousands of marching tropical ants (they actually clean out all other insects in your house, so they’re not such a bad thing), had a good round of stomach flu (or bad water, who knows?), been to San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba twice each working on passports for Talby and Guildy, fought a nasty round of bacterial/fungal skin infection (thankfully, just Josh and Hadley have it), tried unsuccessfully to trap the 3-foot long iguana still living between the clay tiles and tar paper of our roof, and because it’s the Holiday season, listened to constant cherry bomb explosions courtesy of the neighborhood kids for the past 3 weeks (it‘s just how kids celebrate Christmas here).
A couple weeks ago, a visitor from Georgia spoke about what we base our faith on. Do we base it on FACT, found in the form of Biblical and historical truths, or FEELINGS, coming to us in the form of sentiment, emotions, and whims? On days when nothing seems to be working, which can be frustratingly common here, it’s tempting to FEEL discouraged, but the FACT is God is at work here and we are fortunate to be a part of that great work. There’s no place else we’d rather be - even on the days when things seem completely insane.
Please Pray for Us and Loma de Luz
1. Hospital Loma de Luz’s physical and spiritual ministry to Honduras’ North Coast
2. Hospital finances and staffing needs, particularly an anesthesiologist
3. Josh and Hadley’s skin infection to clear up completely
4. Talby and Guildy’s passports to arrive by Jan. 11th (so we can leave the country when our visas expire)
We hope this finds you well wherever you are with hearts thankful for the birth of our King and Savior! Thank you so much for all the ways you love and support us!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Many Blessings!
Josh, Linzy, Guildy, Hadley, & Talby
Contact Us:
Josh Browning/ Mike Yost Apd. 139
La Ceiba, Honduras, Central America
Email: yznil1@yahoo.com
Blog: www.joshandlinzy.blogspot.com
Support for the Browning’s may be sent to:
CornerStone International
PO Box 192
Wilmore, KY
Check made out to “CornerStone International” with “Browning” in the memo.
Merry Christmas from the Browning’s in Balfate!
It’s a newsletter, Christmas card, and birth announcement all rolled into one!
Talby Mildred!
Of course, the biggest news in the Browning house is the arrival of Talby Mildred on December 5th. Even at just a few weeks old, she has a distinct little personality and seems quite content with her new lot in life. Guildy and Hadley are very sweet with her and love holding her and talking to her.
What We’ve Been Up To In Honduras
We arrived in Honduras in mid-October and jumped back into life here like we’d never been gone. Things are never slow around Hospital Loma de Luz (www.crstone.org), medically or in the maintenance department. Josh and the other maintenance guys are constantly working on checking broken and worn out things off the never ending list of maintenance needs. He spent the second week in December helping rebuild the motor on the tractor that is used to mow between the 30 acres of African palm oil trees, which should one day provide significant support to the hospital.
Right now, my main job is making the adjustment from a 2-kid family to a 3-kid family. But before Talby was born, I was teaching General Science and Biology classes and tutoring several of the older missionary kids in math. I am also home schooling Guildy, who is becoming quite the reader and math scholar. I will pick up my science and math classes again sometime in January.
Real Life in the Browning House
People often ask us what life is like here. Well, it’s crazy. No two ways about it. In the past month, we’ve lost several good nights sleep chasing rats around our house (finally burning one to death in the insulation of our oven), been invaded by thousands upon thousands of marching tropical ants (they actually clean out all other insects in your house, so they’re not such a bad thing), had a good round of stomach flu (or bad water, who knows?), been to San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba twice each working on passports for Talby and Guildy, fought a nasty round of bacterial/fungal skin infection (thankfully, just Josh and Hadley have it), tried unsuccessfully to trap the 3-foot long iguana still living between the clay tiles and tar paper of our roof, and because it’s the Holiday season, listened to constant cherry bomb explosions courtesy of the neighborhood kids for the past 3 weeks (it‘s just how kids celebrate Christmas here).
A couple weeks ago, a visitor from Georgia spoke about what we base our faith on. Do we base it on FACT, found in the form of Biblical and historical truths, or FEELINGS, coming to us in the form of sentiment, emotions, and whims? On days when nothing seems to be working, which can be frustratingly common here, it’s tempting to FEEL discouraged, but the FACT is God is at work here and we are fortunate to be a part of that great work. There’s no place else we’d rather be - even on the days when things seem completely insane.
Please Pray for Us and Loma de Luz
1. Hospital Loma de Luz’s physical and spiritual ministry to Honduras’ North Coast
2. Hospital finances and staffing needs, particularly an anesthesiologist
3. Josh and Hadley’s skin infection to clear up completely
4. Talby and Guildy’s passports to arrive by Jan. 11th (so we can leave the country when our visas expire)
We hope this finds you well wherever you are with hearts thankful for the birth of our King and Savior! Thank you so much for all the ways you love and support us!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Many Blessings!
Josh, Linzy, Guildy, Hadley, & Talby
Contact Us:
Josh Browning/ Mike Yost Apd. 139
La Ceiba, Honduras, Central America
Email: yznil1@yahoo.com
Blog: www.joshandlinzy.blogspot.com
Support for the Browning’s may be sent to:
CornerStone International
PO Box 192
Wilmore, KY
Check made out to “CornerStone International” with “Browning” in the memo.
Winter Pics of Wiggly Girls!
I got a few good pictures of the girls together a couple weeks ago. It took alot of shots to get 2 that were good. Guildy and Tably are pretty good photo subjects, but Hadley seems to be at the age of maximum impulse/minumum self control:o) Thus, she has a hard time staying in one place!
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Happy New Year!!
How are the girls? I'm pretty sure that's mostly what our blog readers want to know. They're all good. Talby is now a month old and weighs over 9 pounds. She likes to be a little fussy in the evenings, but other than that, she's quite content. And she enjoys her baths:o)
By 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, we had opened out presents, eaten our chocolates, and been to the ER. Guildy was dancing with some toole fabric from one of her gifts and took a dive into the bed post on our bed. Fortunately her eye broke the fall. The little cut at the corner of her eye didn't need stitches and her actual eye was fine. So she just got a glorious black eye out of the deal! It looked like 80's Rock Star Barbie's blue eye shadow.
By 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, we had opened out presents, eaten our chocolates, and been to the ER. Guildy was dancing with some toole fabric from one of her gifts and took a dive into the bed post on our bed. Fortunately her eye broke the fall. The little cut at the corner of her eye didn't need stitches and her actual eye was fine. So she just got a glorious black eye out of the deal! It looked like 80's Rock Star Barbie's blue eye shadow.We had a cold, rainy spell awhile back and we all about froze to death....
Three Girls...
Three Girls...
That's a big stinkin' shrimp!
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