A LOVE STORY IN PUERTO RICO

Aren't grands grand? In the top picture are Claudia and Lorenzo with their father, our son-in-law, in Puerto Rico, where they live.

I'm going to see them in November.

Yippee!

In the pic to the left, Claudia and Lorenzo are playing with their doggie Gia, the world's sweetest dog. Lorenzo is not quite 11 months old and will be a year old in November (I'll get to be at his birthday party!). Claudia is 2. Can't wait to get some of that good ol' neck sugar from both of them.

Milton and I frequently talk on the phone with Claudia. She says, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after." Or, "Ashes, ashes, we all fall down." Or, she sings Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She tells us what she's doing, what toy she's playing with, or where they're going.

The pic on the right shows Claudia riding her little tyke bike. Her cousin is behind her. Behind them, the brilliant section of aqua through the iron fence is the Caribbean Ocean.

Jennifer met a young man in college who was born in Puerto Rico. When they fell in love, a good job offer came open at a bank in San Juan, and they married and moved down there. Sniff, sniff. But through frequent trips and near-daily phone calls, we stay close.

When Jennifer went to Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico, I knew what a barrier the language would be for her in many ways, including getting churched. Since we have nearly 30 ministers and wives in our family, it was important to us that she keep her faith. I said, "Jennifer, when the women went out West in covered wagons, there were no churches out there, yet they had their Bibles and kept their faith. I'm expecting you to do the same thing." This past March, Jennifer experienced a renewal of her faith in a most unusual way (she now blogs about it), and, she found a church! Wonder of wonders, she's now TEACHING the women's Bible study! Isn't that just like God? Her faith has grown by leaps and bounds.

And she's taking her little ones to church and nurturing them in the admonition of the Lord.

Jennifer...

...a mommy who loves Jesus and serves and works for him...

...a mommy, who because of her love for the Lord, has a greater capacity to love her children, and, can call on Him to give her wisdom...

...a wife who, because Jesus lives in her heart, has a greater capacity to love her husband...and boy, does she ever! Treats him like a king. Builds him up. Encourages him. Loves on him.

It's a Christian love story.

In Puerto Rico.