We have more than 10,000 reasons to praise the Lord!

At our church Comunidad Cristiana, El Hatillo (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) Valerie Umana-Anderson and Susie McCabe (from North Way Christian Community, Pittsburgh, PA) sang Matt Redman's song, 10,000 Reasons. Susie and her husband Mac McCabe are visiting us and are our long-time friends. We have known one another for more than 30 years. Both Mac and Susie knew my parents, Bobbie & George Anderson and I was able to have their two daughters, Shannon first and then Cami, in my Bible studies during two different furloughs home in Pittsburgh. After my father passed away in 2003, we have often stayed in their home when we are back in Pittsburgh, so Valerie and Victor feel so endeared to them, they call them: Uncle Mac and Aunt Susie. So, needless to say, we share plenty of history.

So you can imagine the joy we felt watching Valerie and Susie sing for God's glory at church. We do indeed have far more than 10,000 reasons to praise HIS NAME!

Enjoy this video of their worship to the Lord (4.35 min.)

Worship through dance by Valerie Umana-Anderson and Lydia Carrion

The month of April brought down a team from Memorial Park Church (I hope to share more details later on about the results of their trip) and so for several months prior, the discussion of worship was the theme of our home. One day, Valerie said that she'd like to worship God through dance since that was a talent He had given her. So, she recruited her dear friend, Lydia Carrion, and with some help from her mother, Cathy and another friend, Cessna Rivera they put feet, literally, on the idea!

Valerie Umana-Anderson and Lydia Carrion chose the song, Ain't no rock, created the choreography and practiced for a month before Worship Camp in order be ready to worship the Lord through dance. Their act of worship was part of the closing worship celebration we held at the end of Worship Camp, held in our church, Comunidad Cristiana Internacional, El Hatillo here in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

here it is on youtube: http://youtu.be/nICXImZoRpg (3 min.)

At the end of the service, the two spontaneously began to worship with the bright colored fabric, as seen in video below. http://youtu.be/39GZJzNJVe8


In what ways have you found yourself glorifying God lately? Share with us all your observations by clicking on "observations" below.

How does my family feel with my travels?

We are in the airport, Alfredo, the children and I and the idea occurs to me to take out some index cards and ask my family to write me a little note that I can carry around with me during the next three weeks I’ll be absent while on a trip to Argentina to teach the Institute for Forming Instructors (IFI).

In celebration of our 15 years of marriage (April 13, 1996), I share the note that Alfredo wrote to me so you can see why I am more in love with this man than ever.

Jan. 19, 2011

One more trip.

One more opportunity to learn about my wife.

Invariably your absences allow me to miss new parts of you.

I love your presence in my life.

I love your enthusiasm.

I love your passion to live and to help me live giving priority to the family.

I love glorifying God together.

Nevertheless, I always knew that I was called to share you and let other be touched by God through you.

Enjoy your trip.

Allow the Lord to indicate what is your responsibility and what is His.

We will be here, taking care of the “kingdom” and waiting for the “queen” to return.

Your forever boyfriend,

Alfredo

When I shared this with a friend, Patricia, she said: Too bad he’s already married, were it not so, I’d take him!

Here's what Valerie and Victor wrote.

Valerie is 11 today!

Valerie celebrated her 11th birthday with a slumber party this past Friday and then today, the real day of her birth, she and her friend put on a fashion show with our family dog, FOFER!
we hope you enjoy this short 2 min. video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ9VgobwcaI

Valerie's First Swimming Competition!

Here's a short (less than 2 min.) video of our first-born swimming. She can now beat Mom in freestyle (not yet in breaststroke!) and promises to continue improving.

Enjoy the video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNI9BUJvvXQ

Mariangel.....a girl that was saved for a special purpose

What a tragedy!

How sad!

How outrageous!

How evil!

Unbelievable!

All of this has been said and even more since we heard of the murder of a single mother (Mirna Garcia) and the failed murder attempt on her only daughter Mariangel (she is in Valerie's grade). Mariangel did however suffer 5 bullet wounds! This just happened on Tuesday, March 2nd. The doctors who performed the surgery on Mariangel all say she is a living miracle. The wounds caused by the bullets should have taken her life. But they did not. God preserved her life for a purpose.

Every Thursday morning, several mothers from Academia Los Pinares (the school my children attend) get together to study the Bible. This year our focus has been to help our kids to build a Christian world view. Two days after this incident us moms gathered, together along with our children, to discuss God’s perspective on this incident. (Our children did not attend school that day since school was cancelled due to numerous cases of H1N1 influenza.) Since Valerie is Mariangel’s classmate, so she and her mother have been to our house on several occasions.

With this group of mothers and our children we studied the life of Joseph. All the kids volunteered different pieces of information about Joseph’s life until they put together the whole story. We remembered the details of the sufferings that Joseph had to endure. Then, we read about the perspective he had about his own life and suffering in Genesis 45:5-8 "And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”

Then we compared the life of their classmate, Mariangel, with Josepth’s life and these are the conclusions that children arrived at:

• She is suffering but God can take something wrong and make it good.
• God is in control.
• God saved her for a reason.
• God has a purpose we can not understand at the moment.
• Mariangel has to trust that God has a special plan for her life.

Valerie gave us the idea of everybody writing a letter to Mariangel to encourage her with this new perspective and with Scripture. When the timing is right, we will deliver the letters to her and read them together.

We left the gathering with another perspective on life. This life on earth makes more sense when we see in light of all eternity.

As mothers, we left determined to be change agents in all the ensuing conversations we have on this topic. Obviously every family at the school is appalled by the news. There is a bank account open so Mariangel receives aid with her hospital bills (see information below of how you could also contribute) and many mothers are doing shifts at the hospital to keep company to this little girl, but throughout any conversation, more than fixating on the gory details or speculations, we want to comment on God’s perspective and keep praying for Mariangel.

I invite you to be a partner in prayer for this girl:

Psalm 27:10 "Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”

Let us pray that God will be Father and Mother to Mariangel and He makes her feel His presence in a supernatural manner.

Psalm 9:9-10 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

We pray for the preservation of her life against the evil ones. May she live free of anguish and anxiety and may she trust the Lord.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

We pray God leads relatives and close friends to make wise decisions for Mariangel’s future.

And eventually…

Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

We pray that Mariangel will be filled with hope, joy and peace in spite of these circumstances.

PS: Tonight, God led me to the hospital to have the privilege to be at her side, first to ask about her relationship with Jesus, to give her the pressed flowers Valerie made for her, and then to review the details of a Bible class I had given to Valerie's second grade class on heaven. This served as preparation for when, together with her doctor, the hospital's psychologist, aunt and cousins, we gave her the news that her mother indeed was alive and well, but at Jesus' side in heaven. Please continue to pray for her as she deals with the shock of her mother's departure and the unsettling reality of having to move in with her aunt (who fortunately is a believer in Christ) when she gets out of the hospital.

*Basically all her hospital bills are being paid for by donations from families from the school. If God leads you to collaborate financially you may make a donation to Latin America Mission in my name, Lisa Anderson-Umana, work funds-Mariangel.

https://www.lam.org/donate/index.php?donate=Lisa+Anderson-Uma%F1a

Valerie's 10th birthday celebration!

Happy New Year!
We celebrated Valerie's 10th birthday end of December . Valerie is now in the two-digit numbers! She invited some special friends over for a slumber party. When I asked her where she got that idea from, she replied: "I saw pictures from when you were my age..." Oh the dangers of leaving behind evidence! :) We all enjoyed celebrating with her. Thank you Lord for these 10 years with our Miracle Baby!
(click here to see 2 min. video clip)


What were some of your favorite memories of birthday celebrations as a child?
Share them by posting an observations below!

Valerie Umana-Anderson's journey in ballet

Since 2004 til now Valerie Umana-Anderson has pranced and danced in every Christmas performance, delighting the Lord with her use of the rhythm and grace God has given her. For God's glory and joy she dances!
Enjoy this 2 minute video rendition of photos we've taken over the years!

Don't read a book Mom, ask me!

How do you explain to a child what you do to get a PhD?
Phone conversation:
"Hi Mom, how are you? What ya doing?"
"Well sweetie, your Mommy is studying quite a bit and does lots of homework."
With concern in her voice, Valerie queried, "How can you still be in school when you are as old as you are?" (probably beginning to wonder if Mother had been held back for many years and was repeating a grade....)
"Well, Valerie, learning is a life-long process, you don't stop learning just because you graduate from High School."
"Hmm. I don't know if I want to keep doing homework the rest of my life," she said with a worried voice. "What are you studying about Mom?"
"Well, interestingly enough we are studying children and how they grow and develop."
"Silly Mommy, you don't need to read a book about children, just ask me. I'm a kid!"