The Belizean Loggers!

Shannon, Mike and the students all arrived back safe from Belize. Thanks so much for your prayers! Shannon has promised to write about his trip soon! They all worked so hard and accomplished far more than they thought possible. All the trees were cleared, the fence was fixed, 47 stumps were removed and the turbine is up and working! Praise the Lord!

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for! God has been so good to us! He has provided for our needs---most often even before we knew of them! We have been so blessed! However, I am most thankful for God's mercy and grace. He loves me even when I am most unlovable. He loves me in spite of me. I am so thankful for the hope and peace that only He can give! How can I not be thankful! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!!

Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
Weather: The weather has been great most days, Tuesday and Wednesday we had rain. Tuesday the skies opened up and let it pour down, by the end of the day, all were wet and muddy!
Students: All are doing well, with I believe seven people now victims of chechem (the poison tree). Jillian got the worst of it, but is now improving. One day she was down and out (with help of Benadryl) just to keep from scratching, and to help her sleep. They are still hard at work and their attitudes are great. The stump removal aspect has slowed down a bit, as they are working on some large ones. Most cutting and clearing has been done, both on the campus and in the Boot Camp area. They have also been working on the fence. By the end of the week, most, if not all, the fence will be repaired. The repair has been a bit slower than anticipated. A crew has been pouring concrete at the fence as well. Most of that should be done, but doesn't look like we'll get it all done. Shannon has been working with a crew on the turbine. Wedensday the turbine crew began to put the pipe together and attach cables and making adjustment. The 40' pole bends at about the 30' area, so there some things to work out in order to get the winch to successfully pull it up. Lots of trees have been cut up and brush piled. Things are looking great and Bill is happy with the work that has been accomplished. I (Mike) have worked on replacing the damaged roof, putting up the siding on the end of the dining room and making a door for a tool storage area. I asked the students tonight how many were ready for Publix manna......Matty K. has been joining us for evening group devos and he raised both hands and said, "Oh yeah, I am ready for it!" Seems the students are hooked on Cindy's manna. The students enjoy being here with Bill and Cindy and learning from them as well.
Sight Seeing: We had planned on Wednesday to go for sight seeing but with rain in the forecast we held off for Thursday. A few wanted to go to the Mayan ruins via boat. The rest of us opted for the cheaper tour.
Church: Sunday morning the students shared a presentation and Dan Martin preached the Word at a Mennonite church. Sunday evening the students shared their presentaion again at Ben's church. We were able to see the work the 2004 [team] accomplished in their conctete work. The church building is coming along, but needs more work for its completion.
Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity.

More from Belize

Location Teen Missions Belize,
Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
BMW STUDENTS: All are doing well, in good spirits and positive attitudes. There is no sickness in the camp except for Allie who is not feeling well, and says she gets sick every trip she takes overseas. She is taking medicine but hasn't seemed to help. They have been accomplishing a good bit of work. This evening in group devos a count was taken of the number of stumps removed - 18, in 2 with 10 people working on them. We have had excellent working weather, cool evenings and mornings with warm afternoons. Bill enightened us with a Belzian weather forecast of the weather, "It will be sunny unless it is cloudy; will be dry today unless it is raining...."
They have been working 8 hours with rise and shine at 5:30 am and quit time at 3:30 which gives time for clean up after work before supper as it gets dark at 5:30. Sunday we plan to attend 2 churches, one being a Mennonite in the morning and Ben's church in the evening, with presentation at both churches. Next Wednesday we have arranged for sight seeing day, some want to take the recommended Mayan tourist area, and most going to the cheaper Mayan ruin location. The team has been cutting down trees as well as digging out stumps, some being the poison trees. Praise the Lord we haven't had any major outbreaks yet, although Danny Stuckey has become victim of the poison sap.
They are eating very well and Cindy was happy with the food that was sent with the team. With quitting time at 3:30, we have been starting our prayer closet at 11am, then after lunch 12:30 until 3:30. Water is being purified through bucket purifier. Some have been a bit chilly at night as most only brought a sleeping-mat, expecting it to be all warm all the time, however the evenings cool down very comfortably.
STAFF: Matty K is doing great and has been having Dan Martin help him repair the fence around property. Matt thinks by the end of the week most if not all the fence should be repaired. Shannon has been cutting down trees, clearing area for the wind turbine. The chain saws available on property didn't quite make through the day on tuesday, so a few trees were axed down! Mike helped cut and remove a poison tree on monday, and tuseday repaired the roof. We have been running Bill in circles with all the questions of where things are that we need for jobs, and which trees are poison, and where to pile the brush. The Griffins have been great hosts, we are enjoying serving with them here.
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Rise and shine @ 5:30am
Work 6-8am
Breakfast 8-8:30am
Devos 8:30-9:00 am
Work 9:00am-12pm
Lunch 12-12:30pm
Work 12:30-3:30pm
Clean up/Laundry/Free time 3:30-5pm
Supper 5:00pm
Group Devos 6:30pm
Lights Out 8:30pm
The Belizian Loggers send their greetings to the staff and their fellow students! Thank you for praying for us and allowing us the opportunity. Lord bless you, on behalf of the Belizian Loggers

Update from Belize

Shannon sent in this email today. It was so good to hear from him! I wanted to share a little of what he is experiencing in Belize.

Keep them all in your prayers!



Everything is good here, I hope everything is well there with the kids and all. I've been praying for you. The weather is good and it is very cool at night. This is the first time that my feet have been cold since Ohio. We have been cutting down several trees. We have quite a crew of stump diggers. You thought you had ants in Florida, they have been eating me up every day. I duct taped my pants today and it helped a little bit. I am getting to be quite a chainsaw mechanic as I am in practice on an hourly basis. It is beautiful here, we went to Honey camp lagoon and I picked up some shells for the girls. It is very comfortable here with the cool nights and a very good shower that is refreshingly cool. We had a flock of parrots flying along the bus as we came in, it was pretty cool. We find tarantulas everyday and scorpions but they don't harm you as bad as the ANTS. The tarantulas are very friendly and do not sting or bite. I hope all is well I burned my arm on a chainsaw muffler but it is fine, I put some silvadine on it. Mike has been fun and Cindy and Bill are good to work with.

Shannon is enjoying the Caedman's Call CD and he mentioned that he really likes the song "Sacred" I thought I would share those lyrics with you. If I haven't mentioned it yet, we love the new CD...it's called "Overdressed". I recommend you all go and buy it right now! :)

Sacred
The house is a good mess
It's the proof of life
no way I would trade jobs
but it don't pay overtime
i'll get to the laundry
i don't know when
i'm saying a prayer tonight
come tomorrow it starts again
could it be that everything is sacred?

and all this time
everything i've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes
the children are sleeping
but they're running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind
my cup runneth over
and i worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from You
I can feel the banks harden
Lord make me like a stream
to feed the garden
Wake up little sleeper
The Lord God Almighty made your mamma keeper
So rise and shine, rise and shine

TWO WEEKS IN AFRICA

I thought I would share the words to a song by Caedman's Call. I bought the CD for Shannon before he left for Belize so he could put it on his MP3 player. It is such a great song. Taylor and I both have cried while listening to it. I think it should be one of TMI's theme songs...along with "Go Light Your Candle." I hope you are blessed by this song.

Two Weeks in Africa

by Caedmon's Call

Johannesburg to Capetown,the plane had barely touched down.

She was taking photos for the friends back home.

This was always where she felt her heart belonged.

She was finally here,the sky was bright and clear.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

Johannesburg to Houston,she came home on a mountain.

But school was starting, things kept moving on.

Before you knew it, seven years had gone.

She found a picture of her,standing, smiling,arms around the starving kids.

She swore not to forget,she swore not to forget...

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

And if we follow our dear sunto where the stars are not familiar.

Faces turn to numbers,numbers fall like manna from the sky.

Why, oh why?Oh Father, why?

One village in Malawi now has water running pure and clean.

One church alive in Kenya's full of truth and love and medicine.

We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing.

He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hands in.

So we can see, His love is bigger than you and me.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

When did they grow up?????

My Little Songbird

The Children's Choir at First Baptist Church, Merritt Island had their Fall Concert last night. Maddie auditioned and had a speaking part. The kids all sang so well! It was a very good concert! Madison loves to sing! Zoe has her "Wee Praiser" Fall Concert next week and I can't wait to see it. All four of the kids will have parts in the Singing Christmas Tree this year. I am so thankful for this church because it has helped to fill a void that came with the move to Florida. It can never replace Storms Chapel---that church will always be home. We miss our church family so much!!!

This is a view from above!
And here is some more singing for you to enjoy:

Our "Heavenly" Home

We thought we would post some pictures of our home here. We live on Heavenly Street!! We just finished painting the kitchen and living room. Taylor says it finally looks like "The Bobb's live here!"

October in OHIO

I was reminded this weekend of how long it has been since I have posted to this blog. I admit it...I have been lazy, but we have been so busy lately. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Ohio for the weekend. One of my wonderful, talented, beautuful nieces was married. It was such a special ceremony and a beautiful day. It was nice to be reunited with family and friends even if for a short time. The ceremony was sweet and the weather was perfect. The day was such a celebration!! I am so thankful that I could be there. I hated to miss Chelsea and Matt's wedding in July.

We went to church on Sunday and that was so good! It felt so good to be back at Storms Chapel with our church family. It's hard to find a church that fits us like this one. I sure have missed them all. Maddie and Zoe were so excited to see Katie and Hope! I didn't think I would get them to leave and Brad...make sure those Rook cards are warmed up and ready in December because Angie and I will definitely be beating you and Shannon!!!

We had two great meals at Nanny and Papaw's house and we got to spend time with his family. It's amazing to see how much things have changed, but also how much they have stayed the same. It was a comfort to see that Kay is doing well after her heart surgery. We have been so worried about her.

God is so good! It will be soon be one year since Canaan had his last seizure. He is doing so well and I am so thankful for God's protection over him.

I am also thankful for Dick and Helen Boulis who opened up their home to us this weekend. They invited us to stay with them while we were home visiting. They own a beautiful log home and have dedicated their home and their lives to the Lord and you can see God's blessing on them. They were so gracious and hospitable. It was so peaceful there that we hated to leave! Thank you Dick and Helen for a wonderful weekend!

It's hard to express just how much we love and miss everyone back home without getting all teary eyed and choked up. We are so blessed!!!!

Back to School

Taylor, Canaan and Madison started school yesterday here in Florida. It really hit me hard...kind of brought a stark reality to our move. I have spent a lot of time in prayer for my kids and their schools and teachers. It's hard to put them in a school where you know no one but I know that they are in God's hands. They all had a pretty good day and liked their classes for the most part. It's hard to believe that I have SENIOR this year. I hope I don't cry every day of her senior year, but I know I probably will! LOL

Things are quiet around TMI now. The last debrief group left today. It is strange to see the place so deserted. But even though the teens are gone, the work goes on...and I sat at my desk and watched all of the work going on outside. There is hardly any down time around here. Soon, we will be mailing the brochures and receiving registrations for next year's teams. I can't wait to see where God takes us next!!!

Today, we received two thank you notes that really blessed us. One was from Lee, one of our team members thanking us for leading him to Iceland and to Jesus! What an awesome privilege! The other was from the parents of a team member thanking TMI. Their son was saved during boot camp and was on our team. They are amazed at the scripture he quotes and the change in his life. This is the same boy that at struggled at first to learn his memory verses and was so frustrated. He said he could see no use in learning all those verses. We kept encouraging Him, helping him and reassuring Him that He would use those verses every day! It was so awesome to watch each of these kids grow in the Lord this summer and acquire and thirst for God's word. God is so good!!! Everyone says that we gave up so much to come here and it is such a difficult decision, but if they only knew how blessed we are, they would all be here! It is truly a privilege and I feel so unworthy. But it is amazing that God can use me in spite of myself. I keep reminding myself that He is made perfect in my WEAKNESS. I could never give the Lord enough to repay Him for His love for me!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!

Back from Iceland!

This picture was taken on Commissioning Night--the last night my family was all together before heading out to different parts of the World! We arrived home from Iceland last Friday. It was an amazing summer! Boot Camp was awesome and Iceland was so beautiful. We had some great kids on our team and they all worked hard. We saw four of our team members accept Christ for the first time this summer, one team member has committed to starting a Bible Club in her school and another feels called to be a missionary. The Lord taught me so much this summer and I feel so privileged to be able to serve Him at Teen Missions.

Taylor arrived in Orlando tonight and it was so good to see her andHUG her. I missed my kids so much this summer. Canaan will be home on Friday and I can't wait to hear his stories. They both have had amazing summers, also. I have posted some pictures from Iceland in our online photo album (the link is at the bottom of the page). Just click on the "Public Albums" tab and you will see the Iceland album. It was so beautiful and I did not do well capturing the beauty. I wish my talented niece could have come along to document the summer in pictures. She has such a gift for capturing life in photos. I have enjoyed looking at her pictures from Chelsea and Matt's wedding. It must have been such a beautiful day. It was so hard to miss it but I prayed for them as I flew over the Atlantic headed to Iceland.

It is so good to be home!

Another day in the Life

I thought I would share the latest victim of the Bobb Family "curse! LOL Zoe fell and hit the bridge of her nose on the edge of a glass table. She had two nice black eyes....she looked like Mike Tyson only lots cuter!!!! She is healing fine and the bruises are fading.

We are in the middle of boot camp now. It is amazing! Just watching teens on fire for the Lord and ready to share His love around the world is awesome. We also have Mustard Seeds (ages 4-6) and Peanuts (Ages 7-9) here now. They are so cute. Their leaders have a sort of "glazed" look to their eyes, but they are doing a great job. It is such a privilege to serve the Lord and help teens shake their world for Jesus. We are anxious for our team to get here and get to work on our project. Our team arrives for boot camp on June 27 and we fly to Iceland on July 8. We will return to the U.S. around August 3. It is going to be an awesome summer! I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do.

There are pictures of Boot Camp posted on the Teen Missions website and you can watch rallies live there at 7:15 p.m. Be sure to check it out!

Zambia

Today in chapel, we heard a couple of songs that were recorded in Zambia. A family went to Zambia over Christmas and recorded some songs written and sung by orphans. They are producing a CD to sell to raise money for AIDS Orphans. It was so touching to hear the orphans sing. Their voices are beautiful. Naturally, I cried! :) Shannon found this you tube clip of some children in Zambia singing. Be sure to click on the link and listen. I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face and a prayer to your lips---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec64G1JvMN4
We saw some current photos of the rescue unit that Shannon went to last year and were shocked to see that the school is in terrible shape. The mud walls have crumbled and all that is left is the support posts. These kids need our prayers and our support. They have nothing. Their facilitators need prayer, also. They care for these kids day in and day out. They are parents, doctor, gardener, teacher, friend and hope to these kids. Pray that the Lord will refresh them daily and give them contentment and compassion. You can sponsor one of these orphans and help them for only $12 a month. This will provide medicine, grain, school fees and much more. It's a small price to pay to help a child. Just follow this link.....
www.aidsorphans.org
Make a difference in one child!

The Power of Prayer

Well...just one week to go until the "Boot Camp" mode kicks in. Things are starting to take shape around TMI. It's getting exciting and scarry at the same time (it's becoming a familiar feeling in our lives!) I am praying daily that God will equip me to be a good leader. I am praying for WISDOM, mercy, compassion, love and discernment. I really want to impact these pre-teens and help them develop a personal relationship with Jesus. We had a day of prayer Wednesday. This was really cool. The entire staff of TMI met for chapel at 8:00 a.m. and then we had a time of testimonies and praise. Then we had a time of prayer where people shared requests and we prayed for each request individually. Then, we went out to our team tent sites and prayed for Boot Camp and for our team members individually. I am so amazed at how much time is spent in prayer here! Prayer is definitely the foundation of the ministry. It was such an encouraging day. Hearing how God is at work in individual lives is always a blessing. I feel so privileged to be able to serve God here. God is definitely blessing our lives. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!! Remember us in prayer that we honor the Lord in everything we do!

THE VIEW

THE VIEW ON THE TRIP TO FLORIDA!

WE ARE HERE!

WE ARE HERE!!! We made it to Florida with no problems at all! We are all settled in and have begun work at Teen Missions. Shannon is working in the International Operations Department. He helps to manage the Aids Orphans and Street Children Ministry, the Overseas Boot Camps and the Old Testament Tabernacle. He is enjoying his work. I am working in the Finance Department and I am enjoying learning the ministry of Teen Missions. We are also working hard to prepare for The Lord's Boot Camp that starts in less than a month. We expect about 850 team members this summer. We are so excited to finally be doing what God has called us to do. God is so faithful and has completely met our needs. His presence is so real in our lives and we are so thankful for His guiding Hand in our lives. Please remember to pray for us as we look for a church and for the kids as they try to make friends. I thought I would share a picture of Zoe helping to unload the moving truck.

I am blessed

This week I was reminded how blessed I am to have such a great circle of family and friends. First, Taylor and I went on a college visit to Asbury College. We got to spend lots of time with Cassidy, Cathy and Caralee and Caitlin Campbell. Asbury was awesome! I never thought Taylor would find a college that would compare to Cedarville, but she did. I was so proud of Cassidy. She has grown into a beautiful and talented woman of God. It was great to spend time with her. I don't get to see her much anymore.

Then today, Dawn came to help me pack (a job I have been putting off way too long). She was so much help. I can finally see the "light at the end of the tunnel!" It's hard to believe that you can fight with your sister so much growing up, but end up best friends as adults. I don't know what I am going to do when I live a thousand miles away from her! I am so thankful for cellphones and email! Dawn and I had lunch with Whitney today. I had a wonderful time! Whitney has grown into an equally beautiful, talented woman of God. I came home and I just had to spend some time thanking God for the people in my life.

It's almost time!

I can't believe that in a few short days we are going to be leaving in a rental truck headed to Florida. It's hard to think of leaving everything you've ever known, but we are excited to see what God has in store for us. When I went to Teen Missions International in November I felt like I had finally come home! I have longed to be there for so long and now I get to go!!!! I can't believe that I get to do something so awesome for the Lord! I have a lot of "worries", but I know that God is in control. I am learning to trust Him more each day. His love is amazing!