Update - Part II

Mama's Birthday


For Mama's birthday (May 24th) we decided to visit a park not far from our house that our neighbors had recently told us about. The name of this park is not one you will likely forget - although Mama did forget it while we were driving there; thankfully she remembered it upon seeing the sign - Seward Bluffs. Well, evidently, bluffs is not the only thing this park has to boast about, it has a stream (or crick, some would say) running through it where many a crawdad lives. Yes, you read that right - crawdad. The boys had a delightful time catching these little creatures, while we girls were glad to move onto a less crowded part of the pond.:)















Wading





















Gabriel making use of some driftwood.
















Exploring















Josiah giving Isaiah a helping hand.




















Isaiah heading back to the shallower part.
















Hadassah helping Josiah across? :)




















Hadassah using the " old fashioned" pump.

Papa and Mama talking.



Memorial Day


On Memorial Day we had a relaxing day. However, we did make it out for a walk - albeit it was a warm one :) - at the golf course that afternoon.

Taking a short cut to the bridge.





















Papa and Gabriel look off in the distance.





















Mama





















Isaiah looking for used tees.




Altogether, it was a great weekend.

Update - Part I

Since the last time we posted, several things have happened, the first being a trip to Cantigny on April 17. Unbeknownst to us, it was Armed Forces Day, which meant that going there was free! So, that worked out very nicely. We took a picnic lunch along and had a great time. The boys each had opportunity to try on an army vest and, much to their delight, hold a real gun. I have included some pictures below.




















Gabriel standing in fatigues by a HumV.





















Isaiah taking his turn. Yes, that is a "real"
soldier standing up there.
















The three youngest sitting in the Hum V.

















Isaiah, Hadassah and Papa enjoying lunch :)
















Sitting on the back of a trolley headed for the museum.
















Hadassah and Gabriel hiding in fox holes.
















A war correspondent.
















They had taped voices playing throughout
the displays and Hadassah just had to get
close to this guy to see if he was really groaning.
While there, she pulled his blanket up snug
around his shoulders for him. Here she is
making a hasty retreat. :)
















Pansies. This is partly why we came -
so Mama could enjoy the pansies.
















Of course there are dozens of pansy pictures
but I could not post them all right now. :)
















Sisters . . . Sisters . . . such flower - loving sisters.





















Hadassah smelling one of Mama's favorite flowers,
Koren Spice. They do smell delicious!

Spring . . .

. . . . courtesy of the Creator!






















































So many vivid colors and . . .






























. . . luscious scents . . .



































. . . right in our own backyard.

Photos by Moriah

Quotes by Charles H. Spurgeon

"...A Christian man has not always a bright shining sun.
He has seasons of darkness and of night...
Experience tells us that the course of the just
be as the shining light that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day,
yet sometimes that light is eclipsed.
At certain periods, clouds and darkness cover
the sun and he beholds no clear shining of the daylight,
but walks in darkness and sees no light ..."

~~~~~~~~~

"Surely if I were a child of God this would not happen."
Oh, say not so thou who are walking in darkness.
The best of God's saints have their nights.
The dearest of His children have to walk through a weary wilderness.
There is not a Christian who has enjoyed perpetual happiness."

Encouragement for the weary.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Friend!

Jan (aka Mrs. Van Dellen),

The Lord's blessings be upon you
in all you do. May this coming year
be full of the evidence of His grace
and the experience of His joy.

















With love ~ The Ortegas

Not So Ordinary Everyday Moments

Steadfast in Love for the Brethern

It has been our joy this past year to share with you from the lives of our persecuted brothers and sisters. Thank you to all who have joined us in praying for our family across the globe, rejoicing in the victories of Christ in their lives and holding them continually before the Lord in their difficulties. Our hearts are continually drawn toward these dear ones participating in the fellowship of suffering for Christ as we are encouraged and inspired by God's work in their lives. In this last post of the year on their behalf, we encourage all of you to remain steadfast in loving these precious saints through prayer and any of the other avenues available that we have shared throughout this year. May they ever be on our hearts and in our prayers as dear to us as our physical families. Here a few quotes that have encouraged us to think more for the Kingdom than for ourselves.

Found in a child's journal in the
rubble of a Jewish ghetto in Poland
after it was bombed by the Nazis:

"God, I do not ask you to make my life easy;
I do ask you to make me strong."

The prayer of a church under
persecution in Vietnam:

"We are not praying that our borders be opened.
We are praying that heaven be opened."

Pastor Richard Wurmbrand
Founder of Voice of the Martyrs:

"If you are not willing
to die for what is in the Bible,
you should not give money for Bibles.
Because if you give,
we will smuggle more Bibles.
And if we smuggle more Bibles,
there will be more martyrs."

www.persecution.com

Happy Birthday, Josiah!

At fourteen, you are growing in leaps and bounds;
eating enough to keep a small village alive;
and burning energy at the rate of a speeding train.
While your newly attained stature
(now taller than Mama)
and new depth of voice
(headed for baritone)
are evidence of your growth,
the evidence that brings us the most joy
is the refining of your character
we see the Lord working in you day after day.

We are delighted to see you working
to become the man God has called you to be.
Remember, this work is possible by God's grace alone -
completed only through His strength and mercy.
The Lord be with you always!

Love ~ Papa and Mama

Nuggets for Thought

"You will never
change your life
until you change
something you
do daily.
The secret of
your success is
found in your
daily routine."

John C. Maxwell

"To do a common thing
uncommonly well brings success."
Henry John Heinz

"Everybody can be great . . .
because anybody can serve.
You don't have to
have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to
make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace.
A soul generated by love."
Martin Luther King Jr.

"All the
beautiful
sentiments
in the world
weigh less
than a single
lovely action."

James Russel Lowell

"He who is afraid
of doing too much
always does too little."
German Proverb

Quotes from "Success One Day at a Time" by John C. Maxwell

The True Beauty Of Autumn -And Its Story

Where is the true beauty of autumn held?

It is held in the colorful trees,
It is told by the many leaves,
And it is spread abroad by the breeze.

The leaves proclaim the story,
Of the Christian's death to self.
The leaves proclaim the story,
In their colors full of wealth.

As autumn comes, the leaves change,
To magnificently beautiful dressage.
In death through vibrant colors,
We come to understand their message.

As Christians die to self,
The Saviour's beauty shines.
Death to self is life in Christ,
In this His love we find.

So learn a lesson,
Amongst the trees,
Learn a lesson,
Amidst the golden leaves.

By: Moriah Ortega

Dedicated to Mama who taught me this lesson.
I love you.

Extreme . . . .

encouragement . . . extreme power . . . . extreme relief . . . actually all of these apply. However, I think just plain EXTREME best describes the following testimony.

BANGLADESH:

The evangelist, Andrew, stared into the gun, wondering why the man didn't fire. The assassin grew frustrated, then frightened, and finally he fled from the room.

The phone rang, and Andrew found himself talking to the man who had come to kill him minutes earlier.

"The Muslim leaders offered me a big reward to kill you," the would be assassin explained. "I rode across Bangladesh to come to your office. The reward was mine. I was ready to shoot, but I couldn't pull the trigger." The evangelist praised the Lord for protection.

Andrew found it somewhat comical. "So what can I do for you now?" he asked.

"Sir, I still can't move my arm, and it's because of you! Can you help me?"

Right on the phone Andrew prayed, and instantly the man regained full use of his arm. Astounded by the miracle, he returned to the evangelist's office and began to ask questions about this "Jesus" of whom the Muslim leaders seemed to be afraid.

The evangelist patiently explained the good news of Jesus' love, even offering tea to the man who'd come to kill him. After forty-five minutes, the man prayed to receive Jesus into his own heart. The former hit man's ministry now is to destroy the works of the devil. To this day, he is a fellow missionary in Bangladesh.

The assassin's would-be murder attempt was a comedy in errors. If it were a movie, the audience would have cheered aloud when the protagonist, Andrew, came onto the scene. Like any good movie hero, Andrew did not just defeat his enemy's plans. He confounded them, even to the point of having tea with the hit-man-turned-convert. This was not going according to the plan. The devil constantly has to go back to the drawing board to rethink his plans for our destruction. Andrew was not a victim of his circumstances, and neither are you. If he had been shot, his death also would have been a witness, and so will you. Unlike the devil's schemes, God's plans for your life cannot be thwarted.

"I know that you (Lord) can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted."

Job 42:2

Quoted from "Extreme Devotion"
published through Voice of the Martyrs.

Recent Hunter's Moon

Last Thursday, 10/25/07, was the night of the hunter's moon. The moon appeared larger that night than any other night of the year. While these photos don't due justice to the actually size of the moon looming overhead that night - you can tell by the detail you can see in the variations on the moon's surface that this was a spectacular sight.

A Pretty Drive

Hindsight - 20/20

The following words are inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in Westminster Abby (1100 A.D.)

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.

Something to think on . . . .

Dark Weather

We have had quite the run of gray days - the skies full of dark storm clouds. In the last couple of weeks the sun's activities have been well hidden from view by an ever present gray blanket of clouds. For me, so many days without sunshine begin to feel weary and discouraging. However, God in His faithfulness, encourages us even in the day to day. This morning our family worship time included the reading of Psalm 97 and tucked away in verses 1-2 we found this profoundly new perspective on "gloomy" weather. I quote "The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." Wow! It's right there - The LORD reigns - clouds and thick darkness surround him. A good reminder of His ever-present glory and greatness. So my heart rejoices as the cloudy weather no longer brings gloom but cheer to my heart with another evidence of His presence.

MEET HENRY!

The newest member of the Ortega "farm".

Joe's birthday gift this year.
Yes, he picked this one out himself.
This five month old little guy
is fifteen pounds of puppy energy and mischief.

What a cutie!!