Boyd Bear Tracks

We've had some exciting times in the last couple of weeks. On Valentine's Day we got a car. What a nice Valentine's Day gift (well, it wasn't really a gift--we did pay for it :-)). It's a very common looking car. Nothing flashy, which is ok. We always did say that as long as the motor was good we didn't really care about the body. The interesting thing about this car (which I guess is pretty common here) is that it runs on gasoline and gas. There's a big gas tank in the trunk (which I wasn't thrilled about at first, but now have accepted). One good thing is that we get really good gas mileage :-)!

The other exciting thing is that we now own a dog!! A real one! We went to the local shelter and adopted him. They showed us several puppies and he wasn't my first choice. One that I liked was going to get really big, so Jon nixed that one. Then, the next one I picked out happened to be starting a skin infection, so she couldn't be adopted for another two weeks (assuming the infection went away). I was kind of sad about that one. Ellie liked her too! She may have been a little to rambunctious though (she was full of energy!!). So, we were trying to decide what to do, and Lucas said, "I like this one!" (the first one we had seen). The lady told us he was ready to go and seemed quick to get him and take him to the front for us. I still wasn't too sure about him because he looked just like any old street dog to me. But, we adopted him and named him Boomer. When we took him to the vet, he said that Boomer has some Husky in him (he has a double coat). That definitely made me happier (I've always wanted a Husky). Another thing that points to his Husky breeding is that he hardly ever barks (I think I've only heard him bark once), he howls. Now that we have him, I can see he's a very calm dog and not as jumpy as the other one would have been. So, Lucas made a good choice :-)!

Something funny: In Spanish they pronounce Boomer the same as we do in English, but they spell it Bummer. What a bummer! :-)

Ellie is a little afraid of Boomer because he grabs at her pant legs when he's playing with her. We're working on teaching him that he has three bosses and he can't bite any of them. The vet said he's about 2 and a half months old, so I think it's a good age to start teaching him. Later I'll include some pictures of our car and dog. The kids are excited about both :-).

Boomer has only had one accident on the carpet. Of course, I've been taking him out about every hour! Plus, it's only the 2nd day we've had him :-). This morning I heard him whining at 4:30 a.m. and got up to take him out (he's in a kennel). It's just like having a little baby--you get up a lot at night and you have to be watching them to make sure they don't get into anything. Jon is amazed at how a dog can get me out of bed. He must have forgotten that when the kids were babies they could get me up just as easily. :-) I guess I just need something to motivate me :-).

Our house is almost organized and is beginning to feel like home (Ellie hasn't asked me where her house is in a while :-)). It's also good because the Field Council Meeting is at our house on Tuesday and all the missionaries will be here. At least the boxes are contained in one room now so I can just close that door :-)!

We've been visiting the churches here and are excited to see that they are doing well. The ones we have visited have seemed vibrant and really have a vision to reach their people for Christ. This Sunday we'll be in Tunal again (the last church my family was in before we left Colombia). They just put in a new floor and are having a "Thanksgiving" service. They've been praying and working towards this goal for a long time (when we visited 2 years ago they were talking about it). It's neat to see how God has provided!

Thank you for all your prayers! The other missionaries are amazed at how smoothly things have been going for us. We know it's because so many of you are bringing us before the throne of grace regularly. It's neat to see Him answer your (and our) prayers in such wonderful ways.