Settling In

Our first week in Louisville, Kentucky has been pretty phenomenal. I can't begin to describe how good it has been to sit back and watch God put all of the pieces together little by little. The people have simply been amazing. They have been so friendly and welcoming. Traffic is non-existent or at least we have yet to deal with it. Everything we need is located within a fifteen mile radius and it feels great not to spend hours on end trying to get from Point A to Point B.

We are still praying about finding a church to call home while away from "home." There are lots to choose from here and we have received invitations from practically everyone we've met but we are trying to take it slow and find "the one." We want to allow God to pick the place where He wants us to grow and serve Him.

Words escape me when I try to articulate what I feel living here. If I had to pick one word then I'd probably choose right. It just feels right to be here. I may be taking my words back come winter but for right now, there is no other place I'd want to be.

Enjoying some Menchie's fro yo with my sister-in-law and our nieces. This place opened up the week we moved to Louisville. Talk about perfect timing! God knew we were coming. ;)

A Happy Fourth of July

This year our Fourth of July was nothing short of stellar. We ate to our heart's content, spent quality time with our family and watched a pretty amazing fireworks show. What more could I ask for?

Hope your Fourth of July was just as blessed.

Photo credits to my beautiful and talented sisters, Shaina and Danielle.

A "Wicked" Thank You

My family is the epitome of selfless giving. Last night my sister, Deby, prepared a special girls only night. We went out for dinner at Fleming's Prime Steak House and Wine Bar to catch the 5 for 6 'til 7 special (What an unbelievably delicious steal!) and then made our way down to the Adrienne Arsht Center to see "Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz." It was her birthday gift to our little sister, Danielle, and what a thougthful gift it was.

Lucas and I don't make an abundance of money and lead a very simple life. Although all of our needs are met many times we have desires (I much more so than Lucas) to be able to do things which we simply cannot afford on a teacher and pastor's salary (i.e. going to a musical). Those are the times in which my family comes in; always looking for ways in which they can serve us. They invite us to "fancy schmanzy" dinners and pick up the tab, pay for the rentals on vacations and much more. The Lunns give from their hearts without measuring the cost.

I know I am really blessed and I thank God for the way he uses my family to show me how much he loves us. And although many times I feel embarrassed to accept it, I know I need to humbly accept, enjoy the treat and thank God for using them to bless us.

I don't think we will ever be able to repay them for all that they have given us but I know our God will.

Mike and Deby,

Thank you once again for giving selflessly. I know you work hard for everything you have. You are disciplined in your saving and the way you spend what the Lord has blessed you with. Thank you for choosing to invest in your family and giving us what otherwise many times we could not do on our own. Thank you for constantly looking for opportunities in which to share with us and bless us. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you and are truly privileged to be a part of a family that loves us not only in word, but in action.

We love you!

"May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."
Ruth 2:12

Blessing in Disguise

A little over a month and a half ago, our church was told that we had to pack up everything and go within 3 days. The dance studio that we were subleasing from unfortunately was no longer able to keep up with the rent and so as they moved, we had to go, too. What do you do with a whole church in only 72 hours? Where do you go?

For us, it seemed like the solution was simple. "We'll just go back to where we were before, the Hyatt Place in Doral." After all meeting at the Hyatt Place was relatively easy. (Relatively because the band still had to set-up and tear-down week after week) but at least the chairs were provided for us as was the coffee.

Shortly after Lucas and I arrived back in town that Saturday evening (we were driving back from our stay in Kentucky), the pastor was told that Hyatt Place would no longer be renting the conference room to any churches. Apparently, they didn't want to have their guests woken up in the morning with the sounds of our bands' rehearsal.

So what now? It's almost 11 pm and we have no place to meet for our Sunday morning service, the Sunday before Christmas. One of the most important days of the year as it is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus and it is also a day when many people are seeking and want to visit church. The day with the highest number of visitors, second to Easter.

And this is where the church of Sweetwater comes in. They graciously opened their doors to us and allowed us to meet in their church. It was one of the best services we've ever had with Doral Baptist Church. The worship was amazing to say the very least and almost everyone was there despite the late and very short notice.

At first we felt like we were losing everything. How could this happen? What are we going to do? Where is God leading us now? These were only a few of the questions running through our minds. But God in His infinite wisdom was up to something.

Looking back at it today, having relocated to Sweetwater has been one of the biggest blessings for our church since the history of Doral Baptist Church. We have been able to meet and begin to establish friendships with our new church family at Sweetwater Baptist Church. They have been nothing short of amazing. Almost immediately our youth groups starting meeting together. And now we are beginning to make plans to collaborate on the Easter musical.

I feel right at home with our friends and extended church family at Sweetwater Baptist Church. And I don't think it's that we come from the same place, Cuba. I think the connection is deeper than where we were born. What brings us together is our faith and love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

To our new friends at Sweetwater Baptist Church (los Cubanazos),

Thank you for welcoming us with open arms. At a time when we didn't really understand why God allowed us to be "homeless," you took us in. It seemed to be unclear what God was doing, but it is now evident to us that He has brought us together.

We will probably never be able to repay you for the kindness that you have demonstrated to us in that while we were perfect strangers, you took us in and made us part of your family. I feel confident in saying that I speak for everyone at DBC when I say that this has been a blessing in disguise.

Thank you! We love you guys!

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." -Galatians 6:10

Sweetwater Baptist Church's Youth Group at Night of Joy



Today also happens to be Albert's birthday. Happy Birthday, Albertico!

Beautiful Daughter of God

January 20, 2010

Dear Shaina,

Shaina Beth, "beautiful daughter of God," today you have officially become an adult. These years that lie ahead of you are probably some of the best years of your life. Use them wisely.

As you finish your senior year in high school and begin college, I pray that He will guide your steps and watch over as you spread your wings and soar. I pray that in all you do, you will always seek to bring Him honor and glory. He has wonderful things in store for you, things that you cannot even fathom. Don't ever forget it!

I am so proud of you lil' sis and I love you deeply.

Happy 18th Birthday!

Your big sis,
Indy

Saudades

Today when we got home we found a lovely surprise from The Trindade Family.

They really didn't have to but I do appreciate their thoughtfulness. I especially loved the handwritten notes our nieces wrote for us.


And although Serenata de Amor is oh, "muito gostoso", I'd trade in that box of chocolate any day for these faces.


Quantas saudades!!!

Our Growing Family

This past weekend my beautiful sister-in-law and her husband welcomed their third daughter into the world. Julia Trindade was born on Saturday, March 14th and weighed 6 lbs and 11 ounces. She is the sister of Gabriela and Luisa.

Leila and Eduardo, you are truly wonderful parents and I am confident that the Lord chose "Juju" to be a part of your family. May He continue to grant you love, patience and wisdom to raise your gorgeous daughters.


Today also marks Mike & Deby's First Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Lunn! May the Lord continue blessing you and drawing you closer to each other as you seek Him. Relish in one of the greatest relationships this side of heaven, the precious gift of marriage. We love you!

What it All Means to Me

As many of you know this past Sunday, we had our inauguration service for our new church, Doral Baptist Church. I can't tell you what a success I consider it. Lucas and I woke up early after a long day of preparations the previous day. From printing out the communication cards to finishing the sermon, it was quite a load. I woke up a little anxious but Lucas being the laid back guy that he is had it all under control (even after sleeping only 3.5 hours).

I ironed his outfit (Did I mention that I believe all pastors should have free dry-cleaning year round?), got dressed, and quickly got in the car after Lucas finished loading it up with the instruments and breakfast goodies. We arrived at 8:00 on the dot and got to work. I started setting up the breakfast while Lucas rehearsed with the worship team. Before we knew it people started trickling in. My dad and his family were first. Then the newlyweds, Mike and Debs walked in and finally my mom, Vito and Tati. So basically the English service was comprised of my family, our family. But it meant so much to both Lucas and I because we knew that they were there not out of an obligation but because they really believe in what God is doing through us and wanted to show their support.

While the worship team was singing I couldn't help but shed tears of joy. Just watching my husband serve the Lord with his gifts and knowing that my family was there fully commited and devoted to Christ. I remember when my hubby and I started dating I was the only one going to church out of my family. For their own reasons, they were far from God but little by little, God answered our prayers and everyone has found their way back to Him.

You know so many times (more often than not) I choose to pick on the little things that irk me about my husband (God knows how many imperfections irritate him yet he rarely complains) and miss out on loving the man God has given me. Ever since I came to the Lord I knew that I wanted to marry someone that would love God before me and man, to know that I have that man gives me so much joy.

We don't make much money, we can't really go away for the weekends and we don't even have our own home yet. Quite frankly, we really don't have much (and trust me there are days when I compare myself to others and start thinking it's not fair and we should have more) but on days like yesterday I know that I wouldn't trade what I have for anything in the world. Not because I think I have the best thing but because I know that we are doing God's will and there is nothing greater we could be doing with our lives than serving him.

And it is with joy that I tell you this: our church may be small and we may be inexperienced but we serve a mighty God whom is able to do extraordinary things through ordinary people. We are the ordinary people.

I think this verse best summarizes how I feel about God calling us:

"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no ne may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."
1 Corinthians 1:26 - 30 (NIV)

Mi sobrinito

Say hello to one of the most gorgeous baby boys in the world. His name is Diego and he is my "sobrinito". My half-sister in Cuba just gave birth to her first son.

Felicidades, mama! Como tengo deseos de conocerlos.

In my second attempt to create a blog

I just finished posting a comment on a friend's blog (Ivett without the E) and she inspired me to create my own. Although I created one several months ago I never got too far with it. And as silly as it sounds, I can't for the life of me, remember how to log on to that one. Oh well...I must be getting old...or maybe I can no longer keep track of my 20+ user IDs and passwords. I do practically everything online...from paying bills, to checking our account and most recently I became a member of Swaptree. It's the new way to barter. It works like E-bay except you don't have to pay, all you do is exchange CDs, DVDs, video games and books. Check out their site http://www.swaptree.com/. I'm really looking forward to getting rid of all of the stuff I no longer listen to or watch. Books, can't say I'm really interested in trading those...we have our own little library collection at home and I plan to keep expanding it.


So this summer has been one of the greatest thus far. My hubby and I got to go to Brazil for 19 amazing days. My little sister, also came with us and I'll tell you she's already been to 3 of the World's Seven Wonders. She is blessed beyond measure.


Our trip itinerary played out a little like this:
We spent three days in Rio de Janeiro where we visited "Cristo Redentor" (one of the World's Seven Wonders) and "Pão de Açúcar". Lucas also took us by bus (which was one of the greatest experiences for me) to the school he attended from Kindergarten - 7th grade. We also met some relatives he had in Rio. We were really expecting to be able to go to the beach but the weather was not cooperating. It was really cold, rainy and foggy. We made the most of it, though and we've got the videos to prove it.


We then flew in to Lucas' hometown of Salvador, Bahia which is known as the "cidade da alegria". I wish I had pictures of Lucas' expressions. He was so excited that he could hardly hide it. As soon as we landed Lucas' parents were there to receive us. They took us to the new apartment they had just purchased the week before in Ipitango and it was absolutely perfect. Not even a minute away from the beach. So we got to stay there while Lucas' parents stayed in the apartment downstairs. God gave us a 5-star vacation free of charge. Kind of like His grace...huh? He's always giving us things we just don't deserve. That's just how good He is. Soooo, I finally got to meet most of Lucas' relatives. Everyone was so sweet and thrilled beyond words to see us. It had been seven years since Lucas' last visit so you can just imagine. We spent a lot of time getting to know his city, living like the locals and eating typical foods like acarajé and moqueca.


And if that weren't enough we got to stop for four days in Manaus (it was actually supposed to be three but our flight got cancelled) which was tiring because we had to get up the next morning at 4 am but we also got to see the show they had at the hotel that evening. We stayed in the Tropical Manaus which we highly recommend. Lucas booked our room on Expedia at an excellent rate...we paid less than half of the hotel's daily rate. The hotel itself was gorgeous...the rooms were a little outdated but nothing a little renovation can't take care of. Regardless, we had a wonderful time. The breakfast buffet was to die for. I ate this delicious crepe looking thing made with tapioca stuffed with bananas and sweetened condensed milk. YUM! We went on the "Meeting of the Waters" down the Amazon River and ate on a floating restaurant. Yes, you heard me (rather read me)...a restaurant that floats on the water. We also saw gigantic waterlillies called "Victoria Regia" in Portuguese and saw where the Negro River and Solimões River meet to form the Amazon River.


An observation I made about our trip to Brazil was that life is so simple there. They really value what's important and although they may not have all the commodities we do they also don't have a third of the stress we have. We work so hard to gain material possessions that we forget to really live.


Before I forget something worth checking out is our cousins’ band, Banda de Boca. They are INCREDIBLE! So incredible in fact that their CD is the only one that we have listened to in the car since we got back. This five member band produces all the sounds using only their mouths. http://www.bandadeboca.com.br/

Enjoy the good music and pictures!

In His Love,
Indy