The Kelly Journal

Time is flying and we have just two weeks left of our outreach phase here in Tijuana. Read about what we’ve been up to in our latest newsletter!

Joshua, you’re seven! I think that means you’re not a little kid anymore and have officially moved to big kid status. You are growing in responsibility and abilities.

Could you be more adorable? Nope, didn’t think so.

You’re an adventurer and a natural traveler. I have loved watching you adjust to our time in Mexico and the way you approach people and easily form friendships. You put yourself out there in trying to communicate in Spanish and in interacting with the people we are reaching out to. I’m proud of you.

Not every seven year old can say they’ve gotten pesos from the tooth fairy!

You love soccer and swimming and legos and Pokemon and building things and the ocean. And bacon. You really really love bacon. Your love language is quality time and you especially like to go on “dates” with just you and mom or dad. We like it too. I love to hear you talk about the things you are interested in- whether it’s all about a certain Pokemon or which Ninjago character is your favorite or what creation you’ve dreamed up in your mind to build out of legos.

the Pikachu piñata you picked out for your birthday

You’re about to be a first grader! You’re learning to read and you’re getting really good at math. You are also good with logic and words. I’m pretty sure you could be a lawyer. You can convince your brother to do almost anything and you are pretty good at convincing mom and dad too ;)

We sure love you, buddy. We love watching you grow and learn and we’re excited to keep traveling and adventuring with you! Happy birthday!

Hello y’all! July is here and our outreach phase is underway. We are in awe of God’s goodness and we will get you a newsletter soon. But first I thought I’d post a 5 panel series of drawings that I did for the YWAM pre-school here. These will hang over the main doors there. If anyone wants to buy prints of these, I’m going to be starting an Etsy store eventually with some of my art. Enjoy!

We’re almost done with the lecture phase of our Discipleship Training School! We can’t believe how fast it’s gone by. You can read more about our upcoming outreach phase in the newsletter below.

We’ve just wrapped up our 6th week here in Mexico! Click on the newsletter to read more about what we’ve been doing. We had so many things & pictures we wanted to share that we made it a two pager :)

One year ago this sweet little one entered our lives. I probably say this on every birthday in our family… but I can’t believe how fast that year went! Somewhere along the way our sweet baby bundle started turning into a little kid. And now he’s crawling all over tarnation and clearly enthralled with his big brothers.

Charlie, you’re the sweetest! You love to smile, snuggle and roam free. You have a cute way of burying your head in mom or dad’s chest when a new person greets you… only to look up at them with a grin. Your favorite food is peanut butter toast. I take it back, your favorite food is ice cream. Not that you’ve had your own ice cream yet but you’ve managed enough tastes to know that you love it and you make a hilarious sound whenever anyone is eating it. You clearly want it for yourself.

You recently learned how to clap and always have an expression of joy on your face while clapping. You are a calm and easy going baby as you observe the big world around you. We are so thrilled to have you in our family. Happy Birthday, little guy! May all the cupcakes be yours.

After 2.5 weeks of road-tripping down the west coast we have finally arrived at the YWAM base in San Antonio del Mar! Today was the first full day of our Discipleship Training School (DTS). The facility is beautiful, the beach is gorgeous, the people are friendly and the food is delicious. So far so good! Of course, transition is a mixed bag and we’ve had our fair share of grumpy attitudes, upset tummies and nerves. There are a ton of kids here and our kids are having fun playing with them. We are confident this will be a life changing experience for us all. We’d sure love your prayers for our kids as they navigate all the changes and new things and for us as we try to parent them through it!

our awesome nanny, Sadie, and the boys

the view from our apartment on the YWAM base

the inside of our apartment. and Buzz Lightyear.

a view of the campus