Wow..what fun it is to ride and sing in a one tractor open hay ride.....
Our office went to a place called Mike's farm for dinner and a hay ride that we will never forget. It was fabulous, full of lights and the real Christmas story...Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
God is good...heading to Germany
Well, I got a phone call today. A very excited future boss told me that we will get a call asking us if we want the job in Germany. WOW!!! I almost broke out in tears. The journey was rough, but it feels so much better having gone through it the hard way. I appreciate this so much more.
Many have been asking about how much we get paid and what we are going to do with our house and yadayada. We have decided that that is a private matter and that we are not to worry about it. We have a great God who owns the universe who can worry for us. But He won't.
Thank you all for your prayers. We still have a lot to do.
Oh yeah, no more Physical Fitness Tests...ha.
Larry Torres
Many have been asking about how much we get paid and what we are going to do with our house and yadayada. We have decided that that is a private matter and that we are not to worry about it. We have a great God who owns the universe who can worry for us. But He won't.
Thank you all for your prayers. We still have a lot to do.
Oh yeah, no more Physical Fitness Tests...ha.
Larry Torres
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Can't walk on water w/o getting out of the boat
Well, three months ago, on faith I placed my retirement papers in thinking that we had a job in Yokosuka, Japan. People, Christians and non, were throwing hints at us that we were crazy. I knew it sounded crazy, but each day that I wanted to keep our life here, I felt an unbelievable urge to go. Why? Good job, good boss, great workers, good area, new home ... that seems to be just it. It should glorify God.
one month later - delayed to possibly interview me for the job in Japan. have a TIA..or ministroke, high blood pressure pills and Acid Reflux...STRESS
one month later - still no answer...still waiting
After thanksgiving - The call came in..you made the top five...we only interview the top 3.
Opened the internet...looked up the Army resume system...they constantly tell me that they did not receive my resume in Korea, Colorado, etc... so I figured it was a lost cause. Then, there it was, You have been considered for the job in Mannheim, Germany. So it prevented me from putting my request to extend my time in the Marines.
One week later - Hernia Surgery. The next day..e-mail from Germany..you did not make the cut for the interview. The surgery prevented me from going in to stay in the Corps. I was depressed, lost, confused, wondering how I got it all wrong.
One week later - I go to work against the doctors orders to get my paperwork in to stay in the Marines. I come home at lunch really feeling bad...convicted...ashamed....lost. Sat in my chair ready to cry...why?
10 minutes later - My Marine calls, "Someone called from Germany about an interview Master Sergeant." I called Germany. They said the first four did not want the job because it was a step down in pay.
Next day at 8a.m. (Dec. 12 or 1212) Interview. God provides the words...covers me with His Holy Spirit. Burden lifted. Hours later it feels that God waited til the last minute to come through.
Dec. 15 - I will find out if the job works out.
Lesson learned - Don't doubt God's call. Wait on the Lord and He will bless. Be consistent in devotions and stay close to God. Don't get out of the boat and look at the storm, the circumstances. Keep the eyes on Jesus. I DIDN'T.
Positive - We got out of the boat...scared to death ... on faith. Even when everyone thought it was crazy.
Praise the Lord.
one month later - delayed to possibly interview me for the job in Japan. have a TIA..or ministroke, high blood pressure pills and Acid Reflux...STRESS
one month later - still no answer...still waiting
After thanksgiving - The call came in..you made the top five...we only interview the top 3.
Opened the internet...looked up the Army resume system...they constantly tell me that they did not receive my resume in Korea, Colorado, etc... so I figured it was a lost cause. Then, there it was, You have been considered for the job in Mannheim, Germany. So it prevented me from putting my request to extend my time in the Marines.
One week later - Hernia Surgery. The next day..e-mail from Germany..you did not make the cut for the interview. The surgery prevented me from going in to stay in the Corps. I was depressed, lost, confused, wondering how I got it all wrong.
One week later - I go to work against the doctors orders to get my paperwork in to stay in the Marines. I come home at lunch really feeling bad...convicted...ashamed....lost. Sat in my chair ready to cry...why?
10 minutes later - My Marine calls, "Someone called from Germany about an interview Master Sergeant." I called Germany. They said the first four did not want the job because it was a step down in pay.
Next day at 8a.m. (Dec. 12 or 1212) Interview. God provides the words...covers me with His Holy Spirit. Burden lifted. Hours later it feels that God waited til the last minute to come through.
Dec. 15 - I will find out if the job works out.
Lesson learned - Don't doubt God's call. Wait on the Lord and He will bless. Be consistent in devotions and stay close to God. Don't get out of the boat and look at the storm, the circumstances. Keep the eyes on Jesus. I DIDN'T.
Positive - We got out of the boat...scared to death ... on faith. Even when everyone thought it was crazy.
Praise the Lord.
Friday, November 07, 2008
New Video Page
Hey guys, I just finished cutting our 30 minute documentary video down to Parts and placed it on our Video Blog site. You can watch them at http://all4goodvids.blogspot.com/
You will see the link on the right side also. Take care.
All4good
You will see the link on the right side also. Take care.
All4good
Friday, October 31, 2008
May the FARM be with you
I am taking a biology course right now and we had a link to this site to show us what we should eat....check it out.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
New Family Photos
Here is our photo from today... God bless! Our retirement is soon...December. We are walking by faith, not by sight.. Thank you for your prayers and for all of those who gave "Praise to the Lord" for our decision to obey God in our venture to a new life. Our hope is that we are in Japan by January.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Brandon is 14
When we went to Ga. Grandma surprised Brandon with a Bday cake and all of the cousins, aunts and uncles showed up....Surprise
Brandon blows out his candle at home during his 14th Bday. Hard to believe he is four years away from heading to college. Happy Birthday!!! He starts high school this year also....wow.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
16th Wedding Anniversary
Mona and I hit our 16th Year of marriage. We had a great dinner and good laughs talking about each of the children. It was like we just met...Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bond that holds us together
Hey Folks, You have to check this out ....Ain't God Good:!!!
A couple of days ago "I" was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire...etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking...."How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???"
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath.
And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin.
I knew about laminin. Here is how wikipedia describes them :"Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue." You see....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.
But now I do.
And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....
Here is what the structure of laminin looks like ...AND THIS IS NOT a "Christian portrayal" of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...
<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_odPipyZ-8ts/R7SKS5Gtd2I/AAAAAAAAAPA/er529rUtHAs/s1600-h/laminin.jpg>
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!
Amazing.
The glue that holds us together....ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross.
Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. "
Colossians 1:15-17
A couple of days ago "I" was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire...etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking...."How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???"
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart...how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath.
And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!
It was because he started talking about laminin.
I knew about laminin. Here is how wikipedia describes them :"Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue." You see....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.
But now I do.
And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....
Here is what the structure of laminin looks like ...AND THIS IS NOT a "Christian portrayal" of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...
<http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_odPipyZ-8ts/R7SKS5Gtd2I/AAAAAAAAAPA/er529rUtHAs/s1600-h/laminin.jpg>
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!
Amazing.
The glue that holds us together....ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross.
Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. "
Colossians 1:15-17
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Memorial camping trip
We went to Cliffs of the Neuse to camp and canoe this weekend. IT was beautiful and cool. We enjoyed a lot of fellowship and going in the Word of God this Sunday.... Please pray for us as it appears that our first Sunday morning bible study focused on the Okinawans here will start this week or next....we are not sure...but it is getting close.
Dave is a great man of God who is heading up the Navigators here in Cherry Point. We nicknamed him Robocop, because he seems to have unlimited energy...chops wood, gets up early, constantly cooks, carries canoes, paddles past everyone, runs out of the canoe to load it on the truck...amazing energy
Nothing like a campfire....
Rafael and Noah enjoy playing in the fire.
Extra photo of Maria.......
Rafael. Maria and Noah before camping..
Dave is a great man of God who is heading up the Navigators here in Cherry Point. We nicknamed him Robocop, because he seems to have unlimited energy...chops wood, gets up early, constantly cooks, carries canoes, paddles past everyone, runs out of the canoe to load it on the truck...amazing energy
Nothing like a campfire....
Rafael and Noah enjoy playing in the fire.
Extra photo of Maria.......
Rafael. Maria and Noah before camping..Friday, May 16, 2008
Finally Home
LA familia
Mom and baby girl...on Mother's day.
Maria is growing fast...
Mona made these cakes for the boys and also took one to my work while I was gone...WOW!!!
Rafael and Noah surprised mom with their winter fashion statement.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Our Public Affairs Crew
What an adventure it has been...after 2 weeks of work, the crew released 24 stories, hundreds of photos and a lot of tension. It started out rough, but we ended with the ship entact and everyone with a smile. This was, by far, the most challenging, yet rewarding exercise that I have been a part of. Everyone was very professional. 
Eidelberg Germany
This is a view inside the church.
Dinner from the castle...what a view.
Here is a view from the mountain.
Here is a photo of the church built into the side of the mountain.
It was nice to leave at 3 p.m. to go to a final dinner with our German Public Affairs counterparts. We ended up in a place called Eidelberg, about 15 minutes away. It was amazing. There was a church that was actually built into the side of the mountain. We had ice cream in the main area and watched children playing the town fountain....not too clean looking..but it works. To end the day, we had dinner in the castle. The view was spectacular, the food was delicious and the casual conversation was delightful. I can't wait to go home though....better yet, I can't wait to go to heaven...this exercise revealed more to me about the thought process of the world...it is crazy how rude and how outright nasty people are towards the Christians....even from the counterparts in this American workspace...just very heart breaking...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Drove to Calvary Chapel Bible College in Siegen
Here are almost all of the college students hanging out and eating together on a perfect day in Germany. You might recognize the guy on the right...He was in Okinawa...his dad is a Marine officer.
This bridge is the Autobahn...It literally towers over the Bible College...What a sight.
This is Tyler...what a great brother in Christ. He gave me the tour of the college and showed me the first Calvary Chapel church in Europe. It has 1,200 people, what a blessing it was to finally be back in a Calvary Chapel hearing the Word of God.Me and my Mercedes...for a day...ha.
WEll, it was a strange trip to Siegen, Germany. I had a day off and rented a car and drove to CC Bible College in Siegen. It took about 2 hours to get there in the Mercedes sports convertible that the rental company gave me...It was the only car left...but boy did it come in handy. I got lost coming back...it took me 8 hours to make the trip back. The fastest I drove on the Autobahn was 124 miles per hour...WOW!!!
WEll, it was a strange trip to Siegen, Germany. I had a day off and rented a car and drove to CC Bible College in Siegen. It took about 2 hours to get there in the Mercedes sports convertible that the rental company gave me...It was the only car left...but boy did it come in handy. I got lost coming back...it took me 8 hours to make the trip back. The fastest I drove on the Autobahn was 124 miles per hour...WOW!!! At the college, I met a new friend...Tyler. He is the same age as me and we went to the castle in Siegen...which means Victory. We talked about Christ, prayed and shed tears of joy over what God is doing in our lives...it was worth every second of being lost. It will be a time I will cherish forever.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
SOCCER...European style
Heading the ball to my friends...tough game...
Notice the flag, the Marine flag and the CROSS....
Folks, You won't believe the dreams coming true...I finally played Soccer in Europe...ha. We played the Irish and beat them...then we played the UK...England...in front of a huge crowd. Unfortunately, we lost...I scored a goal by letting the ball barely touch the hair on my head...from a throw in..It was great...but too late. Anyhow...check out the flag photo...notice anything???That is right...A huge cross. That cross is in the middle of the German base here.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Lithuania
It was really cool being able to see the Lithuanians...I will keep the pictures coming....Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Heidelberg, Germany
A view from the Castle
A view of the Castle
Church of the Holy Spirit ...protestant in Heidelberg
What an amazing journey we made today to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I was amazed at the beauty and the large castle. The best part was visiting the churches...wow. Martin Luther has a place next to the university where he actually gave a great debate to monks following his nailing of the Thesis....It was cool to stand on that spot. Praise the Lord.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Combined Endeavor
Check out all those flags...40 countries together...see the Web site.
Posing with Switzerland...ya boyzzzzzzzzzzWelcome to the world of deployments... It is amazing that we have such a hard time as humans to leave our families, but once we are in country and rocking and rolling...we realize how great it is to have the opportunity to travel. For example: Today I was able to meet with the guys from Switzerland. Very interesting...one guys speaks 7 languages, one guy grew up in Rochester,NY and the other guy grew up in Australia...has a serious british accent. Although the Apostle Paul had a difficult time sharing in some areas...it is times like these when you realize how exciting it is to talk to other people from around the world.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
In Germany...
Folks, I have been here for three days...Baumholder, Germany working with more than 40 countries for the largest communications exercise in the world. The job is wonderful...I had the chance to interview the Afghanistan military. It was exciting. God is doing a work and we are along for the ride. I should be home on the 15th.
Monday, April 28, 2008
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