We prayed for our housing and God brought us to a nice apartment, close to schools for the kids, close to the major bus and train lines, close to the two churches we work with, and in a great city that is very culturally diverse.

We prayed for friends. I taught the kids the truths about building relationships and it WORKED! The kids have made friends and even some enemies but they have learned and continue to learn how to "love your neighbor".

We prayed for opportunities to speak truth regarding marriage, children, work, and life. God continues to bring people into our life who are wanting to learn the truths found in the Bible. While the needs here are huge very few people actually want help nor are they willing to change. What a privilege it is find a few to share our life experiences and the truths in the Bible with.

We also prayed for learning the French language. WoW! French is a difficult language to learn. The kids are blessed by being kids and so their brains are like sponges. Through tears, they survived the first year but since then they have acquired the French language. This year, many of their new school friends and teachers did not even realize they were not French. Amazing! Marie and I still have a long way to go and on most days we enjoy the learning process. Our team's focus is the English speaking community and so learning French will take more time.

After three years we are still doing lots of learning which is what I prayed for our family. I hoped and prayed we would learn to pray, to be thankful, to be patient, and to love.

We thank God for preserving our marriage for 20 years.

We thank God for protecting our children.

We thank God for continuing to train us.

We thank God for using us even when we don't feel very useful.

We thank God for our family allowing us to move.

We thank God for the leaders and members of Denton Bible Church for their love and support.

On Friday Feb 27 our third son, Emilio, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It was a scary week and the doctor sent us imediately to the hospital. After a week of testing, treatment, and most of all education they sent us home to a new life. While it is a serious desease he can live normally with medication(4 injections per day), balanced diet(no in-between meals), and exercise. Emilio is taking it as well as can be expected and is serious about his new daily regimen. He is giving himself the injections, testing his blood, and keeping accurate records of everything. He has already returned to school and for these next few months he will be monitored closely by regular trips to the hospital. As for the rest of us we have mostly gotten over the shock and we wished it were us instead of him. During difficult situations it would be nice to be home but we understand our work here is not done. God provided GREAT care through the hands of each doctor and nurse and also through our new community of friends. Emilio says THANK YOU!!! for all your prayers. We read to him your emails of encouragement and he felt loved and cared for. My words fall short of accurately expressing our gratitude.

With much love,

Daniel and Family

Dearest Family and Friends,

What an incredible year this has been and this Friday marks the end of our first year! Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement. We could not have done it with out you! We miss you all yet we are confident in our role as Ambassadors for Christ in France. (2 Corinthians 5:20). As ambassadors there is nothing special about us except Who we represent.In our jobs as dads, moms, friends, and employees (I didn't think I would miss building trucks so much!) we must all remember our title of Ambassador for Christ. In my prayers for you, I pray 2010 will be a year where your understanding of God and your obedience to Jesus affirms your title as Christian.

I have started and stopped this letter many times wondering just what to communicate about our first year. A friend of mine asked me was I still glad we came and still sure this is where God wanted us to be. He also asked about our five children and how this huge move has impacted them. I want to share my answers with you.

YES, we are still glad to be here. The pain of picking up and moving has been substantial but in the grand scheme of life, minimal. Growing up, maturing, and doing what is right always involves some pain. I grew up in church and my fear was God changing my plans. As I continue to learn about God, I now realize that IS EXACTLY God's plan, to change our desires, plans, and eventually our actions. God does not want the good things we do but He wants to be the center of what we do. After our first year here we are still glad to be here because God is using this move to change our mentality, attitude, and heart in ways we would have never surrendered back home. We are still glad to be here because the needs are great and we are glad to do our part. While the needs are great in every community God has allowed us to be part of the work here. Seeing the news on Haiti every week makes me want to go there but for now we are here.

In regards to our children only time will tell. My goals for my children took a drastic change a few years ago. Once my dream for them all was to be financially successful above everything else. Now my prayer is they have a personal understanding and love for God which moves them to action. They must learn faith is personal but not private. Christianity is not lived out in the pews but out on the pavement! How can we follow the teachings of Jesus and be private about His commands? How can I teach my kids something I have not lived myself?

Not a week goes by where one of our kids(or parents) is ready to return to Texas, which causes us to focus on why we are here. We are here because together we ALL said "here am I, send me".

Thank you for walking this year with us.

With much love,

Daniel,Marie, Antonio, Mario,Emilio,Ignacio,Daniela