Video Summary of Our First Year at La Fuente

Here is the video that was played last Sunday at our one year celebration.  It was compiled by our awesome teammates Patrick and Brandon'a Garcia. 

Hope you enjoy it! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51pPmXumhyI

Celebrating One Year at La Fuente Church of Christ

God blessed us with good attendance :)

Enjoying great food and fellowship!

Happy Birthday to La Fuente Church of Christ!  May God give you many, many more fruitful years!

Watching a video review of the past year.  What a great moment for the Church family!

Our Jan -Mar 2011 Newsletter

Sims Family Newsletter Jan-Mar 2011

Oct-Dec 2010 Newsletter

Sims Oct-Dec 2010 Newsletter

Aug - Sept 2010 Newsletter

Aug-Sept 10 Newsletter

June-July 2010 Newlsetter

Sims June-July 2010 Newsletter

And Away We Go...

Well, this is our last week in the United States for quite awhile.  My dad and I will be crossing the border this Sunday, and Kristina, our moms, and our kids will be flying to join us in Cuernavaca on Monday.  We are excited to meet up with the rest of our team who is already there.  Our first week's activities will include finding a house to rent, outfitting it with essentials, and enjoying being around both old and new friends.  We can't wait! 

Oh...and here is a picture of Isaiah getting his first haircut last week.   :)

New Paypal Gadget

If you look on the right-hand side of our blog, you will now see a "donate" button. It is a secured link to our working fund account. If anyone wishes to give directly to the work in Mexico, this is a safe and quick way of doing so once we're in Mexico.

God bless!

Jeff

Cuernavaca: Information Please

Here are a few links if you'd like to learn more about Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico:

General Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuernavaca
http://www.mexperience.com/guide/colonial/cuernavaca.htm

Travel Info:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Cuernavaca

Weather Info:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Cuernavaca+Mexico+MXMS0064?lswe=cuernavaca,%20mexico&from=searchbox_localwx

See it for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-09aARPCfns

Enjoy!

Jeff

Fund Raising

We are slated to head to Mexico at the end of May. We still have a big hurdle to overcome in the next two months: Fundraising. We've been at it for a long time now, and we're making a last big push before we go. We are trusting that God will provide everything we need. We are still $1,500 short on our monthly needs. I don't know where it will come from but if you do, please call or email us. Our support goes to Alpine Church of Christ. It is at 610 E. Loop 281, in Longview, TX. Please pray for us. Please consider partnering with us. God Bless!

Jeff

First Longview, Then Mexico

We've recently moved back to Longview again and here's what's going on with us right now.

• I'm interning with Alpine Church of Christ for the next three months. I'm teaching classes, researching curriculum, planning small group events, working on Missions Policies, finishing up our workshops through Missions Resource Network, and working on finishing our fund-raising.
• We are staying with My grandmother, Jeanne Pace, and you can still reach me at my old cell number.
• Kristina is very busy with our three kids, packing/unpacking, cooking for 6, and is still experiencing occasional pain/nausea related to her previous gallbladder surgery.
  
• Noah is beginning soccer. We're taking him to his first practice today. He is so excited and can't wait to race me while he's wearing his "super fast" cleats.
• Juliana is talking up a storm. She loves everything pink, and especially all the winter Olympians' pink garb. Her favorite food right now is a bagel with strawberry (pink) cream cheese.
  
• Isaiah is between crawling and walking. He can stand up unassisted for a short time and is still so full of joy. He's been sick this last week with double ear infections, very high fever, and congestion. I'm happy to report that his fever has come down, and he is smiling again. :)
• We are planning to leave for Cuernavaca, Mexico at the end of May/beginning of June for the beginning of a six-year commitment to work for the Lord in Mexico.
  

If you'd like to know how to pray for us right now, please pray that we will be able to raise the necessary monthly support for us to stay on the field, for strength during this time of transition and change, health and rest for all of us, and for wisdom in our many important decisions ahead.

God bless you all,

Jeff


P.S. Here is a picture of our team at work.

Counting Down

We only have two weeks left before we finish the School of Missions here at SIBI in Lubbock. We have so many things left to do in these two weeks that it can be overwhelming to stop and think about it. So, we just keep going and take one thing at a time. Our family is doing well. We're all healthy at the moment (a rare blessing in our house). We had a great Thanksgiving too. We were able to spend it in Conroe with family and our friends Ken & Debbie who are from China. So many decisions and tasks lay ahead of us in the coming year. It is incredible to imagine that we'll be settled into our new homes in Mexico at this time next year. Please pray for our perseverance, strength, wisdom, and patience in this time of overwhelming change.

God bless you all,

Jeff

Break Week

We just finished the first term in the school of missions here at SIBI and our team is doing really well. We've been really busy planning and dreaming about what God can do through us in Mexico, and try to raise funds at the same time.

We finished our finals this week and we took the kids and our friend Debbie to a special event at a local orchard. It was very small, but the kids enjoyed the hay ride, fresh honey, and releasing lady bugs.

Here are a few photos to give you a taste of the fun:

New Team Photo

These last couple of weeks have been extremely busy. We've been seeking support for God's mission in Mexico. We have a couple of churches that have yet to get back with us yet. Please pray for our team and for the lost of Mexico.

Noah's 4th Birthday

Noah turned 4 yesterday and we had a party at the park this evening. We brought pizza from one of the places downtown that has a 28" pizza! One pie feeds 8-10 adults! Noah was so excited. He called it "the party pizza." He told me that to have a good party he needed: 1) his Frisbee and soccer ball at the park, 2)chocolate ice cream next to a Lightening McQueen cake, and 3)"the horse game where he doesn't have a tail and you have to put it on and if you do then you are the winner". Don't ask me where that came from, but we came through for him and he had a great party. :) Lots of his friends from school came and he received a hat, sticker books, a backpack, and a lunchbox set that were all Lightening McQueen. We are set. He also got some much needed clothes. The Reyes Family got him a Lightening McQueen race track and we had to put it together when we got home. There is a short clip of him playing with it before we pried him off of it to go to bed. We are so blessed to have such great friends here. Good thing that we are taking half of them to Mexico with us!

That's a Big Pizza!

Our Friends Ken and Debbie

Eating Pizza

Patrick and Sophia

The Before Picture

Our Friends

Cake and Ice Cream

Happy Isaiah

The After Picture
(she's singing Happy Birthday)


Pin the Tail on the Donkey

Presents!

I'm on a "Quest"

Our team has begun an extensive training weekend with Missions Resource Network called "Quest.". We'll be making and presenting missions presentations, undergoing extensive professional psychological evaluations, and getting some welcome advice from some seasoned and well-respected members of the Sunset Church of Christ regarding families, missions, and personal spiritual development. Please pray for our team, for those who have sacrificed to help us, and for the people we'll meet in Mexico.

Noah's rocket

We love books

Here is Juliana "reading" to the boys. :)

Our Newsletter: March-July, 2009

The Sims' Newsletter--March to July, 2009

PICTURES!!! (Part 1)

The many faces of Juliana....
"Cheese"


This is what Isaiah's head has looked like for most of his life. He's been struggling with Eczema and Cradle Cap.
Until this week. HOORAY! I'm glad to report that he's doing much better. And last night he fell asleep in our teammate's arms (Recardo) and he was sucking his thumb for the first time.
Here we are at the Science Museum in Houston and we're making lego cars.
Our friends from China, Ken and Debbie, went with us. Here the girls are working on a puzzle together.
The kids had a great time "preparing" and serving food.
Notice Juliana on tiptoes preparing the drinks.
And here we are on our first Date Night in a long time. Ken and Debbie stayed over and we got to go out to a movie. What a blessing!