Sunday, December 24, 2017

Christmas Eve

This morning we got up to a busy day, first we went CC Chino Hills 7:15am service which was a family service and many kids were there! They had choirs with their worship band, very nice.


But what made it nice was it was a warm day and I was able to put my shorts on and watch grandson play in the backyard...at 10:30 it was 17C / 62 F


And the big difference is that we celebrate on Christmas Day and not Christmas Eve. So we ate and then went to the movies with the kids...tomorrow will be busy and fun to see the kids open their gifts.

Well, Merry Christmas from sunny California!!

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Wishing all a Merry Christmas

Martha and I want to wish the best to the saints in Germany & US that are a light in this world for Christ sake, to be able to give the True Reason for the Season when attending family gatherings. Remember to let your little light shine!


Many blessings upon you all!!
Edmund & Martha

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Hurray! Our Container made it to California!!

A couple of days ago our agent that we book our container with called and said the container will be in Long Beach Port and in the next day's it should be delivered. I asked him; so when will it be at my storage place? He said I can't say because the US Customs can X-Ray or do a partial or full unloading of the container if they think something is wrong which could take some days.

So then, I had to find some brothers that would be flexible to drop everything to come and unload during this Christmas season with all their shopping needs still to do, I ended finding seven servants that would help me out and we unloaded it within one hour.

Once we started, we got moving on fast pace and next thing I knew it was finished...taking from the 20foot container and placing everything into a 40foot container.


We are very thankful for the loving help given to us both in Herbornseelbach and Chino Hills!

Monday, December 18, 2017

Being a help to our kids

Martha and I have our one daughter Jenell with her family living in Pittsburgh and now our daughter Gina has sold her house and is preparing to move to Colorado. I heard them talking about Adam, my son in law flying to Colorado to look for a new home but Gina wanted to go as well, so, being an Opa I volunteer us to watch two of the three kids.

So the took the baby with them on their venture to spy out the land


They had a good trip and found a home and we were glad to get our little Jedidiah back as he so cute and surprises us...these are the little things we were missing as grandparents 



Our grandson baby dedication

My Daughter Gina and family goes to CC Pomona Valley with pastor Joe Tata. We as family went to the service as I was going to dedicate our grandson Jedidiah. And sweet part of the service is the point that Joe still leads worship...anointed and awesome!!


Joe had me pray after he shared about dedicating our children to the Lord



We had a blessed Sunday and good fellowship with the saints there!

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Going to church at CC Chino Hills

Today was our first day back to home church, CC Chino Hills. It's was very hard going there as we parked the car and from the moment we walked up we began to meet people we know and they welcomed us back home to the USA! I finally had to say we must go in as I don't want to miss out on worship!!

We got to experience the Tent meeting as the sanctuary building is being renovated and the services are in a large tent on the church property.


What was amazing about our first service back in CC Chino Hills was they had guest worship and the brother' name is David Jeremiah and he was the brother that came with us on my first mission outreach to Siegen...I thought that was pretty cool.

Now we have so many appointments with many brothers and sisters that want to catch up and want to find out what we are going to do next...well, so do I ??? I want to know what the Lord has but we are just faithfully waiting to see!

Back to Sunny California

We once again got on to an airplane and with few hours of sleep made our way back to warm weather 

Pittsburgh had little bit of snow the last days there...the coldness is different than Germany, maybe it's a dryer-cold with a little breeze? 

But we with our grandsons in Pittsburgh went to a Christmas light show with music that you drive through in your car, it's a new tradition we have, and the kids loved it!



We then hung Christmas lights at home which the kids loved too!

Then, when coming back to SoCal we went with all our other grandkids even the older ones as the helped with their little cousins to walk them through the neighborhood looking at all the different homes that were decorated so nice!


Here is Opa with Nico, he was so happy that I was there with him to enjoy this Christmas time with him! Notice how creative the SoCal people are, they maded from a desert Tumbleweeds a snowman...that's how we do it out here!!



Thursday, December 7, 2017

Washington DC tourists

Well, I finally made it to our Capital...to think of the powers at work here...there are the righteous fighting against the unrighteous, the influences are definitely working as you can see it all around here and in every country we have been too!


America-Egypt? What are these ancient pagan system doing here and why do we as Christians see things as the unrighteous see things...they call this pagan obelisk the Washington monument...I as a Christian do not see this as my monument for our first president but as a pagan object of worship that the LORD has forbidden!


Now, here is our Capital building where the righteous are to bring moral laws to our nation but here too are the ungodly who also battle for their causes!


What was refreshing was there is a new museum in the city...a rich American businessman built a Bible museum which gives the history of the bible but most interesting the effects of the bible in America!




Super Cool and very educational!!

Our Tour of American History

Martha and I have had so many years in Germany to visit many European cities and to see their capitals and learn much about the history of those nations visited but never had a chance to see our own!

While we were visiting James and Jenell in Pittsburgh we decided to drive to Washington DC and see American historical sights, on the way we stop to visit the sight of America' Civil War battle sight where the Union North verse the Confederate South...here a pic of the battlefield where on the first day over 15,000 men died


Much history here even with the church during that time as the local Lutheran church became a hospital for the wounded 


We went to the cemetery where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettsburg speech 


Amazing history here for America, it was the forging of America morals to be set...much needed in every country!


Martha with Jenell and her door's...Martha loves doors!

Back home to the California fires

Today we are still in Pittsburgh but will return to SoCal on Saturday but as you have seen on the News there are uncontrollable fires going on, we have our son in law and nephew battling these fires!

We have been in contact with our daughter Rachelle who's has been dealing our grandson Nico but now has her husband on the front lines in very dangerous conditions...he contacted her and told her he and his crew fought the fire for 40 hours straight and were completely wipe out, so tire and then had to sleep outside in the hills with temperatures at night that dropped to almost freezing points!

We got some pics of Robert in action here;



We ask if you would please pray for Robert's safety and my nephew Hugo too as they continue to battle the fire and are on mandatory stay as Robert is on his 5th day fighting and can stay mandatorily for 14 days before allowed to go home for rest.

Thanks for your prayers!

Friday, December 1, 2017

Now I know I'm home!!!

Now, don't get me wrong here, I love German food but there is nothing like your own foods you grew up with in your culture...here is my breakfast 


We have bacon, beans and eggs with hot chili salsa on top with some toast!

Then, for lunch I had a wonderful meal...look at this


Tacos de pastor, a marinated pork meat with fresh onions and cilantro with a choice of red or green salsa!! Delicious!!!

For dinner I had a wonderful meal from a local Mexican imbis 

 A giant burrito filled with carne-asada, beef steak chopped up with beans, Mexican style rice, cheese , large green chili and of course salsa!!

This is how I know I'm home...I can taste I'm home!! Man, writing this has made my mouth water!
Edmund 

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Celebrating our grandson birthday in Pittsburgh

Martha and I on our first week back have landed on late Monday in LA to celebrated our daughter birthday the following Wednesday and then flew out on Friday to make it for our grandson birthday on Saturday...his first birthday and how sweet it was to be there!


We have a tradition to allow the babies to try eating a piece of their birthday cake by themselves...it's funny to watch as they love it and yet don't know if it's ok to do? 

Of course Oma came with surprises for the grandsons...Eli favorite one are kinder eggs...from Herbornseelbach to Los Angeles to Pittsburgh...these eggs have flown many miles with special love from Oma!
 



Thankfulness from our hearts

Yes in America it's been the "Thanksgiving Season Holidays" but we really have things to be thankful for, that's being able to serve the German brethren and to learn much about serving while serving!

We are truly thankful for the many opportunities to serve with many who's hearts were the same...to worship and serve Jesus! It's through the Word of God that our hearts were really ministered too by the Holy Spirit which lead us to serve together in a unity the Lord who gave His whole life in serving us!

It really showed us when it was time to leave and so many showed up to load the container and the joy of the Lord was there!

Then, when we were loading the the shocking reality was before Martha and I and that was that all we had wasn't going to fit into the container!!!

It was then that immediately the saints said don't worry your stuff will be sent, we will take of it for you! That's amazing servanthood we experienced our last day in Herbornseelbach, God's people caring and loving!! One thing I know according to the Word of God is;

Hebrew 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which you have showed toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Going the extra mile in serving is a great blessing to others and we experienced it...thankfulness is in our hearts for those who helped loading the container and to those that helped to send the second load!!

We are so thankful this Thanksgiving season with wonderful friends and servants of the Lord that have blessed us in such a great way that we can only give glory to the Lord for the work He has done in the hearts of these saints!

Many blessings upon you all

Edmund and Martha

The California warmth, from the weather and the family

As we left the cold weather coming in Germany to the freezing weather in Iceland we were now going to an extreme opposite weather!!

We had for the first few days temperatures 85f (29c) to 95f (35c) and it was a real shocking extreme...but I was loving every minute of it! Jimmy came over to bring our luggage the team brought for us and asked how I like the the new bright and sunny weather and I smiled and said I love it!


One thing I noticed and Martha too was that our hip / leg joints didn't hurt, the warm weather took it away...I know it to be true as we now flew to Pittsburgh where it's cold we got the pains back! It's amazing how that works??

But one thing I like about Pittsburgh it is very much influence by European lifestyle and my son in law James took us to all the good shop to buy European food...we are breaking away from Herbornseelbach slowly!!


The meats and cheeses were so good and the city very nice with amazing unity, the sports teams here is what unites this city like no other city in America, whether football, baseball or hockey but it made me think about the church of Jesus Christ...unity is important to win against the devil plans!!

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Back in Good Old USA


Martha and I left Germany with sad hearts as we left so many we love and care for, we were running as we left to the airport to meet up with the CC Downey team that was to take extra luggage for us back to America.

We took off from Frankfurt to Iceland and was amazed at the land and how cold it was!!



We landed on Monday evening and we went to dinner with my mom, sister and nice afterwards looked through our luggage trying to find something to wear to bed! We were very tired and ready for a good sleep!

Tuesday was a day of unpacking things and have visitors come by to say welcome home! We prepared for the next day for our daughters birthday and shopping for Thursday, Thanksgiving Day in where family gathered and we had a great feast!



Then, we had our second Thanksgiving dinner at James and Jenell's house in Pittsburgh...both California & Pittsburgh were special times with our kids and grandkids!


What a great start for our new adventure!!