The Days of My Youth

I never envisioned that my time spent on Guam would extend beyond the confines of Naval Hospital and the occasional day at the beach. How boring...! Despite having absolutely no experience (and no set of instructions), the Lord showed me a much more exciting endeavor: mentoring young people. These are some of the most energetic, intelligent, passionate, and loving group of kids whose desire to learn about Christ has enabled me to grow exponentially in my own spiritual walk. Each with their own individual personality and life story, but each with a similar desire to have Christ formed within.

Meet the crew...

The key to working with youth is to take them seriously.

...but not too seriously!

Cassi and Lance

Max enjoying his favorite thing...Attention!

"Let no man despise thy youth;
but be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in charity,
in spirit, in faith, in purity."
- I Timothy 4:12

Round 2

Ding, ding, ding! Well, I guess that since I just can't hide it anymore from my fellow Guamanians, it wouldn't be fair to hide it from our friends and loved ones across the globe...

We're pregnant! Yup, Baby #2 is on the way! We are certainly excited to expand our family a bit and have a playmate to keep Max company. I can't quite tell if Max comprehends this whole "Mommy's having a baby" concept, but whenever little Jasmine Lee is nearby, he seems to want to check in on her and make sure she's okay--as if those big brother instincts are ready to be activated!

So, the Mercado adventures shall soon take on a new dimension. The due date for this little one is September 7, 2008, which means I'm going to have a really hot summer! In the meantime, we're praying that Mike doesn't get called for that deployment to Afghanistan (which would start in August) and thanking God for each moment that God gives us together as a family.

Our first glimpse of the baby's face. In the middle of the dark area are the baby's nose and lips.

Profile shot.

Drum roll please...

It's a girl!!!