19th WEEK (or 17th)

Our Chinese Laundry when the rains were here

A Sunset shot of the Bougainvillea on our balcony

Hello Everyone-
My mom has pointed out that we have not posted a blog in a while. I bet you are are wondering what we have been up to...
I titled this blog Week 19 because we first flew in the 9th of February and it has been 19 weeks since we arrived. If you minus the 2 weeks we were in Washington, it would be the 17th week in Mexico.
Friday after school we went to Costco and tried to use a “Costco Card” to buy the remainder of the swim suits. Unfortunately, they do not accept US cards in Mexico. That meant we had to spend $100 of our own money to round out the final 7 suits. Saturday we found out that they will not be going to the water park (which was the whole reason to buy the suits in the first place). Pastor Luis said the contact at the water park has changed from past years, and they can not do it when they expected. If they do end up going, it will be at the end of summer after we are gone. I am sad that I wont be there during that fun time especially since Leslie worked so hard to get those suits.
Saturday, we had a really great discussion with our kids about the Lords Prayer. Our neighbor Armando had given me a book mark in Spanish about :: “Don’t say the OUR FATHER”. It breaks down line by line the Prayer that so many people have memorized. In English a few of the lines might go like this: don’t say OUR if you are only concerned with yourself, don’t say FATHER if you don’t act like his son, don’t say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if your mind is only on earthly things... and so on. Of all the craft projects we have done on Saturday morning, I feel this was the best at actually discussing spiritual things with our students. We had done the Romans Road, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Plan of Salvation and every week they seemed only shallowly interested. This last week they really were writing down and understanding what we were sharing.
The previous week we learned that there is only one name under heaven that men must be saved, the name Jesus. Our craft project was the reverse Jesus seen Below


Typically people make this with wood, but we did it with construction paper.
*if you cant see it just stare at the screen for a while, the JESUS appears in the white space.

Ceci’s 8th birthday was also on Saturday and we bought her a Costco cake. It was decorated with Sun and flowers. We did not bring our camera to take pictures, it was a beautiful and delicious treat for everyone at the school.

Saturday afternoon we had our first sunny day at the beach in over a month. We were unable to go to the water since my surgery May 9. When we did go to Sayulita last Sunday when I lost my ring, it was cloudy. Saturday was a very nice day. Good sun, nice waves and a great break from the rain and routine. For dinner we ate at the SIRLOIN STOCKADE. It is sort of like an Old Country Buffett. Afterwards we were able to buy a new camera cord for only $7.

Sunday was very different at church. Ric is always early and has everything set up by the time I arrive. This last Sunday was much more un-organized for the pre-church time. We did get everything set up and Randy did a good job covering for Ric. The sermon was on the importance of the Holy Spirit in the new testament. Starting with the Conception of Jesus, to his Baptism, to the promise of the coming for his disciples. The same Spirit that allowed Jesus to work miracles is given and working today. He shared of some healings he witnessed as he has traveled around some 3rd world countries.

Monday Leslie and I both worked very hard. She cleaned, and did laundry. I worked for fine designs and put all of my completed events on the server for the past 3 months. It took a while but needed to be done.

Tuesday we again went to Sayulita and witnessed "agua sucia" which means dirty water. There were several Jellyfish that were stinging several people around us. Leslie was very frightened and did not even try body boarding for fear of being stung. I was out for a while but witnessed 4 stingings myself. God protected me from any stings. The Jellyfish were small and washed up on to shore they were mostly clear with a blue/purple center. Again I am sorry we do not have any pictures of the jellyfish.

For those of you who read everything, Here is a posting of a June Bug that was on the floor of the apartment. It is so crazy the diversity of insect life here in Vallarta. Just think something so small running/flying around for hours without any batteries!


God bless you all-

Joel and Leslie

Rain, Rain and More Rain :: Job

Hello Everyone-

We are now heading into our 6th straight day of “Washington weather.” We just got done with five straight days of rain and today the rain has held off so far with the exception of a few sprinkles...I was even able to hang some clothes outside! We were starting to feel like maybe we should build an ark as the streets were flooding pretty good, but hopefully the weather will start to be sunny again. It was nice for a “cool” break, but we’re ready for the sunshine.

This week has seemed to be dragging for me a little bit. Monday was the usual “work around the house” day for me, and Joel worked for Fine Designs all day. Because it was raining on Tuesday (normally our beach day), Joel worked again all day and I got cozy and read a book.

Quimixto was cancelled on Wednesday due to the rain and the kids were out of school. I had invited two girls I met at church to come along as one of them just graduated from Nursing School. Luckily it wasn’t raining Wednesday morning, so Joel and I went to meet them to tell them we had a cancellation. We invited them back to our place for breakfast and a visit. Their names are Amy (the nurse), and her best friend Alisha. They are here through an organization for one month. We had waffles and got to know them a little bit and had a good time.

School went well also. We are wrapping up “in the house.” I made a crossword puzzle for all the words of objects they have learned. They had a sheet to go along with the puzzle with pictures of the items they had to find...and of course they had to remember and find the English words. They could help each other and ask us for help, but they weren’t allowed to look at their previous worksheets for help. In all, they did a great job remembering...spelling is another issue...

Today, Thursday, there is no Pan de Vida. I guess it has been cancelled on Thursdays now due to some money and political issues which would take a long time to tell about. Luckily, we aren’t anywhere near the center of what’s happening and we will be glad to stay that way. Please just pray for the Pan de Vida ministry as a whole and for the ultimate leader to be the Lord.

Joel worked this morning for Fine Designs while I stayed home to try to clean up a little...there has been a lot of stuff from outside tracked in because of the rain. We just got back from a Dr.’s appointment who says Joel is healing really well. Joel has had a couple days with some pain and discomfort and you could be praying for that too. After the Dr., we went and ate at Comida Corrida....we love it! For those that don’t know, Mexican lunch time is between 2-4 in the afternoon where many of the restaurants advertise “Comida Corrida.” You get a soup and fresh tortillas, with an entree, dessert, and juice for under $5. It’s all home made and delicious!

Since last Monday when I had all my interviews until about this Tuesday, I had been anxiously awaiting a response on job positions. I am glad to say that I was offered two positions, one at Mary Bridge on the general peds. floor, and one at Tacoma General in the NICU. After a lot of praying and consideration, I accepted the position in the NICU today. The position starts on September 2nd, whereas the other position starts July 7th. The interview in the NICU felt a lot more comfortable and laid back. Also, I wanted to be really careful about NOT basing my decision on WANTING to stay in Mexico longer. Though we do get to stay longer, I really feel like God isn’t done with us here yet. Pan de Vida doesn’t get out until July 4th and it will be nice to finish out with our kids. Pastor Ric is gone for most of this month, and Joy, his wife, will be gone for a good portion next month, leaving the church in need of worship leaders, which Joel and I will be responsible for while they are gone, especially while Joy is gone since she’s usually singing with Joel. After they get back, they will be hosting 2 mission teams which they have asked us to help with. The decision comes with a lot relief because now we can be a little more certain of when we will be coming home, which is something we’ve been praying for clarity for. Our tentative return date is July 31st.

Please be praying for Joel’s healing and for continued good general health for both of us. Jackie’s birthday was over the weekend, and continued prayers for her would be appreciated too. Please pray for Pan de Vida and for the rest of our time here to be blessed and productive.

We love you guys...Thanks for checking in!

Joel and Leslie

PS...sorry for no pictures...we can't find the cord to transfer the pictures to the computer...I hope we didn't leave it in WA!

Ministry Video :: Surfing & Lost Ring

Hello Everyone-

I finished the Ministry Video for Dennis and Fay and have uploaded it to YouTube.

If you would like to see in action what we have been up to, please check out the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG9RwzsIHbw


We are getting closer to making a decision about our departure, but tomorrow should bring more information and we will update you then.

Cool Cash auction did not go as well as expected. The kids were not as excited as we thought they would be for the backpacks. But other than that we sold everything and drew a new winner for a trip to the movies.

Saturday evening we had dinner with Dennis and Faye. They approved the posted video.

Sunday after church we went to Sayulita with the mission team from Colorado. As you know we go Boogie boarding often, but Sunday I had an opportunity to try surfing. It is a similar concept to catching the waves, but surfing you lay completely on the board paddling and boogie boarding you walk on the sandy bottom. I had my boogie board the first part of the day, and later tried surfing on one of the boards a team member had made. I caught one wave all the way to shore and I felt awesome. On the way back out, I was paddling and felt my wedding ring slip off my finger (I know what you are thinking "those kellner kids can loose rings like no other"). For those who do not know, Leslie had lost her ring on Lake Tapps shortly after we first got married. I borrowed my Dads scuba gear and was able to find it the next day under water. Unlike Lake Tapps, Sayulita has a very strong current. I stopped and tried to find my ring for 10 minutes and had no luck. To have any shot at finding it , I would need a metal detector and net and team of searchers. A few minutes later, I caught a 2nd wave to shore and had to share with Leslie the bad news. She was as gracious to me as I was to her when she lost her ring. I guess we can add this to a list of losses, but it came amidst the thrill of surfing some big waves all the way to shore! We will always remember we lost the ring at Sayulita.

Today was a productive day of work both for Leslie and I. We hung an indoor clothes line and Leslie did laundry/changed sheets. I went to Ric and Joys and burned the multiple copies of the DVD for Dennis and Fay and also sent every thing to screen and cleared out the email mailbox. I am trying to do 3 logos before heading back home. I have written this on a break from fine designs.

God Bless!
Joel and Leslie.

Back in Mexico :: First RAIN

Hello Everyone-
We have not even been back for one full week, yet things have been busy. It seems like a long time since Stefan and Celeste's Wedding.
Monday before we returned, Leslie had 3 interviews at Mary Bridge in Tacoma. They were all Residency positions in Pediatrics, which is exactly what she wants. They said she should hear from them in a week, and the waiting has been difficult. Every free moment she wants to check her email or go to the internet cafe to check her voicemail at home. So far we have no word, but we appreciate your prayers that God would show us the right position if any. It is always difficult to be in a period of waiting. Depending on which, if any, position she is offered, we may be coming home early July or Early August.
The flights down went smoothly... We had no delays and had seats next to each other. We picked up the Car and drove home and took a nap to recover from the busy visit at home. Wednesday we were back in business at the school, our class was very happy to see us! We reviewed the Bathroom and Office (two rooms that were taught while we were away). They seemed to learn well from the substitute teachers.
This week Ric and Joy are hosting a team from Denver Colorado. We went with them to a church in Mezcales, (a city in Nayarit, north of Puerto Vallarta). Leslie and I played some childrens worship songs in Spanish for the community outreach. The team from Colorado prepared some skits and testimonies. There were probably 30 kids there and it was good to teach them songs and be a part of their exposure to Gods Love. Afterwards, I played with the boys and Leslie hung out with the girls.
Thursday I stopped in at my Doctor and was given the "OK" to go to the beach and resume any/all activities. He says it is about 95% healed and there is new skin that has not dried yet. Hearing him say that I am healing well has made me feel better already.
Today I had worship practice in the morning and Pan de Vida in the afternoon. We brought the backpacks for the "Cool Cash Auction" but 2 of our students were missing. Through the grapevine, we heard the principal from the local school came by and said 2 of our students were supposed to be in class with him, but instead had been coming to Pan de Vida. They were getting behind because they did not do their homework. This happened while we were away and so our class of 6 has been cut to 4. We want to be fair to the missing students and give them the same opportunity the others have in this auction because they were with us most of the month. We plan on having the auction tomorrow after Saturday school with or without our other students.
The group from Colorado came to Pan de Vida towards the end of class. They brought Balloons and face paint. It was fun to have them participate with us. On the road home we were invited to dinner with them at Carmelitas (a restaurant that is up the hill from even us). We were told to meet them at the bottom of the hill around 715. Around 7pm it started raining! It is not the torrential rain we will experience later in the summer, but more of Washington rain that sprinkles for hours. We have been here in Mexico since February and this is the first precipitation we have seen that got the whole ground wet. We took the van to the top of the hill and the restaurant was fogged in so we ended up eating at PIPI's. It really has been great to meet all these people doing short week long missions as we are in the middle of our short 6 month mission.
After dinner the group decided to walk the malecon in the rain. Leslie and I decided to walk home since we have seen the malecon when it is dry and did not feel like walking in the rain. =)

It is still raining at 11pm as I write this... Hopefully tomorrow will bring clear skys and fresh air that happens only after some rain.

God bless-

Joel and Leslie

Update

Hello Everyone-

Sorry for slacking on the posts. Most of you know that Joel and I are home right now. We arrived last Tuesday and will be staying until Tuesday the 3rd. So far we have had a busy time here catching up with everyone. Joel was also in a wedding over the weekend

(Joel and the groom...best friends since Jr. High)(Parents of the groom...boogying down!).

To update on the happenings right before we left, we took our "cool cash" grand prize winner and her sister to lunch at McDonald's. We had a great time. We also had to finally say "goodbye" to the kittens which was very sad. Joel is healing well from his surgery and is still feeling a little uncomfortable.
As mentioned in earlier posts, if the kids can memorize John 14:6 in English then they get to go to the water park. While we are home we are hoping to purchase 20 or so swimsuits for those kids that don't have one. We also hope to buy 6 backpacks, one for each child in our class.

That's about it for now. You can be praying for my interviews coming up at Mary Bridge and Tacoma General and that we have a good rest of our visit. We miss our kids a lot, but are enjoying catching up and visiting with everyone.

If you would like to donate for the backpack/swimsuit fund please give us a call. Otherwise. please be praying that we would be able to get what we need and bring it back into Mexico tax free!

Thanks for checking in!
The Kellners

::HEALING and VISITORS::

Hello everyone-
It was good to hear all the concern, We sometimes do not think anyone is reading this thing. The Hospital ticket will end up being $25,000 pesos... We paid $10,000 on our card when we left and then still owe $15,000 to the doctor on Friday which we can cover from our savings account.
The first day home, did not hurt much. I stayed in bed mostly playing the Nintendo DS and trying to recover. In the evening, I set up all my print files for work and then went to bed. Saturday morning hurt a little more. I practiced worship in the morning with Joy, and sent off files for work, since we do not have the internet at home. They also have Vonage phone service and I got to call my mom and grandma for an early Mothers Day present.
In the afternoon I tried relaxing on our balcony and we had visitors! Jan and Raul and Allison friends of Leslie's from Washington are down for a visit. Jan had been here before, about the same time the Kittens were born. They were sad to hear about my accident, and I was able to relax in the most comfortable chair as we all visited. It is so fun to get un expected visitors, it really lifts your spirits.
Since they saw the new kittens, Leslie wanted to show where Pancha had been hiding them on top of the hill. They were gone for a while as they climbed the hill. In about 20 minutes they had brought the kittens back down the hill to our balcony. After visiting with the kittens, they tried placing them out front where they were first born. This is the 2nd or 3rd time Leslie had tried this, and as usual, Pancha took them back to their mountain retreat.
Sunday we received a call at about 8 am from a couple Mike and Jennifer who had been reading our blog and wanted to visit with us and go to church. Raul, Jan's husband, plays percussion and we invited him to play the Jimbe Drum for worship. As weeks go on, I am realizing what a privilege it is to lead people into worship. These last few Sundays people have been lifting their hands and really singing along. Raul did a good job with the drum even though it is not the lively music he is used to.
After church, we all went to Freddy's Tucan for breakfast. Mike, Jennifer, Jan, Raul, Allison and Jose (Allisons mexican friend) and Leslie and I. It ends up we all have a common friend in Brett Latin who officiated our wedding. Mike and Jennifer got our blogspot address from Brett. And Jan and Raul are really good friends of Brett.
We visited for a long while then Mike and Jennifer came over to see the apartment and visit more. Mike is a wizzard at Flash and quickly showed me some tips to do what took me 4 hours on my own. You can check out his website at www.heatherandrain.com. It was good to share our experience with them because they hope to do short term mission work sometime in the future.
The pain level for Sunday was pretty intense. I do not understand how I can feel worse 3 days after my surgery than when I first left the hospital. Mornings are the worse. I find when I am still, everything is fine, standing or sitting. It is the moving between that hurts. Also you never realize how much you use that sensitive area: Stopping peeing for example or perhaps coughing.

Today is the first day I am actually beginning to feel better. I walked our trash down the hill to the trash pile and that was probably a little much to begin the day. After the exercize, I spent most of the day resting reading a book "90 minutes in Heaven by Don Piper". I finished the whole thing!
Jan and Allison came up for a short visit in the morning and around 2 we went to "COMIDA CORRIDA". We had 6 people with Vera and Jan, Raul, Allison and Veras friend. Lunch was very good. There is too much to talk about this time.

I think part of getting better is pretending to feel better than you do and actually going out of the house.

After lunch, we went up and got the Police report for the Camera... Hopefully that will be all the Insurance company needs.

Leslie has been doing an awesome job of taking care of me. I am lucky to be married to a nurse. Besides caring for me, today she did the laundry, cleaned the apartment, changed the sheets and swept and mopped the floor. Our apartment looks very nice.

With so much bad news in the past blog entries, I am sure people want to hear how I was recovering and I want to let everyone know that God is good, and things are looking up =)

God Bless!

Joel and Leslie



PS... I almost for got to say that sometime last night Pancha brought all three kittens down to our balcony to take up permanent residence. It looks like Leslie won the battle in the end! They are almost old enough to give away... anybody want a kitten?

The Break-In :: Emergency Surgery

Hello Everyone-

What an exciting week this has turned out to be! Let me first just say that after this weeks happenings we will feel lucky to be alive by the time we get home.

The week started out like a normal week...Joel worked all day Monday while I cleaned the house, we had Tuesday off and went to the beach, etc. On Tues. when we came home from the beach we noticed something wasn't quit right. As we came in, we saw that Joel's desk had been turned over with the drawers open, and there was a mess on the floor all around it. Our first thought was, "was there an earthquake?"...naive us...we had the earthquake theory because there were no windows or doors broken...we actually had to unlock the door to get inside...our windows are always open, but we have bars on them. After that, we started to realize what had really happened. As we looked around, we noticed that the video camera was missing, but nothing else. That was strange...why didn't they take the computer, and the printer, and the guitar, etc? As our investigation went on, we started to think creatively about how the robber might have gotten in. We have two balconies, one on the roof which is the full balcony, and one downstairs at the level of our apartment that wraps around. We went out to the wrap-around balcony to see what we could see...sure enough, all the evidence was there. The suspect left a long piece of re bar with a hook on the end to "fish" things out of the window. That's why he didn't get the computer, or the guitar, or the printer, etc...because they had nothing for the "hook" to grab onto....Yes, they tried to get the computer (it was laying on the ground damaged, as was the printer).


Our neighbors were SO helpful to us! They came over and saw what had happened and had mentioned a strange character running up and down the hill several times that day. One of our neighbors called the police right away for us. Four police officers showed up within 5 American minutes of calling and said they would beef up the hill patrols. Our neighbors also told the officers what they had seen.

So, fortunate for us, we have insurance on the camera and computer, so hopefully we can get them replaced. To file the police report, we were told to go to the police station that's clear out by the dump where we go to school. We thought we could just "stop by" and take care of it "really quick" on the way to school...again, naive us. In our defense, we did show up an hour before school...seemingly enough time to allow the difference between Mexican and American time. Anyway, we were there for 2 1/2 hours waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more. It wasn't that there was a lot of people or anything...it was more like there were five employees at their desks and only helping 2 people at a time while their counterparts talked on their cell phones, surfed the net, gossiped with their co-workers, etc. Needless to say, we missed school on Wednesday and are due to go pick up the report this afternoon...we couldn't take it home on Wednesday as they had to verify the story with the local police dept. (long lengthy Mexican story)...please pray for a speedy trip.

In other news...our health seems to be further declining. The cold that I developed last Saturday turned into a sinus infection on the right side of my face. I don't ever remember a sinus infection hurting that bad and I have never blown such bright yellow snot out of my nose either! That was a quick fix...I went to the pharmacy for some antibiotics and decongestant, and finally, today, Friday, I have woken up without the right side of my face and jaw throbbing...Praise the Lord!

Joel actually gets the credit for the most interesting health story for the week. On Wednesday night headed into Thursday morning I had reached over to touch him and noticed he was burning up. I took his temp when we woke up the next morning and it was 103...adults aren't supposed to run fevers that high. Anyway, the only other symptom he had was that "My butt hurts"...sorry, there was just no other way to put it. Needless to say, you shouldn't have 103 fever and only your butt be hurting. We thought we would wait for other "normal" symptoms to develop before treatment. I just gave him some Tylenol and he slept the fever off and woke up fine. He insisted on going to school and as we were driving there, another fever developed with the full on chills and shakes. He was a mess by the time we got to Pan de Vida and was escorted to the doctor's office by Dennis and Pastor Luis Miguel. I stayed behind to work with the kids, not feeling too well myself and really worrying about Joel. Dennis came back without Joel and I was told that he was now in the proctologist's office for the "pain in his butt." It turns out that he had a badly infected, grade 4, thrombosed hemorrhoid. I followed Dennis back to the Dr's. office (yes, I actually drove) where I met Joel. The Dr. shut down the rest of his day's schedule to admit Joel to the hospital and do emergency surgery. At first, we were told that it would cost 2,000 pesos for the dr's. fee, and 600 pesos for the hospital stay.....It turns out that this whole thing is costing more like $2,500 US Dollars, $750 for the overnight stay and $1500 for the surgery...boy did we feel deceived. It was an error in communication, and we were actually aware of the actual cost before going in for surgery...it was an emergency though and needed to be done. The proctologist so strongly suggested the procedure that he even gave up his $500 portion because he thought it was so necessary and could see that we were going to go home because it was too much money...so instead of $3000, it's going to be $2500.

So, here we are, Friday morning, at Cornerstone Hospital in Puerto Vallarta. Joel is feeling fine, he's eating breakfast right now. The Dr. said that everything went well and the Joel should be fine. He had to stay at the hospital because the infection was so bad and he needed to be monitored. Luckily the kids don't have school today in celebration of Dia de Mamas (Mother's Day). We are hoping to take it easy and rest.

Now for some good news...I have submitted three resumes/applications for three different positions at Mary Bridge/Tacoma General for residencies. One in the PICU (Pediatric ICU), one in the NICU (Neonatal ICU), and one in the Mary Bridge ER. So far, I have an interview set up in the NICU that I'm really excited about! That will be on the Monday before we return back here to PV. I would also love to interview in the PICU as well. All the positions start in the beginning of September.

Please be praying for us as we prepare to come home for our visit. We really feel like the enemy is attacking us and trying to distract from God's purposes. We don't feel like doors are necessarily closing yet as the kids are doing great and the clinic in Quimixto has been going much better. We appreciate you checking in and praying for us!

Joel and Leslie