"So, Now We Have A Hamster Named Sammy"

Hello All,

Our anniversary celebration was great. We spent the weekend in lovely La Jolla California in San Diego. It was great to do what we wanted, when we wanted, without thinking about naps or potty breaks! We took in a movie, ate out, slept in, etc. We also talked and shared our memories of the last 10 years and talked about goals for the next 10 years, if the Lord would will us to have that long together. It's wonderful to be married to your best friend and to still enjoy one another.

So, before we caught the movie, Lela and I hit Target to purchase some stickers for the kids. I thought that maybe that just wasn't going to do it. The kids are getting older and well, let's just admit that they are going to get expensive to impress! The kids have been talking about getting a pet for some time now. Caleb has been fantasizing about getting a Turtle and a puppy. Renae has talked about a bird and a kitty, apparently unaware of the "species" tension that would create. Elizabeth just parrots anything anyone else says! I felt that maybe we could bring home a pet for the kids, and then we would be total heroes to our kids!

We looked at some turtles at various places and were somewhat shocked to learn that turtles cost over $80! That pretty much ruled them out. I actually considered commendeering one of the seals that beached themselves at the La Jolla Cove, but noting the illegality and the smell in our car, I quickly decided against it! Plan C was the Hamster Option. We found out that hamsters only cost $10, so we decided to go that direction, as that is just a little more than stickers.

We brought Sammy home tonight and the kids have been talking about Sammy as if he has been part of our family forever. They already know when he is tired, scared, hungry, etc. We hope that this will placate them enough for the time being, until we move down to Orange County, where we might re-upgrade to a cat! Back to that species tension issue...

In the meantime, Church has been going really great. Calvary Laguna is a great place to be these days. Pastor Chris has been on a proverbial tear lately. Today, he finished Nehemiah, and it was a fantastic message. The worship team is gelling as well. I have to remind myself that 3 parts of our regular worship team are 18 or under in age! For such young people, they carry themselves with great maturity and musical wherewithal. I am happy to be working with them and drumming on a regular basis again. Most importantly, we have had a good three weeks with salvation commitments at the end of our services. Lela told me about that part, as I am behind the drum shield and am rarely able to hear or see anything.

In fact, today, I almost did not make it behind the shield at all. I actually pulled a muscle during rehearsal! It's a little embarrassing as to the location, but had it not been for a physical therapist in the house, it would have been hard to even walk!! We'll leave it at that! Thanks again Phil. You are my hero.

Hope you all had a great weekend as well.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

It's Our Anniversary!!

Hello All,

Today, I am celebrating the fact that I have been married to my lovely wife Lela for 10 years! Can you believe that! 10 years ago is not really that long, though it sure does seem like a long time ago. I think that has to do with the fact that we have had 3 kids, moved out of our house and our country and then back to our house again in that same span of time!

I remember the night that we got married, there in the old Packinghouse. It was a rainy June night and the tin roof told us that outdoor pictures were going to be problematic! Lela's Dad, Pastor Dan Finfrock conducted the main portion of the ceremony and Pastor Ed Rea covered the rest. I can honestly say that I don't remember anything that was said, nor was I cognizant of what life was going to be like the next morning or for the rest of our lives, but I did know that whatever was going to happen from that moment on, was going to happen with Lela, and that was cause for excitement. I do remember that she was (still is!) SMOKIN HOT!!

The rest of that night was quite funny. We had an overcrowded reception and had picked out cheesecake for dessert. Lela and I did not get one slice! That was utterly grievous! Then, we left without my shoes, so we had to wait for Lela's parents to bring them to us. There's an uncomfortable moment for any new groom! To top it all off, I got lost on my way to the cabin in the mountains, with Lela getting car sick on the way up! I think we made it to the cabin at around 11:30, both of us totally exhausted! Thankfully, the rest of our marriage has been much more smooth than that first night.

It has been a great adventure and I am thankful everyday that Lela is my wife, my best friend, my companion and my bookeeper!! She is the love of my life and I can't help but look forward to the next 10 years of our lives. I love you honey!!

This year, we will be celebrating our anniversary in La Jolla. It's a far cry from last years celebration which happened in Spain...Sounds exotic, but we were missionaries remember!?...in fact, if it weren't for the Casco Family, our anniversary dinner might have been a Happy Meal at the local MacDonalds! They were so kind to watch our kids for us last year, so we could get dinner at a nice Spanish restaurant. This year, our wonderful, most awesome, parents are watching the kids and we will be painting the coast red! WHOOO HOO!! This is going to be fun!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

A Laguna Weekend!

Hello All,

This last weekend was my first all Laguna weekend. Friday evening and Saturday till 3, we ran the Inductive Bible Study seminar through my Father-in-Law Dan Finfrock's ministry, Intensive Care Ministries. We had just over 20 on the first night and the atmosphere was thick in anticipation. For the first time in a long time, Lela and I did some worship together. I was surprised how rusty I was on the guitar! There was a time when I knew certain songs in my sleep and my fingers could withstand hours of playing. After 3 songs and roughly 10 minutes, I was ready to put the guitar away again!

After that, Dan got up and got into the introductory session on narratives. All I kept hoping for was that the people there would like the seminar and get something, anything out of it! I suppose that I was under the assumption that people are so well taught and there are so many resources from which to discover deep biblical truth, that the simplistic nature of the seminar might not be as attractive as it is in foreign countries. BOY WAS I WRONG! From the first session on, our group was PUMPED on what they were learning to see for themselves, just applying the basic principles of this system of study. I believed from then on that this was going to be revolutionary for the men and women who attended.

After the first night, Jon Nichols, a chiropractor, friend and Lagunaite, invited me to the Men's prayer breakfast the next morning. I swallowed deep and asked what time the event would take place. He said the word that I dread every morning, much less SATURDAY morning: 6AM. It came out of his mouth in slow motion and the man in me said, "NO WAY!" But the Pastor in me said, "Yeah, that would be great!" It meant that Dan and I were going to have to go light on the ESPN in our hotel room, but the Dodgers lost and the Lakers are out of the playoffs...actually, as it turned out, ESPN only had GIRLS SOFTBALL on! Yeah, no thanks!

So, I get up at the crack of dawn and get out to get to this prayer meeting which will be on Laguna beach. I will admit that once you leave Irvine proper and head toward the beach, you are in for a beautiful drive. Left on Laguna Canyon and down to Pacific Coast Highway, is a lovely drive. I turned onto PCH and got to the meeting early. The surprise on the faces was classic and the jokes about "corporate sending out quality control" got pretty funny, even for that hour of the morning. It was really good to see how these faces, which all represented strangers just months ago, have become a welcome sight and even feel like family.

We got out to the beach and got in a big circle, then broke up into small groups from there. My group was filled with one other man my age, but 5 guys who were at least septegenarians. I listened to their wise prayers and thanked the Lord that I could be where I was. They sounded just like you'd expect, speaking of enduring faith and victory. I was the last to pray, and I asked that these men would have an eye to disciple and be significant in their last years of life, as there is no retirement in the Kingdom, just reassignment!

After the prayers, we stood and talked and it was a privilege to cohort with these men who love Jesus passionately!

The rest of the seminar was amazing! I highly, HIGHLY recommend, anyone who reads this to go through the seminar. I have been through it several times, including a full semester at the Bible College, and I still discovered new things when we went through Psalm 1! It was humbling, and at the same time, exhilarating, seeing the Bible continue, after many years, continue to provide new and fresh insights into the Word. I promise, you will not be disappointed one bit! ICM has DVD's and you can take the course that way as well.

Finally, Sunday was brilliant! I love our service, but even cooler was the Ministry Luncheon that we had afterward. It's wonderful to be part of a growing church that is seeking to live out it's commission. Moreso when I get to be part of the leadership of the church.

I hope you had as good a weekend with your church.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

Rays Of Hope!

Hello All,

As most of you might know, we have had our house on the market now for about a month. We anticipated it being slow, and in that we have not been disappointed. It has been deadly! But just in this last week, things have begun to move.

Over the weekend, Lela and I had a conversation about what we might do in the event of a stalemate situation. We began to talk and what was coming up was not what I really wanted to hear. We began to talk about renting out this house and going to Orange County to rent there. We figured that this would be best anyway, seeing that we are relatively ignorant about the area we are moving into. It will be better to rent in the short term while we investigate the various options.

Still, this did not sit well with me, but I finished my Souplantation Broccoli (YES, I SAID BROCCOLI!) salad anyway. I hated to think about it, but I felt that I at least had to consider it an option for the time being. After all, I do not want to be a party to Renae having to do the multiple school thing again next year. So I began to pray "lightly" about it.

Fast forward to Tuesday and brace yourself. I was in the garage doing a little mechanic work! That's right! I was under the hood! (Jesus must be coming real soon: Broccoli AND mechanic work!?) I will give the credit to Pastor Carlos Casco and the spirit with which he looks at problems! He and I did the exact same thing on the Silver Hornet back when we were in Spain! So, I am working on my battery, which has been giving us grief for a spell, when two people came to the garage door. I did not see or hear them, as I was listening to my iPod. They stood there, and at first, I thought they were Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. Thankfully they were not! They were there to see the house!

Whoa, movement!! I brought them into the house and showed them the living room and the backyard, as Lela scampered in the background making "last minute adjustments" to our bedroom and the kids room. The people were Philippinos and were very impressed that Lela had lived in their neck of the woods and could even speak the native Visayan dialect. I remember when we went to the Philippines and Lela spoke visayan for the first time in a petty cab! The guy almost fell out of his chair in shock! Anyway, we talked for a few minutes and the lady revealed that her husband had died suddenly just last year. It was cool that we were able to pray with her and her friend, before they left.

These people had come because of our other Philippino neighbors. There are two houses on the street that have Philippino inhabitants. This close knit community seems to be intent on being closely situated with one another, so there is hope that they will follow through and purchase the house.

And then, as if that were not enough, we got another show tonight from another realtor! Who knows: We might sell her by the summer after all!

We are asking that you would pray with us about this. Our hearts are truly at home in Irvine, among the church that we are called to. There is tremendous potential for what the Lord wants to do there, and we genuinely feel that it's the only place other than Spain, that we want to be! Our prayer team, the people who have read this blog since it's inception, has seen so many of it's prayers answered, so we call upon you again for that mighty task on our behalf.

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez