See you in 2010!
First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.
The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.
When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.
It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.
Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.
As always, thanks for your patience.
Go forth and fill your libraries with media.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.
I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.
I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.
Cheers,
We had a wonderful trip back to Honduras with a team from Hickory Grove Baptist! The team worked diligently throughout the week as they ministered to the boys of FCM, to the precious people in the impoverished communities, and performed various tasks at Noah's Ark Shelter. It was a privilege to be back in a place that feels much like home and to serve alongside such a great group of people.
The money that God enabled the team to raise from fundraisers, our church's allotment for the team, and with the donations of others; we were able to purchase (& give out) 2000 lbs of beans & rice, 12 bunks beds where built by the men on the team, 50 street people were fed, a Waterpark day for the boys, and money was left for other various needs that the ministry had. Most importantly, there were about 35 professions of faith that week!! To God be the glory! God truly blessed each one of us and we praise Him for His faithfulness once again!
The pictures included here show Gordon sharing the Gospel to a group of people that had gathered along the side of the road near a house the team was ministering to, another picture shows a small part of our team with one of the families we ministered to, Richie (one of the missionaries already in Honduras) ministering to a crowd, as well as, pictures of the boys in the ministry. As you look at these pictures we ask that you please PRAY for the boys of FCM and for these families. Please also pray for the new believers, for their growth in Christ. As you know, accepting Christ into their hearts is just the beginning...we pray that each new/old believers will continue to grow in their faith & in turn will be a witness to others. The devil would love nothing more then to snatch these believers back and turn them away from God, so please also pray for their protection from the defeated one.
* Pray for our missionary friends, Richie & Lori, the staff here in the States and in Honduras as God continues to use them to minister to the people of this country & to the boys of FCM.
* Please also continue to PRAY for our family as God prepares each of our hearts to go to the mission field and for the sell of our home!! We long to be where they are but know it's all in HIS timing, until then we wait (impatiently at times!), trusting He will get us there soon. THANK YOU for your continued prayers and to all our faithful partners!!
In His Grip,
Gordon, Christy, Jared, Zac, & Wil
*(More photos from our trip can be viewed on this website)
Bad news. As many of you have probably noticed, the Amazon Conduit was not fixed in the last week's release. Unfortunately, there was an undetected bug that is preventing the conduit from working.
We are working on this bug fix and hope to have the Conduit back up and running this week.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you for being so patient.
Blog Action Day is every October 15th, when blogger are asked to post something about a single issue to show our strength and conviction as an online community. It's a great way to feel connected to the greater good, and the participation of so many bloggers to support the world's leading non-profit organizations is something you can do to help, right now. By blogging today, you're supporting some of the world's leading non-profits and sharing your voice for change.
This year's topic is climate change, and we'd love to read your thoughts on the topic. If you participate, leave us a link to your post in the comments, so we know to check out your post!
Go to www.blogactionday.org to learn more, get a badge for your blog showing your participation, and see some ideas for your post on climate change.
Can't wait to read your posts!
~ daisy
10-12-09 ~ We arrived in Honduras yesterday safe and sound. (Praise the Lord!!) And what started out as a rough beginning with delayed flights caused by storms resulted in us RUNNING! through the airport to make our connecting flight. Once approaching the ticket counter the airline worker reluctantly helped us make our flight after much persistance (ok, pleading!) and prayer. Once on board and on our way to Honduras, we were able to spread out on the plane, and had a very relaxing flight. God showed up in many ways for us that day! We praise Him for that...
10-13-09 ~ Had a great day in the feeding ministry today. Lots of beans & rice were given out, many opportunities to share the Gospel, three accepted Christ, and the day ended with a youth service in church. It was a great time of worship, prayer, testimony, and sharing of the Gospel. God blessed and we are amazed how He faithfully shows Himself throughtout our week.
10-14-09 ~ Another awesome day in the Lord! Got the privilege today to talk about the Lord with two families in the feeding ministry. Both families were already saved, so we just encouraged and prayed for them. We also left food and clothing to bless their families. Sharing the Gospel is a great privilege but reminding them that God is by their side and that He loves them is also a blessing.
After ministering to several families, the team went to Grace Farm and had a great time playing games with the boys and just getting reaquainted. We finished the day with a wonderful church service by candlelight (and flashlights!) because the power went out right in the middle of the service! What the devil meant for evil, God used for good. The church didnt even miss a beat. Missionary, Richie Womack delivered a powerful message and we had a great night praising the Lord. God is good! God blessed once again as we stepped outside of the church that night, looking up we all noticed how brillant the sky looked. There seemed like a million stars in the sky, it was amazing. We believe it was just another way of God showing up that day!
Today was also a day to remember & celebrate for the people of Honduras as their soccer team advanced to the World Cup after winning their game tonight. A feat they havent experienced in the last 27 years! There was much celebrating as we drove through the streets of Tegucigalpa tonight!
10-15-09 ~ Today was the team's shopping day in Valley of the Angels. A day that is always set aside for the team to relax and unwind from the week. Valley of the Angels is one of Honduras' prettiest places to visit. Getting back to the shelter we just hung out with the boys and had a good time spending time together. Later that evening we all gathered together as we do every night to sing praise songs with the younger boys in the ministry and to talk about ways we witnessed Jesus at work that week. This is one of my favorite times of the day, especially to get to hear the boys sing praises to their God. What a blessing for all who have frequented this ministry!
Tonight after praise time I got the chance to help one of the young men in the ministry with their homework from English class. He is doing a great job and is excited to learn the language. God is really doing a work with these boys! What a privilege it is to be a part of it.
Tomorrow we have a big day planned for the boys. The team will treat all the boys of the ministry to a day at the Water Park. It will be a great day of fun and laughter...a day the boys look most forward to!
10-16-09 ~ Today was waterpark day for all the boys of the ministry and our team. As the day approached there was a heightened level of excitement amongst the boys. The day was full of swimming, waterslides, soccer, pool, as well as much conversation and laughter. Afterwards we headed back to the shelter to rest and prepare for dinner. Later that evening we gathered around in a circle with the boys as we do every night to sing praise songs, testimony, and a time to share about our week. The night winded down with everyone packing their bags in preparation to travel back to Charlotte in the morning. Gordon & I will spend the rest of our week at the Womacks home, which is always a great time for fellowship and to catch up. Please keep the team in your prayers as they travel home tomorrow.
During praise time tonight we had the privilege of listening to Juan Carlos, a young man in the ministry sing praise songs and play the guitar. I must admit, as he played, tears just started streaming down my face as I listened. This young man is a miracle. He was one of the first group of boys to come in the ministry and when he came it was evident that this his body was still feeling the effects of the glue he had huffed for so long while living on the streets. But in time, God worked a miracle and now he is in college pursuing an Agiculture degree. He has also voiced the desire to be a street pastor with the ministry. He is serving with FCM by sharing his testimony and the Gospel with the people of Honduras while in the ministry. What an amazing work the Lord has done in His life!
10-17-09 ~ This morning we took the team to the airport to travel home. It was a real pleasure for us to spend the week with this group of people. Everyone worked well together and we truly enjoyed serving alongside each one of them this week! We also enjoyed watching the first timers, we knew they would fall in love with the people and the boys of the ministry as we had. We were surprised as we hung out at the airport to wait with the team when several former translators showed up to greet us, it was fun to see them and to finally catch up. The Lord has truly blessed us with many friendships as we have continued to frequent this country. We praise the Lord for that!
We also were greeted by a former resident of the ministry, a young man that we have grown quite close to. He has refered to us in the past as his mama and dad. What a special young man he has become as he continues to work hard in his work, is still attending church, and is now taking care of his mom and sisters. We had a wonderful time getting reaquainted with him as we all struggled to speak each other's language. We know God has a special plan for this young man.
The rest of the evening was filled with cooking, lots of conversation, and time to relax. What a joy it was to once again be guests in the home of good friends. God is good!
10-18-09 ~ Today we all went out to Grace Farm where the older boys live. We enjoyed hanging out with them and taking time out to say our good-byes...something we never look forward to! For we know it will be several months before we will be able to see them again. We are thankful though that God allows us to be a part of their lives, what a privilege!
10-19-09 ~ Traveling back home today. Although we thoroughly enjoy being in what feels like "our other home" here in Honduras, we are looking forward to seeing our own boys in the States. In speaking with them many times this week, they were having a good time being with family & friends while we were away. God is always so good in providing the care needed so we can be free to travel. With each trip, it can be difficult to say good-bye to our own boys, yet God always blesses us as we obediently follow Him. We praise Him for His faithfulness!! And it is humbling that He allows us to be a part of such a great ministry.
Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we travel, in raising the funds to get on the field, and for the sale of our home. We are anxious to head to language school in the near future!
Thank you for your faithful prayers and for the way each of you are standing behind our family!
Dios le bendiga!
Gordon & Christy
Next trip to Honduras coming up quickly!! Just on the eve of much political unrest in Honduras, a team of about 13 people, including ourselves, will once again darken the walls of a shelter where much laughter and numerous hugs abound! The Hickory Grove team will arrive on Saturday, October 10th and we will follow to arrive on Monday, October 12th. We look forward to visiting with our missionary friends, Richie and Lori Womack, and getting reaquainted with the boys of FCM. It has been almost 8 months now since we were last there, partly due to the political unrest that started with the apprehension of the former President of Honduras, Mel Zelaya. Immediately following his escort out of the country by the military, he traveled & lived for a time in Costa Rica. However, just in the past few weeks he has since snuck back into the country of Honduras and he is reported to be staying at the Brazilian Embassy. It has also been noted that the military are standing guard at the embassy awaiting to arrest Mr. Zelaya. Along with the political unrest, came curfews and many protests which has made life difficult for those just trying to go about daily life in Honduras. This unrest has caused many church trips to cancel or postpone, which in turn has put a strain on FCM.
We anxiously await returning back to the country and ask that you PRAY along with us that peace will continue in Honduras and that the team will be able to do the work God has prepared before us to do! We know our God is much bigger than this unrest and being in the center of His Will is the safest place to be. Therefore, we just ask that you pray for God's annointing on this team, for seeds to be planted and many to accept Christ, our safety, health, and traveling mercies. Please also remember our families while we are away.
THANK YOU for your earnest prayers! Please continue to pray for God's intervention in this country and that peace will continue to abound. We ask that you also remember our missionary friends, the staff in U.S. and Honduras, and the boys of the ministry.
* Mission team heading there this Saturday, October 3-10th...pray for their safey, God's annointing on the team, & numerous opportunities to share the love of Christ as they do God's work this week with the feeding ministry and the boys of FCM.
God Bless You,
Gordon & Christy
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