cute things my kids say...

When your 2-year old prays for her food saying "tank you Jesus for my yummy sanwish, n for my juice, n for Mami, n Papi, n Fay (Faith) n my boys (her brothers)" 💕💕🙏🏼😘😛 ‪#‎mygirl‬ ‪#‎herboys‬ ‪#‎littlemama‬

Letters to friends (03/17/2009 Pregnancy photos and update)

Hey Friends and Family,

 

Wanted to share a few pregnancy photos along with an update.  I'm very happy to say that everything is going great out here, I have but few complaints.  The weather is warming up which means no more shoveling snow or scraping ice off my car for 20 min. in the freezing cold (at least until next winter) - no accidents this winter either (which is difficult when roads are wet and icy). 

 

I've been working my new job now for over a month and loving my clients and all the other perks that come along with it like making my own schedule.  School is also coming along great although these next five weeks will be a challenge since i'm trying to finish up this semester at least 2 weeks earlier (before finals week which is when baby is due), but I'm ready for the challenge and grateful that my professors have been so understanding and willing to work with my situation.

 

and aww - The joys of pregnancy - our baby "Josiah" (tho the name might change at birth) is growing big and kicking harder and harder every day.  Its so amazing to feel his body inside of my womb and to watch my belly move as he wiggles, kicks and does all kinds of crazy moves.  David bought a stethescope so that we can hear his heartbeat and for only $20. we've been able to listen to his precious life as it continues to move and grow.

 

As time draws nearer and closer to the due date, my excitement is also increasing - 7 weeks to go now and boy, am I nervous but I also know that God is in control of everything and so my confidence is in Him who gives me strength. 

 

thank you all for your love and support and please Continue to keep us and the baby in your prayers as we believe for a healthy and supernatural delivery.

 

p.s. These pictures are of 4 1/2 months, 6 and 7 1/4.  I havn't got the rest of the professional prints yet so here are some mixed prints.

 

Love,

Carmen & David Abreu

Letter to friends...(07/13/11 Abreu family prayer request)

Family & Friends, As most of you know, my husband David lost his brother in a horrific tragedy a few weeks ago. As a private person, his desire was to cope only with his close family and fellow believers who would pray for peace, strength and forgiveness within his family. He just released me to share more information with you all as the upcoming trial for his brother's killer unravels. Below is a link to one of the media report made. Warning: the report is rather graphic. http://bangordailynews.com/2011/06/16/news/bangor/bangor-man-charged-with-murder-in-fourth-street-death/ A lil background: David has had a peace about his brother for a several years and always prayed and believed his brother was in God's hands even though his life was plagued by alcoholism and drug addiction. Over 2 years ago however, his brother began to turn his life around, began working, got his own apartment and began attending the University of Maine and even served on student government this past year. According to those that knew and worked with him, he had been drug-free for the past 2 years and would meet with a local outreach pastor weekly, always reading, studying, carrying his bible, playing guitar, making people laugh and smile, and just full of dreams.  I do not want to share much more because the articles (rather graphic) discuss the events that occurred however I just wanted to ask, on behalf of my husband and his family for prayers for Mr. Hall, his family, David and our family. There will be a trial in the upcoming months, possibly even next year for Mr. Hall who faces 25 years to life on the murder charge. My prayer is for David who in all of this, although having peace, is feeling anxiety as he has been carrying the burden on behalf of his family of being the only contact/representative on behalf of his brother (as has been the case these last weeks with the investigation, funeral arrangements, retrieving of his brother's belongings, etc.) .  Furthermore, David has expressed forgiveness to Mr. Hall, but we also pray that our family will all seek to forgive as we also we pray for Mr. Hall's soul believing that surely God's name will be glorified in all this. We believe that this incidence also has/had deep spiritual connection as the argument was regarding whether God existed or not (David's brother arguing that God exists). Due to the wide publicity this case has already gathered, our prayer is that more lives will be changed as justice is served and his brothers story of redemption and forgiveness is shared. Thank you for prayers, love and support! Sincerely, Carmen Abreu

Letter to friends...(09/29/09...2 years later, with love)

Family and Friends,

 

So, mommy-hood has definitely been keeping me busier than I had imagined.  Here's just a brief update on what has been going on lately.  Josiah is now 4-months old and is a very healthy boy.  He has doubled his birth weight and is nearly 18lb. strong and 26inches tall :)

David and I couldn't be more blessed as parents to such a joyful, peaceful, and happy baby who loves the company of others, is always smiling and who seems to always make our days even brighter.  His hair has also gotten a whole lot longer and there's not a place we don't go in which a stranger does not compliment his crazy cute locks…

 

Apart from loving on our family's new addition, David and I both study full-time.  After 5 years of being out of school, God opened up the doors for David to return to WVU to finish up his Aerospace Engineering degree as well as to finish taking flight lessons toward his private pilot license.  It's been very exciting for us and especially for David since he's desired to complete his education and earn his pilot wings for years.  Please keep him in your prayers as returning to school with a family is not an easy thing.  As for me, returning to school0Aafter 3-months of being a home-and-milk-maker has definitely come with many challenges.  God willingly, all of the hard work and sacrifices will pay off this May when I graduate with an MSW (Masters in Social Work) degree!! 

 

My advanced placement internship (large part of my graduate program) has also been a tremendous blessing, working with my hectic schedule and being more than gracious allowing me take nursing breaks and to top it off, paying for my school tuition and giving me a living stipend (very, very, rare opportunity)!! Truly, when God brings you to it, He'll take you through it!! I say this only as a testimony and to brag about how good God is when we choose to put our faith in Him, and even when we don't.  To think that I was on the verge of dropping out of my program after finding out we were pregnant due to financial reasons as well as physical ones- David and I had decided to allow God to give us gifts (children) in His timing (which apparently is a crazy thing to do) - to be honest, I had many doubts about it as well but after God delivered, provided, and exceeded all of our expectations from the pregnancy, to the amazing labor and delivery and still to this day - I tell you, I have no doubt that putting all our trust in God is well worth it-even w hen we don't understand it all at the moment.  Oh, and not to my surprise, West Virginia University had their Children’s Learning Center, state of the art facilities grand-opening in August (after years of preparation), just in time for baby boy Josiah to enroll in - so while David and I are in class, studying or at my internship, we feel assured that Josiah is being well taken care of and developing his own sensory, motor and social skills.

 

Wooh-I can't help but get excited just thinking about the provision our Father has for His children.  So, what started as a 1-year commitment serving at Praise Chapel Terra Alta, WV with my parents has turned into an engagement, marriage, son, and returning to graduate school not to mention an amazing experience of new fellowship with awesome friends and the birthing of new ministry - (tomorrow marks 2 years of my arrival to WV).  Being the loving Father that He is, He has also granted me several new friendships with other girls and women (something that I’ve prayed for since moving here).  Close friends and mentors of ours also recently adopted a newborn girl 2 months after Josiah’s birth so now we even have friends to lean on as we go through all of this new parent stuff together :) 

 

Okay, again, this turned out to be not-so-brief afterall but you probably expect that from me already :)

Feel free to let me know how you all are doing, and know that I am truly blessed to have you in my life.  Blessings to you and yours!  Here’s some recent photos of Josiah and our family.

 

Miss you guys!

Carmen Abreu

Letter to friends...(09/05/2007 I'm moving to WV!)

Hey Friends and Family!!!

As most of you may know already, I will be departing
on September 20th for a drive across the country on a
journey of a one-year mission to assist the pioneering
Praise Chapel Ministry in Terra Alta, West Virginia. 
I along with a close friend Cynthia Amescua have been
prayerfully making preparations for our move for
several months now and as the date comes closer, we
wish to share some events and information that we
invite you to participate in with us.

A little more about why we would leave Sunny So Cal in
exchange for a small town in the appalacian mountains
of Preston County, West Virginia.  Long Story short -
God asked us to and we desire nothing more than to do
His will, not our own.  As young adults, heavily
involved in various ministries and community orgs in
our hometowns, we would like to take the visions we
have to Terra Alta, WV where we can assist in various
ministries and activities that are currently not in
place due to lack of resources nor willing assistance.
West Virginia is currenntly ranked the 2nd poorest
State in the Country and Children rank 47th of 50th in
Overall Well-being (US Census).  Our Vision is to see
that these numbers change, one child, one youth and
one family at a time.  We will be committing to serve
under Praise Chapel Terra Alta, West Virginia with
Pastors Wally and Norma Oviedo and assist them in any
and all church ministries including: Sunday School,
Worship Team, Youth Ministry, In His Steps Preschool
and Learning Center (state certified Praise Chapel
Christian Pre-school), Womens Ministry, i.e.

Two other Goals include:
- Establishing a Greenhouse Young Adult Bible Study
in Morgantown, West Virginia (one-hour down the
mountains from Terra Alta) and also home to the
infamous West Virginia University Mountaineers.  WVU
also currently ranks as the #1 Party school in the
nation.  Please be in prayer with us in this as in all
things especially.
- Establishing a Community Youth Center.  I am
currently editing a final proposal which I will be
submitting for State and other non-profit Grants in
attempt to purchase or lease a building and make it
into a state-certified Christian Community Youth
Center (kinda like the YMCA) that will be a safe haven
for families, children and youth hosting several
social services programs. 

These goals of ours no doubt will come with
challenges, but in these days we live in, when do we
not have challenges to overcome right? "How beautiful
on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good
news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who
proclaim salvation..." Isaigh 52

As we make our final prepartations, we invite you to a
few events coming up:

#1 - Fundraiser Bake Sale
    When? Thursdays, Sept. 6th, 13th 2007
    Time? 6:30-8:30 pm
    Location? Frisco Burgers in Downey, CA
              Frontline Warriors Bike Night

#2 - Going-Away Celebration
    When? Saturday, Sept. 8th 
    Time? 1:30pm
    Location? 7908 Melva St. Downey, CA 90241

#3 - Yard Sale (need to get rid of lots of stuff) new
      and used (all funds will go toward gas money
      for our cross-country drive) -- Donations of
    furniture, and man labor i.e are gladly accepted.
        When? Saturday, Sept. 15th
        Time? 7:00am - 2:00pm
        Location? 5225 Live Oak st. Cudahy CA.
                (Cross streets Wilcox/Florence Ave)

#4 - Greenhouse Bible Study Sending off meeting and
    fellowship
        When? Friday, Sept. 14th, 2007
        Time? 8:00pm
        Location? Parra's house.  
                Ibetson Rd. Downey, CA. 
                (for directions, call me)

#5 - Attached letter asking for support through
    prayer and finances.  If you or you know of any
organizations with a mission to serve
underrepresented, low-income and impoverished
communities, please pass this flyer along.  All
donations are tax deductible.  All donations will go
directly toward the furtherance of the mission towards
expanding God's kingdom through children and youth
ministry activities as well as the establishment of
the youth center.

Thank you for your time.  I will miss you (despite how
long we may have known one another)...just as I will
miss Sunny and beautiful California, the Beach, my
friends and family, my beautiful nephews and nieces,
LTA Sisters, CSUF friends, Praise Chapel Brothers and
Sisters, my Greenhouse peeps, my sistahs, the poetry
lounge in hollywood, my car :( , and all that Cali and
people here has imparted into my life...Thank you all
and God Bless you!

For Questions don't hesitate to call me!

Letter to friends....(4/01/08 Guess What!)

Guess what?!


I wanted to share with all those who are close to me
and supported me, that I got accepted to West Virginia
University's Masters in Social Work Program.  I plan
to accept the invitation and start this Fall 2008!! 
Looks like i'll be in Morgantown, West Virginia for at
least 2 more years... Proverbs 16:9 "for you may plan
your path, but it is the Lord who determines your
steps".

Go Mountaineers!

God Bless,
Carmen Renteria

Letter to friends....(9/23/08)

Update on life as Mrs. Abreu…

 Tomorrow marks the One year anniversary of my presence living in West Virignia– crazy, that means that a year ago, I was driving cross-country on my way fulfilling my one year commitment to live with my parents and assist the youth
and the church here.  Little did I know what God really had in store for my
life.  Soon after arriving, I got engaged to a wonderfully made and handsome man
of God named David who truly is a man after God’s own heart.  I did assist the
youth– both at church, the community and at a adolescent drug rehabilitation
center, where I soon found employment.  

 I endured my first real Winter with snowstorms and icy roads, totaled the
newest car I’ve ever owned just 2 weeks after purchasing it and was face to
face with all kinds of wild animals (mostly on these country West Virginia
roads) – For 8 months, I lived with my parents after having been on my own for
5 years –truly, this was a blast  .  Let’s see, while working full time,
planning a wedding, house chores and taking care of family responsibilities
along with all of the commitments in ministry such as leading our weekly young
adult bible study “Greenhouse” along with David and his former roommate at
their Morgantown apartment, planning an East Coast women’s conference, various
special youth events, touring Christmas choir and being a taxi to my younger
high-school siblings – life was full of excitement.

 June 7th, I got married then moved out of my parents home and in with mi amor,David who had been preparing our home for us.  We honeymooned in the Bahamas
then returned home to everything again before flying back out to California to
visit with more of my family and also attend our church World Conference in
Arizona.  We had an amazing time celebrating our new marriage there and getting
ministered to, my husband also received a miracle as God healed his back that
had been injured since childhood.  We then returned back home again to our full
schedules of life, work and ministry.  
 Today, I am a student again, a Masters of Social Work 2010 candidate, in my 6th week of graduate school at WVU, and doing my internship at my employment
site part-time while David works and plays with his band as they prayerfully
prepare for a record deal.  We are both attending my parents church in Praise
Chapel Terra Alta, about an hour up the mountains from where we live in
Morgantown.  It’s a beautiful drive, although the winter is coming again and
the snow can make the roads very treacherous.  David now leads the youth full
band worship team and leads in worship every other Sunday.  This is an answered
prayer for my parents whom have desired live worship for four years!  I continue
to minister in Vocals on the worship team, and assist with teaching Sunday
school, greeting, usheretting and working the sound system (alternating at least
two ministries each Sunday, of course).  Those who remember how it is to be
apart of a baby church know that this is how it goes.

 
The Greenhouse ministry is also bearing fruit and God is moving tremendously in
the young adults who are a part of it.  Last Friday, we had a record 17 people
– some had to sit on the floor and even stand in the doorways because the room
was so full.  God is bringing in more college students from the #1 party school
in the nation which is only a block away.  A couple of months ago, God led us to
start a series studying the book of Genesis – it’s been very exciting as we
have grown into having intense discussions on God’s Creation as compared to
the world’s Evolution theories.  Greenhouse is also hosting a shoe drive along
with Praise Chapel to collect new shoes and socks to be sent to orphans around
the world.  

It is definitely an exciting time right now with everything going on and it
will only get more exciting with our baby on the way!!! Yes, I saved the best
for last – David and I are  7 weeks pregnant!!! We are excited and as nervous
as any newlywed, young, busy couple can be.  This news may not come as a
surprise to some of you as we have received numerous remarks of dreams and such
that would soon have a baby.  As I remain confident of God’s plans in my
families life, and as He prepares us for this new exciting addition to our
family - Please keep us in your prayers. Our baby is due the first week of May
which is also my Finals week of school.  As of now, I plan to continue school
and work with my professors to maintain all assignments, i.e. however we are
open to whatever God wills.  

Again, miss you all and David and I hope to visit California again very soon. 
Take care and know that God knows that plans He has for you, plans to prosper
and not to harm you, plans to give you Hope and a Future (Jeremiah 29:11).   In
closing, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God, truly
He has given me the desires of my heart, desires that I had not even known until
He gave them to me.  “For if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give
you the desires of Your heart” Psalms 37:4.  

Truly, God writes the most beautiful love stories imagineable.

February 27th....

Last weekend, my hubby and I were able to go out on a date and participate in MarriageWorks, an event our church hosts every 3 months or so for engaged and married couples.  We had a great time. Lovely dinner on a table with 2 other married couple friends, watched and participated in a dating-game that was part of the night, and shared a red velvet cake for dessert.  We stopped for some wine on our way home and watched a movie together after relieving our babysitter. The following day, we headed out as a family to an Empty Bowls event which kinda didn't go as planned, as we ended up at Olive Garden having soup, but in any case, it was a great weekend filled with love and family.  It was our February 27th weekend and an important weekend to note for us.  I was reflecting on February 27th and it's significance and thought I'd share about it:

February 27, 2007 - I was in California, David was in West Virginia and over the phone, he expressed to me his prayer and asked me to consider pursuing a courtship with him.

720 - apt. 2 - Our first apartment together and where we spent our first night together before heading to the airport for our honeymoon.

February 27th, 2015 - Our plans drastically changed as the doors to David's job across the country closed, and we realized we were going to remain living in West Virginia for the time being.

February 27, 2015 - I drove to where David was, and I'm pretty sure, that was the night, Faith was conceived.  As one door closed, another had opened.  We named our daughter, Faith (complete trust or confidence in someone or something; Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen".) Her middle name is Isabella (devoted to God).

The numbers 2, 22, and 27, have significant meaning for us in other ways as well, David wrote about them all a few years ago, here:

Courage and Bravery

The other night as I was tucking my 4-year old into bed, he made a statement that stopped me in my thoughts.  He had been crying and in a cranky mood that evening due to being "tired", as he hadn't been getting enough sleep at night.  A few months ago, his pediatrician suggested we give him Melatonin each night to help him sleep as he is a "thinker", and often stays up at night for 1-2 hours before he falls asleep.  For months, we were giving him the smallest dosage and it seemed to be working, however David recently began researching further into it and realized the side effects that could occur and decided to stop giving it to him.  So, on the nights he doesn't sleep well, the day afterward is, let's just say, not the best.  On several occasions, I get him from the bus stop after school and he is the last one off the bus, having fallen asleep on the short 10-minute drive, in rather, uncomfortable seats might I add.  I thought it was cute at first, then realized how his thinking and behavior at school must be if he is so tired.  I talked with his teachers and sure enough, he complains of being tired often, and isn't motivated to clean up toys or complete things requiring energy.  We're still thinking of what to do in this case, besides put him to bed even earlier.  In any case, this night, he was pretty cranky and emotional, as this is his behavior when tired. As he layed in bed, he was crying, telling me how scared he was, and this is when he made the statement: "Mom, I ask God to make me brave, and sometimes He does, and sometimes, He doesn't!"  He stated this with conviction, and from a place of sincerety.  I wanted to laugh because it sounded so cute and sweet coming from his 4-year old voice, and it was so innocent and sincere.  I thought about the song "He makes me brave" that I listen and worship to, and had to think about his statement before talking further.  God does make us brave, but still, it's our choice to act with Courage or not. Courage, according to my recollection, is being afraid, and yet still doing that which is frightening. Bravery, is very similar, although it is different.  Bravery, according to the best definition I found on some philosophical website, is the ability to confront pain, danger or attempts of intimidation without any feeling of fear.  Two, different, yet similar adjectives. Philosophically, they differ in meaning. Courage involves the presence of fear, while bravery lacks it.  Courage entails a cause- commonly love, passion, compassion, concern, etc. Bravery maintains its essence even without a cause.  Courage is a result of mindfulness. It is one’s decision to fight despite frightful consequences. Bravery is an inherent characteristic. It doesn’t involve much thinking and rather manifests itself second to human nature for those who have it.

That night, I didn't know how to respond to my 4-year old other then, let's ask God for courage.  My son was afraid of monsters that night.  I sang one of our favorite songs from Veggie Tales "God is bigger than the boogie-man, He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV, oh God is BIGGER than the boogie-man, and He's watching over you and me."

My son finally stopped crying, and we prayed a hedge of protection over his bedroom, and his mind, and asked God to give him courage.

Moms can run!

5.5 miles down! Finally got to run on my favorite trail since the day Faith was born when I tried to "walk her out" (it worked btw as I went into labor a few hours later)- anyways, I'm walking up my hill as I type- huffing up actually bc my hill is killer 🏔🌄 but I'm reflecting on my run and feeling proud that I did it (and I ran much better than my single run last week which turned into more of a walk)- I'm happy that I'm making progress and also, that I "quieted" my excuses 👊🏻 On another note, is this trail a beauty or what?! ‪#‎nofilter‬‪#‎IRunThisBody‬ ‪#‎quietmymind‬ ‪#‎4thRunPostpartum‬ ‪#‎YesThatspepperspray‬‪#‎HubbyInsisted‬ ‪#‎morgantown‬

BabyAbreu4 Update

BabyAbreu4 Update: 5 days late but finally got around to our monthly shoot 😬-- our Faith is 3 months now and growing faster than this momma wants to admit 😂 she is rolling over, loves to babble and suck her entire fist 👊🏻, is officially a finger predator🖐🏻, loves to laugh, smile 😀and be held and kissed by her big brothers, and sleeps 9-10 hours straight at night💤 🙌🏼‪#‎Abreubaby4‬ ‪#‎FaithIsabella‬ ‪#‎mygirl‬