Basement Life

Family Game Night

Davis did pretty well for his first time at Family Cranium

Smith got the chance to enter in a local pumpkin carving contest
In case you're wondering, the stuff coming out the top is the pumpkin's brains.

We LOVE having company. Jill Bailey from Virginia! Love you, girl!!!!

One thing about Jim's basement is that there is definitely
never a shortage of Star Wars gear.

One of our favorite things to do is get out and go for a family walk.

Smith won an award at school for being a super reader.
We like him a lot.

Right now Ax's favorite thing is being "Speedy Boy" from his favorite book,
"I'm going to be the Best Superhero Ever!"
Favorite accessories: sunglasses, cape, and rocket boots.

Zaisy found the elf costume.
After two years in storage, we had a lot of fun unpacking the Christmas boxes.

Davis thought the tree skirt was supposed to go with the Santa hat.

Over the last four months we've been living in a basement apartment. We are very grateful for our friends giving us this space in their home to rent. The kids have got to experience all the fun of American public school for a semester. We've been able to be 10 minutes from the doctor's office for all our prenatal visits. Starbucks 5 minutes away. Wal-Mart 10 minutes away. We've had a lot of family time--game nights, reading together, light saber fights. It's been nice.

Truly one of our favorite things is when we have visitors. It's nice to be able to be hospitable and share what we can of our 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and wet bar. Really, our guests deserve awards in adaptability. We realize, through it all, that it's time to move on. We are planning on getting up to Denver just before Christmas, so we can settle a little before baby numero cinco arrives. Nothing like last minute adjustments, huh?

We are excited to be closer to our family at Denver United Church and to be closer to Jon's family and mine. We're super excited to have our own place! We have no idea what the future holds for us, so we are definitely living just one step at a time. Crazy? Definitely.

A Day At The Pumpkin Patch

Smith-age 10

Zaisy-age 8

Davis-age 4

Ax-age 2

Me and my pumpkins

Great Riches

The dollars in our bank account come and go. It’s never very much, but it’s always enough. Yet, at the end of the day when my children crowd onto my oversized lap, all talking over one another, vying for the attention of their father, I understand in my heart that I am one of the richest men in the world.

Along this journey of life I have proved to be a terrible communicator, as well as a terrible fund-raiser. As we are State-side awaiting the birth of our newest little guy the Lord has supplemented our dwindling support with a variety of jobs. One of my aunts suggested they should start a show about it all. I was reminded of her idea when I caught a commercial of, “Dirty Jobs” and I thought, “Wow! That’s my life right now.”

Here’s a short list of my most recent job descriptions: mover, ranch hand, granite guy, bike parts builder, and most recently, a piano teacher. What a crazy variety. Crazy experiences. Crazy life!

Like David fighting his lions and his bears, like Daniel-son painting the fence and sanding the deck, I sense it’s all for a reason, a greater purpose of training us for the next step. My late, great, father-in-law use to humorously say, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. I’d rather be rich.” While in Mexico our lowest month of support had us surviving on $200.00. After paying a tithe of $20.00, and a rent of $100.00, we had the wonderful experience of stretching the remaining $80.00. We ate a lot of beans and rice that month. You can do a lot with beans and rice. If any of you have ever wondered about Rachel being a super hero…let me affirm…she is amazing.

We refused to live off of credit. Partly, or mainly because I had burned our only credit card over a camp fire a year before as a step of faith. At times it hurt. We didn’t get to always eat what we wanted, buy what we wanted, or do what we wanted. But it was good training and allowed us to come out of Mexico debt-free.

As we seek the Lord about where He would have us go next, I often wonder, “What the heck is all this training for?” Inwardly, I’ve also come to realize that with me it’s never the exotic, dangerous, adventurous places I struggle with saying, “Yes!” to. Rather, it’s the times of boringness, relative ease, and quiet that I wrestle with.

I will not lie. There are times when I stand in a long hot shower, travel down smooth highways, or visit with friends and family nearby, that I am tempted to give up and become a full-time American once again. However, it’s not the adventure, travel, or excitement that keeps me going. It’s simply the call…the desire to lay down my life and be used for a greater purpose. Like the seed falling to the ground to die that it might bear much fruit. To go to the ends of the Earth and share the love of Jesus with those who would otherwise never hear.

I am the richest man in the world not because of the dollars in my bank account. I am rich with love, with hugs and sticky kisses. I am rich with the knowledge that none of it is about me. We use to have the house, the cars, the steady flow of income…and we were always so poor. We have none of that now…and we are richer than ever!

Great Expectations

Celebrating Ax's 2nd birthday

It's a boy!!

Rachel & I leading worship.

I’ve taken a sabbatical from writing blogs. I’m back. As I grow, learning to recognize seasons of life for what they are, not getting hung-up on longing for moments of the past, or yearning for the adventures yet to come, I find a certain amount of contentment creeping in on me. It’s good.
When we came back to the States, our marriage was dangerously off-track and both Rachel and I could barely tolerate our children. We were burnt toast.
Finding ourselves unexpectedly State-side expecting our fifth child was…unexpected. A couple of divine appointments took place which I now can see as points of healing and restoration for us.
Some of our good missionary friends with YWAM set up a meeting with some professional debriefing counselors. I was skeptical. They were old, disabled, and strangers. What could they possibly know? Within minutes of meeting them at the local Village Inn, they saw into our souls. It was one of those weird/wild moments in life where you believe that some people may actually have super-powers. They shared with us all kinds of practical tips, ideas, and suggestions to help us out of the tangly underbrush and get back to the daylight of the trail. Then they prayed for us and great things were accomplished.
The other appointment took place in the form of a parenting book Rachel picked up one day. It’s called, “To Train Up A Child.” The great chasm between where we were as parents, and where this booked encouraged us we could be, slapped us in the face like a cold, Wyoming-winter-wind. You mean you’re actually supposed to enjoy your kids and desire more? What!? Yet within weeks of instituting some of the techniques and training ideas presented within…we began to notice startling changes in each of our children, in our hearts. It was good.
Here we are months later. Living in a basement we are renting from friends in Colorado Springs. On plan “X” or possibly “Y” at this point. The Lord continues to provide for all of our needs in radical ways. Rachel and I are communicating in ways and on levels unknown to us before. We are enjoying our kids and so excited to meet our newest little guy, scheduled to arrive in late-December. We’re actually enjoying our kids so much that we’re realizing that number five may not be enough. How wild is that?
We’re not where we thought we’d be…but we continue to do all the things the Lord has called us to. Through deep, fascinating times of intercession and leading worship, we’re seeing the Holy Spirit minister to us and through us in ways that we could have never imagined before. Through these times we each began to discover our own super-powers.
I began to remember yesterday with a flavor of tender-fondness. Today I embrace with a content, adventurous spirit. It is with great expectation I look to tomorrow.

Where the HEY are the Nagels?!

We stopped by to see Uncle Sonny for a pizza break!

Zaisy got a haircut

We got to go to a wedding at the Zoo!

Cousins trying to figure out who's taller. Zaisy or Charley?

Carousel was free at the Zoo Wedding

We got to visit Storybook Island in South Dakota. The coolest!

Uncle Dave found a kindred spirit

Nagel boys monkeying around

Allie loves Pooh Bear

Silly ol' Bear

Eight AWESOME guys

Rachel and Christina at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

The sisterhood of the traveling pants:
Story goes, three sisters ended up buying the same exact pants from Penny's.
They fit all body types fabulously.

I bet some of you have been wondering, "What happened to the Nagels?" "Where are they now?" "Why haven't they called?"

To answer your questions, I ask this question: What happens to a space mission upon returning to Earth from it's orbit? Answer: Re-entry. I've heard this analogy being used to describe missionaries coming back from the field to their native homeland. I think it's a wonderful analogy. I felt many times in the last month like I would completely "burn up on re-entry". Any of you who have been on the mission field can relate, I'm sure. There's a strange feeling of being a foreigner in your own land.

Some friends of ours referred us to a couple who specializes in this type of counseling. They have worked for twenty years in this field. Now they travel around doing "debrief counseling" all over the country. They were able to meet with us one evening about a week ago. After just an hour of listening to who we are and what happened in the last year, they completely nailed all the feelings we've been feeling and struggling with and fighting through. They gave us a strong prescription for the next few months to help us work through some issues, complemented us on our kids (total miracle how well behaved they were), and gave us their contact numbers seeing as they'll be in Boston until November. I think God is going to use this time in our lives as a healing and restoration so that someday maybe we'll be meeting others at Village Inn for a much-needed counseling session.

So, as to the quesions... we made it home safely. We are staying with friends in Colorado Springs, CO. Trying to decide about putting the kids in school. We are still full of a ton of questions ourselves, so please forgive our lack of answers. We are all still reacclimating to our environment.

faith,
hope,
love,

Nagels

Crazy Adventures in Nagelland

We spent the month of April seeking the face of God and asking Him about the “next step” in our lives. It’s ALWAYS amazing to me how much the Lord can change your heart in a single hour of solid prayer. It’s ALWAS amazing to me that when you seek the Lord with your whole heart, He is faithful to meet with you.
We were hoping to be able to stay on with our current ministry down here through the summer to continue to intercede and lead worship. But with the recent discovery of our fifth baby on the way, and the small, little fact that the ministry leaders said, “NO.”, we have decided it’s time to move on.
And yes, you did read that right, numero cinco is on the way. Rachel and I often feel like terrible parents, but the Lord must see something worthy in us that we do not see ourselves. Though the patterns and ways of the world tell us that children are a burden and a nuisance, we believe that children are a blessing and a reward from the Lord. We are excited to be found worthy of the responsibility of another life. And EVERYONE knows that the world needs more red-heads!
It’s funny when the pieces all began to come together how the peace of God surrounds you and everything seems to make sense. We’ll be spending the next few days selling all of our belongings, once again, and then we’ll be making our way up to the States. All of our pregnancies so far have been smooth however; Rachel does have a unique medical condition with her blood, during pregnancy, that the doctors always like to keep a close eye on.
So, you may ask, is this the end of the Nagel’s mission’s career? Not at all! It’s just the beginning. It’s not all clear yet, but with the many people who have come to us and said, “Just choose a country and we will follow you guys anywhere.”, we begin to catch the hint that perhaps the Lord is leading us to put together a team or teams of people to take over the world for Jesus. We’ll give you more details as it all comes together.
Anyways, we are excited to catch up with our many faithful supporters, take some long hot showers, and of course, flush our toilet paper. We should be to Colorado by the end of this month and it will be so good to see you face-to-face.
We are overwhelmed with excitement and can’t wait to see where the crazy adventure of following God leads us next! See you soon.

My Two Bears

These two little boys keep us hopping but are also a constant source of joy in our lives!

Hunger in the land

A few of the books I had the pleasure of reading during training.

To desire to hunger after God and to actually have a hunger for God are entirely two different things. One may lead to the other, but they should not be confused as being identical.
Having finished our formal missions training earlier this month, we’ve been spending the last several days seeking God and His next step for our lives. One morning I was awoken by a phone call from my friend Jordan. He had traveled down to Oaxaca City with several teenagers to attend a youth conference. His excitement was contagious on the phone and within half an hour I had kissed Rachel and the kids, and with a change of clothes and my sleeping bag I made the 3 hour trip down the road.
I haven’t hung out with a lot of teenagers in the States, but these kids down here really blew my mind. Many of them were dressed like punks, but any time we started praying or worshipping, they were hard to keep up with. The two nights I was there, we didn’t stop singing or dancing until after 1:00 in the morning. Wow! Being in a stadium where all 7,000 people are dancing at once is an experience I will not soon forget.
As I think about church history and the different revivals that have taken place, the tangible presence of God seems to be the common denominator. Yet, it doesn’t seem to be something one can conjure up. I always crack up a little bit when I drive by a church and see a big banner advertising the upcoming, “REVIVAL.”
So…if it’s the presence of God that truly changes people’s lives…what are we doing about it? Is there anything we can do about it? Maybe.
The Spirit of God seems to come in a tangible form to those that are most hungry. To those that hunger and thirst for Him and Him alone. It brings me to my original point: I think many of us desire to be hungry for God…yet that’s where it ends. To push through that and get to a place where I want nothing else, no one else, where He is the only thing that will satisfy…is where I want to be. I’m not sure how to get there, but that’s what I want.
After a year in Mexico I think we’ve developed many valuable friendships and relationships. But it’s also becoming blindingly clear that if all of Mexico, or even just all of our little city here in the mountains is to come to know the Creator of the universe, they are going to have to have an encounter with His presence.
Anyways…just a few of the thoughts currently bouncing around in my head. When you think of our family this month, please pray for us and our future direction. We’re not sure where or when to go from here. We’re excited about the future…just a little unclear right now.

The King is alive! Happy Easter!

Leading Worship

Leading worship in front of the world map

Candlelight worship

Me, Jordan, Mike, & Michelle

Throughout the month of March, as we hosted Spring Break short-term teams, I had the opportunity to lead the worship band. It was incredible to see four musicians (two from Canada, one from South Carolina, and me) come together and sound better than many bands I've heard that have been together for years. Truly a miracle.

I've lead worship many times in the past, but this was my first chance to lead with a band. What an amazing experience as I learned to work with the different personalities, put together song sets, and always have the music transposed and printed off in time. What a job!

The Lord was faithful and let His Spirit be known during several of our sessions. Many people were healed emotionally and physically as we worshiped.

I don't know the whole story yet, but I think this was a significant milestone in my life. A big THANK YOU to Jordan, Mike, & Michelle for putting up with me as I figured out what I was doing.

One of the main themes we studied throughout our training this year is that, "Missions exists because worship does not!" Once we all learn to worhship the Creator of this Universe the way He deserves to be worshiped...our job will be easy.

Dry wells...Living water

Me and my friend Jordan

After four grueling days of physical labor under the hot Mexican sun, it was becoming painfully obvious to all of us that we were not going to strike water. At that point however, we knew the real work had already been done in the spiritual realm.
For our third week of Spring Break short-term teams I traveled out to a village about 2 hours away with a bunch of guys to help drill two wells. I was assigned to a team with two of my close friends, Jordan, and Jon W. The well we were working on had been started the previous year, but still had a long way to go. Before we started working, the three of us circled around the hole and prayed for God’s blessing on our efforts. As we were praying, we all heard a sound and opened our eyes just in time to see a roll of toilet paper bounce off the ground and down into the hole. One of the other team members was trying to help us out, and blindly threw the roll over an 8ft. wall as he was driving away. It was unbelievable, and we knew that it was a sign that we were in for an interesting week. It took us the first 4 hours just to get that stupid roll out!
By the end of the first day, the three of us were exhausted and a bit discouraged at the lack of progress. We kept running into one rock after another. Throughout the day various Mexicans would come to watch us work and observe our methods. As the sun began to set, we were taking a break sitting around the hole when another guy showed up. We didn’t think much of it, but he was talkative and introduced himself as Jorge. He invited us down to the local bar/strip club that night. We each politely refused and it seemed to baffle him. He couldn’t understand why three strong, young men would not want to go drinking and looking at naked ladies. Now my friend Jordan speaks really good Spanish and I’ve hung out with him a lot over the last 7 months. A couple times now I’ve observed the anointing of God come upon him and I’ve had the pleasure of watching and listening to him preach some amazing messages. This was one of those times. I sat there praying for him as he shared his testimony with our new friend Jorge and was blown away to see the man’s countenance change right before our eyes. He was hungry. He confided in us how he’s been searching for God and he’s fed up with the hypocrisy all around him and how he’d like to really know how to talk to God without any other strings attached. He got excited about the Good News we shared with him! He then told us that he is the owner of the most popular local radio station that broadcasts to a countless number of people. He asked us to come on air the next night and share what he had just heard so all of his friends and family could hear as well. It was out of this world!
It was such an amazing experience to sit in that little padded sound studio. We circled around a table with 6 microphones sticking out of it, and with the big, black ear phones on our ears making us look silly, we all did our best to share God’s message of love and forgiveness with Jorge the host, and all the listeners that night.
As I sit here typing, I still can’t believe all of that happened. It was so cool to see God’s hand at work and get to be a part of it. Please pray with us for Jorge as he begins his relationship with God. Please also pray with us for all the listeners that night, and those who will hear it again as it is re-broadcast in the future.
We had to walk away from dry wells sunburned and exhausted…but each of us realized that something of much greater significance had taken place. Men and women down in this neglected area of Southern Mexico got a taste of water from the well that never runs dry. Praise God!

Village People

The whole team and the church that we worked with.
Receiving a Thank You speech from the local authorities.

The completed guard rail

I just got back from a week-long outreach to a village about two hours away from Tlaxiaco. Even though we had to use out-houses the whole time and I had to sleep in a mud-brick home, sharing a double bed with two other full grown men, we had an amazing experience. The village has about 600-800 people and we were able to partner with a local church there to help drill wells, teach health classes, run a medical clinic, and my favorite part, we helped build a 64ft long guard rail to help protect the locals from a dangerous drop-off. The Lord has blessed me with a strong back and I was able to help with a lot of the heavy lifting, including hauling a 100 pound bag of cement up a steep hill. Ouch! To finish it off, we painted the guard rail a bright yellow color and also got to help paint one of the local speed bumps.
All the Mexicans call me Oso, which means bear in Spanish. The first night we were there three little girls were following me wherever I went. I finally turned around and told them that people call me Oso because I like to eat little girls. They ran off laughing to tell all their friends. It made me an instant celebrity and everywhere I went little kids would call out to me and challenge me to chase after them.
The last night we were there we invited all the children to a movie and a dinner. I showed up late after playing several of the locals in an aggressive basketball game. Those men were short, but they were tough. When I walked into the little dining hall where all the kids were eating, the place erupted with yells of “Oso, Oso!” It made me quite happy and I fell in love with those sweet children. Even now as I sit here typing, my eyes fill with tears as I remember their sweet little smiles and voices. The fact was not lost on me that they are the future of Mexico. As they ate, I walked behind them and prayed for the Spirit of God to fill their little hearts. Before they left that night, one of our Mexican brothers shared the Gospel story with them and they all bowed their heads and prayed for Jesus to forgive them of their sins. It was a very touching time for me.
The next two weeks we will be hosting two more Spring break teams from the States and going out to two more villages. Please pray that the Spirit of God will continue to go before us to soften hearts and reveal Himself to these sweet hearted people.

One Year Anniversary

We got to visit Maribel in Puebla

First Stop in Mexico: Aldama, Mexico

Ax baby napping --March '08

Smith: ready for adventure

Our family with Maribel last summer

City bus ride

Such a treat when we finally got a movie up and running

A few days ago, we celebrated our one year anniversary of moving to Mexico. God has moved us and walked with us every step of the way. It amazes me to look back and see all the moments that we were being beautifully led by God, yet at the time it felt like being drug behind a truck. We've grown and learned sooooo much that it would be impossible to portray it all in words. However, I would like to say that I would rather spend a lifetime trying to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth and failing, than never having tried at all. Thank you all for enduring all the bumps and slams and breakdowns and rejoicing with us. We couldn't have done it without you. And to Jesus our Faithful Friend...thanks for the ride.