The Paone Family

2008-11-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

News and Photos

Here are some stories and photos of what we've been up to over the last year. Our travels have taken some of us from Mexico to the States and to Europe.

Healed of Cancer

Our first bit of news is an encouraging testimony about our friend David. Almost a year a ago our good friend David was diagnosed with throat cancer. From all that we heard, the chances of recovery were very slim, but not too slim for the Lord. We really prayed with our family for David’s healing and asked friends to do the same. From the beginning we received messages from the Lord indicating that David would be healed. This really encouraged us to fight in prayer on his behalf--a process which took months. We made a book of these messages to give to him, which he really appreciated. We’re happy to announce that things worked out as the Lord indicated and that David no longer has cancer.

Trip to Europe
In August Carol was hired as a nanny to accompany a couple and their one year-old daughter on a Scandinavian cruise. After setting sail from Dover, the ship first docked in Copenhagen. Carol was able to take the day off and visit our daughter Tabitha and her family. They got to see the sights and have a picnic lunch.

By the way, congratulations to John and Tabitha who just gave birth to their third child on October 30th.

Older sister Elaina and new baby sleep after making it back home from the hospital.

Speaking of grandkids, the end of October saw the birth of another one of our grandchildren: Jude Christopher. He’s the latest addition to Justin and Nadia’s family in Mexico.

Little Joleen Christina was born to our daughter Liz and husband Andrew--their second child on November 4th. The arrival of these three new grandchildren has upped our total grandkids from 12 to 15!

Teacher Seminar
Ken, who has been our faithful home school teacher over the years, attended a teacher seminar in Baja California during mid-October. About 180 teachers attended from North America, Central America, and Mexico. Besides enjoying the lectures and discussion group, Ken also brought his saxophone and participated in the musical presentations before the lectures, and even sat in with the hotel piano player one evening.

Trailer
You may remember awhile back when we were looking for a travel trailer. We were able to get one recently thanks to Stephanie and Bill who helped finance the down payment. We made it out of Houston the night before Hurricane Ike hit the city. Thank the Lord that none of our friends in Houston suffered any major property damage.

For those of you who didn’t know, we are now continuing our missionary work from outside the Austin area. We still make trips in to Mexico from time to time and are involved with musical and educational endeavors there.

Tara with Ken on Guitar

Carol Shining!
Our son, Joey, and Kevin.

Smoothin' it out with the sax and Last Christmas--Carol and Tara
Restaurant Caroling and Neighborhood Caroling

2008-02-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Gabe and Tina

We're happy to announce that little Winston Gabriel was born to Gabe and Tina yesterday on February 17th at 5:22 AM.

Winston weighed 8 lbs 15 oz and measured 21 inches. Here are some photos of our 12th grandchild.

2008-01-24T19:32:00.000-08:00

Congratulations John and Mya

A beautiful baby boy was born to John and Mya in Mexico City on January 22nd at 6:32 PM. Here are the first pictures of our latest grandchild. They had been told it was going to be a girl, so they weren't prepared with a boy's name. Did you ever consider naming him "Kenny?" Just joking :)

2007-12-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

Wedding Bells Are Ringing

On November 8th, we celebrated a double wedding at a beautiful resort on the Baja California. My son Jason (left) married Clara, and Liz (second from right), one of the twins, married Andrew.

Here I walk Liz down the aisle. I better get used to this!

The wedding was held outdoors on a grassy area overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In the photo below, Tom leads the couples in the marriage ceremony. Each one shared a special marriage vow written for the occasion. Their pledges of love were beautiful and moving.

In this next shot, Carol and I pose with Liz, Andrew, and Andrew's father, David.

Sandy (my first wife) and I, pose with Jason, Clara, and Suzanna, her mother.

Jason and Clara
Andrew & Liz

This next shot shows Carol and me along with our 11 kids and their husbands, wives, and children.

We found a spot that was big enough to even take a couple of shots of the extended family. In the next one we see all the kids and the parents. In the photo below that one, we added all their husbands, wives, and kids.

At Christmas

Edgar A. Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;

He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season’s here;

Then he’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before,

And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.

He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;

When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it’s Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;

He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.

All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for a while,

And the true reward he’s seeking is the glory of a smile.

Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me

That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I’d wait

Till he’d fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.

I’d not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of wealth,

On the long days and the dreary when he’s striving for himself.

I’d not take him when he’s sneering, when he’s scornful or depressed,

But I’d look for him at Christmas when he’s shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he’s oft misunderstood;

There are days the worst that’s in him is the master of the good.

But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside,

And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.

Oh, I don’t know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me

That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

2007-07-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Trailer Needed

Hi! We’re up from Mexico visiting and getting different supplies. We thought we might need help with this one so that’s why this post.

One specific need is a travel trailer for our volunteer work. We’re looking for a 25 to 30 foot travel trailer, preferably no older than the year 2000, with an enclosed bedroom and perhaps a slide that could be donated to our work. We’ve decided to email all our friends and supporters just in case somebody might have a lead.

Drop us an email if you know of one or would like to contribute in some way. We'd be happy to pick it up. Our email address is:

lillyflower27@yahoo.com

Take care,

Ken and Carol

The Precious Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.
But a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

2007-06-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Our Family's Getting Bigger!

One obvious result of having a lot of children is that sooner or later you're bound to have a bunch of grandkids! Well, it's that time for the Paone bunch.

Just in the months of April and May we've had three little ones added to the list of grandchildren brining the total up to nine.

Our son, Sam, and his wife Natasha had little Anthony on April 5th. Sam has been in the Coast Guard for six years, and Natasha is taking a three month leave from her job to enjoy the new baby. Carol went out to Miami to see them shortly after the birth and had a great time with Sam, Natasha, and Anthony.

Then at the end of April, Carol met up with me in Houston and we went to nearby Austin to be with Liz (one of the twins) and her husband Andrew for the birth of their first child, Corina Jane. Carol is an assistant midwife and was happy to help with the birth at the clinic, while I just waited patiently with Tina, Liz's twin sister, in the waiting room. Corina was born on May 7th, weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz. She came just in time for Carol and me to make it back to Mexico City in time for a Mother's Day show. (See pics below and click here for video clip)

Let's not forget Clare who gave birth on May 24th to her second child, Ella. We all thought Clare would have the baby early, but early or late we're glad she's here. Here's a picture that hubby Nat took of Clare and Ella.

Let's hear from Carol...
In April I stopped by to see some friends, Julie and Mark, whose triplets I had helped care for, for the first six months of their lives. After the triplets had eaten and were getting ready for their nap, Julie asked if I would lead them in a little prayer to ask Jesus into their hearts. I read to them from a book that they had about Jesus and His life on earth. Then, one by one each of the children prayed with me. It was a very memorable experience. One that helps me to pray for them each time I think of it.

Mother's Day Show

Cathy (15) and Tara (13) did a great job adding their talents to our Mother's Day show, which we performed in a major shopping mall in Mexico City. Check out the short video clip of Tara's song "Where Would We Be Without Love," with Cathy and friends doing some choreography. The "Pink Panther" theme also features some choreography by Cathy and her friends.

Here are the girls before the show. Celeste (left) and Tina (right) are in the back row. Tara (left) and Cathy (right) in the center row and Suzy (center).

Below Tara sings "Where Would We Be Without Love"

Esteban and Carol singing "Dejame Mirar Tus Ojos"

Esteban, Carol, and Ken singing "Un Poquito De Amor"

Dancing for the shoppers

2006-12-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

Our Latest Christmas Show and News

Click here to see a 7 minute video clip of our Christmas Show

On our way down to Mexico City from Houston at the beginning of September, we arrived in Monterrey late at night and were unable to find our friend’s house where we were to stay.

We met a very precious family that opened their doors to us and took us in! Thanks Graciela! We appreciate your hospitality.

In October, my son, John, and I performed for a Teen retreat that was held for about 150 young people in a nearby city.

Carol and I did a little recording in the studio too.

This year Christmas started even earlier than last year. We did our first show on November 9th at a large shopping mall for the lighting of the Christmas tree. Carol, Michael, Cathy, Tara, and I joined forces with another family and prepared a variety show with choreographed dances, instrumental numbers, solos, and group singing. We even threw in some breakdancing and rap in our Christmas numbers. (Click here to see a 7 minute video segment)

We’ll be returning there right before Christmas to do a couple more shows.

Carol sings for the crowd at our first Christmas show

Ken on sax with Carol singing "Contigo en la Distancia."

Cathy (second from left) and Tara (right)

People the Lord Has Brought Across Our Path

Recently in a shoe store, Carol met the owner who was sitting there reading the Bible. He explained to her that he’d been having a lot of problems in his life and so he was reading the Bible searching for answers.

Not only had his mother just had a heart operation but his family has been the target of threatening phone calls since they are somewhat wealthy. One caller demanded money saying that her son had been kidnapped. They made sounds in the background as if he were being tortured. At the time, she had no way of knowing if he was safe or not. It was all just a put on as he was perfectly fine.

He eagerly prayed with Carol to receive Jesus as he broke down crying. We’ll be going back to visit our new friend share more from the Word with him.

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

One day as Ken and I were on a walk in a nearby park, we saw a woman that was walking the in the opposite direction. Every few steps she would hold on to a tree then walk some more and then hold on to another tree.

I became concerned as I thought that she was ill and might fall. I watched her as I continued my walk, and I noticed that she sat down on a park bench and put her head in her hands.

I decided to go find out if she was okay. As I approached the woman, I noticed she was crying. When I asked her if she was alright, right away she told me that she was battling depression because her husband had passed away.

I sat next to her and asked her if she would like to pray with me and ask God to help her. She said yes, so I proceeded to pray for her. What happened next was amazing as the Lord showed me he had died of a sickness and that that sickness was cancer. He said this because He wanted her to believe that He was nearby watching out for her and her children.

So, when we were done praying I asked her if her husband had been sick to which she responded yes. Then I asked her if he had died of cancer to which she answered in amazement, “Yes, he did.” I then told her that the Lord loves her very much and that He is looking out for her and her children.

2006-07-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

News from Mexico

Well, it’s been awhile since we’ve filled you in on our activities. We had a very active Christmas season with all the kids doing a great job participating in our musical performances and shows so we took them on a little getaway. We spent a few days in beautiful Ixtapa on Mexico’s west coast. The weather was gorgeous, and we all enjoyed the beaches, restaurants, and people.

Here, Cathy (right) and Tara (lower left) board a motor boat that took us to a scenic island about 15 minutes away.

Approaching the island.

Stephanie (back) and Tara (front) explore a rocky area with a friend.

Enjoying a meal with friends.

In Oaxtepec, I performed with many of my old friends, and some new ones, for a four day Christian retreat. In addition to the music, there were End-time Bible studies, current events classes, and seminars.

Our son, John David, (right of guitar player) was the drummer for the event.

On stage and in action!

Together with most of these musicians we’re working on a Latin CD, which will feature salsa, merengue, and other dance styles.

People the Lord Has Brought Across Our Path

Carol would like to share some experiences we’ve had with people over the last months. We’re always amazed at the way God leads us to these people and how our prayers are answered.

Fighting Depression

I had met Julia at a friend’s house last year, and after getting to know her a bit, she explained to me that she has severe problems with depression. She had received Jesus some years before and so I offered to pray with her for the Lord to heal and deliver her from this depression. When I returned to Houston this year, I ran into her at my friend’s house again, and she approached me and said: Do you remember me? I am Julia, you prayed for me last year to be delivered from depression and I have had no reoccurring symptoms since.” I was so inspired to see proof of the Lord's healing in her eyes!

Special Delivery Prayer

Ken and I were in Mail Box Etc. two weeks ago to get a document notarized when Song, a Fed Ex man who works there, came in and started to talk about his two-week-old baby who contracted chicken pox from his wife when she was pregnant.
He was saying that the doctors weren't giving the baby much of a chance to live, and that he felt so sorry for his wife as well since she had just lost her father six months prior. Ken and I asked the man if we could pray for him and his family. So, we all joined hands there, and prayed for little baby Christian, his wife and family. Afterwards we hugged him and he went on his way.
We don’t know how things turned out, but we believe that the Lord had us there at the exact time that he showed up because we kept making errors with our paper work, and had we not; we would have already been gone. Thank the Lord that He kept us there for someone who needed prayer.

Prayer for a Little Boy

Almost one year ago a friend of mine confided in me about her 1 ½-year- old son whom the doctors said had an incurable genetic disease. I was in Mexico at the time and so when I came up to the States for a visit, I went to see her. We both cried as she explained just what the doctors had said. I shared with my friend that we had already prayed for her son, and that we were expecting God to do a miracle and nothing less. At the time we prayed, my son, Michael (16), received the story from the Bible about the centurion who asked Jesus to heal his son who was at the point of death. Jesus told him to go his way and that his son would live. The centurion returned home and found that his son had recovered. When the centurion asked what time it was when he felt better, his servant told him the time and he realized that it was at the exact time that Jesus had told him to go his way for his son would live.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but a few months later my friend e-mailed me to say that the doctors were baffled, because now her son is fine and doesn't have even a trace of the disease at all. Wow! What an answer to prayer. Jesus the wonderful physician was near!

Well, that about wraps it up for now. We’ll try to keep you updated more often in the future. Hope to hear from you!

Love,

Ken, Carol, and Kids

Our address in the States:

Ken Paone
P.O. Box 670181
Dallas, TX 75367

2006-04-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

How sweet the memory--as a child when disappointments came
My mother's faith and courage sweet, that put my own to shame.
For in the time of trouble deep my faith would weaken sore,
While hers just seemed to thrive on trials and only grow the more.
And when it was I'd hear her say as my doubts took to wings,
"Why--God is Still upon the Throne AND PRAYER CHANGES THINGS."

But, after years, I wandered from the shrine at mother's knee:
For seeming wise and learned men had clearly shown to me
That such a simple, childlike faith was now quite obsolete,
Belonging just to ages past, today--for fools 'twas meet.
"All this," they said, "is only myth and from gross ignorance springs,
That God is Still upon the Throne, AND PRAYER CHANGES THINGS."

Their way seemed well in weather fair but Oh! when troubles came
It didn't meet the need at all--'twas such a futile game.
"Now just hold on," the scoffer said, "there's nothing else to do."
But that was just the trouble when there was naught to hold on to.
For I had lost the simple faith that such assurance brings,
That God is Still upon the Throne, AND PRAYER CHANGES THINGS.

So I turned back with eager heart to the old-fashioned way:
And now I KNOW that God is real, no matter what they say.
For better proof could not be had than truly answered prayer,
And answered too in such a way as to know--God is there.
And where is greater happiness than the peace that this truth brings
That God is Still upon the Throne, AND PRAYER CHANGES THINGS.

2005-12-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO!

November 18th is the official start to the Christmas season here in Mexico. Our show group started practicing at home in the evenings...

...learning vocal parts, arrangements, dance steps, and getting costumes ready.

Our first presentation was at Plaza Cuernavaca, one of the main shopping malls here. From left to right in the back row, you'll see Carol, Cathy, Stephanie, and Tara.

Here's Carol (right), Stephanie (center), and me (on sax) during one of our Christmas numbers.

Our next stop was the city's children's hospital "El Hospital del Niño Morelense" where we performed for about 80 to 100 children.

Our goal was to spread some Christmas cheer through music, skits, and gifts for the children.

Stephanie took some time to make friends with one of the patients.

Here the singing girls pose with some of the kids.

This week we'll be travelling to Mexico City to do a special Christmas presentation for the Mexico City branch of the Discovery Channel.

We sure hope you have a wonderful Christmas as well. And we'll be sure to keep you posted as to the rest of our Christmas activities.

Here's wishing you a great holiday season and a happy New Year.

Ken, Carol, and kids

2005-09-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

September 2005

Hi, everyone! It was certainly great to stop by Jacksonville and see many of you! I hope you're all doing fine.

Here are a few pictures of our trip.

After we left Jacksonville, we headed up to New York to visit our families. We had a good time seeing my folks and some of my brothers. Then we rendezvoused with Carol's brother and family in Pennsylvania.

We stopped near Bucksnort, Tennessee to visit some friends and have the kids schoolwork evaluated by a teacher.

From there it was on to Houston to attend our son Sammy's wedding to Natasha. Some more of my kids came over from Austin for the wedding, and we had a great time meeting Natasha's folks.

Once back in Mexico, I got to see some old friends that I had worked with on an international latin radio show in the 80s. We talked about the future vision of producing a Spanish music CD.
By the time August rolled around, Carol needed to take care of some business in the States and made a trip to Texas along with our daughter Stephanie and our friend Karen. While they were gone, I spent some time in the recording studio adding sax and flute parts to a Spanish CD that will be used for an upcoming retreat in the Mexico City area. I'll try and send you a few samples when the CDs are ready.

While Carol was in the States, a friend was kind enough to donate a used alto sax to us. I now have the soprano, tenor, and alto saxes, as well as a flute, to add variety to our music.
At the end of August, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and thousands of refugees flooded the Houston area. Carol, Stephanie, and Karen took time out to volunteer and help out. The girls cared for children and performed while Carol helped with data entry for the medical personnel.

We're just recently found a house in the Cuernavaca area as this will put us close to the music studios for future recording. We'll keep you posted.

We'll be returning to the States at the beginning of October to attend yet another son's wedding. If possible we'd like to return to Cuernavaca with a small travel trailer to place on our property. Please let us know if you know of anyone who can help with this.

You can email us at lilly12757@msn.com.
Our PO Box is:

Ken and Carol Paone
PO Box 67
Willis, Texas 77378

Ken, Carol, and the Paone Family