All Days are Special, Some More Than Others!

Today was a special day. Jeana and Elba had a birthday. The day started early. Vernon had get up at 5 and head for the airport to pick up someone. Jody and I made breakfast; eggs, beans and tortillas. It felt like a disorganized morning. Craig and Linden were trying to get home for breakfast after doing Brian's chores, but were caught in traffic. We finally sat down to eat half hour late and then the boys finally came in and a bit later Vernon got back. Jeana didn't hear Jody call her and so she slept in. We were finished eating and here Jeana was in her room waiting to hear the breakfast bell and she sent Jared over to tell me that she would be glad to help if I needed help! Needless to say, she felt a bit sheepish when she came in to the kitchen and we all started to laugh and  sing happy birthday. We do have clocks in our house, a person just needs to look at them! We had a fun time singing this morning. We had sang a few songs for our morning devotion and some how we just kept going. It sounded so pretty and was a great way to get the unorganized morning going! The rest of the morning was a rush of getting food ready for our birthday lunch. Vernon left early with the grill so he could get it going. It was quite a job to get the grill down the hill to the area we wanted.  At 11:00 the rest of us headed out  to 'our' park., our  green oasis not far from the concrete jungle we live in. In 'our' park, the air is fresh and we are surrounded by green trees and beautiful flowers. By the time we arrived, Vernon was done grilling. We had steak from the states that Craig brought down in his luggage, and potato salad and cabbage salad. Que rico!! For dessert, Elba chose pound cake with fresh strawberries and milk and Jeana chose fruit pizza. Muchisimo deliciosio. (pardon my spelling) The weather was chilly and rainy, but we had a wonderful time eating, laughing and making everyone ride the zip line before they could have dessert. It truly was a special day!

What a life!

Sunday, a day of rest.... Brian preached about this and he talked of how we can have rest in God. He is the one who carries our fears and worries.... when we allow Him to! I did get to have a relaxing afternoon and it was a special treat because by 5 pm we had guests coming in for the night. We fed about 29 people. I made a big pot of chili with corn bread. One of the guests politely allowed me to flounder through my 'spanish' welcome and details of what the food was and where he was to sleep, then later I heard him talking in perfect English!!!
It is wonderful to have our girls back with us again. The week was very busy and there are undone jobs waiting for this coming week! Jared was a flexible student, bless his heart, and some days we did school in the big kitchen while I cooked, some days it was in his class room while I finished painting the doors and trim in the room close by. Some days it was in segments... do math..go to market....do language...wait for mom to get the laundry hung up.........This week is off to a more organized start! Actually, I woke up at 3:30 am to make breakfast for 13 of our guests who had to leave early to catch a plane. A good travelling breakfast of atol, granola, bananas and cinnamon rolls. After my early morning, I had most of the laundry ready to hang on the line by 7am. I could have fit in with those Amish ladies who have their wash flapping on the line before breakfast. :) 
One thing that happens every day down here is the ringing of the bell and a request for 'comida, por favor'. How does a person know who is really hungry and who is getting a free lunch on their way home from work at the factory? There are a few 'regulars' who come every day. I wish I could share the salvation story along with the food!
The March calender is up on the wall and our names are on it! 'Vernon's saldran :(' Talk about mixed feelings! We have a lot of things to do yet, work wise and fun wise, not sure how to fit it all in. Vernon and some of the children went to the dentist today and looks like we have some dental work to do before we go home. Jeana needs her wisdom teeth taken out. She is not impressed since she HATES going to the dentist. Tomorrow is a big day. It is Jeana's birthday and also Elbas birthday. We are having a special lunch and surprising them both with a plan to go to the park and grill and eat and have a great time! I am hoping to get some more rooms painted this week. Maybe I should just tell someone to hit me over the head now before I start! I always question the 'why' of more painting, but it is so rewarding when the ugly old paint is all covered up! Tonight I told Jared to sweep for me and I could see this lethargic wilt come over him and the broom handle became so heavy! He got more energy when I gave him a time limit. I need to go spend some time with him.
Feliz Noche!

Another Week

Life in this glass house has been rushing on. The first weekend of February, I was sick and heard the days go by while laying in my bed. I felt vulnerable, laying there, feeling like I didn't want to move, talk or look at anything. In a few days I was feeling better but I am still fighting my way to feeling totally well again! Good health is such a wonderful blessing!
Over the past week we have had a lot of guests. We had some work days like canning quarts of salsa, tomato juice cocktail and tomato soup. The next day, we painted the houseparent bedroom and bathroom. It was an all day job but looks so much better. I have the doors and trim to paint yet and Vernon has to fix the floor and then we can get it all set up. We again had a full house over the weekend. Saturdays always seem to go by at high speed, and I have forgotten how it feels to have a Saturday to do my own thing :). Saturday night at 11:00pm, Vernon and I got a call to see if we could take a woman to the hospital. She had been real sick for a few days and had a lot of pain. So we headed out into the city. We made sure we had a spare tire and we prayed for safety. The streets were dark and quite empty. There were groups of people walking and a few loners who were carrying big liquor bottles and I wondered if it was a drink or a weapon. We picked up the woman and her daughters and headed for a hospital in Trebol. It didn't seem like they saw gringos there very often especially at that time of night. I helped the daughter walk her mother to the gate and then went back to the van to wait with Vernon. After the women came back out they said that they had been told she probably had appendicitis, but she would have to wait a long time to get help because they were working on so many gunshot people right then. We decided to try another hospital and headed to zone one. It is one thing to drive down to zone one late at night when you can go to the bus, get passengers and head back home. This time we were parked along a dark street with men wandering back and forth. We sat by the curb for a few hours while the women were in the hospital. One time I woke up to see a man come up to our window and plaster his face against it. We 'slept' on, ignoring him. It was comforting to know that God was there watching over us. The diagnosis was different this time. The examination showed it was her blood sugar and her kidneys were being affected. We got back to the mission at 3:30am. The woman was feeling a bit better by 9:00am and we took the three women back home. I realized all over again how fortunate we are to have a God we can have a relationship with and who we can trust in. As we sat at the hospital a woman came out crying with such a hopeless cry for her 'papa'. Life is hard and yet how desolate and empty it is when we don't know God or turn to him for help.
This week looks interesting. The girls are in Antigua for Spanish school and Sharon is in El Salvador!
We were a small group for supper, total of 10! I am schooling Jared and it will be a challenge to keep up with that and my work. I guess what doesn't get done today will be there tomorrow.......waiting.

What would I do different?

What if I was living life, doing things my way and serving God enough that I would be sure He would be satisfied, but  my personal interests would be number one? What if I was told I have cancer and it is terminal and there is nothing to be done? What if I was 16 years old?  What value would the things I thought so important have? What would really matter? When the layers are peeled away, the Only thing that matters is... the destiny of my soul. Is God most important or am I? Sounds so simple! Yet how far reaching the consequences! God doesn't 'put' us in heaven or hell, We Choose Where We Want to Go!!
Last night, a father and son came in for the night. They left for the hospital early in the morning. The father and son heard the news that he has a non treatable cancer and his life expectancy looks short. The young man is 16 years old........What would I do different?

Another Day

Did you ever hear the saying, "a watched pot never boils"? Try applying that to red beans! Today was reunion de pastors, and I was making supper for about 28 people. The menu was my made up, use whats left over, and stretch it to feed a big group menu. I made a chili soup with left over black beans, cooked rice to put the soup on and then had tortillas to go with it. Dessert was left over strawberry danish and vanilla pudding. I was cooking the food and found out there were more guests than I had planned for, so, I quick cooked some red beans to add to the bean filled chili. I kept watching that pressure cooker and willing it to cook harder and hotter. Three minutes before meal time, I added the slightly chewy beans to the chili and served the meal. I got some Guate compliments on my good rice, but the gringo beans were a bit of a stretch! I enjoy seeing the variety of people who come through here. Some of the pastors have life stories that make me look at them in awe and see that their God IS big enough! I've had that song run through my mind today about " He's big enough to rule the mighty universe, yet small enough to reign within my heart"! That's the God I serve! He loves me so much He gave His only Son for me! So I can spend eternity in Heaven with Him, if I choose to!
Why would I choose not to?????

Choices

Today I was looking at my son who is now 8 years old! Just having that number change seems to make him look older. He is learning some life lessons. Next week, two of his school mates will be spending the week with the other two school mates while their parents are in Antigua for Spanish School. This looks very unfair! We have talked of how it makes sense to the mothers to have their children stay somewhere other than the compound where so many people are coming and going. That is head knowledge and he can understand, but the heart knowledge, that is different. I told him he will get to make choices. Most likely, he will feel jealous and left out. I told him he gets to make a choice about how long those feelings stay. He can choose to be thankful for what he has and enjoy his friends when he has opportunity to be with them. Or, he can choose to feel sorry for himself and be miserable.
I know one reason God gives us children. We can learn so much from them! As I read over this post, I had to think about my own head and heart knowledge. What about feelings that come into my heart? How long do I allow the negative ones to stay? Do I choose to focus on things to be thankful for?
Today I feel a real need to be completely open before God. I feel these next weeks are going to stretch me in new ways, and I want to face each day with the confidence that I am walking through each day and situation with a  heart that is open to Gods prompts. Pray for me.

And Then They Were Gone!

How time flies! We left for the airport at 5 am this morning. I was holding one granddaughter as close as I could. Kate was on Jeana's lap, concentrating on sleeping a bit more. Our family is gone, but what memories we crammed into that short time!
Now.... reality! After short nights and busy days, we have to get back on schedule. As soon as we got back from the airport, Vernon had to run to the bus station to pick up Tianna, who is coming from El Chal. Today looks like a full day. I expect us all to 'feel' tired and grouchy, but maybe it will be a day to ignore 'feelings' and do the next thing and do it for God. In a perfect world, I would look at all I do through the lens of 'I am here to serve God and all I do today is for His glory'. In this imperfect world, I sometimes forget to look through that lens and instead, look through the lens of  'whats in it for me?'
Today, I choose to use the God lens and be the best cleaner, cook, listener and observer I can be, for Him!