Reflection of God

One year ago today, I was struggling to cook black beans and was rescued by Priscila!
Today........
I spent time going over my lists for Boys Camp which starts on Friday. For two years, I have not been involved and I feel quite out of it! We have twenty two boys this year.  We are praying for the boys and their leaders that it will be a time of growing closer to God as they camp, hike, canoe and enjoy His creation.
What is a day of life in north Idaho like?  One day last week .... Jared came rushing in from the chicken house yelling for a gun. There was a skunk in the chicken house. We rushed out and I let him shoot the skunk. After this, I had to take a shower before leaving for Sandpoint to begin the job of buying food for Boys Camp. I filled one cart full, took it out to my car and returned to the store for another cart load. By the time I got home, it was late afternoon. It was a hot day and so Vernon and Jared and I went and jumped in the creek. It was so refreshing in spite of the clouds of mosquito's. The rains have helped produce a bumper crop of the pests! The creek is still too high for good swimming for Jared, but any time in the water is just great with him.  Jeremy and Janice came over for the evening. We had a good time with them. Janice and the girls stayed here for the night because we were having a birthday party for Janice the next day with friends. Jeana went to Newport with Jeremy since she was going to be working over there  for a day. That was one day in Idaho that flew by.
While I have been working on these things, I have been thinking of a life that reflects God. Do I have times that I 'park' God while I do what I want to do and then pick Him up again when I am finished? If I am a reflection of God, then there can be no such thing as "parking ' God.  I pray I will be a clear reflection of Him all the time, in all I do!

Habits and Weeds

Saturday morning we were out in the garden trying to get control of all the weeds that have been flourishing and multiplying the past two summers! Jared, being the youngest, was stuck with the small hoe that didn't work the best. He tried many different angles to diplomatically talk the rest of us into switching hoes. His 'hard hearted' sisters only informed him that he can use what he has.  The garden truly was a carpet of green, but we got it done even though the soil was still plenty wet. I had to think of how the weeds resemble habits! Leave a bad habit grow and it takes over our space and leaches the good out of our lives, as well as rippling out to affect those around us! I should take a habit check every time I work in my garden.
 Today is such a beautiful day! The sound of the creek, the wind in the trees, the sun highlighting the many shades of green, and then best of all, to have family to enjoy it with! Summer in Idaho is beautiful!

This is the Day the Lord Hath Made!

After days of rain and cold, very cold for the month of June, I have begun to thank God for the rain, the cold and the clouds! It keeps my attitude in better shape. When I follow that thought through, it is God who allows the coldness to come into our day, but it first comes through His hand! If it's okay with Him, it's okay with me.
I feel like I am sitting at the feet of Jesus today. He poured His love into my soul. For a few weeks I have been thinking a lot about passion for God and asking myself the question, "what is my passion?" This morning, our pastor began to speak and he said, "I am going to ask the question, what is our passion?" !! I felt like God was saying, "I love you, I have been listening to you and I am speaking to you through my word and through this man who is allowing me to use Him." Am I excited about serving God? Is serving God important to me? Is the Bible interesting to me, and if not, why not?  I have been challenged to renew my commitment to living passionately for Christ.

Enjoying Life!

When I looked out my window early this morning there were dark angry clouds boiling down over the mountain tops. It looked like rain would be falling any minute. Today was garden planting day and so I was thrilled when the clouds gave way to chilly wind and sun. Vernon tilled my garden one more time and I looked out the window in time to see Jared spinning and leaping and racing through the soft, freshly tilled dirt. He came bounding into the house for some dirt toys and said,"oh mom, I am having so much fun"! I decided footprints in my nicely tilled soil wouldn't hurt. I was just as excited as Jared and since the girls were working, Vernon helped get the garden planted. It was a special time and one I won't forget.... Jared 'helping' Vernon make the rows, putting the seeds in and then covering them, laughing as Jared raced from one end of the garden to the other...it has been a wonderful day! I even saved the last row for a flower row! We can't eat them but they will be a feast for my eyes!
This past weekend we went camping with Jeremy's. The week had been so rainy and chilly, we kept debating about whether we should go. Finally we decided to go, rain or shine. We got to our camp spot on Priest Lake and it was a great place! The campground was almost empty so we had lots of privacy. It was quite cold and we kept a nice fire going and had taken warm clothes along, but by Monday morning, we had sunshine and fairly warm. Sitting around the campfire laughing and talking with Jeremy and Janice and spending time with our granddaughters was so special! It was a wonderful time and we all enjoyed it so much. We missed Justin's and talked of trying to go camping with them when they come out to visit. I had to wonder what our Guatemalan friends would think of us - loading up clothes, food and bedding; boats, fishing poles and games, and heading out to a campground to sit around a campfire and cook over a campfire! They would probably scratch their heads at one more strange 'gringo' activity! I don't think I have ever camped on Memorial weekend before. It always seemed like a good weekend to avoid camping.  I thought of the meaning of the weekend, a time to remember those who have died. I think if Jon could talk to us he would say that spending the weekend treasuring and enjoying family is a beautiful way to honor his memory.

Hello Walls!

Ahhh the north lands! We are officially home! What a feeling to walk into our house that has thick walls, no 'glass house' effect here! The house looked beautiful, spacious, and welcoming. We walked in and closed the door. I have thought about these thick walls. They provide warmth and protection, but they can also give an opportunity to close the door and close others out. Am I going to become someone who retreats behind walls or am I going to live open and honest about who I am and who God wants me to be? Living in a 'glass house' doesn't give options  to 'put on a front'. I don't believe God wants masks. I believe He wants honesty, openness, and humility. That is something I can be, regardless of the house I am living in.
 The air is cold, the weather has been varied, snowflakes falling, rain and mud and a bit of sun. I have been very cold and have been diligent in keeping a fire going in the wood stove. It is a wonderful cozy warmth.
 How does a person answer questions about how we are doing, are we glad to be back, what was our most terrifying experience?
Coming back to all things familiar has left me feeling like I am floundering, feeling like I should feel relationally connected to all my friends, yet, there seems to be this vacuum,10 months of  living in two different worlds. I realize it will take time and effort to connect. Who said things like this are easy? Easy, no, but important and necessary, yes!

Farewell!

It's over, done, finished,terminada....or is it? We have said our tearful goodbyes and gazed out of the plane window till Guatemala disappeared from sight, and so that window of our lives has closed, but over? No, nothing can erase the memories and the love for the ones we told goodbye to. When we talk about Guatemala City traffic, there is a panoramic film that flashes across my mind, buses smoking their way along the streets, people, multitudes of people walking, talking, buying food from the many vendors who have their little stands set up, traffic police with shrill whistles waving us  on, color, vibrant colors everywhere. When I hear names,like  Marta, it is not just a name, she is a person with a wonderful sense of humor, a kind heart, a hard worker who never and I mean never complains, and someone who is serving the Lord no matter who else chooses not to! It was very hard to say goodbye! Every time I walked into the kitchen and saw Ruth, Elba and Marta, putting off their work to cook one more special lunch for us, empanadas and fresh pineapple, I would start crying and had to laugh at myself at the same time! Isn't God good? When we got to Guatemala, I believed God would be with us and give us strength to survive, now I can look back and see how He poured out blessings to full and overflowing! I can't find words to describe the kindness and love that was so graciously extended to us! If we don't see each other again here on earth, we will see each other in Heaven. Now we are back in the states, slowly making our way home. We are in SC, having a good time visiting Vernon's family for a few days, and then heading to CO to visit our son and his wife. Spring is here in the south, the dogwoods are blooming and mushrooms keep pulling Vernon into the woods. He found one. Today there is fishing on the 'to do' list. A lot of excited boys and men!
So, the thought for the day........ embrace the day, it will never come again!

Count Down!

Our days in Guatemala are numbered! We are trying to get a lot of work done, savor the last days, and hold on to budding friendships even as we feel the tug of separation. In the midst of all this I find myself looking ahead to the special people who are waiting for us in the states! The days are flying by! Monday, Vernon and Jeana went to the dentist and Jeana had 4 wisdom teeth cut out. Yesterday, Jeana told me she learned a new word in Spanish, 'ardilla'. She must have looked in the mirror! I love humor and a person can handle a lot of things if they can laugh. We had a fun day on Tuesday taking the school children on a special school day. We piled every one into the van and went to the Children's Museum. It is great place with hands on science, activities and lots of fun things to do. From making huge bubbles and standing inside a bubble, to wall climbing, and fighting their way through the germ jungle, to name a few things. After a picnic lunch we headed home and got to relax a bit. It was a beautiful, hot sunny day and we savored the warmth and wondered how chilly we will be when we get back to Idaho. This afternoon, our family and Danny Beachys family went to zone one, one more 'last' thing to do together. We were impressed with ourselves. We left at 2:15, went to 2 fabric stores and the tourist market and were back home for supper by 5:30!!! It was fun to be together and we are going to miss them when we leave. Tonight we all worked together to knot 2 quilts that Sharon and her mom had been working on. It was live comedy for some of the time. Put Vernon, Craig, Tristan, Lee, and Edy in front of a quilt, trying to thread needles and tie knots, it's bound to be funny. I wish I could have taken a picture of Vernon and Edy, the intense look of concentration on their faces as they tried to force a thread through a small needle. It took them quite a while. We really did appreciate the help and now we can relax a bit and I can finish this blog I started writing on Monday! Jared is racing around trying to catch one of the new vs boys. Jared is on the rip stick and Lee is on a bike. I am hearing yells, laughing and one time a loud crash that I didn't investigate because I heard Jared and knew he was ok! :) Tomorrow is a farewell party for our family and Sharon since we are both leaving next week. I suggested we go awol. It is very sweet of our friends to go to so much work, but I am afraid I will cry. I guess that's ok. Thought for the day, "If it matters to you, it matters to Him". I know these last days are important to God even more than they are to me! Go ahead tears, come if you must! I wouldn't trade the privilege of learning to know so many wonderful people just to escape the pain of having to say goodbye!