Last night I was out til midnight, not a usual happening for me. A few girlfriends and I were watching the BBC Pride & Prejudice, and I had a sitter for my kids, since Josh was out of town. We (a guest was with me) drove up a few minutes after midnight, and since my sitter was listening for me, she came outside to greet me.
As she shut the door behind her, the peg-thing that you bar the door with fell down into the hole in the floor, barring the door behind her with my 3 sleeping kids inside the house and the rest of us outside. OH, NO!
Since I had Josh's key ring (obviously not usual for me), I had the key to the garage padlock so we unlocked the garage door and tried the door into the house in there. No luck - later I saw that that door had the key actually in the lock inside at the time, so had we had the key to that door, it would have been useless anyway. We opened the garage door into the backyard and I highly doubted that we'd be able to get the kitchen door open but was praying anyway. We couldn't break into a window - they all have bars! The only other door was only accessible by a gate that was locked with barbed wire on top and the key was probably inside anyway.
Earlier yesterday I had taken the kids swimming and we'd opened the kitchen door to the back yard to hang the towels and swimsuits out on the line. Guess a kid was the last one in, because THE DOOR WAS NOT LOCKED!! Puji Tuhan!! Praise the Lord! I was able to go in and unbar the front door. God is sovereign and He proved it again last night when I couldn't depend on my husband to "solve my problem" - my Heavenly Father took good care of me - as He always does!
Thanks for your continued prayers for us - we truly feel them day and night! :)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Update
The dad of the 4 year old with Dengue Fever Shock Syndrome felt like he had a good talk with his doctor this afternoon. They are also in contact with an American doctor. His condition is not stable enough to be moved tomorrow on a commercial flight, so they have cancelled those tickets. After the 48 hour crisis period is passed, if they need to take him to another Asian country they will call a Medi-Vac flight.
He has passed the 24 hour mark, and although still very weak and on IV and oxygen, he is beginning to talk some. He is still in a crisis stage and the next 24 hours are very critical.
His parents are very weary--please pray that they could get some rest this evening, in spite of the round the clock nursing care that is a required part of being in the ICU ward.
The other 3 children are doing well.
Thanks for your prayers for the whole family.
He has passed the 24 hour mark, and although still very weak and on IV and oxygen, he is beginning to talk some. He is still in a crisis stage and the next 24 hours are very critical.
His parents are very weary--please pray that they could get some rest this evening, in spite of the round the clock nursing care that is a required part of being in the ICU ward.
The other 3 children are doing well.
Thanks for your prayers for the whole family.
Friday, July 06, 2007
4th of July Pics
Follow this link to our 4th of July pics! (you may have to copy and paste it into your browser)http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34707&l=2e36e&id=827110155
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Tribal People Reaching Out
Following is a story sent out by one of the missionaries we serve here. For me it brought into focus again the great need that we're here to help fill.
"We have to hurry," Bungon told me. I looked at her with a wrinkled brow. We were sitting on her porch, chatting, and I didn't know that we had plans to go anywhere.
"We have to hurry and finish the Hobongan translation," she said.
"After that you and I are moving to Metalunai to learn Hobukot."
Hobukot is the Hobongan or Punan name for the Bukat people who live in the villages of Metalunai, Nanga Barang, and Nanga Hobat. They live like the Punan did 20 years ago, nomadic hunter-gatherers. Much of the time Nanga Hobat stands as a deserted village while its nomadic inhabitants travel. The Punan believers had, at one time, tried to teach at the village of Metalunai but quickly realized that their limited understanding of the Bukat language was not enough to share the Gospel effectively with these people.
The burden to reach the Bukat still lingers, but the Punan church needs some help in order to plant a church among the Bukat. Learning another language is harder than they realize; it takes perseverance to learn it well enough to teach the Gospel. It takes some linguistic training in order to write an unwritten language and work on Scripture translation.
The Punan church planters are in need of co-workers in order to carry out their vision of reaching another unreached tribe. Do they need to wait another 10 years until the Punan Scripture translation is complete?
Do the Bukat people need to wait even longer before they get a chance to hear the Gospel?
"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." -- Jesus in Matthew 9:38
Sunday, July 01, 2007
New Family Interior and some Miracles
On Monday of last week we said good-bye to the Carpenter family as they headed to their new home in the interior region. They have 4 children: 2 boys and 2 girls, ages 5 to 13 or so. They will be living in a rough home with no bedroom doors for now and a built-on bathroom (with a brand-new toilet that flew in with them - the people interior don't use toilets like we do). I haven't seen pictures yet but I have heard that the house is non-stop full of people, mostly kids. This is probably very stressful as the Carpenters only speak the trade language and not the language of the tribe that they moved into. Thankfully there's another western couple already there to welcome them and help them get set up. When the Carpenters' plane took off last Monday we received word that their co-workers both had a bad stomach bug. As you can see, these families need your prayers as they work to settle in and start building relationships and learning the heart language of the people they have chosen to love and bring the gosepel of Christ to. The Carpenters will also be home-schooling their 4 children and doing all of the normal things we all do, minus the time savers like normal stove/oven, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. They probably wash their clothes in the river, cook over a gas flame and I don't know if they already have a propane/solar refrigerator or not...
They're going to be there for 24 days before they come out for the first time. When they do, they'll be staying with us. Please pray for wisdom for us as we seek to minister to them, not having done what they're doing and not knowing how it's affecting them or what would be an encouragement to them. Their co-workers have said that every time they come out to town and then it's time to go back in, it's "an act of will" to go back. Pray for both couples with us. Thanks!
On to the miracles...
This last week we saw 3 miracles happen in one day - incredible answers to prayer. First of all, one of my helpers "lost" a large amount of money, her savings. She was understandably upset about it and though we did all we could to find it, it didn't show up. She left for home, having finished her time working for us and we continued to pray that the Lord would bring her savings to light. On Thursday we found out that 2 co-workers had taken the opportunity to seach her room thoroughly one last time, and miraculously found the money stuck way up in the back of her dresser. We were so glad that she got her savings back!
Then, as Josh was working in the office under a deadline, he was trying to transfer some files from one computer to the other. It JUST WOULDN'T WORK. We didn't know WHAT we would do - we were under a deadline and thought we might have to do all of the many hours of data entry again. He kept trying to contact people who might be able to tell him what he needed to do to fix this problem, when he got an email - one of the guys had received his data, extracted it and emailed it back to him. He plugged it in and it WORKED! Whew!
Finally, we had some friends from Australia staying with us for a bit. They'd planned to leave Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest, but on Thursday at noon they were still with us. Their paperwork was STILL in government offices and they had tickets to fly home to be with their teenaged son for Friday. We received a phone call during lunch saying that there was a problem with government computers - some had been seized and so it was holding up the works. Who knew when that paperwork would make it out? After lunch as we were still at the table, talking, one guy suggested we pray about this situation, that the paperwork would arrive in a timely manner. 2 hours later, 1 hour before they needed to leave for the airport, our friends received the news that their paperwork had come through and they could go home.
It's been amazing as we wait on the Lord to see what He will do with the various situations in our lives - He is ALWAYS on time, He longs for us to depend on Him, to wait for Him, expecting a show of His strength, a show of His understanding, a show of His incredible care for us. He always comes through when we wait for Him and don't run ahead of Him.
Thanks for praying with us as we minister here.
They're going to be there for 24 days before they come out for the first time. When they do, they'll be staying with us. Please pray for wisdom for us as we seek to minister to them, not having done what they're doing and not knowing how it's affecting them or what would be an encouragement to them. Their co-workers have said that every time they come out to town and then it's time to go back in, it's "an act of will" to go back. Pray for both couples with us. Thanks!
On to the miracles...
This last week we saw 3 miracles happen in one day - incredible answers to prayer. First of all, one of my helpers "lost" a large amount of money, her savings. She was understandably upset about it and though we did all we could to find it, it didn't show up. She left for home, having finished her time working for us and we continued to pray that the Lord would bring her savings to light. On Thursday we found out that 2 co-workers had taken the opportunity to seach her room thoroughly one last time, and miraculously found the money stuck way up in the back of her dresser. We were so glad that she got her savings back!
Then, as Josh was working in the office under a deadline, he was trying to transfer some files from one computer to the other. It JUST WOULDN'T WORK. We didn't know WHAT we would do - we were under a deadline and thought we might have to do all of the many hours of data entry again. He kept trying to contact people who might be able to tell him what he needed to do to fix this problem, when he got an email - one of the guys had received his data, extracted it and emailed it back to him. He plugged it in and it WORKED! Whew!
Finally, we had some friends from Australia staying with us for a bit. They'd planned to leave Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest, but on Thursday at noon they were still with us. Their paperwork was STILL in government offices and they had tickets to fly home to be with their teenaged son for Friday. We received a phone call during lunch saying that there was a problem with government computers - some had been seized and so it was holding up the works. Who knew when that paperwork would make it out? After lunch as we were still at the table, talking, one guy suggested we pray about this situation, that the paperwork would arrive in a timely manner. 2 hours later, 1 hour before they needed to leave for the airport, our friends received the news that their paperwork had come through and they could go home.
It's been amazing as we wait on the Lord to see what He will do with the various situations in our lives - He is ALWAYS on time, He longs for us to depend on Him, to wait for Him, expecting a show of His strength, a show of His understanding, a show of His incredible care for us. He always comes through when we wait for Him and don't run ahead of Him.
Thanks for praying with us as we minister here.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Powerless
Not me, US. Looks like we're going to have another day without power, the second this week - and that means no A/C (check out the temps on the column on the right), only fans (not TOO bad, considering) and hearing the generator which is just outside my kitchen window LOUD AND CLEAR all day... It rained all day yesterday so hopefully today is sunnier so the clothes and towels get dry.
The kids had a blast playing outside in the rain yesterday morning but by 11:30 were chilled. We were all cold at lunch time - wonder what the temp was. Should probably get a thermometer for moments like that because we'd probably be amazed at how warm it actually is when we're thinking about a sweater!! There was a cool breeze so that's probably why we felt chilly.
On Tuesday Mitchell started Kindergarten! He's doing a great job and has a great attitude - of course he has a great attitude about it - he's been pestering me to start Kindergarten for months!! I'm glad he enjoys it and am SO excited that he'll be reading in a couple of weeks. I remember doing this curriculum with Spencer and it was so fun to see him figure out how stuff goes together. By the 2nd week of school they're already reading primers. I was just remembering last night some of the cute things he used to say - that he doesn't say anymore, and I'm not sure we got it on video tape! He's growing up so fast!!
Spencer is doing a 1st grade math review and flying through it so far. I'm doing it with him because he's going to be supplementing his 2nd grade math this fall with this other math curriculum and didn't score well on the placement test because he didn't get the format, not because he didn't know the math. It seemed that it would be best if he spent some time with the curriculum reviewing what he already knows before he started new material with a whole new format. It's from another Asian country so some terminology is a bit different than we would normally use. I think he's enjoying it and he seems to get it all. Can't wait til he gets to the Challenging Maths, we'll see how he does. Seems to be laid out really well. Maybe after he goes through all of this I will "get" math too!! In the photo below the boys are checking out the turtles and fish in our small backyard pond. Note they're squatting like local people do. If only I could get MY muscles to let ME do that!!
Our Julia is talking up a storm. Her favorite things are My Little Ponies, her baby doll, and her "beautiful" shirt. I was getting her dressed yesterday after coming in out of the rain and she requested a long-sleeved shirt in her closet. She volunteered that she wanted to wear it because it was beautiful. I don't remember how she pronounced it, but it was cute!! Here she is in her new piggie pajamas - from her aunties, matching her cousins' pajamas! She said, "Mommy, the piggies are running!"
OK, that was strange, but I'm glad to say that our power just came back on!! Anytime the power goes off first thing in the morning (like 6:15 or 7:30 or some other time that's precise like that) we are usually in for a day "off". Have a great day!!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Overwhelmed
Today I’m feeling overwhelmed, but it’s for a different reason earlier this week.
It’s been TOO long since I’ve written, but for good reason. We’ve been transitioning into our new ministry roles, and also have been out of town for about 2 weeks. We had a good time at our Field Fellowship time, connecting with colleagues, taking some time to relax and enjoy the company of friends from language study and also having the opportunity to shop in a grocery store that had western-style groceries. Highlights of the grocery shopping trip include whole wheat flour, flax seed and other grains for baking bread as well as a HUGE food service sized can of nacho slices!! We opened it today for lunch – haven’t had jalapenos since last summer – it was wonderful!! (...I forgot how spicy they were…) It should last a while…
Since we arrived home from Field Fellowship on June 6th, we’ve had guests in spades. Yesterday, the last guest left (until more come tomorrow) so we took the two days to move into our new home!! Part of being overwhelmed before was that our guests helped us move all of our stuff over (thank you!) but we didn’t have time or brain power left to figure out where to put the stuff. So, we walked around it for just under 2 weeks! I’m thankful to report that my floors once again can be seen by all, most everything is somewhere I can find it if needed and I feel much more settled in!!
We also got sick on the way to field fellowship and were sick about half the time there. Then on the way home we all got sick again and are still working to kick the head/chest colds we got!! Julia’s still not better and I’m still fighting a sore throat but the rest of the family seems much better.
That takes me to my current overwhelm-ed-ness. Today our supply buyer walked into our home carrying THREE care packages!! One we were expecting because it was stuff we paid for and had sent. The other two were from friends sending stuff to us because they love to minister to us that way. There are miracles all over this situation. We have already seen a number of times where packages have been held up in customs (or who knows where). Then they arrive on the perfect day – either exactly when we need what’s in them, or on a day when we could use a little pick-me-up. (For instance: Last fall we had decided to see if we could find some matchbox cars for the boys since theirs were looking a little run-down. That same day we received an unexpected package containing matchbox cars!! I prayed for months that the birthday package my mom sent would reach us before we left for our new region – we got it 2 days before we left (over 5 months after she mailed it). One day in fall (my favorite season – non-existent here) I was missing the leaves and we received a package with laminated multi-colored maple leaves from my sister!) So, here are some miracles for today, lest we forget…
We took our last vitamins last night not knowing when the next ones would arrive– the package we had sent to us contained the new ones we’d ordered.
Then another: I decided to go off of sugar for 1 month for health reasons this past Monday. It’s been going OK but sometimes it’s hard and I’m scrounging around the kitchen for something to ease the munchies. 2 of the packages I received today included sugar-free stuff, including strawberry Twizzlers (as anyone who knows me well knows, I LOVE strawberry Twizzlers) and she’d found them in Sugar-Free!! She also sent Splenda, which you can’t get here! I’m totally a beverage person and both packages included sugar-free drink mixes. NOW I'm set! (that's for Brenda)
On top of that, had our supply buyer not been there to pick up the packages, we may not have received the vitamins in them because they were not in original packaging and customs had a problem with that. He was able to talk to them and convince them that these were not illegal drugs or an import that I was re-selling but just something for my family to be more healthy. So I thank God for taking care of that too!
Beyond all of this, a couple from our church brought care packages from our church friends while at field fellowship as well –including an incredible assortment of items from our list on the blog (besides Spencer’s entire 2nd grade curriculum). We are excitedly anticipating making pepperoni pizza this weekend; we have some needed medical items and many other things to enjoy!
So here we are, with heat, humidity and a bunch of wonderful friends and family that God is using to bless us!! How overwhelming is that!!! We’re SO thankful for the tender loving care from such a caring Heavenly Father!
It’s been TOO long since I’ve written, but for good reason. We’ve been transitioning into our new ministry roles, and also have been out of town for about 2 weeks. We had a good time at our Field Fellowship time, connecting with colleagues, taking some time to relax and enjoy the company of friends from language study and also having the opportunity to shop in a grocery store that had western-style groceries. Highlights of the grocery shopping trip include whole wheat flour, flax seed and other grains for baking bread as well as a HUGE food service sized can of nacho slices!! We opened it today for lunch – haven’t had jalapenos since last summer – it was wonderful!! (...I forgot how spicy they were…) It should last a while…
Since we arrived home from Field Fellowship on June 6th, we’ve had guests in spades. Yesterday, the last guest left (until more come tomorrow) so we took the two days to move into our new home!! Part of being overwhelmed before was that our guests helped us move all of our stuff over (thank you!) but we didn’t have time or brain power left to figure out where to put the stuff. So, we walked around it for just under 2 weeks! I’m thankful to report that my floors once again can be seen by all, most everything is somewhere I can find it if needed and I feel much more settled in!!
We also got sick on the way to field fellowship and were sick about half the time there. Then on the way home we all got sick again and are still working to kick the head/chest colds we got!! Julia’s still not better and I’m still fighting a sore throat but the rest of the family seems much better.
That takes me to my current overwhelm-ed-ness. Today our supply buyer walked into our home carrying THREE care packages!! One we were expecting because it was stuff we paid for and had sent. The other two were from friends sending stuff to us because they love to minister to us that way. There are miracles all over this situation. We have already seen a number of times where packages have been held up in customs (or who knows where). Then they arrive on the perfect day – either exactly when we need what’s in them, or on a day when we could use a little pick-me-up. (For instance: Last fall we had decided to see if we could find some matchbox cars for the boys since theirs were looking a little run-down. That same day we received an unexpected package containing matchbox cars!! I prayed for months that the birthday package my mom sent would reach us before we left for our new region – we got it 2 days before we left (over 5 months after she mailed it). One day in fall (my favorite season – non-existent here) I was missing the leaves and we received a package with laminated multi-colored maple leaves from my sister!) So, here are some miracles for today, lest we forget…
We took our last vitamins last night not knowing when the next ones would arrive– the package we had sent to us contained the new ones we’d ordered.
Then another: I decided to go off of sugar for 1 month for health reasons this past Monday. It’s been going OK but sometimes it’s hard and I’m scrounging around the kitchen for something to ease the munchies. 2 of the packages I received today included sugar-free stuff, including strawberry Twizzlers (as anyone who knows me well knows, I LOVE strawberry Twizzlers) and she’d found them in Sugar-Free!! She also sent Splenda, which you can’t get here! I’m totally a beverage person and both packages included sugar-free drink mixes. NOW I'm set! (that's for Brenda)
On top of that, had our supply buyer not been there to pick up the packages, we may not have received the vitamins in them because they were not in original packaging and customs had a problem with that. He was able to talk to them and convince them that these were not illegal drugs or an import that I was re-selling but just something for my family to be more healthy. So I thank God for taking care of that too!
Beyond all of this, a couple from our church brought care packages from our church friends while at field fellowship as well –including an incredible assortment of items from our list on the blog (besides Spencer’s entire 2nd grade curriculum). We are excitedly anticipating making pepperoni pizza this weekend; we have some needed medical items and many other things to enjoy!
So here we are, with heat, humidity and a bunch of wonderful friends and family that God is using to bless us!! How overwhelming is that!!! We’re SO thankful for the tender loving care from such a caring Heavenly Father!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Getting Busier...
We took a long walk down the beach and found this beautiful location... Last week we had a short but nice and relaxing (only saw 1 roach in the motel room!) trip to the beach with co-workers and the helpers (will post more photos later). Now we are really in the swing of things. I took over guest home accommodation duties about 2 weeks ago but am having a bit of a struggle getting my mind in the gear of "who's coming in today, what room needs to be prepared, who's leaving and what room needs to be cleaned". I'm getting it organized on paper but now my mind needs to catch up.
This is the group that went to the beach together...
Starting Monday I'm also going to be responsible for meals, which will cover the rest of my responsibilities. Jael and I have done a lot of talking about all the aspects of which meals are good when there are a lot of people around and which work better with only a few guests...things like that. I've learned where to shop for what and what to order in or have helpers pick up. Now I just have to put it all together! Thankfully the people interior who will be coming out have expressed a willingness to give me space to learn what I need to! I'm thankful for wiggle room and really excited to take on the rest of the job!
Hanging out with Daddy...The people we're replacing will be gone by midweek next week and then Josh and I will (hopefully) have a firm hold on the reins! Thanks so much for praying for us! This job is so much bigger than just the everyday duties and we so much need to lean on Him to do the things He asks of us!
Pray that we will continually be drinking from the Source of living water to gain strength and courage and stamina for the job. Pray for the kids as Mommy is a lot busier than she was before - pray as I encourage them to be a part of this ministry too by helping me, and encouraging the kids coming through. Pray for patience for me as I juggle the work and the kids as Josh is also pretty busy. Thanks so much for your part in our ministry here!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Prayer Requests/Team-Building Trip
As I type this, my mom is in surgery. She is having back surgery at Waukesha Memorial Hospital in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She should be home tomorrow (her time). Please pray for a successful surgery and quick healing for her. Her name is Margaret. Here's a photo of her and my dad, Frank. Their blog is here.
And, now that Spencer is finished First Grade and I'm training for my new ministry, our daily schedule is topsy-turvy. Please pray with me that I would be able to work out something for the kids to do during the day (I know, playing is good - but I feel that it needs to be somewhat structured too). Usually they play outside for an hour after breakfast, after which time it's too hot to play outside, and then after 4 in the afternoon it's cool enough for them to play outside again - if it's not raining. So that leaves a lot of hours to fill in a day...
Thanks so much for your prayers and partnership with us!!
Below are photos of a "team-building" trip we took with the couple whom we'll be substituting for and our team of helpers.
It was a couple hour drive in 2 vehicles...
Mitchell enjoying his kickboard and the warm water.
Julia chasing me down the beach!
Julia with 3 of our helpers. 2 of the 3 are leaving next month. :(
Swimming at sunset.
This fish was actually found dead on the beach. Ew!
I took way too many of these sunset pictures and it was so hard to choose which to post - these were randomly chosen! Josh asked me what I would do with all of the pictures I took - I said, "I'll keep them and look at them."
The thing you see poking up from the water is a mast from a boat that sank.Not long until we take on the position in the Mission Home...
Friday, April 27, 2007
The Week in Review
It's Friday night and I have some time on my hands so I thought I'd update you on what's going on in our world here.
This week has been pretty busy as Josh has been solo in the office most of the week. Spencer and I did a big push to finish school and it looks like we'll finish tomorrow (his idea, not mine - he didn't want to have to do school on Monday and he had one small section left!). I begin taking over some of the guest house hostess duties on Monday so have spent some time preparing/organizing for that task. I'm also potty training so that has been a drain too. I was also sick for the first half or more of the week. It will be good to do some catching up this weekend.
Thursday we went for lunch with a coworker couple that is changing ministries and leaving our team. They also introduced us to their builder (furniture builder, not home builder) so that we can have bunk beds made for the boys that will stand up to boys using them!! That afternoon we had 3 hours of orientation time with 3 other couples, discussing the core values of our organization. It was such a good time of reviewing verses that we've heard a million times and having them be brought to life and being motivated by them once more! The Word of God is indeed living and active, and applicable to each of our lives no matter where we live or what our job is.
I read something on the blog by David Gunner Gundersen Raw Christianity from March 9th that really stuck out to me the other day. He wrote about some people in his life who do what they do with great enthusiam for the Lord. Here's an excerpt:
There are some people who do certain things so well and with such passion and excellence that they serve (at least to me) as a picture of how I want to live in all areas of life. ...there are more than just a few people who have caught my attention by the way they live in one area or another. Some are well-known, some unknown. But all live for the Lord and seek to honor Him in what they do...
(he lists a number of examples, then...the last part really got me...)
My prayer is that in whatever the Lord has called you to do, you would cast off the sacred/secular distinction that is so easily and disastrously drawn in our minds, and that you would do what you do humbly and heartily and excellently for the Lord and for His purposes. May it be said of you that that if everyone were to live like you _(cook, drum, sing, type - added by me)_____, they would be living well."
I'll end with that.
Thanks for your prayers and for keeping up with what's going on with us on the blog. Drop me a line sometime. It's always a great encouragement to hear that you're stopping by and also motivation to post more often! :) Have a great weekend!
This week has been pretty busy as Josh has been solo in the office most of the week. Spencer and I did a big push to finish school and it looks like we'll finish tomorrow (his idea, not mine - he didn't want to have to do school on Monday and he had one small section left!). I begin taking over some of the guest house hostess duties on Monday so have spent some time preparing/organizing for that task. I'm also potty training so that has been a drain too. I was also sick for the first half or more of the week. It will be good to do some catching up this weekend.
Thursday we went for lunch with a coworker couple that is changing ministries and leaving our team. They also introduced us to their builder (furniture builder, not home builder) so that we can have bunk beds made for the boys that will stand up to boys using them!! That afternoon we had 3 hours of orientation time with 3 other couples, discussing the core values of our organization. It was such a good time of reviewing verses that we've heard a million times and having them be brought to life and being motivated by them once more! The Word of God is indeed living and active, and applicable to each of our lives no matter where we live or what our job is.
I also had the opportunity to put together some information on how to do a great manicure that LASTS for 6 young teen girls (missionary kids whose parents are my coworkers) and presented it to them tonight. What fun for me (and I think for them)! I looked all over the internet for tips and ended up writing up a step by step how-to for them and included a bunch of tips on a hand-out as well. The hour ended with them each having taken the steps (most of the steps) one by one and they all left with a nice nail job they'd done themselves! We discussed fake nails, nail biting and the right way to file your nails, among other things. I sent them each home with a buffer to call their own. Who knows, maybe one day one of them will love a good nail job as much as I do! :) Most of all, I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to invest in them the concept that they are young women of value and that it matters that they take good care of their temple of the Holy Spirit, no matter what color their polish is - yellow, green OR blue.:)
I read something on the blog by David Gunner Gundersen Raw Christianity from March 9th that really stuck out to me the other day. He wrote about some people in his life who do what they do with great enthusiam for the Lord. Here's an excerpt:
There are some people who do certain things so well and with such passion and excellence that they serve (at least to me) as a picture of how I want to live in all areas of life. ...there are more than just a few people who have caught my attention by the way they live in one area or another. Some are well-known, some unknown. But all live for the Lord and seek to honor Him in what they do...
(he lists a number of examples, then...the last part really got me...)
My prayer is that in whatever the Lord has called you to do, you would cast off the sacred/secular distinction that is so easily and disastrously drawn in our minds, and that you would do what you do humbly and heartily and excellently for the Lord and for His purposes. May it be said of you that that if everyone were to live like you _(cook, drum, sing, type - added by me)_____, they would be living well."
I'll end with that.
Thanks for your prayers and for keeping up with what's going on with us on the blog. Drop me a line sometime. It's always a great encouragement to hear that you're stopping by and also motivation to post more often! :) Have a great weekend!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Making new friends
Julia and her friend
Singing time with friends - Julia in red, Spencer in blue flowered, Mitchell in blue/green check
Friday, April 13, 2007
A New Normal in our New City
Josh is in the office each day -
this is how I find him when I go looking for him...
Josie spends about 4 hours each morning/early afternoon
doing school with Spencer.
Mitchell loves going to a co-worker's house 2 mornings a week to join other pre-schoolers for some fun and learning time.
Julia looks happy here but generally shower time everyday is NOT her favorite time of day. This particular day she poured a LOT of shampoo all over herself when I wasn't looking and we had to soap it up to get it all off.
Spencer LOVES to read! He just started reading "chapter books" in the last few weeks.
This is not an everyday thing, but here's a photo of one of our co-workers with Josh. I've actually mixed them up once when I wasn't looking, just felt Darin beside me and talked to him about one of the kids, then looked up - and it was NOT Josh! As you can see, Darin is 1 inch shorter than Josh, they both have the same coloring and carry about the same amount of weight (not much!). 
This is not an everyday thing, but here's a photo of one of our co-workers with Josh. I've actually mixed them up once when I wasn't looking, just felt Darin beside me and talked to him about one of the kids, then looked up - and it was NOT Josh! As you can see, Darin is 1 inch shorter than Josh, they both have the same coloring and carry about the same amount of weight (not much!). 
Man Eating Shark
Here’s pic of Josh eating shark! I prepared a really yummy shark last night for dinner. For the first time ever trying that type of steak, it sure was a “we’ll have to do that again” meal!
Josh bought 3 pounds of the shark for less than $2 per pound at the local market the other day (NO idea what kind it is, Josh didn’t think to ask) so I got busy on the internet looking for good shark recipes. I actually found one for swordfish (the meat of this fish is similar in texture and so can be interchangeable) on epicurious.com called Swordfish with Lime-Ginger Glaze. It was very quick and easy to make the marinade/glaze, let it sit for 3-6 hours and then broil. I served it with Napa Cabbage Salad and Coconut Rice (also from the epicurious site, the Feb 1998 version of the recipe) and Earl Gray Iced Tea. Yum! Here's a pic of our whole family enjoying the meal.
On a different note, I wanted to post some pictures of our family doing normal things that happen every day. Check out the "Our Photos" link on the right for the pictures or click on the words themselves...
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Easter!
Easter morning dawned clear and bright. The palm trees are waving in a slight breeze against a beautiful blue sky. We have power today, with only a brief 5 minute outage during breakfast. Before today, we had another 3 days of no power (except the generator to run fans and small stuff) during the day so having a/c is a relief.Some folks sent us some Easter goodies from the States, so that’s been a treat this week – to be able to surprise our kids with Easter tootsie rolls at snack time, Easter egg shaped sidewalk chalk at playtime and so on! Spencer’s been practicing with the jump rope you sent, Jeanie, and he’s successful some of the time!!
We just finished breakfast and dishes and are about to open the last of the Resurrection Eggs with the kids. For weeks now the boys have been asking, “Is it time to start the eggs yet?” This year Julia joined in taking a turn to open an egg. Each morning since March 28th, one kid gets to open an egg and we talk about what’s inside it. Each egg has a symbol of the Easter Story in it. It’s a great way for them to learn the Easter story and they’re excited each year to begin.
Cultural Observation: It’s interesting that there’s no Easter Bunny here. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. There was no Santa Claus either. (And I’ll bet no Tooth Fairy! J ) There is actually little or no commercialism around those holidays like at home. In a way, though, I realized this morning that if we’d been at home in the US, we’d have prepared more for Easter – new dress for Julia, an Easter egg hunt in the backyard for the kids, spring wreath on the door and so on. Here, I prepared a special breakfast and we’ll talk about the Easter story with the kids. It’s a nice time to hang out with just family since there’s usually so many people around…
Some pics of our little outing last night - a restaurant with a kiddy pool - an appropriate "play land" for here!
Check out the sunset...
Check out the sunset...Monday, April 02, 2007
My NEW Favorite Drink/Dessert
Since we arrived here I've been enjoying a beverage that you all would enjoy so much. I watched the girl make it one time when I ordered it and have been making (and tweaking) it at home since. I don't have an actual recipe but will try to explain how to make it. Since it could potentially be something that you would have a mental block about, try to keep an open mind...(my sister Rachel could NOT get her mind around using avocado for anything not savory) the beverage is a "Jus Alpokat" or "Avocado Drink".
Jus Alpokat
Ingredients:
1 or 2 avocados, ripe but not overripe
water
ice
sugar or artificial sweetener (sweetener will change the flavor a bit, try with sugar first if you want the full effect)
chocolate syrup - Hershey's works fine but so does home made if you have it
1. Open the avocado, remove the seed and scoop out the fruit into the blender. 
2. Add some water and ice to the consistency of a shake
3. Sweeten to desired sweetness (here they add simple syrup so the sugar is already dissolved - decrease water if you use it...)
4. Grab a tall glass in one hand and the chocolate syrup in the other. Squirt the sauce around and around in the glass, making a pretty pattern - I like to do a swirl from bottom to top. This step is important because THIS is the flavor that your drink is going to take on. 
5. Pour the avocado drink into the glass, swirl another bit of chocolate sauce over the top, stick in a straw. It's beautiful - avocado green and brown, swirled together. 
I use the straw to little-by-little get the chocolate off the sides of the glass into the drink as I drink it.
Yes, I know it's incredibly high in fat - I only have it on special occasions, but it's GOOD fat, right? Definitely worth a try. If you do a search on the web there are a couple of places that have recipes for this - but they're not the same - they have milk and stuff in them. Next time I make it I'll take a picture so you can see this beautiful beverage! Try it - you'll love it. When I come home next time, I can make it for you - just remind me!
Jus Alpokat
Ingredients:
1 or 2 avocados, ripe but not overripe
water
ice
sugar or artificial sweetener (sweetener will change the flavor a bit, try with sugar first if you want the full effect)
chocolate syrup - Hershey's works fine but so does home made if you have it
1. Open the avocado, remove the seed and scoop out the fruit into the blender. 2. Add some water and ice to the consistency of a shake3. Sweeten to desired sweetness (here they add simple syrup so the sugar is already dissolved - decrease water if you use it...)
4. Grab a tall glass in one hand and the chocolate syrup in the other. Squirt the sauce around and around in the glass, making a pretty pattern - I like to do a swirl from bottom to top. This step is important because THIS is the flavor that your drink is going to take on. 5. Pour the avocado drink into the glass, swirl another bit of chocolate sauce over the top, stick in a straw. It's beautiful - avocado green and brown, swirled together. I use the straw to little-by-little get the chocolate off the sides of the glass into the drink as I drink it.Yes, I know it's incredibly high in fat - I only have it on special occasions, but it's GOOD fat, right? Definitely worth a try. If you do a search on the web there are a couple of places that have recipes for this - but they're not the same - they have milk and stuff in them. Next time I make it I'll take a picture so you can see this beautiful beverage! Try it - you'll love it. When I come home next time, I can make it for you - just remind me!
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