3 Weeks: What I am NOT looking forward to?

Believe it or not there are things I am not looking forward to in the upcoming transition.

I will do my best at the Top Ten.

I guess I'm just not as creative as other bloggers and have a hard time coming up with even 10 things worth mentioning!

1. feeling out of place when it's suppose to feel like home

2. tight, uncomfortable clothes

3. being understood by everyone around me (meaning I can no longer speak in English and have people around me not understand)

4. tv

5. sitting in pews instead of a circle

6. having to call before I go visit someone

7. not having my door bell ring with an unexpected, unannounced but a most welcomed guest

8. news 

9. lack of hospitality

10. unfriendliness

Thanks be to God who uses the hard things in life to make us more like Christ.

m

An Attempt At a Well Rounded Education

I have been working hard these last months to make homeschooling more than just work pages, writing, reading and mathematics. So whether it's PE, Home Ec., music, or art, we always end up having a good time together.

For 20 cents I can buy clay dishes for Thomas to paint. He is always painting them for everyone but me... I wouldn't mind having one too!!! It makes for a great “Super Saturday” school activity. 

In the kitchen, Thomas is my right hand man (usually). We have one rule: Ask first. I try to let him do as much of the work as possible. We usually really enjoy our times together.

Of late we have added some sewing to our school adventures. Thomas helps pin and presses the pedal.

I was reminded of how much all BOY my son is when I asked him to collect all the pins together so that we could easily pin the cloth. This was the result.

Homeschool is so challenging and so much fun. My little boy is growing in mind, body and spirit daily. I treasure these days we get to spend together and look forward to more!

Hope you have a reason to rejoice today.

m

Am I Beautiful?

Will I remember I am beautiful when I no longer hear the sweet sound of singing that begins as I pass by the group of gaping men? Will I be beautiful?

Will I remember I am beautiful if I no longer have the man on his motorcycle stop in the middle of the intersection to watch me finish crossing through?Will I be beautiful?

Will I remember I am beautiful if I no longer see the young man clad in purple shirt and jeans 2 sizes too small stop on the other side of the waiting room and stand facing me with unabashed stare?

Will I remember I am beautiful when I am no longer surrounded by advertisements for skin whitener and people stop commenting on my beautiful fair skin? Will I be beautiful?

Will I remember I am beautiful when I no longer have people commenting on how “Healthy” (read “FAT” here because that is the literal translation) I am looking? Will I be beautiful?

Will I?

Will I still be beautiful?

When bombarded with TV, will I remember I am beautiful?

When I see advertisements for weight loss, slimmers, and the like, will I remember I am beautiful?

When size 10 is too large, will I remember I am beautiful?

When make up is needed, new clothes, and the latest fashions, will I remember I am beautiful?

When every menu provides the “light calorie” option, will I remember I am beautiful?

Will I?

Will I still be beautiful?

“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

“An excellent wife who can find?...She dresses herself with strength and makes he arms strong... she opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. ..Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (Proverbs 31 excepts)

“but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:4)

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another,” (1 Peter 5:5b)

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience... above all these put on love...” (Colossians 3:12-15)

“ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Eph. 6:10-20)

“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so cloths the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious... but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6: 25-34)

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” (Proverbs 31:30-31)

Am I beautiful? The standard of beauty set before me no longer regards the color of my skin, my bmi, nor anything else visible to man other than good works. I have a long road ahead of me to true beauty and praise be to God who is changing me from one degree of glory to another. One day I will possess true beauty. Until then, I will remember that God is the one making me beautiful all in his good time by the work of Holy Spirit in me!

Beauty.

Do you have it?

Beauty.

Do you seek it?

Beauty.

Only be Holy Spirit are we made truly beautiful.

I can't wait to be truly gorgeous!

m

4 Weeks: What will I NOT miss?

Some things about living here are hard.

Here are my top ten things I will not miss.

1. Seeing the hurt, poverty, and lostness at every turn

2. the dirt

3. the heat

4. the garbage

5. the stares and catcalls 

6. the chaos/lawlessness

7. 

thankful that God is in control and that these things are only temporary but that He is eternal.

m

5 Weeks: What will I do first?

Our departure is too quickly approaching.

So the question arises, "What will you do first?"

Other than sleep, here are my top ten... 

1. Hug my Mom!

2. Hug my Dad!

3. Go for a run with my little brother (actually I think I will walk with my mom but I will pretend to run with my brother for the first 3 strides)

4. Eat my mom's cooking.

5. Walk down a street loudly and not be the loudest

6. Walk down a street and not be looked at.

7. Freely run around in the park with Thomas. (and not the ladies park).

8. Speak English and be able to talk to people about Jesus in English!!!

9. Go on a Daddy date.

10. 

I got stuck... I think there are other things but I can't think of them at the moment. 

Maybe in a couple of weeks from now I will...

I love living here. 

I can't wait to see my family but I wish they were coming here instead of me going there.

I am so thankful to love where God has brought me. What a gracious God we serve.

m

Snow?

I love snow. The lightly dusted ground, flowers, and trees.  It's so beautiful.

This isn't snow.

Neither is this.

Nor this.
In fact, it's actually mold.

Mold.

I have this bad tendency to allow food to mold. There will be just a small amount of left overs and I hate to throw food away.  Our freezer is small, especially when trying to make ice for the hot weather, so what I can't fit in the freezer, I put in the fridge.
Days later I know I have missed the mark for serving it and now it must be thrown out. But I just HATE to throw food out.
So what do I do?  I leave it.  I let it stay in the fridge and mold rather than have to throw it out.
I know it's going to mold. I know it's harder to clean once it molds. I know it isn't sanitary.  I know it can't be good for my fridge, my tupperware.  YUCK. But I don't take care of it. I let it happen, over and over and over again.
Mold.


Sin.
The thing I don't want to do, I do.
In the midst of it I think, "Why am I doing this?  I don't want to be this way."
Sin.
It starts little.  Oh, how it can grow.
Sin.
Like mold.  When I just let things be that should be thrown out, confessed, cut off,  sin begins to grow.
Sin.
Like mold.  It can look pretty. But it's so deadly. It hurts me. It hurts my family.
Sin.
The thing I don't want to do, I do.

have mercy on me, o God, 

according to your steadfast love; 

according to your abundant mercy 

blot out my transgressions

wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, 

and cleanse me from my sin! 

psalm 51:1-2

sinner, saved by grace,

m

Road Trip

We recently took a road trip.
5 hours to get there.
3 hours to spend there.
6 hours back.
Wow.
My body felt beat up, broken, and exhausted.

Bliss finished her book, so she had a good time.
Thomas got to run down sand dunes, dance standing up in the van, and eat cookies, so he had a good time.
I got to see my close friend, if only for 3 hours, and spend time with friends and my kiddos.

I'm just thankful we made it back on the same day and all in one piece.
Here's some pictures of the adventure:

"Old Man," the polite way of referring to him in our language here, is explaining the events happening in TinTin read from back to front.  I'm not sure but I think the story changes a little if you read it backwards! 

Bliss "happily" lets me take her pic (NOT).  But it's the scenery I was going for!!! The dessert was beautiful because it had rained on our journey.

Just one day prior to Good Friday, these thorns brought the image of the cross. O that people around us would come to Jesus. 

We just walked into this compound of several houses. We don't know the people who live here. They don't know us. Strangers. We just walked right in.  Life is a little different here. If your door is unlocked, that's an open invitation.  

Thomas loved being able to run after so many hours in the car. I wish I had video of the boys dancing in the car.  Seat belt laws... well... first we would need seat belts to have laws.

Isn't she beautiful?!? I think so.

We drew water up from a well we found. 

Cookies were Thomas' lunch and dinner and his play... 10 hours in the car.  Did I mention no restraints?

I'm thankful for good friends, great kids, and fun memories.

m