¡¡¡CORRE!!! ¡¡¡CORRE!!!

Yesterday was a surprisingly hot day for October.  It was truly a welcome break from the cold, but with that kind of heat there is always a storm.  And last night was no exception.  We headed to last night's baby shower with clouds on the horizon and a hint of rain in the air.  By the time I headed out to take the ladies in the El General Barrio home the temperature had dropped significantly. 

With the wind blowing hard and lightning flashing in the sky I was wondering if I would get all the ladies home before the full brunt of the storm hit.  In the midst of my "day dreaming" I forgot about a burro (speed bump) and, well, lets just say I'm glad it wasn't one of the big ones.  It was sufficient though to give everyone on board a thrill ride. 

After "safely" dropping off the last lady I headed back to the church to get the rest of the ladies from the El Real Barrio.  By that point the heavens had let loose of all the water and I was having to drive home in conditions I really don't like - rain, speed bumps and an overloaded van. 

I don't normally drive so I never remember well where everyone lives, that said, I can confess the rest of the story.  I thought dropping off the first lady would be fairly simple.  Except we usually pick her up on a different road but because of the rain I was taking her to her house and she is hard of hearing.  When I got to the place I thought was hers one of the ladies asked her if this was where she needed to be dropped off.  Answering in the affirmative and exiting the van she began to run ahead of me, about a block, to her house....in the pouring and pelting rain.  Talk about my bad! 

On the way to the next house the ladies in the van decided to sing Showers of Blessings.  Once all the ladies found their parts it was some of the most beautiful singing I've ever heard.  I think we need to form a van choral. :-)  We can drive around the neighborhoods singing to the Lord! 

The next lady was a near ditto of the last but I actually went where she told me to go.  However, she screamed as she got out of the van and then stood there.  So all the ladies were yelling at her over the storm to RUN!!!  Which she did.  The only problem...she ran off in a direction not anywhere near her house.  I have to admit it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.  Based on the riotous laughter in the van, I think all the ladies would agree.

After that at each house we stopped at the rest of the ladies were telling the next to RUN HOME!!!  And at one corner I dropped off two ladies who both ran in opposite directions.  It just added to the hilarity of the night, even though they were running towards home.  I wonder if this will become a running joke for us!  HAHA.  

I really, really needed some genuine humor last night.  I've have so many trials in my life lately that have left me seeing clearly what little faith I have, which in turn, leaves me feeling hopeless and very discouraged.  The woman who has challenged the faltering faith in others with the question, "Who is your God?,"  is left shaking her head in dismay when she asks herself the very same question.

As I ponder some of the happenings of last night I realize a few things.

1. How many times have I run off like the first lady, into the midst of the storm, by myself, because I didn't want to inconvenience others.  Or because I didn't want to upset, disappoint, or offend anyone by telling them I wasn't in the right place.  Or because I didn't trust the one who was offering to help me.   
2. How many times have I placed myself in more danger because of my pride, or fear of rejection?  I am, after all, a missionary, a pastors wife.  Is there really an allowance for me to be a human being who hurts and struggles and bleeds red blood just like you?
   
3. Have I tried to help God out by telling Him where I want to go instead of allowing Him to take me where I need to be and I'm left running off screaming into the storm?   With no protection and looking like a crazy woman, while others are wondering what in the world that was all about.
4. How many times have I judged another going through a torment in their lives?  
5. How many times have I been a cause of their torment and my refusal to see my responsibility (SIN) has caused them to question Who God is and ultimately led them to despair?
6. Am I running to God in my storm...or away from Him thinking I can find help in my own power?
   

Now I wonder, have I said too much? 

What repercussions may this blog post have? 

Will this result in more hurt from gossiping tongues? 

Or will the results be positive? 

Will it help you all to pray better for me?   Oh, I surely hope so!!! 

No doubt many of you already know me well enough to know that I'm a horribly stubborn selfish imperfect perfectionist...if not, just ask my family!  Even so I'm a Christian woman who longs to have Christ glorified in and through me all the while knowing I'm falling very short of that mark.  And I can't seem to see the target through the pain and confusion.  I feel much like Paul, that would I do I do not.  (Romans 7:15-21) 

So now I end this VERY long post with a request that you would please pray that God would help me through my unbelief.  (Mark 9:24) That he would help me to quit running like a crazy woman through the storm and instead to take His hand and place myself beneath the protective shelter of His wings. 

"For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings."  Psalm 61:3,4

How NOT to Behave

Throughout our years as parents we have worked very hard to train our children to have table manners. Really there is nothing harder then to try and enjoy a meal out when you have unruly kids. Throughout our time in Bible college we were sure to take our kids out to eat in restaurants to familiarize them with the turf...so to speak. Since we had basically 3 years of meals out during deputation this training paid off.

Today we realized there is a need for a refresher course in table etiquette.

It all began with Simeon slurping and gulping his drink. At the same time Isabel nibbled off all the skin of her hot dog and proceeded to totally gross us out by the way she ate it.


Then Nehemiah decided to stick Palitos (little bread stick type "chips") against his nostrils and inhale so they looked like the bone that goes through the nose of natives. Which sent the little peeps into a frenzy of sticking palitos up their noses and in their ears.


Isabel was the first one to stick a palito in her nose and when we asked if she was going to eat it she said, "No!" and promptly stuck it in her mouth. She was laughing so hard at our disgust that she let out a gasious explosion. That got all of us roaring.

With our furlough coming up, I'll be making sure the kids use their table manners. Though I have this sinking feeling that I'll probably have nightmares about today's scene at lunch set in a Pastor's house or at a restaurant.

Brethren, pray for us!!! :-)

Unexpected Guest

In the ministry, and on the mission field, it is not at all unusual to hear a knock on our front door or a clap at the back announcing a visitor. It was close to six this morning when an unusual sound announced an unexpected visitor.

I woke to screams accompanying a sound of something moving through brush outside. Immediately following was a sound similar to our front door being opened, which always reverberates through the walls in our bedroom at the back of the house. Since the initial sound was coming through our open bedroom window I thought something was happening in the backyard. I thought it unusual, however, that the sound following seemed to come from the front of the house.

Scott had left an hour earlier with Adeline for Montevideo and so in my sleepy state, and since our dog wasn't barking, I thought they had come back. Then the screaming and yelling I heard finally registered and I headed into the kitchen to check things out. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the back yard so I headed into the living room.

As I entered the living room I saw lights shining through the front sliding door curtains. The position of the lights seemed odd as did the sound of a large truck engine. So I peeked out the window just in time to see a large truck in our front yard. Still in a fog I watched for a few seconds while they moved the broken part of the tree and began backing out of our yard. I figured it was a road crew. Hey, in Uruguay you never know!

I went into the boys room to see if they were awake. Just as I expected all three older boys were awake and Brandon informed me that a truck lost control and was in our yard. Ah, now that shed some light on why they were so close to our house.

The meat truck would have been parked about where the white truck is.

The driver of the truck returned about 9:30 am and explained what happened to Brandon. It turned out the the meat company was delivering beef to the butcher next door when the truck, parked parallel to the curb, came to life nearly running one of the delivery men over. That explained all the yelling.

The out of control truck then moved up into our yard breaking the tree along the road. It turned toward the house moving through the yard and was slowed down by the brick planter that sits about 3 feet from the front wall. That is when the delivery man jumped out of its path and into the bushes under the boys window. Though the truck's front tires ran over the planter it lost enough velocity to not run straight through the front of the house. It did make contact with the brick between the front door and slider and partially pulverized it. And that's as far as it made it.

This is the planter box that slowed the meat truck down.

The 2nd brick down is the one that is damaged from the meat truck.

Our unexpected guest did not leave us any meat...too bad. I am thankful though that he also did not leave us with major repairs to make. After this morning I have to agree, that for us especially, life can be stranger than fiction.

Whose are these?

You wouldn't think that such a question would bring people to tears but around here you never know what will happen. I certainly never imagined that someone would come to me with dentures to inquire of their owner. But that's exactly what happened last week after our ladies meeting.

One of our ladies lost her lower dentures, and apparantly didn't realize she was toothless. Imagine my surprise when a deacons wife held them up in my face. Uh, gross! Evidently the expression on my face was enough to get the ladies laughing. That led to all kinds of jokes which soon had all of us crying because we were laughing so hard.

Have I told you yet how much I love these ladies? I love their humor, their joy in the Lord, and their ability to laugh. I love that they have wrapped their arms around me and pray for me and help me while I adjust to living here. I love that they are so willing to sit for an hour to gain some truths from the Bible about how they should live for God. I especially love that after teaching my class all in Spanish, from my mind (no notes, except for the discussion questions), the ladies were so encouraging in spite of my many mistakes. God has richly blessed me!

Say what?

I just received the list of what I need to take to the hospital for the birth of Silas. And Scott thought I should share what the online translator has done with the list. I sure hope the translator is wrong, after all this is my eighth child and for the life of me I can't figure out what a pair of averages is, let alone why Silas would need them. Hmmm.

pelele - puppet
batita nansú - little robe cloth
bata algodón - robe cotton
rebozo - wrap
par de medias - pair of averages
par de escarpines que no sean ceñidos - pair of pointed shoes that are not too tight
conjunto de lana o hilo según la estación - set of wool or thread as the station