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

High places

"Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places." Habakkuk 3:18,19

I have just finished a Bible study on the book of Habakkuk and it was an eye opening and heart touching time. I have learned so much about faith through the years but found myself completely perplexed over some aspects of faith I have not previously applied to my life. I was stunned by the idea that faith not only included trusting God to save me and to provide my physical, financial and spiritual needs but that I needed to trust God to provide for ALL my needs. I need to live out my life entirely in faith. It takes faith to have victory over sin and self. It takes faith to love the unlovely. It takes faith to submit. I found myself begging the Lord for wisdom and understanding so I could truly apply, "but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 b

Right away the Lord brought to mind verses that I have already memorized and in some ways applied to my life. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1, "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Romans 14:23b I definitely know those verses and have lived them but now I see them in a new light. Now I see them as Habakkuk applied them to his life and the overwhelming circumstances he was facing.

He went up into a tower and waited for the Lord to speak to him. That's faith. He waited for the Lord to show him what he should say when he was reproved. That's faith. He listened as God pronounced woes (2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19). As God proclaimed that He would judge the sin not only of Israel but also of the Chaldeans (Babylonians). He heard God tell him that the whole earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God (2:14) AMEN! He believed the Lord. He obeyed Him.

When God finished speaking to Habakkuk he had no question of God's faithfulness, of His character, His omnipotence, His Holiness. We've seen this before in Scripture most notably with Isaiah. Those who get a glimpse of Who God really is, in His entirety - Holy, Just, Love and Grace - they become different people, they repent. Chapter 3 shows all that Habakkuk learned of God. His song is punctuated with faith (see the verse at top).

I'm most certainly challenged to live a much different life. When I'm being tried do I really rejoice in the Lord? Is every aspect of my life, every decision, every choice, every desire one of faith? Do I remember to go to the tower and wait on the Lord for Him to speak to me? Do I realize that He will give me stability and strength to stand in the most difficult of places? Do I submit to His will for my life or just to those easy areas? Do I wait on the Lord for the strength that only He can give?

I still have not grasped all that it means to live all aspects of my life out in faith, but I do know that God is faithful to help me. I look back at all the times God has cared for me. And I have hope for the future, and joy in the trials.

Ministry Update

After a day of rain and cold weather one would expect a somber mood inchurch but yesterday it bordered on festive as we had much to rejoice over. Our prayers for Rudy have been answered and though he still has some recuperation he is now home.

The first of the embarazadas (expectant mothers) had a healthy baby girl, Rebekah on Wednesday. Yesterday afternoon we were blessed to be at the hospital when another one of the expectant mothers safely delivered a baby boy, Juan Daniel. There is one more mother expecting her baby in the next few days and then wehave a couple more months to wait for the next set of three babies. "Lo,children are an heritage of the Lord." What a blessing of God for our church to have so many new babies to raise up in the nurture and admonition of theLord.

Our winter attendance has been quite low. In spite of that we have some new babies in the Lord. Praise the Lord that we also have an opportunity to pray for these new believers as they learn to walk with God. Please pray with us that they will grow in the Lord. Some weeks back one of our supporting churches requested a list of those to pray for the salvation of during their evangelistic prayer meetings. We have seen progress in the lives on the list some for salvation, some have come to church, and others have softer hearts.

As the weather begins to warm up we are looking forward to spring. The men will have an outing the first Saturday of September, we have a leadership conference planned this spring as well as another ladies meeting. Please pray that we will see fruit in these ministries.

Update on Rudy

Thank you for praying for Rudy, praise God he is doing much better. He called the Perez today for news on the church. Also Scott and Archie were able to visit him in the hospital and he was up and walking around without an IV. He should come home soon. Please continue praying for his recovery.

Pray for Rudy

Please be in prayer for Rudy, a young man in our church. He had a moto accident this afternoon and is now in serious condition in Montevideo. The last we heard he was in a coma. We will update as we know more, thank you for praying.

Our vacation in Punta del Este, Uruguay

Scott and I spent a couple days in Punta del Este, Uruguay for a mini-vacation. It was absolutely gorgeous. We have heard this is the retirement capitol of South America and we can see why. It really is quite modern and has tremendous scenery. Many people are bilingual so if you don't speak Spanish you could manage in this city. We counted no less than 5 large condominium "towers" being constructed. And the prices weren't too bad beginning at $150,000 US dollars for a 2 bdrm 2 bath condo it would make an affordable investment.

One of my favorite times of the trip was a drive up the Atlantic coast. There is nothing like the sound and smell of the ocean. I love slipping off my shoes and walking along the surf. The only thing that halfway compared was the bathtub in our hotel room. It sure was pleasant to have a nice hot bath after 8 months of no bathtub. We sure appreciate the Perez family caring for our family so we could enjoy this snippet of time recharging our batteries.

Baby Shower

On the 11th the ladies of Iglesia Bautista Fundamental joined together to celebrate the first 3 babies - Ezequiel, Juan Daniel and Timoteo - due to arrive very soon. I think of all the baby showers I have been to this was one of the most enjoyable. The games were fun, the food delicious, the devotionals encouraging and the gift time was sweet. I especially enjoyed watching Cristina open her gifts. She reminded me of my little ones on Christmas day.

We had about 60 people, I wish I could give an exact count but I had to stop at 51 as many ladies got up to go help cut the sweets just as I started counting.

Ruth and I both spoke. Ruth's teaching was much more in depth than mine. I was limited to "reading" my devotional, but every word was in Spanish. I am certianly looking forward to Spanish fluency...sometime in my lifetime, I hope.

100th post!

In some ways I'm surprised that I have already posted 99 times about our life on deputation, on the field and in general. I really have enjoyed "blogging". I like that I can keep all of your updated without bombarding your inboxes. If you want to be updated on the essentials and non-essentials of our lives you can visit our blog.

Not only is this the 100th post but I noticed the other day that we have had over 6,000 first time hits to this blog. I'm excited about the potential of that. It is my prayer that many of the people who drop by here are blessed, encouraged and will see the Lord at work in our lives and here in Uruguay.

EX`PLORE

EX`PLORE To search for making discovery: To view with care: To examine closely by the eye. Simeon July 2007

I had so much fun taking these pictures and making this scrapbook page of Simeon. In the first photo he had the binoculars upside down and backwards. When I asked him what he was looking at he leaned over and said, "Don't know." (middle photo) Then he looked at his binoculars turned them right side up, looked through them, smiled and said, "That." (last)

This was actually a warm day, notice he is not wearing a jacket. I know you all can't imagine wearing jackets let alone sweaters right now but it really is winter down here.

Embarazadas - Part two

Well here we are a few weeks later and all of us showing. Nancy, due on the 13th is missing from the picture. From left to right the others are - Elida due in December, me due in November, Rebekah due in November, Leticia due in September and Cristina due the end of this month.

So far, of the six babies, we are certain that four of them are boys. Pray for the nursery workers and any girls who may be born in this bunch. :-)