Saturday, August 24, 2013

School Registration


This week is the beginning of school in our community. So on Monday, we went to one of the local schools (there are various) in order to register Ryan and Ellie. Ryan was super excited! Ellie was a bit more reticent.

 Registration was interesting. Each teacher sat at their desk and wrote the names and ages of the students that arrived, and then they recorded the parents’ names and address. There really is no order, just a mob of people trying to push to the front.  When it was our turn, Ellie’s teacher asked what our address was, but I didn’t know how to respond. We live one street away from the main street, but there are no street signs and no house numbers. Most people in town just know where the gringos live.

 
Getting ready for our second day of school!
(Yeah, no pics from day one...)

The crowd of children and mothers began to chatter in ZK and I heard, “next door to Don Felix!” I laughed and told the teacher that we live next door to Don Felix. And she responded, “Oh, in front of Don Miguel!”  Exactly. 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Counting the Cost


Tonight I found myself crying at the drop of a hat. What’s wrong? I really didn’t know. I guess I still don’t really know. But I can guess that Satan was trying to get me down. You know, if Satan can distract me, he can cause all kinds of mischief in our ministry.

So, what did I do? I cried! And I cried! And I cried some more!

And as I cried, I talked to Jesus.

Yesterday I was randomly hit by intense grief. This December marks 10 years since my Pop went to heaven. I think of my Dad often, but only on rare occasions do I find myself crying uncontrollably. Yesterday was one of those days. I am saddened that my children never had a chance to meet my Dad. They never had a chance to love him, or to be loved by him. I miss his smile and his laughter. I miss the twinkle in his eye that told you he was up to something.

Today I was hit by the isolation factor that comes from living in a remote town at the edge of nowhere. It’s hard to describe where we live. It truly is the end of the road. And it’s the middle of the jungle. There is no cell phone coverage. There are only a handful of telephone lines, and they are used like telephone booths by those that own them. And the only internet has sketchy reception, not to mention that it’s not convenient to head to the internet cafĂ©.

As I bemoaned all that I do not have, God encouraged me to make a complete list of all that we’re missing out on…ballet classes for Ellie, tae kwon do for the boys, VBS, AWANA, Sunday School, sleepovers at Grammy and Grandpa’s house, Christmas dinner with family, Sunday dinner at Grammy and Grandpa’s…the list goes on.

And then He reminded me how unsatisfied I was in Idaho. We had so much. We gave up so much. But we have gained so much more by answering His call to obedience. Don’t get me wrong. Life in Idaho was good. I was happy. I was surrounded by family and friends. But it wasn’t where God had called me.

I was called to the ZK people. God has prepared me for life in “Pine Hill.” My kids may not get to do ballet or tae kwon do, but they have travelled to 5 different countries outside of the U.S. and they’ve seen more of the U.S. than most Americans have! They will soon be tri-lingual. And they won’t grow up learning Bible verses in AWANA, but they will grow up seeing how the Bible transforms lives. And they will be a part of the work that God is doing in “Pine Hill.”

God is moving all around us every day.  There are many people who are interested in hearing God’s Word.  Pray that God will work deeds of salvation in the midst of “Pine Hill.”
 

“Yet God is my king from of old,
Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth. “

Psalm 74:12