Does God Have a Belly Button?

Recently we decided to have a family worship on a Sunday morning. (We had been doing a Bible study with another couple then, but it got moved to Tuesday morning.) After worship, we were going to visit our friends, Rod and Ceci, so I was busily baking a coffee cake to share before we got started with worship.

I was interrupted when the doorbell ran. Rod wanted to know if they could come by and visit us. There was no electricity in town…and quite honestly we have one of the most comfortable houses in town because we've been able to make some modifications, like insulation in the "attic."

Half an hour later, Rod and Ceci were comfortably sitting in our dark living room. As I served hot coffee and coffee cake, the doorbell rang again. And a little later it rang again. Our “family” worship turned into worship with four of our friends.

Clay told the story of the first sin from Genesis and then we talked about what it means. What do you like about the story? What do you not like? What can we learn about God? From there, we tried to answer their questions about who is God, and why He created us.

 
“Did Adam and Eve have a belly button?”
 
          “Does God have a belly button?”

“If Eve sinned by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, does that mean that knowledge is sinful?”

So many verses…

“Be perfect as I am perfect,” but yet I’m a sinner, saved by grace!

 So many Bible stories…

          The Flood, God chooses Abraham, Jesus’ command to love the Lord and your neighbor...

                   “Do you sing to the Virgin Mary?”

                             “No. She’s dead.”

                          
“If God spoke directly to Adam and Eve, can he still talk to us today?”
 
“Should we worship individually or corporately?”
 
“Does the Bible tell us how many minutes we should pray every day?”

I think the best part was listening to them confer in ZK, discussing what they believe. And then, asking us what we believe and what the Bible says.

I can only pray that God brings more of those “interruptions” into our lives.

November Thankfulness

As always, the month of November is a great time to reflect thankfulness. And we have so much for which to thank the Lord!

We started a list of answered prayers from this past year and we want to share a few highlights…

• We started praying almost a year ago for the house that we would rent in Pine Hill. We prayed for 2 bathrooms, space for a schoolroom, a fenced in “private” yard where the kids could safely play, a tree for a tree house, and a house that would provide a place for the kids to play during the rainy season.
• We prayed that our neighbors would accept us into the community.
• We prayed for friendship among the ZK people.
• We prayed for open doors to be able to share the Gospel.
• We prayed for language helpers who could help us learn ZK

 

It’s truly awesome to think about how God answered these prayer requests. Our home is a place of refuge and a warm place to welcome people in out of the rain and cold.  Few homes have more than one bathroom in Pine Hill, and although it may seem trivial, God found us the perfect home with two bathrooms! And we have plenty of room for the kids to play, inside and outside. There’s even a tree house out back!

Our neighbors have been amazing. They take care of Rex when we are gone for a night or two.  They bring us handmade tortillas and tamales. They smile at our attempts to greet them in the ZK language…

You know you have a friend when they come to check on you when you’re sick.  Our language helpers, Rod and Ceci, have become friends. They have invited us into their home and they are concerned for us. They want to see us be successful in the ZK language too.

This Thanksgiving season, we are far from our friends and family in the US, but we are surrounded by God’s love.

Pretty Light

"Suni nø syøngu! Suni nø syøngu,” the women exclaimed as Clay went back to check on the “light” that he had installed at our neighbors’ house.

Electricity is relatively new in our village…it’s only been about 18 years. Many homes have one light bulb crudely hung in each room. And there are few windows. You can imagine how dark the homes are and how difficult it is for the women to prepare food or for the young people to do their homework.

Clay came across an idea on the internet that is a simple and cost-effective solution to alleviate the darkness. It requires using a recyclable 2-liter soda bottle.

First, Clay scrubbed it.

 

Then he filled it with water and a few drops of bleach, then sealed it tightly.

 
Next, he cut a hole in the neighbors’ roof that was just big enough for the soda bottle. After placing the bottle in the hole, Clay sealed the edges to keep the water out.

During the day, the sunlight filters through the water and is dispersed throughout the whole room. When our neighbors’ daughter came home from school that day, she wondered how her dad had installed another light bulb.

Clay went back to the neighbors’ house today to see how the “light” was doing. The room was brightly lit and the ladies were very grateful for their “pretty light.”  Our neighbor Felix enthusiastically proclaimed, “Buen hecho, güero!” (Well done, white guy!)

 

Please pray that we can share boldly about the Light that shines in the darkness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Land of the Snail”

Recently we took a trip to El Caracol, or the Snail. We’re not sure why it’s named that, but the kids had fun trying to guess—because  you can find snails in the river or because the road is windy like a snail shell?  (It took 3 hours to get there, but it’s only about 16 miles away as the crow flies.)

 

The kids had a blast! They of course made new friends…some human…others of the bird variety!

 

 

 

They chased ducks and chickens. They climbed trees. They ate oranges and mandarins. They picked a coconut, cracked open cocoa. Ellie inspected the beautiful flowers.

You've heard that chocolate is a fruit because
it grows on a tree, right?
Well, this is what it looks like!

The cacao beans, before they've
been cleaned. The white covering
is edible so sometimes the best
method to clean the bean is to suck
on them...thought you might want to know!

Clay worked hard to cut a coconut out of the tree!

The pastor's son chopped off all of the outside shell of the coconut.

My little flower lover!
Her middle name is "Flor,"
which means "flower."

 

They played ball…sometimes with a real soccer ball….sometimes with a homemade variety that was covered in a plastic bag.

 

They made tortillas…

 

While the kids played, Mom and Dad visited the church.

The Bible talks of the church being like a body. When one member hurts, we all hurt. This church in El Caracol is hurting…and I hurt for them. 

The pastor’s daughter has been rebellious.  She has drifted away from God and from the church body. That in itself is a difficult situation in a small village. The people of the village are watching the Christians to see how they handle life’s situations. And the Christians feel the pressure, the judgment. 

Add to this already difficult situation that the daughter is now 5 months pregnant and has been kicked out of her home and was originally advised that she should have an abortion so that no one would know. (The story of David and Bathsheba comes to mind…committing a sin to cover up a previous sin.)

We spent two days teaching about what the Bible says of grace and forgiveness.  We listened. We prayed.  We encouraged reconciliation between the father and daughter. And also between the father and his wife.

When we left El Caracol, we left with heavy hearts. Now, all we can do is pray.

 
Please pray with us for the church in El Caracol, that they will know God’s love and the grace that He readily extends to those who love Him. Also pray that as Christians, we would be quick to offer grace and forgiveness, and that we will resist the temptation to judge others.

 

 

 

Cooking Class

            In our village, most of people love eating pizza and pies and breads…all things that require an oven to make. People have asked often if I can teach them how to make pizza or cake. The problem is that most homes don’t have an oven. They have stove tops or open fireplaces.

            Recently, my friend Cecilia asked if she could come by when I was making pizza so she could learn. (She knows that we eat pizza most Fridays!)  When she showed up, she was accompanied by her brother and her niece. They all wanted to learn how to make pizza! Luckily, I had been experimenting…

            Once upon a time, in a land far away...also known as Idaho, friends taught us how to make pizza on the grill. So I decided to teach my friends how to make personal pizzas on the comal, or flat grill that’s placed over the fire or on the gas stove. It was the same idea as cooking on the grill. My new cooking class was amazed at how quick and easy it was to make pizza! And they could even do it on their stoves or over the fire in their home.

            After tasting the pizza, they got to talking amongst themselves. What kind of cake do you know how to make? What about pie? As I listed off the things that I could teach them, we decided on apple pie.

Step 1
Slicing the Apples

            The next day, my three students showed up, ready to see what it takes to make an apple pie. We peeled and cut the apples. We measured and mixed the flour and other ingredients. I showed them how to roll out the pie crust and then let each of them have a turn too. Theo was a good sport! He jumped right in too!

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    There are moments when I’m amazed that I’m the one teaching cooking. I mean, my sister is the one who studied culinary arts. And my old college roommates can attest, I wasn’t really into cooking back in the day. Or my Iowa neighbor Linda is quick to remind me not to forget the eggs! (Do you know what rhubarb muffins look like if you forget the egg? Yeah, I do.) But, here I am…the expert in pizza and apple pie. (Is there anything more American?)

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    So, we sat and waited for the pie to bake…and then to cool. It was a fun hour and a half of building relationships. We talked about what else I could teach them to bake…and then what they could teach me to cook. Often the three of them would discuss plans, ideas, and events in the ZK language…and Clay and I would listen.

 

 

Some things we could understand. Other things we couldn’t. It felt like we were just eavesdropping. But the great thing was that they know we are trying to learn their language and they want us to understand. They were okay with letting us listen in on their conversation. I think that may be the beginning of a great friendship!

 

 

 

 

 

The pies turned out perfect!

 

Granny's Visit

 
                                                                                       


       It's always a treat when we have family or friends visit from the States! This year, instead of showing my mom around the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, we got to introduce her to our home in the rainforest, complete with "organic" umbrellas! Yes, the leaf is really that big! And the locals do use them to shed rain or to shade them from the sun.









Granny with our neighbor girl












After a week in the village, we took a vacation to the Mayan ruins of Palenque and Toniná.

Ryan and Ellie, conspiring.

Palenque

Toniná from a distance



The beautiful clouds at Toniná

Waterfalls anyone?

                                      Misol-Ha...scene from The Predator
              

    
                  

   Agua Azul...

You'll have to ask Granny who this guy is!

 

Agua Azul...blue water? But not in rainy season.

Perspective

God is often reminding me of perspective. I know. I’m a slow learner. He has to keep showing me.

Recently, my family took a weekend vacation to see the Mayan pyramids in Palenque and Tonina. We complained on our trip of the inconveniences of the teachers who are striking in Mexico. They have closed roads and highways which has caused gas trucks not to be able to deliver fuel. And of course, the general annoyances of not being able to travel where we want and when we want…ugh! They have even taken over the toll booths on the toll road and we had to pay them instead of the federal government. (It was a lesser amount, which makes many people happy to support the teachers.)

On our way home, we were stopped in a small community by a group claiming to support the teachers. In all reality, they were Zapatistas who were taking advantage of the situation. They were charging 100 pesos to get through and if you didn’t pay they were threatening to spray paint your car. And to keep you from trying to drive past them they employed spike strips.

I will be honest. I was very angry that they were taking advantage of us and everyone else who was trying to travel on that road. I’m not happy about how the teachers are protesting either. (I understand that it’s the only way to have a voice in this country that’s full of corruption. But it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or agree.) I have been inconvenienced. And I have had to pay. But in all reality, even the 100 pesos is less than $10.

The anger. The injustice. The frustration. I’m American! They can’t do this to me.

And then I read the news reports about the mall shootings in Nairobi.

It’s wrong! It’s evil! They can’t do that to innocent people!

When I read of some of our colleagues who were in the mall, trapped for hours, fearing for their lives…it made me reconsider the “dangers” and “frustrations” that I have been experiencing.

An American family (our colleagues), were separated. Mom and 4 kids were able to escape after 4 hours of hiding in a storage closet. But Dad and teenage son were still trapped. They were eventually reunited and everyone is safe.

It makes my frustrations pale in comparison. And then I’m reminded of the injustices. All around our world. Evil reigns. The solution…only Christ. And that makes our call to go unto all the nations that much more urgent.

 

What is God calling you to do today?

 

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”'

Isaiah 6:8