Up to My Eyeballs...

Yep, once again that time is here. I'm up to my eyeballs in BOXES!

 

Times like this always cause me to reflect...

It was 2 years ago that we were busy packing or selling everything that we owned.

A different state...a whole different country.

 

It seems a bit surreal that this time is here. It's what we've been planning for and working towards for almost THREE years. And now it's crunch time.

Packing boxes...and more boxes.

The moving van comes on Tuesday, so we only have 2 more nights in the city.

Then, Wednesday we'll begin unpacking and setting everything up again.

 

Please be praying for us as settle in to our house more permanently.

Pray that we can meet more of our neighbors and that we can build lasting friendships, and most importantly, that we can share the Gospel.

Pray that the ZK will be receptive to the Good News.

Pray that lives will be TRANSFORMED!

Pray for our kids. While they are excited, they are also anxious and nervous.

Pray that our kids can make lasting friendships among the ZK.

Pray that there will be no rain on Tuesday!

Pray that we will learn the ZK language quickly.

Unwanted Guest

Recently, we discovered a squatter in our home...

Levi thought he was really cool! He tried to catch him, but everytime Levi got close, our guest hopped away!

He is kind of cute, with those big, black eyes...but we kindly asked him to leave!

The Sweet Spot

I've been mulling over how to word what's on my mind for a week and a half. There's so much emotion inside of me. So much excitement! So much joy! And maybe even a little trepidation...

 

Recently I was chatting with a friend via skype. She shared how they had just bought an acreage with a beautiful house and a part of me longs for what she has. But it's just a small part. I shared about our home in the village and how we're sleeping in hammocks and cooking on a single burner stove top for the time being. And she asked, "is your soul happy?" And without a moment's hesitation, I answered, "YES!"

 

As I contemplate the path God has led me down, I have much for which to be thankful. I spent a total of six years teaching high school Spanish. I enjoyed my job, even if I did look forward to a snow day from time to time! I had fun interacting with young people. And I hope that I affected their lives in a way that pleases Jesus.

 

I was a pastor's wife in a small town in Iowa. I admit, that was an interesting place to be. We were kids, leading a congregation where many had already lived a full life of service to the Lord. And yet, they loved us, accepted us, and taught us so much! Again, I hope they learned to love Jesus even more from our service to them.

 

Our last few years in the States, I was the youth pastor's wife in Idaho. And I was beginning my journey as a mother. I had a full plate! And again, I hope that I affected the lives of our youth (and their families) in a way that pleases my Savior.

 

All of these experiences were good. They were enjoyable. I learned so much about people, about how to serve the Lord, and how to love the Lord.

 

But none of those experiences compare to where I am today...the sweet spot.

 

As I share Bible stories with people who have never heard and see the looks on their faces and watch the Holy Spirit opening their eyes to the Truth...words fail me. When they ask, "when are you coming back?" And tell me, "I enjoy talking with you. And I really enjoy hearing the stories that you tell from the Bible."

 

For me, this is what it's all about. I have a joy that fills my soul. I am honored that God would call me to this life of adventure. I realize that jungle life isn't for everyone. Some days I wonder if I'll really be able to strive in a village setting. This week, we lost electricity twice. For no apparent reason. And the water was off too. (We do have large tanks for storing water, so we were not without. And it wasn't our drinking water supply.) 

 

Today I make a stone of remembrance so that I may never forget the sweet spot.

He has created me and He has called me.

I will take refuge under His wings.

 

 

 "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Psalm 91:4

On Guard

Today we returned from a four-night stay in our Pine Hill village home. It was our longest visit so far and we came away not wanting to leave. Our whole family would have been content to just stay...except that we still have next to no furniture in the house. So far, we have a bean bag chair, 3 plastic chairs, 4 kid-sized chairs and a kid-sized table, a few hammocks, and 2 borrowed cots. We also have a dorm size fridge, an electric skillet, and a  gas stove with one burner. It's kind of like camping, but I'm ready for it to be more permanent. I'm ready to have a real kitchen and a real bed! (Oh, and don't forget my washer and dryer...although I have become proficient at washing clothes by hand.)

This visit started out very rough. To begin with, Ellie got sick Sunday night so Clay took her to the doctor so that hopefully she wouldn't get worse in the village. (There are doctors open til 10 pm!) Monday morning we packed up and headed out. As we got close to Pine Hill, Clay stopped at a saw mill to buy some lumber...and that's when things really got difficult.

Two of the kids needed to go to the bathroom...but the term there was "buscar monte" which essentially means to go find a bush to hide behind. Unfortunately, one of the kids had a potty mishap which sent me back to the car looking for clean clothes. (Guess we need more practice at squatting!) The kids and I spent over 90 minutes waiting in the car...and of course the same child needed to potty again. He assured me that he now remembered the Squatty Potty from our training in Virginia! So out he went again...but again, I was scrambling for clean clothes. (It really wasn't his fault though. Our poor kids have been suffering stomach issues and he simply couldn't help it.) Then it was a diaper that leaked...and me looking for another set of clean clothes.

Like I said, we waited over 90 minutes in the car. Honestly, I was getting a bit frustrated. I mean, why should it take that long to buy some wood?!? One reason is that only the boss man can take the money. The rest of the guys are just there to work. So we waited for the boss man to get there.

But during that time, Clay was building relationships with the men. And then he was sharing about Jesus. A humbling moment for me. Yes, I was left to clean up poopy kids behind a bush. But Clay was sharing about God's love.

As we left the saw mill, we realized that we were in a spiritual battle, so we paused to pray. We know that the Enemy doesn't want us to spead the Word. Sometimes it's just difficult to recognize that it's a battle and not just me getting frustrated because I have to clean up poop behind a bush. Twice.

Please remember to lift us up! We know that the battle is won through prayer. I don't know how to explain it other than to tell you that when the Saints are praying on our behalf, we can tell a difference. We feel it!

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Do everything in love."

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Sweet Friendship

 

      Sometime within the last year, I began praying that God would give me a love for our ZK people of Southern Mexico. I guess the desire to work with them began almost 3 years ago, but it's really been the last 6 months that I have fallen love with the people of Pine Hill.                                                                                        

   For starters, I wanted to introduce you to Elena. We met her when we were visiting Don Isabel, her father. He runs a telephone booth in his home and Elena often helps "man" the phones. You see, there are only 100 phone lines into the whole town, and Don Isabel has 3 of them. He charges 7 pesos per minute for you to receive a call on one of his phones.

    From the day that I met Elena, I was attracted to her sweet smile and friendly demeanor. She's the mother of two girls (ages 11 and 9) and her 8-month old baby boy, Iker. She has often wanted to invite us to her home for coffee, but we've yet to be able to go. On our last visit, I shared that we had our house and soon I would be able to invite her to my house for coffee! She said, "I rarely get out of the house. But now, I will have a friend to go visit."

 

 

     Guadalupe is another sweet friend who I can't wait to invite to my home! She has been so hospitable to us every time that we've been in her home. I admit, it wasn't easy at first. We first started visiting her father-in-law, Don Justo in August of last year. He was the first man of peace to welcome us.

     Soon, I was venturing across the street to visit with Guadalupe and the other women. It wasn't easy to build a rapport because they speak ZK amongst themselves, and therefore I understood very little. Okay, I understood nothing. Except for the day that Guadalupe shared with the rest of the woman that I was not Catholic. I understood that...and the stares that followed.

     But, we continued to faithfully visit. And to share stories! Guadalupe has come to expect that we will share a story from the Bible, and she looks forward to it.

    On our last visit, I shared with Guadalupe that we had our house, but it wouldn't be for another month until we were moved in permanently. "That long?!?" was the response! I assured her I would invite her to my house soon, and that her daughter Irene would eventually come to love me. Or at least not cry when she looked at me! (Yes, she will let Clay pick her up...but cries if left in the same room as me without her momma!)

 

 

     Today, I am thankful that I have these two beautiful women to invest in and to learn from. I am thankful that we've had the last 8 months to get to know one another...and love one another!

 

Please pray for these two women and the friendship that they have extended to me. Pray that I can continue in faithfulness to share the Gospel with them through my words and my actions. Pray that they can come to know how to have a personal relationship with the Father, and not just a tradition.



Flat Meghan--Day Two

We took Flat Meghan to Pine Hill with us last week. The kids truly love it there. There is plenty of room to run, jump, and climb...

Flat Meghan climbed the orange tree
with Ryan and Levi!

Then Flat Meghan climbed the
orange tree with Ellie!

Orange Blossoms

Some of our first oranges!
Can't wait for them to be ripe!

Flat Meghan--Day One

Recently, we had a visitor arrive at our house all the way from the state of Washington. Her name is Flat Meghan and we are delighted to get to show her around southern Mexico. Our first outing was on Sunday. We took her to church at a small, rural mission church. Clay had been asked to preach, so we loaded up and headed out by 8am. It was an hour and a half trip! The first hour wasn't too bad, but the last half hour was a rough, bumpy, dirt road.



The first part of the trip...



The last half hour...
glad we weren't walking!

We were all happy to get to the church! Once there, the people were very friendly. The ladies prepared us breakfast...they made scrambled eggs and corn tortillas! The tortillas were so yummy. They make them by hand and cook them over the fire. (Unfortunately, we had no idea they were cooking or we would have tried to venture into the kitchen to watch.) They told us that all girls know how to cook by the time they're 10 years old! And they don't have stoves like you and I do. It's all over the fire...kind of like camping, but it's every day.

When we were done eating, we entered the church and took our seats. It was kind of different because the men all sat on the right side of the church and the women and children sat on the other side. Another major difference is that although we are in Mexico where most people speak Spanish, here in the town of Tenejapa, they speak tzeltal! When Clay preached in Spanish, another man had to translate the message to tzeltal!

Clay and his tzeltal translator

After church, we went outside to sit in the warm sunshine. Again, we didn't really know what we were waiting for, but the ladies were in cooking again. They served us scrambled eggs and handmade tortillas again for lunch. It was very humbling, knowing that this church was sacrificing the small amount that they had to feed us.

The girls were making necklaces and crowns by
braiding flowers together.

After lunch, we visited two families from the church. We sang and prayed, and then Clay shared a story from the Bible to encourage them. It was a very long day! Not at all like we would experience in the States. We didn't get home that night until 7:15, and then it was time to shower and go to bed!

**We recently read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, as did our friend Meghan. It's about a boy who is flattened by a bulletin board, but not hurt. He has many adventures while flat, like being flown as a kite and mailed to his friend's house in California for vacation. And that's how we got to have Flat Meghan with us!**