Over the past 4+ years in Mexico we have moved several times. Phone numbers and contact information has changed, sometimes we haven't had internet, email, or facebook. And I had fallen out of the habit of reaching out to the lovely women who have walked with me through various places and stages of my life. My husband encouraged me to reach out, seeing the harm isolation was bringing. However, my culture has changed too. I no longer am privileged to think of those that do without theoretically. I try to make my ever changing house a home, but at the same time those struggling to exist and feeling very trapped in their circumstances literally knock on my door. I think I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relate to anyone anymore. That talking about playdates or kid's school or home improvements would render me speechless. And then I was given the best birthday present ever! All morning, to my great surprise, I received phone call after phone call from women taking time out of their busy days to chat and wish me a Happy Birthday. And you know what I discovered? It was not hard to relate at all. It was wonderful to talk about our shared passion of birth. It was wonderful to hear their children were growing and thriving. It was wonderful to hear they are enjoying new work and new opportunities. It was wonderful to hear how they are seeing God work in their lives and walk with them in difficult situations. Their were so many of you who called that I didn't get to talk to you all, but I plan to reach out very soon and I am excited to hear all about what is happening in your lives. It was not until about 1:00 in the afternoon that I began to realize this was all put together by my wonderful husband. In his desire to give me the most wonderful birthday present that I desperately needed, he reached out to many of the special women in my life that I have had the privilege of calling friend. Your response was overwhelming! Thank you for being a part of one of the best and most meaningful gifts I have ever received.
One of the songs we sang while traveling around the country on deputation was "I'm Standing on the Solid Rock." It relays a great message and has a wonderful southern gospel tune. Well, last year we sang the English version at a church here in Oaxaca, and the response was tremendous. Many asked if we knew it in Spanish. Finally, after a year of looking and even trying our own hand at translating it (to no avail), we found it. Here's one of our first attempts at it.
We are really loving the new church here in Huayapam. We feel so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here. They have asked me to help with children's classes on occasion. I am so grateful my Spanish is finally good enough to do classes comfortably....note I said comfortably, not perfectly. Some sweet friends sent us an old school flannel graph set the first year we were on the field, so I've busted it out and use it sometimes. The first class I used it, one of the kids said, "Oh! Que Bonita!" (How pretty!) They really like it. Sometimes I let them come up and retell the story using the flannel graph...big hit! Kids are always fun to work with!
Lena is usually my helper, because we can practice the night before and make sure everything is smooth and we have all the right characters. One of the really sweet things they do is prayer time. Each child writes their prayer request on a piece of paper, then they exchange papers, and pray for each other.
Hope you had a great Easter. We did! We got to show off the grandparents at our church here in Huayapam. What a blessing! Everything was great from the prayer service to the song service to the preaching. Sam preached a great message with a strong emphasis on the glorious victory that is summed up with three beautiful, powerful words, "It is finished". (John 19:30)
I took a few snap shots of the kids doing a small craft of the empty tomb with a banner across that say, "Jesus Cristo ha resicitado!" (He is risen!)
I know that every child is a gift from God, uniquely placed in our care for such a short amount of time. However, there was a time when it seemed if my husband looked at me the right way or held my hand long enough, I could get pregnant. It seemed mostly in our control. Our youngest was born four years after the other four and we thought it would be wonderful for him to have brothers and sisters around his age, so we started making plans in that direction almost as soon as Sam returned from Iraq. But God had other plans and for seven years we have prayed and waited. Just this year I really began to think that God was clearly saying the ministry we have here in Mexico and our five children were more than enough. I almost gave away the cloth nappies in January, but decided to wait just a few more months until my friend's baby was born and we would go visit her. Then in February we got this almost unbelievable, surprise blessing! After a few weeks of letting the news settle in and really become real, we are ready to announce that a new baby will be arriving later this year! So in the grateful words of Hannah we say, " For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:" and let us not forget that as parents we should also strive as Hannah place our children back in the hands of the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:27-28
Have to say, our kiddos are really good sports! :)
