Times of Frost

I snapped this picture after the first frost.  I was amazed that something so damaging could be so beautiful.  Then I got to thinking...frost is a natural occurrence.  I think that my life should be "frostless."  But difficult times are just part of life.  Some people seem to be able to live a pretty sheltered, uneventful life.  But, is that life?

The inner city definitely is NOT my comfort zone.  I struggle at times here--sometimes I want to leave, BUT I am growing and learning and being challenged.  That's life.  I think I'll stick around and see what else God has to show me.  

Ana's Second Wedding

So I finally downloaded some photos off my phone... I'm so far behind it will be impossible to catch up!  But, I will share the highlights.  Ana was asked to me the flower girl in our pastor's daughter's wedding.  She had lots of fun getting dressed up and walking down the isle!

The ring bearer was also from our church.  They had a lot of fun together while they were waiting!

We tried a fancy hair do.  Her hair was so long, it didn't stay in that well.  Oh well!

Thanks Oakland Church!

I want to talk about faithfulness.  This small church (Oakland Christian Church) out in the middle of fields in Northern Indiana has been an example of what the church should be.  They supported us faithfully for 14 years.  They have kept in touch.  And last week they sent a work team down to help with things that are difficult for me to do.  They winterized the front door, worked on our kitchen sink, raked a mountain of leaves, and other miscellaneous things.  This is what every church should be doing--what power there would be if every church got out and physically helped those who need it!

They inspired me...This week my class went out and raked up an elderly church member's yard.  Not only did my students get out of the classroom for a while, they got to see the gratefulness on her face.  We're already planning our Christmas project.  Hopefully, Shepherd will become a place where those who are served turn around and serve others.  Maybe something small will start a chain reaction!

Silence

America is a very noisy place at times.  The inner city even more so.  There are always sounds of passing trains, sirens, traffic, and people. 

Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly. 

Epictetus

God speaks in the silence of the heart.  Listening is the beginning of prayer.

Mother Teresa

I'm not a loud person anyway, but I'm challenged today to listen more. 

2 Years On..

It's hard to believe that we've been back in the States for two full years.  I've learned a couple of things...

-Your biggest fears are meant to be conquered.  One of my biggest fears was driving--I hadn't driven in twelve years and living in a big city means big roads :)  After Matt's stroke I was forced to drive everywhere showing me that my fear was no big deal! I'm now a pro. at zipping around the interstates.

-Bloom where you are planted!  God has something for you to do wherever you are.  Although this is not the place I would have picked, I can honestly say I am content here!  God has used me in some interesting and challenging ways.  There has been a lot of growth here.

-Let God break your heart for where you are.  Every place has needs-some of them extreme.  Be of use.

-Learn.  I'm taking every opportunity to work on my Spanish.  I joined the worship team--it's been a stretching experience.  Sometimes I play piano and sing harmony in Spanish.  Talk about brain overload!  Sometimes the Spanish pastor asks me to play a song I don't know, but God helps me along.  I'm excited to be adding an endorsement to my teaching license so that I can help our students struggling with English.

-My kids are kids from hard places.  It's challenging to look at life through their eyes and try to understand why they feel the way they do.  It's hard to be kind when they aren't--but I am the adult!  It's extremely difficult to attempt to love when you continously face rejection.  There are days when I've told God, "I want out!" God doesn't call us to easy tasks.  You learn from pain and tears.  I'm just praying that I stay teachable and humble.

-Inner city life- Yes!  There is a lot more crime, but there is so much need here.  I love my community.  We all look out for one another.  My neighbor comes over and borrows eggs and milk.  We sit out on our front porches and watch our kids play.  There is a diversity here that encourages my soul. 

-Old houses- They are a lot of work, BUT I take intense enjoyment out of saying, "I restored/refinished/painted that!  (I hope to post some pictures soon.)  Matt has been doing an amazing job refinishing the many old solid wood doors in our house. 

To sum it up...life hasn't been easy, but God has faithfully seen us through some extremely tough situations.  We pray that as we seek HIS will He will see fit to prosper our family in the years to come!

A Rainy Day's Fun

One rainy day Ana asked for something fun to do.  I went and pulled out my wedding dress (that my mother in law had kept for me while we were away).  Ana happily tried it on and posed for pictures.  She says that she wants to wear it at her wedding--we'll see in another 20 years :)

The Oaks' Spring Fling

 The Spring Fling consists of a parade to show off your costume.  They are supposed to be a person or animal from a country you studied during the year.

 After seeing the costumes you go back to the room and do some recitations together.

 Ana won an award for her Chinese Dragon in art.

 I'm not sure how Chinese it looks, but I suppose it is creative!

Ana chose to wear her Indian costume.  We borrowed some bracelets from Shepherd and painted a henna design on her hand.  She was very pleased with how she looked.  

Maybe You've Heard This Story, But I Hadn't...

Today a fellow teacher shared a devotional about an Australian man named Cliff Young.  He was a 61 year old sheep farmer that showed up to run a 544 mile ultra marathon in work boots, bib overalls, and galoshes.  The other 10 young athletes thought it was a joke.  He didn't run--he shuffled.  He DID NOT SLEEP.  It was the practice of the other athletes to run 16 hours and sleep 8 hours.  His training came from chasing sheep on his ranch to round them up.  He had done this since he was a child!

He kept running and amazingly passed them all, set a new record, and gave all the prize money to the other athletes.  His running style and lack of sleep is now used by all the runners in the race!

It's amazing to me that this man lived his whole life in the middle of nowhere and then one day showed up and did what was "normal" for him to do.  While the other athletes trained year round--he had been prepared by his daily life.

This really speaks to me that we should live our life so that we are ready when our moment comes.  Live so that you are prepared to go all out for that which you were created.

Ana's Baboon Presentation

Video Here

At the Oaks Academy every first grader does an in depth presentation/board on an African animal.  For some strange reason Ana chose the baboon.  She was happy that no one else chose this animal.  I was unable to go as I had to stay home with China and Mitike.  So, Matt videoed this.  If you get motion sickness--don't watch, just listen :)  She did a great job!  I'm glad this school really focuses on public speaking.  When you get used to it as a child, it's much easier as an adult!

Finally...

I got the paint for the birthday and just finished painting today.  I love how it turned out!  With all the woodwork and wall patching, it involved quite a lot of time. It really makes the room feel a lot more welcoming!  Now Matt and I are arguing over whether to redo the floors before adding the quarter round to the base boards :)  Wish me luck!

Mei-Mei has

finally turned into a real basset!  She can frequently be caught napping in the sun!  She still has her puppy moments, but now that she is approaching two she is a lot more chill!  Hooray!

Memphis part 2

 One afternoon trucks showed up and replaced my parents electric pole.  This provided hours of entertainment!  The workers were super nice and showed the kids were they could stand and watch safely.

One night we went out to eat at Memphis Bar-b-que.  The kids liked the pork rinds until they found out what they were and then they wouldn't touch them!  They also had some really good (but not good for you) fried cheese balls with a mustard dressing.  Of course, the meat was good too!

 After getting back to Indiana we had an Easter egg hunt and had a good service at church.  Ana loves her new outfit and getting all dressed up.

It was also nice to get to see extended family.  I always enjoy hearing stories and other bits of wisdom!

Memphis part 1

For Spring Break we drove down to my parent's house for a few days.  It was quite a bit warmer and we enjoyed the sunshine.

 Ana always love to come to this huge playground in Nesbit.  She made an instant friend and played happily.

 We enjoyed some ice cream with Grandma and Grandpa.

 We visited the Memphis zoo one day.  I loved the tiger enclosure.  It reminded me of India.

 One neat thing was that you could get up close to many of the big cats!

 The seahorses were very active and fun to watch move around!

 I loved visiting the Chinese pavilion where the Panda Bears are housed.

 It was fun to watch him chow down on the bamboo.  (It's all grown at a local farm!)

 The gorillas were pretty amazing too!

This zoo is a little larger than Indianapolis' and had quite a few different animals!

An Encouraging Article

As I missed church (and Matt's birthday lunch at an Indian restaurant) this morning to literally wrestle some things out with Mitike, I had some time to read.  I found the following article encouraging! Click here  An older neighbor reminded me the other day that this time in my life is a season--IT WILL NOT BE FOREVER!  This article talks about how hard it is to pray when nothing seems to work, BUT it is still necessary.  I know it is difficult (even for counselors) to understand what is going on unless you've lived it, so just pray for us that God would help us to persevere AND give the team of doctors, counselors, life skill coaches, and social workers wisdom.  We don't want to be stuck--pray we keep moving on.

I just...

sat in my son's room for an hour praying and trying to help him get settled.  The issue??  We asked him to shower 4 minutes early.  Having two mentally ill children (who think they're adults) is mentally and physically draining.

The good side of this is that it has FORCED me to turn to God for renewal and refreshing.  Sometimes I think God puts us in a spot where we NEED Him.  I've spent more time in prayer over this past year than I ever have.  Although I'm too close to the situation to see a lot of change,  I do have a clearer sense of God sustaining me.

At Shepherd the staff is reading Soul Shift by Steve DeNeff and David Drury.  I liked this quote.  "When you don't know who you are, you act like someone you're not---a person who is less than you are meant to be.  And it will be harder to live like that than being who you really are.  Acting is always harder than being. ....You rob yourself and the world of what you could have offered if only you had been who you were meant to be.

Pray with us that our kids discover who they are meant to be and don't let past hurts and traumas determine their future.  

Grateful!

Thankful today for time with family, good food, beautiful weather, a fun trip to the Memphis zoo, SPRING, two dependable cars, a nice home, awesome neighbors, our dog, Mei-Mei, strength to keep pushing on, good people to minister with at Shepherd, and loads of fun memories!

Remember to take stock of all the great things going on in your life!  I certainly need to do it more often!

We're Still Moving Along!

We've been hanging out with my parents for this week of spring break.  It has been a nice change.  I so miss travel!

As I've been praying and pondering as to what we could do in our situation (and not receiving any clear answer!),  God has repeatedly pointed out to me that there will be times in life that aren't pleasant.  Times from which you want to run away and hide.  Times when the world shouts at you ways to go that would be so much easier.  God doesn't say, "Take the short cut!"  He says, "Do it my way and the end result will be for your good."  There is a possibility that our story won't ever have a happy ending BUT that doesn't mean that I don't want it to be written.  Lead on!

You can pray with us for wisdom in decision making.  A place for Mitike this summer.  A job for Matt that will be a good match for what he likes to do.  Continued progress with his right arm, hand, and speech. A softening of Mitike's heart and attitude's.  Pray for China that he will not allow circumstances to control his emotions/feelings.