"Special" days

My kids are always wanting to do something "special" or have a "special" day or a "special" dessert.  I understand this because I love special things and events too!

What I am trying to learn and teach is that each moment is SPECIAL!  Today is worth celebrating.  Right now is special and wonderful.  Each day is a gift, each moment a celebration of life.

Sounds romantic and even spiritual, doesn't it?

So, even the moment when sweat is pouring down my back, one child is whining, the other making a mess - even THIS moment is special???

So, when the whole day has seemed a waste of energy, time and resources - even THIS day is worth celebrating???

So, the minutes of illness, the minutes of strife, the minutes of gritty life - even THESE minutes are worth praising God for???

YES, YES, YES!!!!

Every moment is a praiseworthy moment.  Every minute is made for joy and celebration.  Each day is a beautiful, extravagant gift from the Creator of all things Himself.

Even TODAY and RIGHT NOW - let's praise Him together!

Ashaninka, volume 2

We learned today that the community we are visiting, called the Bajo Kimiriki, consists of 70 families, many more than we expected.  They jokingly call themselves "civilized" when comparing their tribe with others.  We also learned that most of the children don't know much of their native tongue, Ashaninka, even though their mothers talk to them frequently using it.

Today, 12 children, 1 teenage girl and 5 adults crammed into the rough living room of our host, Lydia.  The bottom floor of her house is made of mud bricks held together with mud, and the second floor is made of wood planks.  She set out a plate of pituka, also known as malanga, a potato-like root that had been boiled and left for us to peel and eat with our hands.  Honestly, I felt sick eating it, but I swallowed and quietly gave a big chunk to a little girl who gladly accepted it.  I am not a picky eater, but something about it.......

Brent talked about what God is like and what man is like.  I think they learned a lot about God's bigness and goodness.  What a sweet group of giggly, eager students!  When he was done, they wanted to sing, so we sang.  One young mother sang a song for us in Ashaninka, a praise song.  It was beautiful.

We gave New Testaments to every child who can read and they were so happy to receive them.  One mom told them they had to take good care of them and bring them next week, clean and neat.  They all nodded in agreement.

As we left, we were given a lovely papaya, taken from their papaya tree.  Also, Lydia shared her concern for her husband who is addicted to coca leaves, which are used to make cocaine.  He is also not interested in God or learning about Him.  Please pray with us for Eduardo that he will hear God's voice and answer.

Here we go......

Ashaninka, volume 1

Native to the rainforests and jungles of Peru and Brazil,  there are hundreds of villages/communities consisting of the indian tribe called the Ahaninka in Peru.  Their main language is Ashaninka, but some do speak Spanish as well.  Their typical dress is a long brown robe/dress, but many have exchanged that for western clothes.  They are very clannish and make their living from working in fruit orchards and hunting.  Most children living near a town will at least finish elementary school.

Just outside of Pichanaki, there are many small communities of Ashaninka families and God has opened the door wide for us to be able to share the gospel and minister to some of them.  A friend in Lima gave Brent a list of the names of five families who he had shared the gospel with at some time.  The seed has already been planted here.  After a little searching, Brent found two of the families and they were happy and willing for him to go regularly to their community to teach the Bible.

None of us knew what to expect yesterday at our first meeting.  We were welcomed with open arms and lots of coconuts!  In anticipation of our arrival, one lady had gotten some coconuts down from her tree, peeled off the outer shell, cleaned them and had them ready for us.  She cut into them with a sharp knife, coconut meat flying everywhere, and made holes for us to drink from.  Coconut is one of the few things I sincerely dislike, but what are ya gonna do?  I drank.  She thought of an even better idea - straws!  So she sent one of her five children to run and get us some bamboo straws so we could drink all of the coconut water.  I pretended to drink.

When it was time to start, there were about 10 kids, one teenage girl, and two mothers.  There was a crude wooden bench that someone had brought outside and......the dirt ground.  One lady covered part of the dirt with a burlap bag of sorts and we all huddled together on that, ants and mosquitos having a feast.  We realized they had brought out the bench for Brent!   Brent grabbed a small stump/stool and sat on that instead, and began explaining what the Bible is.  I loved how he used a globe to show where the Bible was written and how through all these years, it has made it all the way around to Peru!  They all said they did not have a Bible.  We plan to fix that next week.

Pray with us for these precious people who Jesus died for.  May He lead the way and continue to open doors.

Never Say Never

You'd think I'd know by now.  I mean, seriously.

As a high school student, I had to take Spanish.  Hated it.  Almost failed it.  Didn't think I'd ever use it.  Actually said it was a waste of time because I would NEVER need it.  Never dreamed I'd be spending my adult life speaking it every single day.

As a newly married couple, our future was set.  Off to Peru, where my husband had grown up, where family lived.  I NEVER even considered we may go to another country, and I'm pretty sure I NEVER considered Cuba.  When it became an option for us, I think I even said that nasty word: NEVER.  Three years.  Lots of major life lessons and valuable experiences in Cuba.

Took birthing classes.  Why not?  Chatted and giggled with Brent during the Cesarean preparation part.  Didn't need it.  I would NEVER have to have a Cesarean!  Three Cesareans and 3 precious little people later,  I can look back and laugh, but I guarantee I was NOT laughing when I realized I didn't have a clue about what to do or expect.

My children have had such a wonderful educational experience up until now.  They had a super Christian school in Lima and a very positive public school experience in Texas.   I NEVER wanted to homeschool, NEVER even really considered it an option.  Year one of Williams Academy is now over.  Thankfully, it was very enjoyable and the kids made all A's pretty handily.  I do attribute this to their good base.  At least a couple more years of homeschooling to go!  Yippee!

After nine years living in Lima, I was pretty much adapted, at home even.  I NEVER wanted to nor considered living in the jungle......uh, yeah.

So.......

I will NEVER be a millionaire, I will NEVER be a millionaire, I will NEVER be a millionaire......

"I'm bored!"

Am I the only mom who gets all weird and geeky when kids say those two ugly words......"I'm bored"????  We spend hundreds of dollars each year on toys, dvd's, Wii games, crayons, paints, batteries, books, bikes, skate boards, balls, etc. and........they're bored??!!!!  Really???

I remember so well my own mother's frustration at hearing those words from us EVERY summer.  I do understand my kids because I would say them daily.  She would say "sorry" and go on with her day.  Same here.  I tell my kids "if you're bored, it's because you are choosing to be bored....go find something to do!"  It is not my job to entertain, make believe, bend over backwards or wrack my brain to come up with ideas to keep my kids busy.  It is my job to train, take care of and be available for them.

So, here we are, at the beginning of another summer and I've already heard it!  I have decided those two words are banned from our house forever.  Nobody is allowed to say they are bored.  They may be, but I don't want to hear it.  I want them to use a little imagination, be creative, play with their toys or......(drum roll).......play together!!!!

We're going to have a family meeting tonight and make a long list of ways to spend our days this summer.  We're going to have a "service" list, which includes any type of ministry or serving others, a "fun" list, a "costs money" list, a "going out" list, an "artsy" list and a "rainy day" list.  We'll see how many things we can come up with.  The list will be on the refrigerator and will be, I'm sure, referred to by me many times.

So, what are your summer boredom busters?  Any original ideas???  Share, please.

Fruit

Pichanaki is the "citrus capital of Peru" so when we go to buy fruit, well, we come home with....citrus.  Grapefruit, tangerines, oranges, pineapples galore and oh, so yummy.  Also, papaya and bananas are plentiful and scrumptious.  We've tried purple bananas, which we had never seen before!  There are coconut trees absolutely everywhere, too.

I am missing strawberries, mangos and apples, though.  We've been told mango season is during the rainy season, so I'm sure for those few months, we'll be doing mango smoothies, mango popsicles, mango for breakfast and dessert.......

A fruity paradise, you say?  Well.....Olivia is allergic to bananas and pineapple, but loves papaya (but only in smoothies).  Kyall dislikes papaya anytime, but loves oranges and tangerines.  None of the kids eat grapefruit.  Lucas also dislikes papaya but will drink it in a smoothie.  They complain because the oranges and tangerines have a ton of seeds, too much work, I guess.  The bananas have to be perfect, no bruises or they don't get eaten.  I think I throw away more than we eat.  Coconut is easy to get anywhere, but none of us really care for it.  The apples (which we haven't found yet) have to be green and sour for the boys, green and sweet for the girl.

So.........yeah.

I love the fruit and especially how cheap it is here!  I can put up with the pickiness, as long as SOME fruit gets ingested each day!