Our Family Circus

Last fall, My Dear was trained to fill in for a husband and wife duo as they were going on furlough for 2 months.   Once they arrived in the states, they went for check-ups with their doctors.   Roger    learned that he had 95% blockage in three arteries of his heart.   He was going in for a well visit so you can imagine their surprise.   The blockage was so bad they quickly did open heart surgery.   We praised the Lord they were in the states because there are no heart surgeons here.   The 2-months My Dear would be filling-in grew to 7 months.   Since we are "newbies" the position felt long and grueling at times.   We both learned more about the culture.   My Dear learned more language especially with money and tools.   It was good to learn but I can be honest and say, we are both glad it is coming to an end.  Not because it w...

The ladies of the mission gather once a week along with other English speaking ladies for Bible study.   We have been doing video based studies.   It really is an unique time for us to encourage one another in our walk with Christ. Last week, during our time of homework, I read a verse I am sure I have read or heard before but this time, it SLAMMED on my brakes! And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of   redemption.                      - Ephesians 4:30 Grieve the Holy Spirit?   I know grieving!  I have done that a time or 2.  The children and I grieved a bit during the transition of the move.   I have been praying for my friend and her family who are still in a time of grieving the loss of a loved one.  Grieving is NOT fun!   I don't want to cause that on anyone....

Last week, a team from our hometown were here.   I hope to share more on that later.  Because the team was here, My Dear had to gather interrupters for them.  One of those interrupters is a young medical student that did some language classes with us when we first moved.   The kids were happy to have Hassan back to visit with us.  Since he took time off of school to be here, he stayed with us where he could use the internet to study and study he did!   If he was not out with the team, he was studying....I was very happy for our Billy to see what studying looks like.  One morning, Hassan stepped out to go to the pharmacy.   I asked him about the medication and he shared he bought it for a friend who could not afford it...a medical student, in Haiti...how much extra money could he possibly have? Later that afternoon, Hassan walked through the door with a big grin on his face with two black plastic bags from market....

I will be honest, I am not a "holiday" person really.   If I had to pick a favorite holiday it would be St. Patrick's Day because God gifted us with a pink, loud, opinionated,  chubby cheeked little girl on that day.    We enjoy celebrating our children and making them feel special and encouraging them to make others feel special on holidays.   It just seems like a great time to show His LOVE to others.   Valentine's Day honestly is the hardest holiday for me.   It may have something to do with years working at a flower shop or the world telling me that I "needed" someone on this day as a high-schooler and not having anyone.   Perhaps I dislike it because  when I did have "somebody" to be my so called Valentine, we just hurt one another because.....well, we were kids and had no business being in that kind of relationship.   Anyway, it is just not my...

When we first moved to Indiana, My Dear had Fridays off of work.   It quickly became my favorite day of the week.   He was home or at least with us!   My love language is acts of service and his being home meant extra hands with the babies or a task accomplished at home.   It was all good and he even got to sleep in on those days! It is a 6 day work week here on the mission and the 7th day is "on call."   It is, what it is!   Much like a nurse, doctor. pastor, police officer, fireman..... if something happens, they have to be there!   For My Dear it could be issues with our water supply or transportation to and from the airport.   If someone passes away there will be a knock on the door for a coffin and he will need to take care of that.  Any range of things really! Sunday is a day that much of the mission is shut down with the exception of the playground and zoo which is managed by a guard....

A few years ago, I was challenged to choose one word for the year.   I prayed about the word and asked the Lord to reveal it to me.   He gave me the word LESS.   In LESS,  I was to purge my life.   I assumed much of that was physical stuff that cluttered our home but as the year played out God showed me oh so much more that needed to be purged.   My heart was a mess.   I was holding onto stuff that needed to go.   My year of LESS actually was 2 years long! After 2 years of LESS, God laid on my heart to LOVE.   As I think back, LESS was hard but to LOVE was just as hard.   I had healed quite a bit through the season of LESS and now God was going to teach me to LOVE.   It started with a young man that  needed a place to stay due to domestic violence.   It brought new challenges having a teenager in our home and setting boundaries to protect our younger c...

The children have been studying England and Queen Victoria.   It was suggested that we have high tea.   That sounds great but in the scheme of things, pulling off a high tea would be a lot of work for me and something I would have to study and learn more about to actually do.   BUT, God put someone very special in our lives to pull this off with class and charm. Queen Elsa, the original Elsa, sent an invite for a high tea to the ladies of our home.   Elsa is Austrian so her knowledge was far greater than mine on the topic and she has WAY more class than I do. The girls dressed up fancy for their tea with Queen Elsa.   We were quite the parade walking across the mission with Dolly clanking along in my heeled shoes.   A driver even stopped to pick them up (walk beside them.)   James is his name..........yep, can't make this stuff up Queen Elsa and James the driver.   Elsa greeted them at her "mo...