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1 Corinthians 3:4-9

"For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

1 Corinthians 3:4-9


Friday, March 27, 2009

New shoes... The Bridge... the circus...and a little bit of my heart

Sorry for the delay in posts...here is a quick update:

Tuesday, I took Ethan to get some new shoes. Well, we went to look because he really needed some new tennis shoes. I dread shoe shopping here for two reasons: 1) Shoes are sooo expensive and 2) they are pretty poor quality. So, anyway, off we went, me praying for a bargain and Ethan just excited to be looking for new shoes. First two attempts came up with nothing but two pairs of shoes in his size and they were pretty ugly. So, we went to Payless, which here means PayMORE but what do you do? So, they only had two pairs in his size as well (he must have the popular size around here) but one pair he really liked and I did, too. After he tried them on and decided he liked them, I asked the price because I couldn't find it on the box. They were pretty pricey. I walked around trying to decide whether to get them or not and I came back and asked Ethan if he really liked them and if they were really comfortable to which he replied "yes" to both questions. Then, he sighed and said, "Mom, I really like them, but I just don't want you to have to spend so much money." My heart melted. He has such a kind heart. Well, we bought them...he wore them home...and hasn't taken them off since! In fact, he has been running and jumping every chance he gets- it is so cute!

Also this week, the church in Tejarcillos has been learning the 12 scripture verses to the evangelical tool, The Bridge from Navigators. At the beginning of the year, one member of the congregation shared with Pastor Rogelio that she had wanted to share the gospel with a family member, but didn't know how. So, he challenged the church members to learn the 12 verses and each week during the Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have taken time to go over the verse for the week. This Wednesday, we recited the verses in front of the church. Matt and I both were able to recite all 12 and are praising God that He has given us the ability not only to speak in Spanish, but also to guard the Word of God in our hearts in Spanish as well! We feel much more prepared now to share with the people we are serving with about God's great love for them.

And, in other family news, the circus has come to town! The circus tent was set up mid-February and the kids have wanted to go since they first saw the big purple castle-tent! We checked on admission and it was outrageously expensive so, we told the kids we couldn't go and of course they were bummed. I had prayed that God would make a way, because I had heard it was really good and they wanted to go so badly...and God in his goodness, answered my prayer! A sign went up Monday offering 2 for the price of 1 admission this week, the last week of the circus. So, Matt and I talked about which day would be best to go and the plan was set for the Big Surprise for the kids :) Isabelle had actually been invited to spend the night with her best friend and her family was going to the circus also. So, we talked with her and explained to her the surprise and that she could choose and either way it would be fine with us. She was so cute, she said, "Well, you are my family and I really want to go with you, but I know that I'll have you forever. Abby is my best friend and I don't know how long we'll live in Costa Rica together, so I think I'd like to go with her and her family." In more ways than she even knows, she has grown so much since we began our life here. Without fully understanding her thoughts, she has processed that sometimes people are only in our lives for a short time. She has began to understand the value of really loving the people God gives us to share our lives with. Although, I missed being with her at the circus and kept thinking what she had thought about it all (our family went at a different time than her friend's family), I was proud of her choice to spend time with her friend. She had a great time and even got to spend the night!

Matt and I enjoyed the time with Ethan and Audrey. They were fascinated with all they saw and we were pretty impressed, as well! I do thank God for the life he has given us. Although our schedule at times is quite crazy, God has given us such wonderful opportunities to grow closer to each other as a family. Matt and I are learning how to marvel in the wonderful creations God has given us in our children. I say learning, because I believe our lives in the past have been so chock full of "stuff" that in the process of running from one place to another we many times ran so fast that we missed wonderful opportunities with our kids. Now, we recognize this, and honestly, are fighting to preserve the time we have with our kids. Ethan will be 9 in May! Nine years with this precious little boy and in 9 more years he'll be in college! I have committed to God to fight to preserve my family, to really commit to them in these precious forming years of their lives. I've committed to holding my relationship with Him first, Matt second and then to my kids. Right now, that takes up almost all of my time. For some time, I struggled with that, struggled because, as I always have, I fight with the lie that I need to be everything to all people. God is showing me that I do NOT have to believe that lie. He doesn't want be to be everything for everyone and stress about how to do everything I think I need to do. What He wants most is for me to be all things for Him. He wants me to love Him more than anything...anything else. Even if that means that my role as a missionary looks like the life of a normal mom. I am learning to accept that sometimes what He calls us to does not look like what we first think it might. And the Holy Spirit has gently reminded me that He made me to be Matt's wife and the mother of these children, a job he gave to no one else. He has often reminded me that he really doesn't need me to reveal His word to the lost people of Tejarcillos, even if I have memorized all 12 verses of 'The Bridge.' What He would really like for me to do is be the helpmate to Matt that he designed me to be. To be supportive of him like no one else can be. To keep our home in a way that allows him to be comfortable and relaxed. To pray for Him for the things that only I see. And to train His precious children, the three he has given to Matt and I, in the way He created me to. And so, my life continues as wife, mom, teacher, daughter of the King and missionary. I am thankful for the opportunities that God has given me to disciple the young girls and the two married couples. I love these times and am thankful to have this time in the ministry. I am also very thankful to be able to help in the cooking and serving of the many mission teams that come throughout the year and also to our team during our weekly meetings. I believe we are finally finding a balance and I thank God for the prayers offered on our behalf and for His answer prayer and guidance.

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