I Will Never Leave You

I wonder what what going through Jacob’s mind as gathered a rock or two for a pillow, while the sun was going down. Did he replay in his mind the events of the past few weeks? Of how his mother had called him in one day and told him of a sneaky plan. Jacob already had the birthright…. now he would get the blessing which was rightfully his brother’s. Did he remember of how he had gone in to his father’s room with the goatskins on his arms, wearing his brother’s clothes. Surely his emotions of that time came to his mind. Had he felt nervous, excited, guilty? As laid down on those rocks, did his mind replay the triumph he must have felt as he left his father’s tent, owning the blessing? (Or did he feel triumph?) Surely, it must have come to mind when his mother had come to him, “Quick… you must flee – your brother wants to kill you! Go to my father’s house until your brother’s anger has settled down!”
I sometimes wonder what Jacob might have been thinking as he laid his head down on the rocky pillow. Was his heart breaking because he was fleeing his family – was he wondering if he’d see his mother again? Was he fearful that his brother might one day yet find him and kill him? Was there any anger? Was he sorry for what he had done, or was he mad at Esau for causing this disruption in his life? Did he even wonder if God would still care about him? Or did he wonder if God might not be with him after all this?
I don’t know. But I do know that God came to comfort him that night!
God reminded him that he was the God of his fathers. He also reminded him of the promise that he had given Abraham – that he would have many, many descendants and in him all the families of the earth would be blessed (ie a Savior would come from the nation that would come from him!)
He also reminded Jacob – “I am here with you. I will keep you and guard and protect you, like a shepherd does for his sheep. And, know this Jacob, I will never, ever leave you.”
I love that. Sometimes when life leaves us tired and weary – whether it is because of our own sin and mistakes, or just circumstances in life – we can know this promise. We can know that our Shepherd is looking out for us. He is providing and guiding our steps. He is alert to the enemy’s attacks, to the struggles in our heart. He will protect and guard over us.
And – no matter what I do, what sin I commit, what mistake I make, how many times I stumble and fall – My Shepherd will be there. His strong arms will carry me through – blessing, teaching, guiding…. In the darkest of times and in the brightest of times I can look up and see his face, know his nearness.
Whatever was going through Jacob’s mind as he fell asleep, he no doubt woke up a new man. He could take comfort in his ever-present shepherd! As God never changes, this, too, is my comfort!

Need a rock?

As for God, His way is perfect.

The Word of the Lord is tried, he is a buckler to all them that trust in Him.

For who is God, save the Lord?   Who is a rock, save our God?    (II Samuel 22:31-32)

Life is full of changes.   One day your life looks like “this” and the next day, you don’t even recognize it.

Our life has had its share of change lately.   Some good – like my daughter is engaged!  Some more difficult – my husband is now unemployed (not his choice!)   Our days have a different schedule now!      Some of our friends/family have had change, too.     Two churches I know of have had major storms hit – and Sunday mornings are different.    One friend got news that her sister is not going to survive the cancer.     Another friend sent her son off on a journey to visit his brother – he was in an accident.  Now he will look at life from a wheelchair.    Another family is facing divorce.    This is not all – but all around are life-changing events.

BUT, one thing I know.   God is my rock.    I’ve been thinking about this  lately – Who is a rock, save our God?     I was thinking about rocks.  Just today I thought about life is so changing – it made me think of a river, or a sandy area blown by the wind.  The terrain around is constantly changing.  Yet, in the midst is our God, and he never changes.  His word says so.  So, the God who watched over Hagar – is watching over us.  The God who provided for Abraham will provide for us.  The God who remembered Noah in the ark will remember me.   In the Old Testament I read over and over of a God is overflowing in mercy and grace….. He has not changed!  He is full of mercy and grace for me today.   He is steadfast, no matter what will come.

In the midst of change…..  let us run to the Rock!

Hot Chocolate

When Byron suggested we stop for a little break, I didn’t mind!!  We had just finished teaching and doing crafts with the children at a school way up in the mountains.   So this short stop would be a nice treat – especially since it involved hot chocolate!  The day was a little cool.  (I wouldn’t have guessed it – being on the equator – but we were in the mountains, so I guess that made sense)

They brought us our hot chocolate, along with cheese sticks and bread sticks.  The bread was not soft, it was hard, with a – different flavor.  I don’t even know how to describe it, except that it was  good.  I always love the cheese in South America.   They both came on a plate for us to all share from at our table.

The hot chocolate had cinnamon in it!!  That took getting used to.  It wasn’t bad, just different.  In the end, I kinda liked it.

So, there’s two interesting things about their chocolate, besides the cinnamon.  The second time I had chocolate, we were at an outdoor restaurant at night – so it was chilly… and hot chocolate was welcome!  I got it while I was talking to our driver, Jaime.  Since it was hot, I picked up the spoon to kinda sip it up little by little.  I soon discovered something on the bottom – hmmm.. what’s THIS?   Since we were deep in conversation, I didn’t look too much, just kept taking bits of it.   Eventually I figured out that it was cheese!!!  I guess the first time we had it, they gave us the cheese on the side, but it was supposed to be in the cup!  THAT was different!!!

But, the first time we had the chocolate, on the way back from the school, I was again at Jaime’s table.  I enjoyed talking with Jaime.  He was a friend to Byron, and his job was to hire out his truck….  Since we really needed two trucks that week, he drove for us everywhere we went.  He didn’t know English, but wants to learn it.  So, anyway, when the hot chocolate came, Jaime filled me in on a few things I need to know before I drank.

In Ecuador, the saying goes – if you are mad at someone and you drink hot chocolate, then you will get sick.  Your stomach, kidneys, liver (I think he said liver…) all would go bad!   If you are not mad, then everything will be fine!   So, I assured him that I would be fine, as I wasn’t mad at the moment.

That sounds familiar!  God tells us to not even let the sun go down on our anger.   Nor come to the communion table if we are upset with someone.   So hot chocolate is another good reminder for me to keep short tabs on relationships!!

 

Unto the Least of These….

Hmmm….   the day loomed before me.   I could hear plans being made in the other room.    The guys were off to work on the house.  The women – off to the day care.   Well, my gender had decided what I’d be doing that day – but it wasn’t my first choice.

Part of our plans for the Ecuador trip were to work on the house for our missionary family….  mostly to get it easier for them to get moved in to.  I’d mostly wanted to go there.   I could paint or help the guy tiling, or whatever.  My work would “last” awhile, it would be quiet, I could chat more with the teammates.

My quiet self didn’t want to be with all the noisy kids.  (I didn’t voice this, as I as probably the only female feeling this way!)    But God then reminded me – isn’t sharing my word of eternal value?    Doesn’t my word go out and change lives  – for eternity?   And, also – he brought to mind the verse that said, “When you visit the sick, or help the poor… you have done it unto me…”

So, I went with a more cheerful heart – ready to minister as unto Him, my Savior.

I love sharing the Bible.  I love speaking Spanish.  I got to do both.  It was challenging for me though – it was noisy!  I don’t like being up in front of a lot of people.   But God brought me through.

And all that day -when I

• greeted every child with a smile, handshake or hug
• helped the small kids with their stickers
• smiled at a worker
• held a crying child
• served food for these precious children
• wiped down the tables
• changed a wet – soaking wet – child
• taught the Bible
• helped a teammate

I did it as unto Him.

My day became a blessing.   I guess part of my trouble at first was – I was thinking – what impact can one day have in the life of a person?  How can I know?   Only God can know.    Only He can multiply and bless – both sides!

 

Blessings

Well, it’s come and gone!   A long time ago (about March/April I think) a friend asked me if I’d like to go to Ecuador with her for a mission trip.  After praying about it, I felt like, yes, I’d like to go.  One of my daughters came, too.

So, it has come and gone, but the memories will last my lifetime (I hope!)  I hope to write about some of our experiences, but for now…. on our way home, I wrote down some of the blessing I received along the way.  It was easy to write up this list!

• each and every team member
• God helping me to get up front and talk to a group
• Our hostesses
• Patricio, Silvana, Genesis, Patricio jr….  a family that lived in the house we were in (Silvana helped a lot with cooking for us)
• Byron, Becky, and Caleb (the family we were visiting and helping mostly)
• Seeing South America again
• Vista Hermosa, a restaurant on top of a building, where we were able to see the lights and listen to live South American music being played in the background.
• Listening to South American music a lot
• going to the market place again
• Talking to Jaime, the guy who helped drive us all over the place
• the fresh fruit!
• Luis and family, who made us a shrimp dinner
• God’s grace each day – giving me joy!
• the Cathedral
• the mountains
• visiting the equator
• enthusiasm of the people at the church
• talking with Silvana
• talking with other teammates
• working on Becky and Byron’s house
• meeting the Pastor’s wife where Becky and Byron are going to live
• we were safe in driving (a miracle!)
• seeing the kids at the school
• being able to bless the school with a new stove
• talking with the teachers there
• listening to a small family play typical Ecuadorian  music together
• since we were in the mountains, I thought more about Jesus overlooking the city of Jerusalem… and how his heart broke for them
• being able to hold and quiet a sad little girl
• buying Bibles
• eating South American food (though it was different from Bolivia)
• seeing the faces on the ladies when they got their hot water fixed at the day care
• living in close quarters (20 people in the house one time, mostly 15)
• team unity and cheerfulness
• relaxed atmosphere
• that we were a blessing to Byron and Becky
• seeing my daughter get right in and talk with the Ecuadorians and always looking for ways to help anyone
• sweet spirit on the way home
• easy time getting through Houston (we had one hour…)
• day care workers had a hard job, but did it with a smile!
• seeing volcanoes
• Genesis always gave us a big hug and a smile
• devotion time together with our group

I am very thankful that I got to go!   More details on some of these blessings coming up later!  Stay tuned!!!

Remember when…?

It never fails.  Every time I make biscuits and sweet sauce, one of my kids will say, “Remember when Grandma made sweet sauce – and forgot the sugar?”   Of course, my mom will never live it down!  How can sweet sauce be sweet without the sugar?   So that always has to be brought up.

Then there’s the time my friend and I played an April Fool’s joke.  We hid the car keys of a friend – only under the seat.  We thought he’d find them easily – but he didn’t and it really messed up his day.  Ooops.  We’ll remember that for awhile because we learned a lesson in that one!

And then – I remember when another friend and I played for hours on the giraffe in the school playground – we had many, many adventures there, with lots of imagination.     Thinking of those times with her is still sweet.

There are so many things to remember.  I bet if you sit back a minute, you can think of so many things.    Monumental, sad, happy, life-changing, awesome.

I like best to stop and remember when God moved in a special way.  Even if it was small.

I remember one time I was thinking that I’d like a cassette for my 18 month old daughter – one with lots of songs about God.  We were in mission training and had NO money.   Well, within a week someone came to visit – and she brought a tape for my daughter!!  Exactly the kind I was wanting.

Another time – we had no shoes for our girls.  I mentioned it to God once or twice.  Then in church, someone walked up to me with shoes for both of them.

Of course, I remember all those times that we flew safely between here and Bolivia – with many adventures on the way.  We always got where we needed to go and so did our luggage!!

I’ve found one of the best medicines for when I’m down.   Remember when… Remember when God parted the Red Sea for Israel?   They were stuck – with no way out, and then His awesome power and love was demonstrated in a huge way!     Or, remember when God stayed with Joseph all those years in Egypt – with a special plan in mind for him, too.  Remember when Jesus walked on the earth, and many times stopped to touch someone with His love?    Just mulling over any of the stories of God’s might cheers my heart!

How about you?  Do you have any special times to remember in  your life, or Bible stories that are special to you?

Cleaning

A woman came home from work one day and was surprised to find that the kitchen floor had been scrubbed, the stove scoured and the refrigerator cleaned.  Knowing her husband’s dislike for houseweork, she was understandably puzzled.  Then she found this note:

“Clean kitchen not my idea.  Had to clean up the nine eggs that went flying when I knocked the egg tray loose in my haste to grab the baking soda out of the fridge, to throw on the fire, that started in the broiler, when I tried to cook a hamburger without dirtying a pan.   P.S.  Went out for a hamburger.  Be back soon.”

(this was taken from a Reader’s Digest quite a few years ago; contributed by Thomas R. Hunt)

I kinda  felt this way recently!!  I heard the freezer downstairs running and running.  So I decided to see what was up.  First, I hauled everything out and put it in the sink and in a laundry basket – and covered the two piles with blankets to keep them cold.    Well, it’s a frost free freezer, so there wasn’t frost to clean out.  But I did find ice in the back, behind the back ‘wall’ – with a little gap at the bottom.  I figured that must be the problem.  Well, there was no way to get that ice out except to let it sit and thaw.  It wasn’t thawed by bedtime, so I left it all over night, hoping that everything would be frozen in the morning still, somehow.

Well, it came time to wipe the freezer down and to put everything back.  So I pulled everything out of the sink and put it in, then the laundry basket.  Alas, the blueberries didn’t stay frozen.   They were swimming in their juice.  So, I put them in a bucket, and continued reloading the freezer.  Then the fun began!

The basket was now full of blueberry juice, so I picked it up to dump in the sink.  Of course, some splashed out onto the floor!!  And all over the sink.  So by the time I got done, I had a clean freezer, a clean floor, a clean sink, and a clean laundry basket!!    Maybe I should clean the freezer out more often!!

The Cockroach Approach

The interpersonal dynamics in Bolivia were quite different from here.  We were all overseas, far from families.   Therefore, we grew into a family down there, with a lot of people being called aunt or uncle.   My kids fell in love with one of the “aunts” especially  – enough that they wanted her for a mom if something happened to me.

Her name is Aunt Judy.  We actually met her in the states, in our training with New Tribes Mission.    While we were in training, I always felt welcome in her apartment, always received a smile.  When it was her turn for child care, she’d always have some fun activity planned to play with the kids.  While we were preparing to go to Bolivia, we stopped in at the language school to visit them a little bit.  I remember thinking of what a team she and her husband were!

They got to Bolivia before we did.  Her husband Dan had grown up there, and she had grown up in Brazil, so it was easy coming back for them.  They knew the language and culture.  They were able to pretty much hop into their ministry. Therefore, they were able to help us feel at home.  When we moved into our house, Aunt Judy was right there to help me out.  In fact, she had the whole kitchen unpacked and everything put away for me in a very short time.

Another time I was rushing around, getting supper ready, when the doorbell rang.  I opened the gate and there stood Aunt Judy with a roasted chicken in her hands, ready to eat with us, bringing her share.  She just wanted to see how we were getting along, how we were adjusting to life in another country.

Not long after we got there, Judy did a devotional.  Now, one of my adjustments down there was cockroaches in my kitchen.  One day she asked if I still had them – and I replied that I didn’t know, because I never went into the kitchen after dark!!  Seriously, I had found a recipe of goup to make and plop at sundry places in the cupboards, and away they all went!  But before they left, I got in on this devotional.  I guess cockroaches were on her mind, too, because she talked about them.  She told how these critters will come out at night, their antennae high and  looking around for something to eat.   Then we were compared to cockroaches! We should be walking around with our “spiritual antennae” in the air, looking around for opportunities to minister to other people.    This was the way Judy lived!

One time we went out to the tribe that they were working in.  What a special time that was!  The thing about Judy, she lived the cockroach approach!   The tribal people were always coming to the door, needing this or that.  Judy was always ready to help them out. Even though life was busy, she still had time for her kids…  (By the way, while we were there, Sam, one of her boys,  somehow came up with a sloth!  He played with it for awhile, letting Anna and Adia pet him,)   She stopped to help me out when I thought that Adia had an ear infection (I was right – she did).  She even sat in the wash room and washed out Rachael and Adia’s diapers by hand with me when we got rained in and had to say an extra day.

One time, she and another ‘aunt’ made a giant gingerbread house and gave it to our kids!  When we left the country, our plane left at 6 or 7 am  (who can remember those kinds of details?)  She showed up at the airport with hot cinnamon rolls, a special note for me, and a big hug. I was touched by the effort she made to get their so early, and … what time did she get up to make those rolls?   I still have the note.  Over and over again through our time there, she constantly reached out to encourage us.   I thank God for privilege of “rubbing shoulders” with such a great example of Him – “Jesus with the skin on.”

Under the Roof

On cold, rainy days, I am very thankful that I have a roof over my head!!  I often think about the homeless people who are out in the elements without the warmth and protection of a roof.

I found out about a roof in a very unlikely place in the Bible recently.  It was in I Corinthians 13, the love chapter.   In the KJV it says, “(Love) Bears all things…”  hmmm… I wanted to get some ideas of what that means.  I thought – you know – you bear with someone – hang in there with their oddities, or bear with them while they are having it rough.   But then I looked into it some more.  One version puts it, “love always protects.”

So I went to a handy online tool to help me find the Greek, and it said that in the original language, the root word is stega, roof.   In I Corinthians, it is actually stego, a variation of stega. The more I thought about this, the more I loved it!!

You see, stego has the idea of protecting or keep by covering; cover with silence, to hide or conceal the errors or faults of others; covering to keep off something which threatens, to bear up against, hold out against.   Wow… what an awesome way to show love.

Imagine, if you were out walking, and you met a person who was cold, sick, and discouraged, and you decide to bring them home – under your roof.  You bring them inside, and there they are safe from the weather – warm, comforted.   And maybe this person is afraid of something outside, so you don’t even mention to anyone that they are there.  You make sure no one gets in without your permission.   In your house they are totally safe from anything.  They can have time to heal and gain strength.

That’s kinda how I think of this.  If a friend is hurting – either from what they have done or what has been done to them – they can come under your love.  They can find a place of healing and comfort.  And no one else needs to know they are there.  Their secrets are your secrets.  Their struggles are for you alone to know.

Another aspect of this is ‘to keep of something which threatens.’  I mostly think of a castle that is being attacked.   Everyone inside does all they can to keep off an enemy.  Weapons are made ready; food secured, if possible; strategy formed.  Everything possible is done to keep everyone inside safe.   We can do the same by being alert, giving warning to each other, keeping God’s Word to fight off the enemy.

Love always protects.

Jesus

I love to study the Bible.  I love the group of ladies that comes to my house once a week for a Bible study!    We share praises… one had a whole stack of praises today – requests, laughter, tears, prayer… and rejoice and marvel around God’s Word.

Recently, we are doing a study about the Life of Christ… or maybe, just about Jesus – who He is.   I hope to talk a lot about it….

This week, in our homework, we did a section of just thinking about what Jesus was like as a child, teen, adult.  I know the Bible doesn’t say much about it – but it gave me a better perspective on just why type of person he might have been.  I know a lot is speculation, but it still blessed my heart to think about it.

It’s hard to put into words the wonder of God.   First, He was a person.  He went through learning to walk and talk; falling and scraping His hands and knees, learning to eat neatly.    He must have hung out in the carpenter’s shop with Joseph, learning how to hammer, saw; at times carrying heavy loads for Joseph.    He also learned the Old Testament, no doubt.  He must have listened, and soaked it all in, carefully digesting every word.   I wonder at what point He knew a lot of it was about Him.  Or was that just always there in his mind.   He wasn’t handsome by any means, but the beauty on the inside must have drawn many friends.

He knew what it was like to hang out with a friend.   He knew what it was like to be betrayed by a friend.  He knew kind words – and harsh looks.   He knew what it was like to pinch pennies, no doubt.  He knew peer pressure, too, I’m sure.    And the enjoyment of a beautiful sunset, or a job well done.

One of the questions made us think about what draws us to our favorite people.      My favorite people – look at me with love in their eyes, listen well – you can tell they are hearing with their heart, not just their ears, smile easily, laugh easily, love God and the Bible, can be trusted with secrets, will stop and pray with me, and they value my input.    I never thought of it – but Jesus must have been like that (and more)!!  If someone wanted to come up and talk to him, his heart and eyes focused on what they had to say.   Around the dinner table, there must have been lots of laughter along with serious discussions.   He was never too busy to stop and pray or encourage someone with a word of Scripture.

All along this time, I wouldn’t be surprised that Satan would have been tempting Him.  He knows what it is like to be tempted.   When Jesus began his ministry, Satan was still there.  When he went to Nazareth as an adult, they rejected him.  Satan opposed him.  Pharisees badgered him.  Many people flocked to him for healing.   Life was full – yet He knew His focus and stayed close by it.  He spent many hours in prayer – talking with His father.  Maybe  for strength.  focus.  encouragement.  just talking over the day.  Just drawing close to the one He loved and the One who loved Him.    He knew who He was; He knew whose He was.

Well, that’s just a few thoughts.  I am sure much more can be said.   I am so thankful that he came to earth,  so that he could identify more with us.   Do you know him?