Friday, April 25, 2014

Francisco

While Matt and Nicole are in the States, I am buying the food for the feeding center.  I went to PriceSmart and the market and then headed to Buen Samaritano.  We unloaded the food and I paid the employees and for the water and wood.  My last stop is always to pay for the tortillas. 

We have a friend named Francisco.  He owns a little pulperia.  His wife makes the tortillas for the feeding center.  I pulled up and Francisco was sitting there reading his Bible.  He ran to the car and told me he was studying the Word.  He then told me he would soon begin praying and there would be no five minute prayers for him.  And then he said probably three hours. 

Then he began to pray over me.  And, I do need to be prayed over.  You have never really been prayed over until Francisco prays over you.  He has a deep relationship with the person to whom he was praying.  It was very touching.

I felt very blessed when he finished.   But, I was kind of glad it did not last three hours.  It was almost 1:00 and I had not had lunch.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter

Yesterday, Easter, was a glorious day.  Partially because it was Easter and the tomb is empty.   I was in Baton Rouge.  We heard a beautiful Easter sermon.  Then at the end of church, sweet Camille was baptized.  I have studied the Bible with Camille two or three times a week by phone.  She announced a couple of months ago that she was ready to be baptized and she was going to be baptized on Easter morning.  I am thankful that I not only got to be in Baton Rouge to see her baptism, got to help baptize her. 



And Grammy being Grammy and having my family together, meant lots of pictures.  Lots of pictures. 






Emma Kate is 21 months old.  Yesterday was the first I had been with all three granddaughters at the same time.  I had a permanent smile.  Emma Kate did not have a permanent smile.

We all went to Olive Garden for lunch and then to Matt's mother's house for a giant Easter egg hunt.










Then there was strawberry shortcake.  It was so good. Haley tried to eat all of hers at once.
No strawberry shortcake for Emmy.  She went for the chocolate that was in all those Easter eggs.

I went home with Nathan and Julia and will be in Jackson for a few days.    Camille and I made our guacamole tonight and started our first puzzle.

Love that family time.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Adonai

I like reading and studying my Bible.  I also like underlining and writing in the margins and writing on the front and back pages. I write dates by scriptures and remember why that verse was important to me at the time I underlined it when I see the date.  No one would want to use my Bible but me. 

There are several names for God in both the Old and New Testaments.  I have done studies on some of those names.  While we were in the States in the fall, one of the churches we visited was having a sermon series on the names of God. The morning we were there, Adonai was the name being studied.  I wrote all over a page in my Bible.  This morning my Bible fell open to that page.

Adonai means master or owner.  Master did not have a negative connotation in Hebrew times.  If a Hebrew master owned a slave, the master was required to provide protection, provision, direction, and affection.  What more could anyone want or need?

That is what I need right now: protection, provision, direction, and affection.  Today and in the future I look to and expect my Adonai Lord to provide those things for me.  What more do I need? 

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Saturday Morning Blessing

As Casa de Esperanza has grown, I find myself spending more time in the office and less time with the children.  I don't mind doing the office part of this job, but I do miss being the kids. 

Nicole works Saturday mornings with them.  Nicole is Baton Rouge.  That meant I worked yesterday.  What a blessing it was, and I mean a true blessing, for me to be with those kids.  We watched a movie after chores.  I was so relaxed as I spent my morning with them that I almost went to sleep. 

It is always good when we don't have issues and we did not have issues yesterday.

I am looking forward to spending another Saturday with them in two weeks.

Friday, April 11, 2014

An Endearing Story

Reina is fifteen years old.  On a good day she functions as a six or seven year old.  She and her sibling came from some the most extreme poverty imaginable.  Reina is not in school this year.  She has more opportunity to do some of the paid jobs at Casa.  Every Sunday, without fail, when the kids are paid, she spend every thing she has in the store.  Cokes, chips, cookies.  She leaves with both hands full and a big smile on her face.

Visitation is the last Friday of every month.  Reina's parents may be the poorest of all the parents, but they always find a way to get here.  Always.

After visitation two weeks ago, Reina was working harder.  Doing more of the paid jobs.  She walked up to me and said she was not going to buy Sunday after she was paid.  She has decided she is going to earn all the money she can and give it to her mother at the end of this month.  Now, bear in mind, we don't pay big amounts for these jobs.  And, she was true to her word.  She did not buy a single thing on Sunday.

Isn't that the sweetest thing you have heard in a long time?