I Am Elijah

One of my favorite Bible stories is Elijah on Mount Carmel.   Elijah challenges the prophets of Asherah and Baal to see if their gods can light the fire under the bull on the altar.  Four hundred and fifty prophets show up to meet Elijah head on.  They prepare their bull and began to call on their gods.  Elijah taunts them by saying, "shout louder, maybe he can't hear you.  Maybe he is busy.  Or sleeping.  The prophets shout louder.  And still no fire appears under their bull.  There was no response from their gods.  Ever.

Elijah then prepares his bull.  He then ordered four large jars to be filled and poured over the altar.  He did this again and even a third time.  Water ran over the altar and filled the trench.  Elijah call upon his God and the fire from heaven fell upon the altar and consumed the sacrifice.

That is the part of the story I love.

Ahab was married to Jezebel.  Neither of these people were good people.  In the very next chapter, Ahab told Jezebel what happened and she sent a message to Elijah saying she would kill him.  Elijah should have been flying high and praising God still for the miracle performed at the altar.  Elijah turned and fled.  He hid under a broom tree and begged God to take his life.

Shouldn't the God that poured fire from heaven on the altar be able to protect Elijah from a death threat?  One would think so.

I am Elijah.  I am not hiding under a broom tree, but I am Elijah.

I am still praising God for the way He placed the Casa kids at the very last minute.  I have not forgotten that.  I still tell the story to anyone who will listen.  I am still praising God for many things that happened those last few days in Honduras.

Yet, I am fearful that because I have looked for a job for eight weeks and not found one that I won't find one.

Won't the same God that took care of those children, take care of a job for me?  One would think so.

I don't want to be Elijah anymore.  I want to have faith that a job is on its way.  I also need to remember my brave song and "wait upon the Lord, wait upon the Lord, wait upon the Lord."

A Windy Wedding

While living in Honduras, I missed a lot of family events, both happy ones and sad ones.  When I heard Dustin and Tasha were getting married, I decided I wanted to go.  I was going to buy a ticket and go from Honduras.

Then, I was no longer in Honduras and I knew I still wanted to go.  I hoped it would work.  

I left early Thursday morning for Oklahoma City.  It is over 600 miles from Baton Rouge.

I checked in and went to move my car and get my stuff.  I saw Janet and Rick before I moved the car.  The car waited a few minutes.

After we hugged and got my stuff, we went to our rooms to change clothes.  I changed rapidly and went back downstairs.  As I waited on Janet and Rick, Nathan and Wes walked in.  I was glad to see Wes, but this mamma was really glad to see Nathan.

Oklahoma City tends to be a windy part of the country, but what was happening last week was windier than what anyone is accustomed to.

Dustin was worried the tent would not hold and the arbor was in the pond on Friday morning.  It was removed from the pond and set upright again.  It held the rest of the day Friday.

I stayed in the house as long as I could.

In spite of the wind, it was a beautiful wedding.  Rick performed the ceremony and his words were so beautiful and meaningful.  The arbor stayed on the deck, the tent did not crash and no one blew away.  The dinner was delicious.

I was glad I could make this trip.  I enjoyed family.  Tonight, I am tired, but it was so worth it.

Best wishes, Dustin and Tasha.

On The Move Again

I like to be settled in in whatever place I call home.  I began sleeping in the mission house on November 13.  Not in Nicole's house, but the mission house.  The mission house may be great for a one week mission trip, but for five weeks, there is nothing about that seems like home.  Many times what I needed at night was at my house at Casa and sometimes what I need during the day was at the mission house.  Fortunately, those two places were close to each other.

I was at Nathan and Julia's house for three weeks.  I love being there, but it is not home and since I was in the process of moving, I had suitcases every where and could not find anything.  I was a week on the road before I arrived in Baton Rouge.

Matt, Nicole and the girls had been in Baton Rouge for over a month when I got here.  They were temporarily staying with Matt's parents.  The church has graciously allowed to me to stay in a house they own.  It is a nice house, but it, too is temporary.  I knew every thing I brought into this house had to be moved again.  The few things I brought back were who knows where.  I had to have dishes and a couple of pans in which to cook.

After some discussion, we decided we would all live together after we got jobs.  Matt and Nicole have both found jobs.  I have not.  Nicole and I looked at a rent house that we loved.  Then Matt and Nicole looked at it and everyone was in love with it.  They applied for it and we got it.

Saturday we began moving the things that finally arrived from Honduras.  All of that was in storage units.  Saturday it was supposed to rain and we weren't sure we had any help.  We rented a small U-Haul truck and soon found out that some of our big custom-made furniture from Honduras would not fit in a small truck and a larger truck was not available.  Matt's dad, Ronnie and Melissa Ellis came to help.  And, I don't want to forget Emma Kate helped all day.  Matt was working.  If I had been Ronnie, I would have cried, or left, when I was working with three girls.  Melissa's husband, Jay, showed up in a bit.  We were really glad to see him.  We worked all day.

Sunday afternoon we unpacked and laid shelf paper.  And started a load of dishes in the dishwasher.  Until the dishwasher caught on fire.

Monday,  Matt's mom and I unpacked.  I finished shelf paper.  Nicole did errands.  A new dishwasher was installed.  A refrigerator and tv were delivered.  The owner stopped in.  The property manager stopped in.

Yesterday, we tried to finish unloading the storage units.  That almost happened.  But not quite.

We did finish that task this morning.  And picked up a washer and dryer.  And went some where else to pick up a couch that someone gave us.  And went to the house where I have been staying to get Emma's bed.   The truck was unloaded.

Every thing from Honduras was wrapped in layers and layers of corrugated.  It has been a mess.

Nicole packed their things at Matt's parents all day today.

This really should not have taken this long.  But there the dishwasher problem.  A Target run.  Going after the girls at school.  A Target run.  A Taco Bell run for lunch.  A Target run.

I am leaving for the weekend.  I will move my things after I return.

But I am going to sleep in my bed tonight.  It has been FIVE months since I slept in my own bed.  Do you know how good that is going to feel?  For one night.  It will feel good again on Sunday night as well.

I hope it is a long time before I move again.