This Past Week

The past week has been a good one.  It was a great balance of ministry and family time.  I work hard to make sure our boys are involved in our ministry but I also work just as hard to make sure they have some time to have fun and be a kid.  Here are some of the activities we have done over the past week.

The past several Wednesday afternoons we have attended the women's Bible study in Nearar.  The women are meeting together weekly.  They each take a part in the service.  One teaches, one leads the music, one prays, another reads scripture, etc.  They change it up each week so that they all get a turn to do the different parts.  We have really enjoyed seeing them all step up into the different roles.  We have seen a lot of growth in each of them. It is stretching their comfort levels some but also teaching them to be bold in serving the Lord and sharing publicly about Him.  Pray for these ladies as they try to lead each other each week.

I have not taken any photos of the services but did take a few random pictures before we got started last week.

This lady was walking down the road carrying a load of bananas on her head.  I snapped her picture as she passed by the church.  I am not sure if she was taking them to sell or taking them home. 

Her daughters quickly caught up with her.  They were playing a fun game of tag while walking down the road.

Here is another photo I took of two ladies headed out to gather water.  This is a daily chore for most mountain women.  Few have any type of running water in their home.  They have to go a few times a day to the village water source and gather enough for each day. They will fill those jugs full and then carry it back home on their heads.  In times when I start to think my life is hard I do not have to look  far to be reminded of just how good and easy I have it!

David finished painting in the boys bedroom and I spent some time getting it decorated.  I still lack a little but here is what we have done so far.  One of the traditions I started with them was redoing their bedroom after we return from each Stateside Assignment.  I let them pick out something new while we are in the States to bring back.  It gives them something to look forward to when we return.  The last time we did a Tonka theme.  This time they chose dinosaurs.  Our landlord wanted us to keep the wall color the same as the rest of the house so I did not get to paint it like I originally wanted. 

We put dinosaur "tracks" all around the top of the wall.

I may have a frame built for this poster.  I will also add four small shelves (two on each side) to hold the four large dinosaurs below.  

 It is turning out cute and the boys are loving it.

On Saturday evening we went to the circus.  It had just arrived in town and we were so excited!

This motorcycle act has always been one of our favorites.

                                           

Every circus is a little different and we never really know what to expect.  This particular circus had an act that we had never seen before.  They drove a car out into the ring.  The car then begins to transform into a robot.  It was probably the coolest thing we have seen yet.

the finale

On Sunday morning we traveled to Muyurco for Bible study.  It was our first service with them since our return.  They were all very happy to see us and have us back.  The host family is currently living on a lot just down the hill from where they were living and hosting our Bible study before. The trail that we used to hike to get to this Bible study is now a road.  The village widened the trail enough for a car to fit through.  It goes way beyond our meeting spot on up the hill towards the school.  So now instead of hiking we just drive all the way.  It is strange!  I was rejoicing about it and Cruz spoke up from the backseat saying he missed hiking.  I assured him that he could get out at any moment and continue on foot. 

Here is a short video I took of us driving along what used to be our hiking trail.  

That evening we attended worship in Chiquimula at Iglesia Shalom with Bro. Fito.  We always enjoy attending services there.  A two-year old son of a family in his church was hit by a car on Saturday night.  He is going to be fine but the family was very shaken by it.  They were all in church that night to give praise and testimony of how God worked in the situation.  It brought tears to my eyes.  I was glad to be there that night to hug on that family and encourage them.  

On Monday David and Miguel took a young man to the hospital in Teculutan to have surgery on his face.  He had a tumor removed.  He is back at home now and recovering well.  It was just another opportunity we had to love on a family and pray for them during a difficult time.

We still do not have any television service hooked up in our home.  Until we decide whether or not we want it we are spending our time going through episodes of the Andy Griffith Show.  We started with season one and are working our way through the DVDs one episode at a time.  The boys love it and it has become a fun family activity for us.

Lastly, it has been miserably HOT here!  This was from earlier in the week. You know you have had a hot day when the thing you look most forward to is a cold shower in the evening so you can cool off and go to bed.  April is usually the hottest month of the year so I am bracing for it.  If you are longing for warmer weather then come on down.  We have plenty of it to share.

Thanks for praying for us this week.  Continue to pray as we go and teach and look for ways that we can show Christ's love to those around us.  Pray that our eyes would see the needs and that our hearts would be filled with compassion to help.  Pray that more than anything we would be bold in our witness and sharing our faith with those around us.