Seasons are changing

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven...

Ecclesiastes 3:1

We have been so blessed with 6 months of beautiful weather.   The seasons are changing and I am finding more of God's beauty as the rain refreshes the jungles.   It seems like things are coming alive in front of our eyes.   It is such an amazing experience.   The colors are so vivid and the wild life so prevelaint that you can't help, but be in awe of God's creation.

The people here have so many fears related to animals, rain, and the land.   It breaks my heart that they are living in fear of something that is so magnificantly created.

God saw all that he had made, 

and it was very good.   

Genesis 1:31

Even the Christians we work with, when asked will admitt to still being in bondage to these fears and falsehoods.   They have not truly found their freedom in Christ.  My heart breaks for these people.   I pray that their eyes will be opened and their hearts opened to the truth!

As the season changes here and rainy season begins to settle in the lagoon in front of our house at times turns a bright red/orange color.   We have heard so many reasons for this that are so far from the truth.   The children are terrified of it.   They fear birdhouses because they could house a dwarf that steals the children.   Owls are feared as well.   It is so sad to live in a fear based culture where they can not enjoy the pleasant things that God has given us.

Please join me in praying for these people held in a bondange that only true faith in Christ can save them from.   Pray that those that already have the knowledge of Christ will come to completly understand what a relationship with Christ means. 

  

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  

The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread?

When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,

My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear;

Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble, He will hide me in His tabernacle;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.

And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,

And I will offer in His tent sacrafices with shouts of joy;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me.

When You said "Seek My face," my heart said to You 

"Your face, O Lord, I shall seek." ...

Psalms 27: 1-8

The Kids

So, today I thought we might look at life from the kids view.   Each kid has had their ups and downs and each one is equally excited.

We might as well start with Walker.  He has always been more outspoken about his fear and concerns, but when we made a pros and cons list he was very surprised to see that the pros out weighed the cons.  He is very excited to learn a new language, meet new friends, and as a young Christian participate in spreading the gospel.  The other night he had an amazing bible study in the book of Philippians and found encouragement and joy from Paul's letter.  He even made the remark that he felt like Paul was writing to him.   It really was an amazing example of God's love for each of us.   He has placed a sense of peace around each of us and is with us every moment. 

Mari-Madeline has been so excited from day one.  She has really taken to her Spanish lessons and finds joy in learning a new language.  She has had the fewest concerns of all and they are generally friends and family.   She is so excited to begin a new adventure that will forever shape who she is.  

Lorelai, well she is Lorelai.   She is a mess.  She has a very twangy southern Spanish and tends to make up her own words.   She has a harder time with transition than the other kids, but she also follows the lead of the two big kids.   She tells us all the time how big and mighty God is and I pray she will continue to feel His presence as we  move.

The kids have eagerly been finishing up their last bits of school for a few weeks.   They have been very creative in their playtime since all their toys are gone.  We will all admit to too much television these last few days, but with all the snow and wet weather we have done the best we can.  

Please join us in praying for our kids as we begin a new beginning and say good bye to the old.   The kids will be moving away from family and life-long friends.   Just this past week the kids realized that they would not be seeing their extended family members for a very long time and they all had their sad moments.   In the next few weeks if you around our kids, I ask you pray for them, but offer them a word of encouragement.   We are not brave, we are not special we are the same as you, we were just called to a different area of the world to spread God's word.  Moving is hard even when it is not to another country, but when we place our trust in God anything is possible and He will provide what we need.

Thank you to anyone who has ever loved on, taught or just had a special relationship with our children.  You have made an impact in their lives and I just want to thank you for that.