The Earthquake. Finally.

G's buddy, 6 months older, often tells his family about his memories of Haiti.

G - never.

When he was first home, a trip in an elevator - feeling the floor move - would cause TERROR - screaming, clawing his way close to me - But he's never talked about it.  Earthquake, orphanage, anything.

He's been home over three years.  Plenty of opportunities.  Never.

On a recent morning we were cuddling.  I mentioned the orphanage.  And stories came out. 

How he felt the "rumbling in my heart."  Everyone was screaming and ran outside.  Then someone came and got him.  Took him outside, then inside, then outside.  The children all held hands outside.  There was no food.  If there was an earthquake here, our house wouldn't fall because "it's too short."  And more.

Memories of terror held silently in a little boy's mind.

House of Sad

We're fully into transition mode.

Only 3 more days left of kindergarten.

Only 9 more days until Mr. Peter moves cross country.

There's a lot of Sad right now.

Promise from God

Another favorite promise in the Bible:

"God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline."

2 Tim 1:7

Kindergarten Field Trip

For some reason, the other chaperones were assigned 2 children each, but I got 3 children.  Apparently, the teacher forgot that 1 of my children would be G.  Or maybe she figured that if I can handle G, I can handle anything.  So I got 3 little boys for my group.

Summary of our trip:
1. G dashes off wildly to the left.
2. Bethshoy dashes off wildly to the right.
3. Jason meekly tugs on my arm and whispers: "I have rocks in my shoe."
4. Repeat.

Not sure we learned much.  But we all survived.  And sometimes survival is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Mr. Peter

G's babysitter, Mr. Peter, is wonderful.  He really cares about G.  Saturday morning he woke up to join me for G's soccer game.  Sunday he and his sister went to church with us and then we all enjoyed coffee together. 

Last night G said, "I wish Mr. Peter was my brother."

And soon I'm going to have to tell him that Mr. Peter is leaving.  Moving many states away.

Sad.

Promise from God

Another of my favorite promises in the Bible:
"For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long.  Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!"

2 Cor 4:17

Promise from God

A great encouragement in the promises of the Bible:
"We who have fled to him for refuge can take great courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence."

Heb 6:18b

Confidence

In case you haven't yet purchased L.B. Cowman's book Streams in the Desert, here is another excerpt:

According to your faith will it be done to you.  (Matthew 9:29)

"Praying through" something might be defined as follows: "Praying your way into full faith; coming to the point of assurance, while still praying, that your prayer has been accepted and heard; and in advance of the event, with confident anticipation, actually becoming aware of having received what you ask."

Let us remember that no earthly circumstances can hinder the fulfillment of God's Word.  We must look steadfastly at His immutable Word and not at the uncertainty of this ever-changing world.  God desires for us to believe His Word without other evidence, and then He is ready to do for us "according to [our] faith."

Promise from God

Sharing another of my favorite promises in the Bible:
"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Zeph 3:17

Internet Tip

Have you ever visited stumbleupon.com?  It’s not new, but I had never heard of it before.  It’s a good thing that I don’t have internet at home any longer.  Otherwise, months of my life would be dedicated to that site!  It’s like being in a book store that has a conveyor belt full of everything you like best.

I’m calling this a “tip.”  But it’s also a warning.  Way too interesting.

On the Phone

G likes to talk on his “phone.”  He’ll walk around the house for long stretches with the phone at his ear.

 

Picture DRAMA, VOLUME, EXPRESSIVENESS:

 

"What I did was I got this phone.  Well, it was in the Revolutionary War and they didn’t have phones so what I did was I got a piece of metal and I stuck cords in it to make a phone….  Yeah…. What?  Oh, sorry.  I didn’t hang up on you.  My phone was out of batteries….  Yeah….  Yeah….  I wash it.  I wash it for 10,000 months and 1 year….  Yeah….  I clean my phone.  When someone wants me to go to a party I have to wash it.  One time my phone was clogged up when it was so brand new….  Yeah….  Sometimes that’s what phones do.  It needs to, like, get used to it.  That’s why it takes a long time to make it work.  Cause if you don’t let it work, it won’t work....”

 

And on and on and on.

Storms

Encouragement from L.B. Cowman's book Streams in the Desert:

At first it seemed that a strange and almost cruel thing was happening to Israel.  They were hemmed in by a multitude of dangers: in front, a raging sea defied them; on either side, mountains cut off any hope of escape; and above them, a hurricane seemed to blow.  It was as if the first deliverance had come only to hand them over to a more certain death.  "The Iraelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them.  They were terrified and cried out to the Lord" (Ex. 14:10).

Only when it seemed they were trapped for the enemy did the glorious triumph come.  The stormy wind blew forward, beating back the waves.  The vast multitude of Israelites marched ahead along the path of the deep sea floor - a path covered with God's protecting love....

Today only questions surround your great sorrow, but then you will see how the threatening enemy was actually swept away during your stormy night of fear and grief. 

Today you see only your loss, but then you will see how God used it to break the evil chains that had begun to restrain you.