The kids are back in school and the work is almost done on the house, so activities have begun to return indoors. We have several kids who are getting adopted/almost ready to be adopted, so prayers for those processes and their new families/lives would be appreciated!
As I am learning more Spanish I find myself laughing more, kids say some funny things!
After telling me that she loved her mom and me, Fabiola proceeded to inform me that I should make dinosaur for dinner one night. We had a very serious discussion about where I could find dinosaur for cooking, she informed me that I could find it near the pants in the Cancha.
Today I made a pan of peanut butter cookie bars and shared it with all the kids. As I was cooking I also heated up a saltena that leftover from the other day and I sat down with Jose Luis who was still eating his lunch. "What is that?" He asked me.
"A saltena, have you never tried one?" I responded.
"I want to try it!" He informed me. I broke off a piece of the crust and gave it to him. He licked it and promptly made a face, "It's spicy!" He said. I had to laugh as I informed him that it was not spicy, it was actually quite sweet. To which he tried it again and then asked me, "It's sweet?"
"Yes," I assured him. He took my word for it and finished eating the bite of saltena without another word of its "spiciness"
I took the pan of cookies outside, the three 2-year-olds were lined up on their little plastic toilet seats on the back porch. Santiago saw me give the Tia one first and immediately asked,
"Can you offer me one???"
I gave all three of them their pieces and then turned to the hoard of big kids that were lining up and calling to me, "I'm sitting Tia!" "I'm ready Tia!" "Can you give me one Tia?" and five-year-old Josue was walking back in forth in front of all of the kids making sure that they were waiting their turn, and that their hands were clean (a child after my own heart. ;) )
"Tia," Fabiola asked, looking up at me from her cookie, "Is this sweet potato?"
"Gabriel, you don't want a cookie?" Josue called to Gabriel, who was in his own little world, shouldering the responsibility to look after his "brother," Josue went over and took Gabriel's hand and walked him to the porch and made sure that he got his cookie.
Shortly thereafter, I heard the Tia laughing, I looked back and she told me that Damaris had just said that I hadn't given her one. (I definitely did give her one.) The three littles had only had little pieces though, so I gave them each another little square. Damaris stuffed hers in her mouth and held out her hands. "More Tia?" She asked. By this time all the bigs were gathered around with hands outstretched as well. "More Tia?" "More?" I was reminded a little of Oliver Twist, (although, I pray that that one little line is the only comparison that could be found between that scene and my time with my little ones.)
It was cute though, and fun being able to cook for more people than myself again, I miss that about being at home. However, I only have until next Sunday before I can cook for my mom and sister for 10 days! I am so excited to have them come and be able to be a part of my life here for a little while!
I was reading in 2 Corinthians this week and these are some verses that specifically stood out to me, and that served as a reminder of how I am to be living my life wherever I am. And also, how I am to be living my time here in Bolivia, not daydreaming of things to come or planning down to the smallest detail what I want to do when I return to the States. My focus and my aim must be to serve my King faithfully and not to be found squandering the days that I had been given.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2, 5
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling... He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given the Spirit as a guarantee.
Sometimes the things on earth are all the more beautiful and awe-inspiring when I remember that they are only a shadow of things to come. Beautiful works of music cause me to wonder how angels sing. The masterpiece in the sky at night causes me to wonder what the artwork of heaven looks like, where the Son never sets. And the joy of being with my family and friends causes me to marvel at the abundance of ecstasy that shall be held in the heavenly realm when the Groom is united with His Bride for all of eternity.
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died, therefore all have died, and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.
Sometime between reading the last verse and the following, my mind had drifted and I thought something that I hadn't thought in a long time, "I still have so much time left before I go home."
Then I read this:
2 Corinthians 8:11
So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers and checking in, it means so much.
***I wanted to let you know, if you get my email sent to your email and would like to respond to it, you have to create a new email addressed to me. The blogs are sent automatically to your inbox (if you signed up for it) from the blogging platform not from me, so if you respond to the blog through your email directly, I don't receive those messages. It was recently brought to my attention because I had not been responding to someone's emails because I had never received them. I certainly don't want anyone to be ignored but I have no way of responding or seeing anything that is sent using the 'Reply' button that is at the end of this blog post in your email inbox.***
Have a joy-filled week!
Susannah
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