Our lives via Instagram

For those of you who have Instagram:   How did we live before Instagram?

Instagram is sooo easy.  You just take a picture with your phone, edit it and upload it.  So fast and easy.

Here are a few that tell of our life the past month or so.

Erika loved swim lessons.  And she really learned.  Unfortunately we have not been swimming since she graduated:)

My living room on any given school day.  Typically I try to fit in some reading and Bible study in between the kids needing help.  They are all doing great and we have a solid month behind us now.

Outreach to the teachers.  We put a few school supplies that teams brought us, a Kit Kat and this cool water bottle and delivered to the high school teachers in Belmopan.  I think over 100 ended up going out.

The girls and I are hanging out at Marla's Children's home on most Saturday mornings now.  The girls have really opened up to us and look forward to us coming.  We look forward to our time with them too.  They love music, fruit, crafts.  Next week, we are going to play games with them.  Erika loves playing with the littler girls on the playground, in between Tori and I holding them:)

And I have one happy ballerina.  She was made to dance and loves it.  She has a very full class...15 girls, great teachers and lots of friends.  I love that she has this outlet:)

More pictures of our awesome trip to the zoo coming up.

So much imperfection

Sometimes people say they admire me because I am a missionary, that I homeschool my kids, and am a pastor's wife.

Please don't.

I am so imperfect and so real and have good and bad days.

Yesterday a friend said she could never homeschool her kids like me.  That she is just thankful when school starts and she can have some peace during the day.

Sometimes I wish that too, though.  Like today.  A certain child is not feeling well and is making the day very long and painful.  She is currently in her bedroom and not allowed out.

BUT God has called me to homeschool my kids during this season of my life.  And most days I LOVE IT.  Some days, I wish I could send them to school.  But I am called to do this, so He gives me just enough strength and wisdom to make it through each day.

Being on the Mission field away from my family and a lot of my friends.  Living without the comforts I had in the states.  These things are hard for me.  BUT God has called us here for this season.  He is using us.  And so, He helps me do what I need to do.

And He helps me find new Joys in this season of my life.  Things I never would have discovered had I stayed in Texas.

We watched a shorted YouTube the other day.  Here it is.

Nobody Has It All Together

I really want Lee to show this at church.  Because so often I feel people come and see other people and think their lives must be so perfect, so easy.  But they don't see all the trials that that person has walked through to get where they are.  Maybe even the trials they walked through that morning.  But my favorite is that this family, even though they had a rough morning where nothing went right, still went to church.  Because we are pastors...I know...I may step on some toes...but we feel church should be a big part of people's lives.  That people should be committed.  Even when they have a bad morning.  That even when they have company visiting from out of town.  Church should be a priority.  Because all week long, we are so surrounded by people in the world that we need a day to be surrounded with people who love Jesus.   Is it really too much to ask to commit one day, one morning to the Lord?  Okay, off my soapbox.

But all that to say.  I feel like being here in Belize has challenged me in so many new ways to grow.  That God asks me to do things.  I tell him No, I'm not equipped.  But He just wants me to obey.  And then He helps me do those things.  Some days I feel overwhelmed with so much to do.  But somehow, I make it through.  I do manage to actually get things done.  Sometimes not as much as I would like.  But that is where I have to admit I am not perfect.  And do things in His strength, not my own.

Even this blog post.  I have been interrupted about ten times.  It is sometimes so hard for me to even sit down and compose my thoughts.  So many times I sit down to type and it never gets out...because my life is crazy, imperfect.  I am still a work in progress until the day I leave this earth.

Be encouraged.  God can use you.  You don't have to be extremely talented or super smart.  God will use anyone whose heart is willing.  He will mold you exactly how He needs you.  He will stretch you when you think you cannot be stretched any more.  And then you will look back and thank Him for that stretching.  You will see how the things you go through...God uses ALL of it.  

Now, to attempt to make cinnamon rolls with my 14 year old.  We are learning to cook new things together...some of it turns out...some of it doesn't.  But that is how we learn and grow.

Have you TRULY forgiven?

Tonight, I was convicted and ministered to by a young lady who I consider a spiritual daughter:)

Last night, I was going through some photos on a CD of our time at our last church.  I saved a couple to my computer.  It was fun, emotional.  The memories good and bad flooded back.

Then this picture came up of a woman that was not very nice to me.  Actually more than not nice.  She verbally attacked me one Sunday during service out in the foyer...and the picture was of her holding her child in front of the doors just like the memory that I wish I could erase.  I realized in that moment that I had not let it go.  I had not truly forgiven her.  Not that she asked.  But it is my responsibility to forgive no matter what.  When I saw that picture, my heart hurt.  Yes, time has healed a lot of the hurt.  The enemy used her at a time that I was very vulnerable.  Fighting many inner battles myself.  And she got to me.  The pain went even deeper every time I saw her after that.  If I would show up at a small group, she would literally pack up her children and leave.  If I showed up for a Bible study, she would go outside to her vehicle.  I had never had someone I felt disliked me so much.  And it hurt.  At a time when I was fighting some of the biggest battles of my life.

I would love to say that I eventually got to talk to her, to work it out.  But I didn't.  

And that pain flooded me again last night.  

BUT TONIGHT, when this young lady was sharing, God told me, "You need to forgive  ___________.  You need to lay it down once and for all."

So that is what I am doing.  I am praying for her.  Wherever she is, whatever she is doing.  I pray that the Lord will bring restoration to the areas of her life that are broken.  Because I know it was out of her brokenness that she did what she did.

One wounded woman, one vulnerable woman.  And the enemy saw his opportunity.

And tonight, I lay it all down before Jesus.

Listening to God

Sometimes God asks us to do things that seem weird or crazy to other people.  It seems that the longer we walk with God the more crazy things He asks of us.  To name a few, we have taken in a few kids over the years that we did not give birth to, to care for.  We adopted a child.  We homeschool.  We moved to a third world nation to disciple people.  All those things absolutely were out of obedience to Jesus.  All those things we were questioned on along the way.  But that is how it is.  Sometimes we just do things because Jesus told us to.  And then sometimes those things we later hear stories of how God used that very thing to minister to someone.

In Dallas, we used to make cookie calls and deliver them to visitors.  Or should I say, I made cookie calls:)  And money was tight back then so it often was a sacrifice.

And I wasn't the best baker.

One time I had burned a few sets of cookies, was in tears, but felt we should still take something to a family that had visited the day before.  All I had left was a quick bread mix.  No cooking from scratch for me back then.  So the bread turned out pretty good and we delivered it to the family.

That family later became leaders in our church.  And they told us the story of visiting our church and then receiving that bread.  They literally had no food in the house and no money.  So the bread was God ordained.  Cookies would not have been as good.  Bread fed that family for dinner that night.  Of course, we never knew until much later.  But sometimes God uses those things that seem less than or different at the time.

Today, I had some CDs someone from Katy had made for us.  I  was saving them to my computer and felt like the Lord told them to give them to someone.  Someone who I am not even sure if she is saved.  Someone who definitely has not heard worship music like was on these CDs.  I argued with God and told Him it would be awkward.  But kept feeling Him tell me to give them to her.  She recently went through a tragedy and is deep in grief.  Finally it was time for me to give them to her.  I explained that the Lord can speak to us through music powerfully and asked her to listen to them.  Please pray that I was obedient and that this person comes back receptive for me to minister to her...

We had a guest speaker here for Youth Camp last week.  His ministry was great.  We are still hearing about it.  I was ministered to as well.  We get so busy pouring out that is a blessing to be poured into as well.

Tonight is the first time in two weeks we are having NetGroup here at the house.  Last week, we had to cancel because of camp and the week before we showed a movie at a local restaurant.  Ready for what the Lord has tonight.  One of the girls that we seen saved, discipled and gone through the 23 weeks of leadership training will be ministering tonight.  And that is what it is all about!  Raising up leaders.

WHEW...

Yesterday was just one of those days.  If you are a woman, you will understand how hard it was for me:)

Our sink has been slowing rusting underneath...it has been pretty gross and to the point that water has just been seeping, seeping underneath.  I pulled everything out and it was all gross black and dirty.  So my expert plumber husband went and bought and installed a new faucet in the afternoon.  My kitchen was a mess, but somehow I was able to fix a yummy dinner and Tori and I cleaned up.  When we cleaned up, it showed even more work needed to be done.  So after working a full day on the church, Lee recaulked EVERYTHING.  

It looks great, though, so I am thankful for the mess to get to the beauty of a nice kitchen counter and a faucet that works:)

Then, our bathtub.  The beautiful one framed in by wood.  Well, the wood didn't work out so well.  It is actually so sad because this friend of ours spent so much time doing it.  But the wood was holding water and as much as we tried to keep it dry, it was just too high maintenance and the wood was starting to rot.  So, also YESTERDAY, that process began.  The man who installed it came back, tore it all out and tiled the tub.  It is GORGEOUS with the tile.  He is still working on it today.  But I actually like it so much better.  I will post pictures soon.  And the tile is just way more practical for our family that takes a million showers and baths a day, especially when it is hot.

Yesterday, amidst school and swim lessons and making meals, my house was so messy.  It was driving me crazy, but I let it go.  Today I got up and vaccuumed, just to make myself feel better.  It really can't be cleaned until Saturday, when all of the fixing is finished.  But we are getting there.

Tonight starts the Foursquare Camp, which will be really busy for us as well.  Please pray for Josh and Tori. This camp is much more rustic than what they are used to in the states.  They each have a friend going though.  I am praying that all the kids are greatly ministered to.  Lee, Erika and I will join them for the evening sessions along with a guest speaker that is coming from Next Gen in Texas.  Hoping it is an amazing time.

And Saturday, I will work on getting this place back in shape:)

Its Been a while

So I was informed that its been a while since I posted.  That is because life is incredibly busy and HOT.  I wake up early to do what I can...and am wiped in the afternoon.  If I sneak a rest in the afternoon, I might stay up til ten.  If not, then I'm falling asleep by eight.

This morning, I was up and going strong by 6:00.  Its 8 now and I have swept and mopped the main areas, did some work in the kitchen, washed and hung three loads of laundry...but still have much more.  I am about to get Josh and Erika up for school.  Tori has been working for an hour already.

Last week was crazy and the rest of this week will be too.  Swim lessons require the girls to start school at 6.  Tori likes to go to get a tan.  I enjoy her company.  Erika is now a swimmer.  She can swim across the deep end.  It has been worth all the trouble of fitting it into our day.  Her best friend has been going with her each day too.  Erika is also sporting a nice tan.  She has four more days and then we will celebrate with her on Friday:)  Thankfully, we have a break from lessons this morning, so I am playing catch up here at home.

Church life has been busy.  It is the season of outreaches, which means, I am busy stuffing sports bottles for the teachers, wrapping pencils for the students we will pray over Sunday, and still keeping up with my Children's Church responsibilities.  We are thankful for all the teams that came this summer that blessed us so we could bless others.  We continue to see people giving their lives to the Lord.  I have had the honor of praying with two different young people over the past month...and I am just one of many leaders.

Oh, and its been hot.  Not the crazy, you can't move hot.  Just the once it reaches ten am you don't want to do as much because it is hot and sweaty.  We have been going through water like crazy.  Erika has been getting refreshed in the pool each day, but not us.  Maybe next week, we can fit that in.

This week is our first Foursquare Youth Camp.  We will be joining with the Cayo churches.  Please pray for the kids attending (including my two).

Here's a few pictures of what is going on.

Four of the Eight baptisms we did last night.

Beautiful flowers for our Anniversary.  A real treat here in Belize:)

Erika made lunch for the kids the day Lee took me out to lunch for our anniversary.

I love this special friend God has given Erika.  They have learned to swim together this week.  And have enjoyed every second of their time together.

Saturday we came home to find a bucket with a tiny turtle in it.  For those of you who know this sweet girl, she said the turtle swam past her as she was washing her family's clothes in the river and she got it for Tori.  She walked all the way here to give it to her and then waited around for us.  Her heart is so big.

A Wedding in the Village

There are two very different worlds here in Belize.  Last Saturday, Lee performed his first wedding in Belize.  In a little Baptist church in the village of Maya Mopan (because that was close enough for everyone to walk to).  It was a surreal experience for us.  Seriously, I will never watch Nacho Libre the same.

Poor Lee was operating on pure fumes at this point.  After four teams, he was totally depleted and had fallen asleep after lunch.  I let him sleep as long as possible, not realizing he had not even picked out any clothes for the wedding yet.  All his white shirts had yellowed in the closet, but he had no choice.  He had to wear what he had...but it all worked out.

The Decor.  Lee and I got there on time and everyone was staring at me...the only white person:)  Most of the people only spoke Ketchie.  The church had some very loud worship before the wedding.  No,  really...look at those speakers:)

Then Lee said they asked if I would go pick up the bride.  I liked that for two reasons.  I could get in some AC because it was SOOO hot.  And also, because the bride is someone I love so much.  I am so proud of her willingness to set an example and marry in a culture that does not value marriage.  I am proud of how her and her husband have grown so much in the Lord since coming to LifeNet.  And I enjoyed the little time once we got to the church and everyone else got out of the car and I could just talk to encourage her:)  It was a sweet time.

Barry and Laura.  They serve so faithfully in Maya Mopan.  And this is who the bride chose to give her away.  I think it speaks a lot of Spiritual Fathering.

Lee's face speaks of how proud he is of this couple.

Their eldest daughter.

The Happy  Bride and Groom:)

And after the wedding, I am not kidding, they loaded up those wooden pews on the tops of trucks and took them down the street to the reception.  I should have taken a picture of that:)

It was a joyous occasion.  One other thing:  that whole family woke up early Sunday morning and was at church even though they had such a big day the day before.  This speaks so much of their commitment.

God is doing amazing things here in Belize.  Here in Maya Mopan.  He is raising up godly families in the village to be a light.