Daddy’s Girl

We were in my room, talking about very important matters – including what to wear today. My now officially three-and-a-half-year-old spontaneously gave me an earnest little kiss on the cheek and then informed me:

“I gave you a kiss.”

She paused.

“But I love my Daddy the best.”

If he weren’t my favorite person, too – I might be tempted to be jealous!

Enjoying Caribbean Ting and VitaMalt

Blueberries!

The hot days of summer are flying by... Two weekends ago, very spur-of-the-moment, Elizabeth and I went blueberry picking with Aunt Ruth. What fun!

We've been snacking... But I froze most of the berries for fruit and homemade yogurt smoothies, which are becoming a favorite family tradition.

We were also given some Indiana Blueberries – real jewels! How they dwarf the southern variety! They're SO beautiful, I couldn't just freeze them to be chopped up later. So, we've been enjoying Blueberry Cheesecake Pie this week!

Yummy!

lessons learned

Or I should say, lessons being learned. (That's the way it is with lessons – at least for this student in the school of real life!)

Neighborhood Bible School last week was a great blessing. I was privileged to work with a wonderful group of assistants whose love for God and people radiated in everything they did and said. (I'm so thankful for Mount Calvary Baptist Church!)

Elizabeth had a great time. She managed (in spite of her Daddy's and Mommy's extra busy-ness) to memorize seven of the eleven verses suggested for her age group. The funny thing is, she at first didn't want to work on the new theme verses:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart...
Love your neighbor as yourself.
(Mark 12:30-31)

Instead, she wanted to recite the Habakkuk passage she already knows! (Crazy, lazy girl!)

I'm also thankful for God's grace in my own life. Our theme was "All of Me, All-Out for God!" We studied the lives of Abraham and Sarah, King Josiah, Mary and Elizabeth, and Peter as well as the parable of the Good Samaritan, focusing on themes of faith, obedience, and joy in extreme circumstances and examining God's extreme forgiveness and love.

On Friday night, John Mark and I both taught the lesson on the Good Samaritan. (It was a blessing for me to study JM's notes!) Christ's answers to the lawyer who was questioning Him (wanting to justify himself) pointed to God's perfect standard, unattainable for sinners. (That's all of us!) Only God's working in my heart can enable me, a sinner, to obey His command to "go and do" what the Samaritan did. What awesome grace!

The Lord burdened my team to pray specifically (ahead of time) for the girls He would bring to our class. He answered our prayers and gave us a group willing to listen, especially as Bible lessons were presented. On Thursday evening, one of our neighborhood girls called on the name of the Lord for salvation!

The Lord also reminded both John Mark and me of His grace in our lives by allowing me to talk at length with one of the girls concerning her doubts. I remember our excruciating days of doubt – and praise the Lord again for enlightening the eyes of our hearts. I am also reminded that God teaches and comforts me so that I can comfort others with the comfort He gives.

Yes, it was a great week. God proved Himself faithful and gave us grace to endure car trouble, extra activities for Elizabeth, extra (last-minute) office work for me, and short nights for us all. We appreciate your praying! Please don't stop now! Pray that we'll catch up on sleep, housework, advanced deputation preparation, and car repairs!

And remember that God is good – all the time!

A Big Red Bomb, NBS & Summer Water Fun

We would appreciate your prayers – especially this week as it is busy(-er than usual)!

Neighborhood Bible School got off to a great start yesterday evening. (Preparations have been going on for several months now!) John Mark is assisting the sixth-grade boys' teacher, and I'm teaching the sixth-grade girls.

And Elizabeth has an especially busy week with Summer Water Fun at school this week – plus Bible School in the evenings!

When I told Elizabeth that she would be attending Bible School this week, we rehearsed some lines from her Sing Along with Patch the Pirate CD where Wally Whale asks:

"Why'd everybody leave Bible School so early?"

Elizabeth's eyes lit up and after a few moments she asked:

"Who's going to be the whale at Bible School?"

Oops! Wrong theme! So, lest she be disappointed when she arrived and realized there was no whale, no pirate, no oysters, no sea gull, we had to quickly explain (and talk up!) our Polar Extremes theme. Never a dull moment!

Furthermore, to make life even more exciting, The Suburban won't start. Our quick diagnostics have ruled out simple issues like the battery, starter, etc. So, we'll have to continue diagnoses next week... Meanwhile, we're thankful that Dad and Mom's big red truck is available for use. (Thanks, Dad and Mom!) But I used to think The Suburban was big!

These car issues bring back memories of growing up in Uruguay (with a 1954 Ford Zephyr Six). I also remember our furlough in Dayton, OH in the late 70s. ("Wouldn't you really rather drive a Buick...?" Right, Daddy?!) But I was only (Pardon the pun!) along for the ride back then. It's more sobering as an adult with fiscal responsibilities and real goals. And I'm once again meditating on the truths of God's purposes and why things won't work.

In God's providence our memory verse at Bible School last night was Romans 8:32.

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

God stands ready to give us all things – including ability to rejoice in trials! Lest we forget... He reminds us that HE is faithful!

Great Visit with Great-Gramma!

It was a whirlwind trip! But we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Gramma, as well as the sights and the sites on the way there... We were encouraged by our time with Gramma, and we trust we were an encouragement to her as well...


Highlights for Elizabeth included playing with the Sesame Street Club House (the same one her Daddy and his siblings and cousins played with growing up!), racing around outside the farm house, "helping" her Daddy with the riding mower, and "reading" her favorite book (Duh Wed Wipe Stwahbehwee!) to her Great-Gramma.

I'm so thankful my little girl can spend time with a great-grandparent; it's a privilege I never had opportunity to enjoy.

Another highlight for all of us was stopping at the Creation Museum ("The Dinosaur Store" in Elizabethan) on the way. Thanks, Tatá, for telling us about the new Petting Zoo! There's no charge for admission, and it's a perfect place to break up a long trip – if you're in the area but don't have the time to see everything there.

And on another "potty break" we discovered a piece of old Indiana history. Pretty cool!

I wondered if it was an old church – John Mark guessed a school house. When I walked around the building, I saw the sign on the front. It reads:

School House No. 2
Built by Jasper Heck
Trustee of Liberty
Township 1875

If those walls could talk...

Another discovery I made (just today) is that Picasa 3 allows me to create collages in 4x6 size! That means I can print the collages here and send them to Gramma! Pretty cool technology! (And Picasa is free!)

Duh Wed Wipe Stwahbehwee!

(How’s that for phonetic transcription?!)

Elizabeth is keenly interested in the fact that letters make up words and tell us something. She first figured it out a couple weeks ago while listening to me read The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear – her favorite book at the moment.

We’re getting ready for a quick trip up to Indiana this weekend. Elizabeth has been eagerly practicing her “reading” aloud skills in anticipation of this visit with her Great-Gramma!

(I’m so glad I was able to catch a practice run on video – especially for the sake of family abroad! Isn’t modern technology a blessing?!)