7/24/09

Delight in the Lord

Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.
Psalm 37:4-6

Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in His salvation.
My whole being will exclaim,
"Who is like You, O Lord?
You rescure the poor from those too strong for them,
the poor and needy from those who rob them."
Psalm 35:9-10

I want to delight myself in the Lord. I once thought of it as just to do with getting married. But it is so much more than that! I desire to be freed from depression. I desire to know what to do with my friends. The way to reach my desires is to delight in the lord. O that is a true desire of my heart as well. I do desire to know God better. I want my relationship with Him to not be "as it was" - but to grow and keep growing as life changes. I want to learn new things about Him and remember and meditate on what I already know about Him

Lord, I love you more than anything. I want to know you. I want to know you more! Show Yourself to me. Amen.

7/17/09

And They Will Know Us By Our Love

I was driving in the car the other day and this song was playing on this new CD I got. The words really struck me. I have been struggling with a couple of my friends lately. They seem to not have time for me, have separated themselves from me, and have pretty much left me out on the porch. It has both hurt me and discouraged me. I think that my reaction at first was anger and hurt, but now, after hearing this song, I think it should be love.

It isn't about what they can do for me, it is about what I need to be doing for them.

Thank you Christy Nockels.

Brothers, let us come together
Walking in the Spirit,
there's much to be done...
We will come reaching,
out from our comforts

And they will know us by our love.
Sisters, we were made for kindness
We can pierce the darkness
as He shines through us.
We will come reaching,
with a song of healing.

And they will know us by our love!

The time is now
Come Church arise.
Love with His hands
See with His eyes.
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love.

Children, You are hope for justice,
Stand firm in the Truth now,
set your hearts above
You will be reaching,
long after we’re gone,
And they will know you by your love!

7/16/09

Thursday Thoughts

I've been sick since Tuesday evening. Yesterday I hardly got out of bed. I had to call my mother to come and get Jack so I could rest. I was pretty miserable. I'm feeling better today, but not 100%. I sat down on the couch after he laid down this morning and realized it had been over a week since I had read my Bible. I felt refreshed, just opening it up and looking at the words. The Lord really renewed my heart with just the reading of His word. I thought, "If I had only one possession, this would be what I would chose: His Word."

I read some Psalms about praising God. I need to praise Him more. Praise Him for helping me get through my sickness yesterday, even though it was life-threatening and just one day. I need to praise Him for getting me through another bought of depression (probably why I haven't read the Bible all week). I need to praise Him for His love and mercy and grace. All of which I do not deserve, but have freely and abundantly. Thank You, Jesus.

I Praise You, O God, for Who You Are.

7/13/09

Days 8, 9, and 10

David y Beth!
Saturday and Sunday we headed home. We had to travel back to Quito on Saturday and then our plane left Sunday night at 11 PM. We arrived back into Charleston, WV USA Monday morning.

On Saturday we went to Mitad del Mundo - the Equator. (From my journal)
They had some history about the Ecuadorian Indians and about the equator. On the actually equator the guide did these expeiements to prove that it was the equator. It was pretty neat.



This was the orginal statue, before GPS found the actual equator.



On Sunday we went to these markets and bought little gifts. That afternoon we rested for our late night flight. Everything about the flight went well. Jack slept both flights. Over all we had a wonderful time! We learned a little more about missions and got to experience a totally different culture.
Two things I have taken with me:

1. God has bless my family...and will continue to bless us no matter where we are.
2. I would love to live in an "event" oriented instead of a "time" oriented culture - an event doesn't start at a particular time....just when you get there!

Day 7 - Monkey Place

On Friday we went to this place where they rescued monkeys. It was sort of like a refuge for the monkeys. The interesting thing about this place is that the monkeys are not kept in cages. They are free to roam, and climb anywhere they wish....even on you! At first the monkeys were timid and didn't know what to think of us. Then, they started climbing on Jason....and then me......and then Jack! It was crazy to watch them just run, swing on vines, and play. Here are a few pictures:








Days 5 and 6

So on Wednesday, I went to the orphanage. I took Jack. Most of the kids in the orphanage had physical problems. It was really tiny....and they had 58 children!

(Inside a bedroom/classroom at the orphanage....Casa de Fe)


Later that afternoon I helped Beth in her classroom. Nate Saint Memorial School is a small school with about 11 students this year. It if for the missionary kids. And then that evening we went out ot eat at this place in Puyo, the next town over (about 15 minutes away).



An office on the left and a classroom on the right.


This is Beth's new classroom: She'll be teaching Kindergarten next year (with 6 students)!

Inside the classroom:

Jack had to try out her rocking chair :-)


This is a look at the school.











On Thursday I helped Beth in her classroom again and then Jason and I got to go on a tour of the old house built by Nate Saint and Jim Elliot. If you want to read more about their story, go to:





















The old hanger is pictured to the left.
The radio room in the Sain'ts house....Marj Saint waited here for the call from her husband....it never came.



MAF is Mission Aviation Fellowship. Beth is a missionary through them. Her fiance, David, is the new administrator. In Ecuador they are now called Alas de Socorro (Wings of Mercy).
Jason got to fly on an emergency flight in a plane similar to this.


His pictures flying over the jungle:






Beth's house:



Thursday night Beth goes to a local resturant and has an informal English class. We got to go with her and speak to some of her students. Some were in high school, some in college, and some were adults who just wanted to learn English. After that, Beth had us over to her house for dinner. Becky, the doctor who Jason had been following, came over too. Both had really good insights about being a missionary. Beth quoted Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there!" Becky said that it was a matter of building relationships. We totally agreed with both of them. That is how we see missions. We learned a lot on this trip....but not what we thought we would learn.

Days 3 and 4

(Monday, from my journal)
Se we went to this picnic thing. We ate lunch there David had to pick us up something to eat. It was good - rice, some chicken, and a little ice cream thing. We got to meet some of the other missionaries. Well, the one's with kids. The picnic thing was for the kids of the Nate Saint Memorial School (that Beth teaches at). They had a place to eat like a shelter with benches around the outside. There was sort of a swimming pool with a slide. It was a great place for kids to play. Jason really liked it at the hospital (this morning). After the picnic thing David took Jason and I to this place with a view of the river named Pestaza. Then to a waterfall. After that Beth took us around Shell. We walked around to the hospital. She showed us different things along the way, like the meat store and a little market with Americans. The town is really small. you don't need a car to get anywhere you want. She showed us this park that they had just built a couple of years ago. In the center is a statue of a yellow plane. Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and 3 others were killed by a remote tribe in this area. Shell is the last city before the jungle. There is jungle everywhere you look. Beth told us that if one of the MAF pilots have an emergency run, one or both of us could ride out for free with them to the jungle. So, Beth also showed us the hospital compound where the missionaries from HJCB live. It is a really nice place to live. It is all gated and all the kids were outside playing. Everyone has been saying that it is a good place to raise kids. I can see that. The only thing with living on the compound is the separation from the nationals.



The River

The Jungle
Waterfall
The town of Shell, Ecuador


On the HJCB compound



(Tuesday, from my journal)
This morning, we got up early. Jason headed over to the hospital about 8AM. Jack was up super early, so he is taking a nap again. (After his nap) Beth's school is really cool. She teaches 1st and 2nd grade. She and her 2nd graders were organizing her books while the 1st graders were at Spanish class. The kids really LOVED Jack. They were pretty good about helping keep him out of things. That night for dinner we went to this place owned by Beth's friends. They had chicken and french fries. It was really good. That night, the kids had a little program at the school to celebrate the end of the school year. This trip has been different. And we talked about it. We get strange vibes from the missionaries here. Maybe its the compound and the gates. They seem really distant. From the nationals and even from us as well. They are friendly, but only on the surface. They are a little bit anti-social. I don't know what it is. I just feel that we don't really fit here. I think that if the Lord calls us here and it was clear, I could make it work. Especially if we were here long-term. But right now, I don't feel it. *

*And I still feel that way, after the trip as well.

7/8/09

Days 1 and 2


(So, we were delayed a day because of fog in Charleston). We were supposed to leave Friday, but ended up leaving Saturday. ) *From my Journal:









We are finally in Shell! Yeah! Jack is taking a nap. Everyting went smooth Saturday. Our plane in Charleston was delayed a little but we got to Atlanta in plety of time for our flight going to Quito. Jack was so funny on the 1st flight. He didn't cry at all. He looked out the window of the plane the whole time! The flight to Quito was about 5 hours. It was a little more challenging. He was so tired. For about the first two hours he slpet. Jason and I had to take turns eating dinner. When we finally arrived in Quito (11PM), we got through customs good and then to meet David's uncle (Sixto). He took us to the guest house in Quito, owned by HJCB.






The next day, we went to a church down the road that was an English speaking church. It was neat. That afternoon the people that were taking us to Shell came to pick us up around 2PM. We had to stop "really quick" at this funeral. they said only 20 minutes. So Jason adn I walked around these gardens. The gardens were really beautiful. There was also this great view! An hour later we left.











We drove through a lot of small towns. Our driver turned out to be a good tour guide. He had been here for 44 years. We passed by mostly poor places. Most places were concrete, but some houses were just shacks. We came to this town called "Banos" - chich means "hot baths." They are known for their public baths. It was dark after we ate in Banos. We traveled more and more out in the jungle. When we finally got to Shell, they took us to the guest house. Beth met us there and let us in. The guest house here is sort of like a dorm. There are about 3-4 rooms wich a double bed and bunkbed in each room. The bathrooms are down the hallway. And that was the first day!

(Pictures from along the way to Shell)







7/6/09

Getting back into things.

So, I'm back! Yeah! We survived our trip. I know it was like 4 weeks ago that we left. But life has just now calmed down enough. I think I'm adjusted to being back....it being summer....but it feels like my life is a permenant summertime! LoL

Anyway, I'm going to hopefully today work on posting pictures and details about our trip. I wrote in my "journal" (old-fashioned!) while I was down there, so I write some stuff here from that. I'll also post pictures. He's laying down and we are laying low today. But more later!
-S

7/1/09

Why I Haven't Written.

It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray. George Muller