Last Wed, Oct 24th, marked my 6th month here. Amazing! It's been quite a rollar coaster ride of emotions, activities, and learning. These 1st 6 months were chopped up quite a bit...arrived in El Sal April 24th, 3 days later went to Guatemala for school for 8 wks, then back to El Sal on a school break for 3 weeks, then back for the final 4 weeks of school, then back to El Salvador....etc. Now, however, things have gotten more into a routine, so I think the next 6 months will be different.
Oct 24th also marked the first day without rain. So I'm glad to say that it looks like rainy season may finally be at or near the end. We'll probably still have an evening shower here and there for part of Nov, but most people seem to think the worst is over. It's also noticeably cooler and we have some light breezes at times. According to a thermometer in my bedroom, it was actually 72.9 degrees one night! Wow! We'll still get into the low to mid 80s at times...but in general it's much cooler and it's quite pleasant outside at night. We haven't had any earthquake tremors in quite a while...but I think they come more frequently during dry season. We'll see.
As I think about the first 6 months, the symbol of a link in a chain comes to mind. On several occasions the Lord has allowed me the opportunity to be a link. Back when I was in school in Guat., I met a lady who desperately wanted to provide some solid Bible resource books for a pastor in a poor community. I was able to tell her about our book ministry and later relayed her book order and ultimately delivered the books from El Salvador into her hands. In reality I had done very little, just a link in the chain, yet she and the community in Guat. were thrilled. It was truly my pleasure. And as I've just been writing in earlier entries...the Lord is allowing me to be a link in the chain between a poor community that needs shoes and a person who is financially willing to provide this for them. What a thrill to be a part of this! Oh, and one other opportunity comes to mind. A friend of mine in the USA will be going to Guatemala soon where he will help in a school that has essentially no school materials. Through our book ministry, I've been able to get some dated but excellent materials and hope to have them transported to Guatemala soon. Again, I'm just the middle man, a link in a chain. But oh what a feeling to be that link. I have a debt of gratitude for these and other opportunities over the last 6 months.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Return to Oasis
If you haven't read the blog entry that was written just before this one called "A New Heart Beat", then this entry may not make too much sense.
Today and 2 other days this week I returned to Oasis. Our normal routine is to go to our one room concrete block building in Oasis, sweep the concrete floor, set up the plastic chairs that we bring with us on the back of our pick up truck, then we walk around the community telling all our regulars that it's time to start, and inviting all we see. But today was different. Today, before we walked around the neighborhood, a staff member suggested that we drive up a really big hill into a different part of the community where they was a lady who wanted to come but couldn't walk very well. We piled into the back of the truck and went to this new area. Isaiah, our staff member, sent us out in pairs to walk down various streets to invite folks to our program. When we all returned to the truck, nobody felt that anyone in this new area seemed to be very interested and the originally targeted lady wasn't home. So we went back and got the program started. We had a fairly good crowd...about 65 folks. Then, about 15 min later, waves of folks from the new area started to come in. In the end, we had a record number of 99 folks (including 8 of us). We were thrilled that they had come, and we hoped we had enough to food. Then it hit me...Oh No! We told them we had food, but we didn't tell them to bring a bowl. We couldn't not feed them after such an effort on their part! When it came time to eat, Isaiah had an idea. We had a new large black trash bag with us. Isaiah simply started to tear the plastic bag into squares, which would become like a plate. I cupped the thin black plastic in my hand as rice and beans were spooned into my make-shift bowl, and then I pulled the 4 corners up and together to make a secure pouch for each child. Somehow I was thrilled that Isaiah had come up with a solution, yet my heart broke even more for these fellow brothers and sisters.
But wait...there's good news! Several weeks ago, a friend back home gave me $1500 to specifically use for "the poor" in anyway I thought best. Although the logistics may be dificult, I developed a plan to give out shoes to many of the Oasis folks. They need shoes so badly! Last Thursday and today we announced the shoe program at Oasis. But never have we seen a response like we had today. In my really bad Spanish, I explained the program to everyone. As always, we provide transportation to and from the Oasis community for church on our campus at 4:30pm. But starting tomorrow, Sunday Oct 28th, anyone who comes to church for three Sundays (thru Nov), will receive a pair of shoes after their 3rd service. The Oasis group was obviously happy and it seemed that they were not sure if they could believe what they heard. I'm very excited to be involved in this program. $1500 in a lot of money in my book...but how far can I make it stretch? Unlike our neighboring countries, things aren't cheap here. I can't wait to see how this goes. I'll draw around their foot or shoe if I can't figure out their shoe size. Then I'll go bargain hunting and watch to see how the Lord is going to provide for all the shoes that are needed. It feels a little like the Bible story about Jesus multiplying the fish and bread for the crowd. Please join me in prayer over this project, that all would go well, that many would hear the gospel message and respond positievely to it, that they would invite others, and that the Lord would provide exactly the right shoes for each and every person. I{ll be sure to update you.
Today and 2 other days this week I returned to Oasis. Our normal routine is to go to our one room concrete block building in Oasis, sweep the concrete floor, set up the plastic chairs that we bring with us on the back of our pick up truck, then we walk around the community telling all our regulars that it's time to start, and inviting all we see. But today was different. Today, before we walked around the neighborhood, a staff member suggested that we drive up a really big hill into a different part of the community where they was a lady who wanted to come but couldn't walk very well. We piled into the back of the truck and went to this new area. Isaiah, our staff member, sent us out in pairs to walk down various streets to invite folks to our program. When we all returned to the truck, nobody felt that anyone in this new area seemed to be very interested and the originally targeted lady wasn't home. So we went back and got the program started. We had a fairly good crowd...about 65 folks. Then, about 15 min later, waves of folks from the new area started to come in. In the end, we had a record number of 99 folks (including 8 of us). We were thrilled that they had come, and we hoped we had enough to food. Then it hit me...Oh No! We told them we had food, but we didn't tell them to bring a bowl. We couldn't not feed them after such an effort on their part! When it came time to eat, Isaiah had an idea. We had a new large black trash bag with us. Isaiah simply started to tear the plastic bag into squares, which would become like a plate. I cupped the thin black plastic in my hand as rice and beans were spooned into my make-shift bowl, and then I pulled the 4 corners up and together to make a secure pouch for each child. Somehow I was thrilled that Isaiah had come up with a solution, yet my heart broke even more for these fellow brothers and sisters.
But wait...there's good news! Several weeks ago, a friend back home gave me $1500 to specifically use for "the poor" in anyway I thought best. Although the logistics may be dificult, I developed a plan to give out shoes to many of the Oasis folks. They need shoes so badly! Last Thursday and today we announced the shoe program at Oasis. But never have we seen a response like we had today. In my really bad Spanish, I explained the program to everyone. As always, we provide transportation to and from the Oasis community for church on our campus at 4:30pm. But starting tomorrow, Sunday Oct 28th, anyone who comes to church for three Sundays (thru Nov), will receive a pair of shoes after their 3rd service. The Oasis group was obviously happy and it seemed that they were not sure if they could believe what they heard. I'm very excited to be involved in this program. $1500 in a lot of money in my book...but how far can I make it stretch? Unlike our neighboring countries, things aren't cheap here. I can't wait to see how this goes. I'll draw around their foot or shoe if I can't figure out their shoe size. Then I'll go bargain hunting and watch to see how the Lord is going to provide for all the shoes that are needed. It feels a little like the Bible story about Jesus multiplying the fish and bread for the crowd. Please join me in prayer over this project, that all would go well, that many would hear the gospel message and respond positievely to it, that they would invite others, and that the Lord would provide exactly the right shoes for each and every person. I{ll be sure to update you.
A New Heart Beat?
It seems to me that I've got enough new things going on in my life right now and I'm not overly interested in adding more. But it seems that maybe God is inclining me toward still one more thing....a heart for the poor. Now I've been as sympathetic toward the poor as the next gal, but before now I couldn't honestly tell you that my heart was inclinded toward them. But I think I'm feeling a new heart beat for the poor. You've heard me mention our neighboring Oasis community before. On Tues, Thurs, & Sat we take some of our kids with us to Oasis and serve a group of mostly kids. We teach them songs, do a Bible story, and at the end we feed them. They bring their own bowl and we provide the food. Last Sat I was scooping out spaghetti (which doesn't much resemble spaghetti the way you and I know it). Usually the bowl or plate is plastic, sometimes it resembles a dog bowl, sometimes a container like we use for left overs. But last Sat, some of the people in line only had thin ply small black plastic sacks (like the kind we usually get a Wal-Mart, but thinner). They didn't have a plate or bowl. Wow...to have to eat out of a plastic bag!
Afterwards I was talking to Bobby about this. Bobby and his wife (missionaries here since Jan) are pretty well traveled in poor countries. Bobby told me about an Oasis family that he recently met. Like most in the area, they have a dirt floor and their roof is made from scraps of rusted tin that they've scrounged up and being upheld by poles. But Bobby said this family was really bad off and showed me pictures he took. The house is cut inside the side of a fairly steep hill. One wall is only made of rusty box springs of a queen or double size bed. There's no fabric or wood...just a rusty metal frame and rusty springs, turned on it's side. Another wall is made of a very old rotten mattress turned on it's side. Obviously the height of the house is as heigh as the width of the mattress and box springs. They sleep on the floor. They have 2 very simple basic chairs and a small table. Bobby said their 4 kids (10 yr old and younger) are the best behaved kids in the program. And when Bobby visited the house, the father and mother happened to be there. They too were very gracious and insisted that Bobby and our staff member come in their home and sit on the 2 chairs. Out of all the places Bobby has seen, he said this had to be among the poorest.
Somewhere between serving lunch into a sack and thinking about this particular family, my heart really began to ache for them. When I went to bed that night, I was still thinking about them, particularly when it started to rain really hard. It had been raining every day for more than a month...really hard at times. But this particular night, I was woken up twice by the sound of the heavy rain (and I'm in the bottom apartment!) The temperatures had dropped to the low 70s, and the wind was blowing. It rained ALL of the next day. To the best of my knowledge, there was not one minute of that day when it was not raining. As we came and went to church, our roads were sometimes blocked or partially blocked by mudslides and/or rock slides which are common here due to the heavy amounts of rain. When it was time for bed the next night, it was still raining. Think of this particular poor family...they've been in rainy season for 6 months now. Every thing they own is soaked and probably growing tons of bacteria and mold (including their mattress wall). I'm sure the roof leaks like a seive. There's no way for them to dry their things. There's nowhere to sleep since I would imagine their floor is at best several inches deep in mud or at worst a river of mud (if there house is standing at all since the likely hood of mud slides is high). There's no way to have any warm food since it's impossible to keep a fire going in this kind of rain. And without a fire, there is no warmth. Now 70 degrees genrally sounds like heaven to me. But if I'm soaking wet and everything around me is wet, and there's no way to get warm food or drink, and the wind is blowing....then I think I'd be miserably cold. As I went thru my day, this family and the Oasis community stayed on my mind. They and all the others in the community need help! For that matter, there are gazillions of other communities just like them. What can be done? That night all I could do is pray. Sleep was hard to come by. How dare I complain about my stinky moldy apartment when I think of them! Shame on me!
Afterwards I was talking to Bobby about this. Bobby and his wife (missionaries here since Jan) are pretty well traveled in poor countries. Bobby told me about an Oasis family that he recently met. Like most in the area, they have a dirt floor and their roof is made from scraps of rusted tin that they've scrounged up and being upheld by poles. But Bobby said this family was really bad off and showed me pictures he took. The house is cut inside the side of a fairly steep hill. One wall is only made of rusty box springs of a queen or double size bed. There's no fabric or wood...just a rusty metal frame and rusty springs, turned on it's side. Another wall is made of a very old rotten mattress turned on it's side. Obviously the height of the house is as heigh as the width of the mattress and box springs. They sleep on the floor. They have 2 very simple basic chairs and a small table. Bobby said their 4 kids (10 yr old and younger) are the best behaved kids in the program. And when Bobby visited the house, the father and mother happened to be there. They too were very gracious and insisted that Bobby and our staff member come in their home and sit on the 2 chairs. Out of all the places Bobby has seen, he said this had to be among the poorest.
Somewhere between serving lunch into a sack and thinking about this particular family, my heart really began to ache for them. When I went to bed that night, I was still thinking about them, particularly when it started to rain really hard. It had been raining every day for more than a month...really hard at times. But this particular night, I was woken up twice by the sound of the heavy rain (and I'm in the bottom apartment!) The temperatures had dropped to the low 70s, and the wind was blowing. It rained ALL of the next day. To the best of my knowledge, there was not one minute of that day when it was not raining. As we came and went to church, our roads were sometimes blocked or partially blocked by mudslides and/or rock slides which are common here due to the heavy amounts of rain. When it was time for bed the next night, it was still raining. Think of this particular poor family...they've been in rainy season for 6 months now. Every thing they own is soaked and probably growing tons of bacteria and mold (including their mattress wall). I'm sure the roof leaks like a seive. There's no way for them to dry their things. There's nowhere to sleep since I would imagine their floor is at best several inches deep in mud or at worst a river of mud (if there house is standing at all since the likely hood of mud slides is high). There's no way to have any warm food since it's impossible to keep a fire going in this kind of rain. And without a fire, there is no warmth. Now 70 degrees genrally sounds like heaven to me. But if I'm soaking wet and everything around me is wet, and there's no way to get warm food or drink, and the wind is blowing....then I think I'd be miserably cold. As I went thru my day, this family and the Oasis community stayed on my mind. They and all the others in the community need help! For that matter, there are gazillions of other communities just like them. What can be done? That night all I could do is pray. Sleep was hard to come by. How dare I complain about my stinky moldy apartment when I think of them! Shame on me!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Little faith...yet a miracle
I bought my first ever computer last January, an HP laptop. I also bought a sizable external hard drive, since I've heard people talk about the importance of "backing things up". At the end of Sept, about a week before I left to return to Richmond, my computer screen kept doing funny things....strange colors, lines cutting all thru it, etc, but then a couple of minutes later it would clear. Sometimes I had no problem at all. The weekend before I left to return to Richmond, I had a nearly non stop nagging feeling that I should back up (copy) my computer files onto my external hard drive. I kept putting this off. On Sat night the nagging was so bad that I got up during the middle of the night to just finally do it....but found that the electricity was off, so it was impossible. However, I promised myself I'd do it Sunday afternoon. I didn't really know exactly how to "back up" my stuff. I'd never done it before. But I did what seemed logical, and as far as I could tell my all the pictures on my computer and other important documents were copied onto the external hard drive. On the remaining 2 days before I left for Richmond, I spent a considerable amount of time working on my financial records so that my accountant friend at home could look over things. And I also downloaded all the pics that were currently on my camera's memory so that I'd have lots of room on my camera to take pictures of "my kids" at home.
Once I was home, my computer was acting up more and more, and then one night the screen was no longer legible at all and it wouldn't clear no matter what. Earlier in the evening, I'd try to send a couple of emails, including one to my accountant friend with all my updated financial stuff, but I couldn't get it to go out. I called the 800 # and spoke with a computer technician. He walked me thru various steps for over 1.5 hrs. When all was said and done, he said there was one thing left to try, but it may cause me to loose all my files. I was SO SO SO glad that the nagging....which I now understood was from God....caused me to copy my files. Unfortunately, the technicians last effort didn't help, and we were unable to tell if I had lost my files. Just before I hung up the phone with the technician, I said, "my email address book should be fine, right?" I don't know why that hadn't occurred to me until then. When the technician realized that I used Outlook Express which saves my emails onto my hard drive, he gulped hard and said that it was very likely that my email address book of over 700 people's emails, were gone. I was crushed. I've been using and adding to this email address book for over 10 years. And worst yet...all of you...who so faithfully support me....all your addresses were gone and it overwhelmed me to think of how it how long and how much work it would take to try to rebuild this data base. Then, another thought...the financial stuff I worked on and the pictures I downloaded were done AFTER I copied my files, therefore they were likely gone. And the email with my attached financial stuff hadn't gone thru. I cried hard that night and I was glad Kim was there to give me hug when needed and pass me tissues.
The next morning, I returned my computer (still under the 3 yr warranty) to where I purchased it. They sent it off to be repaired...and not likely be ready for about 2 weeks. Therefore, I would return without my computer and without knowing knowing exactly what was lost. Somehow I knew it would be OK, but it sure looked like an uphill battle in front of me. When I returned from my errands that day, I had a voice mail from my accountant friend. He said we didn't need to cancel out meeting, because the email actually got thru! WOW! This means all the hours I put into this document wasn't lost...he had a copy and therefore could give me a copy. This really encouraged me that God was still in control, and He would see me thru this difficult time. That night, after watching my favorite 7 yr old nephew play soccer, my family got together at our favorite pizza place. After hearing my computer woes, my sister said she had an laptop sitting in her closet that she wasn't using, and she'd be glad to loan it to me. Double WOW!
Last Thursday, 3 days after after returning to El Salvador, I hooked up my external hard drive to see exactly what I had somehow saved on it....especially since I didn't know what I was doing when I did it. I looked thru a couple of files...so good so far. Then it happened. I saw a file called Outlook Express. I clicked on it, and my entire email address book popped up- completely intact. I had saved it without even knowing that I had saved it. Wow doesn't cover this kind of awe. I don't even know if I was breathing. My jaw was probably hanging open, and I probably turned pale. I do know that tears were in my eyes. I truly couldn't believe what I was seeing. I dared not touch the computer at first, for fear that my precious info would vanish. When I finally got a grip on myself, I knew what I had to do next. I got out of the simple rolling secretary-like chair and got on my knees. Telling God thank-you seemed so lame and inadequate...yet it was all I could come up with. Hadn't I prayed and prayed for a miracle...for Him to somehow provide my lost emails...yet here He is providing it, and I can hardly believe my eyes. I have SO little faith....yet He provided a miracle anyhow. I know He loves me....shouldn't I have expected Him to provide this? Wow...what a boost that provided during this past week of transition! When I got off my knees...I ran out to find somebody to whom I could tell my good news...even if it was to somebody that couldn't understand a lick of English. Reminds me of The Good News and the excitement and need to tell someone. Anyhow, I was glad that Bobby and Britney were actually on their way to see me...and they jumped up and down with in my excitement.
You know, I've had another thought about this faith building moment. Even though my faith was small and I wasn't expecting a His sudden miracle, I don't think God's too discouraged with me. I think He was glad to give me this gift....just like we like to give surprise gifts to people at times. I think He just wants me to use this as a lesson as a building block for the next lesson that comes along.
And for those of you who haven't yet heard from me....now you know why. I've been somewhat email address-less. My current computer doesn't have Outlook Express on it, so I'm not yet too sure if/how I'll be able to copy this into a formal in which I can use it. If nothing else works, I know that I can re-load this onto my computer whenever I get it. So just hang on with me. I'm working on it whenever I can catch a spare moment.
Aint God good?!
Once I was home, my computer was acting up more and more, and then one night the screen was no longer legible at all and it wouldn't clear no matter what. Earlier in the evening, I'd try to send a couple of emails, including one to my accountant friend with all my updated financial stuff, but I couldn't get it to go out. I called the 800 # and spoke with a computer technician. He walked me thru various steps for over 1.5 hrs. When all was said and done, he said there was one thing left to try, but it may cause me to loose all my files. I was SO SO SO glad that the nagging....which I now understood was from God....caused me to copy my files. Unfortunately, the technicians last effort didn't help, and we were unable to tell if I had lost my files. Just before I hung up the phone with the technician, I said, "my email address book should be fine, right?" I don't know why that hadn't occurred to me until then. When the technician realized that I used Outlook Express which saves my emails onto my hard drive, he gulped hard and said that it was very likely that my email address book of over 700 people's emails, were gone. I was crushed. I've been using and adding to this email address book for over 10 years. And worst yet...all of you...who so faithfully support me....all your addresses were gone and it overwhelmed me to think of how it how long and how much work it would take to try to rebuild this data base. Then, another thought...the financial stuff I worked on and the pictures I downloaded were done AFTER I copied my files, therefore they were likely gone. And the email with my attached financial stuff hadn't gone thru. I cried hard that night and I was glad Kim was there to give me hug when needed and pass me tissues.
The next morning, I returned my computer (still under the 3 yr warranty) to where I purchased it. They sent it off to be repaired...and not likely be ready for about 2 weeks. Therefore, I would return without my computer and without knowing knowing exactly what was lost. Somehow I knew it would be OK, but it sure looked like an uphill battle in front of me. When I returned from my errands that day, I had a voice mail from my accountant friend. He said we didn't need to cancel out meeting, because the email actually got thru! WOW! This means all the hours I put into this document wasn't lost...he had a copy and therefore could give me a copy. This really encouraged me that God was still in control, and He would see me thru this difficult time. That night, after watching my favorite 7 yr old nephew play soccer, my family got together at our favorite pizza place. After hearing my computer woes, my sister said she had an laptop sitting in her closet that she wasn't using, and she'd be glad to loan it to me. Double WOW!
Last Thursday, 3 days after after returning to El Salvador, I hooked up my external hard drive to see exactly what I had somehow saved on it....especially since I didn't know what I was doing when I did it. I looked thru a couple of files...so good so far. Then it happened. I saw a file called Outlook Express. I clicked on it, and my entire email address book popped up- completely intact. I had saved it without even knowing that I had saved it. Wow doesn't cover this kind of awe. I don't even know if I was breathing. My jaw was probably hanging open, and I probably turned pale. I do know that tears were in my eyes. I truly couldn't believe what I was seeing. I dared not touch the computer at first, for fear that my precious info would vanish. When I finally got a grip on myself, I knew what I had to do next. I got out of the simple rolling secretary-like chair and got on my knees. Telling God thank-you seemed so lame and inadequate...yet it was all I could come up with. Hadn't I prayed and prayed for a miracle...for Him to somehow provide my lost emails...yet here He is providing it, and I can hardly believe my eyes. I have SO little faith....yet He provided a miracle anyhow. I know He loves me....shouldn't I have expected Him to provide this? Wow...what a boost that provided during this past week of transition! When I got off my knees...I ran out to find somebody to whom I could tell my good news...even if it was to somebody that couldn't understand a lick of English. Reminds me of The Good News and the excitement and need to tell someone. Anyhow, I was glad that Bobby and Britney were actually on their way to see me...and they jumped up and down with in my excitement.
You know, I've had another thought about this faith building moment. Even though my faith was small and I wasn't expecting a His sudden miracle, I don't think God's too discouraged with me. I think He was glad to give me this gift....just like we like to give surprise gifts to people at times. I think He just wants me to use this as a lesson as a building block for the next lesson that comes along.
And for those of you who haven't yet heard from me....now you know why. I've been somewhat email address-less. My current computer doesn't have Outlook Express on it, so I'm not yet too sure if/how I'll be able to copy this into a formal in which I can use it. If nothing else works, I know that I can re-load this onto my computer whenever I get it. So just hang on with me. I'm working on it whenever I can catch a spare moment.
Aint God good?!
A New Start
Shortly before I left to go to Richmond, my duties here were suddenly and unexpectedly changed. A meeting was held. Some false accusations were made, some lies were told, and without knowing it, I was shocked to find that I was in the middle of it. We're Christians, but we're also human and far from perfect or angelic. The lies were just lies and the accusations were painful but not true. When the dust landed, it took me a little while to get my whits about me and get back on my feet. This is why I didn't mention this in my blog before I left...it's taken me awhile to digest it all and know how to respond. I'm glad I had the time at home to process it all. Here's the bottom line....I'm fine and nothing was done maliciously. I've been asked to no longer work at the book ministry in the city with Teri, but to instead work on various projects here at the Home. That's OK with me. I really liked what I was doing, learned a lot about an industry that I'd never interacted with before, was able to put great Christian literature in people's hands, and make meaningful new friendships. But now I'm back at the orphanage with the kids that originally pulled at my heart strings. I'd missed not being around them much. I could view the lists of projects as stupid ways too keep me busy since the clinic is nowhere near ready. Or, I could choose to resemble the faithful servant in Matthew 25. I've chosen to have a good attitude with a smile on my face and heart, and to be faithful in the little things (even if I don't understand it). Besides that, when God called me to come here (which I still absolutely believe it true), He knew the clinic was not going to be ready. Therefore, He must have other plans for me. The Bible says that if we're found faithful in the little things, then God will move us on to whatever God has for us at the next level. Based on that, I started praying for God to show me how He'd like for me to do the projects, and I'm not kidding you...He bought all sorts of new and creative ideas (and I'm usually not too creative) to me. He showed me ways to involve the kids in the projects, which allows for our relationships to grow and allows me to pour myself into their lives, and strangely enough... here I am writing this 4 days later and I can honestly report that we're having fun with the projects. Now before you think I'm dancing thru fields of daisies, not all of the projects involve the kids, and no it's not always fun. But all in all I've got to tell you that God has been faithful and it's really going well. It feels like a new start.
Re-entry to El Salvador
I arrived back in El Salvador on Mon. Oct 15th with essentially no trouble, and was able to make use of my new "residency card" for the first time. It was a non-stop flight from Washington DC..only about 4hr...I think it's the first time I've ever flown anywhere non stop. Bobby and Britney picked me up and we were back the orphanage around 8pm. A long day, but I was excited to show them the many Christmas gifts I'd found for the kids at Goodwill, and 4 pair of your girl shoes for $1.50 each from K-mart!
I was told it had rained more than usual while I was gone...literally several times every day. And I should brace myself for an increase in mold in my apartment. That night it didn't look too bad...but then came the next morning and the light of day told an entirely different story. Shock and awe isn't far from what I experienced. Mold was growing on the outside of my frig and kitchen cabinets and on top of the cabinets, on my kitchen table and cloth place mats, on the walls, in and under each and every single drawer in the house (bedside stand, kitchen drawers, clothes drawers, end tables, desk, on and on and on), and in my pillows and comforter, towels, clothes, etc. Of course all the usual places too, like doors and furniture. The task was more than I could even consider tackling, and it took me until the weekend to really get started.
But worse than that was the black clouds that seemed to hang over the campus. I'm not talking about the weather. And I know some of you aren't going to really follow what I'm about to say...but that's OK, just bare with me or you can skip to the next blog entry. It was a spiritual darkness that was heavy and nearly visible, even though the sky was nearly blue. It seems that some things had happened on campus while I was gone, and were continuing to play out. Bobby and Britney seemed defeated and weary. And although the kids greeted my warmly, I soon found myself feeling low too. If you've ever seen the picture on the cover of the book "This Present Darkness"...that's exactly what it was like. By lunch time the sky had turned gray and a weird looking fog had rolled in. To be honest it's the first time I've ever seen fog here and it grew surprisingly thick. They say we seldom get fog. And it seemed so appropriate for what we were all feeling. Then it occurred to me....the verse in the Bible that says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities. Of all people, I should be fresh, strong, and ready to do spiritual battle. So I went to my apartment, got on my knees, called on God for help, told the Devil to take a hike, and asked the Lord to pick up us. Know what...it worked. Truly by the end of the work day some much needed discussions had taken place, and even though to the naked eye not much had changed, we knew spiritually the sky had cleared.
I was told it had rained more than usual while I was gone...literally several times every day. And I should brace myself for an increase in mold in my apartment. That night it didn't look too bad...but then came the next morning and the light of day told an entirely different story. Shock and awe isn't far from what I experienced. Mold was growing on the outside of my frig and kitchen cabinets and on top of the cabinets, on my kitchen table and cloth place mats, on the walls, in and under each and every single drawer in the house (bedside stand, kitchen drawers, clothes drawers, end tables, desk, on and on and on), and in my pillows and comforter, towels, clothes, etc. Of course all the usual places too, like doors and furniture. The task was more than I could even consider tackling, and it took me until the weekend to really get started.
But worse than that was the black clouds that seemed to hang over the campus. I'm not talking about the weather. And I know some of you aren't going to really follow what I'm about to say...but that's OK, just bare with me or you can skip to the next blog entry. It was a spiritual darkness that was heavy and nearly visible, even though the sky was nearly blue. It seems that some things had happened on campus while I was gone, and were continuing to play out. Bobby and Britney seemed defeated and weary. And although the kids greeted my warmly, I soon found myself feeling low too. If you've ever seen the picture on the cover of the book "This Present Darkness"...that's exactly what it was like. By lunch time the sky had turned gray and a weird looking fog had rolled in. To be honest it's the first time I've ever seen fog here and it grew surprisingly thick. They say we seldom get fog. And it seemed so appropriate for what we were all feeling. Then it occurred to me....the verse in the Bible that says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities. Of all people, I should be fresh, strong, and ready to do spiritual battle. So I went to my apartment, got on my knees, called on God for help, told the Devil to take a hike, and asked the Lord to pick up us. Know what...it worked. Truly by the end of the work day some much needed discussions had taken place, and even though to the naked eye not much had changed, we knew spiritually the sky had cleared.
Friday, October 19, 2007
My First Time Back Home
Every day back home was like a new set of gifts from God. It was really that amazing and wonderful.
Wed evening I was home from the airport in time (due to the miracles described in my previous blog entry) to sit in my recliner in my living room with my best friend beside me and my cat purring in my lap as I watched the early evening news. I remember thinking to myself, "Man this is great!" Kim and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood then we ate a dinner of one of my favorite foods, pork chops! What a wonderful way to come home!
Thursday I had scheduled back-to-back appointments with various folks, including a routine MD visit. One of the people in that schedule, Emma, didn't know I was coming. I entered the activity room in her nursing home, holding my finger to my lips so that the staff wouldn't ruin the surprise. Emma looked up from her wheelchair, and just stared at me. I didn't think even think she was breathing. Then she broke out in laughter and we hugged like we hadn't seen each other in years. We had a great visit together. Also on Thurs. I visited with Cindy Johnson (the director of my church's mission dept.) and Susan Glasscock (an elder in my church and more importantly a mentor in my life). I was able to mentally and emotionally download with these 2 special friends, sharing the good and bad, and ask for advise regarding specific challenges. I told them my plans for dealing with those challenges to see if they had other suggestions. I left that meeting feeling very encouraged and affirmed. They whole heartedly agreed with my plans and had a special prayer for me before all was said and done.
Friday, only minutes after getting out of bed, I become sick to my stomach and things quickly became ugly. Luckily I had not scheduled that day with too much, and one friend still ventured over that evening for dinner and a movie (although it a few days until my appetite really returned). In hindsight, if I hadn't been ill, I probably wouldn't never slowed down to rest or sit still for more than a few minutes, so in a strange sort of way I guess it was good to be sick, and it kept me from gorging on all the wonderful foods that I have missed.
Don't worry, I'm not going to write about every day, but thought I'd hit a few highlights.
Sat evening my sisters planned a get together with just us sisters and cousins- about 8 in total, at a Mexican restaurant. Mmmmm! I love Mexican and this type of food is not common here, contrary to popular belief. I got to see my newest cousin, Isaiah. So handsome! And near the top of my memories is the hugs that were exchanged that night, particularly with my sisters.
Speaking of hugs, I'd have to say that hugs were very near the top of my list on this trip. I had so many great hugs....not just the standard "hello" hug , but warm, genuine, "man I missed you!" hug. Oh, and the phone calls! Really great conversations. And my small group did a speacial fondu meal for me (luckily my appetite had returned!) and I really enjoyed the evening.
My 1st Sunday home was probably the day I was looking forward to the most....and it was all that I hoped it would be. It was so good to worship, I mean really worship, in English again. And so good to see so many friends and reconnect. I even had one friend and her husband who basically drove all the way from South Carolina just to say hello and exchange hugs. Wow! Then, the big moment....going "home" to finally see my family and to have one of our traditional Sunday Skalsky lunches. Those hugs were extra extra extra rich. After mom's special pot roast and mashed potatoes (my mouth is watering by just remembering it) the kids and I got to play. It was really hot outside, so we horsed around inside. We played chase....around and around we went thru the living room, into the kitchen, then thru the dining room, and back full circle to the living room. At times I didn't know if I was the chaser or the chasee. They squealed and laughed with delight. Then when I didn't think mom could handle one more minute of this chaos, we collapsed on the living floor and wrestled. Yep....this memory is definitely near the top. Just messing with the kids. Later on in the week I went back down (about 45 min) to Prince George twice to join my family as we cheered on Forrest as he played soccer. On another day "My Princes" Haley (the 4yr old niece) and her mom (my sister) met Kim and I at the zoo for a day of fun. My time absolutely flew by.
I left Virginia healthy, happy, and in tears with sadness. I don't know if saying those dreaded good-byes will ever get any better. But after so many days of great memories, how could I at least not be thankful? My mom and dad took me to the airport about 2+ hr away in Washington DC so that I could use a much cheaper airline. And then finally the last good-byes were over, and I gulped hard and tried to breath slowly and deeply. And to be honest, I'm already looking forward to my next trip home, how could I not after such a wonderful visit?
I'm sorry that I didn't see too many of you. I actually saw more of you than I thought I would. It just seems so impossible. And I can't make any promises about future visits home, particularly over the holidays. Who knows, maybe we can get together or at least talk by phone. But please know in my heart, that you are so special to me, and I couldn't make it without you.
Wed evening I was home from the airport in time (due to the miracles described in my previous blog entry) to sit in my recliner in my living room with my best friend beside me and my cat purring in my lap as I watched the early evening news. I remember thinking to myself, "Man this is great!" Kim and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood then we ate a dinner of one of my favorite foods, pork chops! What a wonderful way to come home!
Thursday I had scheduled back-to-back appointments with various folks, including a routine MD visit. One of the people in that schedule, Emma, didn't know I was coming. I entered the activity room in her nursing home, holding my finger to my lips so that the staff wouldn't ruin the surprise. Emma looked up from her wheelchair, and just stared at me. I didn't think even think she was breathing. Then she broke out in laughter and we hugged like we hadn't seen each other in years. We had a great visit together. Also on Thurs. I visited with Cindy Johnson (the director of my church's mission dept.) and Susan Glasscock (an elder in my church and more importantly a mentor in my life). I was able to mentally and emotionally download with these 2 special friends, sharing the good and bad, and ask for advise regarding specific challenges. I told them my plans for dealing with those challenges to see if they had other suggestions. I left that meeting feeling very encouraged and affirmed. They whole heartedly agreed with my plans and had a special prayer for me before all was said and done.
Friday, only minutes after getting out of bed, I become sick to my stomach and things quickly became ugly. Luckily I had not scheduled that day with too much, and one friend still ventured over that evening for dinner and a movie (although it a few days until my appetite really returned). In hindsight, if I hadn't been ill, I probably wouldn't never slowed down to rest or sit still for more than a few minutes, so in a strange sort of way I guess it was good to be sick, and it kept me from gorging on all the wonderful foods that I have missed.
Don't worry, I'm not going to write about every day, but thought I'd hit a few highlights.
Sat evening my sisters planned a get together with just us sisters and cousins- about 8 in total, at a Mexican restaurant. Mmmmm! I love Mexican and this type of food is not common here, contrary to popular belief. I got to see my newest cousin, Isaiah. So handsome! And near the top of my memories is the hugs that were exchanged that night, particularly with my sisters.
Speaking of hugs, I'd have to say that hugs were very near the top of my list on this trip. I had so many great hugs....not just the standard "hello" hug , but warm, genuine, "man I missed you!" hug. Oh, and the phone calls! Really great conversations. And my small group did a speacial fondu meal for me (luckily my appetite had returned!) and I really enjoyed the evening.
My 1st Sunday home was probably the day I was looking forward to the most....and it was all that I hoped it would be. It was so good to worship, I mean really worship, in English again. And so good to see so many friends and reconnect. I even had one friend and her husband who basically drove all the way from South Carolina just to say hello and exchange hugs. Wow! Then, the big moment....going "home" to finally see my family and to have one of our traditional Sunday Skalsky lunches. Those hugs were extra extra extra rich. After mom's special pot roast and mashed potatoes (my mouth is watering by just remembering it) the kids and I got to play. It was really hot outside, so we horsed around inside. We played chase....around and around we went thru the living room, into the kitchen, then thru the dining room, and back full circle to the living room. At times I didn't know if I was the chaser or the chasee. They squealed and laughed with delight. Then when I didn't think mom could handle one more minute of this chaos, we collapsed on the living floor and wrestled. Yep....this memory is definitely near the top. Just messing with the kids. Later on in the week I went back down (about 45 min) to Prince George twice to join my family as we cheered on Forrest as he played soccer. On another day "My Princes" Haley (the 4yr old niece) and her mom (my sister) met Kim and I at the zoo for a day of fun. My time absolutely flew by.
I left Virginia healthy, happy, and in tears with sadness. I don't know if saying those dreaded good-byes will ever get any better. But after so many days of great memories, how could I at least not be thankful? My mom and dad took me to the airport about 2+ hr away in Washington DC so that I could use a much cheaper airline. And then finally the last good-byes were over, and I gulped hard and tried to breath slowly and deeply. And to be honest, I'm already looking forward to my next trip home, how could I not after such a wonderful visit?
I'm sorry that I didn't see too many of you. I actually saw more of you than I thought I would. It just seems so impossible. And I can't make any promises about future visits home, particularly over the holidays. Who knows, maybe we can get together or at least talk by phone. But please know in my heart, that you are so special to me, and I couldn't make it without you.
My amazing plane trip home
In the normal logical world, due to the airline changing the times on both of my flights, I should have never made my flight connection in Houston since I only had 1 hr to go through immigration, then go get my luggage so that I could go to and get through customs, then re-check my luggage, then get to the proper terminal before my plane left. But let me tell you what God did.
I left El Salvador at dark o'clock in the AM. We made excellent time and landed 15 min early. The plane was more than 1/2 empty, so I changed my seat so that I was sitting as close to the door as possible and was able to leave the jet quickly. I used the stairs instead of the escalators to gain valuable minutes. I got to immigration ahead of anyone else and for the first time in my life, immigration didn't have one single person in line! Wow! Then I hurriedly went to get my luggage...both pieces came through in less than 5 min. When I got to the line at customs, a staff person told the person in front of me to go to a new line that was just opening. Now I was the 2nd person in line instead of way back. Double WOW! I re-checked my luggage and took the tram to my terminal. Once I was at my gate I could hardly believe that I even had time to pick up a quick lunch and call Kim to tell her that I was actually going to make my connection and she could pick me up at 4:30pm instead of the later flight at 10pm. However....when I tried to use my calling card at the pay phone, I discovered that my card had expired. I knew that if I had a cell phone and somebody asked if they could make a quick call, I'd let them. Therefore I figured that God could provide the right person for me to ask to borrow their phone. So I prayed and then headed toward the people sitting at my gate. One gentleman stood out to me. He was using his cell. He looked like a dad and for some reason it even seemed like he may be a pastor though there wasn't anything outward to prove it. So I sat with one seat between us and watched him for a moment, then prayed one last time before I leaned forward to ask to borrow his cell...but I was stopped short when he leaned forward to get something from his backpack....he pulled out a book called "Growing Churches". Yep, I thought, this must be my guy. So I boldly introduced myself and asked to borrow his phone. He said he was a pastor from Arizona and on his way for training at the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, and I could use his phone all I wanted. I finished the quick call and still had several minutes to chat with my new friend before boarding on time. Is God amazing or what? This would have not been possible without God and so many of you who prayed for me on this day of travel. With much sincere gratitude, I give you and God thanks.
I left El Salvador at dark o'clock in the AM. We made excellent time and landed 15 min early. The plane was more than 1/2 empty, so I changed my seat so that I was sitting as close to the door as possible and was able to leave the jet quickly. I used the stairs instead of the escalators to gain valuable minutes. I got to immigration ahead of anyone else and for the first time in my life, immigration didn't have one single person in line! Wow! Then I hurriedly went to get my luggage...both pieces came through in less than 5 min. When I got to the line at customs, a staff person told the person in front of me to go to a new line that was just opening. Now I was the 2nd person in line instead of way back. Double WOW! I re-checked my luggage and took the tram to my terminal. Once I was at my gate I could hardly believe that I even had time to pick up a quick lunch and call Kim to tell her that I was actually going to make my connection and she could pick me up at 4:30pm instead of the later flight at 10pm. However....when I tried to use my calling card at the pay phone, I discovered that my card had expired. I knew that if I had a cell phone and somebody asked if they could make a quick call, I'd let them. Therefore I figured that God could provide the right person for me to ask to borrow their phone. So I prayed and then headed toward the people sitting at my gate. One gentleman stood out to me. He was using his cell. He looked like a dad and for some reason it even seemed like he may be a pastor though there wasn't anything outward to prove it. So I sat with one seat between us and watched him for a moment, then prayed one last time before I leaned forward to ask to borrow his cell...but I was stopped short when he leaned forward to get something from his backpack....he pulled out a book called "Growing Churches". Yep, I thought, this must be my guy. So I boldly introduced myself and asked to borrow his phone. He said he was a pastor from Arizona and on his way for training at the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, and I could use his phone all I wanted. I finished the quick call and still had several minutes to chat with my new friend before boarding on time. Is God amazing or what? This would have not been possible without God and so many of you who prayed for me on this day of travel. With much sincere gratitude, I give you and God thanks.
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