My Mother's Day gift from my son. :)

Catching up...

I remember trying to post birthday pictures and having internet issues, but I forgot to come back again. So...from January's sleepover...here are a few of the goodies.

Needless to say there were no cupcakes left over! They were begging for more. This is not a typical birthday celebration in this country. They ATE it up. Literally. :)

I don't like to post pictures of other people's kids without their permission, so I was going to have some of the girls cover their faces....but they beat me to it. Silly girls. The Princess was busy reading a book she got for her b-day.

Carnival prizes...

With her daddy talking in her ear (see his face?) she was aiming at balloons with a laser sensor gun. If she popped enough of them she would win a prize. She got close.
Look how determined she is. One eye open...one shut...mouth twisted...
Wish I had a better picture of that face!
Didn't get the prize but had fun anyway. It's harder than it looks!

Whose kid is this?

Our tutor has become a family member! We spend so much time together and she teaches the whole family. We in turn help her with her English. She is so much fun and and has really taken to my kids, especially the Princess. She was showing me some pictures on her camera and I realized she had a TON of my daughter. This was one.
Our tutor is like a big sister to the Princess and they really get along well. She has been the best thing for helping the Princess feel comfortable using this foreign language. We are so thankful for her.

For my husband...

He likes these pictures. :) I was the designated "hat rack" and one of the medical team snapped my picture. The King loves it. Wonder why? Maybe just because it's ME in HIS hat. He likes me a little, I think. I'm glad for that fact because I like him a little, too. ;)

PTL!

I just wanted to say that I got word from my helper that she is MUCH improved. Thanks for praying. Please keep it up. :)

2 weeks!

Two weeks from today we begin our journey. We have to travel to a large city in country and stay the night to catch our flight the next day.

I can hardly believe it. Really. My daughter asked me who I was going to hug first. I told her, "the first person I recognize! I hope it's a family member!" LOL.

I have a million and one things to do before we go, but I wanted to stop by and ask you to pray for my house helper. Her mother recently had a stroke and then she had some issues that sent her into a coma and she nearly died. She had a reaction to medication as well. She has been off of work for nearly a month and is stressed because of the finances of it. We are not the only place she works. The Lord has laid it on our hearts how to help her and her family, but they definitely need prayer. She and her son are believers, but her husband and daughter are not. Please lift them up. I will keep you posted on her situation. There is much more that could be said with regard to the level of health care in this country but suffice it to say, I NEVER WANT to have to use the healthcare system here...emergency or not.

Thanks for caring about the things we care about.

Love~

Blessings.

I think you probably are like I was when I lived in the states (unless you are just plain weird LOL)....I didn't LOVE laundry. It was necessary...a part of life...never-ending.

But laundry in a foreign culture takes on an entirely different meaning. We've adjusted. We wash the clothes and hang them to dry, iron them, etc. Nothing new there, but the pollution causes the laundry to never smell clean (hence the care package request for Febreeze...thanks MKRH)...or ever be soft. You get used to it. You never LIKE it, but you live. At least your clothes are clean and your not washing them with dirty river water as some people around you have to do. It's all about perspective, right?

Anyway, we have had to buy a new washing machine. No problem. I love my new one. It's in two languages so I actually KNOW what cycles to use...instead of guessing. Adjusted to it. When we first moved here...I wanted a dryer. The thing is they are RARE over here. When we finally found one it was so small that I couldn't imagine paying the high price in order to only dry a few pair of socks and underwear. So, I adjusted to life without one. Occasionally wishing for a soft, good-smelling towel when I get out of the shower, but in the grand scheme of things...it's no big deal.

Well. A new family moved to town. They have LOTS of kids...meaning....LOTS of laundry...daily. On a visit to them, I saw what I thought was TWO washing machines (based on their size) on their balcony. Imagine my shock, when the mom said, "No. That's my dryer."

What? Where did you get that HONKING thing?

It turns out that there is a online store where you can get different things...sort of like e*bay. My friend said to me, "It's not the gospel, but it will change your life!" She was right!

I checked out her dryer...and I admit to COVETING it. I've repented. LOL. I wrote down the brand name and serial number...and went shopping. I found one...it was kind of expensive...so I needed to think. Is this a wise investment of our money? I talked with my husband, we decided that we'd save some money and then get it. Sort of a splurge.

When the purchasing time came...God blessed me big time!!...the dryer was on sale!!!! AND they would deliver it to my 6th floor door for a less than $10 USD delivery fee. WOOHOO!!!!

We don't dry everything. We still hang things up as you can see. But we have soft towels!

This post is full of the things, people, and ways that the Lord has blessed me all because I learned to do without something. I let go of the desire for it and practiced being content. Please don't think I am patting myself on the back. I'm patting God on the back and thanking Him that he cares about the details of my life...even soft towels.

I love to laugh...

Strawberry picking. You have to look closely to see how much water and mud is all around. My friend took this picture and sent it to me.

The reddest, biggest strawberries were in an aisle of the deepest yuckiest mud. Everyone could see them, but no one wanted to brave the mud. There was so much slipping and sliding as it was that we were all afraid of traveling the long distance home covered in mud on our backsides and having to stand. After a while, I decided to take the risk. I "strategized" for a minute and then jumped in. I slipped and slid and hollered and laughed the whole way...but I got the reward. The best strawberries and no mud on my bottom. :)

When my friend sent me this picture, I noticed something. I'm smiling and laughing.

I remembered this day with fondness and then the Lord pricked my heart about something deeper. Sometimes things in life are just yucky. Muddy. Uncomfortable. No fun at all. But He is faithful. He is my sustainer. He is my reward. There have been many days since moving here when I have felt no reason to smile. No joy. Just muddy. But if I press into him and don't lean on my own knowledge there is always peace. Always security in Him. And sometimes there is a fat, juicy reward in the here and now.

I'm envious (in a good way?) of the people whose every word flowing out of their mouth is pure eloquence. I want to be able to reflect the love of the Lord and his goodness in season and out. I want to be a voice that people want to listen to, but more than that, I want to honor God in all things. Even in strawberry pickin'. :)

Easter Bunny

A friend gave the Princess this hat that has bunny ears and says, "Happy Easter" and she loves it. She decided to turn herself in to an Easter greeting/bunny.

She stuffed paper in a bag to make a cotton tail. LOL. You use what you have. :) Quite clever, I thought.

A servant heart..

This lady helps us twice a week around the house. She cooks and cleans and is a wonderful encouragement to us. She works diligently to do things that will enable me to spend more time on my language learning.

Her mother had a stroke and she came to work anyway. We didn't find out until she arrived. She wouldn't leave until her work was done, so the Princess said, "Mom can I help her? I can do my schoolwork later."
No way was I going to say no to that offer. Precious. I adore them both.

For fun...