Thanks

Yesterday was a rough day. I was going to blog about it until I realized that venting my emotions via internet was probably not the best way to fix the problem.

So I had a quiet time instead, asking God to open my heart and get me out of the funk....
...I didn't think it had worked and I spent the rest of the day sinking further and further into the pit of despair. Self-pity, bitterness, annoyance, fruatration, etc were clouding my vision.

Then Elvia showed up. Being Elvia, she knew that something was up so we talked, I cried, she prayed for me...then she told me to apologize to God for doubting Him.

That's the very short version, the long version took place over a 7 hour span.

But the point of this all was that Elvia encouraged me to make a list of everything that I am thankful for here at the Villa. I didn't think I was in a good frame-of-mind to be doing that, but the Lord really opened my eyes to His blessings all around me.

So here are a few thanksgivings from my list (in no specific order):

1. I am thankful for fresh air and nature
2. I am thankful for beautiful rainstorms at night and the "after-rain" smell in the morning
3. I am thankful for the beautiful sunsets and sunrises
4. I am thankful that my water is not rationed (like in Tegucigalpa)
5. I am thankful for fresh vegetables from our garden
6. I am thankful that I can walk out my front door and not have to worry about safety
7. I am thankful for the children's capacity to love deeply
8. I am thankful for Karl (our dog) who accompanies me every time I go out exploring


The list keeps going, but I'll cut it short. I am thankful as well for the Lord opening my eyes to all the blessings of this life.

The Week of Numbers

Last week was Holy Week which meant that Hae Young and I were alone with th 8 kids 24/7. I spent a lot of time the week before praying that it would not be the mess that I was imagining in my head. Thankfully we have a loving God that answers prayers. Although there were some tears (on the kids parts) and some discipline, the week went pretty well. Here's a run-down of the week of March 29-April 3.

10 hours of Dutch Blitz (a card game that requires the kids to race each other to get rid of the cards in their hands)

4 loaves of zuchinni bread (I have the recipe memorized)

2 mini movie marathons (The Princess Diaries 1 and 2 and both Narnia movies)

3 trips to the river

2 hikes around the Villa grounds

6 mornings of sleeping in until 8

50,000 numbers (the kids have to write numbers to practice counting...up to 50,000)

10000 weeds pulled (I don't know if it was that much, but it seemed like a lot)

All-in-all, a good week. It ended with Josue (he's 6) kicking in one of the glass window panes in the door (he was mad because he lost his movie priviledges because he didn't finish his chores) which kind of put an end to the fun for the day. But we continue to remind ourselves that they're just kids and we are here to teach them.

We have a new boy coming today. His name is Josue, he's 8 year-old, and he's been living on the streets. This might be a challenge...