Fun Days with Jon

Jon arrived on Friday night, June 24. We peaked through the windows at the airport and could see him in the immigration line. We were praying that he would sail right through because he was bringing 20 rotary cutters and 20 cutting mats for the quilting ministry. If Customs inspected his bag we were a bit worried that they would think he was bringing them down to sell, but all was well. We stopped on the way home and introduced him to pupusas which he really liked!

He's been coming along on all of our errands including a trip to PriceSmart, Walmart and SuperSelectos. He got to see/hear Stephen play the piano at church on Sunday morning and he joined us on the journey to Nueva Concepcion on Sunday afternoon/evening. Monday we drove to the beach at El Tunco--the tide was coming in so the waves were really crashing. No one was surfing while we were there.

We've watched a couple of movies and have been eating really well. Yesterday's treat was making him a pumpkin pie! Last night we had Mexican food at Plaza Futuro and Jon got a chance to get to know Kevin!

We're going to see the volcano this morning. It's been great fun having him here and we are looking forward to more fun over the next 10 days!

No baby today; Jon's on his way

Well, they sent Shannon and Daniel home last night so it looks like our grandson is not going to make an appearance today. Surely, he will be here before the weekend is over!

Jon is on his way . . . . his flight is scheduled at 7:10 tonight. It's been raining really hard today, but it has now stopped. Praying that we can get to the airport and back before it starts again.

Waiting

Waiting is undoubtedly one of the most difficult things in the world. This whole week has been filled with waiting . . . .

Our grandson's due date was Sunday, June 19 . . . and so we are waiting. Last night about 11:00 p.m. Daniel called to say they were heading to the hospital, but no news this morning . . . so we are waiting.

We found out there was a problem with our immigration papers when we went to pick up our permanent, one-year card last week. One document needed to be redone . . . . we waited a week for the correction. We now have it in hand and will head back to immigration this morning . . . . where I'm sure we will be waiting.

Today is the day Jon flies to El Salvador . . . . we've been waiting since January to see him.

Please pray with us for each of these opportunities to learn patience! Good news posted as soon as it arrives!

Surprise Party

The women in my Saturday "Hilo, Aguja y Biblia" class surprised me yesterday. They brought a cake, pastries, orange juice and coffee to celebrate Teacher's Day. Their generosity is just amazing. The cake looked like something from the Food Network show "Ace of Cakes" and it was really tough for me to cut it up. Check out the picture below and you will see the 3 spools of thread, scissors and piece of fabric on top of the cake. There was carmel between the layers which is perfect for me.

I am so blessed to work with these talented women (the Thursday group is equally talented.) I've attached a picture of Mayra's twin-sized quilt and pillows. She probably has the most experience of all of my students--I think I may have taught her a short cut or two, but otherwise she's self taught.

Many of them are almost done with their first project so I will be posting pictures as I get them!

A week to remember

A team from Friendship Baptist Church in Owasso, Oklahoma arrived on June 4/5. Each day they divided in to two teams--one team for construction and one team for evangelism. From Monday to Saturday, the construction group worked in three different church buildings. They installed lowered ceilings in all 3, completed the electrical wiring and installation of lighting at 2, and when joined by the rest of the team on Friday/Saturday, painted the new church at Nueva Concepcion inside and out.

The evangelism group presented the gospel to more than 40 classrooms, reaching 1000 students in 4 different schools. They also shared door to door each evening while Paula and I supervised the inflatable. At the end of the week there were over 800 professions of faith!

The team stayed longer than most of our groups because they wanted to be a part of the dedication of the completed church in Nueva Concepcion. The church looked beautiful on Sunday morning--it was hard to believe it was the same place they visited the week before. Pastor Manuel and the people of the church are so grateful for their work and so excited about the impact this church will make in the city. We are praying that it will become the hub of all of the work in the northern part of El Salvador where Pastor Manuel has a vision to plant 90 more churches.

Thanks Friendship Baptist Church for the sweet spirit of your people, your love of missions and willingness to take the gospel around the world. We were blessed to work alongside you!

One Year

Today marks the first anniversary of "retiring" in El Salvador. This time last year we didn't know exactly what to expect as we said our final goodbyes.

It's been a short year and a long year! We've made so many new friends here in El Salvador and from churches in the states. We've studied Spanish (we're not done with that part), we've worked the inflatable 100 times (at least), we've made homemade ice cream, we've spent countless hours riding the bus, we've taught English to first, second and third graders, we've learned to navigate the streets and traffic of this city, we've traveled to Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, we've visited the beach and the volcano, but most of all we've tried to be obedient to God's call on our life.

Thank you for praying for us, supporting us and loving us. We give all the glory to our faithful Savior.

Reflections on the Prepare:Do Ratio

Today I reflect on the length of time it takes to get ready for something! I remember this well from my days in the classroom--the ratio of preparing for something compared to the "doing" of something. For example, popping batches of popcorn, measuring it out into individual baggies, sorting by class and packing it in the car compared to the 10 minutes or less it took the students to devour it or searching for great deals on 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade leveled readers, ordering, shipping to Lee's Summit, having the ALBC team pack the books in their suitcases, flying them to El Salvador, unloading, sorting and selecting appropriate books by grade level and gender and getting them to the classroom yesterday compared to the 5 minutes needed to distribute them to the classes! (Of course, the students' smiles are their own reward.)

Whatever the ratio (10:1 or 200:1 or more), this principal doesn't just apply to lesson planning, but to all aspects of our life. Fixing dinner means buying groceries, planning the menu, chopping, frying, boiling, etc. compared to the 10 minutes needed to eat it (repeat a couple of times per day) and doing laundry means picking up and sorting dirty clothes, pretreating, washing, drying, folding, etc. compared to the time it takes for you and/or your family to get the clothes dirty (repeat multiple times per week.)

This is not to say that preparing isn't important--it's vitally important to the success of the "doing." In fact, if we are going to be successful, we must prepare and be prepared. God expects us to put on His "whole armour" so we are prepared for the battle; He wants us to mediate on His word so we are prepared for the day; He asks us to be prepared "in season and out" to share His love/words with others. Preparing is essential, but it can't stop there--who wants 40 bags of popcorn that don't get eaten or 200 books that never get read. It's no different in our Christian life. If we're well-equipped soldiers who are "prayed up," we need to be in the fight not sitting in the barracks. Is it scary to move from the preparation to the doing--sometimes it is. What if we didn't remember to do everything? What if every single detail isn't perfect? What if something changes when we get ready to start? What if someone doesn't follow through?

Questions like these keep us at the starting line afraid to "do," but it's our job to prepare to the best of our ability and then trust in God. The most amazing thing is that once we exercise our faith, God is in charge of the "doing" and we don't have to worry about Prepare:Do Ratio because He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Be ready, get set and then "Go," God will take care of the rest.

Tomorrow--our last day of school

The last day of school for us is tomorrow and what a year it's been. For the last two days we've watched 30 minutes of the movie, Monsters, Inc. (in English.) In the remaining class time I've been asking them comprehension questions. It's difficult to tell just how much they have understood because some of them have seen it before (in Spanish.) Tomorrow we are having popcorn and soda while we watch the last 20 minutes.

We are presenting each of them with a beginning reader so they will have at least one English book at their house. I'm expecting everyone of them to read it this summer and be able to tell me about it when school starts this fall.

Watch for pictures of tomorrow's grand finale! I'll try to get them posted before the weekend.