Rice and Beans of Life: The Simplicity of Light

His light shining upon us!

And then, there was light! Things in life I take for granted ... light! It was 1:30 in the afternoon, there was no storm, no loud crash, no reason for the event that just happened ... all of a sudden, my world was silent. The constant hum of 'life' in our house had stopped. My mind was a buzz with questions as we soon realized we were not alone in our world of silence. Not alone indeed, we were keeping company with all of Costa Rica, parts of Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Mexico. Finding ourselves in the midst of a major power outage throughout many parts of Central America questions raced through my mind "what will we do about ...?" The battery life on our phones, kindles and computers would run out soon enough and with no wifi, we found ourselves unable to connect with much of the outside world. The feelings of anxiety soon gave way to the glorious sense of peace with the realization that we may need to play games by candle light tonight!

My thoughts turned to the simplicity of a lifestyle without electricity and the feelings it evoked within me felt much like Jonah in the depths of the belly of a whale... dark, quiet, time to think, silence! Except for the fact that I have 4 mighty men in this "belly" with me, "Uh, God, what do I do now?" As I mixed up Stromboli dough and set it to rise I thanked God we have a gas stove and not an electric one. As the silence ensued I started a mental list of "The simple things in life to thank God for".

The simplicity of His love - Peace ... Felt in the recesses of my soul - Faith ... I am my Beloved's and He is mine - Pure Love

My thoughts of today on the simple things of life seeped into this past week and thus birthed ...
Life on the Mountain ... Keeping it simple! It's all about the little things that have kept our eyes locked on the one who made Heaven and earth ... "Where can I go from your presence ... even "there" your hand will guide me, your right hand will keep me safe!" ... A light above my sink seemed simple in my mind ... not so in my "fix-it" hubby's

He knows my heart ...

mind. However, Father took care of it for us, of course He knew just what I wanted! ... Meeting Andrea at the park and receiving valuable information: the name of the kids futbol coordinator and where the local Zumba class was held! ... Laughing with Sonya, our neighbor, about the fact her dog Tara must be bilingual because she responds to her in Spanish and Adam in English! ... Diego's blossoming friendship, he is our local bread stores owner and loves to share all God is doing in his church ... Laura, our mechanic's daughter, sweet, encouraging, understanding and full of God's love ... Feeling ready for the long trip to renew our visas in Nicaragua, with the comfort of Liz's hand drawn map! ... Delicious Milkshake treat to break up the long drive home ... Micah's gift of companionship traveling with dad through the hills and valleys of CR ... an hour of quiet time for this Mama while the boys worked at the base with dad ... Micah getting his shoes green by mowing the lawn ... a yard full of plants, trees, flowers for me to enjoy ... Angels working overtime, protecting the students from harm when they were involved in an accident that totaled our van ...

Prayers
2 vans in good working order
Decisions for school
Vida Missions team in Honduras and CR
Samuel and Dylan as they return to the base and make a decision on "what next"
Unity, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification

Praises
Electricity returned after 4 hours instead of the projected 24 hours
Health
Neighbors and a community to interact with
He knows our every need and provides His best for us

And, for those who prefer viewing instead of reading ... my list of simple things continues in photo form ...