Unexpected

Filling my heart ... Jakol!

In the midst of the chaos of our lives, each week He carves out a few sacred hours for my soul to be encouraged. My day starts by getting mentally ready, the list is checked off, my phone is turned off, I'm focused, attentive and ready to give counsel where needed. It's a beautiful thing to see how my role has morphed over the last year from one who listens, encourages and councils to one she desires to share life with. She seems to have come alive in the sacredness of our time together. Although she hesitantly shares her tears, her giggles flow freely filling my soul. Her sweet cherub, Jakol reaches for me and snuggles into my embrace taking my mama's heart heavenward.  I'm quite certain if these times weren't scheduled, our worlds would not have connected. Father knows best ... He knew that in the scheduled routine of our meeting, a friendship would bloom that my soul desperately needs. She listens expectantly and contemplatively responds which brings life to my soul. I see hope by the light in her eyes, hear confidence in the tenderness of her voice, and feel friendship in the deep recesses of her heart. Her need is great, she has hope, and she's found a place to share the intimacies of her life. Quite unexpectedly ... so have I.

We've planned for weeks ... at least my mind has been planning for weeks! Contacts made, menu and schedule planned, temporary cooks in place to feed the guests, flight schedules and airport pick-ups organized.  Most nights my sound sleep was interrupted only briefly as my mind woke me to remember one more detail. The day arrived to meet and greet those I've known only by email. My heart was full with anticipation to know their purpose for joining VidaNet's Vision Tour.  In the midst of these full days, seeds were planted, vision shared, hearts have been left yearning to know His will and intimate connections were made. I expected to pour out, be hospitable to our guests and provide for their physical needs while staying with us at Casa VidaNet. What I didn't expect were the intimate moments of prayer that the Lover of my soul used to breath life to my weary soul. Quite unexpectedly ... their obedience to come refreshed my soul.

Finding unexpected life ... Prayers of the saints ... Sacred ground 

Life on the Mountain
I've had lots of "God HELP" moments this week ... and He did! The over arching themes that robbed us of patience with each other this week were preparing for the Vision Tour and finalizing the Budget for the board meeting. We managed a date in the chaos of the week which left me bluntly aware of our lack of communication for way to long ... Orienting our new cleaning lady ... chauffeuring our guests around town ... a sleepover for Micah and Joseph ... A Talent show to lighten our hearts ... Jedi and Adam getting alone time with a tired Mama ... A send off for our beloved William, Laura and Willie moving to Spain and ... the sweet bliss of a cloudy, rainy Sunday afternoon nap.

Praises
Delmys, our new Cleaning Angel
Fresh words and affirmation from Father ... "Everything is going to be all right!"
Strangers becoming kindred spirits as they touched heaven with prayers for our family
Gloria, our temporary Kitchen Angel
Allison and crew who 'joyfully' filled in for kitchen duty
A leadership team who cares enough to bluntly speak the truth

Prayers
Our marriage ... built on a firm foundation that the enemy of lies is trying to crumble
That we would take time to listen to each other 
Parenting Jedidiah ... reference back to blog post "The Dance" 5/7/18
Vision tour guests as they take Fathers vision for VidaNet home with them
Board meeting happening this week
Central American church leaders meeting at Casa VidaNet this week
Our next steps ... wanting to remain in the center of His will ...

Sunday supper ... missing pretzels!

EMM child care worker (a.k.a. Tortuga) ...
watching our little angels so we can have a date ...
I'm not sure who had more fun!

Vision Tour guests ... resting in His peace at Casa VidaNet

Talent show laughter ...
Zuercher Bro's standing in for our missing Mighty Men ...
Singing "our song" ... "Mom, this song is getting old!"

Spending his birthday money from grandparents ... 

This happened in our driveway ...
Practicing for the birthday party next weekend : ) 

The beauty of La Paz Waterfall Garden 

The gift of chauffeuring our guests around CR

Some of the faces that grace our days with
love, laughter and challenge ...

more of them

and one final one that fills my soul!

Unexpected ... 

Reveling in the countless ways Father cares for our souls!

Telling Eyes

The tears in her eyes needed no translation, she hasn't been able to read clearly for years ... His brain

Eye Clinic fun ...
What are my eyes saying?

injury prevented him from communicating effectively. However, the glisten of tears in his cataract laden eyes needed no words nor translation to convey the depth of his gratitude ... At 18 years of age, the only world she clearly saw was no more than 2 feet in front of her ... I took my glasses off to try to grasp the magnitude of what she was saying. At the risk of her embarrassment she welded the lens holding contraption that looked more like a space apparatus than a piece of eye equipment. The sparkle in her eyes that beautifully accompanied the grin on her face as she hesitantly giggled said more than any translation I could mindlessly muster.

These extremes of visual disturbance gripped my soul. Words ... my feeble translation ... failed to convey the feelings of the heart as one received the gift of sight (for free). How fitting that it was their eyes, like a window into the soul, that conveyed the depth of gratitude when words could not suffice.

In the routine of translating, "I can't read small print ... Distance is a problem for me ... I get headaches when I read or study" and explaining the stages and prevention of Macular degeneration, Cataract and glaucoma. These wordless moments left me speechless as I witnessed the beauty of ... Telling Eyes.

Look into my eyes ... Hear my heart ... No translation necessary

Life on the Mountain
El Nido Eye clinic, the gift of sight and hope.  A migraine as the result of my sinful disposition to worry and stress left me incapacitated for 'too long' ... Reorganizing kitchen routine and helpers ... Celebrating the start to Jedidiah's 11th year of life ... Game night for M & J with friends ... Laughing with our boys at a "Toy Story" theme talent show with school ... Grieving the loss of life as two separate tragic accidents claimed the lives of two of Daryl's uncles in 24 hours.  How does one grieve, mourn the loss, let go, cry with, adjust to, this loss when we're living worlds apart?

Praises
Doctor Bob and his Eye clinic team
Healing from a migraine
Nellie's sister and family coming to church
Leaders and Interns who help in the kitchen
Calisha to help us clean
Byron's baptism

Prayers
A Cook and someone to clean for Casa VidaNet
Healing for Olivia Grace, the precious daughter of a friend in Akron
William, Laura and Willie going to Spain as missionaries in a week
Direction for our future
Lots of extra activity at Casa VidaNet the next two weeks ...
 -Vision Tour, Board Meeting, Hosting Central American church leaders

Sharing her heart ... 

Her husband on the far left needed a 'simple' cataract surgery. 

Travel was to difficult for them prohibiting surgery. 

They both received glasses to improve their vision.

Their eyes shared the depth of their gratitude!

She captured my heart ... 

Eye clinic fun with Evan ...

When Mama's away McDonalds to the rescue ... 

Chocolate cake ... Chocolate icing ... Chocolate M&M's
Happy 11th Birthday Jedidiah!

Quesadilla Big Mac ...
The size of a dinner plate ...
We only ate 1/2 of it!

"Sheriff Woody's the name" ...
Toy Story theme talent show! 

Surprise ending to the School Talent Show!

The never ending orange paint!

 "If Jesus is the light in our lives, it's His light 

that shines through our eyes to the world around us!"

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.

John 12:46  

Strong Tower

"I got dressed first!"

"Finally!" ... He stretched, hoped, waited with great anticipation and finally ... He's arrived at the 5 foot mark on the measuring line! It seems a fitting birthday gift from Father for our deep thinking, contemplative, engineer minded 14 year old.  Although his physical stature might be less than most of his friends, his spiritual stature stands tall.  A few years ago Father gave me a new name for each of our boys ... Joseph's name is Strong Tower.  He is a loyal friend in which many have found refuge, many are drawn to him for his quiet strength and his laughter that invites all who hear it to join in. Last week he shared an insightful devotional which captivated my thought process for the better part of the week and therefore ... I've chosen to share his sacred thoughts here.

"I'm guessing that most of you have heard of the show, "The Biggest Loser". It's a show in which people try to loose the most amount of weight.  So just like them, Christians have to be losers! Now you're probably thinking that I'm crazy, but you just have to hang on here.  So in order to be a Christian, you have to leave or "lose" some things.  In this sense, I am talking about sins.  So what is something that you can lose? ... (wait for their answers) ... Those are all good examples. 

Also, just like the contestants get all the healthy food manuals to stay healthy, we need some of those in our lives too.  For instance, the Bible. It gives us a good foundation for us to work off of.  Another good example is having good Christian friends. They can help you with problems that you may have. So for becoming a Christian, these are some necessities.

I'm guessing that in the show, the people get really tempted to go back to what made them heavy or fat.  This also goes with Christians.  Not the fat part, but the part where they get tempted. Once you become a Christian, you leave sins behind. Sometimes you are tempted to go back to those sins.  So you have to build up faith to endure those temptations.  The way you can build up faith is by reading your bible, praying, and trusting that He will come through. When the contestants finally finish and get through, they are so happy to have lost all the weight they have.  The same goes for Christians. Even though it will take a lot of faith and perseverance, the reward that God gives is better than anything.  It will bring you more joy than anything you have ever experienced. The verse I picked out for today is 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come, the old has gone, then new is here!" 

Biggest loser ... Strong Tower ... losing the weight of worry

Life on the Mountain
Pray continually, it felt like a week where all I could do was pray ... The students as the faced Reto Nehemia ... Jessica, Guadalupe El Nido director, in the hospital in Ecuador ... A new cook and cleaning person for Casa VidaNet ... Olivia Grace battling AFM ... Martha's financial situation ... Adam's double ear infection and upper respiratory infection ... friends marital struggles ... my boys ... the El Nido Eye Clinic ... Jedidiah's exams ... Byron ... Luis ... Kara ... Salvation for those close to our hearts ... If a name came to my spirit, I cried and prayed.

Praises
The pulmonary embolism in Jessica's lungs dissolved
Medicine to help Adam feel comfortable as the infection cleared up
Black paint from a neighbor ... one of those Random God moments
A hubby who puts his day aside to chauffeur around a sick boy and exhausted mama
Each one of you ... we're not in this alone!

Prayers
Olivia Grace, the precious daughter of a friend in Akron https://m.facebook.com/Olivia-Grace-341785483056981/
          Complete healing for Jessica and for her to be able to come home to CR
Someone to bless Casa VidaNet with their gift of cooking and cleaning
Healing for Kaitlyn's knee
Healing for Samuel's eye
Lots of extra activity at Casa VidaNet the next two weeks ...
 -Eye clinic, Vision Tour, Board Meeting, Hosting Central American church leaders

When your day feels like this because
staying up all night isn't easy ...

The day looks brighter when Daddy gets Mama flowers and ... 

Buys the best burgers ever for supper!

Wash day at Casa VidaNet ... Praying for sun!

Date with Dad ...
He asked ALL day to go to the fair for his date with dad ... Thanking God, the rain stopped!

My Kitchen Angels ...
Three of the many blessings God has sent my way!

When you're Set Partner plays the Rook perfectly ...
We sunk em!

Trouble ... when little brother knows how to play the game and keeps sending you home!

Reto Nehemias ... They did it! 

Letting Go in His Embrace

My favorite mug ...

I'm holding to much.  Not holding onto ... you can have my new mattress, my plates, my favorite blankie, my butterfly pillows, my 'stuff', my clothing I might hold onto a little tighter but you can have it, my favorite coffee mug ... well, ummm, nope, sorry, I'm holding onto that, it's one of those sentimental things.  Anyway, you get the picture. What I'm talking about is letting go of, Every. Single. Thing ...

In His typical fashion, once again He used my relationship with my earthly soulmate to remind me ... I need to let go.  In the groggy recesses of sleep land my tense shoulders started to wake my brain for the day. He reached over to kiss sleep good bye and hug me with the rising sun of a new day. I didn't relax. Let me say that again. If not for your sake, but to remind me of the absurdity of the moment. I didn't relax in those strong, protective, manly arms Father has blessed me with here on this earth. "I have to much on my mind," my soul argued with it's Creator as if He didn't understand. The arms didn't move, in fact they got heavier as they dabbled with entering dreamland once again. "These are MY arms holding you, Just. Let. Go." My soul started to protest once again, "but this and this and this ..." In that moment, it was as a parents finger quieting the lips of a stubborn child that I felt my shoulders start to relax in His (and his) embrace.  Can you picture it? Stiff, tense, stubborn child who finally gives up the fight and melts into her Father's embrace ...

I can't possibly hold it all or hold it all together. He wants to carry, lead, anoint, and bless the work of my hands. It starts by letting go. In this preposterous way of thinking, there comes a peace in the storm raging in my mind ... Deuteronomy 33:12 “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

"Letting go of every single thing, I lay each one down at Your feet. Mighty Warrior, King of the fight. No matter what I face, You're by my side."

Life on the Mountain
Attempting to keep things in perspective! Nurse clinic open for business ... this felt like the easiest way to capture all the medical needs in one place.  With 52 students, staff and interns living at Casa VidaNet, there are a lot of nursing/mom questions.  Trying to care for "Us" in the chaos of the week. The gift of an English library once again. Friday, the glorious gift of a sleep over for Micah and Joseph and feeling connected! Saturday was a day of pampering the El Nido mama's with a spa day. Celebrating Dia de Cultura (Day of Culture) with school and church ... Of course Amish Whoopie pies are the perfect treat to share with Amish Culture! And ... yesterday celebrating Joseph's 14th birthday!

Praises
Micah and Joseph feeling connected, thanks for praying!
Our van is back in action
Cedcas clinic who blesses our ministry with reasonable medical care and answers my many questions!
Adam is adjusting to life as a lefty, running, jumping and skipping like a normal boy!
Celebrating a year of growth and life for Joseph
Laughing with Austin, Evan and Sara ... good for our souls

Prayers
Our cook situation, may we all know Father's will for this situation.
We're in need of a cleaning person by November 7th.
William, Laura and Willie as they embark on Missions in Spain
Healing on our family and students
Safety for all the travels happening this week
Parenting Jedidiah
Resting in His embrace and knowing how to let go

Declan ... Precious little man ... wearing Daryl's Eagles hat!

Adjusting to life as a lefty ... Rocky Raccoon came home from school with Adam because of good behavior!

Date with dad ... flat bread pizza ...
Discussing life as an almost 14 year old.

El Nido Spa day ...

Foot soak and massage for the younger generation

El Nido Spa day ...
One of those professions you take with you where ever you go!

Calzones and Shrimp ... Happy 14th birthday Joseph!

Cake in a Mug with Austin, Evan and Sarita ...
Can't believe we forgot to sing to him!

The peace of letting go in His embrace ...

 He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.  Isaiah 40:11

Perspective

It's been one of those days ... or rather, one of

Sunday evening entertainment ... 
the things they learn from AFV!

those weeks. The way I received and responded to life's situations has given my attitude a bit of a challenge. It all comes down to a matter of perspective. I found this little gem in my writing notebook and in light of perspective, it's a fitting example ...

My mouth was salivating as we sat down to feast on Gallo Pinto for breakfast.  It had been awhile since I made it so I was hoping there would be no grumbles.  Adam sleepily crawled onto his chair and said, "Mama, my belly hurts really, really, really bad, I don't think I can eat this."  Wise Mama that I acclaim to be, I said, "Why don't you try it, your belly may feel better if you put some food into it."  He agreed.  Almost as soon as this delicacy crossed his lips he began to rub his belly and say "Owwy, owwy, owwy, this really hurts my belly!" I said, "Adam, your food is still in your mouth, not in your belly."  To which he smiled and replied, "Oh yeah I forgot."

Life is a matter of perspective.  We can focus on what we don't have, always want and what we're lacking.  Or, we can choose to see God in it all ... A broken arm requiring surgery, traffic jams increasing the time of our commute, a minor fender bender, discovering the sound coming from our van was due to a leak in a hose, a flat tire, 'sleepless' nights wondering when our new mattress would finally arrive, faulty computer
hard drive, long division ... why do I need to remember this? ... Amusement park field trip canceled due to rain, intermittent internet that said missionary can't seem to remember life without, waiting for chairs that were not ordered correctly ... I'll stop there, you get the picture.  In light of eternity or even joy, NONE of these are life altering problems, but my attitude seemed to become life altering as the list continued to grow.

As my eye rolling, annoyed countenance faced each one of these 'things' I wanted to yell "Owwy, owwy, owwy, this really hurts my belly!" ... However, in attempt to keep things in perspective, I'm choosing to look inward. My heart reflects who I truly am, not my circumstances or what others think of me. In the profoundest parts of my soul, there is a light of hope. For me, it's a beautiful shade of aqua marine, teal, celeste blue, sparkling and bringing warmth and light to my soul. It's His sweet presence reminding me that ... Come life, come death, come what may, I want to draw others to the source of my hope ... Jesus.

Looking through His eyes ... Choosing joy ... Sharing hope

Life on the Mountain 
They all came ... 31 new Vida220 students, 7 leaders and 5 interns from 7 different countries! The last two weeks seem to be a blur of activity as we prepared for and welcomed this crew ... Rain that seemed like the faucets of Heaven would not shut off ... The overarching event of this past week however was Adam's adventure with a broken arm.  A closed compound fracture, open reduction, internal (temporary) fixation surgery to repair it, and waking up a groggily sweet little boy ... he spoke to me and all medical personal in Spanish through the whole ordeal!

Praises
Safe arrival of all the students and staff
Knowledgeable Doctors and nurses who care about a little boys desires
Power of prayer, feeling His peace that passes all understanding
Night out and laughter with friends
Healing tears that flow freely and not hiding emotions

Prayers
Complete healing of Adam's arm
VidaNet's vehicles ... does God have a mechanic? we are in serious need!
Hansel's knee, Austin's cold
Our neighbor's salvation
Nellie as she seeks Father's heart

Mom, can you cut my hair?! ...
Entertainment while waiting in line at the border!

Super Men! Off to save the world together ...

Yes, it's chocolate ... Yes, it's coffee ... Yes, it's 7:00 pm
End of fall break treat!

This photo is not reversed ... HE'S in the drivers seat ...
practicing his skills any chance he can!
Unfortunately, you have to be 18 to drive in CR.

Gowned up and ready to roll with Dr. Jenkins ...
Mama got a ride into the OR too!

Paw Patrol, Ritz crackers and lemonade ...
just what the Doctor ordered!

"Tomorrow I get a new and smaller cast!"

Never too old for Legos ...
"Small Village" stories and creativity ...
the best of times with brothers!