Missionary Mommy Wars and a Comforter

This school year is going to be a little different for me. God has sent two other teachers to work with the MKs at the school. Nolan will still be teaching the High School students. I will be taking on the ministry of helping to support the parents of our team's children and also working with the children who will be attending the national schools, but who need some tutoring to help them with reading.

Being a missionary mommy is a difficult journey and sometimes they need a comforter. My definition of comforter is : a warm cover that wraps around you when your really wanting to just stay in bed. I remember in my days as a young seminary wife with three little ones, wanting to stay under the covers and not ever come out. In fact I would have been happy to just have stayed under bed.

God sent three comforters to me and they wrapped themselves around me, sometimes dragging me out of bed, loved me, took care of my children, rescued me from my children and maybe even saved my children' s lives. These women shared their lives with me. 

Young missionary mothers need someone to come along beside them, someone who is real. They need someone that has bad days but still goes on, someone who is not perfect but they are letting Christ work in their lives. Pray that I can be a warm comforter to our missionary families.

 Roles change, sometimes changes are hard, but looking back you see that God has prepared you for that change. I will be tutoring, planning and doing Kids Clubs, parents night out, and being Marme to little ones. Please read the following link so that you will know how to pray for these mommy warriors on the field.

 Missionary Mommy Wars

Outlawed Grief, a Curse Disguised

Change is what happens on the mission field. Grief comes in many ways to us. Saying goodbye, a loved one dies at home and we can't be there. A child. hurts and we can't be there to help them heal. A grandchild dances in a recital and we can only watch on video. A parent becomes ill and we can't be there to hold their hand. Pray for your missionaries daily.

  Pray for us as we grieve for the loss of time. Time with our parents, children and grandchildren, friends and church family. This return has been a difficult one for me. I know God has wonderful plans for us but it still hurts. Again pray for your missionary families.I want to share a blog post from another missionary blogger. Read the following post so you can have an understanding of what your missionaries experience, and how to pray for them.

Outlawed Grief, a Curse Disguised

Not Realizing what I am Missing

You  don’t realize what your are missing until you don’t have it for a while. Sitting out on the back patio of my in-laws home I watched the wind blow the multicolored trees before a rain came thru, a mother bird was taking care of her eggs in a tree next to my chair. I glanced over at our house that is rented and noticed some things that I wanted to change. I wanted to go over and cut down some weeds and weed out the flower beds.

As I sit and read to my grandchildren I know that the next time I see them they will have changed, and they will be changes that I will not be a part of. I won’t be able to read to them or listen to their laughs or see their smiles except on Skype.

Walking barefoot in grass, watching the skies as a summer storm comes through and watching rabbits nibbling in the grass just feet from where your sitting are sensations that I don’t take for granted anymore.

As I eat a Reuben sandwich I relish it. It may be a year or two before I get to eat another one. Walking into the grocery store and seeing that a whole turkey is seventy-nine cents a pound and so many kinds of spices and cereals that my head spins.

There have been moments while here in the states that I say to myself that it would be nice to just stay here and be comfortable.

I know that when I return to Loja that I will be able to see and do things that most people only dream of doing. I will be able to look out my window and see noisy parrots greeting me in the morning. I can go around the corner and buy a dozen roses for four dollars. I can see the smiles and hear the laughter of missionary children that we teach each day and walk down to the tienda just doors from us and buy a empanada colombiana. I will be able to lose ten pounds without going on a diet plan.

 We will be able to enjoy a seventy-five dollar turkey with our missionary family at Thanksgiving and if I miss seeing wildlife I just have to go to the Loja zoo to see a squirrel in a cage.

We will live 7,000 feet up the mountains in the Andes, walk wherever we need to go and not have to have a car payment or car insurance to worry about.

Ok, I have talked myself into going back. Pray for us as we get ready to return to Loja. Pray for us as we prepare for the next school year. Pray for us as we deal with our emotions. 

A Year of School in four minutes.

God has blessed this school year. We are looking forward to what he is going to do this next school year. Thank you to all those who have prayed for us and those who have supported us financially. You are a part of the work that is being done here in Loja. We would not be able to be here if you were not holding the ropes for us. Nolan (Terry) and I are in the process of becoming part of SIM as associates. There is a lot of paperwork and medical work that needs to be done for this process. We will continue to be part of Gateway Global Outreach, but to better serve our team here in Loja we need to become part of the SIM family.

 We are in need of more prayer supporters  Also pray about supporting us financially. At this time the rent of our house has been our main support along with our home church. We will have more ministry needs this next coming year and we are also helping to support two national missionaries here. We would love to share with you what God is doing during the six weeks we will be in the States. There is a side link to Gateway Global Outreach that you can go to and give financially. 

Nothing better than a good book with Peaches

Sometimes missionaries have to go home and when they do they have to leave some beloved things behind. This last week I saw an ad in the Cuenca classifieds about a home-school family leaving for the states. They had books that needed a good home. I contacted them and found that they were a family that I had spoken to on facebook but had never met  in person. Rebecca, Janeen  and I headed out to Cuenca the next morning. After a four hours drive that was made shorter by good fellowship, we met up with the family. If you are a lover of books or an educator, you know how hard it is to leave your books behind. The next best thing is to find them a good, loving home. I don´t think the books could have found a better home than our MK school. What a blessing they are going to be.

Sometimes when you have to leave a country and go home your children leave behind memories, friends and pets. The memories you can keep but the friends and pets have to stay. Peaches the hamster was not going to be able to make the trip back to the states and needed some loving students to care for her and of course at the end of the school year you always need a class pet. We packed the books and other miscellaneous stuff into the car. It was packed to the roof. Peaches had to sit next to me and I fell for her. We stopped at McDonalds for some fries, a once a year thing sometimes. The fries were really bad but Peaches loved them.

She is now very happy at her new home at the Loja Study Center. The children read to her, play with her and sometimes let her sleep. Thank you Savage Family for blessing us with your books and for Peaches.

A little sweat is good for the soul

Last month Nolan, and I traveled to Macará to visit with a couple of fellow missionaries, Willy and Teresa. Macará is about 5 or 60 hours away from Loja. That all depends on the bus, taxi or donkey that you use for transportation. We chose a bus that should have taken five hours. We didn't know that if the bus driver is hungry then he can decide to  pull over and have an hour break. We arrived seven hours later but the drive was worth it.

We were able to see a part of Ecuador that we hadn't seen before and I found that I could go without a bathroom for that amount of time. I will say that the winding roads and pot holes didn't help the last two hours. Yes, the bus did have a bathroom but I didn't want to walk all the way from the front of the bus to the back and find the door locked and than have to ask the driver for the key. Yes, I could have gotten off the bus during the unscheduled break for the driver to eat, but I was scared I would go into the bathroom and find the bus had left. It was a silly idea because Nolan would not have let the bus leave without me. I just have to learn to get over the "I can make it till we get there" train of thought, especially if three hours is my limit and I am already two hours over the limit. Enough of bathroom talk.

We were able to visit with Willy and Teresa and see the ministry they have near the border of Ecuador and Peru.It was a wonderful time of fellowship and hearing about the work they are doing. Nolan preached to the small congregation there in Spanish. We traveled a little ways into Peru and visited a small village and to a house church that Willy works with.The winding trip to a house church was interesting. Every twist and turn had pigs, goats, cows, dogs, horses or donkeys  waiting for us in the middle of the road The huge pot holes kept us from going too fast so we were able to spot most of the creatures before we collided with them. The roads reminded me of a slinky and with all the animals I felt like I was in some kind of video game. About a hour and half later we arrived at the small town of Zapatillo. 

We met in a small room with a large window. The sun was beating down on us and as I was sitting there listening to several people telling about what God was doing in their lives I was sweating and noticed that if I rubbed my arm little rolls of dirt would come off.  I couldn't help it I kept rubbing and rubbing. It 's like when you have a sunburn and you can't stop peeling the skin off. I was amazed how much dirt was on me. Here I am sitting in a small town in Ecuador listening to people share about Jesus and I am rubbing dirt off of my arm that I thought was clean.

If the sun hadn't been so hot I would not have been sweating and would not have noticed how dirty I really was. Sometimes I need the Son to shine on me and make me sweat, to see my hidden sin, ask for forgiveness and get clean again.

Old Mac Donald had a Farm

Did you know that animals in other countries don't say what American animals say. I was surprised to learn that animals in different countries speak their own language,

Cornbeef and Cabbage and other things I miss

Sometimes while reading my Facebook friends’ posts telling me about the flowers blooming, the first signs of spring and foods I can’t get here like corn beef and cabbage. I get a little State sick. I can’t say homesick, because I am home.

After brushing my teeth with sunscreen this morning--I don’t endorse it--I headed out to the Sunday market. There was a band playing, and I thought this beats elevator music. I walked the streets looking at fruits and vegetables that we wouldn't be able to purchase in the states. I listened to live music in the square that I would not be able to hear in the States. I bought my strawberries from the same vender I buy from each Sunday, who recognizes me and says hello. I am hoping one day to be able to say more than hello and how are you to her. I am able to walk a half a block to purchase fresh fruit and veggies. The total cost for two pounds of strawberries, a pound of carrots and onions and four plums was 4.oo.

We attended a house church way up a hill and listened to praise music over and over. Normally I don’t like praise music over and over, but I have found it is a really good way to learn a new language. What better way than to sing praises to God. I am standing there among brothers and sisters I had not met before, tears running down my face, raising my hands in praise, singing the songs over and over, not my normal Baptist worship pattern. I watched as one of our young students sang with her whole heart and lead others in worship. I watched as our older teens led in a drama depicting the Old Testament.

Yes I do miss the first signs of spring, corn beef and other foods I can’t get here and the old hymns, but I would not give up what we are doing for all the corn beef and cabbage  in the world.

 

Language Adventure

While in the states during the summer I didn't look or listen to any Spanish. When we returned to Loja, school was a main priority and I let learning Spanish slide. We have had a new infusion of short termers who are learning Spanish and I am embarrassed  that they are getting way ahead of me in the language area.

Sitting at Sendero I decided I needed to start back with language and have asked a friend to give me an hour a week of conversational Spanish practice.

I had my first lesson today and it was an adventure. My daughter Becca insisted that it would be better for me to go to Sandra’s house to have my lessons. I wanted to stay in our building and have Sandra come here. Becca’s reasoning was that I would get out of the building and that I would be making more of an effort to have the lessons. Well she was right.

I got out of the building alright and ending up in another building that was the wrong building. Terry walked me to a building with a gate that looked like wood and I buzzed the bell. I pushed on the buzzer several times. I was told it was the second one from the bottom. No one answered so I thought maybe it was the wrong one and buzzed the one next to it. In Loja you have a buzzer outside your building and you speak to the person outside before you let them in. No one said anything but the gate opened and my sweet husband said goodbye and he left.

Inside the building were a small boy and his dog staring at me. I climbed the stairs and there were several doors but no one was outside to meet me. I called Becca who said there should be a large mirror in the hall. Nope no mirror just a little boy with a dog staring at me. I realize I am in the wrong building and try to get out but I can’t find the gate button I start to panic. I am in a strange building and I can’t get out. As I am standing at the gate a girl opens it from the outside. I act like I was just visiting someone in the building, say hello and walk out into the wild blue yonder.

I walk to the next building with a metal gate that looks like wood and buzz, buzz buzz. No answer.. I call Becca again who tells me to call Dustan and tell Dustan to call Sandra so she could meet me outside the gate. Becca has no minutes on her phone so she can’t call anyone back and I don’t have Dustan’s phone number. I decided to call it a day and started walking back home. I called Becca to tell her I was on my way home. She talks me into going back to the metal gate that looks like wood and talks me thru buzzing the buzzers again. Becca tells me to buzz the ones around it. So I am buzzing several Apartments with no one answering.  I am about to give up when the gate opens. I see the large mirror and tell Becca I am ok. Sandra meets me at her door and I am able to tell her in broken Spanish that I have buzzed eight of her neighbors and if they ask her about a crazy gringa lady to tell them, I said I was sorry.

Faithful Prayers of Children

This past Friday our students had the day off of school activities to go to El Sendero and to celebrate answer to prayer. The last two years almost every morning our students have prayed that God would open the doors of Sendero. That they would be able to open later in the evenings and also be able to open on Saturday  for ministry activities.  God answered over and beyond what we had been asking for. Sendero has a new building and will be able to open whenever they need to. Now Bible studies, English Clubs and youth fellowship will be able to go on and will also be able to reach out to more students. Continue to pray for our ministry to the children of missionaries and for the ministry of Sendero. http://www.servantsinecuador.blogspot.com/

A New Year

I  looked at my last posting and saw it has been several months. I will have to catch you up to what we have been doing since September. I have made a resolution to post at least once a month. Terry (Nolan) and I have been very busy with the MK school. Sometimes time flies by and what seemed exciting and new has become routine.

Terry (Nolan) is working on his Spanish and becoming more fluent. I won't talk about my language learning. Let's just say I wouldn't be getting a good grade if I were in school. Terry (Nolan) is still working with his Bible Study group for men on Monday. The Sendero Ministry has moved to another location so we have been busy helping with the move.

In September and October the classroom was being re-floored so we had to move classes to the third floor meeting room of our building. We were able to set the classroom back up in November. We had our first parents night out for the school year in October.  

Friday is Specials Day at school. We have Art, Logic and PE. The student population grows from 7 to 10 or more.

Our Christmas program was a success and thanks to Northview Baptist Church and other friends our MKs each received a package of American candy and I received my M@Ms medication.

Terry (Nolan) and I were blessed to be able to travel to the Coast to work with the OMS Missionary children for their annual retreat. 





The OMS kids listening to Terry(Nolan) teach the Bible lesson for the day. 





Pray for us as we begin a new year working with the school and other ministries that we are involved in.