Island Happenings in November

 There is a phrase of a song that is  going through my head these days, in addition to all the Christmas carols we've been hearing. "Time is flying like the shuttle of a weaver".....
 I thought I updated my blog, oh maybe about 2 weeks ago, and was surprised to realize it was over a month already. Another event that made me realize how fast the passage of time goes, is that today is the twins' 11'th birthday.
 Eleven! Sounds so cliqueish, but, for real, where does time go? Wasn't it just yesterday we dropped Kaylah off at my mom and headed out the door on our way to the hospital to get this thing called "labor" started. Feeling fine and dandy, (well, as fine and dandy as a 9 month pregnant lady with twins can feel) I remember thinking ahead to the pain that awaited me, and that feeling of being led like a lamb to the slaughter house. (It actually wasn't as bad as I anticipated:))
  How well I remember those newborn days, with not just one, but two colicky babies that had us pacing the floor and on the verge of pulling out our hair. Simple questions were met with blank stares as lack-of-sleep induced brain fog took over our normally functioning brains.
 But we survived...and then, just like that, we were celebrating their first birthdays. First birthdays should always be special, with cake-smashing, party-bashing fun. We decided to go all out and give them a really special cake with a message announcing their gift to come.....You're gonna be big brother and sister!!!
Oh my. To be honest, not exactly what we had planned. Nevertheless, how can you help not getting excited over a new life?! And before we knew what happened, Carter joined our family. Four precious children in four years...what more could we want? Well, besides sleep and our sanity back again.
  Those were the days...the days where the neighbor lady calls and wonders in a high pitch screech if those are OUR children on the road? Nine chances out of ten they probably are, so I grabbed Carter and ran out the door to investigate. There are times where I wonder if the term "dying from embarrassment" could actually be medically correct, and this was one of those times where I thought it just might be the cause of my death. The first thing I noticed was the string of stopped traffic in either direction. Then I noticed a miniature Adam & Eve on the road, minus the fig leaves, who looked eerily like my twins. Not being able to deny any longer that they actually were my children, I deposited Carter in the corner of the yard and went to claim my children and the run-away dog that had led them astray. As I headed back to the house with a stark- naked child on each hip, trying to get the dog to follow, and wondering how I'm gonna scoop up the third child, I tried to not think of what all the observers were thinking. Never before was I so grateful for the privacy the four walls of my house afforded me. However, it wasn't long before the doorbell rang and a blue-suited police officer stood at my door. In vain, he tried to keep the smirk off his face as he shared how he received a "strange call." With trembling and fear and humiliation I shared with him how our back yard is fenced in, therefore I trusted them playing out there, not knowing they are going to decide to strip, let the dog out and then when the hyper thing jumped at the gate and unlatched it, they felt it was their duty to go bring the dog back.
 Or the time when the twins dumped an entire box of laundry detergent all over the floor, the dryer caught fire, one child threw an ice cream scoop down the steps, striking another child who was at the bottom of the stairs, who bled all over the place from the deep head wound and the third child fell over in a dead faint at the sight of all the blood, and while I cleaned up the bloody mess, the twins decided to decorate the furniture with Desatin and the washer sprung a leak emptying the entire load of water on the laundry floor. All in one day.
 One thing that used to really annoy me when I was in the thick of crying babies, dirty diapers and messes of great magnitude, is when these dear older ladies would look at me and say, "Oh just enjoy these years! These years are the best of your life!" Really???!! You're telling me it gets WORSE? So not encouraging!

 Wouldn't you know though, now that my "baby" is nine years old and the twins are 11, I do sometimes wax nostalgic about those days of cuddly newborns, innocent toddlers and the cute curiosity of small children. It's crazy how it's so easy to remember the good and forget the hard times. Which is a good thing:)
 Anyway, I wasn't really intending on writing all this about bygone days, but I guess that's what happens when I don't know what else to write about:)
 So, without further ado...here is a glimpse into our past month...

                                                   Things that go bump in the night

 Three children, one bike...where there's a will, there's a way to make it work

                                       Did you know weed-eating can kick up massive-size
                                       boulders capable of causing head injuries? (Or not:))

                           Not only do I have to deal with Legos embedded in my foot, I now
                           have to dodge power lines strung   through the room....more than
                            once I was the reason for a complete power outage in Lego land

                                   Escape. It's now or never! I think those "delicious snack tips"
                                  scared him into action! Maybe he'll stay out of my sink now!

                                          Apparently we can concentrate on home work better
                                         laying on the table with our legs stuck out the window

                           Tea...it's the beverage of choice around here. So much so that we have
                           to make a chart to make sure no one gets an extra cup than the other one.

By the sound of their conversations while doing dishes, you would think the kitchen is a torture chamber and the dishes are the pain-inflicting instruments...
A recent conversation...
 "Mom, you know you said if we want to eat we need to work. If we don't eat, does that mean we don't have to do dishes?"
 Me, "Sure! Go ahead, try it!"
 Collin & Carter, "Yes!! Let's fast on the days we need to do dishes, then really eat on the days when it's the girl's turn! That way we never have to do dishes!"
 I think they changed their mind somewhere between the time they woke up and breakfast.....

                                        Helping some neighborhood boys build a tree house

                                                      The shed roof is the playground for the day

                       Bible Clubs in "the hole"....most places in Grenada are not marked with
                      actual names but are identified by names given to them by the local people.

                                                                      Beautiful scenery!

                    

                      Our church had an evening of fun, food and fellowship while Ben & Jess
                      Martin were here. They served in Grenada for three years, so there were
                     lots of people that wanted to see them. Sheldon & Ashley Martin were also here

                                              The children had fun playing in the sand...
                                         Olivia, Christian, Celena holding Ellen, Christi & Kade,

                              Collin & Christi's 5th grade class and their teacher, Miss Stacy:)

                              I had the fun of substituting in the 3rd grade classroom while their
                               teacher went home for a wedding. I enjoyed it but I always raise
                             my hat a little higher to teachers after spending time in the classroom!

                              "Good Morning, Mommy!" Another day in the classroom and this
                             time I got to have the twins for my students...really enjoyed this day!

            Kaylah goes down to LaBorie School three afternoons a week to help tutor...she loves it!

                                         Carter, with his classmate and friend, Jamone

                                                           Carter in his classroom...4rth grade

                                                                   Serving hot lunch at school

        One of the benefits of having a teacher here from our home church, is that we get to enjoy her     visitors too!:) Stacy Horst's family came down to see her and her brothers stayed with us.
         So good to see these folks from home!   Ken & Marlene Horst...Kenton, Sheldon & Josh

                                                                            Fishing in the dark

                                      I wonder if Kenton regretted showing something on his
                                       phone to the children...after that they were like leaches!

                                       Chris enjoyed having some Rook playing buddies

                     I hope these fine folks don't mind being forced to carry the title Grandpa &
                    Grandma down here...cause that's the role they've automatically fallen into:)
                  We are enjoying having Arlen & Sharon Krabill as part of the staff in Grenada!

             We spend a day at Yvonne making food for GBI...Grenada Bible Institute. It is a week
              of intense Bible training for Grenadian youth and teachers, starting on Monday

                                     This is as close as we'll get to being with family
                                 over the holidays...our annual staff Christmas banquet

                                                          Singing in the evening

                           These two pictures, plus lots more, are what shows up on your
                             camera card after you give Celina free range of your camera:)

                                                                       Carter & Trey

                                   Christmas caroling at a retirement home with our church

                                                Christmas caroling at 'the poor house'....oh the fun of
                                    tropical Christmas caroling while sweat runs down your back!

                                          Visiting with the folks after Christmas caroling

And that's all for this month!

Prayer Requests:
Grenada Bible Institute....December 13-18

GBI Speakers....Ken Gehman & Eugene Sommers

Our family...pray that we can keep our focus here, especially over the holidays

Unity and commitment in our church

As a prayer warrior, you are a very important part of the work here in Grenada...
thank you so much and may God bless you much this Christmas season!

Love Comes Softly

 "Goodbye! I love you too!!" As I ended the phone call and returned the phone to its spot on the wall, a startling thought struck me. "You know, I actually meant what I said!"

 Now before you think my husband and I are only starting to feel those first giddy twinges of love, let me explain. I'll start at the beginning. Once upon a time....

 I'll call her Hilda. Not her real name, of course.
 The very first time I met her she left quite an impression on me. In the form of big dark lips. On my white American cheek. She spend the next few moments alternating between profusely apologizing for the black lipstick smear and vigorously scrubbing it off with her fingers.
  That was the first time, but by far, not the last time she dropped in unannounced. As her drop-ins became more frequent, I marveled to myself. She had this uncanny ability to stop by at the most inconvenient times. How does she know??.....that we were just ready to leave? Or eat? Or I was in a time crunch? Or in the middle of something that was hard to just stop? Or, to be honest, just didn't want to be bothered at this precise moment.
  "Come! Come! Come! Come!" she would say repeatedly, till I would drop what I was doing and give her the attention she needed.
 Or maybe it was a Sunday afternoon, when you've finally reached that elusive quiet time that you've been dreaming of all week and you are basking in the sweet peace and quiet that settles over the normally noisy household....to...until....
 "Hello! HeLLOOO! HELLOOOO!" It doesn't work to ignore the voice because it  only gets louder and more insistent as she marches in the driveway. One by one curious heads pop up and your hopes for a quiet Sunday afternoon evaporate faster than water on a hot day.
 Her requests were as varied as the colors of her heavy metallic eye shadow and the gaudy wigs she wore...the use of the phone, a drink, a chat, food, a loan, a prayer...for miscellaneous body parts...I won't go into detail..let's just say some prayers were spoken in a quiet whisper with one eye open, desperately hoping the young men working right outside the window weren't listening in.
 Her frequent drop-ins and demanding attitude really started to grate on my nerves. I tried to remind myself that her mental capacity was not quite what it should have been for a woman her age. I tried to tell myself that these are the people God brings into your life to see how you react to them. I asked God to give me a true love for her. It all seemed to no avail. Time after time I tried to stifle the sighs that rose up within me as I heard her loudly announcing her arrival.
 I'd like to say I had an earth-shattering change of heart where I fell on my knees in repentance and ever after was filled with a deep immense love for her, but it wasn't really that way. I can't even pin-point when my attitude toward her began to change. Maybe when piece by piece she shared parts of her painful past.
 Maybe the time she called and informed us that the Lord told her we are supposed to visit her this Sunday afternoon. She lead us through her foul-smelling house like a proud queen showing off her star-studded castle. Never mind the plain concrete walls and floor. The little paint that remained was faded and peeling. Never mind the fact that they were too poor to afford electric. Never mind the fact the kitchen had no cupboards and was devoid of food except for a few lonely pieces of fruit hanging in a basket in the corner. The only art work in the house was the unique mosaic formed by bat droppings that ran down and hardened on the wall.
  After the grand tour she ushered us into her stark, almost empty living room. We gingerly sat on the dilapidated couch held together with duct tape, while she and her husband settled as comfortably as they could on the hard concrete floor. We had quite an interesting visit. She requested prayer for her husband's salvation. More than the hard floor made him squirm uncomfortably as she shared how he just can't seem to give up smoking and cocaine. "Oh, Billy!" she said, noticing his discomfort. "They're our friends and we can share anything with them!" she said with a giggle and a pat on his knee. He sheepishly grunted and squirmed some more.
There was something about this visit that touched me. Not the fact that she was so content with the little they had or the fact she considered us close friends, but the fact that she insisted we take the meager supply of fruit that was hanging in the basket in the kitchen. I tried to politely decline but she would hear nothing of it. As I took the proffered fruit I wondered what they planned to eat for supper that evening. I knew for her it was the like the widow giving away her last two mites. As I walked out the door and down the broken slabs of concrete that formed misshapen steps down the steep hillside, my selfishness became glaringly obvious. Here she was, giving away her last bits of food and I couldn't even sacrifice small moments of my time for her?
 Yes, she still stops in frequently. Yes, sometimes at inconvenient times, but for the most part I can look past her "demanding" ways and see her for who she really is. A sweet soul in need of love. A bit simple, but a whole lot sincere. And I am thankful that I finally can truthfully say I really do love her.


Just a few leftover pics from our trip home & travel back to Grenada.... 

Packing up and heading out from Dad & Mom. Chris's brother Phil & Emily took us to the airport

                                                          Goodbyes are never  fun 

                                                     Packed up and ready to head out

                Christi said, "Look Mom! A bamboo bridge!" Sorry, daughter, not around here!:)

             Catching up on some much needed sleep in the airplane. It's about a 4 1/2 hour flight

                               Back on Grenadian soil...the heavy humid air hits me every time

 One Sunday evening we had game night at church...

playing board games, card games or outdoor games.

                         Chris & Thaddeus making a smoked herring and salt fish pot...
                  they spend hours skinning fish for this pot with Scott & Yvonne's help.
                    LaBorie was in charge of the Grenadian  Mennonite Churches picnic.

                      Fish, garlic and onion cooking in tons of vegetable oil....my arteries hardened
                       just looking at all that oil! It sure did smell and taste wonderful though!

The ladies had the 'fun' job of cutting up breadfruit, green fig &

 dumplings to go with the fish...many hands made the work light.

All ready to serve...a 5 gallon bucket dumplings, green fig, basically unripe cooked 

green bananas and breadfruit. We put the fish mixture over top these provisions. Delish!

                A perfect evening for a picnic...the teachers planned some games for the children

                          Fun, food and fellowship...as much as I miss friends and family from
                     home, I know I'm gonna miss these folks so much too when we move back

Rook is fun no matter what country you're in:)

               We were so thankful for Weldon & Anna Headings willingness to serve for 5 weeks
                in Grenada.  They had lived in Grenada 10 years ago and fit right back in. We really
               enjoyed having them here and getting to know them better. They had been here this
                past  spring to visit. They are from Kansas.

 And since we're having a church picnic and everyone wants family pictures of everyone else...
 Scott & Yvonne Martin, Kade, Trey, Bryce & Shawn...what can I say about this family?...except
 that we don't know what we'd do with out them! It's hard to believe we've only known them for about half a year, but when you see each other almost every day, it doesn't take long to build a relationship.

        And this family...all of Grenada doesn't know what we'd do without them! (well, almost:))
                Sammy & Jana Mapson, Samara, Monique & Sophia. As school administrator,
                   they are an integral part of the schools, and do a mighty fine job at it!

Marv & Jen Lapp, Nicki, Caleb, Conrad, Shawn & Morgan...southern hospitality at it's finest....

we've so enjoyed getting to know this friendly family from Mississippi

These folks don't live here but we did get to enjoy a week with them. 

Duane & Dawn Bergey...he serves on the Olive Branch board

      In case you're wondering, we do do more than picnicking and playing games,
      but these are the few social gatherings that I had my camera along for:) Every
     time a board member comes down to visit we have a staff picnic to give him a
         chance to share his observations of the mission with us.

From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

Every other Friday evening we have the teachers here for supper. Since

 Weldon's were planning to have the Limes' teachers, we decided to make it one

 big party  and do it together since they had a joint youth activity that evening.

        Butchering our spent hens...I thought for sure if I cook the tar out of them and add
        them to soup I could disguise the fact that.... #1. They were old.... #2. They were layers
         I have learned....
         #1.You can cook the tar out of spent hens and you will still have tough meat.
        #2. Layers don't give enough meat to even make the whole process worth it
        #3. You can't disguise tough chewy meat in soup

              On the bright side...it was a good time to teach the children how to butcher chickens

               "Mom, what can we do to earn money??" Selling treasures (trash) sounds like
             a wonderful idea to me!! (Except business was very bleak, actually non-existent)

         "Mom! Come check out the tight rope we built!" Visions of children falling from great heights and  landing on their heads evaporated after I saw this homemade contraption...looks fairly safe.

               Clubhouse rules....that had to be momified because of the tears they caused...and yeah,
               the clubhouse is now currently on the shed roof. (She scratches her head and wonders 
               why you would choose to play on a sloping roof when you are surrounded by a nice
               flat area)...but then she thinks, "Whatever keeps them entertained"....

                  Just a random picture of Sunday nights, tomato soup & cheese sandwiches...
                                                              it's the little things in life....

Thanks to Kaylah's design of a seismograph, we'll never

  have to wonder if that was an earthquake or not. The pen dangling

 from the string will scratch out the size and the magnitude. (In theory)

                               Talent Night at church...some sang songs, some read poems...

...and some people that don't have many talents had to put on a skit...

   "Wake up! The Harvest is Ready!"

  .....she says frantically and loudly as the unconcerned workers slumbered away...

 ....except Christi who forgot she was supposed to be sleeping. She forgets

 the loud and clear part as she hides behind her paper. Hopefully they

 got the point of the skit even if we are less than stellar actors.

                                              Service at the Queen Elizabeth Children's Home

            After the service at the children's home we went to watch the sunset at Fort Frederick

                             The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth 
                            from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Psalms 50:1

A very special time...the baptism of Ramona Frank

                   I came across this and can't say for sure its legit but found it rather intriguing...

     Now this is for real and if you'd live in Grenada you'd know how necessary a sign like this is...

This is one man we will never forget. He has a very appropriate nickname of Patchy. You see as much of his boxers as his falling down pants. A sad case, really, to think what his life could be if it were not for the ravages of rum and drug abuse.

Prayer Request & Praises...
A praise for people willing to fill in till the next pastor arrives. Keith & Kendra Zimmerman are planning to help in Limes for January & February. Pray for them as they make all the necessary preparations.

I am so thankful for our church! We had a very memorable communion service last night. Communion is always a special time of remembering what Christ has done for us, but there is something really neat about people coming together from all over the world, cultures and upbringings aside, and being one in Christ. It was made even more memorable due to the fact it was storming all evening and we ended up having part of the service in the dark because the electric went off. The service continued on with the help of a small light for the pastor. We were again reminded of Jesus' suffering as we sat in the pitch dark with the church frequently being lit up by jagged streaks of lightening and loud rumbling thunder.

A praise for another group of great teachers and that the school year seems to be going well so far. Pray for the teachers as they face many challenging situations with many of the children coming from homes that are less than ideal.