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
One Sunday evening we had game night at church...
playing board games, card games or outdoor games.
they spend hours skinning fish for this pot with Scott & Yvonne's help.
LaBorie was in charge of the Grenadian Mennonite Churches picnic.
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!
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:)
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.
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.
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
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.
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
a wonderful idea to me!! (Except business was very bleak, actually non-existent)
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"....
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)
...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.
from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Psalms 50:1
A very special time...the baptism of Ramona Frank
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.
