Where you go, I will go; where you live, I will live. Your people will be my people for your God is my God.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Friendship through the generations.

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A Step Outside.

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Building and planting the first stage of the vegetable garden. Lima beans, green beans, lettuce, black beans, alfalfa, spinach, radish, and some flowers.  More to come.DSCN4020

{the man with the plan}DSCN4022

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{a Tita creation}

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DSCN4064The chickens.  Three of the seven chicks survived.  One died on it’s own.  One drowned in the water bucket.  The dog got ahold of the last two.  We are new to this whole chicken raising thing.  You like and you learn

Monday, January 14, 2013

Sunset.

 

DSCN3988It’s Sunday afternoon and we’re in a bus headed southeast to a town in central Mexico.  Our town. To our casita

I can’t help but thinking,  “We would have taken off by now.  Probably already flying over the gulf.”  I think of the second plane in five months that my babe and I have not been on thanks to a little thing called paperwork. 

Emotions are confusing, to say the least.  I’m disappointed but grateful that we’re not on that plane, but together still as a family of three.  Anytime I make planes to go, the excitement is always mixed with a bit of sadness at the thought of leaving.  Whenever I’m here in la casita with my handsome man and his look-alike son, I think of Georgia and wish to be there.  But whenever I’m there, my heart is counting the days till I’m home again.  Where is home, anyways?  They say, “Home is where your heart is” so how can my home be any one place if my heart is spread across the North American continent?

A phone ringing in the back of the bus makes me snap back to the here and now.   The rest of the bus is so quite, I can’t help but hear the man’s voice break through the silence a few rows back.

“What? Dead? Already?!  At what time?!?”  his voice breaks. 

A bit of silence then- “Okay.  I’m on my way.  I shouldn’t be there till after midnight.” 

I hear the phone click shut and the man begins to sob.  “Dad, oh, Dad!”   

With the midst of a million other thoughts I think, “How selfish I am!  I’m having a pity party for myself while the world around me is hurting and going through a whole lot more!  Thank you Lord for your goodness!”  I think of the pain the man is going through and the hours of travel ahead of him before reaching his destination.  I’m thankful it’s not me. 

“But it will be you.”  The thought comes out of nowhere.  I let it sink in.  Three sets of living grandparents. My mom, dad, stepmom. A slew of uncles, aunts and cousins. Five siblings and currently two siblings-in-law.  A husband and a child of our own.My in-laws.  And all the members that will be added to the family over the years. How many times will I be on this exact same bus route, praying the hours by, only to receive the same phone call?  “They’re already gone.”

I’m shaken and dry to think of something nicer, to somehow make everything magically better.  But I can’t.  I look at the future and see pain.  And lots of ache. Sin, death, and all the consequences they carry are all too real. We take lovely pictures and load them to instagram, write status updates about our wonderful lives, and post blogs to put it all in chronological order.  We ice brownies made out of poop to make them look nice, but the reality is the same.  It may look lovely, but it’s really poop. 

This world is going to die.  And everyone in it will pass into eternity.  That’s reality. But the story doesn’t end there.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sin…..but God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus…” {Ephesians 2:1, 4-6}

I’m pretty sure that one day, in the near or far future, I will be racing against time to make it to Georgia or wherever before one of grandparents, parents, siblings or other family member passes away.  It will be painful and heartbreaking. I feel my stomach creeping up into my throat just thinking about it.  But it won’t be the end.  Not for those who have true live in Christ.  I may not be there to say goodbye, but in Him, there are no real goodbyes.  It’s a “I’ll see you later.”  Once we have breathed our last breath here, is when our true live will begin. 

And that, my friends,  thrills my heart. 

“…I {Jesus} came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” {John 10:10}

And home?  I’ve never been there…yet. 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Job These Days.

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~ Raises one eyebrow

~Sits up straight.

~Wants to crawl.  But doesn’t. 

~ Is a sweetheart.

~Sturdy and strong. 

~Chews and eats real food. 

~Turned 8 months last Saturday. DSCN3939

~ Has a constant mischievous boy twinkle in his eyes.

~Knows that his papa is and forever will be the greatest. 

~Inspects every new food thoroughly before putting it in his mouth. Once it is there, however, he can’t get enough!

~Sings “papaaa” and “Mammmaa”

~Has a temper when frustrated.

~Rubs his face in soft blankets and sweaters.

~Pretty average size-wise.

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~Snuggles.

~Loves animals.  Especially cats, dogs, and mini chickens. 

~Gives slobbery baby kisses.  But only to his momma.

~Understands the commands “no”, “be gentle” and “stop”. 

~Never passes up the opportunity to be outside.   

~Has short, super pudgy feet. 

~Sleeps amazingly. No complaints here. 

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~Plays great on his own.  Even better with other kids. 

~Loves music.  He hums and claps to the beat when in the mood. 

~Still adores his nightly bath. 

~When around plants, he doesn’t pull or break them, but fingers them gently or rubs them on his check. 

~Hearing another baby cry brings tears of his own.

~Has man hands.  

~Laughs from the depths of his belly.

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~Wakes up smiling. 

~Prefers plastic bottles, tupperware, and wooden objects over battery operated toys.

~Has his two bottom teeth.  

~Frustrated and scared when  people “baby talk” to him.

~Plays with his pacifier, but never leaves it in his mouth. 

~Is a book fan. 

~Becomes the center of attention in any room he enters.

He’s all this and so much more, but we are just so glad to call him ours! I love having a curious, adventuresome,  growing boy, but I’m happy he’s still young enough to be a cuddly sweet baby too.   I know his babyhood days are quickly ending and toddlerhood is coming fast!  We are ready for the coming days, but I’m savoring every baby moment I get!  

{P.S. In these pictures Job was eating beans for his [second] breakfast.  Yes, he’s Mexican!}

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Two Down.

Two years ago today I married a dark skinned, brown eyed, hardworking, endearing man.  Through the cultural differences, two unique mother tongues, a time of unemployment, a slew of paperwork and travel, welcoming a darling boy into the world, and the hum of day to day life, it’s been an adventure!  I believe we have been through more together in two years than most couples pass through in 20, but maybe all married people fell the same?  After over 700 days living side-by-side, he’s proven to be all the more wonderful than what I thought.

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But I’m not.  Marriage has been painful.  Not painful in the sense of “I-deserve better-than-this.”  But realizing that I *don’t* deserve this---to be loved, forgiven, and cherished.  Marriage has pulled back layers of my heart and the ugliness that is there has come to light. I’m not as wonderful as I once thought.  I will spare the details, but I have said and done and thought worse than I ever thought myself capable.   I always thought myself to be a good girl and I may have been on the outside, but marriage has brought my true heart's condition to the surface.  There is no hiding in marriage.  Imagen0513

I have good intentions.  Really I do.  I step back and think, “That’s horrid!  I’ll never do that again!” I cry over it.  I ask my God and then my beloved for forgiveness.  I truly purpose before God to change.  But what do you know?  The next day, or minute, I’m at it again!

“For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish.” {Romans 7:19}

Marriage has taught me that I need grace.  Lots and lots and lots of grace. 

Imagen0710 I remember the famous verse,

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…” {Ephesians 2:8}

And I remember the story.  HIS story.  Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and His eternal plan to have an intimate relationship with me….and that my nasty heart doesn’t just keep me from having a pleasant and peaceful relationship with my husband, but, so much worse, it separates me from the God of the universe.  

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“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” {Romans 5:6}

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Daily, marriage forces me to remember Christ’s love and my need of Him.

After two years, I’m giddy, amazed, humbled, in love, and so thankful that Rafa is the man of my life.   But even more so, I’m thankful for Christ, His patience, love, sacrifice, changing work, and wooing of me and that He uses whatever He can-even the union of two people-to remind me of Him.

Two glorious years down, the rest of a lifetime to go!

“…and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” {II Corinthians 5:15}