Fuzzy afternoon thoughts....

I've been sitting here at the computer most of the day, doing bookwork, some research, and lastly some preparation for my women's Bible study tomorrow night. As is often the case when I sit still for very long, my mind gets fuzzy in the afternoon warmth....my eyes start crossing and before you know it I lay my head down for "just 2 minutes" !! I've done that once already and then resumed my work; then decided to blog-hop for a little while to clear my mind! Doing that made me once again aware that I needed a new post, so that's where I am now.

Looking at our daughter Shari's blog always makes my day! It is so much fun to see the grandkids and how they are growing. Philip and I had such a wonderful time with them last month....getting to interract daily with Ryleigh for those two weeks was such a treat! Learning what she likes (oatmeal, gummies and "watching Bob"--of Veggie Tale fame) and then of course getting to hear her chatter and read her books....those are things that long-distance grandparents miss! Snuggling that little bundle of Grant as a newborn was simply wonderful, too....We had to pinch ourselves sometimes to see if we were actually in PA!

From day one, Ryleigh has been an attentive big sister! Here she's helping Papi understand what Grant is like....

We were able to spend time with Brent and Brenda also, staying at their place for a few days. After taking a trip to the Street of Shops in Lewisburg to show Philip what she wanted, he made Brenda a coffee table and two end tables for her living room. When we left she was giving them the last coat of polyurethane, so maybe she'll post some pics on her blog when she gets a chance.

Girls have a way of getting into guys's hearts.....just ask Brent! Ryleigh will not let him forget that she loves him...
Lish got to come out for our last weekend, so we were altogether for the first time since last summer. She had to get some school assignments done, which meant staying up a couple nights late to discuss Les Miserables and the virtues of Noah Webster for two different papers she had to do. Reminded me of homeschooling days past....except that now the student has far surpassed the mom/teacher!
I have no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in truth..that's a bit paraphrased, but is exactly how I feel. Family truly is a awesome gift from God.

Coming up for air....

It is a very warm evening here in Salamanca, and I think that I will try to get "back" to this blog that I dreamed of keeping up with when I began it back in January. You and I both have chuckled at the header and subtitle....la (vida) cotidiana: a little about my life!" It appears I don't HAVE a life and that I'm having a hard time sharing even a little bit of it!

I've been by myself most of the day (Philip went to Guanajuato to help the Masons get their DSL set up with Telmex), and I have just allowed myself to enjoy doing as little as possible for a change. If I can keep my mind off what I need to be doing, I may actually get this post done....I sense some inspiration coming on.

Uh-oh, I just think I heard the front gate open, which means Philip is back home. That's good, I missed him today. But I think instead of getting up and doing supper, I'll try to twist his arm into going to eat tacos at Arleen's. For those of you who know him, it won't take much twisting!

Since this blog is really supposed to be the "personal side of ministry", I'm going to really try hard to keep it that way. I know I am going to have a hard time just letting my hair down, but I think it might be a good thing. I probably will just end up taking a few pins out, so those of you who are holding your breath can just relax.

So where have I been, what have we been doing? Well, alot has happened in the last few months. Most of you read about our going to camp in FL in February. It was great for us, and looking back we know that God gave us a break before the storm!! We had been concerned over the course of the last year about some very critical attitudes that started cropping up here and there among our congregation. We would try to deal with those we knew of, try to bridge misunderstandings, and prayed that each one involved would reach for more of the grace of God in their lives. We knew the Enemy was fighting (he always does when God is working) but didn't realize "how great a matter a little fire kindleth"! The long story short is that some of the very ones who were here from the beginning began to allow jealousy to come in over any newcomers who began to attend. The root problem is of course the carnal heart, needing to be made perfect in Christian love. The disgruntled (which grew into several families) finally left, and are now divided into two groups among themselves. Our hearts hurt.....because after endeavoring to preach that the solution to their misery is a sanctified heart, they're making the choice to walk away from it. Our consolation is that God, the faithful Holy Spirit, is the one who can show them their need even yet.

To be honest, these events totally drained Philip and I both of any energy we had left, especially for about a month. During that time we were grateful for the plans to go to PA to be with our daughter Shari during the birth of our grandson, Grant Logan on March 18! We so thoroughly enjoyed our three weeks there (more about that just ahead) but we couldn't help but wonder what we would feel upon our return. Would we be able to get up and go on? The devil surely painted a dark picture.

In God's wonderful foreknowledge, He knew what He was doing when He coordinated Michael and Crystal Mason's move down here (to study Spanish nearby) with our return! They have been here for three weeks now, and during that time we have helped them in their house-hunting efforts and in getting settled. In turn, they have encouraged us and helped us by taking part in church activities...something that at the time seemed impossible for us to renew on our own. Their two little boys, Kyle and Taylor (2 1/2 and 11 months) have helped keep us busy feeding little tummies, wiping little faces, and giving them squeezes in lieu of their own grandparents who are back in PA. The Lord knew we would need them around~

We have a small but strong core of believers who are praying along with us for a true move of God. We've realized once again that the work is God's, that in spite of those who might look on and misunderstand the situation, we can hold our heads up and know that His work is not done here.

I hope I haven't exceeded in shedding more than the alloted amount of hairpins considered proper in these cases! If I have, let me know....I'll try to be more careful after this.

Quess what? What I thought was Philip arriving a few minutes ago was actually the wind blowing the gate open and then letting it clang shut. So I actually got this post done! More later...