Ben, Dani, Isaiah, Josiah,Wyatt, TJ,Julia and Cale
Elizabeth, Julie, Colton, Maike,
Rachel, Sophie, Emma, Brittany, and Garth
Saturday, August 29, 2009
This is our Hostel this year
Ben, Dani, Isaiah, Josiah,Wyatt, TJ,Julia and Cale
Elizabeth, Julie, Colton, Maike,
Rachel, Sophie, Emma, Brittany, and Garth
What I am Learning
I am exhausted today. I know you have days like that, too. Right after breakfast, while I was cleaning up, one of our pembantus (house helpers) came in to get me and wanted me to quick go outside. Once I got to our gudang (laundry area) I realized why. Cale was dumping the cats into buckets of water so they could go swimming. However, with the cats so strongly protesting many of the buckets were getting dumped over so there was water everywhere. He thought they would like it.
We had errands to run this morning, followed by racquetball (that was fun), and lunch for everyone, making a double batch of Grandma Susie’s Gingersnaps, along with 30 pounds of chicken breasts that I am in charge of washing, cutting up, and cooking once a month, mountains of dishes, homework, homework, homework…dinner, devotions and bedtime for the kids. Tonight is Open House at school for the High schoolers-Garth went so I didn’t have to. (How nice!) Garth has started volleyball practice for grades 8-12 every Monday and Wednesday and every Friday is a game. He does a good job and really enjoys the interaction with the kids.
Garth asked Cale yesterday what his whole name was-He said, “Cale Scott batman.” Sophie came home from school and told me that a boy from her class who had been in the States was back. She asked him how the economy was doing in the States but he didn’t know. She prays for that all the time. She said if she had three wishes one of them would be used to make the economy better.
I was frustrated last night about a bunch of things and was laying in my bed talking to God about it, and reading my Bible. And I found this verse, Psalm 90:14 In the New international version it says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” God has what we need to be satisfied. We are all looking for contentment and peace, right? Well, stop looking anywhere but to God, because God is the only one that can satisfy us so completely that we can sing for joy all of our days. I remember reading a statement when I was in High school that said, “True contentment is not a result of your circumstances.” That means that I need to find contentment here, on the other side of the world, without my family, without my beautiful house and all the things that I love in it, without my friends, without toilets that flush and grocery stores that have what I am looking for, and so on. I need to find it here. Why? Because this is the place that God has asked me to be right now. And if I don’t find a way to be content here, than I am missing out on the extent of God’s blessings, and the lessons He is trying to teach me and the peace that He wants to give me. The same thing is true for you. Wherever you are. Whatever you are doing. Whether you like it or not is not a factor in this. Ask God if where you are is where He wants you to be. If it is, than find contentment in it. That means your marriage, your house, your children, your job…everything. It is easy to think, “Oh, if only I could change this one thing, than I would be so much happier.” Forget that lie. It is not true. True peace and true contentment comes from God only. Nothing else can do it. I am learning these things slowly. I share them with you so you can be a part of my character journey. I don’t want to leave here the same person that came.
Please pray for me to find contentment here and to sing for joy all of my days.
You are precious to me-
Rachel
We had errands to run this morning, followed by racquetball (that was fun), and lunch for everyone, making a double batch of Grandma Susie’s Gingersnaps, along with 30 pounds of chicken breasts that I am in charge of washing, cutting up, and cooking once a month, mountains of dishes, homework, homework, homework…dinner, devotions and bedtime for the kids. Tonight is Open House at school for the High schoolers-Garth went so I didn’t have to. (How nice!) Garth has started volleyball practice for grades 8-12 every Monday and Wednesday and every Friday is a game. He does a good job and really enjoys the interaction with the kids.
Garth asked Cale yesterday what his whole name was-He said, “Cale Scott batman.” Sophie came home from school and told me that a boy from her class who had been in the States was back. She asked him how the economy was doing in the States but he didn’t know. She prays for that all the time. She said if she had three wishes one of them would be used to make the economy better.
I was frustrated last night about a bunch of things and was laying in my bed talking to God about it, and reading my Bible. And I found this verse, Psalm 90:14 In the New international version it says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” God has what we need to be satisfied. We are all looking for contentment and peace, right? Well, stop looking anywhere but to God, because God is the only one that can satisfy us so completely that we can sing for joy all of our days. I remember reading a statement when I was in High school that said, “True contentment is not a result of your circumstances.” That means that I need to find contentment here, on the other side of the world, without my family, without my beautiful house and all the things that I love in it, without my friends, without toilets that flush and grocery stores that have what I am looking for, and so on. I need to find it here. Why? Because this is the place that God has asked me to be right now. And if I don’t find a way to be content here, than I am missing out on the extent of God’s blessings, and the lessons He is trying to teach me and the peace that He wants to give me. The same thing is true for you. Wherever you are. Whatever you are doing. Whether you like it or not is not a factor in this. Ask God if where you are is where He wants you to be. If it is, than find contentment in it. That means your marriage, your house, your children, your job…everything. It is easy to think, “Oh, if only I could change this one thing, than I would be so much happier.” Forget that lie. It is not true. True peace and true contentment comes from God only. Nothing else can do it. I am learning these things slowly. I share them with you so you can be a part of my character journey. I don’t want to leave here the same person that came.
Please pray for me to find contentment here and to sing for joy all of my days.
You are precious to me-
Rachel
WOW!
Guess what? The most amazing thing! I was walking back from the gym with Wyatt tonight when one of the kitties that was “Killed” yesterday came walking out of the gudang! Yesterday after the accident we went and got one of the penjagas (security guards) to take away the kittens. He picked them up by the tails and walked off. We assumed that he was going to throw them over the fence, or eat them. But somehow, the black one survived the fan accident, survived whatever the penjaga did to it or threw it and found its way back home. Isn’t that crazy? It has some hair missing and definite marks where the fan hit it (scrapes and scratches and such), and it is acting really weird. But it is here. The girls were so excited. They were talking about how God did a miracle. We will have to wait a day or so to find out the extent of its damages, but for now it is here. Sophie’s favorite little kitty is not here, Jack. So she was a bucket of tears again, but still-it is good news!
Just wanted you to know.
Love Rachel
Just wanted you to know.
Love Rachel
A Sad Thing
This has been a very sad night tonight for our family. Garth was piling up kids in our van to run down to the bike shop to pick up Sophie’s bike. Her bike needed a new tire and the shop was supposed to fix it by today. She was very excited to get her bike back and kept reminding Garth that it was almost time. Immediately upon starting the van, he heard a strange noise followed by the sinking feeling that maybe it was our kittens. They have a bad habit of going up inside the van by the engine to sleep. We have had to pull the seat out to get them at times before we could go. However, this time, two of them, Jack and Jasper, were killed. It was very traumatic for the kids to see this and the whole episode was followed by much weeping. Even Cale. This was the first time I have seen him mourn a loss. They were all very distraught. Cale keeps asking, “Is Jack still gone?” I know that they were just kittens but they were a big part of the kids’ day. The first part of every morning was to run out and greet the kittens, along with checking on them at lunch and immediately after school. We have had six cats die since we came three years ago. The kids know that it was an accident and they are not mad at Daddy. This is a part of life and they will get over it, but their hearts are full of sadness.
The High Schoolers' all came back from beach trip tired, dirty and very hungry, but they had a wonderful time. I have not heard all the stories yet, but I am sure I will.
Garth is preaching in church tomorrow and next Sunday. I always enjoy that. Sometimes I stick funny words or messages in his sermon notes to see what happens, but now he knows to read it all before he goes up. Ha ha.
Love you all
Rachel
The High Schoolers' all came back from beach trip tired, dirty and very hungry, but they had a wonderful time. I have not heard all the stories yet, but I am sure I will.
Garth is preaching in church tomorrow and next Sunday. I always enjoy that. Sometimes I stick funny words or messages in his sermon notes to see what happens, but now he knows to read it all before he goes up. Ha ha.
Love you all
Rachel
Change
Most of us do not like change. I am the kind of person that thrives on routine and having things planned out so that I feel prepared, but I also enjoy moments of change. Especially here where things can get very ordinary, almost too routine. Even the craziness of life here at the hostel: No water, no pembantus, bathrooms that don’t work, days of rain, language barriers etc. can be a welcome change if they are temporary because it forces me to take the “problem” and figure it out. I like to do that. But when the “problem” drags on and on, I find myself getting more and more upset. On that note, here is an update to some of my past frustrations. The kitchen is finished, our cook is back (however, we are still missing our other kitchen helper…), the shower and sink in our family bathroom is fixed, (not the toilet), and we are still real low on water, (but I hear thunder in the distance- a few good days of rain and we will be set for awhile).
On the topic of change, there are some changes about to take place back home that I am excited about. Excited is not even close to how I really feel- more like eager, thrilled, ecstatic, elated, bouncing off the walls, going through the roof, overjoyed, rapturous, jubilant (to name a few of my emotions). My sister and her husband are finally going to get the baby they have prayed so long for. God is so good and His timing is perfect. Our family is about to expand. This will be one over-loved child! Please pray that everything goes according to God’s great plan!
In church on Sunday the guy who spoke talked about a common practice in Mali is to invite people over for dinner. The food is served in a large bowl in the middle of the table. The rice on the bottom and the veggies, and meat piled on the top in the middle. Everyone eats with cupped hands the pie shaped portion that is in front of you. A good host will push the yummy pieces of meat and veggies down into your pie hole so you can eat the best. That is a perfect example of what God wants for us. He has immense blessings that He wants to push down to us-yet I know that sometimes we are so busy rushing about that we snarf down the rice and run, instead of sitting at His feet, enjoying Him, getting to know Him, and waiting for the blessings.
I don’t want to snarf and run. I want to sit and be blessed. How about you?
Love you all-
Rachel
On the topic of change, there are some changes about to take place back home that I am excited about. Excited is not even close to how I really feel- more like eager, thrilled, ecstatic, elated, bouncing off the walls, going through the roof, overjoyed, rapturous, jubilant (to name a few of my emotions). My sister and her husband are finally going to get the baby they have prayed so long for. God is so good and His timing is perfect. Our family is about to expand. This will be one over-loved child! Please pray that everything goes according to God’s great plan!
In church on Sunday the guy who spoke talked about a common practice in Mali is to invite people over for dinner. The food is served in a large bowl in the middle of the table. The rice on the bottom and the veggies, and meat piled on the top in the middle. Everyone eats with cupped hands the pie shaped portion that is in front of you. A good host will push the yummy pieces of meat and veggies down into your pie hole so you can eat the best. That is a perfect example of what God wants for us. He has immense blessings that He wants to push down to us-yet I know that sometimes we are so busy rushing about that we snarf down the rice and run, instead of sitting at His feet, enjoying Him, getting to know Him, and waiting for the blessings.
I don’t want to snarf and run. I want to sit and be blessed. How about you?
Love you all-
Rachel
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
My Night
I very rarely wake up during the night hot. Usually I wake up cold and pull up the covers (Strange to hear that when I live in Indonesia, 2 degrees from the equator). But last night I woke up twice from the heat. Now that “summer” is over and the kids are back in school it has been getting hotter. The last few days have been roasters. Another joyful part of my night was when Cale was crying because he wet his pants, of course in his bed. He NEVER does that. So, that meant changing him, and his bedding and washing him down at 2 am. Better than the other night when he got me up because he had to go potty and I was so out of it that I forgot to point him in the right direction and he peed all over the floor and my leg! Ha ha.
The kids are doing well in school. Sophie is in a class with 8 boys and only 3 girls. Wyatt is still waiting for one of his teachers to get her visa approved, so she can’t teach until she gets it. Emma for the first time ever has a male teacher and is actually enjoying it. She wasn’t sure how it would be but she likes it. The grade 3 teacher is having some problems with her liver and we are not sure if she will be able to continue to teach. The whole High School will be gone for the weekend. They are going to the beach-sleeping out on the sand, bonfires by the ocean, scuba diving, palm tree climbing etc. Doesn’t that sound like fun? It is such a wonderful way to start the school year since beach trip is such a bonding experience.
Cale was telling a guy at the store today that he is a Christian, and that he prays and talks to Jesus. The guy asked, “Where is Jesus?” and Cale answered, “In my heart. He’s stuck there!”
Love you all-
Rachel
The kids are doing well in school. Sophie is in a class with 8 boys and only 3 girls. Wyatt is still waiting for one of his teachers to get her visa approved, so she can’t teach until she gets it. Emma for the first time ever has a male teacher and is actually enjoying it. She wasn’t sure how it would be but she likes it. The grade 3 teacher is having some problems with her liver and we are not sure if she will be able to continue to teach. The whole High School will be gone for the weekend. They are going to the beach-sleeping out on the sand, bonfires by the ocean, scuba diving, palm tree climbing etc. Doesn’t that sound like fun? It is such a wonderful way to start the school year since beach trip is such a bonding experience.
Cale was telling a guy at the store today that he is a Christian, and that he prays and talks to Jesus. The guy asked, “Where is Jesus?” and Cale answered, “In my heart. He’s stuck there!”
Love you all-
Rachel
Friday, August 14, 2009
First day of school
School has officially started here in Sentani. The kids had their first day on Wednesday. It seemed to go quite well. We are still short a few teachers because of problems with visas, so for now Wyatt is going to a 7th grade Language Arts class even though he is only in 6th Grade. The people responsible for granting the visas don’t want to allow them until we pay a large (uncalled for) amount of money. If we pay it this year, they are going to request we pay it every year, yet it seems like if we don’t pay it, then we won’t get visas. So please pray about all that. There are at least 5 or 6 teachers that are waiting on this paperwork. Until then, Emma and Sophie will be done with school at noon on Fridays.
We are still waiting on some dorm kids to arrive. Three to be exact. By next week we should have a full house. Monday is a HUGE Indonesian holiday. It is their Independence Day, so everything will be closed. We are still waiting for Ibu Poppi to start working again. I am not exactly sure what is going on with that. She is our one and only (except for me) cook, so the fact that she hasn’t been in the hostel since the last day of school last year is not ideal! I was told that she has been gone and should be back on Saturday. It is a lot of work cooking for all of us, so I am eagerly awaiting her arrival.
Our kitchen is finally finished-except for a little tile. Yahoo! Now we have other problems. Our bathroom! Everything is going to pot. The toilet is leaking, the pipes under the sink are leaking, the heater on the water in the shower is not working and the water won’t come out unless you hold down a little button (which is hard to do when you are trying to wash things…) These kinds of things tend to get me frustrated because it takes so long for things to get fixed, and fixed well here. Then I start to feel discontent and think about our beautiful house back home and how everything is brand new and everything works…and I forget that I am not here so that I can be comfortable and have everything perfect. I am here because it was part of God’s plan for us. So what if things don’t work, it is ok. I know I am venting all of my frustrations to you, but I truly know that there would be things I am frustrated about there as well. My life wasn’t perfect in the States and awful here. I know that if I am where God wants me then I am in the right place – whether it is easy or hard. I will survive. (Can you hear PIG from Chicken Little singing that? “I will survive, I will survive…) Ha ha. Want to hear a joke? “What did the mother buffalo say to her son when he was leaving?” “Bison”.
“What does a spider do on a rainy day?” “Search the web.” O.k. Corny I know, but at least it made you chuckle.
Alright, keep chuckling-
Love you
Rachel
We are still waiting on some dorm kids to arrive. Three to be exact. By next week we should have a full house. Monday is a HUGE Indonesian holiday. It is their Independence Day, so everything will be closed. We are still waiting for Ibu Poppi to start working again. I am not exactly sure what is going on with that. She is our one and only (except for me) cook, so the fact that she hasn’t been in the hostel since the last day of school last year is not ideal! I was told that she has been gone and should be back on Saturday. It is a lot of work cooking for all of us, so I am eagerly awaiting her arrival.
Our kitchen is finally finished-except for a little tile. Yahoo! Now we have other problems. Our bathroom! Everything is going to pot. The toilet is leaking, the pipes under the sink are leaking, the heater on the water in the shower is not working and the water won’t come out unless you hold down a little button (which is hard to do when you are trying to wash things…) These kinds of things tend to get me frustrated because it takes so long for things to get fixed, and fixed well here. Then I start to feel discontent and think about our beautiful house back home and how everything is brand new and everything works…and I forget that I am not here so that I can be comfortable and have everything perfect. I am here because it was part of God’s plan for us. So what if things don’t work, it is ok. I know I am venting all of my frustrations to you, but I truly know that there would be things I am frustrated about there as well. My life wasn’t perfect in the States and awful here. I know that if I am where God wants me then I am in the right place – whether it is easy or hard. I will survive. (Can you hear PIG from Chicken Little singing that? “I will survive, I will survive…) Ha ha. Want to hear a joke? “What did the mother buffalo say to her son when he was leaving?” “Bison”.
“What does a spider do on a rainy day?” “Search the web.” O.k. Corny I know, but at least it made you chuckle.
Alright, keep chuckling-
Love you
Rachel
Last Day
Today was the last day before school starts. I don’t know about you but that is always a busy time-making sure everything is clean, and laid out and bags are packed etc. Well, take that and magnify it a bunch of times and you will have my day today. It started at 5:50 am when Cale came into my room and asked for breakfast. I made him go back to bed. It just got crazier from then on. I will give you the Reader’s Digest version-a trip to the airport, 10 kids moving in and unpacking and new parents to meet, Forms to fill-out, a meeting, Emma’s wipe-out on her bike, making food for 15, a run to the store for things forgotten, and in the midst of the chaos, the sweet words of Cale, “Hey, Daddy. Let’s me and you marry Mommy!” How cute!
Well, now at 10:00 I am ready for bed. Tomorrow will be another day a lot like today, so I need my sleep. If you still have days of summer left, enjoy them. How funny! Summer is technically over here but it still feels exactly the same (hot, sunny, humid…).
Love you all-
Rachel
Well, now at 10:00 I am ready for bed. Tomorrow will be another day a lot like today, so I need my sleep. If you still have days of summer left, enjoy them. How funny! Summer is technically over here but it still feels exactly the same (hot, sunny, humid…).
Love you all-
Rachel
Frustrations
I am frustrated today. Our kitchen is still not done. We were gone for a week in Pyramid, got back July 20th. July 21st the maintenance guys here came in to take apart our kitchen. The termites have done a great amount of damage and so the guys had to rip out our sinks and the counters. For awhile we did not have drinking water, then we didn’t have hot water and had to boil water on the stove for washing. I also found out that our pembantu that cooks, Ibu Poppi, will not be here before the kids all come. We have 12 dorm kids coming next Tuesday. Ibu Poppi won’t be here until at least Thursday. Last night, we had another water situation while we were out. We got a phone call that our water tank was flooding all over, and other houses around us were completely out of water. That caused a lot of problems. Then today, our main toilet in our apartment was leaking into our bedroom again! It is the fourth time at least that this has happened.
We are having such a hard time getting visas for some of the teachers who are scheduled to teach this school year, but can’t until the visas go through. So it looks like Wyatt will have to be in a 5th and 6th grade combined class, and Emma and Sophie will be dismissed at noon on Fridays. The visas are sitting in Jakarta until the guy in charge decides to sign them and pass them through. Frustrations!
I was reading in one of my devotion books called Dear Jesus today and was blessed by something it said. Each day we can choose to live in God’s presence or live in the presence of our problems. When our focus is on God, our perspective is brighter, more joyful. When we are preoccupied with our problems, we feel weighed down and anxious. I know that today my focus was on my problems and my frustrations were growing. However, I realize that that does me no good. I did not change one of these things by wallowing around in “poor me” mode. I also know that God’s presence can surround me and give me peace whether my kitchen is finished, or my bathroom is working or my pembantu is cooking. I just need to keep reminding myself of that. I keep forgetting.
So, thanks for listening. I am learning and growing through these moments.
Love you-
Rachel
We are having such a hard time getting visas for some of the teachers who are scheduled to teach this school year, but can’t until the visas go through. So it looks like Wyatt will have to be in a 5th and 6th grade combined class, and Emma and Sophie will be dismissed at noon on Fridays. The visas are sitting in Jakarta until the guy in charge decides to sign them and pass them through. Frustrations!
I was reading in one of my devotion books called Dear Jesus today and was blessed by something it said. Each day we can choose to live in God’s presence or live in the presence of our problems. When our focus is on God, our perspective is brighter, more joyful. When we are preoccupied with our problems, we feel weighed down and anxious. I know that today my focus was on my problems and my frustrations were growing. However, I realize that that does me no good. I did not change one of these things by wallowing around in “poor me” mode. I also know that God’s presence can surround me and give me peace whether my kitchen is finished, or my bathroom is working or my pembantu is cooking. I just need to keep reminding myself of that. I keep forgetting.
So, thanks for listening. I am learning and growing through these moments.
Love you-
Rachel
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Mourn
I learned about a word today that you don’t hear very often. The word: mourn. I always thought it meant to cry. But it really means to bring to the surface that which was on the inside. In church the guy who was talking about it, went to a class on it at a university last year. This is what I learned from him. We all have heart wounds that leave their mark and tell a story. Like a scar on our heart. How we deal with them helps determine our spiritual well-being. Most of us want to ignore them or divide our lives into two parts-the part that is hurt we hide deep down and the other part is full of fake joy (“Oh, me? I am fine.”) But what God wants us to do is to deal, grieve and heal. When you deaden yourself to the pain you are also deadening yourself to the joy god wants you to have. There is a saying-Hurt people hurt people. Many of us choose a “pain killer” (something to help hide the pain in our hearts) – like TV, exercise, work, food…But it never works forever. There are blessings hidden in our grief, like the first step in a dance or the first note in a song, they are there. Start a journal of the things in your life that have scarred your heart-things from your past that you are still holding on to and have never dealt with. Pray through these things, give them to God and ask Him for healing. Forgive those who have wronged you, then move on-don’t hang on to that pity or guilt. Matthew 5:4 says “Blessed are those that mourn for they shall be comforted.” God says we will be blessed and comforted when we bring these things to the surface instead of hiding them deep. It is a process with a great reward. Experiencing pain in a real way allows us to experience real joy.
Think about it.
Love you
Rachel
Think about it.
Love you
Rachel
Not Exempt
I just want you to know that if you think our family is exempt from things other families go through, you are wrong. We are not! The last two days have proved that. For some reason the kids have been horrible. Sophie seems to try to find what bugs Cale and then do it, over and over. Wyatt has had an attitude about everything. And Emma has been emotional and whiny. Cale, who knows he has to obey the first time, has decided it is more fun not to. So, if you know us, you know that these offenses cannot go unpunished so we have spent much of our days disciplining and trying to correct this behavior. Yesterday was crazy busy. We are still in the midst of getting our kitchen redone. The termites have eaten away at our counter and cabinets so for the past 9 days we have had workers going in an out with muddy boots, and sledge hammers and a wheelbarrow…and we had a visiting family coming over for dinner last night. It was a challenge but I had the whole meal done on time. Right when Garth was finished praying, Cale decided to throw a racquetball right at the table, knocking Emma’s full glass of purple Kool-Aid all over everything. What a mess!
Today, we had Indonesian class along with a Hostel Meeting, and again the kids were all at it. While Garth was playing racquetball, I had told the kids we could walk down to the mall and play in the play area and then look for shirts for school. However, the half hour before we were about to leave they turned it up a notch and were being worse than ever. So, I changed my mind and told them we were going to stay home and do chores instead. I had Wyatt and Sophie sweep and mop the floors and Emma, Cale and I cleaned out the refrigerators. Now, some of you may think this is cruel of me, but there is no way that I can reward bad behavior. It was a very GOOD lesson for them. Afterward we spent a lot of time talking through the whole thing, had a wonderful dinner together, and a great time of devotions as a family before bed. Garth kept stressing that our actions have consequences. God has awesome things planned for us but when we selfishly whine and complain and cause problems we miss out on it. I feel like God uses times like this to remind me that there are always eyes watching me-the little eyes of my kids and the ever watchful eyes of God. What do they see? I know that many times I would be ashamed at what they see, and I need to be more careful with my own words and actions.
Life is too short to only be thinking about yourself/myself and what makes you/me happy. I have a saying in my Bible that reads: “God didn’t put me on this Earth to see how happy I could make myself!” Alright, enough from me today, time to go.
(You know, I am writing this as much to myself as to you.)
But now, I must go see what Cale is calling me for.
Love you all-
Rachel
Today, we had Indonesian class along with a Hostel Meeting, and again the kids were all at it. While Garth was playing racquetball, I had told the kids we could walk down to the mall and play in the play area and then look for shirts for school. However, the half hour before we were about to leave they turned it up a notch and were being worse than ever. So, I changed my mind and told them we were going to stay home and do chores instead. I had Wyatt and Sophie sweep and mop the floors and Emma, Cale and I cleaned out the refrigerators. Now, some of you may think this is cruel of me, but there is no way that I can reward bad behavior. It was a very GOOD lesson for them. Afterward we spent a lot of time talking through the whole thing, had a wonderful dinner together, and a great time of devotions as a family before bed. Garth kept stressing that our actions have consequences. God has awesome things planned for us but when we selfishly whine and complain and cause problems we miss out on it. I feel like God uses times like this to remind me that there are always eyes watching me-the little eyes of my kids and the ever watchful eyes of God. What do they see? I know that many times I would be ashamed at what they see, and I need to be more careful with my own words and actions.
Life is too short to only be thinking about yourself/myself and what makes you/me happy. I have a saying in my Bible that reads: “God didn’t put me on this Earth to see how happy I could make myself!” Alright, enough from me today, time to go.
(You know, I am writing this as much to myself as to you.)
But now, I must go see what Cale is calling me for.
Love you all-
Rachel
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