happy easter...

all i got was a shot as we were leaving church...but hey...everyone had easter "baskets" and we colored eggs...so not a total bust! :)

happy easter everyone...praise God for Christ, His risen life, and what it means to the world!!

busting at the seams...

so each week our kids' church has grown in number exponentially. 3 weeks ago we started with 4 kids...and today we had almost thirty!

we were seriously busting at the seams in our little building...reinforcing the fact that we have got to build another building on our lot...and fast!

it's always such a walk of faith going into it...and we are definitely learning as we go...but are so excited for the opportunity to plants seeds of faith in these kids' minds and hearts! thanks so much for your prayers!

humility 101...

the other day i had to call abby's pre-school to let them know she wouldn't be coming in that day...simple enough task, right?...wrong...i got butterflies in my stomach...asked for grace...and said a prayer of thanks after i'd been able to half-way communicate my thoughts over the phone...

i'm teaching a kids' church...something i've done many times comfortably...but add the intrigue of sharing thoughts and truth with children of a different culture and background...in one of the hardest languages on the planet...and i get a little shaky...

i'm not sure i can properly communicate what it's like to spend every day desperately needing the grace and power of God just to live...getting on the phone, shopping for groceries, getting from point a to point b, heck...sometimes just getting out the DOOR takes a supernatural empowering from the Lord.

yes...it is an amazing chance to be reminded of our complete dependence on the Lord every day...and i'm thankful for it...because i so easily forget that dependence in America, surrounded by the familiar. but i'm confessing that some days...it's simply humiliating and frustrating that the simplest task is such a hurdle to overcome. imagine spending every day of your life with the verbal and social abilities of a toddler...because essentially that's what we are as we learn to talk, interpret the culture, and function in the world around us...yet i have the responsibilities of a wife, mother and missionary (to name a few :)

it's difficult, for sure...but i really do love what i'm blessed to do...so i'm not writing to complain...just to give a little glimpse into your missionaries' world...and asking you, after getting that glimpse, to pray for us...in the big AND little things!

something big...

today was our second kids' church meeting...and what a powerful day...

powerful in that i could all but physically see the spiritual battle surrounding it.

today we pulled up to the building more than an hour before start time to see about 6 kids waiting on our arrival. by the time we got things rolling there were ten kids...i was so excited. one of the moms told us that they had gone to church in the city, but just moved to the neighborhood and were too far to attend there anymore, she was so thankful for a place to send her kids.

during the lesson, the battle began. i'm not kidding, EVERY time i touched on the topics of Christ, salvation, or our need for a savior, we fought distractions. it was unbelievable. and when all was said and done we went outside to discover that some shovels had been stolen from our entryway. some of the "potty breaks" had been used to orchestrate a heist. we pretty much knew which kids had done it...but not having actually seen it...we simply had to talk to all the kids about it.

there are so many emotions surrounding the situation...it's frustrating, hurtful, and heart-breaking...these kids are all of SIX years old and being taught ways of survival that do nothing but ensure their lives will go nowhere! (there's no way they could have done it alone...someone older enlisted their help)

but most of all...it's exciting..that may sound strange...but i say that because it's obvious to me that God is doing something ginormous and the enemy is ticked and terrified! i LOVE that...there is something monstrously huge going on in the spiritual realm here and WE get to be part of it...

there's nothing i'd rather be doing...thank you Lord, that You allow me to be part of it all...WOW!!

i'm emotionally drained after a day like today. it's hard to explain but with language and culture and battles on every side...i'm exhausted!

thank you for your prayers...keep them coming...we're excited to see what God will continue to do in "shar had".