So, after doing an entry about things I will miss, I thought it time to do one about things I won't. These are in no particular order:
10. Living in a borrowed house with furnishing, dishes, beds, sheets, and décor that is not ours. It will be wonderful to return to a home that resembles the attitude and preferences of our family.
9. Waking up each day with new bites on my body from something that must have had a banquet in the night.
8. Rubbing my irritated eyes which are red from the volcano 30 miles away that spews ash fairly frequently.
7. Soaking fruits and vegetables for five minutes prior to eating them. (And, having to carefully pick out all the worms and bugs from my lettuce and eggplant.)
6. Fixing everything from scratch while operating from a very limited menu of possibilities. For example, being able to buy only beef or chicken at the butcher.
5. Spending Sunday mornings with my family in church where they cannot follow the message and therefore have less than a complete idea of what's being said.
4. Arriving to school drenched from head to toe, and covered in mud, even though I'm wearing a rain coat.
3. Being so unbearably far away from the people that we love and that love us.
2. Wearing these faded, holey, worn, too-small, ripped, stained, pitiful clothes and shoes. Even our new clothes from August are way beyond repair.
1. Having to pass on many things simply because I don't have a car (restaurants, groceries, hair appointments, travel to the many interesting sites here, etc.)
I have really loved Ecuador and the beauty of it's countryside and people, but there are a few things that I will gladly leave behind. : )
Blessings, kim
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Top 10 things we will miss the most about living in Ecuador
10. Leaving the house in the morning, and seeing off in the not-too-far-distance the mountains, clouds, rainforest, and at times, two volcanos. I never get tired of the view.
9. Walking to the pharmacy, bakery, shoe repairman, bicycle repairman, butcher, and veggie market without needing a car to get me there.
8. Speaking in Spanish as a regular part of my day...even more, as a regular part of my kids' day. I love it when they have conversations at home in Spanish (sadly, and a bit humorously, they use Texas accents on purpose to make their Spanish sound twangy).
7. Eating very lean beef--cows here are simply not pumped up with all the chemicals that ours back in the States are.
6. Having nothing to do in the evenings and on the weekends. We have no soccer practice, swim meets, drama club, birthday parties, prior commitments, etc. that requires us to rush around from place to place without time to breathe.
5. Enjoying 65-85 degree weather all day, every day. Yes, shorts are always appropriate, and no, a sweater is never necessary.
4. Eating the most exotic fruits and veggies that are dirt cheap and ever available. Bananas, strawberries, watermelon, cucumbers, limes, avocadoes, guayaba, mangos, pitahaya, mora, uvillas, naranjillas, and so forth.
3. Letting my kids play in the jungle with big machetes knowing that they're having fun. (Never thought I'd say such a thing....)
2. Hearing no noise at night when we lay in bed except for the occasional dog barking in the distance. It is super quiet and, on an overcast night, super dark. Peaceful.
1. Knowing that an era has ended will cause me to be sad that we will no longer be considered "missionaries". Yet I know we will only be called to do something else, someplace else, working with someone else. Being a missionary, as I've come to discover, is more of a mindset than an occupation. It's simply being intentional about loving those you're with, whoever that might be. May we all love and serve others wherever we find ourselves....
Blessings, kim
9. Walking to the pharmacy, bakery, shoe repairman, bicycle repairman, butcher, and veggie market without needing a car to get me there.
8. Speaking in Spanish as a regular part of my day...even more, as a regular part of my kids' day. I love it when they have conversations at home in Spanish (sadly, and a bit humorously, they use Texas accents on purpose to make their Spanish sound twangy).
7. Eating very lean beef--cows here are simply not pumped up with all the chemicals that ours back in the States are.
6. Having nothing to do in the evenings and on the weekends. We have no soccer practice, swim meets, drama club, birthday parties, prior commitments, etc. that requires us to rush around from place to place without time to breathe.
5. Enjoying 65-85 degree weather all day, every day. Yes, shorts are always appropriate, and no, a sweater is never necessary.
4. Eating the most exotic fruits and veggies that are dirt cheap and ever available. Bananas, strawberries, watermelon, cucumbers, limes, avocadoes, guayaba, mangos, pitahaya, mora, uvillas, naranjillas, and so forth.
3. Letting my kids play in the jungle with big machetes knowing that they're having fun. (Never thought I'd say such a thing....)
2. Hearing no noise at night when we lay in bed except for the occasional dog barking in the distance. It is super quiet and, on an overcast night, super dark. Peaceful.
1. Knowing that an era has ended will cause me to be sad that we will no longer be considered "missionaries". Yet I know we will only be called to do something else, someplace else, working with someone else. Being a missionary, as I've come to discover, is more of a mindset than an occupation. It's simply being intentional about loving those you're with, whoever that might be. May we all love and serve others wherever we find ourselves....
Blessings, kim
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Preparing for a departure
We have a little more than six weeks left before we travel back to the US for what we believe is a permanent move. At this point in the journey, most would be pulling out suitcases, finding things to give away, selling those lesser-needed items, and clearing out spaces to be tidied up. In our house, we have slowly begun to do these things. Doug's developed a list of items for sale and has alerted those among us that we're ready to release some of our possessions.
For example, Jacobey sold his seven inch jungle knife just yesterday. (If we'd taken it to the States, it would have been considered a weapon, and we would have been considered nuts to have allowed our eleven year old to bear arms. You know though, when in Rome.....) I've already given away the shoes that Darius grew out of before he wore them very much; I figured my Ecuadorian friend's grandson would appreciate them more than Jacobey would two years from now when he finally grows into them. The list goes on and on.
So, some of these tasks have begun to get our attention. We're pondering what to keep, what to leave, what to sell, what to give away. All lists, except for the first, are fairly long. Yet, it is not just material possessions that have captured our focus for these remaining weeks. Doug and I have found ourselves shifting from the physical to the emotional, the mental, the spiritual. We now are more attuned to what we will be taking with us in our hearts, minds, and spirits. These are the greater things. And, we are more attuned to what we will be leaving behind....
For one, I noticed my husband (I'm having a hard time not crying as I write this) just a couple of days ago allow someone to completely disrespect him. The person informed him of their dislike for him in no uncertain terms and in their unwillingness to come to resolution with him. My husband's response? He completely forgave, did not hold a grudge, chose to serve the person anyway, and is not devastated by the entire situation! I see my man has chosen the better way. He's chosen the way of Christ--a by far much, much harder thing to do than to be resentful and overwhelmed with anger and hatred. Doug's therefore chosen to leave behind baggage that has no benefit for us as we move away. He has been molded into a stronger follower of the One who moved us here in the first place. After all that he's experienced, my sweet husband still chooses to say,
...I am blessed to have eaten lunch with my wife and kids every day.
...I am blessed to have spent time folding clothes, doing dishes by hand, and serving my family in many chores.
...I am blessed to have gone without a car, a big house, a yard so that I could spend more time just with my family.
...I am blessed to have worked at a job that took me out of my comfort zone so that I could learn much more about schooling younger kids.
...I am blessed to have served and worked with others who did not know me or appreciate me so that I could learn how to work for the Lord and not for man.
...I am blessed to have known little Spanish in a place where it is necessary so that I could see what others experience.
My husband chooses to see this trial as one that blessed him rather than disabled him. I'm so proud of such a man! We truly will return different people...
Praise God.
Blessings, kim
For example, Jacobey sold his seven inch jungle knife just yesterday. (If we'd taken it to the States, it would have been considered a weapon, and we would have been considered nuts to have allowed our eleven year old to bear arms. You know though, when in Rome.....) I've already given away the shoes that Darius grew out of before he wore them very much; I figured my Ecuadorian friend's grandson would appreciate them more than Jacobey would two years from now when he finally grows into them. The list goes on and on.
So, some of these tasks have begun to get our attention. We're pondering what to keep, what to leave, what to sell, what to give away. All lists, except for the first, are fairly long. Yet, it is not just material possessions that have captured our focus for these remaining weeks. Doug and I have found ourselves shifting from the physical to the emotional, the mental, the spiritual. We now are more attuned to what we will be taking with us in our hearts, minds, and spirits. These are the greater things. And, we are more attuned to what we will be leaving behind....
For one, I noticed my husband (I'm having a hard time not crying as I write this) just a couple of days ago allow someone to completely disrespect him. The person informed him of their dislike for him in no uncertain terms and in their unwillingness to come to resolution with him. My husband's response? He completely forgave, did not hold a grudge, chose to serve the person anyway, and is not devastated by the entire situation! I see my man has chosen the better way. He's chosen the way of Christ--a by far much, much harder thing to do than to be resentful and overwhelmed with anger and hatred. Doug's therefore chosen to leave behind baggage that has no benefit for us as we move away. He has been molded into a stronger follower of the One who moved us here in the first place. After all that he's experienced, my sweet husband still chooses to say,
...I am blessed to have eaten lunch with my wife and kids every day.
...I am blessed to have spent time folding clothes, doing dishes by hand, and serving my family in many chores.
...I am blessed to have gone without a car, a big house, a yard so that I could spend more time just with my family.
...I am blessed to have worked at a job that took me out of my comfort zone so that I could learn much more about schooling younger kids.
...I am blessed to have served and worked with others who did not know me or appreciate me so that I could learn how to work for the Lord and not for man.
...I am blessed to have known little Spanish in a place where it is necessary so that I could see what others experience.
My husband chooses to see this trial as one that blessed him rather than disabled him. I'm so proud of such a man! We truly will return different people...
Praise God.
Blessings, kim
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Grace and More Grace
I think I mentioned in our last posting that we had had a wonderful time in Cuenca, a more modern, clean, mountainous city here in Ecuador which happens to be about an eight hour bus ride away from our small town of Shell. As mentioned, though we had fully enjoyed our time there, we certainly struggled to enjoy the journey there (cramming the six of us into four seats for an eight hour overnight bus ride) and the preparation for the journey back (having our scheduled driver cancel his services the night before our departure). Yet, I am really happy to report that neither of these two things have diminished our fondness for the place or for the memories we made. In fact, Doug and I chatted this weekend about how easy it was for us to forgive and move on from the whole affair. We both knew that we could have easily held a grudge or smoldered in anger for a number of hours if not days regarding these wrongs done to us. We certainly had "the right" to do so. In spite of that fact, tt's funny--neither of us kept our anger and we both agreed to put the issue aside. It almost was as if we chose not to invest any further emotional energy in the wrong. We ceased to allow it to drain us or distract us or annoy us.
Hmm. I know I've walked this path before in having to decide whether to forgive someone or not. My husband, my kids, my parents, my teammates, my neighbors, my friends, my colleagues, my family members, and on and on and on. People need forgiveness constantly. Constantly. Someone is always falling short, failing, flubbing up. There is constantly someone who needs my forgiveness. Big things, little things, important things (like my reputation or my feelings or my needs), unimportant things, many things. Life simply doesn't happen the exact way I want it to and people get in the way and mess it up. It's inevitable. The more I try to control my day and my expectations and my life, the more I'm going to be disappointed and people are going to mess it up.
If only I choose to let go of my anger, or my disappointment in people, or my need to have life turn out perfectly (or even just as I had planned it out), and instead allow whatever may come to be seen as from the sweet, kind, protective, yet permissive, hand of God, then I don't have to be in charge of every thing that goes on in my life. There CAN be incidences that sidetrack us. There CAN be mess ups and mistakes. There CAN be meanness and hardship and brokenness and rudeness. (There WILL be anyway, regardless of whether I want it to or not.) The only difference is in my attitude about it. If I CHOOSE to know that my Father in heaven is in charge of all things, and that even those things that seemingly hurt or nearly destroy me He's permitted to happen in his infinite wisdom and kindness, then I can stop being so angry with my fellow man. I can rest in the fact that my God's got it all sorted out. If He wants to discipline someone or wants to teach them a lesson, then I don't have to. I don't need to worry with it further. In fact I don't even need to seek the evil of someone who's harmed me or committed ill-will toward me. Why? Because I'm messing with the lives of those who live around me too. I'm disappointing or hurting or getting in the way of the plans and my husband, my kids, my parents, and on and on and on. I too want them to forgive me and not hold my mistakes and sins over my head either.
If I will only choose to let God be in charge of the small and large things of my life (which He's actually in charge of anyway), then I don't need to be emotionally invested in every single wrong done to me. I can really let go of that stress, anger, and all the other emotional baggage that may come with it.
In practicality, when someone at home fails to do his chore, I can give a sweet reminder instead of a heated one. When someone leaves me or my child out of a neat opportunity, I can know that it wasn't meant to be for some reason; something else better must have been in store for us and I don't need to harbor resentment and disappointment. When someone fails to do something kind for me that I really needed or counted on, then I can release them from the burden. When someone says something mean about me or my child, I can lament that they haven't had the time to learn our hearts and our true self, and I can pray that we'll get to know them better and they us. They are not in charge of me or my life--and neither am I. My Daddy is. Praise God that He's forgiven me my umpteenth sin, through Christ's blood, and He's more than able to take care of it all.
May you (and I!!) choose to let God be in charge of teaching lessons and writing wrongs. May He reveal where we are to shoulder a burden and where we are to let it go. May we be convinced of His goodness and of His grace and of His ability to give us so much grace that we've got tons to give to others.
(BTW: If you're looking for a way to shake things up and change the world, then THAT'S how........)
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
Hmm. I know I've walked this path before in having to decide whether to forgive someone or not. My husband, my kids, my parents, my teammates, my neighbors, my friends, my colleagues, my family members, and on and on and on. People need forgiveness constantly. Constantly. Someone is always falling short, failing, flubbing up. There is constantly someone who needs my forgiveness. Big things, little things, important things (like my reputation or my feelings or my needs), unimportant things, many things. Life simply doesn't happen the exact way I want it to and people get in the way and mess it up. It's inevitable. The more I try to control my day and my expectations and my life, the more I'm going to be disappointed and people are going to mess it up.
If only I choose to let go of my anger, or my disappointment in people, or my need to have life turn out perfectly (or even just as I had planned it out), and instead allow whatever may come to be seen as from the sweet, kind, protective, yet permissive, hand of God, then I don't have to be in charge of every thing that goes on in my life. There CAN be incidences that sidetrack us. There CAN be mess ups and mistakes. There CAN be meanness and hardship and brokenness and rudeness. (There WILL be anyway, regardless of whether I want it to or not.) The only difference is in my attitude about it. If I CHOOSE to know that my Father in heaven is in charge of all things, and that even those things that seemingly hurt or nearly destroy me He's permitted to happen in his infinite wisdom and kindness, then I can stop being so angry with my fellow man. I can rest in the fact that my God's got it all sorted out. If He wants to discipline someone or wants to teach them a lesson, then I don't have to. I don't need to worry with it further. In fact I don't even need to seek the evil of someone who's harmed me or committed ill-will toward me. Why? Because I'm messing with the lives of those who live around me too. I'm disappointing or hurting or getting in the way of the plans and my husband, my kids, my parents, and on and on and on. I too want them to forgive me and not hold my mistakes and sins over my head either.
If I will only choose to let God be in charge of the small and large things of my life (which He's actually in charge of anyway), then I don't need to be emotionally invested in every single wrong done to me. I can really let go of that stress, anger, and all the other emotional baggage that may come with it.
In practicality, when someone at home fails to do his chore, I can give a sweet reminder instead of a heated one. When someone leaves me or my child out of a neat opportunity, I can know that it wasn't meant to be for some reason; something else better must have been in store for us and I don't need to harbor resentment and disappointment. When someone fails to do something kind for me that I really needed or counted on, then I can release them from the burden. When someone says something mean about me or my child, I can lament that they haven't had the time to learn our hearts and our true self, and I can pray that we'll get to know them better and they us. They are not in charge of me or my life--and neither am I. My Daddy is. Praise God that He's forgiven me my umpteenth sin, through Christ's blood, and He's more than able to take care of it all.
May you (and I!!) choose to let God be in charge of teaching lessons and writing wrongs. May He reveal where we are to shoulder a burden and where we are to let it go. May we be convinced of His goodness and of His grace and of His ability to give us so much grace that we've got tons to give to others.
(BTW: If you're looking for a way to shake things up and change the world, then THAT'S how........)
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Cuenca
On Good Friday, after school, I took the bus to Puyo to buy six overnight bus tickets which would take us eight hours away to the city of Cuenca. Cuenca is more in the south central part of Ecuador and sits at 8,000 feet above sea level. It's resides in a valley among mountain tops and really boasts of one of the prettiest skylines in all of this country. Cuenca is clean, big but not too big (like Quito), proud of its heritage, and filled with history. It's now replaced Banos for me as my most favorite city. I'm so glad we went. Yet, as is with everything else that I've put in this blog thus far, there is a story to tell.
When I went to the bus terminal on Friday and asked for tickets for the bus that would depart two days later, the young gentleman there told me that I needn't buy them so early. I could come back on Sunday morning to purchase them. To me, coming two days early to assure that we would get six seats had been a wise thing. And, who wants to travel half an hour away to buy bus tickets on Easter morning? I'd rather spend the time with my family and enjoy a less rushed time prior to going to church. So, reluctantly, the man sold me two adult and four children's tickets and asked for my phone number so he could call if there arose any trouble. I kind of scratched my head and thought, "I bought tickets. Why would there be any trouble with that?"
Well, sure enough, on Easter afternoon, a mere eight hours before our bus was to depart at 10pm, the man called us to report that we could have our first four seats but the other two had been sold to someone else. What??? I was confused. I reminded him that we bought our tickets (seats 1-6) on the bus before anyone else had. They had already collected our money and I had the tickets in hand. After this conversation, he sent in his supervisor who then called to reiterate that we could have four tickets but the other two were sold to someone else. She did promise however that they would refund our two tickets that they'd sold to someone else. Seriously.
So, that evening we arrived at the Puyo terminal at 9:40, were refunded our money, and proceeded to take our four front row seats on the bus. We spent the first two hours shuffling around in many combinations to see what was most comfortable. Selah fell asleep on the backpacks which were resting on the floor so that gave Doug a bit of extra room for a portion of the drive. For another portion, Doug chose to stand so that his space could be used for the boys. At 12:20 am we arrived in Macas and many people disembarked. Hope for two more seats sprang up in Doug's heart. Several other passengers entered and before we knew it, we were being questioned as to whether we had paid for our seats. Had we paid for our seats? Well, as a matter of fact, we paid for six seats and all we got was four. So, we would not be moving out of these four seats we'd purchased, thank you very much.
So, off we went and for the next five and a half hours, Doug, Darius and Seth sat in seats 1 and 2, while Jacobey, Selah and I sat in seats 3 and 4. It probably would have not been so bad had it have been a fairly straight road on which we traveled. However, because it was so windy and the bus was careening to the left and to the right with such great frequency, the lurching we did from side to side required that Doug and I tightly hold onto the child that was asleep in our lap. When we finally arrived in Cuenca at 6 am, each of our four kids had had a few hours of sleep; Doug and I had had none and we felt like we'd been hit by a truck. Not the best way to start a vacation.
Our friend Gary came to collect us from the bus station at 6:50 am and took us to their high-rise apartment building where we found his wife Dena sweetly cooking us a big breakfast complete with a mound of bacon, a bowl of hot, cheesy grits, and two types of fresh fruit. Heaven! We scarfed the whole thing and then I excused myself and laid down for the next hour. Our entire Monday was a bit slow because of how we felt but we still managed to see a few sites, do a short hike in the mountains up at 13,000 feet, and have dinner at our friends' favorite Italian restaurant. It was fabulous to hit the bed that night!
The next three days were filled with touring the city, taking in the more important sites, shopping at stores that had more variety than what we were used to, and eating at restaurants that thrilled our children's taste buds (Subway, KFC, McDonalds). On our last day in Cuenca we went to a place known for their pancakes and Mexican breakfast tacos. Oh my! You've never seen food leave the plate so quickly. Our friends then took us to the zoo which I can honestly say is now my favorite zoo in all the world. It should be a place that all zoo designers must visit before creating their own zoo. The monkeys traveled all over the zoo in these fairly basic wire tubes which were suspended about ten feet above ground. There were two male and two female full grown lions in the exhibit. There was a tank full of frogs in various stages of the tadpole-to-frog process. And, one section of the zoo was purposefully burnt and smoldering so as to demonstrate that forest fires kill animals; another section had chopped down trees to make a statement about deforestation. Fabulous zoo!
That night we went to the free symphony held in the old cathedral and heard an hour and a half of terrific traditional Ecuadorian music played with violins, trumpets, and the full complement of instruments. It was music to my ears--literally.
Sadly, when we returned home we noticed that we'd received a number of text messages from our driver who was to pick us up the following morning at 7 am. He had sent messages letting us know that he would only be able to take us half way. We'd have to take a bus the rest of the way to make it back to Shell. Confused by this we texted back reminding him of the commitment that he'd made to us weeks ago. Nope. Can't do it, he said. Something else had come up and he couldn't do both. He'd only be able to do part of his bargain with us. When we asked why he thought it was okay to break this commitment with us, he got angry and told us to forget the whole thing.
So....at eleven pm (once again, eight hours before our departure time) we found ourselves without a ride eight hours in the future. We brainstormed. We called everyone we knew and our friends knew. We finally happened upon one man that wanted to charge us $65 more than the person we had originally hired for the job..........
We'll take it. Beggars cannot be choosers. So, at 7:30 in the morning we went downstairs and piled into a small seven passenger car and threw our suitcase on the roof and our backpacks between our legs. We were grateful then that we had not bought much in Cuenca in the way of groceries or soveniers and that two of our kids were still small. Off we went and headed down the road. An hour and a half into our journey we stopped off at the Incan ruins of Ingapirca. We stretched our legs, toured the site, downed a bag of Doritos, and then set off further on our journey. Thankfully the Dramamine worked the whole way so no one vomited on this trip. Praise the Lord! And, our driver drove slow enough and clear headed enough to make us feel comfortable.
So in the end when we arrived back to our house at 6:30 pm, we could say that we'd had a bit of a break from not only school, but from bug bites, rain, snakes, roaches, loud music, a limited menu, and constant begging for the use of our computer.
Warts and all, this trip was wonderful.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
When I went to the bus terminal on Friday and asked for tickets for the bus that would depart two days later, the young gentleman there told me that I needn't buy them so early. I could come back on Sunday morning to purchase them. To me, coming two days early to assure that we would get six seats had been a wise thing. And, who wants to travel half an hour away to buy bus tickets on Easter morning? I'd rather spend the time with my family and enjoy a less rushed time prior to going to church. So, reluctantly, the man sold me two adult and four children's tickets and asked for my phone number so he could call if there arose any trouble. I kind of scratched my head and thought, "I bought tickets. Why would there be any trouble with that?"
Well, sure enough, on Easter afternoon, a mere eight hours before our bus was to depart at 10pm, the man called us to report that we could have our first four seats but the other two had been sold to someone else. What??? I was confused. I reminded him that we bought our tickets (seats 1-6) on the bus before anyone else had. They had already collected our money and I had the tickets in hand. After this conversation, he sent in his supervisor who then called to reiterate that we could have four tickets but the other two were sold to someone else. She did promise however that they would refund our two tickets that they'd sold to someone else. Seriously.
So, that evening we arrived at the Puyo terminal at 9:40, were refunded our money, and proceeded to take our four front row seats on the bus. We spent the first two hours shuffling around in many combinations to see what was most comfortable. Selah fell asleep on the backpacks which were resting on the floor so that gave Doug a bit of extra room for a portion of the drive. For another portion, Doug chose to stand so that his space could be used for the boys. At 12:20 am we arrived in Macas and many people disembarked. Hope for two more seats sprang up in Doug's heart. Several other passengers entered and before we knew it, we were being questioned as to whether we had paid for our seats. Had we paid for our seats? Well, as a matter of fact, we paid for six seats and all we got was four. So, we would not be moving out of these four seats we'd purchased, thank you very much.
So, off we went and for the next five and a half hours, Doug, Darius and Seth sat in seats 1 and 2, while Jacobey, Selah and I sat in seats 3 and 4. It probably would have not been so bad had it have been a fairly straight road on which we traveled. However, because it was so windy and the bus was careening to the left and to the right with such great frequency, the lurching we did from side to side required that Doug and I tightly hold onto the child that was asleep in our lap. When we finally arrived in Cuenca at 6 am, each of our four kids had had a few hours of sleep; Doug and I had had none and we felt like we'd been hit by a truck. Not the best way to start a vacation.
Our friend Gary came to collect us from the bus station at 6:50 am and took us to their high-rise apartment building where we found his wife Dena sweetly cooking us a big breakfast complete with a mound of bacon, a bowl of hot, cheesy grits, and two types of fresh fruit. Heaven! We scarfed the whole thing and then I excused myself and laid down for the next hour. Our entire Monday was a bit slow because of how we felt but we still managed to see a few sites, do a short hike in the mountains up at 13,000 feet, and have dinner at our friends' favorite Italian restaurant. It was fabulous to hit the bed that night!
The next three days were filled with touring the city, taking in the more important sites, shopping at stores that had more variety than what we were used to, and eating at restaurants that thrilled our children's taste buds (Subway, KFC, McDonalds). On our last day in Cuenca we went to a place known for their pancakes and Mexican breakfast tacos. Oh my! You've never seen food leave the plate so quickly. Our friends then took us to the zoo which I can honestly say is now my favorite zoo in all the world. It should be a place that all zoo designers must visit before creating their own zoo. The monkeys traveled all over the zoo in these fairly basic wire tubes which were suspended about ten feet above ground. There were two male and two female full grown lions in the exhibit. There was a tank full of frogs in various stages of the tadpole-to-frog process. And, one section of the zoo was purposefully burnt and smoldering so as to demonstrate that forest fires kill animals; another section had chopped down trees to make a statement about deforestation. Fabulous zoo!
That night we went to the free symphony held in the old cathedral and heard an hour and a half of terrific traditional Ecuadorian music played with violins, trumpets, and the full complement of instruments. It was music to my ears--literally.
Sadly, when we returned home we noticed that we'd received a number of text messages from our driver who was to pick us up the following morning at 7 am. He had sent messages letting us know that he would only be able to take us half way. We'd have to take a bus the rest of the way to make it back to Shell. Confused by this we texted back reminding him of the commitment that he'd made to us weeks ago. Nope. Can't do it, he said. Something else had come up and he couldn't do both. He'd only be able to do part of his bargain with us. When we asked why he thought it was okay to break this commitment with us, he got angry and told us to forget the whole thing.
So....at eleven pm (once again, eight hours before our departure time) we found ourselves without a ride eight hours in the future. We brainstormed. We called everyone we knew and our friends knew. We finally happened upon one man that wanted to charge us $65 more than the person we had originally hired for the job..........
We'll take it. Beggars cannot be choosers. So, at 7:30 in the morning we went downstairs and piled into a small seven passenger car and threw our suitcase on the roof and our backpacks between our legs. We were grateful then that we had not bought much in Cuenca in the way of groceries or soveniers and that two of our kids were still small. Off we went and headed down the road. An hour and a half into our journey we stopped off at the Incan ruins of Ingapirca. We stretched our legs, toured the site, downed a bag of Doritos, and then set off further on our journey. Thankfully the Dramamine worked the whole way so no one vomited on this trip. Praise the Lord! And, our driver drove slow enough and clear headed enough to make us feel comfortable.
So in the end when we arrived back to our house at 6:30 pm, we could say that we'd had a bit of a break from not only school, but from bug bites, rain, snakes, roaches, loud music, a limited menu, and constant begging for the use of our computer.
Warts and all, this trip was wonderful.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings, kim
Monday, March 30, 2015
Easter
At the end of this week we will be celebrating Easter, my personal favorite of all the holidays because of its significance. What makes it really nice too is that there is far less fanfare and materialism demonstrated during this season. You don't have to spend a month or more preparing your house or your shopping list or your wallet for this particular day. Yet, to celebrate it well, you do have to prepare your heart.
Over the weekend, while Doug has been away at a men's retreat, the Lord has been doing just that with me. I would be doing some of the most mundane things such as folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping, or whatnot, and I would hear a still small voice in my head make a comment about the thought that I'd just been thinking. "Kim, that was a very judgmental thing to think," the voice would say. Or, "Kim, did you hear how impatient you seemed in that thought?" Or even, "Kim, did you just hear how you sounded? That was not a very loving thing to consider." Mind you, these weren't even words I'd spoken. They were merely thoughts which had not even left my lips. The Lord was there and was picking through them one-by-one.
When He says that we're to live above reproach, we're to love as He loves, we're to be holy because He is holy, He really means it. Just because we don't express our evil thoughts or we don't act on our sinful impulses doesn't mean that we're free from fault or sin. Christ told us that even if he harbor hate or malice or lust in our hearts, we're still guilty.
I'm beginning to see that the Lord is ruthless when it comes to getting me to live like Him. He wants me to really and truly love those around me, regardless of whether they deserve it or whether they appreciate it. I am to love because that's what He did and does. Being a Christian is not going to church (though it may and should include that), and it is not wearing a cross around your neck (though I personally do), and it is not having a quiet time daily reading the Bible (though it does play a huge role in how your walk looks and how you become transformed).
Being a Christian is knowing the Lord Jesus and clinging to Him. It is loving Him with one's whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is confessing Him as not just Savior but as Lord. Being a Christian is not knowing the right answers but it is knowing the right God. It is putting Him and His desires first in one's life. Does He get that from you?
May you discover who He is in this season. He's so worth knowing.....
Blessings, kim
Over the weekend, while Doug has been away at a men's retreat, the Lord has been doing just that with me. I would be doing some of the most mundane things such as folding clothes, washing dishes, sweeping, or whatnot, and I would hear a still small voice in my head make a comment about the thought that I'd just been thinking. "Kim, that was a very judgmental thing to think," the voice would say. Or, "Kim, did you hear how impatient you seemed in that thought?" Or even, "Kim, did you just hear how you sounded? That was not a very loving thing to consider." Mind you, these weren't even words I'd spoken. They were merely thoughts which had not even left my lips. The Lord was there and was picking through them one-by-one.
When He says that we're to live above reproach, we're to love as He loves, we're to be holy because He is holy, He really means it. Just because we don't express our evil thoughts or we don't act on our sinful impulses doesn't mean that we're free from fault or sin. Christ told us that even if he harbor hate or malice or lust in our hearts, we're still guilty.
I'm beginning to see that the Lord is ruthless when it comes to getting me to live like Him. He wants me to really and truly love those around me, regardless of whether they deserve it or whether they appreciate it. I am to love because that's what He did and does. Being a Christian is not going to church (though it may and should include that), and it is not wearing a cross around your neck (though I personally do), and it is not having a quiet time daily reading the Bible (though it does play a huge role in how your walk looks and how you become transformed).
Being a Christian is knowing the Lord Jesus and clinging to Him. It is loving Him with one's whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is confessing Him as not just Savior but as Lord. Being a Christian is not knowing the right answers but it is knowing the right God. It is putting Him and His desires first in one's life. Does He get that from you?
May you discover who He is in this season. He's so worth knowing.....
Blessings, kim
Sunday, March 22, 2015
The Promised Land
A few weeks ago when I was in church something from the sermon jumped out at me and I began to write fast and furiously in my journal about it. I honestly can't remember if I ended up blogging it but I do know that I sat with the idea for a good long while and it has colored how I've thought of things since. Today the sermon took me back to that same realization and I now have to write about it.
It stuck me that the story of the Exodus from Egypt is an Old Testament rendition of the Christian life. Let me explain.
In the book of Exodus, Moses was told by God to go into Pharaoh's palace to claim the freedom of the more than one million Israelite slaves. He was to not negotiate with Pharaoh. He was simply told to insist that they be given their freedom. Upon their departure, after much strife and struggle with the Egyptian ruler, they were to go wandering into the desert so that they might receive their marching orders (The Ten Commandments) just prior to entering into the Promised Land--the place the Lord had set aside for them and their progeny. God had it all mapped out and had determined that He would provide for them and bless them richly in their new land.
The only problem was that the Israelites refused to enter the Land. Upon hearing the report from spies they sent in to inspect the new territory, they chose to remain in the desert where they thought life was safer. Wrong move. God therefore allowed them to wallow in their poor choice for the next forty years till an entire generation (or two) died off and the next generation were willing to enter in to take what He'd given them years before.
When the next generation were finally ready to enter into the Promised Land, they sought the Lord and heard from Him first as to how to go about claiming the land. He told them step by step what to do and as long as they followed His directions, they were successful and overwhelmed with His provision and blessing. It was not until they deviated from His plans for them that they suffered and eventually lost their opportunity to live on the land.
Well, this is where the story ends from years ago but picks up in our own personal lives. Track with me if you can. The Lord has told us the story of Moses and the Israelites which is also to serve as a foreshadowing of what is to take place in our own lives. You see, we all at one time lived in slavery (many in this world still do). We lived according to the desires of our flesh, our selfish desires, our sinful natures. We did whatever we wanted with no regard for whether it was right or wrong, and we sought to only satisfy our own needs. We had no regard for God or His ways. Then there came along One who was willing to argue for our freedom (Christ actually died for our freedom), and we were therefore set free. We were able to run from the place of our bondage. We had to then move out of the slavery mindset and move into a life of freedom.
(As a sidebar comment: For many people, becoming a Christian appears to them as a place of bondage instead. They think that's when life becomes less fun and more restrained. I have to differ because I see that my life is waaaaaay more free now that I'm not a slave to sin. I still sin, frequently in fact, but I have freedom in Christ and can live my life according to His ways and His calling. I'm not run by the sinful nature but by the life that I have in Christ.)
So, back in the desert we find that we've escaped the slavery of Egypt and we're now headed toward the Promised Land that the Lord has set aside for us. The only thing is that we have to actually enter the Promised Land. We, like the Israelites, cannot just hang out on the other side of the river until we feel like obeying the Lord. When He called us out of slavery He didn't intend for us to then just wander around. He intended for us to move into the place of our rest--the Promised Land--so that we could put down roots, could plant seeds, could claim the territory we've been given.
The question is, have we--those who've accepted Christ--not only left the bondage of slavery and darkness, but have we also entered into the Promised Land? The Lord is showing me that there are huge numbers of Christians in our midst that are still wandering around in the desert. They live lives full of fear, uncertainty, frustration, and other destructive things. The Lord is not present in their lives and giving them victory in their circumstances yet because they have not crossed the Jordan River (the point of no return) to enter the Land the Lord has given them. They remain in the desert because they're not willing to "trust in the Lord with all your heart..." They live tentative lives unsure of their faith. They do not live a life completely surrendered to Him and His calling upon them. Therefore they're dry, fearful, and missing out on what the Lord has in store for them.
So, if this applies to you, I urge you to cross the Jordan. Go to Him and tell Him that you've decided to follow Him wherever He leads you. Yes, it may be scary, it may lead you to foreign lands (!), it may lead you to harder things, it may lead you to some tough decisions. But, please know that the place it will for sure lead you to is The Promised Land. And that land, which we can attest to, is a land full of His presence, His closeness, His grace, and His goodness. It doesn't mean that it's easy (the Israelites still had work to do in the Promised Land) but it does mean that it will be where He's promised victory and Himself. Hands down, that's where I wanna be. How 'bout you?
Thanks for reading...
Blessings, kim
It stuck me that the story of the Exodus from Egypt is an Old Testament rendition of the Christian life. Let me explain.
In the book of Exodus, Moses was told by God to go into Pharaoh's palace to claim the freedom of the more than one million Israelite slaves. He was to not negotiate with Pharaoh. He was simply told to insist that they be given their freedom. Upon their departure, after much strife and struggle with the Egyptian ruler, they were to go wandering into the desert so that they might receive their marching orders (The Ten Commandments) just prior to entering into the Promised Land--the place the Lord had set aside for them and their progeny. God had it all mapped out and had determined that He would provide for them and bless them richly in their new land.
The only problem was that the Israelites refused to enter the Land. Upon hearing the report from spies they sent in to inspect the new territory, they chose to remain in the desert where they thought life was safer. Wrong move. God therefore allowed them to wallow in their poor choice for the next forty years till an entire generation (or two) died off and the next generation were willing to enter in to take what He'd given them years before.
When the next generation were finally ready to enter into the Promised Land, they sought the Lord and heard from Him first as to how to go about claiming the land. He told them step by step what to do and as long as they followed His directions, they were successful and overwhelmed with His provision and blessing. It was not until they deviated from His plans for them that they suffered and eventually lost their opportunity to live on the land.
Well, this is where the story ends from years ago but picks up in our own personal lives. Track with me if you can. The Lord has told us the story of Moses and the Israelites which is also to serve as a foreshadowing of what is to take place in our own lives. You see, we all at one time lived in slavery (many in this world still do). We lived according to the desires of our flesh, our selfish desires, our sinful natures. We did whatever we wanted with no regard for whether it was right or wrong, and we sought to only satisfy our own needs. We had no regard for God or His ways. Then there came along One who was willing to argue for our freedom (Christ actually died for our freedom), and we were therefore set free. We were able to run from the place of our bondage. We had to then move out of the slavery mindset and move into a life of freedom.
(As a sidebar comment: For many people, becoming a Christian appears to them as a place of bondage instead. They think that's when life becomes less fun and more restrained. I have to differ because I see that my life is waaaaaay more free now that I'm not a slave to sin. I still sin, frequently in fact, but I have freedom in Christ and can live my life according to His ways and His calling. I'm not run by the sinful nature but by the life that I have in Christ.)
So, back in the desert we find that we've escaped the slavery of Egypt and we're now headed toward the Promised Land that the Lord has set aside for us. The only thing is that we have to actually enter the Promised Land. We, like the Israelites, cannot just hang out on the other side of the river until we feel like obeying the Lord. When He called us out of slavery He didn't intend for us to then just wander around. He intended for us to move into the place of our rest--the Promised Land--so that we could put down roots, could plant seeds, could claim the territory we've been given.
The question is, have we--those who've accepted Christ--not only left the bondage of slavery and darkness, but have we also entered into the Promised Land? The Lord is showing me that there are huge numbers of Christians in our midst that are still wandering around in the desert. They live lives full of fear, uncertainty, frustration, and other destructive things. The Lord is not present in their lives and giving them victory in their circumstances yet because they have not crossed the Jordan River (the point of no return) to enter the Land the Lord has given them. They remain in the desert because they're not willing to "trust in the Lord with all your heart..." They live tentative lives unsure of their faith. They do not live a life completely surrendered to Him and His calling upon them. Therefore they're dry, fearful, and missing out on what the Lord has in store for them.
So, if this applies to you, I urge you to cross the Jordan. Go to Him and tell Him that you've decided to follow Him wherever He leads you. Yes, it may be scary, it may lead you to foreign lands (!), it may lead you to harder things, it may lead you to some tough decisions. But, please know that the place it will for sure lead you to is The Promised Land. And that land, which we can attest to, is a land full of His presence, His closeness, His grace, and His goodness. It doesn't mean that it's easy (the Israelites still had work to do in the Promised Land) but it does mean that it will be where He's promised victory and Himself. Hands down, that's where I wanna be. How 'bout you?
Thanks for reading...
Blessings, kim
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