Just a quick update on what's going on here! The playground here had a huge hole in it from erosion and rain water. So, we just spent the morning shoveling dirt from one pile to the next to fill in a hole in the playground area (you can see it off to the right in the picture). And Jake was doing the "classic" cutting the grass with a machette. That's right a MACHETTE! It was really hard work but we got the rest of the day off for it.
Jake and I have also been acting as house parents for the older boys. Helping set up breakfast, lunch and dinner for them, making sure they do their chores, harvesting beans in the fields (with the puma and her two cubs! Still trying to see her while I'm out there one day). And yes, they play soccer ALL THE TIME! Even the 12 year olds have broken my ankles a few time with their moves! But they have been great and we're having a blast together!
Sometimes we'll play soccer on the basketball court.
I gave a devotion the other day about the differences between talents and spiritual gifts. About how they both come from God. But everyone recieves their spiritual gifts the moment they accept Christ into their life! And everyone gets different gifts to glorify Him (ROM 12:3, 6 and EX 31:1-6). That was the short version. There's one kid, Renee, that even takes notes during our devotions! NOTES!? I've never had someone take notes while listening to me before. Just proof that, as believers, our words have power!
On a more darker note…
Here's one of the rabbits that would end up being our dinner (sorry Jill)!
Excited to watch King Kong in Spanish (with English subtitles of course for Jake and I).
I had a great talk with David (our host) today about God's will. He was teaching me about THINKING like Christ. Before God created the earth, He had to have THOUGHT about it first. Before something can become SOMETHING in the natural world, it has to be a thought in the spiritual. He pointed at his air compressor and said, "someone had to have thought about that thing, everypeice, how to put it together, and how to make it work before it was HERE." He was teaching me that our thoughts are spiritual. In order to discover God's purpose you have to spend time alone with the Father and dive into the Word of God. Only then do we begin to THINK like Christ, and only then do we begin to discover his will for our lives. Because the more our minds are like Christ, the more our decisions will be the right ones, the ones He wants us to make.
I hope this made sense. I really just needed to write it down quickly before I forgot it all. I've never been good about having quiet times. But David was a great inspiration to be more intentional about having them. Hope this gave you a good update on everything! Thanks for all the encouragement and support from everyone!
