A snap shot...

Sunsets are so beautiful here...It must be the ocean, or maybe it's the latitude....or maybe it's just God's beauty here for us to enjoy. :)

“Nobody of any real culture, for instance, ever talks nowadays about the beauty of sunset. Sunsets are quite old fashioned. To admire them is a distinct sign of provincialism of temperament."

~Oscar Wilde~

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone had a beautiful Mother's day! I'm very blessed to have the mother I have- She's so many wonderful things, but the most important part is that she is a faithful Christian! Everyday I'm seeing more and more how rare that is. My I constantly be learning and growing to be a good mother myself some day Lord willing!

"Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

“I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother.” Abraham Lincoln

~Heart~

This is my sister Anna. Here is a list of just 10 things she is:

(the list could be much longer of course!)

1. CUTE!

2. Funny....she has a way with words that keeps me pretty much in stitches.

3. A good picture taker- er...photographer. Sometimes I hold her lens cap for her. :)

4. A good computer helper person...she pretty much does everything computer-wise for me. Except I taught her to put pictures on her blog!!

5. She's one of my best friends.

6. She's a strong Christian and I'm blessed daily by having her in my life!

7. She makes me laugh....and helps me not be an old lady bump!

8. The person who sleeps on the bunk above me....hehe...and we have some good times! :)

9. A wonderful friend to have. <3

10. My sister and I love her!

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips."

Time for an update!

About April- *pant pant*

What a month! It was good, but busy was redefined!!

To start with....

Our whole family attended the sign language class at the Trinidad School of Preaching. It started bright and early at 7:30 am Monday through Friday. It's a bit of a challenge to get 9 people ready to leave at 7:00 am, but we made it! We all really enjoyed the class and have since then had lots of fun with the signing....sheds a whole new light on family 'code talking'!

On a more serious note, we were attending an island wide church function and there were 4 deaf ladies there and I was able to have a little conversation with them- it was very neat! I was a little intimidated, but Naomi and I were together and we really enjoyed it once we got into it! Even if I forgot a simple sign and had to ask Naomi!! You know most deaf people can read lips very well and they could see me asking and they got a big laugh out of that! :)

The second big thing was Dad teaching the Personal Evangelism part 2 class at the school. His part was to take them out and do actual door knocking and studies. Emily, Anna, Nathan and I joined the students of the school for that class every afternoon. It went very well- you really get to know each other working together like that. There can be so much good encouragement and memories from doing field work like that. And of course the people we talked to...we worked in a lower income area and you could feel the different flavour of the people there. Some were willing to talk, others not interested at all. Most times the people are polite, even really nice! But other times it can be a little discouraging! The days went by fast and it was a good experience especially for the students we worked with.

So we had that on top of the usual Sunday worship, (Oh, and Dad is also doing a series of Sunday morning class on Home and Family at the La Romaine congregation!) mid-week Bible class and the usual interaction we have with the folks here. It was good to be busy and focused on something so specific. And we made lots of good memories, I love my family! :)

So that was April! Now it's May and we're back to a more usual routine for us. I'm getting all in gear to do some more sewing, so that'll be coming soon! :)

Have a wonderful month!

This is Kimone, one of the deaf ladies. :)

some thoughts on courage

When you live in the mission field you see and hear all sorts of new things. Some funny and interesting, some terrible and heartbreaking. Yesterday I heard an older sister in the Church here say in refrence to her conversion many years ago, "My husband say I leave you if you get baptized." She didn't say how the story turned out, whether her husband left her or not, but she was baptized, she remains a faithful Christian, raised several faithful children and has faithful grand children now. I don't know anything about the husband....if he was ever converted. But this I know- she had courage.

Do we have that same kind of courage? Would we risk our husband leaving us to obey the gospel? Do we have the courage to stand up for what is right? What about such issues as modesty, purity, discretion, and faithfulness?
Not every courageous act is as heroic sounding as this woman standing up to her husband. Sometimes it is simply standing for the truth as a family; with the knowledge and experience of being alone sometimes. Perhaps its modesty- and not only modest apparel, but modest words and actions.

I'm thinking as I type this out, "Why do we always get on these modesty and propriety speeches?! Let's learn this lesson, girls, let's learn it!!" But then I must remind myself that Satan is out there, he's got the world and he's after us! (to quote Br. Harrub from fb) We've got to be courageous, we've got to stand for the right, because the world will not, and God is depending on us to do the job.

There are times that I'm brought to tears when I see and hear what the brethren do here to be Christians. And I'm both inspired and encouraged to do better, and shamed and rebuked in my failings. I know I can do better; I know we all can.

"These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you may have peace; In the world ye have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Yesterday was Mom's birthday.....I love doing birthdays! It's been fun finding new things to do here in Trinidad- It's been good for us to stretch our minds and find new things....but don't worry, there was still lots of singing and no work for Mom and more singing, and the birthday variations on the piano, and more singing....:) So I baked her a cake, we played a game together and generally had a wonderful time together!

I'm very thankful for my Mom. :) She's a wonderful woman and I'm honored to have her in my life. If you live by your mother go hug her or call her or something! :)

Two Little Girls

I had two funny and neat conversations last week with two little girls. They are both around 10 years of age, from the same congregation and have spent enough time with me to be comfortable enough to talk to me! I can understand their shyness...what would you do if you weren't used to seeing white people except on TV and a whole bunch of them came and were there and...*gasp* talked to you!!! I love talking to the children here- their big brown eyes, peering over their little brown hands, covering their mouths in a gesture of bashfulness....their whispered name and age...:)

Ok, the first conversation was with Precious. Precious is a popular name for girls here! I think it's precious! Teehee...;)

We were sitting on a bed chatting and she was admiring and touching my curly hair.

Precious: "Your hair so pretty! It so soft and curly!"

Me: "Thank you, Precious! I think your hair is pretty too! I like your cane rows!"

Precious: *blush and plays with barrets on her plats*

Second conversation is with Sharice, a few minutes later. (she didn't hear the previous conversation)

Sharice: "When de las time you go to de beauty shoppe?!"

Me: "Oh, I just do my hair myself!"

Sharice: "Oh! You need to go real bad! Your hair lookin real shabby!"

Me: "Well, I kinda like it this way!"

Sharice: "It need plated- maybe even a wig!"

Me: *bursting with laughter inside* Oh really?! Well, I don't know! I think I'll just keep it this way!"

Isn't it funny, how the way you are raised influences your thinking? I smile at these girls...they're cute, they have a fresh perspective and they're funny. :) And they have beautiful little heads of black hair in cane rows and plates with little colorful barrets. <3