LaVerne

When we first arrived here at my sisters house in Oklahoma, her husband took Joziah to a Model T group get together (Joziah just LOveS old things)... anyway, when Hap (my brother in law) introduced Joziah to the group he intro'd him as LaVerne... the name has stuck and now spread... Joziah even introduced himself as LaVerne to some people... he's decided to change his name to LaVerne Cave...lol... Today we are headed to the science museum with a gal from the model T group... when I called her to set the time I introduced myself, then said I was Joziah's mom... neither of which struck a remembrance... then I said... "LaVerne's mom"... OH!! She got it then! Ah yes.. my children are goofy!

a few shots from Joe

The three amigas...

Well I finally got to talk to Joe again... just barely caught him online last night... was SO nice to get to IM w/ him, even if it was just for 10 minutes or so. He had to come all the way to GenSan for molasses... (we use it to feed the bunnies)... lame! (that's almost a 2 hr drive)... anyway.. I''m sure he got other supplies too while we was there. He took these pictures during the barangay celebration last week...

just not missionary material

I have made the comment many times that our family just doesn't fit the mold for 'typical' missionary family... while that may be true (cause we're far from normal!)... but I have realized that there are more and more people that are coming to the mission field not out of sense of duty to convert as many people as they can... but they are coming out of an overwhelming desire to show people all over the world of Jesus LOVE for us... HE doesn't desire religious acts... HE desires a RELATIONSHIP... We don't do things for him out of trying to work desperately to be redeemed... that's already been taken care of! We live the life we live because we were once in that place of confusion, of chaos inside... and now we have PEACE... and the difference is enough that we are willing to give up the comforts of our life, of our physical needs... to let others know that that peace is free... a gift... no strings attached... you don't have to make sure you go to church 3 times a weeks to please this God.. no need for prayer memorization or any other religious act... he simply wants you... just where you are... to give you a freedom from the voices inside of you... the war, the struggle, the emptiness... and he simply asks for a relationship with Him in return.
So I apologize to the many missionaries out there that are giving of their lives to show the love of our Father to people all around the world... they/we are making a 'new mold', a better one! These 'missionaries' are all over... on the home front and abroad... they make up all colors, nations, tongues and tribes... and soon... the world will see... that the creator of the universe... the Alpha/Omega... LOveS them!!
SWEET!!!

Oh... and one more 'little' thing...

I pASseD!!! YEAH!!! Got my letter yesterday... officially a CPM!... :)
I can go home now!!!

FINALLY!

After more than a week with no word from Joe... he finally 'emerged' from the village to check email and get supplies from the city. I happen to be up late that night and so I got to chat with him for awhile on IM... what a nice treat!
He caught me up on the happenings of the village... mostly it was good to hear about how even those that are non Christians have been saying how it's nothing short of a gift from God that we are there... They just can't comprehend how we would give up our comfortable lives to live there... for them... It's so neat the way that God uses the fact that missionaries often do give up there comfort for the sake of others as a representation of how He gave his only son... to leave the awesomeness and comfort of heaven to come down here to this evil and yucky world... just so that we might have a restored relationship with Him!!!
After talking with Joe I am more than ready to go back... sigh... but I still have a couple weeks here in the states and know that I need to get a few more things in order before I leave... our house in Wasilla has kept us on our knees trying to hear what God wants for us in that regard... to sell, not to sell... all I can say is we are praying for His way to be known!
Also if anyone is interested in donating used baby clothes for me to take back... please let me know asap and I will get you the address of where to send them... Even if they don't come before I go I will be having a box shipped after I leave I think...
Well here is a few drawings that Joe sent and a picture of Tyler dancing in the Barangay festival... Meghan apparently chickened out! lol...

Good reminder...

(As a disclaimer I should say I stole this from Joey's FB page... ) :)

*There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.*

*The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next** **
**few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.*

*He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.*

*The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.*

*The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, 'You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.*

I used to wonder if people who are on their furlough or breaks don't blog because they are too tired from running around, or just too many people to see and no time to blog... or maybe it's because it's hard to put into words all the feelings that go through your head in regards to reverse culture shock. I think maybe it's all the above.... although I would be lying to say that I am too tired from running around... but more likely that I am tired from just trying to figure out all the fun 'reality' stuff that people who live outside of the US must deal with when in the US (taxes, house issues, etc)... People ask me if I have been suffering from culture shock... and I'm not sure how to respond. It's a confusing mess to be sure! And I have no idea how to express it to people w/o sounding judgemental (which I'm NOT!) So I mostly just say that yes... it's been strange to be in a place with hot running water on demand, lights that turn on/off at the touch of a button or switch, aircon daily and 5 stores w/in 5 miles of the house. There are not 50 village kids hanging on the fence in the morning pushing each other around to see who will be brave enough to say good morning... no corn drying on the central basketball court and no women washing their clothes beside their house... I can't look out my back door and see the neighbor's little girl pop a squat in front of the door to relieve herself in the morning (I really don't understand this practice... but oh well) How do you not sound judgemental when you observe that pets here in the states live a far more comfortable life than people on the other side of the world? It's not a judgement.. it's just a fact (and heck my pets over there live a pretty darn good life, or so I'm told!) I think there just is no ability to make sense of life... the have's the have nots... I will just keep my eyes on the Father to continue to guide my steps... one day (or continenet) at a time!
So you see... this is why I don't blog... the thoughts running around are complex and difficult to express! :)