The other night I complained on Facebook about how I was feeling. I wasn’t feeling very well. Not very well at all. It’s been 4 weeks. And it feels like I will never get better.
Later that night, as I was drifting off to sleep and ending my prayers, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking up, it was God. He gently reminded me that complaining was not something I should spend my time doing. Immediately, I remembered the verses:
In all things, give thanks.
Do all things without grumbling or complaining. (Boy, do I like to tell my kids this verse. But it’s hard being on the other side!)
Rejoice always; again I say, rejoice.
Now why do you think the author of that verse said it twice? Because we may not have really read it the first time, we may have just glossed right over it? Because it was SO important?
Steve and I have some sermons on tape and CD that we listen to fairly frequently. And what do you know, the one we had just listened to that night was about rejoicing! It talked about especially rejoicing in the hard times, about how rejoicing is a spiritual weapon that doesn’t give Satan a foothold for self-pity, or envy, or even pride.
And what do I really have to complain about? I have an amazing, loving husband. Three beautiful boys. Food and clothing and shelter. And the God of the universe loves ME. He loves ME just the way I am.
I remembered the little children that had come to my door that day, dirty, with torn clothing…and so young. Some as young as Nathaniel. Roaming the streets by themselves, surviving any way they can. Asking ME for some food, water, anything.
I thought of the children in Africa, orphaned or dying from AIDS.
The earthquake in Haiti.
The war in Afghanistan.
The starving in North Korea.
The persecuted church in Indonesia and China.
The drug-violence in Mexico.
The millions of girls and women in Southeast Asia who are sex slaves.
And the millions around the world who are starved for hope and slaves to alcohol and drugs.
And here I am complaining. I felt ashamed. The next time I tell my boys to do All things without complaining, I will also remind myself.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” Philippians 4:6
small and big details of our life in the U.S. after life overseas
Wednesday, January 27
Gallo Pinto and Rice and Beans
With only 6 months left in our term, naturally some of my thoughts have turned toward the US, wondering what kind of place we are going to live in, the change of pace (more rushed), schooling for Zachariah, what kind of work will Steve have, being close to family again, and yes, even the food.
You see, we eat a lot of rice and beans here. Daily. For breakfast and supper. For lunch we add some veggies and 3 days a week, meat.
We almost NEVER eat casseroles, because although we have an oven, it is terribly expensive to cook with the oven. It’s small and not insulated, so the heat comes right out the sides. So we don’t bake very often. And cheese here is VERY expensive. Once in a while we’ll treat ourselves to mozzarella or even cheddar (I think we’ve bought cheddar twice since we came here).
But we generally eat like Nicaraguans. And we like it. The food here is surprisingly tasty, and the boys gobble it right up. Zach especially likes the corn tortillas with ketchup on the side. His favorite dish is an enchilada. A fried tortilla with refried beans, shredded cheese, and a type of coleslaw on top. He easily eats 4, or 5, or 6 of those, one right after the other!
We usually get our tortillas from the market a few blocks down. Here you can see they make the tortillas right in front of you. There are two stations, one on the left side and one behind. The lady thought it was funny that I wanted to take a picture of them making tortillas. Cost? You can buy 20 corn tortillas for $1.
We’ve tried fish soup a few times. Here, they throw the whole fish in the pot. Here, you can buy almost all your food on the street, except beef and chicken. Starting around 6 in the morning, people carrying buckets or balancing baskets on their head, sell vegetables, milk, fruit, tortillas and fish. They yell out their wares while walking down the sidewalk. One day we heard some men yelling they were selling fish. Running to the door, we looked out and saw a small pick-up truck, driving slowly down the street while men walked beside it. We hailed them and they stopped. In the back of the truck were several large ice boxes, which contained all kinds of fish, some as long as me! They quickly drew a crowd, and after some discussion, we decided to buy just one fish for some soup. The man assured us that it was not very spiny and had good flavor. It was a beautiful fish and the man was right, the soup was delicious!
Before
After
You see, we eat a lot of rice and beans here. Daily. For breakfast and supper. For lunch we add some veggies and 3 days a week, meat.
We almost NEVER eat casseroles, because although we have an oven, it is terribly expensive to cook with the oven. It’s small and not insulated, so the heat comes right out the sides. So we don’t bake very often. And cheese here is VERY expensive. Once in a while we’ll treat ourselves to mozzarella or even cheddar (I think we’ve bought cheddar twice since we came here).
But we generally eat like Nicaraguans. And we like it. The food here is surprisingly tasty, and the boys gobble it right up. Zach especially likes the corn tortillas with ketchup on the side. His favorite dish is an enchilada. A fried tortilla with refried beans, shredded cheese, and a type of coleslaw on top. He easily eats 4, or 5, or 6 of those, one right after the other!
We usually get our tortillas from the market a few blocks down. Here you can see they make the tortillas right in front of you. There are two stations, one on the left side and one behind. The lady thought it was funny that I wanted to take a picture of them making tortillas. Cost? You can buy 20 corn tortillas for $1.
We’ve tried fish soup a few times. Here, they throw the whole fish in the pot. Here, you can buy almost all your food on the street, except beef and chicken. Starting around 6 in the morning, people carrying buckets or balancing baskets on their head, sell vegetables, milk, fruit, tortillas and fish. They yell out their wares while walking down the sidewalk. One day we heard some men yelling they were selling fish. Running to the door, we looked out and saw a small pick-up truck, driving slowly down the street while men walked beside it. We hailed them and they stopped. In the back of the truck were several large ice boxes, which contained all kinds of fish, some as long as me! They quickly drew a crowd, and after some discussion, we decided to buy just one fish for some soup. The man assured us that it was not very spiny and had good flavor. It was a beautiful fish and the man was right, the soup was delicious!
Before
After
Monday, January 18
The Professional Pictures
I know, it's hard to believe, but yes, they actually have photography studios here in Nicaragua. And they do a pretty good job, I'm impressed with their work. and it's fast!!! (That's what I love most :)
So here are the pictures of my little men, Seb at 7 mo, Thane at 3 yrs and Zach at 6 yrs. (grandparents, you'll be getting a copy soon)
I know, I'll be fighting the girls off in a few more years...
Happy 9 months!
Here is my beautiful baby. Isn't he so handsome? I feel so blessed to have him in my life and he has been such a treasure and joy. His face radiates such fun and innocence, and his smile just couldn't get any bigger. He makes me smile just looking at him.
I hope he makes you smile too :)
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