Day Before "Argentine Labor Day"

Today was a day of recovery and preparation.  Recovery from being up until almost 3 am last night with ministry and preparation since tomorrow is Argentina's Labor Day & most everything will be closed. 

The kids tried to let us sleep in.  So sweet of them.  I could hear them in their room chatting it up.  Finally they came in to get us up at 8 am.  Major sleeping in, but still, after going to be bed at 3 and being sick, I was still wiped out.  Heather too.  She is sick and slowly getting worse. 

I can eat onions, garlic, spicy soups, etc to help me feel better when I am under the weather, but Heather is allergic to most everything good for you.  This makes her health more dependent on medicines.  I therefore, try to avoid them.  I don't know if I can forever, but I try my best.  For instance, last night I amused myself by hearing myself wheezing while trying to fall asleep.  But this morning I was dizzy and light-headed from the lack of oxygen, so I finally broke down and used my inhaler.  : )  - Oh well.  Trying to do it naturally. 

I drove into the center of town to a gas station that has a good air pump and inflated a tire that was really low on the STL SUV.  I will keep an eye on it to see if we need to take it to a shop.  Then Heather took Jonny to the supermarket to stock up since stores will be closed tomorrow.  She said the lines were outrageous!  Sorry she had to endure that. 

I then raced to our local fruit/ veg stand to buy up healthy stuff & then to the roasted chicken store to grab a bird.  God was good.  I did not have a bird reserved and they were all out for the day.  Nooooooo!  (I really love chicken, especially when I am not feeling well.) BUT, they did have some left over birds from the night before - a little over done, but it's cool, because that is exactly how I like them.  : )

After lunch and a little time with the fam I laid down to take a nap.  I could feel myself crashing and if I want to get over this thing, I Have To Sleep More.  It was a good one.  I took it on Aliana's bed since the sun (yeah!  haven't seen it for a couple of weeks and man do I love it!) was streaming through the window and on to her bed.  It was warm and glorious! 

I was really out of it for awhile when I finally got up.  I helped prep dinner for the kids, ate with Heather and watched a movie, and now am putting the kids to bed, catching up on line and going to get some sleep.  I HAVE to get feeling better and get some work done tomorrow!  Plus, we have to prep the kids to go back to school after a 4 day weekend.  : )

Good night all
God bless & have a great one
Paz, bendiciones, y el amor de Dios -

Family - The Body of Christ

Last night was a great night!
The praise and worship of God was intense and sincere, just the way I prefer it.
Pastor Sauad preached an excellent message (stole a lot of my thunder for a message God has been stirring in my heart - guess I will have to keep praying, meditating and allow God to give me more direction.  Good to know that we're on the same page with the Holy Spirit though. : ) about how we are all Family in the Body of Christ.  And as a family, we should know each other, know what each person is going through, and be there for them.  Not lip service, but truly be there with them in the middle of the fight.

At the close of the service he asked everyone to find at least 3 people that they did not know and start getting to know them, exchange cell numbers, and commit to praying for them and getting to know them.  We took time to pray for each other, share, worship together, and more.  It was an awesome time and there were a lot of people exchanging cell phone numbers at the end.

Coming from a more individualistic culture of N. America, I thought, this would never work.  People will not get out of their comfort zone, actually talk to people they don't know well, exchange phone numbers with them, and even pray with them when they don't really know them very well, right?  Even Jujuy, with it's traditional Latin Culture that is more collectively focused than the majority of us in N. America, I still didn't think people would do it...but they did!  And I was thrilled!  It's as Biblical as biblical gets.

God has been burning it into my heart that we who have found ourselves together in this relationship with have with Jesus are just that - Family.  As I read through the Scriptures with new focus, I am shocked at how I could have missed it so much before.  Everywhere you look you see...
Love ONE ANOTHER
Serve ONE ANOTHER
Help ONE ANOTHER
Forgive ONE ANOTHER
Bless ONE ANOTHER
Be patient with ONE ANOTHER
Be kind to ONE ANOTHER
And the list goes on and on and on.
As of late, I have been focusing on some of Paul's Letters to the various communities where he had planted churches and everywhere I look I see phrases of total inclusion like...
ALL OF YOU
EVERYONE OF YOU
TOGETHER
EACH ONE
etc, etc.

The hang out time afterwards was awesome & there was a lot of talk of ministry to people in the community with great need.  - I think that we all recognize need, but it overwhelming when trying to tackle it by yourself.  But, when we know that we are all in it together, there is energy, encouragement, excitement...synergy!  Now we know that we can do it and not only survive, but thrive.

And as a very tangible living it out, I loaded way too many people into our STL SUV and drove over to a lady's house from the church whose mother had just died and they were conducting a wake.  We all piled in to the house to spend time with the family, show our support, and honor their mother.  It did not matter that it was already close to midnight and we stayed until 2 am.  That is culture here.  There were still a lot of people in the house when I finally started taking people home.  - That in itself is another adventure : )  I'll save stories like that for another day.

Go love on people around you.
Don't be shy.  Start the new and improved culture.  The culture God intended : )

God bless & give you His strength
Paz, poder, y el amor de Dios sean con TODOS USTEDES -

Bad Day...

There have been many days, - many, many - when I have been very proud of the job I have done at being a parent.  Today was not one of them.  I don't know what happened, but I became so angry.  I couldn't seem rid of it either.  I came uncorked at the kids - I yelled when I should not have, I spanked the tar out of Nate when a much simpler discipline should have been fine, I made it so that everyone walked on egg-shells around me for much of the day, I sat out of a teaching engagement I had scheduled (I just could not be around people.  Heather went in my place.), and I said some choice words I am going to really regret having "taught" Nate later on in life. 

I have no idea what is wrong with me.  I have been sick for several days and trying to get over it, I am under some financial stress, I am frustrated with some things, etc, etc - but I still don't know why I am sooooo angry.  It is like suddenly I am chemically imbalanced or something.  I suppose that spiritual attack could play strongly into this too.  I just can't seem to stop it. 

I think it is just time to go to bed.  I sure hope tomorrow is a better day.  I basically just hate just about everyone, including myself, right now.  VERY not normal for me.  Not loving life. 

Good night all.  Hope you had a better day than I. 
God bless you, and keep you from ever going through this -
Paz

Yeah...sick

Man, I am getting really tired of this.  Sick again. 
It seems like I am good for a few days, a week sometimes, and then back down hill.
I am trying to eat right, etc, but I still keep looping the cycle. 

Pray for health!  : )

Good night all and God bless -
Paz

Car Back!

Today I had our 2 littlest kids in tow at the grocery store when I suddenly, unexpectedly, received a call from our mechanic announcing that the car was ready!  What?!  After 4 months of waiting...suddenly it is just...ready?! 

I caught a ride home and dropped them and the groceries off, then I busted it to the garage as fast as I could to find out what was going on with the car.  It is still not at 100% but it is functioning enough to get around town.  We will carefully, slowly, try it out farther and farther from home and see how it holds up. 

Balance - the bummer news.  We ran out of gas today at home so...no cooking, no hot water.  Its still all good though.  : )

Good night and God bless all -

Milagros, poder, y favor del Senor

Pneumonia? Hmmm...

I must confess that I stayed up too late last night.  I was waiting for Heather to make it back from the Ladies Service.  Then we got something to eat, and afterwards we decided, "Let's watch something!"  I find that often when I am sick, my internal clock gets all off - I die all day long and then can't sleep at night.  Well,  think I fell asleep about 2 am. 

I did not get up until really late.  Heather was starting to feel much more sick, but graciously got up with the kids and tried to let me sleep in.  When I finally did get up I sent her back to bed and spent the day watching the kids, cleaning up the house, doing laundry and dishes, and taking Nate out for a long walk to give everyone else a break from his hyperactivity.  : ) 

I actually thought I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.  Then when we got back from our walk I ate dinner and just started crashing.  I was so frustrated since I had felt so much better earlier on and was wanting to go to service tonight.  I knew I had to bag that or I would be in real trouble later.  My nose started running and I realized that I was..."gurgling" a bit on some of my breaths.  That is worrisome.  After having gone through weeks of pneumonia in Costa Rica, it just felt way too similar.  At the moment, I could not tell if the sound was in my throat (not so much a problem) or really high up in my lungs (more troublesome).  Time will tell. 

So frustrating!  I have been trying to eat healthy, get rest and not over-do it, take vitamins, and even over the last few days I have been taking antibiotics...so, this was really a surprise!  I am going to step up the "take care of my health and recover plan" even more this weekend (for instance, made my favorite "Get Better Fast" drink tonight: hot tea with lemon juice, honey, and minced up garlic and onions.  After I finish the tea, I eat the garlic and onions.  : )  I will be pounding that all weekend in an effort to turn this thing back quickly.  Thankfully, as I write this, I don't feel or hear any gurgling.

We have a 1/2 full schedule at church tomorrow & then Easter on Sunday.  On Monday we are scheduled to take a Visa Renewal Trip to Chile.  I really want to be feeling better before that trip!  We have to cross roads that take you over the Andes Mountains and past 13,000 ft high in elevation and it is not fun to pop your ears on a trip like that when you are sick like this!

I helped put the kids to bed and then sat down to catch up on line quickly.  Now I am getting ready to sign off for the night and get some sleep.  - Oh, memorized a few more verses of Philippians chapter 2 in Castellano today.  I hope to have all of chapters 1 and 2 memorized before next Wednesday night!  Making progress : )

Good night and God bless -

PS - Pray for Heather.  She actually is more sick than I am right now...and she can't eat garlic and onions to help out (allergies) like I can. 

Paz, salud, y la presencia del Senor -

Pneumonia Errands

Today was a good day.  It was draining as I am still not feeling right.  I am trying to eat healthy - lots of garlic, onions, fruit, tea, etc; and trying to get more sleep, take vitamins, medicine, etc.  I am trying REALLY hard not to over-do it since this illness feels eerily similar to when I got so sick for so long with pneumonia while I was at language school in Costa Rica.  I was cautioned by the doctor then, that, once you get pneumonia, it is much easier to get it again.  This time I am being more cautious, proactive, and taking antibiotics right away.  It seems to be helping, but slowly. 

Today, I had to run several errands as tomorrow is Good Friday, a national holiday here in Argentina, followed by the weekend, followed by a visa renewal trip on Monday.  I had to get the bills paid before they would be late by the time we get back from our trip.  I did as much walking as possible to get some exercise, fresh air, and see how my lungs were feeling.  It went ok, but I was amazed at how tired it made me.  The good news: I did the walking, finished the errands, and still had the strength to keep going all day long without having to lay down and rest for a time.  THAT is good news! 

Heather is at the church tonight helping with the worship, so I got the opportunity to stay home with the kids and spend time with them.  Jonny was exhausted and starting to lose it emotionally by 8, so I got him into bed.  Aliana followed at 8:30 & Nate and I stayed up having a little "older son time with Dad time" playing Mario Cart until 10 pm.  After they were all in bed I started working on catching up on line.  This is the earliest I have posted an on line journal entry in a long time.  : )

Well, Heather just got back home (11:18 pm - early by Argentine A/G service standards : ) and so I am going to wrap this up and spend time with her.  : ) 

Good night all & God bless
Gracia, perdon, y el favor del Senor sean con ustedes -

I'm Back

Sorry, I have been gone so long.  We have been fighting against sickness in the family and honestly, I was just too tired and drained at the end of each day to write.  I suppose also that journaling in general is still not a "passion" of mine, so it easily gets bumped to the end of the list of my priorities and it is one of the first things to not be done when I am out of energy.  (- I told you journaling was not my thing.  : )

Anyways, it is now after midnight and I my poor sick wife would like to go to bed, and I need to get sleep - tomorrow is going to be a busy day. 

Good night all. 
God bless & give you health & strength to do what you don't always "want" to do. 

Paz, poder, salud -