Finally Some Fotos!

God's Mercy in the Sunrise

Every morning when my alarm goes off at 5am, I utter a groan. Now sometimes this only done mentally; other days it is entirely vocal. But what's important here is not the fact that I hate getting up before the sun, and that my first thought in the morning is often, "Where the heck is the snooze button?!". What's important are the thoughts and actions that follow. Will I commit to serving Christ today? Will I choose to look at this crazy experience as a challenging blessing, an opportunity to grow, or will I give into the temptation to have a bad attitude and look at the day ahead of me as something to get through? These questions are exceedingly important as I begin my day, because my answer tends to dictate much of how the rest of the day will unfold. Often I can't control the events of the day, but I can choose to glorify God in how I react to them. I was reminded last night during a wonderful women's Bible study that the mercies of God are new every morning. After dragging myself out of bed this morning, I had the opportunity to watch a beautiful sunrise over the mountains that surround us here, yet another reinforcement of the miraculous truth of God's mercy. The Holy Spirit then brought the following verse to my mind.

In Joshua 24:15, Joshua poses the following question and declaration to the Israelites:

¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (NIV)

We must make the choice daily to die to self and follow Jesus. Through my experience here at Casa Bernabe I have learned so much about the selfishness of my own human nature. So often I desire my own comfort over the needs of others; it is only through the grace of God and the gift of His Holy Spirit that I am able to reject my natural tendency and serve with a joyful heart. And so it is with all of us who choose to live in the Spirit. So be encouraged dear friends. He is faithful, and truly, His mercies are new every morning. I sincerely hope that this post is cohesive enough in thought to communicate what God is laying on my heart.

Never a Dull Moment

Welcome to life in Boy Land. This weekend I've been encargada of the house, and yesterday it was just me and my boys. Each one is incredibly unique, each with their own gifts and challenges, as is each day that I spend with them. In case you've wondered what exactly it is that I do here at CB, here is the fast run-down:

My job is part mom, part house-keeper, part nurse, part psychologist, and part teacher. I clean their cuts, dose out their medicine, feed them, pray with them, give them hugs, discipline them when they're bad, do chores with them, fold their laundry, play soccer with them, teach them English, hold them when they cry, and keep them from killing each other. It's awesome. I love my life with them. It's hard and I get frustrated, and I certainly don't always keep my patience perfectly, but I am so glad that God has given me the opportunity to be here with them. He is so good to me. Only He could have dreamed up this up for me. I'll be leaving CB in May to go back to the States for grad school in Occupational Therapy, and the fact that I can use this in the future to make a bigger difference in their lives is one of the few, albeit very good, reasons that keeps me from just staying here. I have no idea what the future holds, but thankfully I know who holds the future :)

I'll do my best to post some pictures of the boys and myself soon. Until next time dear friends, thank-you for your prayers and support. We serve an amazing God who hears us when we cry out to Him. Hallelujah.