Life Lesson #3

Never stand in front of your teammate when they are kicking a soccer ball, especially if they are trying to score.  It really hurts when you get hit with the ball, and you will have effectively blocked your own teammate.  

Ham, C-Dog, and Smoy

Picture of the Day - Hamilton's way of taking more pictures whilst in Peru.  I will be stealing her photos until I find my cord to download pictures from my camera.

Spanish Life Lesson #2

Never say the phrase 'estoy embarazada' (not certain on the spelling).  It does not mean you are embarrassed, it means you're pregnant.  

5 AM

So it's 5:58 AM.  I woke up around 5:15 sweating (we don't have air conditioning) and having issues breathing (bit of an anxiety attack).  This wasn't a huge deal for it happens all the time and I typically know how to deal with it.  My ear plugs were falling out of my ears because after a night of changing positions they get a little more squishy and a lot less firm, so they weren't exactly working that well.  I thought 'no big deal, it's five something in the morning, surely it's quiet.'  Wrong.  For some reason our next door neighbors were up and because our walls are so thin I could hear every word they were saying.  At that point I gave up on sleep and decided to get up.  As irritated as I was that I couldn't get back to sleep (the heat, breathing, and noisy neighbors all contributing) I decided to thank God for a little time alone for reflection.  So I pulled out my bible and opened up to Psalm 75.  Here's a little of what it says:

                                  "We give thanks to you, O God,

                                         we give thanks, for your

                                              Name is near;

                                     Men tell of your wonderful

                                               deeds."

What a perfect verse to read this morning when I'm a little frustrated and very tired.  I need to remember that God is good and that He is completely in control of everything that happens.  More importantly, He works all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose.  Sometimes it's hard to remember, sometimes I don't want to hear it, but it's always true, and I am thankful for the reminder.

Just Because I Haven't Posted in a While

Spanish Life Lessons #1:  Never, ever, say 'estoy caliente'.  Yes 'estoy' means 'I am' and yes 'caliente' means hot, but it so does not mean that you are heat hot.  

Taking Things For Granted

I never valued water so much until last night.  Here in Peru we cannot drink the tap water because it is not safe.  We could get parasites or other nasty things and frankly I want to avoid that.  So we have to buy very large bottles of water and apparently one does not cut it for me.  I ran out on Tuesday after buying it on Saturday and had planned to go buy more but... well, I'm a slacker apparently.  

It wasn't a huge deal at first.  I bought water at lunch and had been refilling the little water bottle at Sali because there's a monster water container in the kitchen that's safe to drink.  But after our hour and a half soccer game I had run out, and I was dying!  Ok, so I wasn't but I was really, really thirsty.  So I decided to boil some tap water.  Good idea right?  Yeah sure, if you want water the next day.  It was far too hot to drink right away and I really needed some good old H2O and fast. 

So I had another brilliant idea: ice!  We had a bag of ice in the refridgerator!  Perfect.  So I grab the bag by the end that I believe is the open end and pull it out of the freezer.  Unfortunately, the bag was open on the other end, and all of the ice came crashing down on my toes!  Ice went everywhere, the cat started licking up the dirty water, and I crumpled to the ground in pain with one bleeding toe.  My poor, sick roommate Heather came to the rescue and swept up all the ice and put it in the sink while I limped to find a bandaid.  Needless to say I didn't get much water last night but I did learn a lesson in slowing down and checking bag openings.  

Also, I will start buying at least two bottles of water on Saturdays.  

September 11th

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28

"Come to Me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

For those who lost loved ones in the tragic events of September 11th, my prayers are still with you and your families.  I pray that God will bring you healing and peace of mind.

Am I the Only One...?

Please tell me that I am not the only one who thinks that this looks ridiculous.  I don't know about you, but I do everything in my power to cover up my underwear.  That's what belts are for.  I know these guys are supposed to look 'cool' but I really don't get it.  The guy in white pants looks as if he's about to be in nothing but his undies and the last time I checked that was not cool.  

Now, I'm not a fashionista so maybe I missed the memo, but personally I think he looks ridiculous.  Maybe he's talented (I have no idea who he is... who either of them are) but he kind of looks like a kid wearing his big brother's clothes because he thinks they'll make him look cool.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks he looks ridiculous!

Maybe this is just a sign that I'm old and too conservative, but I just feel that if you're about to trip over your own pants because they are falling down, and you have the money to buy a pair that fits, then you need to rethink your wardrobe.

A Prayer of Thanks

Thank you Lord for making me a light sleeper.  I've never slept through my alarm, never missed an appointment because I've been sleeping so hard that nothing could wake me up, that it is very easy for me to get up in the mornings.  Thank you that unlike some of my friends I would never sleep through a burglar alarm.  Forgive me for complaining about the way you made me.

In Jesus name, Amen

Please Tell Me Why...

Why won't my body let me sleep while there is noise anywhere in the near vicinity?  Just because I stupidly grew up in suburbia where it was dead silent pretty much all the time... why does that mean that I can't even sleep through loud music or loud talking while wearing ear plugs?  I'm so frustrated, especially because I get so irritated with people who stay up late (when, by the way, the sleep that you get before midnight is more valuable then the sleep you get after midnight) and keep me up in the meantime.  I'm supposed to be loving and kind and merciful and I'm wanting to storm down the stairs and take a sledge hammer to someone's stereo!  I get so frustrated with myself and I'm frustrated at them and I'm exhausted.  Friday night, not such a big deal, whatever, but Saturday when I have to get up for church or Monday night when I have to get up at 6:15 for work... so not cool.  

Ok, sorry for the ranting, I'm tired and irritated. 

Quote of the day

"The cynic knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing."  Oscar Wilde

I Speak English Good...

I'm finding out, though I'm fairly certain I knew this before, that just because you speak English does not mean that you will be a good English teacher.  Though I know more rules then a lot of English speakers (I am a huge English nerd) there are stink load of things I do not know.  Today I was teaching the difference between 'a lot of' and 'lots of' (there isn't any, 'lots of' is just less formal) and I was sitting there scratching my head going "I know this is right I just have no clue as to why".

Thankfully I found a website that has explanations... and I have Caleb, the SALI director, who I can go to for all of my English questions.

It kind of reminds me of evangelism, a little bit.  God does not call us to be amazing public speakers or power evangelists.  In Matthew Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what to say when they are questioned about their preaching because the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say.  That's a comforting thought when it comes to being bold in our faith.  The Holy Spirit really does most of the work.  Of course that doesn't mean that we just sit back and say nothing, faith does require action, but the Holy Spirit is the one who saves souls.