Short and Sweet ( but a bit frustrating)

I'm totally at a loss for lots of words .... our insurance company ( for the second time) has said that although our daughter has severe hearing loss and is 8 YEARS OLD they will decline paying for new hearing aids for her.... CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME??????? She's EIGHT ! because she was adopted from China at 5 and didn't receive the proper hearing aids she is just beginning to SPEAK.(at EIGHT years old.).... without these hearing aids ...... ugggggggg...... now I have to work on forgivness to the insurance company ! This is going to be MUCH harder..... please pray for us as we walk through this .....

Grateful,
mel

PS ...there is no cute photo today... i don't have one of me GRITTING MY TEETH .... sorry for the poopey blog.... you are our support team... life just happens and God is good ... i KNOW there's a plan.

A Letter to my Robber.....

Dear Robber,
I am a mother of six , married to an amazing man of 20 years. A little over a year and 1/2 ago I was invited to join my Father in ministry here in your country. When I had first received his invitation I could not even tell you where Guatemala was. Honestly, I thought it was inside Mexico and that all Latinos were Mexican. A year and 1/2 later not only can I locate your country but I have come to call it home. And so, yesterday, late in the afternoon, I was at "home"( geographically speaking) relaxing in a favorite chair, watching my amazing children play, anticipating being joined by an awesome friend and somehow you came into my "home" and kicked up dirt - no, you did not come into my literal home- it was far more personal than that - Inside my physical home you would only have walked away with things that eventually lead me to work- ugggg .....like dusting, reading , note taking, toy stashing work. Today, when you came into "my place" , a place that I frequent to relax my brain, to let down my guard, to practice my Spanish and engage in friendships that are growing ... you STOLE from me...yes, you intentionally entered my bag, removed my wallet, took all of my money and every key I owned but the largest and only TRUE crime you committed of me was what you stole from my child - My precious daughter who's world just became more quiet, you stole her confidence in speech, you stole her trust in people. She is hearing impaired and YOU stole her HEARING AIDS! My daughter is very forgiving and my Father is very committed to his children ... He is forever watching over she and I both. He saw you take what was not yours. He saw you take what was hers. And yet, I woke up this morning to hear him say...I love you...I love them. You see Mr/Mrs Robber, I too was a thief. I stole from someone also when I was younger. I stole a ring from someone who trusted me dearly and 21 (aprox) years later that very same ring was given back to me by my mother who came into possesion of it and I was able to return that which I had taken. Mr. Robber, I have been forgiven of much ! I forgive you too - May the God who chased me down to aquire my love and passion for him above all THINGS find you desperate for him also... YOU are the reason I have accepted my Fathers invitation - YOU are who we are .... we struggle, we have been hungary, we have been exhausted and we have looked to ourselves for answers. There IS grace and forgivness. You are NOT alone ! I am grateful for your presence in "my place" yesterday. You have given me a new deeper breath for our purpose here. Mr Robber, I am watching for you ... May we meet when I return to my Fathers house , free at last of the distractions and temptations of this world. May we meet in a place where we will be at peace together..... you, I and my daughter.... in that place.... she won't need those hearing aids anymore !

Mr. Robber..... I love you -

M

To love life.....

Good morning blogging world ! Although it is Wednesday , it could easily be a Monday in regards to attempting to  begin catching you up on our travels the last two months. Frankly, I couldn't even begin... honestly, I'm not sure that everything in my heart has been completely processed and ready to blog and simply..... it's just to much. Basically, we've traveled back to the states for the holidays believing that it was for R&R ..we were wrong.... ! I DO say that with a smile on my face and zippidy fingers as I type.. why ? because through and by the weariness that the trip carried for us so many of those days we have landed in Guatemala on a new page. I can't explain what has happened in our hearts other than to summarize a conversation that I recently had with a dear new friend here... The first time that I met her , we were at a mutual friends home for dinner. Someone asked her if she "liked" it here in Guatemala. Her response was  , quickly, she LOVED it here! Talk about trying to process something... wow... later, in the car on the way home I commented to David that I REALLY "like " it here but to LOVE it here ? ...nope , didn't get that ! She 's obviously one of those (which I ADORE ) kinda "the glass is half full and not half empty ) gals ! ... maybe I'd get that LOVIN' feeling one day....... when I caught up with her at church last Sunday I took her back to that conversation and let her know how I'd been carrying it in my heart .... so thankful to share with her that by means I can't even see, hands that knit that I never saw and words whispered to my spirit by the only SPIRIT that I desire to respond to , I LOVE IT HERE!!!! In fact, my comment to her was that God has placed a spirit of love so deep in me that I CHOOSE to face the adversity here, the "adventure" here.... bring it on.... I choose to fight, thrive, embrace , cherish, hold tight to but not holding to myself the story that God is weaving for our family as we serve in a country starving for justice , functioning in a state of oppression and violence YET God is on his throne....he's got the game plan..... I REJOICE that I WILL NOT perish .... nor is my breath in vain to spread the gospel here .... my life is is a vapor .... a rose that God himself has called into beauty,life and perfection... and for that reason ALONE  I WILL carry on STONG , I WILL...... what ever and for how ever long.. I WILL live my life LOVING serving in a country where you pray as you walk, drive and sit in public places.........my days count ! My days are given to me for a reason as are YOURS.... who ever YOU are.... I challenge you to roll up your sleeves. To do the "HARD" stuff, go out into a community where you consider whether your purse is safer in the car or on your shoulder and you to decide that it's a toss up, give a stick of gum to someone who is hungry...not because they're hungry but because SUGERLESS gum leaves a sweet taste in their mouth that will cause them to linger on the confusion of why did you choose them? What was THAT about? Leave them with a different day .... I challenge you to get out of your car at the carpool line and speak to the mom who has the child that EVERYONE talks about and encourage her that she is loved and that EVERYONE has difficulties but EVERYONE has access to the way out and over her challenge found in petitioning and calling out to Jesus corporately in prayer with a friend (you).... I challenge you to eat differently for today so that your body taste what it misses and that your hunger will drive you to strength found in Christ alone.......... where are you? who are you? where do you live? Do you LOVE IT or just "like " it?????????