The Miscellaneous File & A New Kidlet!

Sometimes I just enjoy "cleaning out" the Miscellaneous file that I have in my Photos folder... ;)

Above: I walked into Jenna & Jodi's room awhile back to find Jenna covered in a blanket and with her hand wrapped around the lamp to keep warm! I don't want to make us sound like wimps, but... we kind of are. After living in HOT weather for most of the year... it's easy to get chilly really quickly! :)

This is one of the the kid's favorite dishes... and yes, that's fresh spinach!

It actually gets cooked into the whole skillet mass, and then slathered in Alfredo sauce, but it gives me great joy to dump all this fresh greenery into something that I'm cooking! :)

Have you ever been serenaded by Srta. Jodi?

If not... you're missing out.
If you're not convinced... just look at that pic.
You have to be missing out on something like that!

She came in singing "Vivo en la Casa Rota..." and she took our breath away.
Maybe because we were in audio-visual pain??? ;)

A new little boy arrived on Wednesday afternoon. His name is Jorge, and Jodi will be taking care of him. Here he is playing with Marcos on his first night in La Casa Rota (above).

[By the way, don't let the previous picture of Srta. Jodi scare you about her caretaking abililties for young children... :)]

Jorge is two and a half, came with a broken leg, and has a smile that will melt your heart.
Please pray for this little guy as he heals physically and that Jodi can guide him emotionally and spiritually... "training up" this precious child that God has, in His sovereignty, brought to CVE.

First night photo...

... and this morning!

I am always amazed at how quickly young children can adapt to their new surroundings, and it's a wonderful lesson in learning to be "content" wherever God has us, doing whatever He wills, and living to glorify Him with whatever He has given us.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

I taught Sunday School last week and the topic was the Ten Commandments. I was excited because I've been reading a book by Russell Stendal (a missionary in Colombia) called The Beatitudes: God's Plan for Battle in which he proposes that The Beatitudes are the 10 Commandments of the New Testament. One of the sections really struck me:

"Verse 11 says, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him innocent that takes his name in vain. In the Christian Church we have traditionally felt that this was swearing. But it isn't just swearing. It's saying, 'Thus saith the Lord...' when the Lord did not say it. It's saying, 'Hallelujah, praise the Lord,' when we are not being obedient to the Lord. It's coming in and singing all the songs and saying we are in agreement with the Christian faith and identifying ourselves as the people of God, when we are really not living our life in obedience to the Lord...

The Christian Church is full of people asking for everything under the sun in Jesus' name when it is really in their own name...

If we are just trying to stamp the Lord's name all over the top of our own selfish plans and ambitions (individual or corporate), to dress them up and make them look nice and acceptable: it is taking the Lord's name in vain." - pg. 92-94

This was a wonderful insight for me... yeah, maybe I don't take the name of the Lord in vain. Out loud. But what is my heart doing every time I put my plans above His? When my priorities (which I think are according to His will) are really just my will stamped with the Jesus seal?

It doesn't work that way.

I pray that God will reveal to me, and to each of you, if we are truly walking according to His will... and the areas where we aren't.

Please keep praying for CVE in this time of spiritual darkness. Read Luke, chapter 18, verses 1-8 and be encouraged to continue praying. God has this under control, and He knows the end and the timing... please pray that He continues being with us in the battle!