Matt's 'family', my family, growth!

Matt has safely arrived in Jackson, happy to be in a cooler climate with people that love to study the Bible, dead languages and theology as much as he does :) I always tell the Lord that He did not make many people like Matt, who takes a 500 page book on Old Testament Theology to the beach on his honeymoon, or who takes "Hebrew Grammar" books with him everywhere in case he gets a spare moment of 'free time'! And yet, Matt heads to Jackson and finds himself in the midst of dozens of people just like him: bliss :)

It's been a bit sad without him, especially for Lily, who continues to crawl around the house, room to room, calling "Dah-dah-dah!" which usually brings him running!

However, I have a BEAUTIFUL praise: Tomorrow my father and sister are flying into Port-au-Prince and then up to Cap-Haitien, and are scheduled to arrive around 2:30! Lily and I are SO excited, and it will be wonderful to not only have their help with Lily and life (already, I need my dad to open 2 containers for me), but I am also excited about the joy and encouragement of their wonderful presence. Aside from Matt, these are my two dearest friends in world, and I cannot WAIT to have 5 (Lisa) and 7 (Dad) days with them!

Praise the Lord for family being there for you when you need them the most!

Tomorrow morning, I will plunge into the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) alongside of 12 other women! Preparing this study has been quite the challenge: first, because the Lord is working on my own heart as I prepare, and second, because of the language! Teaching a Bible study in Creole is not only challenging because of teaching in a second language, but also because of the Creole Bible. It is frequently quite different than any version of English Bibles, and it is taking quite a bit of extra work comparing the two texts and trying to use the texts to bring about the same basic meaning (I'm understanding again why Matt teaching the ORIGINAL language of the OT is so important!)

Anyway, please be praying for us around 9 am Tuesday morning, that the Lord would give us understanding of His Word (and our languages) and that we might be able to do what Hebrews 6:1 instructs us to do: Press on towards maturity in Christ.