Our dear friend Dr. Charles headed out this morning after a few good days of he and Matt teaching together, and the rest of us getting some time to catch up and solve all the problems :) We have gotten time with very few long-time friends and family these past six months, and being with people we have lived and worked with in Haiti is about as precious for our souls as it comes. Praise the Lord for Charles and his precious-to-us wife, Vicki.
Matt taught the final session at Sharptown tonight, teaches his Psalms class tomorrow night and then heads for Philly on Saturday.
I've gotta say, I've really been enjoying homeschooling. I love that on the mornings everyone is up early, we can start after breakfast at 7:30 am. I love that on the mornings no one is, we can start at 8:30, while we eat breakfast. I love that devotions are on the porch, and have no deadline. I love that history is in the piano room, and everyone is listening in while Ben is building blocks. I love that Lily and I aren't just working on how to write a research paper, but are chatting about what she is researching...that Sofie and I are reading through powerful books in the hammock...that Nora begs to do science three and four times a day. I love helping the girls work through frustrations.
I love watching Sofie read to Ben while I help Nora...I love watching Lily invent songs to help Nora learn her Bible verse while I work with Sofie. I love incorporating piano lessons and morning chores into our day. I love that the girls take Lady Jane's dog for a walk and visit with her during morning "recess". I love that when Charles wants to chat after breakfast about mutual friends, I can hand the kids their notebooks and they get started, and if we finish 20 minutes later because of that 20 minute conversation, it's ok.
Our house doesn't always love it :) I haven't showered in a few days (sorry, everyone I've seen...I used to say, "this isn't normally what I look like," but...that is no longer true.) But I LOVE the books we are reading and I love discipling in the home like this and I am finally starting to allow myself to NOT do it all every moment...and realize that by 2 or 3 each day, we are still finished.
And I love that we are going to Haiti for two weeks, and that that's possible, and will continue to be! I am also going to love Fridays, where for the first time ever-ever, it's just Ben and I for six whole hours once a week. I'd say we're not going to know what to do with ourselves, but I'm pretty sure it's going to have something to do with laundry, grocery shopping, sweeping and mopping :)
The team sent me this picture today, and oh how I miss chapel three times a week....vibrant worship, prayer and preaching. It was an hour I never felt like I had time for, always committed to, and always realized I didn't have the time to MISS it.
Pray for our team in Haiti, pray for Emmaus.
Pray for our team in Mississippi, pray for Wesley.
Pray for the men and women God's calling and preparing for full time ministry...it is NO easy life and these days it might even be harder.
Pray for Matt as he travels and preaches, preaches and travels, that God might watch over and provide and give him His fresh spirit and fresh Word for these stale and struggling days....our God who never changes but is always doing new things.
Pray that we might keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus...not the world, not the leaders, not the church, not the news, not the past, not the future...JESUS.
Man, He is so easy to lose sight of, and it is NOT because HE is fading nor weak.
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