PHOTOS FROM SCHOOL LAST WEEK

 My bible class. Not everyone was present but we still had fun. I am trying to help the boys in my class realise that even if their life is hard God is still present. One of the boys in the class has a father suffering from cancer. The other boy recently moved to our school because he was being bullied. They may be kids but they sure carry with them tons of experiences and hurts. We are going to start to study Job's life.

Andrew lead the kids at school in what we call Daddy Devotionals last Thursday. Each week we have a dad come in and lead the kids in a brief devotional. He did a object lesson using a dollar bill (actually it was a 20 pesos bill). He spoke about how things like reading our bibles, spending quiet time with the Lord, attending church and having fellowship all helps us become stronger. Each time he spoke of one of the things that make us stronger he would fold the dollar bill. At the end there was 4 folds in it and the bill was able to hold up a can of coke.
The lesson being that the bill could not hold up the can of coke. We aren't strong when we are not engaged in our christian walk. Hearing the truth is great but we need to take time to think it over, to let the truth change us from the inside out.

My Theme Song for 2014

Oceans (where feet may fail) Song by Hillsong United

Verse #1

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown, where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep, my faith will stand

Chorus:

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

Verse #2

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed, and You won't start now

Chorus:

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

Bridge:

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior x 3

Ending:

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) Lyrics 

What does it mean to be STILL / SILENT  before God? I read yesterday in Exodus 14:14 

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

Living Bible (TLB)

14 The Lord will fight for you, and you won’t need to lift a finger!”

New International Version (NIV)

14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

This is a interesting verse. I admit I struggle to find a simple answer of what it is asking of me. The Israelite people still needed to walk with their families across the Red sea bed. They still needed to apply themselves for the journey ahead, they still needed to not be struck or paralized by fear knowing that Pharaoh and his many chariots and army were in close pursuit behind them. This didn’t mean they sat down and waited for the hand of God to literally pick them up (all 600,000 thousand men plus woman and children) and plant them on the other side of the Red Sea. 

Lets not forget that the Israelites where in Egypt for 430 years. And their deliverance didn’t happen over night either. 

Part of me thinks that the miracle God performed there was so great that he wanted the Israelite people to really experience it. Yes, he could have just transported them to the other side. But wouldn’t it be much harder to forget all the hours they spent walking, pushing their belongings, their plunder from the Egyptians. All the time it must have taken to drag their live stock, children and older aged family members stepping over the sea weed, to almost suffocate from the smell of raw fish , salt and what ever else is at the bottom of the sea.  You see this way I think God gave the people another blessing. It was of even more memories of how He delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. Sometimes one event even a monumental event can be easily forgotten. But hours upon hours of slugging through the mud and muck, the smell, the sight , the sound of animals, babies even the sound of the water being held back could not of been a quiet thing.  I think this experience was burned into their memories. Let’s not forget they all just lived to tell of the first Passover where they literally heard the cries and screams of those mooring around them. Exodus tells us there was not a single house hold that was left with out a dead person to remind them how the Hebrew God was powerful and meant business. 

This is how I understand why things may take longer then I think they need to take (in my mind). Why the hurt of losing friends and family from our team lasts longer then we think we can handle. Why it has to take so long to feel comfortable learning and speaking another language! Why you can’t just move into a new country and pray for your kids to have friends and BAMB see it happen in a matter of a few weeks or months. I think if it would happen that fast we would miss so much.  So much of the God moments.  So much of the Lord leading us when we feel tired and not sure how much more we can hang on. You see this way He will get all the glory. Because our pride will know there was no way I could have hung on that long. Even the hanging on was blessing from the Lord.

Now back to the so called doing nothing part, the being still part. I don’t think this means what it sounds like. God wants us to still our minds from all the turning. All the brainstorming of how I can solve this situation. How can I change our current circumstance? When I actually stop and know that the answer isn’t in my head or hands I can be still and rest. I know that this situation is covered; it does not take the Lord by surprise. And therefore I only need to still my heart and my head and trust Him. He will come through. He will deliver me even if I can’t image the end result, He will deliver us. 

As I type this I think of how our life for the past year has in so many ways resembled a country song. My family left, our friends left, our dog was sick, one of my kids is sad, one of my other kids is scared of everything that moves. And as always in every country the hurdles in ministry are here. The enemy has swayed some we thought were believers to turn from God and trust a liar the liar… The enemy has tempted to weaken struggling believers and they have slipped. But I know that there is a story being weaved. And sometimes the more details the harder it will be for us to forget it. And the more obvious it will be who did the delivering and who did NOT.

The only way I know how to tell my friends to hang on when it feels the wind is blowing too strong is to find a passage of scripture a promise and cling to it. Remember that God has given us so many stories with example after example of what He is capable of and this does include our lives. 

New International Version (NIV)

14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

My prayer is that even when I feel panicked and over whelmed. It might not seem to be logical but stop and listen, will be where my greatest strength will come from.

Thank you for your prayers, and for sharing our journey with us.

Raton Perez

Ratoncito Pérez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Statue of the Ratoncito Pérez.
The Ratoncito Pérez or Ratón Pérez (Pérez Mouse in English) is a figure popular in Spanish and Hispanic American cultures, similar to the tooth fairy, originating in Madrid in 1894. As is traditional in some English-speaking countries, when a child loses a tooth it is customary for him or her to place it under the pillow, so that Ratoncito Pérez will exchange it for a gift. The tradition is almost universal in Spanish cultures, but takes different forms in different areas. He is known as "Ratoncito Pérez" in Spanish speaking countries, with the exception of some regions of Mexico, Peru and Chile, where he is called "el Ratón de los Dientes" (The Tooth Mouse), and in Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Colombia, he is known simply as "El Ratón Pérez".
The Ratoncito Pérez has been used in by Colgate marketing in Venezuela, stars in the 2006 Argentine movie El Ratón Pérez, and appeared in the tale of the Vain Little Mouse.

OK I don't know about you but the thought of going to sleep at night only to await a RAT to sneak under my pillow and take my tooth away is only a little creepy. But I am very happy Bethany has readily embraced this new culture. She is awaiting losing her second tooth and Raton Perez brought her a little gift of money after the first tooth. Apparently there are songs about him and even a movie.

Isn't it funny how small our world view can be even on the tooth fairy when we haven't lived anywhere but in one place all our lives? Of course he or she would be different in different countries no one could expect a tooth fairy to get all over the planet with out any help.

TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE.......

OK so every time my family experiences an earthquake here in Mexico City the topic of moving from our 8th floor apartment comes up. My children both insist they hate our apartment for the following 24-48 hours. This is largely to do the fact that none of their friends are even aware we had a earthquake because most of them live on the ground level or 4th floor.

 

For the past  4 months we have been dealing with a neighbour who parks his car in front of our car. Not his fault that is where he rents the parking space. The problem is that we can not leave or get in once his  car is parked there. We have spoken with his mother. He lives with her and I think he is in his 40's quite normal out here. We have spoken to the building administrator and told her of the countless time we are late for work due to our neighbour's car blocking us in. Not to worry she promised she will just make sure he knows our work schedule and tell him he is to be out of his parking spot each morning by 7:15 am sharp. Which is the usual time we see the kids off and head to Spanish class.

Fast forward to today. Over the last month we have banged on his door, rung his apartment doorbell , called him all in order to help him get out of bed. Apparently all his family members are quite sound sleepers.

A wise friend reminded me yesterday that no apartments are perfect and you need to choose what you can and cannot live with. So can I live with not moving our car when we need to?

The last point I make against our apartment is that we are NOT allowed a dog. The fact that we gave away Charlie our O.C.D. peeing and biting dog continually come up with the children. I constantly remind them how Charlie bit everyone, how he had this amazing ability to pee while laying on his back straight up into the air. The fact that his own urine would hit himself still would stop him.

Oh lets talk about taking Charlie for a walk. A walk anywhere actually. In a park, yes he would bark, and of course search for the biggest dog in the place and then proceed to challenge them. I would even make those amazing little sounds Cesar Milan makes (CHIIIT) and sort of kick Charlie in the leg to change his focus. NOTHING would help. So when Sam went for allergy testing in Abbotsford and the results said he WAS allergic to his furry, peeing and biting friend I must admit I jumped at the chance to relieve the house of him. Seriously this dog knew when the floor was just washed and instinctual to cover the clean aroma he would move in to pee once again on it. Oh how I would have loved to call Cesar Milan to come to our aid.

Did I mention the bark collar we bought him once the neighbours called the SPCA when they could no longer tolerate his barking. It was one of those nice kinds where the person at the Pet Shop store had some internal moral struggle selling it to you. And then you felt the need to tell them your life long story of how it came down to this collar or losing the dog.  The sob story struck a cord and they sold us the bark collar.

OK so now what would be the most responsible thing to do tell the children?  We tried it it didn't work on so many levels!  Or tell them maybe we can move to another place and get a dog?  They really are still mourning Charlie like a part of our family died.  And I guess to them he did. So is this the straw that breaks the camels back and gives us that final push towards moving? I don't know...

This morning Andrew made us breakfast. We didn't go to church this morning as we are all struggling with sick tummies. I guess it is time to get the parasite medicine again. There are lots of reasons people talk about the constant battles with their tummies. Some say the heat, unclean water or just parasites. Opps OK no more rabbit trails. So after we were done eating in our usual family tradition Andrew played a story on his I Pad for the kids that we would talk about once it was done. Today's story was about the people of Israel grumbling and only focusing on the have nots and not the things they had been given,. Like their freedom from slavery in Egypt. They were already eating mana, a bread that showed up each morning allowing them to have food each day. Reminding them that even when things all seem lost they still had a God who heard there cries and took care of them. But did that stop the Israelites from grumbling?

 Does it stop us? Does it stop ME? Nope and so on the story goes.  We ask, we receive.  ,We are happy. We forget all we have.  We ask again and grumble as we see all the things others seem to have. And their stuff looks better, at least from over here it does. They have a car they can drive when they want.  I bet they don't have to bang on their neighbours door for 20 minutes in order to get him out of bed to move his car. I bet they didn't even know we had three earthquakes last week, and here I am with my children bagging to go back to Canada where they never felt a earthquake before. Howcome everyone in the building is allowed a dog but us? That's not fair! But then the discussion comes after the story we heard this morning. So what do we have? What are we thankful for? What have we forgotten to give thanks for? So we went around the table and prayed.

Thank you Lord for...

rain to wash the air

summer holiday for the kids

a roof over our heads

beds to sleep in

food everyday

happy earthly poor fiends full of joy reminding us of what really matters

parasite medication

great friends back home that help us to not feel forgotten

churches back home that make a effort to call us one of their own

team mates

Mexican friends

family that is coming to visit soon!

the ability to bring the children with us as we travel to small towns

a Sunday at home with just our family

Beth learning to read

Sam learning the guitar

me loving cooking for my family 

a God who loves us and forgives us DAILY and allows us to begin again EACH MORNING.

So do I know if we should move or not? NOPE. But I am reminded to be grateful for the here and now and not get caught up in thinking that things will be better tomorrow. Because despite all the hard things life is pretty good TODAY!

All my love, Claudia

Stuffed Tomatoes

OK so what do I do with left over rice and left over sauce I made a few days ago?
I mixed about 2 cups of left over rice into 2 cups of tomato sauce
Chopped up about 1 cup of spinach

1/2 cup onions chopped
1 garlic head diced
One handful of fresh basil leaves
1 tbs salty cheese, Parmesan if you have any. Add a bit of pepper and chili powder if you like.
After mixed put in 2-3 beaten eggs.
Mix everything together and place in tomatoes.
Gut tomatoes with a spoon or small knife.
Place tomatoes in muffin tins and turn over on to about a medium heat.
I wiped each muffin tn with a bit of Olive Oil so they wouldn't stick.
Sprinkle with cheese, any kind you have. I used a three cheese mix.

fill tomatoes with mixture. bake for about 45 minutes till everything is cooked and cheese is bubblingBeth my veggie eater loved it.Sam well not so much. Anything squishy even yogurt he protests.
ENJOY.

No Bake Peanut Butter Bees So Yummmy

what you need

1/4

cup  (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1

cup  PLANTERS Creamy Peanut Butter

1

cup  powdered sugar

1-1/2

cups  HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs or finely crushed HONEY MAID Honey Grahams

1

oz.  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/3

cup  PLANTERS Sliced Almonds, toasted

make it

BEAT butter, peanut butter and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add cracker crumbs; mix well.

SHAPE tablespoonful of butter mixture into 1-inch oval to resemble body of bumble bee. Repeat with remaining butter mixture for additional "bees."

MELT chocolate as directed on package. Drizzle in lines on top of bees to resemble bees' stripes. Insert almonds into both sides of each body for "wings." Store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

K:31210v5:55534

These are so yummy especially if you hate using your gas oven out here =) and turning it on only make the apartment so much hotter.