Isaiah 40...my strength

Ok well I have been busy...actually I have no excuses to why I have not blogged in two weeks. Lack of desire maybe. But here I go...

Whenever I have my rough moments here, I immediately think of the passage Isaiah 40 that I mentioned about in an earlier blog. It gives me the strength to hope and understand that any worries, burdens, or doubts I have, God is so much greater, and it is foolish to even think for a second that He cannot handle it. Here are some of the key verses me gusta:

:12-14 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
:25-31 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

I have truly loved being here and know this is exactly where God wants me to be right now, but I have realized no matter where you go, the Lord still puts trials in your way to help you grow stronger, especially in your relationship with Him...trust. Wednesday night and early Thursday morning were one of those rough times. We had Thursday morning prayer, and each of the girls prayed for me. I cannot even begin to explain to you how grateful I was for that, and how much it meant to me. We set off for school, and I already started to feel more peaceful. We did the morning ritual of singing songs and breakfast time, which led to story time. Cristina decided we would take our kids outside for this, which I was pretty excited about, and she did a few things before asking me to read a book about hugs (in which i had already read a couple of times and said un as if it was the pronunciation of une in Francais...smooth). Cristina and I were both sitting on an already slightly broken lawn chair while I was reading the books. After I was done, Cristina asked the kids a few questions, and on the last one, they all pointed to me and started running. The next thing I know, the chair folds, and I am on the ground with about ten boys and girls hugging me. I was laughing so hard, and I knew, at that moment, my day was going to be just fine! We went to Chichigua after school for the second day of a Revelation study, and I sat with Yesica (Jessica) who I have mentioned before. We doodled and laughed the whole time, which was okay because I had already missed half the lecture from the morning...probably should have paid attention, oops. I then went out to the soccer field with Robin and Cara to play with some of the kids and watch some of the older boys play soccer. While this was going on, Robin asked if I had ever tried sugar cane before. Once I said no, she called out to Ronal who disappeared in the sugar cane field with a machete and came back with some. When you eat sugar cane, you have to tear it off with your teeth, suck on it, and spit it out. It wasn't so bad! Except for the fact that it hurt my teeth to tear it off. Naturally, I did the side bite my dad always makes fun of me for. In the picture above, Jeson decided to get some too and eat it with me. If you have not already noticed, Jeson, Rebecca, and Yesica are all related and are some of my absolutely favorite people here. Every time I am around them, they hold my hand, and I have started to realize how much I love holding hands, funny eh. Their lil ones are so precious! All of this to say, my day ended up being absolutely wonderful, which led me back to the passage Isaiah 40. The Lord gives us strength in our time of need when we put our trust in Him.

Two side notes:
1) Appreciate water and all its goodness. We have been without water now for four days. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you have a set of los tweems to bath, a sink full of dishes, toilets to flush, a shower for your stinky self, etc...well you get the point.
2) Katy, Ashley, los tweems, and I went to the beach Friday for Dia de Independence from Haiti in a twelve passenger gua gua with at least 24 people inside.