lady and the tramp, family, and a night with the kiddos

I've decided that the neighborhood i live in (well, I guess that my parents live in...) is kinda like where the Disney movie "Lady and the Tramp" took place. Really there is one correlation: dogs. I've been going on nightly walks in the hills at dusk and as I make my way up the hill from our house the dogs start barking incredibly loudly as if warning the others, farther up the hill, that I am coming. The "farther up the hill dogs" are already barking by the time I pass them. This continues for my 30 minute walk winding up and down and through the hills. Dogs everywhere. Thankfully, none of them have attacked me yet. But my mom does make me take my cell phone, just in case. And I really do think it is more because of the dogs than any creeper that might happen to live on top of this hill. The only people out up here at that time of night are families coming home, the occasional "parked" couple, and the old men who tend their gardens up here. My mom and I think that they wake up every morning somewhere in the city and their wives kinda "shew" them out of the house for the day. They are the self-proclaimed neighborhood watchers. They look at me somewhat suspiciously as I walk around. I don't think they recognize me. Although, I did have to climb the gate to the school a couple times after getting locked out AND in. I guess they have reason to be suspicious.

It's so wonderful to be here. So refreshing, encouraging. It's a precious part of my life. Most of the friends I grew up going to school with have long gone to other parts of the world. That's the thing about going to school with kids from all over the world, it's hard to reconnect with them, at least geographically. I have seen a couple of them, which was sweet to me. Mostly, however, I've been spending time with my friends from my church. I love these people. They are family. I wish I had words to describe how much they mean to me. It has been such a blessing to spend time with them and witness how God has changed and grown them. You gain an interesting perspective being gone for so long. When you come back you see the leaps of growth rather than the small steps. It's kinda cool. And then you get to hear the stories of the steps. They've all been so welcoming and loving. I feel somewhat like a traitor sometimes. I come, spend great time catching up with them, basking in the love and care they offer, and then I leave again, three weeks later. Sometimes I just wish I could stay. Life is simple here. Refreshingly simple.

I've gotten to spend the day with little kids. I love it. My parents agreed to watch a family of three kids (mks) overnight and I got to help out. Really, I've just played right along with them. The boy is the oldest and so smart, you can just tell. He knows how to work our dvd player and tv better than i do (trust me, it takes a combination of about 5 remotes and 100 buttons to watch a dvd...more or less...). The little girls are the ones that just make my heart jump. The older one is Ellie, age 8. She is a pensive, sweet, tenderhearted little girl. You can tell she thinks deeply through things, especially for her age. She has a sensitive heart and has just been a little blessing. SO sweet. She is respectful and caring, very engaging. Even at 8 she just cares about people and wants to know what makes them them. She's asked a lot of insightful questions, i love it. Her little sister Maddie is a riot. She is 5 and while still precious and a sweetheart is much more straight forward. She fed me salad and carrot soup at the park tonight (two BIG handfuls of pebbles). It was tasty.:) Both girls insisted on holding my hands everywhere we walked, sitting on either side of me at dinner and in the car, taking turns sitting on my lap, and for some reason playing with my hair. They're fascinated with my curls. Over and over again they would gently pull them and watch them "boing" back up. I don't usually let people play with my hair but these girls were so cute and fascinated that it didn't seem to bother me. It has been a fun night. I love seeing life through the eyes of little kids. It's honest. It reminds me of how, as adults, we got to be where we are. It's good to be reminded.

" You are the God who saves us, worthy of all our praises."

Sorry for the long delay for the few of you who read this. I'm in Portugal now and am amazed every day. I'm working at camp this week doing everything from making copies, making food, setting tables, translating, leading work teams, its been somewhat chaotic, a little confusing but mostly amazing and incredibly humbling to watch God work. I'm leading a work team as my main job. We set up for meals and clean after them, we wash dishes and clean bathrooms. Three of the five other people on my work team are great workers; two of them have been a bit of a challenge. I was ready to send them home yesterday, but today, I'm full of love for them and I'm learning that God isn't finished with them, and while He is growing them, He is using them.
The gospel is being preached every day, multiple times a day at camp in an incredibly powerful way. Some of the kids there don't know who God is but have been hearing about Him and how He saves every day for the last two weeks. Four kids lives were changed for eternity tonight. They will never be the same again. They got to be connected with people who will also disciple them and help them grow. PRAISE the LORD! Its such a blessing to be here. To be able to share the gospel with kids, through sharing my own story, through translating, through helping. Its been so awesome to see teens from my church and surrounding churches who were saved in the last 5 years now counseling kids at camp and leading them to a personal relationship with Christ. I'm really at a loss for words.
I am full of love. I love this country, this language, these people, the culture. Its so beautiful and God's heart is full of love for them and is breaking for their hearts. Its a love that is transforming my heart. God is so much bigger than any one of our stories, our lives, but through our stories, He makes His name great among the people of the world.
I beg you to pray for these kids this week. I'll share more stories next week when I have more time to write adn do them justice. These kids need Jesus. My prayer is that they find Him.