A Rest

Saturday. Was. Tough.

Sunday I made a short list of things that overwhelmed me on Saturday:

1. Washer I learned--again--how to do laundry. Except this time I had to do it in a non-automatic washer--yes they still exist. I managed to spill water all over the neighbor's kitchen floor. A washer is on my things to buy for the house; it's going to be automatic.

2. Bugs I'm pretty sure all the bugs Saturday night knew that I was new to the church. They weren't biting, just landing. And landing. And landing. On. Me. I was the kid that picked up frogs & worms & brought them home. Bugs really don't bother me on a regular day.

3. The dog slept in my bedroom. Those of you that know me, know that I like dogs. Clean dogs are my favorite. Indoor dogs, or clean outdoor dogs can sleep in my room anytime. I learned this weekend that the mange-y dirty outside dog used to sleep in my bedroom, because the doors were left open all the time. Not a big deal really, till I remembered that this is the only room I haven't been able to get the floor mopped yet. (Definitely getting done today!)

4. Saying the wrong words. This one hurts me. When I left Mexico, I was pretty far along in language, about halfway through the four stages of learning. Now my comprehension is still pretty high, but I can't get the words to come out of my mouth. Not sure if you've ever been with a two-year old who is trying to talk, and you can tell the words are in his head and he's trying to get the words out, but his mouth just won't move fast enough? Yea. I'm that two-year old again.

5. Can't express myself. Saturday night after church, a friend asked how I was doing. I couldn't really explain how I felt, because, honestly, I was too tired to try to figure it out. Someone was showing genuine interest in how I was doing, and I didn't even feel like answering.

Not going to lie, by the end of the night, I was exhausted & just wanted to sleep for all of Sunday. But, as you can see here:

...weekends are not my time off.

Sunday morning I woke up with the word "frustrada" in mind--it was as if after a half night's rest (we had prayer meeting until midnight Saturday), God gave me the peace of mind to be able to think of how I felt.

So, Sunday morning, I woke up and got ready for church. Each Sunday the families at church are taking turns having me over for lunch. This has been a really neat way to get to know them personally. And I've been blessed each Sunday. This week I went with a couple from church, whose daughters go to another church. The whole family got in the car & off we went. It didn't take long before I realized we were going in the opposite direction of their house! I had no idea where we were going, and decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride. We ended up at a restaurant in the country, about 2 small towns away. Then we went to the Strawberry Festival in the same town. (The easiest way to please me is with fresh strawberries, and August is strawberry season here--in winter!) I thought after this we were headed home, though I was pretty sure we were driving in the opposite direction from where we came. We ended up at a lake in San Bernadino, Lake Ypacarai. What a pleasant surprise to get out of the city for a few hours, and visit the countryside!

The lake is pretty big, and we were just at one little part. The breeze was nice, and the air was much cooler--I can see why this is a main attraction for Paraguayans in the summer!

The girls and I at the lake.

Then we walked up a LOT of stairs to the look out point. I didn't count them because I was talking--and trying to breath. There weren't as many as the waterfall in Mexico, but it was still good exercise! (And as you can see above, I was dressed for church--not hiking!)

At the lookout point, this statue (I assume of Mary) was looking out over the city of San Bernadino & over the lake.

I tried to explain to the family that took me Sunday afternoon, what a blessing the day was to me. Hopefully in time, I'll be able to say, "Hey, do you remember that day we went to the strawberry festival, and went to the lake?...Can I tell you what else was going on in my heart that weekend?"

Until then, I'm going to thank God for His continued faithfulness.

And I'll thank Him for:
1. A washer I can borrow so I don't have to do my laundry by hand.
2. Bugs that eat the spiders & other gross things. Along with the geckos that then eat the bugs.
3. A dog that now sleeps outside my bedroom door, like my personal alarm system.
4. The words that I can say.
5. The ways I can express myself.
6. A friend who after three weeks can see that something isn't right, and is willing to sit with me while I search for the words to explain how I feel.

Thank you for your prayers as I continue to adjust to a new life, new culture, new house, new church, new friends...and many more "new"s. Your intercession makes this possible!


...the next person who innocently says "I could never be a missionary, I just hate bugs!" gets a free visa stamped in her passport. Seriously. :-)