Stuck

Baby Giraffe

Almost every single Sabbath afternoon we are invited by one of the families of our students to their house for lunch and the afternoon, and sometimes the evening. It is such a blessing. Each family is so much fun and relaxing to spend time with, each in their own unique way. Sabbath afternoons have become one of my favorite times of the week, to be sure.

This last particular Sabbath afternoon was spent with the Sandoval family, and we headed to a small, private game reserve to spend our afternoon out in nature observing the animals there. We watched big lizard-comodo-dragon-things rush out of the road as we came; we watched nyala, impala, and waterbuck wander through the bushes; and we played hide-and-seek with the monkeys in the trees. We also came across a mother giraffe with her cute little baby, who was taller than me. As Brenda carefully crept closer and closer to the giraffe, it was fascinating to watch the mother’s reaction turn from not being bothered by our presence to being defensive and very cautious. She flared her nostrils and pawed at the ground, muscles twitching in case she needed to make a run for it. Don’t worry, we didn’t get too close and we were perfectly safe :)

Brenda cautiously moving closer to the giraffe.

Then we drove down another road. It being the end of rainy season, there are some nice, big muddy sections of road in these game parks. We came across one and optimistically thought that by going around it, we wouldn’t get stuck. So we tried it. And we got stuck. In the hot sun. So the kids and I walked through the mud in search of some shade and dry ground to sit on while dad called some people at the gate to come help us get un-stuck.

And there we were, lying on blankets stretched across the dry ground and resting in the shade. There aren’t any elephants, lions, leopards, or the like in this particular park, so it's safe to do that there. The singing birds and the breeze rushing through the trees provided a soothing and relaxing atmosphere. Suddenly, another sound of nature joined the others, and it was not quite so relaxing anymore. A galloping sound came from somewhere, but we couldn’t tell where. This small park does have cape buffalo, which happen to be the most aggressive of the “Big Five” - and we were lying on the grass. My imagination went wild. We jumped up and desperately searched the bushes. I grabbed my camera, ready to make a mad dash for the car if I needed. As we all looked around us to find out what animal was joining us, we finally spotted them: three waterbuck that ran by without even glancing at us. Whew! A few minutes later some men came and helped get our car out of the mud, and we continued our adventure.

Stuck.

Dirty feet after walking through the mud to dry ground.

Relaxing in the shade. Brenda & Claudio.

Getting stuck in mud in a game park isn’t exactly every person’s ideal when it comes to any sort of trip - but I loved every minute of it. We didn’t see many animals, aside from some gorgeous birds, but we spent some valuable time in nature, and it was SO refreshing. And, the adventure of it all was exciting (I thought so anyway).

In life, sometimes we get stuck. We think that we can handle things on our own without the help of others and of God - and we optimistically move on. But then we run into mud and get stuck. We need God, and we need others. Thankfully, God is always with us and watching over us, and He comes and rescues us each time we get stuck.

God is just so amazing.

First class seating!

 

Waterbuck

A beautiful sunset over the valley to end the Sabbath.

One Sunday Morning

Another sunny Sunday morning helping with the Children's Ministry program...

It never ceases to amaze me how helping out with this program completely changes my attitude. This particular Sunday morning I was feeling really low. I didn't want to go anywhere, do anything, or see anybody. But I went anyway. And just as with every other time I've helped out, my attitude completely changed and I left feeling blessed. I wasn't focused on my life, problems, or what I had to do anymore - I was thinking of others. A very wise friend told me that helping other people brings us closer to God - that He designed us to be that way. I understand why now. As we go out of our way to help others, even if we have no clue what on earth we're doing, God is using us as He needs and we are part of something incredibly bigger than ourselves - part of His work.  It's mind-blowing to think about. The Creator of the Universe, allowing us, complete sinners, to help Him with His work.


"'For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
"Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
"And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'"
Matthew 25:35-40 NLT

Leading out in a few songs.

Our fearless leader, Sheena. Bible Story/Lesson time.

Eager to answer questions :)

Coloring the memory verse time. He had the cutest smile.

I promise I'm in the picture!

This is my new friend Alice. She said please and thank you each time it was appropriate. But that's not why I love her. It's her sweet spirit that stole my heart as she edged closer and closer to me as the program went on until she was practically sitting in my lap, as she smiled shyly at me every chance she got, as she hung around as long as she possibly could after the program to stay with us, and as she gave me a big huge hug before I left. 

A failed "selfie" attempt. It is next to impossible to get a picture with a specific child here.
You pull out the camera and everybody gathers around. But that is more than okay with me!

The extremely sketchy bridge that we cross to get to and
from the small school house we use for our program.

Yes, I know these pictures aren't great. They are blurry, too dark, too light, etc. But the point of these pictures is not to be perfect, but to show what Children's Ministry is like. And besides, one has to be very conspicuous with the camera to not distract the kids from the program. The kids go wild when there's a camera present, as I'm sure you saw in the pictures :)