The week behind, the week ahead

We have been here as a family for one week. We spent most of this week just catching our breath after a busy final week in the states. We also have been adjusting to the home where we are staying for the first few weeks and to our new home--Honduras.

Ellyn is adjusting insofar as a three year old has to adjust. Both of her first two Sundays she found and made friends with adult women in the church more readily than we expected. She still plays quite shy with many people like Efrain the church guard though she talks about him when we're at home. At home she loves the trampoline and a large dollhouse to which she has access and has a love-hate relationship with the German Shepherd that lives here. She also likes when we take the "bumpy way" home (which we always do because it's the only way but she sometimes sleeps through it. The last quarter mile or so to the house where we are staying is a rather rutted dirt road.)

Debbie is also adjusting and as you can imagine her adjustment is a bit more complex than Ellyn's. We made a first major shopping trip to a grocery store, La Colonia, and all emerged unscathed and with food. She also attended the women's Bible study on Tuesday and got to meet several women from the church and other ministries. This Tuesday they will have a luncheon to provide more time for people to get to know her. Today, Sunday, she drove in the city for the first time. Sunday is the best day to drive as the traffic is much less crazy. Debbie is also adjusting to life in someone else's home, kitchen, laundry room, etc. The house is more than adequate for our needs and we are grateful for it but also look forward to finding a place of our own and making it home.

Stephen did not have the week he expected to have. This was primarily because two days of it were spent cleaning the church after flooding. We were very grateful for those church members who worked with us to get the water out and sweep and mop up all the silt and grime the water brought with it. Sunday School started this week as well. We are doing a study on Respectable Sins which will be loosely based off Jerry Bridges' book of the same title. Stephen will preach one more sermon from psalms before beginning a short series from the book of Haggai.

So much for the week behind. The week ahead poses new challenges--known and unknown. We soon need to make a vehicle purchase (though we received today the offer of another loaner that gives us a cushion on that) and we would also like to start looking at housing not knowing when we might be able to get in to a place. There are also issues like health insurance, residency, and bank accounts to attend to. These are necessary hurdles that can be time consuming but we believe that the bureaucrat's heart is in the hand of the Lord so we are confident that the hurdles will be crossed.

We invite you to thank God with us for:

1) Health in these early days

2) The generosity and warmth of the congregation

And to pray with us for:

1) Wisdom in the search for a car and home

2) Patience and persistence with the paperwork issues

3) Power and authority in preaching

4) A growing love for the congregation