Lucy's Birthday Post #2

Um... so tomorrow turned into Monday.  Sorry!

(Just to warn you there are a LOT of pictures to follow.  I am trying to become a better photographer and that entails taking lots of pictures.)




I went to Lucy's school to lead the class in a few games.  I had asked the teacher if I could (don't ask me why), but as it was approaching I was getting so nervous.  Once things got going I was fine (albeit sweaty!).

Her school is just so cute.  The teachers love the kids and they are always doing the most creative things.

Lucy loves her teacher.  She is so sweet and full of energy.  When she saw me pull out my camera she excused herself and went to put on more makeup and lipstick!!

We started with pin the tail on the donkey.  Justin drew and colored that Eeyore.  Isn't it beautiful!  He also made cute little tails for all of the kids.  I was wanting to have the kids color and cut out their own tails, but time didn't allow (plus, I think the teacher is afraid to let the kids use scissors!!).  So the assistant, teacher, and I quickly cut them out.  Then I explained the game to the kids.  I was proud of myself because it seemed like they all understood me!  Next Lucy demonstrated.

After a few minutes the assistant couldn't handle it anymore.  She had to help the kids get it in the right spot.  Neither the teacher or assistant would let the kids stick it where they actually tried to.  I still kept spinning them around several times, though!

After the tails were all pinned on Eeyore it was time for cake.  I ordered Lucy's cake from a local bakery.  She picked out Cinderella.  It was a beautiful cake!

Here comes the cake!

The fork didn't last long.  The kids were two fisting it in no time!

This little girl was so cute but so naughty!  She went over to the cake while no one was looking and FINISHED IT OFF !!

After cake time we played the drop the clothespins in the jar game.  I didn't get any pictures because I was surrounded- rather tightly- by small children!  Then we went down to the play room and the teacher did a puppet show for the kids.  I was amazed at how much they loved something so simple!!

I think that the kids had fun.  Lucy sure did!!  She is such a sweetheart.  They all just love her so much!

After Lucy's school party we went home and waited for Daddy, Noah, and Callie to get home.  Then we went to meet Lucy's friend at McDonald's.    

I'll post the pictures from her family celebration tomorrow (or maybe in April!).

Lucy's Birthday Post #1

Some people don't really celebrate birthdays or make much of a big deal about them.  We are not one of those families!! We have a few birthday family traditions, and we like to try to make as big of a deal about it as possible.

We start with the birthday person's favorite breakfast.  This year Lucy chose poğaça.  They are like little biscuits filled with cheese.  She LOVES them!

We buy them from our local bakery, so Justin had to head down there to buy fresh ones.  Lucy could not wait to open her presents.  She was too excited.  So presents came before breakfast.

Opening her present from Mom and Dad

We got her some little Fur Real Friends.  This one is a small little dog.  Lucy LOVES animals.

Gamma and PawPaw got her a little horse that has its own carry purse. 

Lucy is very lady-like and dignified!

New pajamas

Polly Pocket Camper.  All summer while we were in the States she saw the commercial for this toy on tv and asked for it constantly.  I guess advertising works! 

The camper was a hit!

Posing with her new Polly Pocket and horsey pjs.

Horsey came to eat breakfast with us.

Lighting the sparklers.

The Birthday Girl with her birthday poğaça and sparklers.

Noah and Callie were to sweet to help Lucy break in her new toys!

Remote controlled My Little Pony airplane.

She loved it!

This is the playground for the little animals we got her.

All the toys got their chance to fly in Pony's airplane!

Another tradition that my Mom accidentally started last year is decorating their own cake.  Last year when Mom came to visit she brought a Funfetti cake and frosting with sprinkles.  She also sent one in the package for Callie's birthday.  Thank goodness she remembered to send it for Lucy because she was expecting it, and I had forgotten!!  I made the cake the night before, and then Lucy put the sprinkles on all by herself.  She was so proud of the cake she made for her birthday!

She was concentrating so hard.

Just a little taste!

Pressing them in nice and pretty!

So proud of the final product!

The rest of the morning we played with all of the fun new toys.  She took a short time-out to watch half of her new My Little Pony video from Aunt Melissa and Uncle Paul sent.

I will post the pictures (*** warning*** LOTS of pictures) from her school party tomorrow.

Lucy Patricia

Lucy- 3 months old

Lucy- 1 year old

Lucy- 2 Years old

Lucy- 3 Years old

Lucy- 4 years old

We're Back

We returned home from the conference last night.  It was a really good time.  We learned a lot and got to spend time with like-minded people.

The kids had a good time.  They are so good at making fast friendships with other kids.  There were not many other young kids there but there were a few, and just the right ages!

We rode down on the bus.  I have been skeptical all these years of the public coach buses even though I heard they were really nice.  I could only imagine Greyhound.  Boy, was I wrong!!!  It was really nice.  Each seat had a screen in front of it and you could choose from all sorts of movies, television shows, games, or music.  They have a steward that offers constant drink and snack service.  Our bus was clean and comfortable.  We were all pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the bus.

The hotel was not what we had expected.  They usually are not in this country!!!  But I had double checked on their web-site and there was a pool.  The kids were so excited to get to swim.  Once we arrived we ate a quick lunch and then went to check out the pool.  Um... it was nice, but it cost 15 lira per person per day.  I was so mad.  The kids were devastated!

After a while of considering it we decided that we'd just take the hit and pay the money to swim.  We were all looking so forward to it.  I, in protest, did not pay the price to swim.  To be honest, I was just still so mad.  Who ever heard of a hotel charging its guests extra to swim?!?  Apparently here its not all that uncommon.  But still, I can't handle such craziness.

We rode back with some friends who were headed this way and had extra room in their car for us.  That was fun, too!

Today, Justin is at the immigration department with Noah and Callie trying to get their visas.  You have to make an appointment now, which is much better than when we first started doing this a few years back.  You used to stand in line for hours, packed body to body while pushing ever so slightly.  Now once your set of numbers is called you get to join the line.  Its not quite so tightly packed and the pushing is not constant.

We usually try our best to get the first appointment in the morning, but now they make appointments for students in the afternoon.  Noah and Callie's appointments were for 2:00.  I got a text from Justin at 2:15 that said they are three hours behind and the number system is out of order!!

You can bet he is going to have a headache when he gets home tonight!!!

In other news... tomorrow Lucy turns 4!!  She is so excited!

Sunday Sneak Peak

Goin' Out of Town

We are headed to a city just a few hours southeast of here today.  We are attending a conference about how to be culturally contextual while staying spiritually strong.

Can't wait!

On a not so spiritual note... the hotel has a pool!  Belly flop!!!

All you Need is LOVE

I have just finished reading the third book in a row that speaks about the power of love.  Each one came to me from a different source and they are very different.  I am not so dense as to think it is a coincidence!  


I have come to the conclusion that the way that Jesus dealt with people was out of pure love.  He didn't manipulate.  He didn't serve himself.  He wasn't lazy.


Jesus looked to the heart of the matter and spoke truth in love.  That's why the Pharisees couldn't trap Him.  They couldn't force Him to react to a particular situation, person, or accusation.  Jesus didn't react; He lived a life of pre-emptive love.


I am slowly getting that.  


I know that the only reason that I am here is because the Holy Spirit within me gave me a heart for these people.  There is absolutely nothing- NO THING- in me that would want my life to be like this.  Yet, here I am.  And my heart feels at home here.  The Lord loves my neighbor who lies too much as much as He loves me or even Billy Graham!  His Father's heart is for my  neighbor to know it- to finally experience true Love for the first time.  


I pray that my heart is becoming more and more like His heart.  Full of love.  I want to be slow to speak, slow to anger, and quick to LOVE!


I wanted to recommend the books that I have read recently:


Same Kind of Different as Me:  This book is a really interesting story about how people can change each other's lives.  I was really touched by the true friendship that resulted in the end.  (Hopefully that's not a spoiler!)  The thing is, that early on the friendship took lots of work.  It is hard to love someone who is so different than yourself.  I feel like I am living that out right now.  To take the time and love to listen and understand someone else.  The results can be amazing and life giving!!  Read this book!!


Tea with Hezbollah: The title caught my eye because of where we live.  I thought Justin would enjoy it, but I am not so much into politics, so I figured I probably would not end up reading it.  Justin read it really fast and loved it.  He promised me that it's not at all about politics and all about the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  So I began to read it.  Amazing!!  These guys literally sit with some of the scariest people you can imagine and simply ask "get to know you" style questions.  One of the premises is that when you know someone it is harder to dislike them.  They did an amazing job of steering clear of politics in the world's political hotbed.  The humble approach they take to sitting and drinking tea with powerful men, all the while asking insightful and interesting questions blew me away.  The heart of the novel really is the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Since Muslims believe in Jesus, they often asked the interviewee what they thought of His greatest commandment- "to love your neighbor as yourself."  The answers are surprising.  Read this book!!


The Imam's Daughter:  I read this in one day.  It is a heartbreaking true story of what life is like for so many women today.  I felt like a few of my friends here could have written this book- at least the first part.  (I am still praying for the happy ending for them!)  It gave me a lot of insight into why things have gone so wrong for these people and how love is more appealing than ever.  Not just appealing, but in my opinion, the only way that Muslims will see the truth of Christ.  I think you should read this book so that you know how to pray for my friends here and how to pray against the spread of ignorance in Islam.




That old hymn, "They will Know we are Christians by our Love" could not be more true.  Unfortunately, Christians are among the most unloving people these days.  It seems to me that the only way to share about Jesus in this world today is to love others more than ourselves.  


True love is one of the most attractive things in the world.  Everyone, EVERY ONE, desires to be loved.  Only the Lord is offering true love that will never fail.


My hope is that the love that He has filled me with will seep out to those around me.  For me that means going over to visit my neighbor even though they smoke and it makes my head hurt.  It means calling my friend in America even though I'll be on the phone for hours.  It means visiting the sick.  It means actually listening to Justin talk through his stressful day even if I need to talk, too.  It means giving a lira to the little boy begging even if I am convinced that his mother is using him to profit.  It means praying for people when I say I will.  It means getting off this computer and playing Memory with the kids.  It means being thankful for what we have and not looking at what we don't.  It means listening to what other people say when they speak instead of thinking about what I am going to say or something else entirely.   It means taking the time to follow-up with people.  It means dropping a card in the mail to someone.  It means choosing to serve my family with joy.  It means using kind words.  It means making a meal for someone in need.  It means having the discipline to study a difficult language so I can speak with people heart to heat.  It means having the boldness and faith to pray for people right then and there.  It means dying to myself.  It usually means doing the exact opposite of my first inclination because that's of my flesh and truly loving others has nothing to do with flesh!


Love my neighbor as myself.

***************

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love

 ¹ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ²If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. ^3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

   Love never gives up.
   Love cares more for others than for self.
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
   Love doesn't strut,
   Doesn't have a swelled head,
   Doesn't force itself on others,
   Isn't always "me first,"
   Doesn't fly off the handle,
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
   Doesn't revel when others grovel,
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
   Puts up with anything,
   Trusts God always,
   Always looks for the best,
   Never looks back,
   But keeps going to the end. ^8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.
 ¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
 ¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
 ¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

**************

Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"

He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"

He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."

"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."

Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"

Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.

"A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'

"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"

"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.

Jesus said, "Go and do the same."

Luke 10:25-37

Games

Next Tuesday is Lucy's birthday.  I asked her pre-school teacher if I could come and lead the class in some common American party games.  (One year I had a birthday party here for Callie and instead of making the kids run around wild while the women stuff their faces I led the girls in some games.  They loved it!)

Now, I'm nervous about my bold act of volunteerism.  I know I am going to do pin the tail on the donkey.  That was a major hit at Callie's party a few years ago.  But, I want to do at least 3 games.

So, can you help me with some sure-fire party games for 4 year olds?  They MUST be easy to explain!!!  Any help would be appreciated and may help decrease the amount of nervous sweat that will be pouring off my face!

Done it Again

Well, I've gone and done it again, haven't I?

I was on a roll posting frequently and then BAM!  I got off track!  Now almost a week has gone by and I've written nothing.

Sorry!!

I'm back on the ball now!