It has been a while since I last blogged - this you already know. Since last I blogged, much has taken place. Some I have missed out on and some I was part of. I have been forced to do a whole lot of sitting/reclining lately due to my leg.
First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. My leg seems to be improving. The pain is generally less, and the original spot of concern looks much closer to normal than it has in quite a while. Monday, however, I was thinking self-amputation was not entirely out of the question. Wow, it hurt a lot. I've been an excellent patient: taking my meds regularly; resting with the leg up; wrapping both legs; sleeping with the foot of the bed elevated 20 cm; and so forth. Tomorrow I go see if it is paying off, as I will follow up with Dr. Rico at the hospital in Nueva. Please say a special prayer for healing for me as you read this post and tomorrow morning. We will leave here at 7:00 AM to go to the hospital (about an hour away). That is 8:00 central time.
Ok, now to the good stuff. My last post wished my mother a happy birthday (have you got the card yet, Mom?). Since then, my marriage turned 18 years old. Sunday, Lori and I celebrated 18 years of marriage. That's a long time even back in the States, but it is pretty huge here. So, Lori and I have been together for almost 20 years, the last 18 as husband and wife. God has blessed us with two amazing children and extended family that we just couldn't live without. Our parents, brothers and sisters have helped make this marriage what it is, and so to you all and to my children, Thank you!
Sunday afternoon I also taught the second class in the series I started with the young men of the congregation in La Palma. The series is titled, "¿Qué Dios Espera de Hombres Cristianos?" (What Does God Expect from His Men?). I am enjoying the studying and preparing. A few of he students have told me they are enjoying the class, but really, what else would they tell the teacher, right?
Last week I was also giving pseudo English lessons out of our kitchen. Othmaro had an assignment for his English class he needed help with. He came by several times for help learning the song Standing on the Promises - in English. Here I give a nod to Betty Steele for her patience in teaching me to sing in other languages. It is not easy - and comes very close to a famous saying I learned at Rib Crib. If you want to know what saying, you'll have to post a comment to the post! Ha-Ha!
Last night was wonderfully amazing. A week or so ago, I decided that we would start having a weekly time of praise and devotion in English for the Lalli family and Teresa. This was just so we can lift our hearts in understanding as we praise God and hear from His word - in our own tongue. Last night was the first time we met together. We met in our home and sang about 10 songs and had prayer and discussion (of the songs meanings). Jose and Marlon joined us. As I said, the purpose of this meeting will be worship time for those who speak English as their native tongue, but, we already see the value in using this as an outreach tool to others. I am very excited about this. Since Jose and Marlon were there, we sang a few of the songs more than once and very slowly. Have you ever tried to sing Come Let Us Sing or He Has Made Me Glad very slowly? You should have seen Jose's face after we sang through Come Let Us Sing really slowly and then we sang it at our "regular" tempo. It was also kind of neat to be sitting around in a circle in the dark (as the power had gone out) as we sung, our faces dimly lit in the lights of our laptops as we followed along with the PowerPoint (laptops have batteries!!!). But the most amazing part was the reveling in the praise of our God in words I was sure of and understood, in spirit and in truth.
Tomorrow promises to be another good day.
First, let's talk about the elephant in the room. My leg seems to be improving. The pain is generally less, and the original spot of concern looks much closer to normal than it has in quite a while. Monday, however, I was thinking self-amputation was not entirely out of the question. Wow, it hurt a lot. I've been an excellent patient: taking my meds regularly; resting with the leg up; wrapping both legs; sleeping with the foot of the bed elevated 20 cm; and so forth. Tomorrow I go see if it is paying off, as I will follow up with Dr. Rico at the hospital in Nueva. Please say a special prayer for healing for me as you read this post and tomorrow morning. We will leave here at 7:00 AM to go to the hospital (about an hour away). That is 8:00 central time.
Ok, now to the good stuff. My last post wished my mother a happy birthday (have you got the card yet, Mom?). Since then, my marriage turned 18 years old. Sunday, Lori and I celebrated 18 years of marriage. That's a long time even back in the States, but it is pretty huge here. So, Lori and I have been together for almost 20 years, the last 18 as husband and wife. God has blessed us with two amazing children and extended family that we just couldn't live without. Our parents, brothers and sisters have helped make this marriage what it is, and so to you all and to my children, Thank you!
Sunday afternoon I also taught the second class in the series I started with the young men of the congregation in La Palma. The series is titled, "¿Qué Dios Espera de Hombres Cristianos?" (What Does God Expect from His Men?). I am enjoying the studying and preparing. A few of he students have told me they are enjoying the class, but really, what else would they tell the teacher, right?
Last week I was also giving pseudo English lessons out of our kitchen. Othmaro had an assignment for his English class he needed help with. He came by several times for help learning the song Standing on the Promises - in English. Here I give a nod to Betty Steele for her patience in teaching me to sing in other languages. It is not easy - and comes very close to a famous saying I learned at Rib Crib. If you want to know what saying, you'll have to post a comment to the post! Ha-Ha!
Last night was wonderfully amazing. A week or so ago, I decided that we would start having a weekly time of praise and devotion in English for the Lalli family and Teresa. This was just so we can lift our hearts in understanding as we praise God and hear from His word - in our own tongue. Last night was the first time we met together. We met in our home and sang about 10 songs and had prayer and discussion (of the songs meanings). Jose and Marlon joined us. As I said, the purpose of this meeting will be worship time for those who speak English as their native tongue, but, we already see the value in using this as an outreach tool to others. I am very excited about this. Since Jose and Marlon were there, we sang a few of the songs more than once and very slowly. Have you ever tried to sing Come Let Us Sing or He Has Made Me Glad very slowly? You should have seen Jose's face after we sang through Come Let Us Sing really slowly and then we sang it at our "regular" tempo. It was also kind of neat to be sitting around in a circle in the dark (as the power had gone out) as we sung, our faces dimly lit in the lights of our laptops as we followed along with the PowerPoint (laptops have batteries!!!). But the most amazing part was the reveling in the praise of our God in words I was sure of and understood, in spirit and in truth.
Tomorrow promises to be another good day.
Monte, prayers for you and your family. Prayers also for the Christian family in La Palma. So proud of the work you, Lori & the kids are doing!! It was a big step but it sounds like it has been and will continue to be very fruitful. Our prayers are with all of the Christians in La Palma and especially with you that your leg will heal! Our love to you all! Gary & Cheryl McGown
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