Swim, Swam, Swum

Can you tell my kids LOVE to swim!? Here's the horrible part - I almost didn't pack their suits! Terrible, I know, but I just thought 78 degrees would be too cold to even think about hopping in the pool... I know, sounds ridiculous even as I type it, considering they swim outside in January when it's 35 degrees.

Anyway, Sunday morning dawned very overcast and chilly, like every other day in the Bay area, and we went downstairs for a delicious breakfast buffet, grateful for the fact that we had requested a late check out at 3:00. We thought we would just relax in our room for a few hours, maybe I would go out and get a paper, clip some coupons, watch a movie... But THEN! Here came the sun in all it's glory!! And my gaggle of children were now BEGGING to go out and swim! (sigh) So I left my still sleepy husband in a quiet dark room to take another nap before church, wrapped myself in a blanket and headed out to the Arctic. (Have I mentioned that I really only like to swim if it's HOT?!?!!?)

Well I guess 78 feels a lot warmer than it sounds. It felt warm and lovely out, and I put on my 50 spf and even splashed around a little bit!! After an hour and a half we headed back up to the room to get cleaned up and packed up to go. Ya'shar fell asleep almost as soon as he got out of the shower!! That swimming stuff is hard work...

It was a long day but an incredibly fulfulling one! Our love for our friends and church family at Joshua Generation is multiplied every day. It's a beautiful thing to see the body of Christ functioning in unity and growing together in their common purpose. Daryle and I were talking recently about how "fellowship solidifies unity" and how having that time together to just "be" and enjoy one another is just as important as worshiping and serving together.

So because of this love for fellowship, we have been planning a pool party for several months for some close friends and neighbors and our church family, and Daryle announced it yesterday at church! We reserved the community pool up here where our children practice for a Saturday in September, and boy are we excited! We know that it can be difficult to make a long trip (2 hours each way) so I was so concerned that not many would be able to come or would even want to try to make the trip. When he asked for a show of hands for how many thought they might try to come, we were thrilled to see so many! HALLELUJAH!!! We're gonna have us a shindig!!!

We have lots of planning and preparing to do, but my heart is full of joy!! I feel as if this gathering together is just symbolic of so many promises of God coming to fruition. When I married my husband 9 years ago, I was elated at the thought of being a minister's wife. I wanted nothing more than to be a help-mate for him and serve along side him, but the picture I had in my mind did not include a 4 hour round trip on Sundays, or having to learn another language in order to effectively minister!

Thank you, merciful God! For showing me again and again that my ways are not yours and that yours are oh so much better! How dare I try to put my limitless God in a neat, concise little box that looks just like everything else, when all God wants to do is shatter molds?!

I just have to chuckle... God hasn't done anything "normal" in my life in the past 9 years, why do I keep looking for normal??!! What God would take a black man, put him with a white wife, and plunk them down in the middle of a Hispanic church?? OURS WOULD!!!!! And I'm so grateful He did!!

So here's what will be happening with me in the next couple months... God, again, in His infinite wisdom, has opened a door for me to take some Medical Spanish classes through my work (which are FREE!!!) and this will start in October. Between now and then, (and after) I will be making every effort to utilize ALL of my resources, and praise God that I have a lot of them, to learn the language enough to be able to converse fairly effectively. The need is there equally for me to learn at my job as well as for our ministry, and I'm delighted for the opportunity to improve and excel in both areas!

I am around the language enough and hear it enough and am comfortable speaking it, that I know that this is something that I can and will do, but not by my own strength! Please pray for us as this journey continues!!! We'll keep you posted!!

Dios te bendiga, Amigos!!!