Phonetic writing is my favorite. At some point, I do hope my girl hopes to write, but for now her heart flows into her little notebooks and I peak inside and see such beauty. She wrote each day of our trip. She wrote mostly for her class homework assignment, but in a little gray notebook I found some precious gems. One was this:
"Enkerege ehch oter and build ehch ather up."
She wanted to lead our lunch time devotional. When our team sat around the long "family table" and refocused our hearts on Jesus. Earlier in the week she had seen a new teaching style demonstrated called lectio divina. It means "the divine reading" and a person slowly reads a scripture and you listen with an openness to hear and contemplate and let those true words fill your heart and mind afresh. Well, being the little teacher that she is, Lulu decided she would like to lead our team in this practice as well. She picked one of her favorites and wrote it down and then asked us all to close our eyes and listen.
"Encourage each other and build each other up."
You know what encouraged me this past week?
Knowing that there were literally hundreds of people praying for us.
Sweet words written in letters to each of our team members.
Surprise notes sent by friends to me, personally, with such love filling each letter.
Seeing an 'old' friend using her gifts to lead. (And sneaking in a little slumber party with her!)
Experiencing the love of a team. People who 'adopted' my girl, taught her, sat and studied the Bible with her.
My dear brothers and sisters- fellow christians- living with love and light right in their communities.
Worshiping in another language and looking forward to a heaven filled with every tribe and nation.
Being so supported by my Hunnie, that he would take the week off and fully engage with my boys.
The families who brought him meals, and helped watch those boys. (How can you not help but be so encouraged when you see other people loving and serving your kids so unselfishly!?)
The families who helped us move and put together bunk beds and hang clothes and sort linens. (And while I'm at it, our friend who brought his sewing machine to sew some fringe on my new curtains that were just a smidge too short.)
Being welcomed into houses- tiny, and dirty- but filled with love. Shown hospitality that literally humbled me to tears.
Having two sweet ladies cook for our team. Just not having to plan and prepare and be 'distracted' by everyday life- so that I could be fully present.
Seeing the 'fruit' of our labor- songs and skits and paracord bracelet's all bringing joy to the neighborhood kiddos.
Words. Just the right words from a team member, at the peak of my tiredness.
Seeing countless answers to prayer. Like this one: I happened to bring an old journal that I had started for my girl and had written these words when she was 9 months old. This week, I cried happy tears when I had a free hour to sit and read and write and came across them.
"Enkerege ehch oter and build ehch ather up."
She wanted to lead our lunch time devotional. When our team sat around the long "family table" and refocused our hearts on Jesus. Earlier in the week she had seen a new teaching style demonstrated called lectio divina. It means "the divine reading" and a person slowly reads a scripture and you listen with an openness to hear and contemplate and let those true words fill your heart and mind afresh. Well, being the little teacher that she is, Lulu decided she would like to lead our team in this practice as well. She picked one of her favorites and wrote it down and then asked us all to close our eyes and listen.
"Encourage each other and build each other up."
You know what encouraged me this past week?
Knowing that there were literally hundreds of people praying for us.
Sweet words written in letters to each of our team members.
Surprise notes sent by friends to me, personally, with such love filling each letter.
Seeing an 'old' friend using her gifts to lead. (And sneaking in a little slumber party with her!)
Experiencing the love of a team. People who 'adopted' my girl, taught her, sat and studied the Bible with her.
My dear brothers and sisters- fellow christians- living with love and light right in their communities.
Worshiping in another language and looking forward to a heaven filled with every tribe and nation.
Being so supported by my Hunnie, that he would take the week off and fully engage with my boys.
The families who brought him meals, and helped watch those boys. (How can you not help but be so encouraged when you see other people loving and serving your kids so unselfishly!?)
The families who helped us move and put together bunk beds and hang clothes and sort linens. (And while I'm at it, our friend who brought his sewing machine to sew some fringe on my new curtains that were just a smidge too short.)
Being welcomed into houses- tiny, and dirty- but filled with love. Shown hospitality that literally humbled me to tears.
Having two sweet ladies cook for our team. Just not having to plan and prepare and be 'distracted' by everyday life- so that I could be fully present.
Seeing the 'fruit' of our labor- songs and skits and paracord bracelet's all bringing joy to the neighborhood kiddos.
Words. Just the right words from a team member, at the peak of my tiredness.
Seeing countless answers to prayer. Like this one: I happened to bring an old journal that I had started for my girl and had written these words when she was 9 months old. This week, I cried happy tears when I had a free hour to sit and read and write and came across them.