Hello, all--
Well, the subject line says it all. My life over the past few days has centered on school! But, we began this morning. Our books have still not arrived, so I spent most of the weekend online looking at worksheets. It is amazing how many good resources there are. It is not difficult (afterall, our girls are only in K, 1st grade and 3rd grade--Jillian is doing school in the States right now with our adopted Grandmom) but it is very time consuming. I kept the printer and the laminator busy, busy, busy!
There are so many things about daily life I wanted to share. I realized the other day that I am almost getting used to attracting a large crowd at the Big C shopping center (or anywhere else we go). The other night, I was there with the girls letting them pick out some school supplies and, by the time we left the store, we had a following of at least 20 people watching our every move. Elizabeth is glad to get out of there with all her hair still attached to her head.
Duc and Linh wanted us to see a movie with them here. Tickets for any show are $2 each. At the theater, you sit in assigned seats, but you choose the row and seat numbers when you purchase the tickets. Row F or G is good--not too close or too far back. Any way, the large screen was a little frightening for Duc and Linh--it turns out they had never been to a movie theater before. I'm not sure they will go again--it was just almost overwhelming for them.
Anna Mei has lost her other front tooth. She and Elizabeth are thoroughly enjoying their sewing kits. Tonight, she found a skirt that had a small hole in it. "It's okay, Mom. I can fix it," she said, "I'm the sew-inator." I never know what she will think of, but it keeps me smiling. The other day, she said she was going to write a song for her dad's return. The title is "There's a Whistle in My Kiss for You." She's been working on it some.
Bee invited us to go to her Vietnamese church with her yesterday. Getting ready was interesting. Bee spent the night and the next morning, she brought me the outfit she wanted me to wear--right down to the shoes. She also, made her opinions known when the girls were choosing their clothes. The people at the church were very welcoming. Many of the songs are hymns that we know, so we are able to sing along, even though they were singing in Vietnamese. Other than that, the service was an exercise in endurance for me. It was hot, both twins wanted to sit on me, and of course we could not understand anything that was said. But, meeting the pastor after the service was a treat, he and his family were so kind. His 15-year-old son was the pianist. That young man is very gifted, the accompaniment was outstanding. I was surprised to learn his age.
I was reading a verse in Matthew, I think, where Jesus says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." I found it interesting-- He did not say, "Beg, plead, search for, figure out, the Holy Spirit. Simply receive. I am so thankful that, with all the work there is to do in daily life, the Lord invites me to simply receive the One I need in order to have what I need to accomplish the task at hand. For me, it means to stop, take a deep breath, remember Whose I am, acknowledge the Kingdom rule under which I live, and let Him come in and fill every dry or worried or harried or frustrated place in my being. He is always faithful.
May you receive all you need from Him today.
Well, the subject line says it all. My life over the past few days has centered on school! But, we began this morning. Our books have still not arrived, so I spent most of the weekend online looking at worksheets. It is amazing how many good resources there are. It is not difficult (afterall, our girls are only in K, 1st grade and 3rd grade--Jillian is doing school in the States right now with our adopted Grandmom) but it is very time consuming. I kept the printer and the laminator busy, busy, busy!
There are so many things about daily life I wanted to share. I realized the other day that I am almost getting used to attracting a large crowd at the Big C shopping center (or anywhere else we go). The other night, I was there with the girls letting them pick out some school supplies and, by the time we left the store, we had a following of at least 20 people watching our every move. Elizabeth is glad to get out of there with all her hair still attached to her head.
Duc and Linh wanted us to see a movie with them here. Tickets for any show are $2 each. At the theater, you sit in assigned seats, but you choose the row and seat numbers when you purchase the tickets. Row F or G is good--not too close or too far back. Any way, the large screen was a little frightening for Duc and Linh--it turns out they had never been to a movie theater before. I'm not sure they will go again--it was just almost overwhelming for them.
Anna Mei has lost her other front tooth. She and Elizabeth are thoroughly enjoying their sewing kits. Tonight, she found a skirt that had a small hole in it. "It's okay, Mom. I can fix it," she said, "I'm the sew-inator." I never know what she will think of, but it keeps me smiling. The other day, she said she was going to write a song for her dad's return. The title is "There's a Whistle in My Kiss for You." She's been working on it some.
Bee invited us to go to her Vietnamese church with her yesterday. Getting ready was interesting. Bee spent the night and the next morning, she brought me the outfit she wanted me to wear--right down to the shoes. She also, made her opinions known when the girls were choosing their clothes. The people at the church were very welcoming. Many of the songs are hymns that we know, so we are able to sing along, even though they were singing in Vietnamese. Other than that, the service was an exercise in endurance for me. It was hot, both twins wanted to sit on me, and of course we could not understand anything that was said. But, meeting the pastor after the service was a treat, he and his family were so kind. His 15-year-old son was the pianist. That young man is very gifted, the accompaniment was outstanding. I was surprised to learn his age.
I was reading a verse in Matthew, I think, where Jesus says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." I found it interesting-- He did not say, "Beg, plead, search for, figure out, the Holy Spirit. Simply receive. I am so thankful that, with all the work there is to do in daily life, the Lord invites me to simply receive the One I need in order to have what I need to accomplish the task at hand. For me, it means to stop, take a deep breath, remember Whose I am, acknowledge the Kingdom rule under which I live, and let Him come in and fill every dry or worried or harried or frustrated place in my being. He is always faithful.
May you receive all you need from Him today.
