About the pictures: The top one was taken from a 3rd floor window. The wall at the bottom separates our kitchen from the Bo's. The side with the large water bottles is the far end of our kitchen, the other side of the wall is part of the Bo's kitchen. The middle picture is Little Guy in the hands that love him best--Faith and Joy. Above, they share a picture with him.
Hello all,
As dramatic as the title sounds, let me tell you that Little Guy is a stuffed bear, about 2 1/2 inches tall. He was appropriately named by Faith since he is, without question, a "little guy." He has become Faith's constant companion, although she will occasionally share him with Joy. The rest of us may look lovingly upon his cute little countenance and spiffy yellow bow tie. Little Guy came to Faith as a gift from the Gwen, the daughter of our landlord. He goes most everywhere with us. Rarely, Faith and Joy have a little tiff over ownership rights. The disagreements don't last long, however, and Little Guy is usually with Faith, but right in the middle of whatever game they are playing--usually acting out some animal story.
As you might remember, our house is a duplex and the landlord lives in the other half. One aspect that is very different from houses in the US is that there are windows through which our landlords, the Bos, and our family can see each other and talk. One large window (about 4X4 feet) has glass. The smaller windows have only a wood shutter--which is usually open to let air circulate. From the third floor landing window, there is a view of the far end of the Bos kitchen.
Right after Jillian and Tony returned from the US, Faith and Joy were playing on the 3rd floor landing and were peering over the ledge of the small window. Somehow, Little Guy took a dive and landed on the floor of the Bo's kitchen--just waiting for Caphe and Bascille, those two chewing machines to come finish him off!The timing was just right. Faith and Joy had no sooner reported Little Guy's mishap and mortal danger to me than we heard Mr. Bo arriving home. The interesting question was, how do we communicate that we want to come into his house, go to his kitchen, and retrieve the bear? Mr. Bo speaks very little English. Mrs. Bo speaks a little more, but she was not home. Gwen is away at college.
Jillian to the rescue! Since she had only been back a couple of days, she had not had a chance to see Mr. Bo, so we made a quick visit. All the girls and I trooped next door. Jillian greeted Mr. Bo and let him pinch her cheeks (his favorite greeting to all the girls) and give a thumbs up for her growth. Meanwhile, the other four girls headed for the kitchen. Mr. Bo thought nothing of that--it's where the birds and fish are located, too.
So Little Guy is safe again, no worse for the whole experience. All in a day's work.
Speaking of Mr. Bo's English reminded me of a couple of funny things about my own Vietnamese language study. The other day, I learned to say "I would like some iced tea with sugar." However, when I first tried it out on Bee, she nearly doubled over in laughter. She thought I said, "I would like a bicycle with sugar."
A few days later, Linh and I were working on vocabulary. The word for children is similar (dangerously so for me) to words for different animals. You better believe I will be praying on my first opportunity to try out a new phrase at the market. I do not want to look admiringly at the little bundle in a mother's arms and tell her that she has a "beautiful little pig"!
And finally, I appreciate your prayers. I have been invited to preach at the International Fellowship on Nov. 23. I am humbly grateful for the opportunity and will be seeking earnestly for his message.
Grace and peace!
