The Lazarus Experiment

Chau, our teaching assistant and office worker, has been a great addition. She is now our "roach catching hero!"

I have to write about today's adventure in homeschooling. I am not a "bug
lover,"but we are studying insects in science, so I have put my
disdainful shivers aside for the good of education (yes, children,
straighten your back, lift your chin, and sniff for the old college try).

Any way, our book encouraged us to try "The Lazarus Experiment" to
demonstrate the remarkable ability of insects to close their breathing
apparatus (called spiracles, located mostly in their abdomen) in order to
survive a deluge of water. Here's how the experiment works: place a
living insect in a bowl of water and submerge it with a spoon. Keep it
under the water for 3 or more minutes. Take the "dead" insect out of the
water and place it on a paper towel. Cover it with salt to absorb the
extra water more quickly. Soon (within about 10 minutes or so) the insect
will "come back to life." Of course, in actuality, it was not dead, but
closed the spiracles and went into a kind of "hibernation."


So, armed with a live (large) roach this morning, we attempted to make our
mark in the field of science. Within 5 seconds of opening our container,
the room was filled with screams as the roach escaped. A battle of wits
and will ensued, the likes of which are the stuff of legend. After 4 or 5
attempts to submerge the creature, Chau and I banished the girls from the
room until we could catch it again in peace and quiet.


In the end, we prevailed. The experiment worked as outlined, and the
roach has now been adopted by Elizabeth who has decided it is cute. She
has named it "Catcher."


How wonderful...our friends have returned from New Zealand! Jillian was
so happy that Lucia is back, as we all are happy to see the family. The
girls and I spent most of the afternoon there. All the kids went swimming
in the pool. A lovely end to a good day.

I appreciate your prayers, as I am sharing the message at the
international church this Sunday. This is the last week of a series on
the Book of Galatians, so I will be sharing from Gal. 6.


I hope your week has been one in which you have felt the love of God in
your life in tangible, particular ways.

Grace and peace!