Last Sunday after everyone walked up the road to church we sat down for our own service. The new puppy, Ella, which was given to Lily Ayars, our next door neighbour’s daughter, was pining so badly for her new family, we took pity on her and invited her into the house. Dorothy picked her up, stroked her ears for a few minutes and she snuggled into the crook of her arms. As we were reading our Bible and a Max Lucado piece it made us think of how gently our heavenly father takes us in His arms and cares for us even though we are so undeserving. Lucado said, “We can imagine Him creating the world and suspending the stars. We can envision Him as almighty, all-powerful, and in control. We can fathom a God who knows us, who made us, and we can even fathom a God who hears us. But a God who is in love with us? A God who is crazy for us? A God who cheers for us?” We aren’t cute like a puppy; we don’t have floppy ears and a tail that wags with just a little touch. Our Father doesn’t care. He loves us no matter what and so unconditionally.
On Monday when Roselore came in to wash the floors she brought in a bag containing one plantain. Plantain look like a banana, but there the similarity ends. The taste is quite different, is used like a vegetable, and is a staple of the Haitian diet. North Americans will take off the outer skin like a banana, then peel the inside like a potato and deep fry the peelings that curl like a potato chip. Dorothy had given her some powder laundry soap the previous Thursday and this was her thank you. Again, the story in the Bible of the widow’s gift came to mind. Luke 21:1-4. “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”” What a wonderful feeling of gratitude we had.
Our group has dwindled to 3 men and 2 women. Two of the men are on working on the second story of the men’s dorm tiling the washrooms while the two women and the third man are VP’s teaching at the seminary. Pam, from England who was here last year, was sick for the first two weeks. Another VP combined her class with his for two weeks and now she is teaching a course to a combined class of second and third year students.
We are both starting to feel better, praise the Lord. John is continuing with his puffer to help with his lung congestion and Dorothy is swallowing big antibiotic pills to take care of walking pneumonia.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
