A Girl and Her Car

It was the typical morning confusion at our house- breakfast and devotions were over and I was overseeing chores and trying to get the older children into gear. Derek and Mandie, who need no prompting to get in gear, headed outdoors as usual and pulled out their riding toys. I heard the cycle leave and knew Tim and Derek were going to the Roses to check on their new fish tanks. Some five minutes or more elapsed when we heard a strange call from the gate. "He-e-e-y!" This is not a typical Honduran greeting, so I ignored it at first. After all, it was probably someone who wanted Tim, and he wasn't home. The caller continued persistently so I finally went to the front door and peered toward the gate. A man on a bicycle waved frantically at me. Pointing up the road, he shouted, "La niña! Un carro le va a matar!" ("The child! A car will kill her!") I was down the steps and at the gate in a flash. A glance up the road confirmed his words, for there in the middle of the road went my independant little girl on her green car, heading for El Eden! I took off at a gallop, barely taking time to holler "Muchisimas gracias" to the hero. As I sprinted toward her, she glanced over her shoulder with a huge satisfied grin and then resumed her journey uphill. At first she looked like a mere speck on the far horizon, but in reality she had gone as far as the neighbor's gate, which is a good distance away, considering that there is a large orchard between our house and theirs. I scooped her up and held her close, much too shaken even to scold. She chattered happily as I carried her and the car back home and then sank weakly into the nearest chair. How many people passed her during that time is a question that cannot be answered, but I do know at least one vehicle went by just as I had arrived at the door. The children of course wondered whether she would have gone to Jeremiah's house or to the church, had she reached El Eden. I just shuddered and declared we certainly would have missed her before she would have gotten that far! Needless to say, everyone is now on high alert that the gate must always be LATCHED, not merely closed.

How could a mother not believe in angels?

Dinner Table Conversation

Derek: "There ARE deer in Honduras! I saw one in the woods by the banana field!"

(Expressions of unbelief from siblings)

Derek: "Well, I saw brown, and I saw antlers- and that means deer!"

(Giggles and more protests from siblings)

Derek: (chuckles) "Ok, maybe it was just a fake deer, because it just stood there for a lo-o-o-ng time!"

The Man

I love celebrating my man! Not only is he God's gift to me, but he is God's love to me in so many ways. While I don't write my love letters to him on our blog, I think he deserves some public recognition on his birthday!


This little girl adores her Daddy and loves nothing better than spending time with him outdoors.

Here Tim gets to enjoy the fruit of his aquaponic labors with our first fish fry! We fixed it the traditional Honduran way- the fish fried whole with the head on, served with sliced fried green bananas and cabbage salad. Yum!

There are so many answered prayers in this picture... I love it!

Richly blessed... In love... Best Friends... Thanking God for each other... Amen.

Joy!

Setting: Family devotions in the Brechbill living room

Tim: (smiling broadly) "Josh, would you like to tell everyone what happened to you last night?"

Josh: (very softly) "I got saved."

Derek: (curiously) "Did God save him???"

Amen, Derek!

Earthquake!

I rolled over in bed and squinted at the alarm clock on the stand next to me. "Two o'clock," I sighed. "And I was awake at midnight too... wonder why I keep waking up?" Wearily I turned onto my back and willed myself to relax. Suddenly I was jerked wide awake by a violent heaving of our bed- first an up and down jolt and then ending in a sideways swaying motion. I bolted upright and tried to catch my breath as the walls creaked and groaned around us. A deafening clatter from the bathroom added to the confusion as Tim leaped from the bed and braced himself in the doorway. "An earthquake!" I gasped, and dashed to the children's bedrooms. The ground now steadied beneath me as I checked on the girls, who both appeared to be sound asleep. Wails greeted me from the boys' bedroom, and all three boys were crawling out of their beds. "Nobody was by my bed, but it wouldn't stop wiggling!" Derek whimpered. "It's an earthquake!" I explained as I herded them to the living room and opened the front door where Willie the dog was yapping excitedly. Meanwhile Tim dashed outside to check on the chickens who were screeching in panic. He found the entire flock in a frenzy, wildly seeking an escape from their enclosure. Amazingly, the electricity didn't go off, although the street lights dimmed briefly. I walked carefully through the house looking for broken items but found nothing more than a few bottles toppled over and pictures hanging crookedly on the walls. The clatter that sounded like dishes breaking turned out to have been only a metal rod falling onto the tile floor!

The phone then began to ring as friends and neighbors checked in and shared their fright. "I was dreaming about the coming of Jesus," Ricardo chuckled, "And then I woke up in the middle of the earthquake!" "Is everyone okay at your house?" This time from Lucas. "We're a little frightened, but everyone is fine," I assured him. "Same here!" he exclaimed. Sleep forgotten, we rehearsed the events of the night and discussed the possibility of aftershocks.

Finally there was nothing else to do but go to bed. The boys were soon fast asleep and I too eventually drifted off to restless dreams but Tim got up and watched for news breaking online. An hour after our shocking arousal, the New York Times posted the first announcement of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake about eighty miles north of the coastal town of La Ceiba.

Today's inspections revealed a few cracks in the walls of our house and evidence of water having splashed out of the fish tanks, but no serious damage was found here on this property. We have not heard of any homes crumbling in this area, although some families had their possessions broken, or, in at least one case, burned when the quake caused a lighted candle to fall. Our friends tell us that Peña Blanca was in complete chaos as everyone fled to the streets in panic. What a wonderful opportunity for us to proclaim tidings of peace!

We are so grateful for God's protection last night, as well as for the confidence that even tonight we can go to bed in peace knowing we are in His hands!

Quote of the Night by Derek: "This is a purty bad night!" -minutes after the initial shock when all of us were dashing about in a state of confusion.

More Motherhood Moments

- I am doing laundry on the back porch, confident in the knowledge that the children are bent over their desks, diligently doing math lessons. A movement in the lawn below the boys' bedroom window arrests my attention, and I turn to see a pink balloon bouncing through the grass. Suddenly the barrel of a BB gun appears through the open window and several seconds later all that remains are bits of pink latex and gleeful chuckles.

-I am seated at the kitchen table, laboring over a hand written letter when Mandie toddles up beside me, making her familiar grunting noise that means "Looky here, Mom!" A glance down at her uplifted hand sends shocks of terror through me and I begin shrieking hysterically. There, clasped between her thumb and forefinger is a tiny gecko, its beady black eyes imploring me for pity. "A GECKO!!! SHE HAS A GECKO!!! AAAAAAAGH!!!" Mandie promptly drops her hapless victim on the floor and stares at me, fascinated. Half an hour later my legs are still quivering.

-I walk into the girls' bedroom one day and notice a new decoration on the wall above the dresser. Emily, the creative one, took the pink and black frame of a clock which no longer worked and turned it into a typical, girlish-looking motto. Her choice of quote reveals as much of her character as does her uneven hand:
"Idleness is a constant sin, and labor is a duty. Richard Baxter"

-"Has anyone seen the book I was reading?" the question comes from Josh as he crashes onto the sofa. "Is it a blue book?" wonders Derek. "Mm, I don't think so," I reply absent-mindedly, dicing another mango into the fruit salad I am preparing for supper. "Cause the blue book is in the chicken pen," Derek continues helpfully. "The- what did you say?" the rest of the mango drops into the bowl with a splatter and I turn toward my small son. "And just what on earth is a book doing in the chicken pen, pray tell?!" Derek sighs -adults need so much explaining of the obvious- and reminds me that earlier in the day he brought a batch of eggs to the house in his backpack(!) which he emptied of his usual treasures in order to accomodate the eggs. After a short speech on carelessness, I accompany him to the chicken coop where we find in the nesting boxes, the blue book, an undressed doll, sunglasses, several scraps of fabric, a keychain, and a short piece of PVC pipe.

-Then there is the sick night, wherein four out of five children take sick and three out of four fail to reach the proper destination in time. I spare you details. Only let it be known that the father of those children deserves prizes for Cleaning Nasty Stuff in the Middle of the Night.

-I am a very blessed woman.

Twelve

I am discovering that being the mother of a twelve year old is nearly as exciting and perplexing as being twelve was. Some days we are best friends- laughing at the same things, 'getting' the same jokes, trying the same spoonerisms. We both love to read and we abhor misspelled words. We are dedicated and loyal to a fault; we love the safety of our familiar routine. And then there are days when it feels like we are strangers- and I am not sure whether to get close or back off. Personal hygiene is pretty much inconsequential; but when Tony pours syrup on his pancakes, there will be an all out war whoop and a lecture on the sins of extravagance. Speed seems to be a malady to be avoided at all costs, and patience is a virtue reserved only for self. Oh, this passage into adolescence promises to be an interesting journey- bewildering, perhaps, but certainly not boring!

Josh with his birthday gift, a book he has coveted for a very long time... Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle. With three boys and one hubby who all love experimenting and explosions, I figure the best I can do is to give them a book with lots of safety advice (and then run for the house with my hands over my ears.)

Here Josh creates a Cincinnati Fire Kite. If it fails to fly, at least there's the satisfaction of having had a very appreciative and admiring audience.

In case you're thinking of taking a collection for new jeans, please don't. These have now been discarded and replaced.