Busy times= so much to update on!

Hey there everyone! So as the title implies, I've been BUSY!! But it's been a good thing. The weekend following my last update, I rather reluctantly agreed to babysit for a marriage conference one of the larger churches down here was holding. You know how I am- Susan at the mission came up to me and asked for help and I couldn't say no :) I ended up with two young helpers and sixteen 3-6 year-olds on Friday evening. However it was amazing to see how God enabled me to take charge of all the interesting situations that came up as I ran into them. (Like the the 3-year old girl that kept taking off her pants and pull-up) So what I was originally dreading, for lack of feeling entirely competent, God used to show me it was His strength and abilities, not my own. All He really wanted from me was my willing obedience and diligence.

After busy evening, I'm back to continue my update during Friday lunch! I just received a card from my WONDERFUL small group at Mount Calvary- thanks again guys, I feel so loved! And FYI I'm really glad to hear everything worked out with the banners- yikes! The computer worked really hard, but sometimes it gave up and required a bit of prodding from yours truly, so I consider it something of a miracle that they went off without a hitch. I finally got the chance to start re-drawing some illustrations! Most of the previous old bitmaps I've dredged up from the depths could be spruced up with a bit of color and an altered line or tweaked anatomy here and there, but I finally ran into a few that just needed a fresh approach- and it was fun to draw people again! We're moving as fast as possible right now because today was technically supposed to be Iris' last day here, however she thinks she'll be staying next week too. She's still praying about the possibility of God keeping her here, but being Mexican, this would require a working visa rather than a tourism visa, and after looking into a religious work visa, she discovered she would need to be a member of SOL for 2 years for one to be valid for her. She is looking into working as an interpreter for a local hospital so she could at least stay in the area. God can do all things, so I am confident that if He wants her here, a visa could be produced quickly, however, if she cannot obtain an extension on her visitors visa long enough to get the working one, she will have to return home.

They finally started the addition to the print shop! There are trucks rumbling around just beyond my office wall as I type, I believe the footers are down and they are packing dirt around them now. Yesterday morning Michael and I also worked out the PDF settings necessary for me to save my InDesign files so they can be put into his impositions software to be ready for the rip- time consuming, but a big step and we discovered some great software shortcuts that look promising in the time-saving department for the future. Good news considering by early next week I hope to have 3 series imposition-ready- YAY!! Which is the other reason the print shop addition is so exciting at the moment: as soon as it is finished, we can set up the CTP and actually start printing plates so all the courses I've been re-designing for the last 3 1/2 months can actually be printed!

Sunday school was just amazing on Sunday. I'm not sure quite why I'm so amazed, because I've always believed children who have the Holy Spirit residing within them are far more capable of digesting spiritual truths and asking difficult, thoughtful questions than adults usually give them credit for. We're using the Scripture Press materials and the 9 and 10 year old class is learning about Saul and David and the application has a lot to do with interpersonal relationships- a pretty important topic at their age- I forgot how brutal they can be verbally with one another! The other teacher, Susan, allowed me to teach the lesson, and basically I got up and told them the story of David giving the men an equal share of the spoils after they avenged the burning of Ziklag. And an amazing thing happened: they sat quietly and listened! Then one of the girls, Charity, asked, " What happens if two armies trusting the Lord fight each other?" I think David Ober has made comments before on the profound nature of a child's questions, and this was a prime example- I told her that it will be God's will for one to win and one to loose, like trying out for the lead in the musical, only one can get it, but it's still God's will either way. Then she asked about her dad. Chris Williams teaches the college/career Sunday school class and just seems to have a real heart for God, his wife is just a wonderful lady, and here is their daughter asking why, for the last 2 weeks God had allowed her father's heart to beat at a dangerously fast pace, which the doctors seem to be at a loss to completely control. She wanted to know why, when her family was seeking Christ and her friend's family was seeking Christ, He would allow this to happen to her family, her daddy, and not to her friend's. wow . I looked at the other teacher and I was speechless for a few moments. I was overjoyed that she should be asking such deep questions, and at the same time at a loss, because WE ask those same tough questions as adults. The only thing I could tell her was that God wanted to teach them something through this that He can't teach them any other way, but it was REALLY hard to look into that sweet innocent face and say that to her, just one more reason heaven will be so great someday! I'm so excited to go teach Sunday school again this next week, I really want to see God move in their hearts and lives, it is such a blessing if they can learn how to seek answers to real questions in God's Word at a young age, and that is one thing I hope to instill in them- so I covet your prayers- I think that prayer above all else, is what accomplishes these things.

Well, I've written you all a small novel, so I'd better sign off for now- I hope all is well with you, have a GREAT mission's conference! And do greet Cristudas and minister to him when he comes with Bill Shade- he's from India and lives very close to the daily violence the whole nation faces, both amongst the Buddhists and between the Buddhists and the Christians, his wife and children are back in India alone while he's here seeking help from our churches.