" Just living is not enough, one must have sunshine,
freedom and a little flower " - Hans Christian Anderson
One of the adventures that I had this week was definitely dear to this country girl's heart. All day Friday was spent on the El Salvadorean countryside several miles outside of San Salvador. I am having such an amazing time with my family and adore each and every one, but to be in the fresh air, the sunshine, green, (okay, that's not exactly descriptive of Colorado most of the time ;), to explore old, worn dirt paths, breathe in the smell of livestock, eat fruit I've never heard of - it totally refreshed me!! Even more than I thought it would.
I went with the pastor's daughter, Whitney, to a farm they have on, what I would call, the side of a mountain. It's about 30 acres. She has four horses that she teaches kids from orphanages, and just kids in general (including the Mullinax four) how to ride. They also plan to build their orphanage there in the near future.
She showed me things I had never seen before. I felt like a little kid in Kindergarten that is learning to read. Total excitement and awe over things I have never heard of, never knew existed!! Like a massively huge green leaf that when you take a piece off and roll it around in your hands it literally bleeds red dye, that looks just like blood!! Like red bananas that are orange on the inside. Like meme, a fruit that is about the size of a grapefruit, oblong shaped, with a tough peeling that is fuzzy, like a kiwi. Then has 3 big pits on the inside, with sweet orange flesh around each pit. Delicioso!! :) I just couldn't stop looking around me, up in the air, and on each side, as nearly every tree had some kind of fruit on it. Bananas, oranges, mangos, memes, papetos, lemons, and some that they don't even know what they are!! The low spots were filled with coffee plants, which I just assumed were little bushes. Not to mention the endless, gorgeous, flowers, and hearing toucan birds and parakeets singing in the trees.
Arrow and his new handkuffs :)
I still can't hardly believe that I am actually where I am right now. It just blows me away every morning when I wake up, looking back on all God has done to bring me to this point. I am continuing to love getting to know Richard, Jen and the kids more, as well as people on the staff from Wired. My schedule is a little different every day, which wouldn't seem normal if it were any other way :) Yesterday I went with Jen, Felice, Arrow and Racquel to Girl Scouts at the US Embassy. That place is massive!! I always pictured and embassy as just one building, but it was more like a military base. Learning something new every day!! I'll have lots of new wrinkles in my brain by July. That's what a friend of mine always used to say - "Every time you learn something new you get a new wrinkle in your brain. "
This next week looks like it will be full as well. My Jesus gently pulls at me daily to draw me into His presence, no matter how busy I may be. I am so amazed at His tenderness and gentleness. So many times the instant I wake up, the first thought that comes into my head is - "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away..." from Song of Solomon. In it's entirety the portion reads - "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!" The first morning I heard Him speak this to me was after a particularly rough time in my life, which seemed a lot like winter - cold and dark and dreary. And there was my Love, my Knight, calling me to that place of intimacy, of sweet fellowship with Him. Where all that cold and gloom was in the past, and nothing but fresh, bright times awaited me in His presence. How awesome my Jesus is :) Pray that I will continue to seek that presence daily.
