A Different View

 " Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. "
 
 There is a very interesting dynamic of spending so much time with kids that are from the States, but live in Central America.  Things that are so foreign and new to me are just normal day to day life for them.  You can really see it when they play and how they play.          This is a vicious game!! :)
  
 Yesterday Felice had a pickup she was pushing around on the floor.  I said, "Are you going to check cows?"  She screwed up her sweet face and said, "Huh?".  "Yaeh, in your pickup, are you going to check cows?", I repeated.  She proceeded to tell me that she was hauling fruit and bread, and had a help sign on each door of her pickup, so was going to help people by hauling their fruit, flowers and bread.  Then she happily pushed her automobile in the other room.  I stood there kind of dumbfounded for a minute with how normal this is to her.  Difference of culture, difference of the way people live. 
  But it does change your views.  It changes your views when you daily see people with bones sticking out below their knees for feet, in a wheel chair, or mentally handicapped people, sitting at stoplights... in traffic... asking for a little money.  Moms with 4-5 kids, selling clothes on the street corner as their only income.  People living under a piece of tin held up by four polls as their house. And I get bummed because the internet is down for a few hours, or because I am hot.  Changes your views.  Makes you thankful to have three meals a day.  Changes your views.  Makes me thrilled, and wonder why God chose me to actually be able to know my Dad, know who he is, and let alone, know that he loves me and always will, when so many kids don't even know who their dad is, their Mom being a slave to the life of the streets.  Changes your views.  Suddenly having clean water to drink becomes a big deal.  So many things that aren't even given a second thought - necessities.  Not even to mention all the things that we think we somehow have a "right" to - things like so many clothes we can't decide which ones to pack, laptops, TV's, movies, cars.  We somehow deserve all this because of what color our skin is, or what our last name is.  As if we had or have any control over any of that.  Changes your views.  What if God asked me to give up all my "rights" (which is exactly what He asks us to do), but if He literally told me, like He told the young rich man, to sell everything I have and give it to the poor?  Would I do it?  Would I bo so in love with Jesus, having Him truly as my All in All, that I would gladly do it - simply because He asked me to?  Or is my security in my stuff, my rights, that, like the rich young ruler, I would walk away devastated and not able to do it, because my heart lies in my rights, my stuff, MY... whatever? That's the problem.  Me, instead of Him.  He needs to be my treasure.  My treasure needs to have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Him.  Then if and when all the other is stripped away, it will be no real loss, because my treasure was not there.
  Changes your views. 
Apart from thinking and pondering, I've been keeping real busy, and was MADE to be slightly homesick for the first time.  My family is branding this weekend... probably one of my favorite things. (Plus making and eating all kinds of awesome, "home" stuff, like pies and snowball cookies).   But they promised to take lots of pictures and send them to me, so that will make it better :)  A team that was here doing a lot of construction left today, and there is another one coming in on Tuesday.  So things continue to get busier.
  I want to also take the opportunity to thank everyone who has overwhelmingly commited to pray for me.  It means so much. More than I can even say.  There is even a group of people who have agreed to take turns praying every morning at 8.  I am nearly moved to tears at this love and kindness.  So thank you to everyone - whether you pray daily, or think of me throughout the day. I am extremely grateful, and know God is hearing and answering each prayer.  Pray for the Mullinax family as well.  I love you all!!