Drudgery
Laundry, laundry, laundry! If Eve would have only known what her sin was going to mean in terms of sentencing all of us to loads of laundry and endless folding! Seriously, how many hours are "wasted" around the world each day simply washing, folding and putting away clothing! Not to mention money for water and soap, or parental stress caused by changing fashions! Even in this, the Lord must have a purpose! (I have yet to discover it, but He MUST!)
At our house here at Refuge Ranch, I have a theory regarding laundry. Our laundry reproduces itself! Seriously! It has to! That is why we are literally never done with the laundry! Our clothing is never all clean, all folded and all put away! (I know, part of my problem in life is having unrealistic expectations, right? After all, there are 14 of us in the family!)
BUT, to my surprise, my theory was proven correct this past weekend! On Saturday morning, Erika (our staff member Magda's adolescent daughter) and I took all of Daniel's clothing out of his closet to refold and put away. Lo and behold - I discovered that clothing does reproduce itself! Check out this picture as proof!
For as many times as I have folded, put away, refolded and reorganized Daniel's closet in the last 8 months, I NEVER realized we had two of the exact same outfits! I was amazed! Shocked! Horrified! Our clothing was reproducing itself before my eyes! Actually, it was quite comforting because there is now a true explanation as to why our clothing is never all clean, folded and put away!
Joanna Marshall did suggest a solution to our 'clothing reproduction' problem. We really need to start separating the male clothing from the female clothing in the dirty clothing bins!
Excitement
Yesterday at church over 15 youth and young adults made a commitment before the Lord and our congregation to remain sexually pure until their wedding day! It was a beautiful promise ring ceremony in which each individual brought their own rings, Victor and I shared with the congregation the purpose of the ceremony and then we placed the rings on each of the youth's hands as they signed a purity commitment. It was incredible to watch because many of these young people are newer believers who have not lived pure lives and are now committing to doing so. Others are much younger and want to live their lives for the Lord from now on. It was an especially meaning ceremony for us because our daughter Martita participated. Angie and Diana had done their own promise ring ceremony shortly after Martita joined our family several years ago. At that point, Martita was very new in her faith and, due to her past, did not feel worthy or capable of making such a commitment to purity. Praise the Lord that all of that has changed, by His restorative power, and she made a commitment to sexual purity yesterday before the Lord, our congregation and our family!
Martita hugging Victor after he placed her purity ring on her finger. May the Lord, in His grace, grant us the opportunity to one day witness her place this same purity ring on a Godly man's finger as part of her wedding ceremony. All in His time!
Some of the girls showing off their rings and purity promises after the service! Several of them do not have their parents' support in this decision and one even said she felt like it was her wedding day!
The guys showing off their rings in a manly way!
Then there are the sweet moments in life!
Pure Sweetness
A rainbow anyone?Bath time is one of my favorite times and Saturday night proved no exception! Ruth, Daniel and Ana had a blast in the tub together. (It is rare for me to bathe more than two at a time because the bathtub is not exactly a "tub built for three", but they were in a really great mood and even helped me bathe one another!) After I downloaded this picture onto my computer I noticed the different shades of skin color among the three! Is there anything more beautiful?! And they are all siblings! I am so thankful God was so creative when he created each one of us in a unique way and then brought us together as a family! Wow!
Bonus pictur
e: You have been a part of transforming children's lives through your prayers, giving and participation in Fishers of Men. If you doubt that, just compare Daniel's smile and eyes in the picture of him in the bathtub (right and above), with his facial expression and eyes in the picture of him on the left, one of the first pictures we ever received of Daniel.
Bonus pictur
e: You have been a part of transforming children's lives through your prayers, giving and participation in Fishers of Men. If you doubt that, just compare Daniel's smile and eyes in the picture of him in the bathtub (right and above), with his facial expression and eyes in the picture of him on the left, one of the first pictures we ever received of Daniel.True Treasures
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:18-20
Relationships are true treasures because what we invest in relationships will pay eternal dividends. Here is a picture of three of my treasures! Friday night I guess I took a little too long putting Ruth, Ana, Jocelin, Josiah and Fidel down for bed. I had left Caleb and Daniel with their Daddy while I put the others to bed and when I came to get them....well, let's just say Victor had done a good job of putting them to sleep...including himself!
And, finally, an opportunity to witness a miracle! Victor leaves on a three day crusade tomorrow to the state of Tlaxcala, to the northeast of Mexico City. As of this morning, the Fishers of Men bank account had a balance of: $1.04! We praise the Lord because this is simply an opportunity for him to shine forth with His miraculous provision! Several years ago, Victor organized an EMMC to the state of Chiapas and literally had only enough money to get the team to Chiapas and purchase food for the week. He went, not knowing how he would get the money to get the team back home. While he was gone on the crusade, the Lord provided $500 in an amazing way. Just enough to get the team home!
Please pray for the Lord's provision and that His name would be glorified in all!
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