day 6

"Love the Lord your God all your soul and with all your strength. 

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 

Impress them on your children. 

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, 

when you lie down and when you get up."

(thoughts on family values... Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

Decisions.  

I make many each day without much long-term consequence.  Like whether it's better to put the peanut butter knife into the jelly, or vice versa, or just use two knives.  Let's face it, the sandwich-making decision does not change the outcome of our lives.  

Other decisions, however, seem to carry more weight.  Natural, or hydrogenated peanut butter?  Fresh fruit, or fruit snacks?  If you've read many of my food posts, you know I have opinions.  Some have gone as far as giving me nicknames or rolling their eyes.  I admit it - we have values we'd like to instill in our children.  So, the little choices start to add up and show patterns.  If I want my boys to know and follow my beliefs about nutrition, I needn't lecture on health habits.  What will they see as true in my life?  Each small decision can either reinforce or contradict what I say I believe.

The decisions can seem daunting if we put too much stock in their influence.  In writing to share this trip with you, I've been pressed to edit and cram things into short descriptions.  What results is only a tiny glimpse of the week.  Oh, how I long to share the details of the days, describe sweet exchanges, or recount many conversations that changed me!  Yet this blog is only capable of little tales, and my words are so often inadequate.  I've had to choose carefully, hoping that the things I publish will paint a scaled-down version of the larger picture.   

And so we come to this day in Mexico.  Our final day of working with the families in this village is upon us, and I'm thinking about the decision we've made to come here.  Was it a big choice?  So many people - loved ones at home and strangers here - have looked at our choice to bring a family into this work with disbelief or intrigue.  The time, the money, the travel... going where we don't know anyone... where we don't know the language well... when we have no experience, or formal training to offer...  I suppose it seemed like a very large decision, indeed.

It was, and is, a big deal.  But we also realized that this is a small piece of a larger picture.  When we say we believe each person - our children included - is uniquely and lovingly made for God's purposes and glory, then we must act accordingly.  How do we know our own strengths and weaknesses?  How do we show attention to the unique bent of each child, seeking ways to build his character?  What will we do to point him to his creator?  When given the opportunity, we must rise and stretch as a family, living out opportunities God presents with active faith.  

When these choices are consistent, a message will be clear.  There is a God, and we know him.  He is good, and mighty, and purposeful.  He has offered an immeasurable gift of life in Christ, and this life extends beyond the days we number in this world.  He is creative and in motion, and we are invited to join his work in this world.  Often this work is within the rooms of our home, or sidewalks of our neighborhood.   Sometimes it moves us with love and action in our schools, city, and country.  Once in a while - however rare - an invitation extends to take us into other countries and cultures.  

Every parent chooses his or her values.  We value traveling the world, wanting to raise children who see and appreciate the different lives on this planet.  We value hard work, wanting to raise children who will use their gifts to be a blessing, not a drain.  We value sincerity, wanting to raise children who do what they say.  We value faith, wanting to raise children to understand they are not the center of the universe - but they can know the One who is.  Without action, however, these things remain nice words written or spoken without consequence.  It is those small and slightly larger decisions, made with consistency over time, that will prove what we really believe.

Whether it was playing in the heat of the plaza with dozens of children, or sitting in the shade of a dirt courtyard, or trading life stories with new friends, our boys were with us throughout this trip.  Today I watched Obi-1 explain the gospel story to a group that included his brother and several new amigos.  It was unexpected, and I caught my breath.  It's not about regurgitating what he's been told - today I got to overhear what he believes.  For a moment, I simply found joy in a mother's answered prayer.  My children are starting to understand that they have a gift and purpose for their life, and they are acting on this belief. 

Tonight, we joined new friends and prayed a blessing on a family, household, and village.  We shared hopes that people would come and join them this evening.  The results of tonight's attendance will either encourage or squelch this family's dream to build a church in their town.  We have seen people declare a new and renewed faith this week.  We have heard voices say they believe something eternally important.  Like our children's eyes for us and ours for them, we'll look for actions that reinforce those words.

They came.  Tonight, twenty (four times the amount we had asked for and hoped for!) came to hear, read, and discuss a passage from the bible.  Household after household gathered in that courtyard together.  Children gathered around the steps and built new friendships.  Neighbors and friends helped take care of guests, holding babies and greeting each person who climbed that rocky hill in step with their faith.  Translators and team members stood at the outside, offering seating and fellowship space to those who would meet long after we return to our comfy beds and American homes.  

     

So, a decision was made to bring families into this work.  Were we building something?  What did we do with the kids while we worked?  Why were we here?

It's as simple as peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, I suppose.  Somebody was hungry.  Somebody had ideas for a meal.  We believe in providing nourishment to those around us, so we spent a week of a summer vacation in this work.  As we return home, we'll hope and wait for another opportunity to rise up and challenge us to make a decision.

Thank you, as you've supported us and come along in the journey. 

Much love,

MamaToo