A Much Better Day

     Ha!  So today was much better of just being a new day!  There is a yearly retreat for women serving overseas called "Velvet Ashes".  Two other women, one who is Bajan but been a missionary in China the last 2 years and another lady from England got together to retreat.  Brice kept the kids, and he discovered having all them without me all day is harder than he thought, I think.  Or they just really missed me :)  

     The three of us ladies have so much in common, serving in a foreign culture and feeling like outsiders often and messing up often.  All three of us have young children and run them around in various activities and church outings.  And we also all 3 homeschool our kids, which we realize we love but also often times feel inadequate.  So, it was the best time getting away together this year and talking together.  God knew it was just what I needed.  With all the moves, I rarely connect with other women and more just talk to my best friend, Brice, and hang with the kids.  So, this was such a special time to just be with them.

     All in all to say - God knows what we can bear and gives us what He knows is best for us.

A yucky day

     I can usually find joy in everyday, but today is one of those days I just got down.  Living overseas life is at a different pace - a trip to the bank can involve waiting in line several hours or more.  In dealing with the sell of one of the St. Vincent properties (Praise God!) the bank needed Brice and I to get some certified signatures here.  Have I mentioned we don't have anyone to ever babysit for us here?  And we have 4 little ones.  Two very active boys.  And an almost one year old wanting to crawl everywhere.  So, we took a day that took 2 hours to get it done and sent back.  Well, it was done wrong we found out.  And needs to go to one of the few places that will take an hour and half to get there driving, both of us going to sign where we will wait in line minimum of 3 hours to all day, with all 4 kids in tow.  And then drive an hour and half home.  Yes, I was not thrilled that we have this day to look forward to:)

     And then, we have been having an infestation of rats on campus since the cane fields were cut down all around where we live.  They are everywhere!  So I sat down to fold laundry, I kept smelling something. very. bad.  But laundry is always a longer process- getting it washed, hung to dry, praying it does not rain, and taking it off the line.  At the very bottom of my now folded pile - there was a dead rat!  And since that basket has sat for the last 2 days, the rat smelled like it was 2 days gone.  After rewashing 3 times, the clothes still stink.

     I sat down and had a good old cry.  Realized things could be way worse.  Really they could.  And if anyone has a good suggestion for getting rat death out of clothes, I would welcome it.

     Cherish. Each. Day. God. Gives. Us.

Happy Easter

Admidst the group craziness, I got behind.  So a quick catch up- we loved meeting new friends and seeing old friends and all the ways they partnered with WISE! 

Here was our Easter photo....the 3 oldest just trying to keep the baby in the picture- ha!

Naiyah was busy training to be a ball girl for the Davis Cup here.  The choices in sports in St. Vincent were tennis or cricket- we chose tennis.  And we have loved the very affordable lessons she has gotten the last 5 years.  

This past weekend, Brice was speaking and traveling to St. Lucia to recruit students.  For the first time, our family went along.  Basically all the rooms were sold out, so we were in a 8 by 8 room with all 5 of us.  Cockroaches and centipedes abounded and we were never so happy to arrive at home.sweet.home.  We did go on a really fun hike and pray the connections we met there result in more students to come to study.