Noah's Wife

So I caught a glimpse into Noah's wife's life the other day. How is that for ironic!?

But really, I am talking about Noah, the guy with the big ark, the one who found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Yeah.  Her.

I was reading Elliot the Peter Spier version of Noah's Ark, well, reading maybe is a loose term because there are something like 2 sentences in the whole book.  But there are captivating illustrations.  And Elliot is enamored by them right now.

Anyway, we came across this illustration

Yeah, do you see her?  Hanging up laundry on top of the ark?  And how do you think that worked out once the rain began?

It's been raining here, and I mean raining, like buckets of rain.  Our clothes have been hanging on our indoor line for 2 1/2 days with the fans on them full blast and they are still soaking wet.  And I thought of Mrs. Noah again.  Yeah, after 40 days and 40 nights of rain...nothing was getting dry anywhere in that stinky old ark!

Anyway, this Mrs. Noah is am grateful for a dryer so that in a pinch we can get our clothes dry!

What I am Reading

I have tons to tell you all about, ArtPrize, our support level, what the last week has been like on the road, and I am not even sure what else at this point. 

But since I am completely spent from said week on the road, I don't really have the brain power to talk about all that tonight.  So instead, I am going to let you in on what I have been reading lately.

When we were at LAM in January, one of the things we came home with was a list of required reading before we deploy (by the way, the terminology used in missions circles is sorta funny.  Deploy?  It reminded me of funny words that we use for church buildings.  Narthex?  What in the world is a narthex and why would I call an lobby that?  Anyway...I digress)

One of the books we have to read is called The Missionary Call by M. David Sills.  Wow.  I wish this book had been around when I was in High School, or college.  It is one of the most clearly written, balance books on how to know God's will for you life, how to really figure out if you have been called to the foreign field, and just plain old choked full of good stuff! 

Read it if you have ever wondering if you are suppose to go abroad.  Read it if you haven't.  It's just plain old good.

And Another...

When I was about 12 or 13 my mom brought home a book by a woman named Elizabeth Elliot.  It was called Through the Gates of Splendor.  She had picked it up at Baker Book House, in the used and out of print section.  The story of five families willing to lose everything in this life so that the Auca (now called the Huaorani) people of Ecuador could hear the Truth about Jesus Christ captivated me.  I think I read it in a day.  If you don't know the story of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot and their fellow missionaries, run to the bookstore, or kindle store or wherever it is you get your books these day and READ IT!

My copy is from 1958 and has that smell that only old books can have.  It was a big part of how God directed my path towards Latin America.  A few years later, my mom brought home another book, The Savage My Kinsman.  This was the story of Elizabeth, with her 2 year old, going to spend  time with the people that had killed her husband.  That book shaped a lot of my thoughts on how a missionary should approach a people, about being a believer, a woman, a writer.  Again, run to your nearest book place, be it audio, real, electronic, whatever.  Read it!


Through high school and college I devoured anything by Elliot. Some are falling apart at the seams, many of my copies are from that same Baker used bookstore.  If you live in Grand Rapids, the Christian publishing headquarters of the world (not joking, Zondervan, Eerdmans, Baker, Kregel, all there) check it out.  Amazing treasures await you.

Are you starting to understand why my son's name is Elliot?  And can I tell you how excited both Noah and I were when we were able to listen to David Howard, the former president of LAM, former LAM missionary to Columbia, founder of Urbana ,who is also Elizabeth Elliot's brother and Jim Elliot's college roommate?  Yeah, when we discovered he was an LAMer, we realized we were at the heart of what is going on in Latin American missions.

It wasn't until I started to reread The Savage My Kinsman this weekend that I realized another area where I was shaped by these books. Cornell Capa was a photojournalist with Life magazine in the 50's.  He was sent to Ecuador right as the events in Through the Gates of Spender were happening, and he took some pretty compelling photos. 

He also taught Elizabeth how to use a camera and told her to photograph what was important to her, "her daughter, and her Indians," to use the camera as "an extension of her eyes".

When I read that again on Sunday, I stopped.  That's what I have been trying to do.  Take photos of things I care about, to show people where God has put us, what He is doing, and to convey a moment with the emotional impact of what is actually happening.  To show people for who they are, not just what they are doing.

Maybe in heaven I will get a chance to say, "thank you" to Jim and Elizabeth.  They were simply following what God was directing them to do, but it impacted not only the  Huaorani, but the life a girl in middle America.

Quiet Time

Alright, before I get into this post, I just need to put this disclaimer out there.  I am not an expert mom.  At. All.  In fact, more days than not, I am afraid I do a pretty lousy job.  But I had a couple of people ask me about this Quiet Time thing we do, so I thought might as well write about it, hoping that it helps someone out.

Right now both boys are quiet.  They are in their beds, with their blankets (ni nights).  Elliot is sucking away on his binky, sleeping, and Forrest is enjoying some graham crackers, milk and a few books.  In fact, this morning he asked me to go to Quiet Time.

It's something we started with him shortly after Elliot was born.  Forrest had given up his morning nap, and I was about to lose my mind. I needed just a bit of time in the morning to collect myself, you know, like maybe get dressed, or eat something, write an email, or clean a bathroom.  So we put Forrest in his crib with some board books and a snack, his ni night and turned on the small light, just to make it cozy and snugglely, not like an operating room.  And it worked.  I was able to have about a half hour to myself to actually get something done!  In those early days, there were even times when Forrest would fall asleep.

Now Quiet Time usually lasts about a half hour or forty five minutes.  We don't let Forrest take toys with him, just books and a snack.  And sure, he will start pretending with his stuffed dog Katie, but that's ok.  The point  is to teach him everyone needs some alone time and to just be content with some quiet play.  And we have found with him in particular he needs it.  Too many people drain the poor kid.  There are times when he comes home from babysitting mornings and he says, "Mommy, can I got quiet time?"

Elliot still needs and wants a morning nap (Thank you God!), but when he gets to the point where he's done with it, you better believe we will be doing quiet time with him too!  Because everyone, including mama, needs some alone time!

What We've Been Reading

 

We have several kids' Bibles around here, and I really don't like any of them.  Either the illustrations are creepy, or they are cartoony.  Most of the time, the text doesn't accurately portray what the story is about.  One we have doesn't even mention the serpent's lies, Adam and Eve's disobedient, and that forbidden fruit!

A couple of friends had mentioned the Jesus Storybok Bible to me, and I was able to get the boys it for Christmas with a gift card we had from last Christmas.

Can I just say, I LOVE this Bible?  It starts in Genesis and works through the whole Bible, laying out God's plan for Salvation.  It's written in such an easy to understand, poetic, narrative style.  Forrest has been begging to read it.  This morning he sat through 90 pages of it!  And these aren't just two or three sentence pages either.

And he is fascinated by the illustrations, asks questions, and wonders at the stories.  Since Monday, we have made it from Genesis through the beginning of Jesus' ministry!

Every story points to the coming of God's Rescuer because,"God would love his children- with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love."

It's written in such a sweet way.  Here's how the author paraphrase Jesus' teaching on prayer.

"So when you pray, pray in your normal voice, just like when you're talking to someone you love very much.  Like this...

Hello Daddy!

We want to know you.

And be close to you.

Please show us how.

Make everything in the world right again.

And in our hearts too.

Do what is best- just like you do in heaven,

And please do it down here too.

Please give us everything we need today.

Forgive us for doing wrong, for hurting you.

Forgive us just as we forgive other people

when they hurt us.

Rescue Us!  We need you.

We don't want to keep running away

and hiding from you.

Keep us safe from our enemies.

You're strong, God.  You can do whatever you want.

You are in charge.  Now and forever and for always!

We think you're great!

Amen!

Yes we do!"

It's been so fun to share this with Forrest!  And I'll admit, sometimes I have been caught off guard at the wonder of the stories and the portrait of God's love for us.  A couple of times, I have wound up in tears, with Forrest asking why is mama crying?

Because of that, "Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love" of God, honey.  That's all.

Ox Cart Man

"In October he backed his ox into his cart
and he and his family filled it up
with everything they made or grew all year long
that was left over."

In all of his rummaging, Forrest happened upon this book again today. What a perfect story for reading snuggled next to a fire on a cold October day. Forrest is captivated by the illustrations and the rhythm of the words.

"He packed the bag of wool
he sheared from the sheep in April.

He packed a shawl his wife wove on a loom
from yarn spun at the spinning wheel
from sheep sheared in April."

It has a "Little House" feel to it, but short enough that a two year old can sit through most of it. And it makes me want to learn how to make maple syrup and cheese, and brooms. And maybe own an ox.

And then I am jolted back to reality. I can't even stay on top of the laundry. Who am I kidding?

Monday

We try to make Monday somewhat special around here. And as the summer goes on, I can tell Noah needs to get off of camp more and more. Local family fun is somewhat limited, but today we headed into Mio. There were library books that needed to be dropped off, new ones to picked out, and a McDonald's picnic seems appropriate. I think Forrest enjoyed the whole time. While eating his lunch, he said clear as a bell, "Chicken nuggets are the bomb!" Oh my.



We ate by the Ausable River and then took a nice walk up to see the Mio dam. Like I said, not a whole lot to do around here. But really the walk was just the right length for the boys. And we still had time to visit the library.





The big unexpected was that there was road construction. It was amazing to see all the traffic! I know, I know, makes me sound like an old farm wife, but who knew Oscoda county had this many cars! Of course, the construction was quite exciting for the two year old. In fact, after we passed it all, he wanted to read his book, Easy Street.





It was a good late morning, early afternoon trip. Noah and the boys are all taking naps now and my next project to create something yummy for dinner...hummmm

Snuggle Puppy!

We happened upon this gem in a bag of hand me down books we go this week. We already have what we lovingly refer to as the "bee bo" book, you know the one of about the hippos that go around in tiny bathing suits, hoping someone will notice their belly buttons?

Anyway, I love this new one! My favorite line in the whole book is "I love what you are." I have been singing the song for two days straight to my boys, because, well, I love what they are.

And I want that truth to sink deep, deep, deep down into the recesses of their beings. I love them because they are Forrest and Elliot, not because of anything they do. We don't tell them they are good boys when they do something we like, because they are always good boys. Good because God made them that way. Oh, don't misunderstand me, we also lovingly refer to them as the little heathen in our home because they don't yet know Christ. We pray daily that they will come to know Him at a young age. But they are fearfully and wonderfully made, not because of what they do, but because of what they are, amazingly given to us for just a moment in time, to raise up into God's men.

I want them to understand that we love them because of what they are, and that is the same way God feels. He loves what we are. His creation. And He loved us like that while we hated Him, I think the term is even while we were enemies of Him.

Oh, how I hope they will get this all. And meanwhile, I will keep singing, "ooooooo snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine!" Even if Forrest keeps telling me, "I don't like that song!"

Too bad snuggle puppy, because mama does!

The Relatives are Coming! The Relatives are Coming!

So, one of the occupational hazards of being an English major turned history teacher, turned mother of two tiny boys is useless facts that swarm around your brain like a bunch of confused bees. Sometimes they come out when it's appropriate, sometimes not. Sometimes you can remember where they are from. Other times not.

Today, I was thinking of a phase, "The Relatives are Coming! The Relatives are coming!" well, because they are. Noah's middle brother and his family are coming today. So, with all the cleaning, laundry, and what not, my brain had just enough time to come up with this phrase. And that was it. Not where it was from, who said it, why they said it.

Then, while picking up the multitudes of books my children drag around the house, (another occupational hazard, and by the way Elliot ate one today. No, literally ate one. Oh well, fiber I guess.) I happened upon the book that it came from. And what a good one it is.

The Realtives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell. And it's a Caldecott too!

Wow, I kinda feel like LeVar Burton right now!