We have had a busy but great week. Mid Term started yesterday. The kids were happy to get out of school early and they have Monday off. Camping trips abound for everyone but Sallie! Trevor is off with some Seniors camping in Naivasha, Timothy camped with his friend up at RVA under the stars with Raman noodles, and Jim and I are "camping" at a lodge in Nakuru. I say camping, but our style of camping is furnished with a bed and dinner is supplied! It is just nice to get away for a little bit. Sallie was not forgotten! She hung out with other "orphans" of the banquet preparations and they had a blast!
The Bethany kids project is doing well, but they uncovered a serious problem. The floor in the basement had cracked. They dug up a portion to see what the problem was. Turned out that the hardcore (compacted) underneath had sunk in about 10 inches! Here is a picture:
This large space is where the hardcore dropped.
RVA Art Center: I don't have a picture right now, but things are looking good for us. The first floor deck in going to be poured probably next week. They had to tear this down at the end of Dec and rebuild it. But now it is straight and going well. The plumber and electrician are up there now getting all of their support items in. When they are ready, we should be able to pour the concrete. That will be exciting! Only one more floor to go after that!
Esther's house is also going well. We hired a fundi (expert) to come and build the roof and add doors and windows.
He thinks he will be done by the end of next week! It will be nice for them to be able to move in here.
Timothy got a 97 on a paper this past week! He was very excited about this because the night before it was due, he realized that he had misinterpreted the assignment! He stayed up till 10:30 working 3.5 hours on it to get it in line with what was required. It turned out great and he should be very proud of it!
Gratitude: The pastor preached last week about being grateful for God's gift. Luke 17:11-19 talks about the lepers:
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
NIV
So, only one came back and thanked Jesus, recognizing that God did this for him. Dependency: We need to recognize our need for Grace. Leprosy is a terrible disease. This man was cured and saw the wonderful thing that was done for him. Like leprosy, sin distances us from society. We need to see that we are dependent on God's grace.
Value: At what cost is it? There is a story out of WWII where 1 man saved 18 others by throwing himself on a grenade. He sacrificed himself. Three of the saved man recognized the value in what he did. When they got home, they would come every year to take care of the man's widow. They fixed the house, provided for her financially and did what ever else she needed done. They were grateful and acted on the fact that they saw the value in what was done for them. Sometimes people don't recognize the value in what was done. We see it as an entitlement, something we deserve. It is not so. We need to see the value of the cost and be grateful.
Joy: We need to find the joy in it all! My life has been blessed by God's grace (even in the suffering). True worship happens when your soul reaches past the gift and it is not just about what you have received. We pray constantly for what we need. God delights in filling these needs, but He created us to find the greatest value in Him!
We need to:
1. Recognize our dependency
2. See the value
3. Find the joy!
Hope you have a great week. We have banquet next week. The senior class does not have to do any of the work this time, we just get to go! What a joy. This time last year we were working hard on the set and food and all sorts of things to make it happen. Oh the privileges of being a senior parent!
In His Hands,
Jullie T.
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