Saturday Post -- 23/01/2016

I (Amanda) sit here on a Saturday morning, with sports on in the background (shock, horror, gasp - it's okay, it's the Australian Open. It's not like I've started watching football or anything), and I feel so rested. Because my generous, gracious husband let me sleep in this morning!!! I slept in till 8am this morning!!! For the first time in six weeks!!! I don't think that has ever happened in my life before. I have never gone six weeks without sleeping in. I don't think I realised how much I missed it. Sleeping in is awesome. As a teenager, I would always choose more sleep over the chance to eat breakfast. I think I feel the same way still. Sam, at nine months, has not learned the awesomeness that is sleeping in yet. But maybe, just maybe, he'll figure it out one day... or maybe he'll be a morning person like his Dad. Ugh... 

So far, our grand plan of switching off working and looking after Sam has gone well. We both feel we've gotten back into the swing of work, and we're able to keep Sam comfortable in his routine. We have also found that it is a lot easier to have people over at our house now instead of going out with him, especially in the evenings. We had a movie night here last Saturday with the young people. We finally got around to watching The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe after spending the second half of last year reading through the book, and the youth seemed to enjoy the movie even though the majority had already seen it. However, when asked which they enjoyed better, the movie or the book, they all answered, "The movie!!!" To which I replied, "You're all wrong! Read more!" Young people these days (shakes head in dismay). 

We also had Miguel Angel and his family over for lunch yesterday and Sam was in his element surrounded by so many people, being the centre of attention. Miguel Angel and Ruth, being dentists, were immediately commenting on how his two bottom teeth have come in. I was so proud and glowing over their comments, "Look at my kid... he's so talented, his teeth came in!" I looked happy, and probably smug, on the outside, but inside I internally accepted that his teeth coming in probably didn't have much to do with me, or anything conscious on Sam's part either. Due to our recent success at having people round here, Craig and I are talking about how it would be good to start trying to have more things at our place to be able to keep up our relationships with people, but not have to pack up the insane amount of things we have to carry around with us when we take Sam out. 

This past Thursday we had another interview with the psychologist attached to the Judge's office. Craig, Sam and I arrived bright and early and they all spent some time fawning over Sam and how big he's gotten. Then we entered into a relatively extensive interview about how we're getting on, but I think she was most impressed with Sam's diaper bag... because when he was starting to get fussy at breakfast time, yes, I pulled out his puréed mango and he ate like a champ and didn't even get any on his shirt. Then I pulled out everything I needed to mix his post breakfast bottle. We pulled out various toys as the meeting went on and we had his cloth for cleaning him up... and of course, had he needed to be changed, we had that as well. Talk about being prepared! However, when we went to the park after work that same afternoon and we needed to change his diaper, we discovered that we had packed everything for a diaper change expect a diaper. Sorry, dude... you're just going to have to sit in it until we get home. Complete fail. Returning to our interview that morning, the psychologist ended our time together by complimenting Sam's jeans and asking us where we got them. "Santa Cruz", we replied. At home Craig said, "You were thrilled about how she commented on his clothes, weren't you? It's almost like she complimented you on yours." "Absolutely," I replied, "I'm not in a position to buy stuff for myself anymore. I need to live vicariously through my son now." 

To give everyone a general update, we have another interview Monday morning with the social worker attached to the Judge's office. And on Wednesday the first advert goes into the weekly paper asking for his birth parents to step forward if they would like to claim him, or something to that effect. That gets printed this coming Wednesday (27th of January) and once again the following Wednesday (3rd of February), and then 30 days from the appearance of the first advert we will have another hearing with the Judge to terminate his parents' rights, if his parents or other immediate family members haven't stepped forward. Please pray that this goes smoothly. 

In terms of our work and ministry, things have been going well. Craig has started all his weekly discipleship sessions again after the holidays, and I have restarted some and will be back in full swing with all of mine next week. Craig spoke last Sunday on 1 Kings 17. I cannot tell you how it went because I was on nursery duty that morning. I spent the morning trying to fend the other kids off from poking Sam in the face and from trying to shoot him with toy pistols. I mean, what if he remembers that one day and it traumatises him? One kid asked me, "Can I kill him?" "Ummm, no, you can't! Don't kill my baby!" I know everyone has varying opinions about guns, but I grew up in a household where my police officer father didn't even let us play with water guns, so I am by nature very wary of anything to do with shooting in play... I was taught guns are never toys. So don't try to pretend to shoot my baby. Returning to Craig's sermon, I am sure he did a great job... as always. It's like a given. :)

Mariana, FT's chief administrator, has been on holiday this week, as she well deserves, so I have been trying to keep on top of various things in the Foundation. I have approved probably more purchases than she would have liked in her absence, but everyone assured me that they were necessary. Maybe I am a complete pushover or maybe it is my lack of Spanish and, therefore, understanding. Our caretaker tried to explain to me how there was a leak in the sink in the dentistry office and what he needed to fix it. I had no clue exactly what the problem was or what he was telling me he needed (my Spanish plumbing vocab is nonexistent), but he seemed so impassioned about fixing the sink that I just had to let him. It's his job, it's important that I let him do his job! 

I am speaking at youth group tonight and I want to challenge the youth to not limit God. God does not operate within our limitations and rules. God is bigger than that and we can trust in his greatness. I am planning on using Ephesians 3, focusing on the second half as Paul prays for the believing gentiles, where various mentions are made to God's unfathomableness (might not be a real word... it appears in wiktionary, but not in Webster's, so it's probably a fake word, though I think everyone understands what I am trying to say). Of course I will spend some time explaining the whole chapter and how the mystery of the gospel is that salvation is for the Gentiles too...because we can't forget about context, can we? I wouldn't be able to come home and look my husband in the eye if I forgot about context. But if God can't be measured (v18), if God's love can't be understand (v19) and he can do more than we can imagine (v20), why do we limit God when he is so clearly much bigger than us? I plan on starting with an activity to get them thinking about their imagination and about what they can really imagine...youths' imaginations are so under-stimulated here, it is really sad. Personally I think it's the lack of reading. (Please see above for my thoughts on this. Shakes head in dismay. Again.). So, I am going to put a fantasy-esque picture on the screen (see pic, below) and in small groups they have to come up with a story to fit the picture. The group with the most entertaining, dynamic story wins. Think big, think outside the box, yes in stories and in our imagination, but also in life. We can lead bigger lives than we're letting ourselves if we let go of the limits we put on God. Please pray for this message. 

What could possibly be happening in this picture?
And reciting the plot to Avatar does not count as creative.

Prayer

• Please continue to pray for the ability to update FT's accounting software, as I expressed last week. If anyone feels led to help towards this specific need, please get in touch with us privately. 
• For the message tonight at youth group - that the youth would be challenged. 
• For our interview with the social worker on Monday morning.
• Please pray for our church, El Jireh. There are lot of big decisions approaching and the leaders would appreciate guidance.

Praise

• A great time with Miguel Ángel, Ruth and their kids yesterday.
• For the interview with the psychologist which seemed to go well.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig and Amanda