Happy

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 
 - John 15:11 NKJV

Joy:
1a :  the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires :  delight
  b :  the expression or exhibition of such emotion :  gaiety
2:  a state of happiness or felicity :  bliss
3:  a source or cause of delight

I have been reading a lot of articles on Facebook and the news lately about "happy Christians." The persecutions in the Middle East, which have been going on for more then five years but were not filmed until now, are being talked about too.  In light of them, some very good men and women of God have decided to let us know why God does not care about your happiness or have a great plan for your life.  They seem to have a focus of telling people that being a Christian is to slog your way through your life.  To not have joy or a destiny in this world.  To just get through until you die - don't worry, it is only eighty years away.

I believe Jesus has a very different view. Jesus has great plans for your life and he cares about your happiness.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  - Romans 15:13 NKJV

Did you know that happiness does not look the same everywhere?  In all countries people find happiness.  It may be harder, but they do find happiness.  So, saying that a Christian in another country who does not own a car or other western comforts is unhappy and suffering for Jesus is untrue.  They are happy in their own way, because they have Jesus.

Joy is a state of happiness and felicity.  Many people do not see the word happy in the New Testament so they say that God does not care about happiness (yes, this is an argument I have actually heard).  My New King James only has the word happy twice in the New Testament, but it has joy 62 times. This does not include other offshoots of the word, such as joyous.

When I rededicated my life to the Lord five years ago, I was a little nervous about what he had in store for me.  Then, we felt called to move to Guatemala.  A lot of people would think that this could make someone miserable.  We are constantly uncomfortable (mostly because of language) and in danger (the crime rate is very high here).  We are not living as good of lives as we were in America, at least by material and luxury standards.  Any plans of retirement or career advancement are put on hold.  But, I have never been more joyous or in a state of more happiness, because God has a plan for my life and He is with me and my family.

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."  So she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son." - Genesis 30:22-24 NKJV

If the Lord did not care about Rachel's happiness, why did He open her womb?  I believe the Lord cared about her and her happiness, and happiness for her was the birth of a child.  There was no other reason to do this except it was the desire of Rachel and would bring her happiness, and he is a good God.  Rachel is not the only one God heard crying out for something and blessed them. Some other examples to look up:  Ishmael, Hannah, the woman with the issue of blood (she may not have cried out verbally, but she was specific about her healing).

Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. - Psalm 37:4 NKJV

Did you know that God wants a relationship more than anything else?  If He wanted robots, He would have made robots.  If He wanted to limit our choices He would not have put the tree in the garden.

We were looking a few years ago at moving to the Raleigh, North Carolina.  This had been quite a process with many ups and downs.  One day during this time, I felt one the strongest feelings in the spirit I had ever felt.  It was "move" - no job, no plan, just "move".  I tried to shake off this feeling for a week, but it would not go away.  When I prayed over it, I felt very deeply at the same time "I will take care of your needs."

Finally, after a week, I stopped ignoring the Lord and talked with Him.  I spoke respectfully, and said I couldn't do it.  The main reasons were my children. I spoke to my Heavenly Father about being a father, and how my kids were the most important thing to me.  After discussing why I couldn't just move, the feeling went away.

One year later, almost to the day, we moved to Atlantic, Iowa, which set us on our current course.  I believe this is plan B.  But, I believe plan B is just as good as plan A would have been.  I was not punished for disagreeing. I was not left out.  Instead, the Lord saw my concerns and set my life on a path that worked for both of us. Why?

Because He cares for me.  He is not a bully, and when we are honest with Him, our plans and His Plan mix to make an awesome plan for all of us, as long as our plan is pure in desire.

Therefore we wanted to come to you-even I, Paul, time and again-but Satan hindered us. - 1 Thessalonians 2:18 NKJV

One final note: The persecution in the Middle East is not of God.  Jesus foretold persecution but he does not bring it.  All of these works come from satan.  If he could hinder Paul, he can do much.  It makes me sad to think that people believe God is using these deaths to glorify himself.  Only one glorifies himself in death, and that is Satan.  Many of those who have been killed have died singing because of the joy and glory they felt in Jesus. This was not God's plan for their lives, but He brought them joy even in suffering because they followed the One who brings joy and peace.

Our Trip - Part One

I’m a chronicler. It’s what I do. So, while you’re perfectly welcome to read about what we’ve been up to so far on this trip, don’t feel like you have to. This post is for our own records and my inner need to keep track of things. If you get a kick out of it too, all the better! 

We left Xela around 2:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, June 9^th, and took a different route north than we’d ever taken before (through Huehuetenango). The drive was much more rural and very beautiful. We crossed at a new border, which was a little bit quicker and easier, but you had to drive through a long, teeming, busy market in order to get to the immigration office. Definitely a crossing to remember for future. 

The rest of day one was pretty uneventful. We drove until almost midnight and stopped at Tuxtla Gutierrez for a bit of sleep. The stop would have been more restful had Rachel not sleep walked over to the door and opened it during the night!  I’m so glad the lock stopped her and I woke up. When I asked her what she was doing, she replied (with a great deal of attitude in her voice), “I’m going to bed, like you told me to!” She didn’t remember any of it the next morning. :)

 

We were on the road by seven on our second driving day in Mexico (Wednesday, June 10^th), and enjoyed another good (but long) day. It was amazing how much less terrifying and mystifying Mexico seemed to us this trip than the first time we drove down. Language issues, road conditions, culture and customs – everything seemed somehow much more familiar and much less strange. Our big excitement of the day was having to find parts and a shop to get our rear brakes replaced. They’d been making ominous noises for the better half of the day before, and we decided it would be best to just get them changed.

Since day two wasn’t mountain driving, we could go a lot faster and really ate up the miles. For most of the afternoon and evening we were skirting along the eastern coast of Mexico, and kept popping around corners and being treated to breathtaking views of blue water and beautiful beaches. It was so hard not to stop!!! However, we drove on until around 11:00 and stayed in a hotel in Tampico Alto where we saw the biggest beetle we’ve ever encountered. It was almost two inches long. We were fascinated, and very glad it was outside of our room, and not inside!

Day three (Thursday, June 11^th), started bright and early at 7:00 a.m. again. We were all very excited knowing we were only seven or so hours from the U.S. The scenery in northern Mexico was very beautiful. It’s a loooooooooooong country, and has so many different types of landscapes – from mountains, to deserts, to beaches, to rolling farmland. The flora and fauna are also fascinating, and kept us very well entertained. 

We crossed into Texas around 3:00 in the afternoon. Every border crossing is always interesting, and there were details and fees we had forgotten about since our last time through. Once we had things squared away on the Mexican side, there was much squealing and cheering when we crossed the bridge and found ourselves on U.S. soil. We said goodbye to our friends with whom we’d been traveling, and continued heading north.  Though we would have liked to have relaxed a bit, there was still a lot of driving to do in order to get Rachel to National History Day competition. It is as far from Xela to Brownsville as it is from Brownsville to Washington D.C., so we were only halfway to our destination, despite having already completed three very hard days of driving. We did give ourselves a bit of a break and stopped around 7:30 that evening and got a hotel just south of Houston, where we continued to process of rediscovering simple joys like carpet, free ice, and the ability to easily communicate with everywhere. 

On our fourth driving day (Friday, June 12^th), we got up early and hit it hard so we made it all the way to Memphis, Tennessee around 9:00 p.m. It was a pretty uneventful day, aside from the little excitements like lunch at a buffet, having our choice of dozens of radio stations in English, and getting to see the beautiful scenery of the south. Oh, and we made a quick stop at a Bass Pro Shop in Memphis! (We do so love to go to Bass Pro Shops!!) 

Our fifth day of driving (Saturday, June 13^th) was also Rebecca’s 11^th birthday. I can’t say that spending fifteen hours in the car is the most exciting way to celebrate, but we did our best to make it special by letting her choose which spot she got in the back, picking where we ate lunch, and allowing her to touch and bother her sisters as much as she wanted to. :)

 

We got into the suburbs of Washington DC around midnight Xela time, 2:00 a.m. local time, and were immediately greeted by gridlock traffic created by construction. We quickly discovered how much our driving experience in Guatemala would come in handy. Without even knowing it, we’d become experts in making difficult merges and dealing with bumper-to-bumper traffic, since they’re daily realities where we live. We were so grateful to be welcomed into the warm embrace of H.(a friend of mine from high school), C., and their dog, Panzer. They opened up their home to us, and we were SOOO grateful to have comfy beds, room to spread out, and wonderful company during our time in DC.  We were even greeted with three different types of freshly-baked goodies. Hospitality doesn’t get any better!

The next several days are a bit of a blur. On Sunday, June 14^th, we met up with M and P (family who came to see us), and wen to registration and attend the opening ceremony for National History Day. Monday, June 15^th, was our big tour day. We saw the National Archives (including the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and a 13^th century copy of the Magna Carta on the documents 800^th birthday), took a special tour of the Capitol given by a member of the Capitol Police (complete with insider-access to some pretty cool places in the building), visited the National Botanical Center and Air and Space Museum, and did our own walking tour of the National Mall, Reflecting Pool, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Vietnam Memorial. All told, one person’s pedometer estimated that we walked almost 14 miles during the ten hours we were out, some of them in the driving rain. Definitely a day to remember! 

On Tuesday, June 16^th Rachel and her team faced the judges for NHD, and then we were able to meet up with some old friends we hadn’t seen in years before having a relaxing supper with H and C where the kids chased fireflies and played with the dog while the grownups laughed and swapped stories until it was way later than we should have been up. Wednesday, June 17^th was another tour day, and we split up and covered the Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, and enjoyed an NHD-sponsored evening at the American History Museum. 

Thursday morning, June 18^th, we had the NHD closing ceremonies, which were pretty impressive. There were almost 3000 young scholars and their teachers and families present at the Xfinity Center at the University of Maryland campus. None of the teams from our school received any awards, but it was such an honor and a thrill to be part of representing the nation of Guatemala for their first time ever at the competition. We’re really hoping to be back next year, too! Afterward, we went to the National Cathedral, which is an impressive building. Its main chapel is a tenth of a mile long, and is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world. It was an interesting visit, and made for another long, interesting day.

On Friday, June 19^th, we slept in late (SO AWESOME!) and enjoyed a great breakfast before going  to Gettysburg. It was everything we expected it to be – hallowed, historical, memorable, interesting, difficult, emotional - and so much more. What a privilege to be able to have seen and experienced this wonderful place, and to be citizens of the Union that this battle (and the entire Civil War) helped to preserve. 

And, that brings us to today. (Is it really June 20^th already!? How did that happen?) We headed out early and our morning started with Dunkin Donuts, which is immensely satisfying in and of itself. Add to that that we got to see the Jefferson Memorial and the Pentagon from the road, and this day is off to a great start! It’s a travel day today. We’re headed south, with the Gulf Coast of Alabama as our final destination.  Can’t wait to see what adventures lie ahead! 

Capitol Tour Highlights –

Walking on the steps where the President walks to the inauguration.

Getting to stand on the floor of the Senate, and seeing signatures inside the desk drawers from Kennedy, Obama, etc. Also, seeing our Senators’ desks, and “the candy desk.”

Seeing Jefferson Davis’s senate desk, which was battered by the bayonets of his colleagues after he announced he was leaving to be preside of the Confederate States.

Seeing Walt Disney’s graffiti signature behind a window shutter.

Seeing the place in the Capitol that the designer had made as a vault for Washington’s body. (He didn’t want that, choosing to be buried in Mt. Vernon instead.)

Getting to stand on the Speaker of the House’s private balcony behind his office, and seeing the Bob Dole patio (so named because he used to spend so much time there, even having a desk and computer taken out so he could be there all day).

Alien Surroundings

Okay, so I know we've only been away for 11 months, and we only moved two countries south. Living in Guatemala means we're even still on the same continent and hemisphere, for goodness sake! But, even though we've only been back in the United States for about five hours, we're kind of sort of shocked over every little difference. (And there are a LOT of them.)

I'm sure it sounds strange, but after going 11 months without flushing toilet paper, seeing a drinking fountain (let alone being able to use one), or stepping on carpet (think about THAT one!), this sort of seems like a whole new world.

Here are a few more of the many revelations and surprises we're rediscovering in our first 24 hours back in the states:

• Radio stations we can understand and music we know
• Remembering to say, "excuse me" instead of "disculpe" when you bump into someone
• Smooth and reliable roads with rest stops. (We'd honestly forgotten about rest stops.)
• U.S. Netflix selections - there are so many more options!
• Things written in miles and feet instead of kilometers and meters
• The fact that we can understand road signs, advertisements, people... 
• Road kill other than dogs
• Cheetos! A & W Rootbeer! Beef jerky! Starbucks! Etc, etc, a million times etc.
• Air conditioning in buildings
• Our favorite television shows in English
• American money - looks and feels totally different
• Hotel staff that acts like they actually want you to stay at their establishment
• Vertical light switches
• Being able to rinse our toothbrushes and fill up water bottles from the sink
• Putting our passports away and not needing them for six weeks

Honestly, the waves of differences just keep coming. Each new moment is filled with startling finds in our home land, which somehow has become a strange, alien surrounding in its own way. It certainly makes for some interesting moments, but we're so excited about rediscovering the land we love! 

The Good Ol' U.S. of A.

Well, we're headed home! That is to say, um, back, anyway. <sigh> It all gets so confusing when you live out of the country. I mean, really, here IS home now, but not in the roots-planted-deep, shared-memories, this-is-where-my-people-are-from sort of sense. So, I guess it's fair to say that we're leaving home to head home, and then we'll come back home again.

Think that's complicated? You should check out our itinerary! I will spare you the details, but it's going to be a 7,000 mile six weeks. I know that would strike terror into the hearts of most people, but we are super excited about every mile and moment of the five of us being crammed into our faithful Jeep Liberty. We like being together.

I must admit - I've got mixed feelings about the trip. I've talked to many missionaries who say that it's hard to be back. Most people assume furloughs or returns to your home country are some grand vacation. And, in a way, they are. I mean, we're going to be visiting friends and family, taking in the sights, eating at restaurants, staying in hotels - your average vacation activities. But, it's also kind of not a vacation. We have a lot of official business we've really got to get done in the few short weeks we'll be in the U.S.A. (where things like telephones, internet, and the postal service work reliably), not to mention a year's worth of birthday parties, small talk, card games, meals, get-togethers, hugs, etc. with our loved ones, who we probably won't see for at least another year once we drive off into the sunset.

So, um, vacation? Required business trip? Special brand of torture? I guess it's all in how you look at it. Not many people would sign up for the type of trip that we're planning on having. Then again, not many people would sign up to live in Guatemala, either, so I guess that makes us double strange. Yes, it will be hard. And will use up a lot of our resources. And will try our patience. And will have a lot of challenges. And will probably make our friends and families happy, but also sad all over again. But, despite all that, I'm going to have a great time this summer.

I'm planning on eating like a pig, staying up late most nights, sleeping in as often as I can, watching fireworks to celebrate America's birthday, catching fireflies, sitting on a porch swing, eating potato salad, laughing until fluids come out (I'm not saying where), and hugging everyone I can for as long as I can while we're home. And then, I'm going to get back in the Jeep and come home again. Because, let's face it - any place we call home this side of Heaven is going to have its blessings and its downfalls, so I guess we're doing just fine.

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Just to keep it real, I thought I'd include a list of what foods everyone in our family is most looking forward to this summer. I hate to say it, but aside from friends and family, familiar food is probably what we miss most. Here is our top 15. 

1.) Chinese Buffets (especially with sushi)

2.) Softshell Crabs in Alabama

3.) Digiorno Chicken and Spinich Frozen Pizza (there aren't frozen pizzas here)

4.) Sour Cream

5.) Casey's Takeout Pizza (an Iowa favorite)

6.) Tex Mex Food

7.) Crab Legs

8.) Subway Sandwiches With Generous Toppings (they skimp on the veggies here)

9.) Meatloaf

10.) Cream Cheese and Bagels

11.) Dollar Menu Sandwiches at McDonalds

12.) Sterzing's Potato Chips (another Iowa favorite)

13.) Really Good barbecue (good quality meat in general, for that matter)

14.) Good Quality Chocolate

15.) Bacon - Lots and Lots of Bacon