Heard that Before

As I was picking up my children from their classes Sunday night one of their teachers tapped my arm and whispered that she would like to talk to me about one of my children. Of course my heart dropped, and I quickly glanced around to see. . . I don't know what I glanced around to see. I guess I wanted to see that all of my children were on their feet and blood free. As I glanced I didn't see any noticeable problems, and the teacher seeing my distress quickly reassured me it wasn't a big deal. While getting the kids from their classrooms the child in question zoomed past with a quick "Here's my Bible, Mom." Hoping to gain some knowledge on the problem I asked if everything went okay in class and was given the chipper "I obeyed and there were no problems" answer. Now I was really curious about the forth coming conversation because this child seemed oblivious to any issue.

After sending the kids to find their Dad I returned with trepidation to the teacher to find out what was going on. As the story began to unfold I found myself both saddened and trying not to smile at the same time. Saddened to hear that my child was rude to their teacher and prideful in expressing their unhappiness in hearing a Bible story they already knew. Yet, I had to hold back as smile as I couldn't believe my ears. My child was repeating something I had done when I was a child. I vividly remember sitting in a Sunday School class and the teacher announcing the story would be Daniel in the Lion's Den. I think I was in the fourth grade, and I had definitely heard that story many times. I think in my heart I truly wanted to know if there was more to the Bible than Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Daniel, Jonah, and Baby Jesus. My problem came in how I expressed this desire. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I'm pretty sure it came across self-righteous and rude. I can recall to this day the teacher's direct rebuke though. She pointed to the door and informed me that I could leave the class if I didn't want to participate. That shut me up really quickly, and I don't think I ever spoke up in class again.

So there I stood twenty some odd years later on a different continent speaking a different language and yet still dealing with the same issue. Thankfully this teacher didn't angrily rebuke my child but encouraged this child to participate in the class. Then she wisely informed me of the problem so I could address my child at home. After clearly understanding the attitudes, words, and situation I apologized and reassured the teacher that I would definitely be talking with my child about this.

As I walked away I had to check my own heart and decide how to best handle this conversation with my child. I really wanted to grab them and say "what in the world were you thinking?" and yet, somehow I knew what they were thinking. I had walked this path before myself. I had heard this lesson before.

I decided not to confront the issue head on but to let the conversation naturally develop as we ate our after church snack and discussed what we had learned that night at church. As the frustration was expressed and the eyes rolled about hearing "a lesson we already knew" I was able to address how important it is to honor our teachers with our attitudes and words. I reminded my children that although they might already know the story other children in the class might not. Their attitudes and actions affects others and the atmosphere in the classroom. Most importantly I wanted them to also understand that we can always learn something new from the Bible. I showed them how just that morning I had read a verse in Job that I don't ever remember reading. Their eyes got big as I explained that though I had read Job "a thousand times" I don't ever remember reading, "All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. (Job 42:11)" Wow, where did that verse come from? If I had to re-tell the story of Job I would have gone straight from verse ten where Job prayed for his friends and God blessed him with double to verse twelve where it describes how God blessed him. I don't ever remember reading about comforters and people giving him gifts, and it was like verse eleven jumped off the page as I was reading. It was neat to watch my children's reaction as I told them that I had learned something new. I was able to teach them the great thing about God's Word: It is living and powerful. No matter how many times we've heard the story we can always learn something new as we come to it with fresh problems, thoughts, ideas, and issues.

Whether this important life lesson was learned around our kitchen table Sunday night only time will tell, but I sure learned that life lessons sometimes have a funny way of repeating themselves.

Christmas Light

This had to be our most unique family Christmas. It was completely different than we ever planned or imagined.

We have gone to Patrick’s parents’ house for the past 4 years. It took a while but we adjusted to hot, sunny Christmas days in Brasilia. We love it. It's our summer vacation spot. What could be better than a beautiful, comfortable apartment next to a lovely pool with home cooked meals and Grandma's love? Seriously, does it get any better than that?

We've been planning, dreaming, and talking about this for the past couple of months. The kids can't stop talking about what they want to do with Grandma. Elena has planned her cake pattern for their traditional Grandma/granddaughter Christmas cake. Nathanael knows what video games he and Grandma will be playing. How cool is it to have a Grandma that plays video games with you? And Joel, well, he's mainly thinking about the presents; that's what 4 year olds do. Patrick and I have discussed the places we would like to go in Brasilia. I've gone so far as to suggest that we make a list and schedule out the days making sure we have time to do every thing we want. Yep, that’s me: planning and scheduling the fun. :)

Anyway, we were so ready to go. We planned school up to the day. We worked hard to finish 1st grade with Elena and get half way through 3rd with Nathanael. We even did school into December after the Brazilian kids were already out. Every Christmas party had been attended, every project at church completed, the house was cleaned, the laundry done, the fridge cleaned out, the presents wrapped, and all that we lacked was putting things in the suitcases.

Then everything changed with the blink of a light. We were driving home the day before our trip when the fuel injection light came on in the car. We couldn’t believe it. Hoping it was a fluke and would go off Patrick and I stared at it all the way home. When we got home Patrick immediately checked the owners’ manual, and we were totally bummed when he read that we should take the car to a mechanic. No problem. We’d call in the morning.

Bigger disappointment hit when the mechanics we called told us they couldn’t get us in before the next week. The next week? But that was after Christmas. How were we going to drive 13 hours to Grandma’s house? We discussed renting a car but the cost was just too much. We knew it would be wiser to use that money to fix our own car. With sad hearts we called Patrick’s parents and asked if we could wait to go until after the car was fixed. They were very understanding, and we felt better. Then we had to face the kids and tell them. It was amazing how understanding they were.

Everyone was okay with our new plans, but my mind of course began to start thinking of the details. We lacked any kind of Christmas preparations in our own house. We had celebrated our family Christmas time already thinking we would be leaving. There were no more presents to open. There was no special Christmas food. We couldn’t drive our car. It was definitely not the way we had planned.

Yet, God was in control and pretty soon details fell into place. We began receiving invites for Christmas Eve dinners and Christmas day get-togethers. A friend offered us her car so we could get to the events.

The fact we didn’t have any more presents really bothered me. We don’t want our kids to think that Christmas is all about the gifts, but it is nice to have something to open that day.

The day before Christmas Eve Patrick went to the Post Office, and I stayed home and prayed that God would allow at least one of the packages we were still waiting on to come in. I could have cried when he walked in the door with not one, but four packages! I happily wrapped the presents that we had ordered weeks before and that others had sent for Christmas. As I write this it is two weeks since Christmas, and we have not received a single package since that day. I truly believe that God delivered those boxes on just the day we “needed” them.

So we had a unique, simple Christmas. We celebrated with friends. We ate some amazing food. We rested and enjoyed our home. We read Christmas stories and made gingerbread houses (after walking to the corner store to buy an assortment of packaged cookies and raiding the kids candy bags). We watched Christmas movies and sang carols. Instead of being caught up in the hustle and bustle we were snug in our home together celebrating the birth of our Savior and thinking that any day we would leave for Grandma’s house.

Yet, here we are two weeks after Christmas still waiting on our car to be repaired. We still have plans to go to Brasilia and celebrate Christmas. The empty suitcases are still sitting in our room waiting to be filled. The wrapped presents waiting to be put into the car. I have cleaned out the fridge twice and the house numerous times thinking we would be leaving, but we’re still here.

It’s funny how a little light can change all of your plans. On a night over two thousand years ago a little light (from our perspective) signaled the birth of our Savior, the Light of the World. It prompted the start of the wise men’s journey from the east. It would come to trouble Herod. But for us, it pointed down on One for whom all history and humanity was waiting. His Light makes all those other Christmas lights--whether they shine in the sky, from your Christmas tree, or from the dash of your car--fade into the background.

A Blog in Progress

It's done! It's beautiful! It's more than I ever dreamed. It's my very own unique blog site. I absolutely love it, and the best part is that my incredibly talented husband, Patrick, created it for me. The fact that no one else in the whole world has a page like it and that every little detail demonstrates Patrick's amazing creative workmanship makes it that much more special. So let the blogging begin:

Poeima: what in the world is that?

I soon discovered that coming up with a blog name isn't easy. I tossed around several ideas but nothing struck me as that interesting. Patrick was actually the one to come up with the idea of using the word poeima. Him and his creative thinking. Once he explained to me that poeima was the Greek word for workmanship in Ephesians 2:10 I was sold. As a young teenager I chose this as my life verse: For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. I love that I'm His workmanship and that God is doing a work in my life. He's the potter; I'm the clay. It reminds me of a song we sang when I was a child:

He's still working on me

to make me what I ought to be

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars

the sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars

How loving and patient He must be

He's still working on me

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart

Don't judge me yet there's an unfinished part

but I'll be perfect just according to His plan

fashioned by the Master's loving hand

He is definitely still working on me and as He does I would like to share it here. I'd like this blog to be about Him and what He is doing in my life. I want to write about what I'm learning in all the different facets of my life as a wife, mother, missionary, homeschool mom, teacher, or friend (to name a few of the hats I wear). My desire is for this workmanship of my hands to demonstrate the workmanship of His.