I haven't been very surprised very many times in my life but last month I was! We were anticipating the visit of my parents for several months. With excitement we planned the week, went grocery shopping and did all the thing you do to prepare for guests! Several times I had told Allison (my 22 year old sister) that she really needs to come along. But try as I might she just said they were to busy at Christian Aid so I changed my thinking and left go of that dream.
On the morning of April 6th, Jared and I were excited as we talked about the plans for the day! Mom and dad sent pictures from the airport and then a 'see you soon' message as they boarded and got ready for take off. A few hours later, Allison messaged and said she had been watching the flight and the time she thought they would about be landing, according to the flight tracker. They landed and we headed to the airport. In the sea of faces that came off that plane, we looked for each other and eventually there were shouts and hugs of joy! It had been well over a year since we had seen each other. We loaded up the suitcases and got ready to leave. Dad delayed us by acting like something was wrong with his seat and as we were all looking to help him with his problem someone was right beside me asking if there was room for one more!!?? I turn and here it was Allison! I was so shocked I just didn't have anything to say! So thus began our 9 days together! Mom, dad, and Allison were so pleased to have surprised me and on the way to Laborie all the stories came out of how much work it had been to keep it a secret!
We had so many very special times together. One day we went to a point with the school students for kite day, it was a wild mess of tangled kite string, kite tail, and so many children needing help! Mom, Allison, and I had made donuts the day before to sell which is something I often like to do for special school days.
My dad and Jared tackled a big project of changing the large wooden swing beam at school for a shinny metal pipe. The old bean had become quite infested with termites so it was a safely hazard that needed to be taken care of. There was lots of thought put into this project and even a day of buying supplies at the local hardware and lumber stores. The men from church as well as the Limes were invited to come up and help so that there were a few extra hands. We praise God that the project went smoothly and that nobody was hurt that day. It was fun to have my mom and Allison make salt fish and bakes for the working men. This is a Grenadian breakfast food that I have learned to make and we really enjoy! Everyone thought it was a hit, even the foreigners!
We enjoyed going out to eat a few times. One time that we particularly all enjoyed was an evening at the Aquarium Restaurant. We went early enough to get a good table that was right on the beach. It was so peaceful to watch the waves as the palm branches waved overhead. It's a memory to treasure! We of course had them try roti and a few local foods that we have learned to enjoy!
Over the weekend that they were here, Jared had a birthday and turned 26! We thought it would be fun for both our worlds to meet and spend time together so we planned a little staff outing/birthday celebration. Everyone helped bring food for a mountain pie supper and of course I had to make a cake for the birthday boy! It was a refreshing evening of encouragement through visiting, singing, and enjoying Gods beautiful creation.
The first week of our Easter break we did a vacation bible school for the local children in Laborie. We had one classroom of little children, which Alana and I taught and then there were 2 classes of girls and two classes of boys. Each day the number of children increased just a little bit and until the last day we had 43 children come to bible school. We spent time singing, doing bible memory, and then classroom time with a story an craft. All the children seemed to enjoy it and it was good to have some of my family there for that.
Of course we made time for a trip to the beach and town. One special memory was visiting the house of Chocolate which is one of my favorite local places to go. It is much like a coffee house but has a lot of local foods and handmade items for sale. A local employee gave us an in depth tour of the local chocolate making process which was informative and interesting.
April 15th was the day they were leaving. I had just woken up and Jared wished me a happy anniversary! I quickly told him that this was not a happy day for me, even though it was our anniversary! The trip to the airport went much like it always does. The last drive there, the unloading, and the painful goodbye that I can never do without tears! Jared continued to remind me that soon it will be August and we will meet again. That didn't stop the tears but it is a bright spot that we are all looking forward to! I know each of us will always remember the trip and memories we made. We had lots of time for good conversations and much encouragement. The memories are a treasure I will keep in my heart.
Life continues on. Jared keeps busy with his responsibilities at school and various things that go along with his business administrator role. I have stayed busy in the kitchen and I enjoy riding along here and there to assist Jared in whatever I can. The next two weeks I will be teaching each morning, which will keep me quite busy! This last trimester will last until July so we need to find some energy to finish well! The summer pace will be a welcome change, but for now we will enjoy the structure that school life brings.
It does seem like sickness has gotten worse. The other two staff households here in Laborie have been hit and I don't think there was one person that escaped Covid! It seems like it has spread around to the church families but thankfully it is looking like we are coming to the end of it. Last Friday night we went camping with the girls. That isn't something we do a lot, but it is something that Jared really enjoys!
Recently we had a Sunday evening service with the Limes church. With both churches together, the benches are usually packed full! We sang the song "Children of the Heavens" which is a favorite among the churches. The words are meaningful and I had to think of it as we sang the phrase: 'We're strangers is this world because we know we're heaven bound' After moving away I felt like I really experienced that stranger feeling. Everything was foreign to us and we were the odd balls! While this life has become very familiar to us, every now and then we still hear a phrase that we just can't understand or sometimes when I wait in a line in town it occurs to me that I am the only white skinned person around. Grenada has given me that stranger feeling and it's a challenge to feel that way about this world. Does sin really bother me, or has that line just kind of faded and blurred into the next one? This can happen in so many areas-dress, music, language, even my hobbies, thoughts or actions. Do I feel sorrow for the souls of the the people that choose to live a life apart from God, or have I grown callused to their lost state? Sometimes the life of this world can become so normal and I almost find myself doing the next thing. I challenge myself and you to live this week as a stranger to the world, because we are heaven bound.
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