The last month found us doing all sorts of things. Most days we spent some time at school. There were work projects with local people. We spent time doing the weekly things- Monday night bible study, Wednesday night church, Thursday night boys clubs. And you know how it goes, this or that comes up. We often spend some time with the youth group over the weekends as well as our responsibilities at church-preaching and teaching. I cooked a few meals for local people who were in need and Jared made sure all the mission houses water and electric was paid for as well as checked a few other work projects off the list. We made some time to go to the beach or on a walk together which are by far my favorite memories of the last month! To say the least, we kept busy!
This dry season has been absolutely beautiful! Most evenings it cools down so much that I need to go for socks and a sweater! The breezes are becoming stronger as we enter into kite season. We are already starting to see and hear homemade kites buzzing in the sky. In the next few weeks, we will see little boys and big boys kite making all over Grenada! We have been getting a lot of rain as well. In years past we have had to use tank water already, but not this year. Seems we have a 5 minute rain shower at least once a day. We won't complain, thankyou Jesus!
Two weeks ago we had another gospel crusade, this time in the village of Hopevale, which is about a 10 minute walk from Laborie. As the weekend approached we continued to have a lot of rain, which is a blessing but also reason for concern when we are planning an outdoor gospel crusade. Thursday night as we loaded up the sound equipment, all the chairs, and lights, it was pouring rain. As we drove the packed full bus slowly down to the junction where we had planned to set up, we watched the heavy sky through the back and forth motion of the windshield wipers. We stood under the tent that had been set up earlier and debated what we should do. Most of us thought it looked like rain had set in for the night. But Jared, in his usual optimistic way, thought the sky was clearing and continued setting up. As the minutes passed the sky became lighter and soon the sun came out, drying everything off. It turned into a beautiful Thursday night for sharing the gospel! Several other times through out the weekend, it looked like we would get rained out but God blessed us with lovely weather. One of the hardest things can be to remember the promise that God gives that His Word will not return void. It can feel useless and we wonder if it was worth the effort. But then we remind ourselves that it was done for the Lord and He will take it for here.
Last week we have felt a glimmer of hope in light of the Covid situation. We realize many of you have moved past this long ago but for the last 2 years we have continued to wear masks, social distance, and follow contact tracing guidelines by signing in every time we entered a store. We have not eaten at a dine in restaurant for a long time as we are not vaccinated. All of this has become normal life to us! One of the biggest frustrations has been the vaccine mandate. Almost a year ago it was suddenly announced that you could not enter Grenada without being vaccinated, if you were not a citizen. We fell right into that category and as long as we stayed here in Grenada, we were fine but everyone wants to visit home now and then! As our August trip comes closer we have been thinking more about this. We realize that most people our age hardly give the vaccine a second thought but its real life for us. Last week it was suddenly announced that all mandates will lift on April 4th, if things continue in the right direction. What a relief! What a light at the end of the tunnel of these two years of Covid! We certainly realize another variant could arise, but for now we choose to be overwhelmed with joy! How funny it will feel to teach without a mask! How odd it will feel to skip having your temperature taken before you enter a store! How exciting to eat at a restaurant! How relieved we are to have the vaccine mandate taken away! We feel so blessed to be returning to 'normal' life, words can hardly describe! Thankyou Jesus.
Lillian and Rafael are a interesting couple that comes to church sometimes. Both of them have been involved in drugs in the past and that has affected their minds some. Lillian has since changed her lifestyle and does the best she can for the Lord. On the other hand, Rafael has not broken his habits and continued to struggle with drugs and alcohol, living a very unhealthy lifestyle. Lillian would always have a positive testimony to share of how God was working in her life and often requested prayer for her husband. One Thursday evening he did not return home. Over the weekend she decided to contact the police. Days passed and he wasn't found. One afternoon there was a search group sent out to look for him in the area where he had last been seen. Jared and I went along but he was not found. The next day, a week later from the time he went missing, his body was found in the bush.
Our hearts grieve for Ms Lillian. While their marriage looked different then most, somehow they made it work and had been together for 16 years. Lillian has spoken on TV and the radio as well as given a few news paper reports on this happening. So her mind has been very occupied since his passing. I suspect that in a few weeks we will need to walk along side her and support her as best we can. As far as Rafael, we really don't know where he stood with the Lord. He was often challenged on his walk with the Lord but his addictions seemed to get the best of him. I believe he certainly wanted to love the Lord but he did not live a Godly or separate life style. School continues to occupy a lot of our time. It's hard to believe that we are down to two weeks of school before Easter break. We are certainly looking forward to that time, mostly because my parents have a trip planned over that time! Recently we had career day at school. All the children come dressed up in something they would like to be when they get older. It's so cute to see the mini nurses, police, teachers, pilots, and so on! This year Jared dressed as a bee keeper and I dressed as an artist. Sometime the school feels like just another day of teaching children, but there are little eyes watching our lifestyle and we can hope and pray that someday these children will choose to live for Jesus, with their whole life.
Anyone know what happened on March 17, 24 years ago? Maybe my family is the only ones who will get that right but the day holds a special place in my heart! When I was one and a half years old, on March 17, I changed from Starla Joanna Bosack to Sherie Cari Hahn. This change in my life is something that I will forever be grateful for and count as one of God's biggest blessings to me. As an innocent little child I obviously had no idea but I've come to treasure this gift so very much. There are so many things that would be different had this day never happened. The gift of a loving family, a Christian education, a Godly marriage, and life in Grenada are just a few things that stand out in the timeline of my life. Words can hardly describe the feelings and all I can do is say thankyou Jesus!
Thankyou for being a part of our lives! We are blessed to have people who care about us, pray for us and support us. Thankyou to those who send text messages or emails to remind us that we are not forgotten! It is always so special to receive cards in the mail, thankyou to those who take time to send them! It often seems when we have a harder day God lays it on someone heart to send a text including a bit of encouragement to get us through the week. We have so much to be thankful for, and you are one of them! May God be your strength this week.
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