Our time together has been so wonderful– your prayers could not be more felt. The above picture is with one of my new friends named Grace. She is such a beautiful person inside and out. I have learned so much from her about contentment, godliness, gratefulness, joy, fun, and service. She is the music teacher at the Primary School we are working at in Kadacar (pronounced, ka-da-char). She has four children and one of them is named AUGUSTINE! eek! We both flipped out in excitement to have shared in that commonality of naming our sons.

This picture captures a small glimpse of the amazing blessing God gave me today. I shared with the group that often in my mothering role I tend to forget to enjoy the fun aspects of life such as praising God through music and just having so much fun. I want my children to remember that we had lots of excitement in our home- that it was a joyful place to be and full of worship of our God. I don’t want them to remember that I primarily prioritized clean clothes and sanitized dishes (though they are important!) over worship and joy. After lunch today, we gathered around outside and played music together for at least an hour. The women sang and the children danced around us to the contagiously happy melodies. It was so beautiful to experience a people who have their priorities in line. They display such unity, contentment, and peace. I have learned so much from this culture and I can’t wait to share more with you.

Praise God for such a gift in this trip. I am so grateful for all that I have experienced and learned in just a few days. Please continue to pray that God would use us to minister well to these people as well as for Shaun as he watches our children back home.

Joy