I kill them every time I see them, What would you do?

What a week...
Thanksgiving came and went without much ado here. It is not celebrated and it took us several days just to find a turkey. We made do with what little traditional food we could find and gave thanks to the Lord for his provisions.
Christmas on the other hand is serious. Trees and nativity scenes are up everywhere. Banks, grocery stores and front lawns. I am told that there is much celebration to be had in the weeks leading to Christmas day. Can't wait to experience it all though I'm not sure how it will feel hanging out at the beach near Christmas time.
We have filled our house in these last couple of days with things that have made it feel more like home.
We finally have a washing machine and boy do I appreciate it. It is not a Maytag or Whirlpool or even a GE. This is a top of the line Sankey. The left side is for washing. The top is removable so that the water can fall into the bin. The right side is where you would transfer the clothes for spinning after they are clean. Sounds like a lot of work?

Try washing by hand the way I have been doing the past month and this bad boy becomes a dream come true. 

We bought sofas, beds, kitchenware and a table that our church gave us the night before Thanksgiving day. While setting up the beds last night, I thought of how sad it would be to have to leave here in 11 more months. I can't dwell on the future however, it is all in the Lord's hand. 

The children are making friends at our church and picking up the Spanish more and more. The family that owns the Panaderia down the hill asked us if we would allow our girls to hang around their 18 year old granddaughter in hopes that they could teach each other Spanish and English. We of course agreed and they spent their first day on Friday talking, laughing and taking pictures together.

 It was the cutest thing hearing them in the kitchen touching and naming all the things in the cabinets and fridge to each other. 

Tony has partnered with his brother (from another mother) in an internet cafe, which has kept him busy lately. This in turn has made it impossible for me to continue using him as my crutch in the language barrier. So the girls and I have decided that we will have to venture out on our own during the week and figure out what they are saying, no matter what. If we get lost on a bus and end up in Panama...well, at least the fare to get back won't break us. 

I wish I had more pictures to show all of the unusual yet beautiful things that we see. The other day, two big, gorgeous white horses were standing by the bus stop. They were so pretty, too bad I was too afraid to walk up to them and pet them. Enormous butterflies fly into our home daily and get trapped which provides hours of entertainment for the little kids. Birds, all colors of the rainbow hang out in  my back yard. They fly into the trees and hop from branch to branch. Hummingbirds visit me daily outside my bedroom window and lets not forget the friendly neighborhood dogs that come sniffing by my door as I cook dinner. Ha!

There's really only one thing that bothers me and its the huge disgusting spiders! They are large and in charge. Someone here said that the biggest one they saw had a face! I believe them....

(The picture does not do that monster justice, it was huge)

Not a day goes by without me destroying one of these nasty critters. Tony keeps telling me that they are going to gang up on me for killing so many of their family member and I swear the other day Catia was crawling on the ground with a jacket on. I saw her from the corner of my eye and almost jumped out of my skin thinking she was a grandaddy spider coming for me. Well, I haven't stopped killing them, so I guess my luck hasn't run out yet. 

Prayer and bible study has been really important to me lately as the Lord has been revealing himself in different ways to me and my family. These people are not afraid of the gospel and talking about the Lord with neighbors and store clerks is not taboo. Everyone is not saved, but they do not deny God. As I look around I wonder how anyone can with all of the beauty that the Lord has around us. Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Just looking outside my window at the sky, the clouds and the mountains and I revel in the Lords greatness. 

Yes, man is without excuse, but we as Christians are also without excuse when it comes to spreading his word. Join me this week in making a point to speak to someone about our God. 

more to come...