God says you have not because you ask not. going on His word, yesterday it came to me to just ask around at mision evangelica if anyone had an old Bible i could have. i have been using a spanish-english new testament/psalms/proverbs that seems to be modeled on the niv whereas they all read publicly and teach/preach from a spanish Bible modeled on the kjv (la reina-valera, 1960). after men's sunday school today i was asking several of the guy whether they knew of anyone that had an old copy of the Bible they use when a young man named howard, say 13 yrs old, who was standing by me stuck his Bible in front of me and said, 'you can have mine, i have another (a study Bible). how kind!! i am praying about how the Lord would have me respond.
today we sang a number of old songs i sang a long time ago. how sweet they were! the man who led today did not hurry them but sang them more slowly and clearly...and i was able to actually find them, with some help, and sing along! there was a sweet presence of the Lord in worship today. great. they were talking in sunday school about how the church started with puerto ricans but now have people from 12 different spanish-speaking countries..guess, if i stay, i'll be lucky 13! they also were talking about the berean believers in acts 17 who searched the scriptures to see if the things that Paul said were so. great time!
my first spanish lesson went very well. in the initial excitement i am already done my homework. one assignment was to write 5-10 sentences using the vocabulary learned. here they are with vocabulary capped:
1. yo soy un ESTUDIANTE de la Biblia.
2. yo no TENGO ninguno AMIGO EXCEPTO Jesus.
3. la Biblia es la lampara a mis pies y la luz a mi camino.
4. you QUIERO poner mucho en el BANCO del cielo.
5. como el MOTOR es necesario al AUTOMOVIL, tan el Espiritu Santo es necesario al hombre.
6. la FRUTA del Espiritu Santo es amor, alegria, paz, paciencia, amabilidad, bondad, fidelidad, humilidad y domino propio.
7. mis pecados son el ELEFANTE en mi armario.
8. cuando estoy recibiendo un regalo, yo soy ESTUPIDO intendar comprarlo; cuando estoy recibiendo la vida eterna, yo soy estupido intendar comprarlo.
9. yo quiero comprar una BICICLETA electrica.
10. !(pretend this exclamation is upside down since i don't have a spanish computer) que tengo siempre un AMOR sin hipocresia!
at mision i am starting a dictionary of words i have to look up, whether from something spoken or written there, while i am trying to listen intently to get a better ear. when we read scripture together they leave me quickly behind. toward the end i decided to focus on reading correctly (more slowly and quietly). Lord may You enable me to learn and use this for You..i have heard that within 10-15 years more than 50 % of people here will be from spanish-speaking countries.
finished reading the life of corrie ten boom which jen had lent. was going to return it but was pulled back and glad i did. here is yet another i have discovered that lived totally by faith and just pursued relentlessly what You called her to. Lord, help me follow You! help me trust You to provide.
this week decided to put off 'for pay' work and work at 54. by thursday pm the Lord helped me to totally unearth the iron fence between grieser's and 54 and to scrape the paint off the pillars loren gave for the front porch. at that point i had nearly 40 hours in, had had a much more difficult time with the fence than i had imagined (typical) and had been fighting a virulent patch of poison ivy on both hands and arms for more than a week. even with many scalding hot water-fels naptha soap treatments they show no sign of religuishing their hold. probably the worst i've ever had. next time i see poison ivy starting in an area adjacent to any area i have anything to do with i plan to keep attacking it incessantly until it is gone!!!!
friday went into my 'throw in the towel' mode and hunkered down to read ten boom and inside the (islamic) revolution. i am still on the latter, a 500+ pg book, in the part explaining about the radicals. it is only by God's grace we are not, already, totally destroyed. i keep finding myself saying, steve, what are you doing messing around with 54 when the sky is falling? oh Lord, help me see through 54 to the bitter end for i know it is a test You have set for me to pass. if i'm not faithful in the little things then there's no use doing anything else. i must habitually take care of the basic responsibilities of life no matter how small and insignificant they may appear. o Lord help me work out my own salvation with fear and trembling! help me to get back into the harness tomorrow am repeating the mantra I CAN DO ALL THINGS THRU HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME. help me finish prepping, priming and painting the fence and porch pieces and put the new water drainage system in. send good weather in Your will oh Lord..... reading inside also MOVES me TO focus more than ever on MEMORIZE THE BIBLE. what we have hid of it in our hearts will be spiritual SUSTENANCE when all around crumbles away. help me hide Your word in my heart so that i might not sin against You Lord.
the renters: ed went to the pennsylvania eye associates in harrisburg to get a second opinion on his eyes. the prognosis he had received, it seems was quite defective. at this place only doctors deal with patients and the doctor who will do the surgery is the last to meet with the patient. a great number of diagnostic tests were done and it turns out that he has rapidly advancing cateracts in both eyes and needs correction for astigmatism. the process took 4.5 hours. he is exceedingly pleased with the care he received and will have the first eye operated on on tuesday and the second eye a week later. so friday he left for home in mechanicsburg not to return for 2.5 weeks. i hope to reach him tuesday pm to see how he's doing. bill and his wife are getting a bit closer.. maybe, so we continue to pray that God will restore their marriage and family (they have 5 children). currently his wife is still talking about divorce and she begins work in new jersey tomorrow. do a good work in them Lord, and help them to both seek You with all their hearts. i am believing You for a miracle of grace.
this week kyle, the kindergartener from next store, and i played volleyball over the fence as we are wont to do. he even helped me a bit on the fence. i am telling him about You Lord. give me the words to say that You will be his all in all. it's precious to my heart to see how he wants to spend time with me. Lord, its absolutely amazing the grace You have poured out on our family. i never spent time with my children, like i am doing a bit now with kyle and yet they haven't totally abandoned me which would be exactly what i deserve for abandoning them when they needed a father the most. thank You Lord for Your mercy. help me to be present for them. help me to be always ready to 'be there' if they need me. bless kyle and my little ones with a heart given over to You...
rejoice, i was reminded this am, is a command that is repeated 72 times in the new testament. the thot came that the commands to FEAR NOT and REJOICE are simese twins for if You are enough (rejoice) then i have nothing to fear. love, dad
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