A Welcome That Humbled My Heart

I would never have expected such a warm and excited welcome back from the school yesterday. I arrived here just in time to visit my classroom before the end of the day. My moms gathered together food from my favorite restaurant here, dessert, fruit, and flowers!!I have not had to cook for 2 nights because there was so much food!! Also, my kids almost knocked me down when they saw me, and they have all had questions that are so innocent and sweet: "Did your sister really die?" "Is Catherine in heaven now?" They all truly cared, and wanted to hear it from MY mouth.

Last night brought tears and sadness that have not come since Catherine died. I believe my whole family is experiencing the same thing I am: REALITY. Being back here where I have my normal responsibilities of a wife, teacher, and home-keeper, reminded me that it really happened. My sister is really not going to be in MS when I get back. Yesterday was the first time to leave the country knowing that I will not be coming back for an emergency for my sister. In three more weeks, I will be going back to the States, and knowing for the first time that I will not arrive to see Catherine in Tchula or Jackson. I can only explain the feeling this way- it hurts. My heart hurts even as I write this, because I desperately want to "wake up from this nightmare."

God's will is perfect, and I believe that with all my heart. However, with our fallible human minds and hearts, we naturally think about the things that we will miss out on or they will miss out on because they are not here. It is hard to not think about those things. It is so difficult to deal with the pain, but thankfully we are not alone as believers. Our ONLY comfort and joy is Jesus Christ, and without Him we have no hope. I am constantly reminded of the joy that my family and I can have as believers knowing where Catherine is and knowing the God who took her as our Savior. I cannot imagine what the pain would be like if we did not have Him as our Refuge. Praise be to God!

The Following Days

I never realized how hard it is on families after they lose a loved one and the services are over. I had heard that it was hard once everyone leaves and goes on with their lives. There is nothing wrong with people moving on, because life must go on. However, these two days after the services have been so sad for all of us. We have things to do in the house that we did not have time for before, but we don't WANT to do them now. The more we do to clean up around here, the more realistic it is that Catherine is not here with us anymore. Catherine was such a great sister and friend to me, that I find myself thinking of things I need to tell her. There are things that I just want to talk to her about...for no real reason. I think about the fun times we had together and how many times we laughed and were silly together. That does not compare to the happiness she is experiencing now in heaven. Now, we are not only awaiting the day we will see our Savior, but we are also looking forward to spending eternity with all believers, especially our family members.

And Can It Be

I wil not write much, but today is a special and hard day because Catherine has gone to be with her Savior. The three of us girls (Mama, Emily, and me) were singing hymns to calm Catherine. We were singing the 4th verse of "And Can It Be" when we noticed that she changed. The words that we finished only moments before she passed were "The chains fell off, I rose, went forth and followed Thee...". Isn't it wonderful that the Lord came and took her home when we were singing praises to HIM!!! She had a peaceful passing, for which we are so thankful.
The next few days will be harder than we can imagine right now, so please pray for us all. Also, praise our Lord Jesus Christ for His grace and mercy because Catherine is in His presence!

Preparing to Leave, Once Again

As I sit here and think of all I have to accoplish before Monday, it is hard not to be overwhelmed. I have so much work to do in the classroom and here at the apartment to get ready for company this weekend. Mr. Halbert and Alex are coming, and we are greatly looking forward to the visit!! I have been so humbled this week to see how perfectly God's plan for me has fell into place. Never would I have imagined that the school would allow me to leave for whatever amount of time I needed! Over the last two weeks, my heart has been heavy with emotions that I myself cannot even express. The Lord knows my thoughts, desires, struggles, and feelings in a deeper way than I do. I have been very blessed with wonderful support here at school, and through my wonderful husband. He will not be able to travel with me for this trip, which is extremely sad for us. He has more responsibility to be here during this time.
Please be in prayer that my flight on Monday will be on time and that my connection in Houston will go smoothly. I don't mind flying by myself, but it is definitely kind of lonely. I am very thankful to be going, and I cannot complain about my circumstances at all! Thank you for your prayers!

Crown Him With Many Crowns

This is one of Cat's favorite songs, as well as the bridal procession at my parents' wedding.

Crown Him with Many Crowns

1. Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul and sing Of Him
Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

2. Crown Him the Lord of love,
Behold His hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond'ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

3. Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
Who rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high
, Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

4. Crown Him the Lord of heav'n,
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv'n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

5. Crown Him the Lord of years,
The Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise shall never never fail
Throughout eternity.

Short Week

This week was extremely short because of the holiday (Day of the Americas) on Monday and the massive strike yesterday. Prices here have been going up consistently since Christmas, and there were lots of companies that went on strike yesterday to try to lower those prices. We all stayed up here on the mountain where we were sure we would be safe. We will see if prices actually do go down. I had been noticing that I could not seem to keep my grocery bill down lately, even though I was buying fewer and fewer items!! So, I am hoping that everything will get back to normal.

We have a "youth group" event tonight that we will attend since I started a bible study. Everyone from the high school, especially those involved in small bible studies here, are invited to this every Friday night. I am looking forward to going because I don't know what to expect. By the way, you can be praying for my 9th grade girls in the bible study. There are six of them. I have started it by reading the book Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This is a somewhat modern fiction novel about the book of Hosea from the Bible. It is very specific about God's unconditional love and grace inspite of our unworthiness. This is a very important life lesson for any teenager to learn. Anyway, I use this simply as a base/starter for each Thursday meeting. It has been fun for me to study the Bible more to give these girls all I can find on each subject of the week. If you have not read any of Francine Rivers' books, I highly recommend them. They are easy reads, but still substantial. I just have to remind myself that it is Biblical FICTION, and I have to take some things with discernment. She is a great writer, though.

Relampago-2008

Today was Relampago for the high school. Aaron is a class advisor for the 10th grade, and this is one of their fundraisers for the year. He was very busy, but it was a great success. Basically, their are three other schools that come and play a soccer tournament. They sold drinks, pizza, snow cones, cotton candy, and other Honduran favorites. I took my class for about an hour and a half, and they had a blast!! I enjoyed taking them, but I am exhausted. I can't imagine how tired Aaron must feel--he is still cleaning up and it is 5:45!
We do not have classes on Monday for Labor Day. I am very excited because I finally get a long weekend that we are not traveling!!! Our plan is to relax and save our money. We could have gone to El Salvador for pretty cheap, but after our trip two weeks ago, we decided it was best to stay here. I may go get a pedicure, and I am very excited. They are dirt cheap here. :)
I hope that you will have a wonderful weekend. I also hope that you will excuse us for the late update. The time has flown by without me realizing how long it has been. Also, we have been trying to figure out a new template for our blog. Hence, the many changes you have seen the last day or so. Thank you for your patience with me and your prayers for our family!! God bless!!