Hot and Humid with Rain!!

     From what we see in the news, you certainly are enjoying (?)some interesting weather. We are mostly in the high 80's to low 90's with 70%-80% humidity. The "feels like" temp is around 95 to 100. In between the rain it is bright and sunny. Our nights are dipping into the 70's, although the cooler temp drives the humidity right into the sheets and clothing.

     Our wash takes 2 days to dry on the line unless the sun is out. We are thankful that the thrift stores were so well stocked with clothing while we were home. One surprise was all of the potholes in the streets from the rain. They make Rockford look like new pavement by comparison. Another reason we're glad we don't have a car.

     It has been three weeks since we returned and we are getting back into the swing of things. We enjoyed the luxury of two great weeks with daughter Angela doing the beach and a few other touristy things. It was great to have the excuse to visit some of the local attractions. Thanks Ang!

     The entire experience of returning to the States for a month and then coming back here has been a very interesting one. Traversing cultures like we did can be a very traumatic yet revealing journey. One could say that it is a little like being the ball in a Chinese table tennis tournament. I'm not yet sure how to process all of it. I can say that values are tested, motives are exposed and attitudes have no place to hide as coping mechanisms and hiding places are stripped away. It is painful yet rewarding as it brings into clearer focus the immeasurability of God's love for us in spite of our weaknesses and our (my) need of Him.

     While in town a couple of days ago, we encountered a man named "Jose". Donna had started a conversation with him which came around to God because of a shirt he was wearing. It seems he had attended church when he lived in the USA, but no longer goes because he feels that the life he is living is not good enough to be acceptable to God. We were able to minister God's perfect love and explained that guilt and shame are the devil's two most effective weapons used to keep people from connecting with God. He received the message and seemed encouraged.

     This is a huge issue here. The expectation is that perfection is required for acceptance by God. If that were the case, I would most certainly be out of luck. We are finding that people are very interested that God knows everything about them and still loves them. We are blessed to be able to share the message of grace regularly in one of the small mission churches as well as with some of the individuals we know.

     All of our regular English classes are up and running. The hotel workers union classes are beginning this week. This seems to be getting us a lot of exposure leading to recognition and acceptance. We really enjoy getting to know people and teaching English accelerates the Spanish learning process.