Sharing the Gospel in Your Own Home

Yesterday, the girls finished watching the Jesus Film (see previous post). They loved it and talked about it for a couple of hours. But the most rewarding part was when Turi asked over dinner, "Why did Jesus have to die?". Ah, explaining the gospel not only simply to a child but also through a language barrier. We talked about it for awhile. She asked if everyone believed in Jesus. I said no and she was very confused why not. I explained that there are some who don't know and some who choose not to believe. She said, "Well, we need to make sure we tell everyone!". Yes, we do.

Ethiopia Night

Friday night turned into Ethiopia night without planning it. Curt had found the Jesus Film in the girls' heart language on Crusade's website and ordered it. It arrived Friday afternoon. I had ordered Injera (the national bread of Ethiopia) from a company that bakes it and it arrived Thursday afternoon so we were all set for Ethiopia night. The girls watched the first half of the Jesus Film and then we ate dinner. They loved the movie and scarfed down the dinner. My little one ate 3 full plates by herself. Afterward, she said her stomach hurt (well, no wonder).
For those of you who don't know, Curt and I used to travel with the J film and record new languages. We did it for a year and a half and worked only in Africa. Seeing the girls watch the gospel in their own heart language brought back so many memories and made us so grateful for that team that traveled to Ethiopia to record it. We praise the Lord for the ministry of the Jesus film.

Our First Rainy Day

It was our first day of rain. Apparently, AZ has a monsoon season but the spring and fall remain pretty dry (we get a lot of snow in the winter). So, the girls had to amuse themselves inside for the day. It turned out not to be a challenge. They found a Disney book I had bought them with all the Disney stories in it and looked at the pictures and told each other stories for about an hour. It was great. They had a great time and eventually I had to cut it short when dinner was ready.

Some of the past few days...

Later last week, we had a lot of outdoor adventures. We took the girls rock climbing outside twice. Curt is trying to prepare for a class he's got to take for our ministry and that helps all of us get outside. If Curt gets certified to take groups out climbing, that opens up a lot more opportunities for the ministry here to do things. So, he is learning different types of climbing and will be taking a course next week and then an exam to be certified. And we have been learning along with him. Turi (in the flower pants) continues to surprise us as she scrambles up rocks and is determined to finish routes. Bitsu (in the yellow shirt) also continues to surprise us as she tries over and over until she finally completes a route. She doesn't get discouraged and is always upbeat even if she can't get something. I love that she doesn't get frustrated with herself or others. Tihi (blue pants), however, got a little too high one day, looked down and was really upset. So, that kind of traumatized her for future outdoor climbs. We went back to the climbing gym yesterday and she is quite happy there and really pushes herself.
We also got the chance to go to a local swimming hole with another family who has two girls, Tihi and Bitsu's age and a boy Turi's age. They kids got to run around and play together. The girls (as you can see in the first picture) really started to get into it and later told us it reminded them of Ethiopia. Just a place out in the middle of nowhere that has some water. We did quite a bit of walking too and the girls had a great time.
The final picture is just the area where we climbed. Behind the girls is a canyon and we hiked down in there to climb.

Garbage Trucks

The girls love the garbage truck. To be honest, it kind of fascinates me too. Remember the days when a guy would ride on the back of a truck and the driver would stop and the guy would hop down and throw the garbage in? Long gone are those days and now a huge arm reaches down and grabs the can and tips it over the top. The girls love it and the second picture it of them watching the truck as it comes.
Tihi is getting better and better on her bike. Although any small decline throws her off, she is still trying. Turi has already mastered the bike and rides like a pro. I took them running and Turi kept up with me on her bike. Bitsu continues to feel intimidated by the bike and rides Tihi's with pride. I think she just needs to grow a little and get more comfortable.
The girls have also gotten a lot more comfortable with climbing. We took them to real rock yesterday outside and Turi and Bitsu loved it. Tihi had a harder time as she went pretty high up and then she wound up looking down and getting really scared. She didn't want to try again. But the other two had no problems with the height. They would just get to a certain point they couldn't do and then be done. We all had a good time.
They continue to improve in English. Tihi still doesn't talk in English but is understanding more. Turi understands probably 85% of what we say to her and can communicate well although it is, of course, very broken. Bitsu speaks to us only in English and I am so glad she continues to try and doesn't get frustrated. She surprises me daily with the things that are now coming out of her mouth.

Their First Climbing Experience

So, we finally got around to joining what is called "The Aquaplex". It has a pool (a really fun pool with a lazy river, water slide and a swallow section Tihi can't drown in), a climbing wall, fitness center and a few other small areas. It's totally affordable as it's run by the Y and prices are kept lower. So, yesterday we finally took the girls climbing for the first time. Sadly, Tihi was too small to fit into the harness.
We tried not to have any expectations. Really, I thought the girls would climb a bit and once they were two feet off the ground, they would freak out and want to come down. Amazingly, they loved it, tried route after route, didn't get frustrated when they couldn't make it and actually wound up finishing some routes. As you can see, it's a pretty high wall. We were so impressed and think they might really get into it, which, of course, we are excited about.

New Bikes!

The days are beautiful and I am constantly sending the girls outside to play. The problem? All we own is 3 balls and some bubbles. They make up games but still get bored pretty easily. Yesterday, Curt decided we were burning daylight and decided to go out and get them bikes. Here they are. Tihi (who was napping during picture time) has a bike with training wheels, which all 3 play on and I think it helps them figure a bike out. The other two have actual bikes. They have been cautious but have been out there all day trying to figure out how these things work. So far, so good!

First 5K

That's right. The girls (Turi and Bitsu) and I ran/walked a 5K today. It was designed specifically for girls but I can't imagine why they made it a 5K and not a 1 or 2 mile.
Anyway, with absolutely no training (well, we have been running a little in the mornings) on the girls' part, we marched up to the starting line. The girls were thrilled to get to be a part of something so big. It was a lot of fun. You could see Turi's competitiveness come out as she kept asking if she could start. Finally, they let us begin and Turi took off. I stuck with Bitsu and the last time I saw Turi, she was first. She actually came in second, beat only by some 12 year old or something. Not bad for never training. She had no idea about racing and stopped at every water station thinking she was done. She also stopped before the finish line when she saw Curt. Hey, I guess she could've been first. Bitsu, on the other hand, had a fantastic time walking most of the race. She commented on other girls' running clothes, the amount of people, the dogs others were running with. She had a great time but it was a little tough for me who tends to lean more toward the competitive side :).
I know it's been a long time since I last blogged. Somehow time slips away and now I have more patience for parents who don't call me back or forget plans we had. The days are packed and the options are always endless. When the night arrives I am either exhausted or debating between chilling or getting some work done. Remember the days when I read books? Ah, the memories.