Blessed beyond measure!

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"  Matthew 7: 11

I do not think I could have felt possibly more blessed than I felt yesterday!  The Father showered me with good gifts!  I will start with the insignificant and move to the most significant.

First of all, we did not just get one or two packages in the mail, one of which was for Easter, but three, one of which was for my birthday, still 3 weeks away.  We were so blessed with all the goodies, even the noisy toys from grandma.  We got candy, pajamas for the kids, a maternity top for me, a couple of outfits for baby, batteries, and bacon!  I am waiting until my birthday to get the rest of the birthday box.  My mom has really outdone herself lately.

Second, Rich went to pick up our new air conditioner unit.  We were trying to tough it out by waiting as long as we could to get one, but the time came that we just could not sleep at night.  It actually got to Rich sooner, but as soon as he had ordered it, I began being unable to sleep well either.  And for me, that problem will only increase over the next two to three months.  He knew that and did not want me to suffer from lack of sleep or his grumpiness from his lack of sleep.  My husband takes such good care of me!

Third, the Father was protecting my son from his own folly, when my six-year-old thought he would see how sharp my husband's razor was and shave his own head in the shower.  He shaved just a little patch of hair off and then a chunk off his thumb.  I was so thankful that the chunk was not out of his head, and that the thumb could be covered with a simple regular band-aid.  Anything that can be covered with a band-aid cannot be that bad.  Thank You Lord for Your protection over my son. 

Fourth, I got an email from my mother.  It is such a blessing to hear how happy they are these days.  They are the happiest they have ever been as they approach their 50th wedding anniversary in August!  In a day and age where 50th anniversaries are rare, and happier ones even more, it is a blessing to see.  It is also a blessing to have a father who is man after God's own heart, which is equally rare in this day and age.

Fifth, I had a short but good visit with a friend.  When I arrived, she was washing baby stuff by hand and then washing the baby.  Then she was ready to help me with my language class homework while she nursed her baby.  After we were done with the homework, I had her listen to a couple of the beatitudes that I am memorizing for my pronunciation.  She acknowledged them as truth and good, despite the fact that Jesus said them.  This is a small step, but significant as I get closer to sharing more and more truth with her. 

I was blessed beyond measure yesterday!  I am living the Great Adventure on my way to Paradise! (Yes, I have been listening to that one Stephen Curtis Chapman's greatest hits tape that we have.)  I cannot wait to see what the Father has in store for the future!

Denaboo!

So I went this morning to a baby naming ceremony, which is called a denaboo.  It is held on the eighth day.  In the morning, the child's head is shaved and officially named and prayed over.  Then depending on how elaborate, the family will serve a sort of oatmeal with sweet yogurt on top for breakfast, a lunch of rice and meat from a sheep that has been sacrificed, and then a snack or something in the afternoon. 

The one I went to today was different from any I had ever attended before.  I took a gift just like I would to any other denaboo, as you would take to visit after the birth of a child.  But then several men, including the husband and possibly their religious teacher, came in the room where I was visiting my friend and her baby and prayed over the gift I gave and for me.  It really was not that much of a gift yet appropriate to this culture.  Typically, I have just gotten a, "Thank you," and that been the end of it.  So I was quite taken a back to have such a big deal made over this small gift.  The family was doing what seemed a rather simple celebration, and while it is not their first child, it is their first boy.

On a more humorous note, my friend had given birth last Tuesday evening.  Apparently right after I left from my weekly visit, she went inside and gave birth at her house.  I had no idea that she was laboring while I was there.  It was just occurring to me that she was pregnant!  She said she would have named the baby after me had it been a girl.  I guess I missed out this time!

Many around us are already planning on us having a baby naming ceremony and talk about it.  I don't think they realize how long I have left!  We are trying to plan how we will do it differently, so that there will be no confusion over why or how we are doing it.  Pray for wisdom as we prepare for this event.