Flush your worries away !

17 of March , 2020  ( 00:38 am) 

This was one of my experiences today,  after many days of lots of talk about the Corona virus 🦠 everywhere we went.

My kids are amazing little people and super happy kids, they have been doing lots of things at home, from painting, to creating key rings, bracelets and characters with Hama beads, putting on shadow shows and writing new scripts, reading books, playing lots of imaginary games, going for runs as a family, gardening, playing in the garden, board games , school , and the list goes on. Kids seemed fine in themselves facing this whole crazy world out there, making jokes about the toilet paper. We should start collecting leaves 🍁! Lemmy said, and the poo 💩 jokes starts again. 

Tonight, right before bed time, this was not the case for Lainey. She is very perceptive and I mentioned some corona stuff in front of them while talking to Marc and suddenly the fear came to the surface and she said crying: “now I’m scared about the Corona virus.” I went straight to her, embraced her in my lap and I said to her the same things I need to remind myself right now, that’s why I’m writing them down! I thought they may help you too! 

It’s ok to be scared and to worry but remember the God we have! Our God is a powerful God! Remember how He created the whole world, how He split the Red Sea, how He gave a baby to Sarah after she was very old ( Lainey loves that!) , how He can move mountains? Well, Our God can kill and stop this virus with a wink of his eye if he wants to. He can do anything he wants because he is a powerful God, but if he doesn’t and we don’t understand why? We do know that we can still trust him,  because He always wants the best for us, He loves us that much. He gives you a spirit of love and not fear, he wants to give you a plan to bless you and prosper you. He loves you that much. Do you know what He wants more ? He wants you, and me, and daddy and Lemmy to be best friends with him, to be close to him so we can hear him, so we can feel his peace and love. Sometimes when we are tired, frustrated, irritated or even when fear starts to creep in, we can think and say lots of BLAH BLAH BLAH. Do you know what we should do about all those BLAHS ? ( Lainey is cracking up by now) we should throw them away in the rubbish bin or toilet and flush them out! And remember who we can trust. Because there is no bad news for those who trust him. There’s good things for those who loves him. Always remember that, you are most loved ❤️and we can be safe in His love. Talk to him and He will talk back!

Remember his word : “ His bread will be supplied , and water will not fail him “ Isaiah 33:16. Didn’t God provide food for 40 years to 3 million Israelites? 

Remember my word, my promises, my power! I heard Him whispering to me. 

A father to the fatherless

One day in July I lost my dad when I was only 13 years old. I remember that day as if it had just happened. It's painful like no other pain I have experienced in my short life. I was angry at God, how could He take away the person that I loved the most? Why couldn't I see him be healed or resurrected like all the miracles I had heard Jesus did and promised we could do too?? I walked away from God that very day. I was lost, I was in pain. I had nothing to live for. I didn't want to live anymore. Forward to the summer of 1995 after lots of things in between I ended up in Hawaii, Kona where my sister lives and was a missionary then. Yep! Missionary in Hawaii! Sounds hard eh? 😄 I was surrounded by beauty and by people who were so kind, warm and peaceful. I wanted that. I wanted to know God like I never did before, in a deeper way, my God! Not the God I kept hearing about or my sisters God. I wanted to know MY God. And so, I went to my room and knelt down. I cried a simple prayer : I want to know you and I will follow you if you show me you are real. He did. He told me, forget the former things , I will do a new thing. And so, I have never turned back. Today in my quite time with the Lord (well not so quite, with happy noisey kids in the background) I read : for in Christ Jesus I became your father. Sweet love poured into my heart again, the reminder of the words he spoke when I decided to follow him. He fathered me when I had no father. His love is so pure that takes away all pain and doubts. A love so strong that makes me trust him even when circumstances are inexplicable . He can be the father to the fatherless. He can be your all. His love takes anyone in. Anyone.

Berry picking in Hertfordshire

22 July 2016

I grew up in the city. Well, not technically right in the city, more like a suburb. When I was 3 I rode my tricycle around the block of my house, then at age 6  I learned to ride a bike in the middle of the road in front of my house. We didn’t go often to the park. At least I  don’t remember it. We did go to a Country club, where I would meet with my friends and now and then go to the playground there. Mostly, I would skate with my roller skates, play all kinds of different games, including hide and seek,  tag , la busqueda ( the search ) if we were too many people and more. When I got a bit older, we use to exchange stickers and stationaries and it was just girls by then. I only remember once going to a Farm with my school, and I still remember the feel of the cow’s udders when I tried to milk it, sort of rough and rugged, not what I expect it I guess. I bought eggs from the chickens there, which I proudly carried them on my lap all the ride home on the bus for what seemed like an eternity so they would be intact as a gift for my mum! (while other’s didn’t last the whole trip)!

To think that at the same time, there was a little boy in England that went with his family to pick berries, and years later he is back with his own family, in the same place!! It makes it extra special :) 

Growing up in such a different place and culture than England, it makes me appreciate the things I didn’t have then. One of my favourite things is to take my kids for berry picking. I find it so charming! I only read it in books. I think that’s why I love England so much. Because since I first landed here as an adult, even the houses looked out of a book, books I used to read when I was little. The country side, the fields, the flowers are all part of the charm of this beautiful place.

I love seeing my kids eating as many berries as they can! Well, mostly Lainey! Not much is left in her basket, as she puts them in for seconds later to grab them again :) She loves the gooseberries and raspberries the most. She makes noises and rubs her belly in delight. To see everything through their eyes. The tint of the blackberries running through their fingers. The purple lips and stickiness. The fragrance of the strawberries. It is magical. The whole package, of picking berries to then go home and make a dessert with them. It feels good.