Ever pray for a parasite??

Have you ever prayed for a parasite? I mean, prayed that there would be a parasite inside of you??
Foolish question.

But last week, I did.

Most of the time that Mom was here to share life with me, I was sequestered to my room with a clenching stomach and very angry intestines. This continued for a week, cycling several days at a time, when my body would pretend to be better and then suffer attack at full force. Each time it got worse. On the worst day, I could not leave my room for much time at all, but at one point I needed to get out and so I went down to where I saw a couple of our boys working with Poppo. They asked why I hadn't been down (it is nice to feel missed) and I told them I was still sick. *gurgle*gurgle* and point to my belly. One of them responded, "Vas explotar?"  ... "You going to explode?"  ... fresh ... :p  But, unfortunately, not too far off the mark.

Every several months, we give all of our kids an anti-parasitic because it is something that is so common here. The tablets had been passed out one day at lunch but we ran out before every one could get one, so I went down to the clinic this fateful day I was most sick and got an anti-parasite tablet from our pharmacy. And then I prayed that I had a parasite. God, please just let this be a parasite! I want it to end! I took that nasty pill and the next day felt so much better. Thank you, Lord.

Loved sharing time and children with Mom, and it was
nice to have her here while I was sick ;)

As I mentioned in a previous post - I am learning the nitty gritty of missionary life and being sick for a week (and then going through another bout of some virus this week) has been frustrating. I have been tempted to ask, "Why, God? You know that I want to be down there serving and loving on my kids!" But I was reminded yesterday morning by John Hanley that it really is a miracle that we are not all sick all the time, because with a family of 60+ people, there is almost always someone who is sick. And so I remember to thank the Lord for His grace in protecting me from every snotty nose and sneeze, fungus-covered head and dirty splinter... It really IS amazing how healthy I am considering the number of hugs and kisses I exchange each day. :) Yesterday when I went back downstairs after 2 days in my room, I was met with countless hugs and kisses and combinations of, "Jenna! Mama! Why didn't you come yesterday? How do you feel? Are you better? I prayed for you!" In going through these "trials" of sickness and physical unrest, I was reminded of a question I was given on Facebook recently by a friend from college who recently traveled the world doing missions with the World Race. She asked:

What motivates you to wake up every morning?

Instead of answering first with words, let me share with you a beautiful video that one of our summer interns created for us. Click here to open the video in a new window. These smiles, sweet and silly alike, all own my heart, and my Papa Dios has been expanding my heart even more than I realized it could be! Each day, I find more of His heart replacing my own - and THAT is what motivates me to wake up each morning (... even when I am exhausted or worn out or have been frustrated or am missing a good slice of pizza and a big scoop of ice cream). THAT is why I am here.

It was such a blessing to share this time
 with my little brother and see him jump in and
befriend my kids. He and Izrael really hit it off :)

Learning the Father's heart has been a theme for me this summer. Loving the "unlovable" is something that seems so daunting at first, but then, when we can see with Heaven's eyes, it is the most natural thing in the world. Recently, I had a very powerful dream that included one of our kids that I have had trouble loving genuinely. I had asked the Lord the day before, "God, do I really love this one?" because sometimes I felt like I was acting out of duty and I knew that this was not the right heart attitude. That night, the Lord spoke to me very clearly through the dream circumstances that no, I had not learned to love this one well (Phil 1:9-11). I felt a sense of disappointment, like I had failed, but then, within the dream, I felt a certain tenderness and care for this child that I hadn't before. Over the course of the next few days, I recognized that whenever I saw him, I felt different. There suddenly was love. I believe that God not only gave me a new perspective and way to learn to love this boy, but that the Father God infused my heart with His for His, our, child. 

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.  {Philippians 1:9-11, MSG}