Neighbors Gone!

Well, our neighbors are officially gone. It was a whirlwind month and though there were times I thought I couldn't handle another day with our particular neighbors, it sure went by fast looking back! I accomplished most of my goals on the list of how I could bless them 30 ways in the final 30 days. We took the girls and their cousin who was visiting to a Reformation party at a local church on Halloween night the night before they left. That was an adventure, but they had fun! They loved their photo book and the Spanish/English Bible I gave them, although I have no idea if they will keep it and read it or not.

We have enjoyed learning about their culture, swapping foods and cooking lessons, and we hope to visit them someday and enjoy some time in Porta Villerta (I know I probably butchered that spelling!) someday since they live very close to there. They actually plan to be back to our town in 3-6 months for another couple years of saving money while in America so we will likely see them again soon, though not as neighbors.

God definitely put them into our lives, and vice versa, for a reason and we know that we learned a LOT from the friendship and trials. We pray that they come to know Him and that we were used of Him, even though there were times we didn't perfectly show His love to them as we should have.

But for now, I am breathing a sigh of relief that my kids can play outside more without being hit, hurt, or learning bad behaviors and words, and that our hallway won't be littered with garbage endlessly, even 5 minutes after I've cleaned. I'm thankful that I won't have endless knocking on our door and running and screaming up and down the halls during the kids' naptimes. We can now put outdoor toys outside and not have to worry about kids scratching our van, taking the kids bikes, pooping in the yard, and coloring on everything in the back yard with a permanent marker.

It's funny because to the very last moment they left they were asking us for favors. They borrowed our plunger and asked us to call the manager for them a few times and they gave my hubby $20 and a roll of screen and asked him to repair the screens their girls shredded with a knife. In their parting goodbye they even left us a school library book to return for them. We did get a few of the girls' nice toys though (a scooter, a toddler bike, some little odds and ends).

The sad thing is that when people don't discipline their kids, it really hurts the kids, as well as the parents. The kids don't know how to get along with other kids nicely, don't know how to handle authority, and grow up with foolishness bound up in their hearts. The parents are more exhausted and overwhelmed dealing with the lack of control over their kids, and the kids have insecurity in the lack of boundaries. These were wonderful little girls who were very sweet on the one hand but very, very destructive and manipulative on the other hand. Even the apartment handyman said, "They were clean people. The kids were out of control but at least they left their apartment very clean." (Said while checking out their apartment after they moved.)

So, there were lots of lessons learned and I was stretched and challenged to grow in being a neighborhood missionary and in loving difficult people. I breathe a huge sigh of relief and thank the Lord that we are moving on to a new stage. Though life is never easy and we have no idea who will end up moving in, it should be much better for our children from now on!!!

Uuuuugggghhhh!

This is just one-third of the destruction...

Has anyone else had neighbor's who make them want to scream? I assure you, I really am trying to love them and can't do it in my own strength. I did make them a photo book yesterday with Bible verses in Spanish, one of my goals on the 30 Things list. However, today I discovered that they had taken a permanent marker and wrote the ABCs all over the wood fences (15 feet worth of permanent writing) in the back yard and drew on our backyard swing and some of my kid's toys. Of course it's all over the fences behind OUR apartment, so today I will have to spend time contacting the managers and letting them know about it so that WE don't end up losing our deposit because of it. They sliced open our other neighbor's screen with a knife too. Kids 5 and 6 years old ought to know better!!!
My spirited child (who has been consistently trained) looks like the sweetest, most obedient little girl ever next to our neighbor girls! Isn't there a verse somewhere about how if you don't discipline your kids it's a digrace to you or brings shame to the mother?

Trying to make it 27 more days.......

Will. I. Survive?
Stay tuned to see.

30 Day Countdown

When we first met them Ali was still pretty tiny! They all crawled into her crib one day and started sucking on her pacis, pretending to be babies.

I had originally planned to write this post on Oct. 1st but since I was so sick I couldn't even eat or check e-mail, I didn't get it posted until today. There are 30 days left with our difficult neighbors! Yeah Hurray! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't overjoyed. Especially since we discovered several new scratches on our new minivan that look like the work of Fernanda and Frida.





But, I'd also be lying if I said I won't miss them a bit. I have truly enjoyed much of the friendship our families have shared over the past couple of years. When Lupe and I first met neither of us had many friends so we spent many hours chatting in Spanish and swapping recipes and teaching each other to cook our country's foods. I've always known that if I need help or am in trouble I can go to them and they've obviously proven that they feel the same about us! They are very social and lively and we've enjoyed their wild pinata parties at every birthday and the big neighborhood pool parties every summer.





Even though we are glad that our kids won't be around them anymore because of their influence (last night even their mom said she couldn't stand them and going to work everyday is a vacation to get away from their screaming and fighting....) we will miss them and I want our friendship to end on a really good note. So, I've decided to think of 30 things I can do to bless them during the last 30 days with them.





1. Print off that bread recipe Lupe wanted.


2. Let the girls have a tea party with Ali with fancy dishes.


3. Have the girls over for one more dancing-in-ballerina-outfits-to-classical-music fest.


4. Print off my cookie recipe for Lupe.


5. Start compiling a scrapbook of photos of our kids having fun together.


6. Work on the scrapbook.


7. Add Bible verses in Spanish in the scrapbook.


8. Finish the scrapbook.


9. Wrap the scrapbook up nicely with all of my favorite recipes for Lupe.


10. Spend time just chatting with Lupe.


11. Take them one of the American foods they have enjoyed that I make.


12. Make them some cinnamon/chocolate cookies before they leave.


13. Have Ali help me buy/make them a little travel activity that the girls can play with on the long drive to Mexico.


14. Get their address/e-mail address and save it.


15. Purchase one of the bikes they want to get rid of (a friend of mine can use it for her son)


16. Highlight some verses in the Spanish/English Bible that have to do with salvation.


17. Wrap up and give them the gift Bible.


18. Let the girls use paints at our kitchen table.


19. Share a cup of Mexican cocoa and conversation with Lupe.


20. Transfer their laundry from the washer to the dryer for about the millionth time!


21. Surprise them one day by folding their laundry.


22. Buy some postcards of Wyoming and stick them in their scrapbook.


23. Sit out in the yard and chat with them like old times.


24. Let Lupe have her fill of holding the baby and cuddling him.


25. Have Ali draw the girls some special pictures as a reminder of their friendship.


26. Have a sing-along with the girls and review all the Bible songs we've taught them.


27. Go over the wordless book with Fernie and Frida.


28. Offer to watch the girls while their mom runs a quick errand


29. Invite them to do something fun with us (park or swimming or a walk, etc.)


30. Give them lots of hugs.





Someday we may just go visit them in Mexico! They'd be thrilled and it would be a fun vacation. God truly answered my prayer a couple of years ago when I asked Him to put us in a place where we could be a witness and a light to our neighbors. I had no idea how hard it would be or how much it would stretch me, but I think I have gained a lot from the experience. Maybe God is preparing us for overseas ministry someday! Whatever the case, I hope with all of my heart that our neighbors come to Christ and were pointed to Him through our friendship.

Picnic on the Floor

Sometimes, in the midst of a busy schedule, I'm reminded of the fact that my neighbor girls, demanding and difficult though they may be, won't be around forever and I should savor the moments with them. They are delighted by the simplest things! So, when King Jo was gone one evening and I decided to make pancakes for supper since the kids and I love them so much, the neighbor girls begged to be able to eat with us. So, we set up a "picnic" in the kitchen and they had a blast!

A Cup Of Water...

"Lensee, can I have some water?"

I hear these words all too often. Most of the time, I roll my eyes and say, "Can't you go home to get a glass of water?" In my mind I'm thinking, "I just did dishes! Can't my home stay clean for 5 seconds? They live one apartment down and have had all afternoon to get a drink from their own mom. Why must they always drink here?

But a quiet nudge always gets me and God brings to mind the verse:

Matthew 10:42 "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

And so, I pull out a glass, sometimes the fancy "Princess goblet" and give them a drink, realizing that I might be the only Christian they will ever know well due to the fact that they are going back to Mexico in a year. I give them a drink hoping that my service and consistency in doing little things for them will cause their memories of me to be joyful ones. What good is it if I'm teaching them Bible songs, hymns, and John 3:16 if I have not love? What good does it do if I loan them our Christian videos, read to them from the Spanish Bible and give them Christian literature in Spanish if the one example they have of a Christian is selfish and easily irritated or continually busy?

No, it's not fun when they continually run through the house when I'm trying to make dinner. It's not fun that they sometimes hurt my baby in trying to play with him or that they drip a trail of blue popsicle throughout my house on cream-colored carpet. There is a lot of extra work in serving and it's not glamorous. But...it is rewarding!

Now...you're probably wondering why there is a picture of fish with this post. The neighbors had to leave for a week on a family emergency and so I get to "fish-sit." I find it comical that the fish are named "Lindsey, Ali, Jer, and Fernonda." (Fernanda is the owner of the fish.) Just a tiny example of how much influence we have on these little ones! It's going to be an interesting week trying to keep Ali out of the fish bowl. I've already caught her spitting in it! And one fish isn't looking so hot today......there may be a flushing when hubby gets home from work.......

Language Funnies

Our neighbors from Mexico provide us with lots of entertainment as they are learning English. Two recent examples:

Fernie came to the door last night and urgently asked, "Can I have a paper toliet?" King Jo was confused. "Please," she pleaded, "one paper toliet." She asked several times and I was just chuckling in the background. The funniest part was that King Jo, whom they refer to as Jose', kept asking if she meant "paper towels" or "paper." He didn't get it. They wanted a roll of toliet paper!

Today the girls were over playing and were bickering as usual. Fernie approached me to tattle on her sister and declared, "Lin-see, she is NOT telling the tooth!" (instead of truth).

Now that I've told on them, I can tell on myself. My Spanish speaking abilities leave a lot to be desired at times. Last fall when I was explaining how to make corn on the cob I told Lupe to put "manzanas (apples)" on top of the corn. She kept asking, "Si? Manzanas?" I would say, "Si! Manzanas!" What I meant to say was "mantaquilla (butter)!" We finally figured out my mistake!

Another blooper was when we were eating at their house and they were asking if King Jo drinks beer. I said in Spanish, "No, he doesn't drink "servietas" which means napkins/dishtowels, instead of saying, "serviesa" (beer).