Feb. 10 -- Mandy's Journal

Feb. 10

I forgot to tell you that Josh is now our churches assistant pastor. Yes, the other week after church they had a meeting with the leaders of the church. The next week after church they announced that the people assigned to each positions. Besides assistant pastor Josh was assigned youth children and education. I was assign children and women’s ministries. Ok, so I have a little problem with this. Most of the people assigned things wont do much of anything. But for me I take it serious and feel responsible. The problem is I didn’t ask to do this. I have enough on my plate right now. I do like our church but the sad reality is that it is too far from us to get really involved. I have started to pray about meeting with the women on Wednesday afternoons and doing the Mark Bible study I am doing with the hostel girls. I hesitate because of the time commitment diving there and back, taking people, the women speak Ateso so I’d need an interpreter, and I get tired thinking about it. What I have to figure out is if my hesitations are from God telling me it is not the right time to do it, or is it satan trying hard to keep me from God’s work. Josh is great. He just encourages me to do it. Even though it means he will have to watch the girls in the afternoon and in the evening for Bible studies. I will pray about it a couple more weeks but so far it has remained on my mind (heart?) and that is how I know God is telling me to go forward.

I have been really surprised and very saddened about the knowledge or lack of that leaders and teacher have here. I knew they don’t have our standards but I am amazed at that fact that teachers are teaching at a Christian school when they don’t even know where Moses is found in the Bible. They don’t know how to tell Bible story. The kids show you what they learned in school but they can’t even read what they wrote. Almost all the kids in a class get under a 50% and think they are doing well. I am thankful I am not a teacher. I would be pulling out my hair here! I am fully frustrated hearing about it. How can anyone learn when the teachers need to be taught first?

Grace is potty training! She has done pretty well. She wears underwear in the morning, diaper for nap, then undies in the afternoon. She goes quite a bit on the potty. But we have plenty of accidents. Surprisingly I don’t mind because I am sick of cloth diapers. Grace just needs to get to the point of knowing she has to go and stopping it until she gets to the potty. For now we will just have to have her try ever 20 min. or so. Now when Lydia goes potty Grace stands there and says, “I am so proud of you!” I guess she has heard that a bit this week. Did I tell you Grace can say most of the Lord’s prayer? She is doing great with Bible verses too. She now knows, “Don’t just listen to God’s Word, do what it says” and “One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard that you oh Lord are strong and that you oh Lord are loving.” She just learns them as we teach Lydia. I even heard her singing an Ateso song today. Grace also likes to line things up now. Anything from shoes, books, to little people.

Lydia asked if they could have a baby brother. I wondered if the question would ever come. She told me she has a sister but needs a brother like baby Moses. She said she would ask God if we could have one. That is a good idea.