Worms...

How you ever stepped outside of your comfort zone to be a friend? One day in the Maquiritare village of Parupa I did just that. The women of the village invited me to go "worm collecting." That doesn't sound too bad, right? With the mud squishing up between my toes and my fingers digging deep into the mud along the riverbank, I felt like a kid again. I had decided if I was going worm collecting then I would collect a lot of worms!

Hours later we were back in the dugout canoe slowly motoring back to the village. We had our worms, but the work wasn't over. The women were rinsing their buckets of worms over and over again. I set myself to the task, rinsing my worms over and over again.

You might be wondering why they would bother to rinse worms that were going to be used for bait. The truth of the matter was, these worms weren't intended for bait. Some would be boiled, while others would be slowly smoked into jerky. This was supper we'd gone digging for!

I had known the intent, though didn't bother dwelling on it. My stomach did much better without envisioning these slimy creatures getting stuck half way down my throat. Anyways, I had my escape route all planned. Each women would take her private stash of worms home at the end of the day. My goal was to not take my private stash home but to stop by the house of one of the little old gramma's in the village on my way home and bless her with a wonderful bucketful of worms! And this was one of those times my escape route actually worked!

Snakebite

She was reaching to harvest more of the yucca plant when the snake bit her on the hand, its venomous poison entering her bloodstream. She was a wife, a sister and a mother. Her children ranged in age from young to some already looking for husbands of their own. But right now she was just a woman in trouble.

Hurrying back to the village, she headed down to the river's edge to bathe. She took the time to dress herself in clean clothes before heading to the missionaries' house for help. She figured she'd probably be flown out to town for medical help and wanted to look her best. She didn't figure on the fact that all her activity was pumping the venomous poison throughout her body, closer and closer to her heart, closer and closer to death.

The missionaries did all they could, but the venom had already taken hold. Her time was too short. Town was too far away. She hadn't been preparing herself for a trip to town. She had been preparing herself for her death.

She hadn't awoken that morning expecting to face death, but death came nonetheless. A husband stood stoic but looking forlorn without his wife. A sister wailed the death of her best friend. Children mourned the loss of their mother.

We don't awaken each morning expecting to face death, but one day, maybe when least expected, we will face death. How are we preparing ourselves?

If You're Tempted To Complain....

We had bad news. Jamie was in an accident -- again. He says he's fine. He thinks the car is fixable but we have yet to know all the details on both counts. Matt called me with this news as I unlocked my office door this morning. What a beginning to a Monday morning! Oh, he was driving Matt's new car ... with Matt's permission. Matt's headed out to pick Jamie up now.

I sat down at my desk feeling overwhelmed and not ready for all this would entail. And yes, feeling rather ready to complain. Hadn't we just paid out for another accident? Hadn't we just cleared up all the paperwork? Did this really have to happen now? I just didn't feel like I had the energy for it.

I reached to tear off the weekend's verse and words from my daily calendar to reveal what verse and words of encouragement the Lord would give me this morning -- praying as I did so.

Here's what the Lord gave me this morning:

May 11 -

"I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed." Psalms 77:3

Today I resolve not to complain even once.

Hmm... . I had to chuckle. No words of "I'll uphold you." No words of "I'm your solid rock." Just straight to the point. "You don't want to be overwhelmed? Then don't complain."

"Yes, I'll strengthen you---but resolve not to complain."

"Yes, I'm the same today as I was yesterday--but resolve not to complain."

Okay, I thought, maybe I should see what He was going to tell me tomorrow. I lifted the small square page and read...

May 12 -

"I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed." Psalms 77:3

What? The same verse? Did I not flip the page right??!!! (I checked it and I had!) So what words went with the verse for tomorrow?

Again today, I RESOLVE not to complain even once.

By now I'm laughing. Do I dare check what May 13th holds for me? Of course!

May 13 -

"The earth trembled and shook." Psalms 77:18

Whew! Not the same verse. I was beginning to wonder what challenges the Lord was going to use to grow me this week! And then I read...

This is what I'll record the day I actually cease complaining. (But I'm getting closer!)

I leaned back in my chair and laughed and didn't bother checking May 14th. This week, I'm definitely resolving not to complain!

Of course, all prayers to that end are appreciated! :-)