Dreams CAN come true!

Hello bloggy world!  It's been a long tine!  

So much has happened since the last time I blogged....and it would take hours to catch up.  So some of the things that have happened are, graduation at TSOP, my brother, sister-in-law and nephew's visit, a trip to the USA for a nice holiday, return back to Trinidad, school began again, to name a few happenings. 

But this blog is not about that...in fact, it's about something that was a dream until just a few days ago! 

It's hard to know where to start this story...but I must start at the beginning. 

Prayer. 

It's very important. 

VERY!

And then make sure you know what you are praying for....cause then it might just be answered! 

Well, this story began with a prayer...many, many years ago. 

In fact, I was 14 when I remember beginning to pray this prayer. 

This prayer in part has been answered over the last year and a half. 

In a way I never expected. 

And I know that God is still working on this prayer...for I have not reached the full answer....yet. 

I know...you want me to now tell you the end...well remember..this is only the beginning! 

The second beginning was a move. 

To a new country.

To a new way of life. 

To a place of sunshine and heat, of lots of rain and beautiful beaches! 

Yes, to Trinidad! (How'd you guess?) 

Life moved on..in it's way, I got used to new faces and new things. 

New food and new friends. 

Then I decided to go take some classes at the local preaching school (TSOP). 

It was a beautiful time of learning, fellowship and more friends. 

But.....then....

there was one friend....

that I began to talk to daily.

I had lunch with this friend....

laughed till I could not breathe 

and spent hours on Facebook chatting with this friend. 

This friend loved God so much!  

So much that our talks always ended with wanting to be in heaven together so bad!

It was a lovely time.....a time I still remember as one of the best in my life....or so I thought....

Then in March, it all started.

He (yes, it's a guy) sent me a letter. 

He said that he liked me....and the he wanted to know if i would consider a relationship with him. 

I was blown away!  

ME?  He wanted to be in a relationship with ME? 

I told him I needed time to think it over.

He was a gem, and said "take all the time you need....

even a few months!"

So....I took him up on it...and began thinking...and praying harder...

and thinking even harder and prayed harder still. 

We continued to have our lunch together each day...and spend time together. 

In fact, we talked for hours on end when we could.

But then....the day came....when I left this home...and went to the USA to visit my family.

I was happy...but sad to leave this friend behind.

I missed him every day.

I thought about him every day.

I prayed about him every day. 

And every day I began to see what the answer to his question was.

I counted down the days, then the hours till I could see his face again!

I could not wait to tell him the answer....yes or no....if I was willing to be in a relationship with him.

We got home to our Trini home on the 21st of August...and a few days later (three in fact), he came over and we sat and had a nice long talk.  

It was great to talk...I had missed him more than I thought.

And then I told him.......

Yes, I want to be in a relationship!

I was SO happy! 

(so was he)

We then began to spend more time together (this part I loved)....we began spending more time with each others families, and doing things together. 

We grew together in so many ways...had days that were hard...days that were fun...days that were sad even. 

But each one brought us closer to being one.

There were days I would think about him (well, every day really) and wonder.....

things like.....

don't I have an amazing God, that knows what I need?

is this really real? or a dream?

how could such an amazing man exist? 

can I live here in Trinidad forever? 

can I be a preacher's wife? 

can I be a wife? 

a mother?

and most importantly can I serve God and still marry this man?

Yes, I was considering marriage.

It is huge.

Full of responsibilities.

Some in fact that I don't know half about yet.

Then, we planned a date.

At a mall nearby.

Dad dropped us by and we had a lovely evening of window shopping, sitting and talking and laughing, playing silly but fun games (he BEAT me at air hockey....but just you wait! I'll get you back!), and having dinner together.

It was a great evening.

But little to my knowledge, it was only going to get better!

Right before we had to leave (dad was waiting outside for us) he happened to have a shoe untied.

No big deal....so he stooped down to tie it. 

Or so I thought....

then he handed me something that I was NOT expecting.....

and said...."hold this for me." 

I was in shock! 

I did not believe that he was serious! 

But he was....and then slid the most beautiful ring on my finger! 

I think my heart stopped.

100 times! 

But it was real....I kept thinking that I was dreaming...but I could feel the ring on my finger and I knew that it was a dream come true. 

I can't begin to describe the feeling that I had when he gave me that ring! 

It's one that I will treasure for the rest of my life! 

And of course when he said "well will you?"

I said....

"YES"

So yeah....

I'm getting married....

to the man I love....Adrian. 

 My perfect ring! 

Ten years ago.....

I took a step that would change my life forever. It began in January when I went and applied for my passport. That was an exciting day…but not as exciting as this one. I dreamed, and prepared, and packed, and repacked…and at last that LONG awaited day came…and I headed off to the airport. I checked in with Dad, Wade, and a few other people. I was excited, nervous, and a bit apprehensive…but I wanted to do this so bad.

Now, you may be wondering…an airplane ride? How could that change one’s life? Well it’s not the airplane ride that changed it…it was what was at the end of that first airplane ride.

When the flight landed I was in a different country and a different culture. It was all so different…it was hot (compared to the USA), they drove on the wrong side of the road, they had an accent…one that would take me plenty of time to truly understand…most of the food had curry in it...and you could tell these people had a deep and fervent love for God. Yeah…you guessed it…I was in Trinidad. And my world has not been the same since. In the week that I was here 10 years ago I fell in love…no not with a guy…or even a person…but with a country, a people, a way of life. The people here were friendly, they were strong Christians that inspired me to study harder. I realized that in the US I took way to many things for granted….and I had to do some rethinking. The people here went far and above the call of duty to provide food for us, to provide transport and so many other things. I went home that year with a new outlook on life. I was so rich…so much richer than so many…and yet…I at times felt that I had little compared to what I thought I wanted. I had so many blessings that I could not count them…but did I remember to thank God for them?

I told Dad when it was time to come home to just trash my ticket…I was going to stay. Of course…that did not happen and with many tears I left…and began to plan for the next time I could come. This became a yearly tradition…to come to Trinidad each March/April for a mission trip. Dad was in charge of organizing it at the congregation we attended…and about in Set or Oct I would start asking when we were going to go…it was what I lived for those years. And each year….it got harder to say goodbye…I grew to love the people, the church and it was always hard to leave…I normally cried most of the way home. I dreamed of the day that I could stay forever…but I have still not figured that one out.

But then in 2009 we all came as a family…and we all shared that love for Trinidad and the work here. So we began to plan a move…and oh was I so excited! I tried to be patient….and I was…but at the same time…why did we have to wait so long to move? On Nov 8^th 2010 we stepped onto a plane with one way tickets…and I could not have been happier! We acquired the needed support and the needed visa and we were granted a stay of 3 years…which is half over…and I dread the time of going back to the US. Yes, I can’t wait to see family and friends that I have not seen in a long time….but I want to come back here if I can. God may have another plan…and I will be happy with that…but I would be very happy if it was more time in Trinidad.

But now you may ask…how did this change my life? Well that is a good question…and it deserves some time. When one steps out of their culture and into another one, they learn to appreciate things on a different level. I have put together a list of things that I hope will give you an idea of how it’s changed…for it’s a bit hard to really describe it properly

I have learned:

The value of Bible study…not just reading…but deep study

The value of being close to my family

To love times of worship and fellowship on such a deeper level

Getting to know about the food of a country is very important

Smiling makes an impact…one you may never comprehend

Flexibility is a must

I have way too many clothes and shoes

I am watched at all times

Taking time for people is not a waste of time

Listening….till another is done talking is vital

Without complete trust in God…you will get no where

72 degrees Fahrenheit is cold

Take time to look at the rainbows after a rain

I have faithful brethren all over the world that are fighting the same battles to get to heaven as I am

Sharing is a true joy

Mosquito nets are great!

It’s important to remember people’s names

These last 10 years have been some of my favorite times. Trinidad is in my blood and in my heart…I love it here. It has changed my life forever; I will never be the pre-Trinidad Emily again. It has been a good change…one that has brought me closer to God, closer to family and closer to my spiritual family. I have grown so much as a Christian…I have learned the importance of small things…I understand life on a different level than I used to. I by no means have all the answers…and I still have leaps and bounds to grow…that must never stop…but this time in Trinidad…both the week long trips over the last 10 years and the last 16 months have truly given me the boost and kick that I needed to be a better Christian.

If you ever have the chance to step outside your culture…and your country, do so. You will never regret it…and it might just change you in a good way…in the way you need for God.

I know the next 10 years will be just as great…no matter where I end up…here in Trinidad, back in the USA or somewhere else of which I know not. Wherever God takes me…that will be home.

1 John study-Chapter five

If

Conjunction

1. in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to.

2. even though: an enthusiastic if small audience

3. whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. used to introduce an exclamatory phrase: If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.

Noun

6. a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.

7.a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifsin his agreement.

There are two Greek words for if used in 1 John.

They are: ean and ei.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines ean as:

A conditional particle, which makes reference to time and to experience, introducing something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place; if, in case.

And ei as:

First a conditional particle, if; secondly, an interrogative particle, whether.

Chapter 5

Verse 9 “”If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he testified of his Son.”

If-ei

If we receive the witness of men…how many times a day do we trust what men say to be true? Many times…we trust men for the weather forecast, for the making of laws and so many other things. We also trust men for everyday information and I am sure the list can get long. But the point here is that if we are willing to trust the witness of man, which could be false at times, what about God?

...the witness of God is greater…God’s witness is greater than man. No matter what, His witness will never be wrong. Man’s witness will lie, God’s will not; man’s will deceive, God’s will not; man’s will not last forever, God’s will. While we must on a daily basis trust to a certain degree the witness of man, we must put more trust in God’s witness for it will remain forever.

…for this is the witness of God which he testified of his Son…this is speaking of the previous verses, but I believe can be applied to the entire Bible. Jesus testified of His Father by the life that He lived. Then many testified of that life and wrote it down under the guide of the Holy Spirit. John was one of these eyewitnesses. John was there at the transfiguration, he was at the cross, and so many other places with Jesus. He can say that these things are true of Jesus and God for he was very close to Jesus and God (through Jesus). Knowing these things should clear up an doubt on whatever things we doubt about Jesus and what He did for us.

Verse 14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

If-ean

This verse carries a huge conditional. …if we ask anything according to his will…all that we ask for must be in accordance to His will. We will be praying in vain if we do not pray with His will always in the forefront of our thoughts. The condition here is very important. If we do not pray that things be done in His will, He will not hear us. When we do this, we will have confidence toward him that He will hear us. This is a very important verse to the Christian life. Prayer is our way to talk to God, and we must use it well and right if we are to have a personal relationship with Him. And we must have a relationship with Him if we are to be saved.

Verse 15 “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

If-ean

This verse finishes the thought in 14. When we have prayed according to His will we know, (the confidence) that He will hear us. We know that He will consider the petitions that we have set before Him. This includes the forgiveness of our sins, our petitions for others, for strength, etc. We are to cast all our cares on Him, and when we do this in accordance with His will, we will grow as Christians, ans be close to God.

Verse 16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

If-ean

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he (God-EP) shall give him life for them that sin not unto death…as Christians we are to pray for each other, especially when one has sinned and repented. We can be instrumental in the salvation of their souls when we do this. We are not told exactly what sins here John is talking about, but from the context, I would hold that they are sins which can be forgiven, sins which will not lead to instant physical or spiritual death. When this person that has sinned had repented and prayers have been offered to God in his behalf, then God will give him life again. This is a beautiful promise that we must hold on to…and not just talk about…but DO IT! Another this in this part of the verse is the first few words…if any man see his brother sin…we must be close to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must be close enough to see when they sin or at least be close enough to them that we are there for them when they stumble. Yes, there will be “secret sins” that are only between a person and God, but there will be times that our sins will affect others and then we must be there for that person.

…there is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it…this sin would be the nature of a sin that cannot be forgiven. John is saying that when one sins this kind of sin that he would be wasting his time to pray for it. This seems very harsh and not like God to not forgive. But, God has His rules and will not change them for anyone. We must be ever so careful to not sin and especially not sin in a way that we will not be forgiven. This must drive us to be ever so careful to keep our lives in step with God’s will, for then we will not be as likely to sin these sins that are unto death.

If, such a small word, but as we have seen…has a huge meaning. There is so much…no, all of our salvation hangs on that one word. So much depends on us doing what we know we must do. When we do these ifs, we will grow as a Christian, we will be closer as a body, and above all we will secure our eternal salvation with our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

1 John study-Chapter four

If

Conjunction

1. in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to.

2. even though: an enthusiastic if small audience

3. whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. used to introduce an exclamatory phrase: If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.

Noun

6. a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.

7.a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifsin his agreement.

There are two Greek words for if used in 1 John.

They are: ean and ei.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines ean as:

A conditional particle, which makes reference to time and to experience, introducing something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place; if, in case.

And ei as:

First a conditional particle, if; secondly, an interrogative particle, whether.

Chapter 4

Verse 11 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

If-ei

Beloved, if God so loved us…there is no doubt that God loves us. He loved us so much in fact that He sent His only Son to die for us. Since God so loved us this much, we have an obligation to each other.

...we ought also to love one another…if God loved us enough to die for us, then we ought to love each other. The word ought here is not an optional thing. It is a must. It is an obligation. We have to love each other because God indeed loved us.

Verse 12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”

If-ean

No man hath see God at any time…throughout Biblical history, man has never seen God. God has been seen in ways such as through nature, in different forms…as a man, an angel…but no one has ever seen God in His full glory and power. Now, how does this part of this verse tie in with the following “if” statement?

…If we love one another…we as Christians ought to love one another. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, and because of that we are family. Families should love each other. What then happens when we love one another?

…God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us…only when we love one another, will God dwell in us. We are without Him if we hate our brothers. Not only does God dwell in us, but His love is perfected in us as well. This does not mean that Christians are prefect, but that God’s love is only complete when we love each other. Now, how does the first part tie into this? Well, we see another way that God can be seen, through our love for each other. When this happens those around us in the world ought to be able to see God’s love in us and desire to be partakers with us.

Verse 20 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

If-ean

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar…If we say we love God. There is a lot in just that statement alone. But we can say that as long as we are in the light and are living in His commandments. Now, we must couple this with the rest of the verse…if we hate our brother, we are a liar. We cannot say we love God, and then say we hate our brother.

…for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?...now, we see that not only are we liars if we claim to love God and hate our brother. But now, we see that it is not logical how we can love that which we have not seen, and hate that which we see. This really makes one think…or should anyhow. How many things do we love here in this life? Many I dare say…and they are all things that we can see. But once this life is over, they will be no more. Think now about God’s love. It will take us into eternity if we live according to His commandments. Knowing this should drive us to love Him even more, even though we cannot see Him. We know from verse 12 that no man has seen God. We also are to love Him whom we have not seen…and while this may seem hard, it is really not. For when one uses wisely the Bible, we can “see” God in a way and we will love Him for what He has done. We then have no excuse to not love God, whom we have not seen.

1 John study-Chapter three

If

Conjunction

1. in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to.

2. even though: an enthusiastic if small audience

3. whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. used to introduce an exclamatory phrase: If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.

Noun

6. a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.

7.a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifsin his agreement.

There are two Greek words for if used in 1 John.

They are: ean and ei.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines ean as:

A conditional particle, which makes reference to time and to experience, introducing something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place; if, in case.

And ei as:

First a conditional particle, if; secondly, an interrogative particle, whether.

Chapter 3

Verse 13 “Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.”

If--ei

This verse is really quite simple. Marvel not…the world will hate us as Christians. But this should be no surprise to us…the world hated Jesus so why would the treat us…who are trying to be like Him any differently? ...if the world hate you…if…I wonder why John did not say when? For he knew that the world would indeed hate Christians…so why use the word if? When looking at the original Greek and referring to Thayer’s it is said that if can also mean that which is assumed. So when we add this meaning to the word if in this case, it makes sense. Also, when we couple the meaning of marvel not with if the world hate you…then you understand the idea that the world will hate us, and the we should not be surprised.

Verse 20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.”

If--ean

For if our heart condemn us…our hearts will know and convict us of hidden and secret sins. The world may not see them be we know what we have done. If our hearts are in line with the Word of God, then we will be hurt in our heart when we sin. But if our heart tries to hide a sin…

...God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things…we cannot hide from God. No matter how good we may appear on the outside, if we are hiding things…we are not with God. Those hidden sins will rear their head…whether it is in this life, or the next one. God is greater than our heart…and if we dare to think something is right when it is wrong, God has the power to convict us though His Word that we are wrong and need to change. Because He knows all things, we must constantly keep pure in action, thought and deed. Our hearts must be reprogramed to be in line with God and not in line with us.

Verse 21 “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God.”

If—this a different word combination for if. It is ean me, which means: if not, unless.

The word not in this verse is also the same Greek phrase ean me. That makes the below phrase have a deeper meaning. It could be reworded to say if not our heart condemn us…

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not…when we have cleared our lives of secret sin then our hearts can no longer condemn us for those things. This is the state that we as faithful Christians must be in at all times. Our hearts should be clean and pure and no condemn us. When this is the case…

…then we have confidence toward God…we can then stand before God with confidence because our hearts are pure and right before God. The word confidence caries the meaning of “free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness and assurance.” This makes this part of the verse give us a higher level of assurance that we can stand before God. Not perfect…but with boldness that we are right with Him. This should give one the comfort that we can be pure before God as well as the desire to make things right before it is too late.

1 John study-Chapter two

If

Conjunction

1. in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to.

2. even though: an enthusiastic if small audience

3. whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. used to introduce an exclamatory phrase: If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.

Noun

6. a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.

7.a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifsin his agreement.

There are two Greek words for if used in 1 John.

They are: ean and ei.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines ean as:

A conditional particle, which makes reference to time and to experience, introducing something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place; if, in case.

And ei as:

First a conditional particle, if; secondly, an interrogative particle, whether.

Chapter 2

Verse 1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

If--ean

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not...I believe that that is referring to the above verses, thus chapter one. If we follow the teachings in chapter one, we will be close to God, and thus far away from sin.

…And if any man sin…If we sin. We will sin, for we are human. Sin will happen, even to the best of intentions on our part to be pure. We must strive daily to be sinless, but at the same time, we must understand that we are going to sin. When we do…

…we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous…we have an avenue of prayer with our God. But, we must pray to Him through Jesus. Jesus will plead our case before the Father. This advocate here is Jesus, but in John 14:16-17 we see that a comforter or advocate is promised to come speaking of the Holy Spirit. But here in 1 John, Jesus is our advocate, making our relationship with God and Jesus, much more personal.

Verse 3 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

If--ean

This is a big if. A lot hangs on it. If we keep His commandments…we will know that we know Him. We CAN know that we know Him, but again, this is conditional. We cannot make the claim to know Him if we do not keep His commandments. This should show in our lives. People should be able to look at me and say...”There is a Christian, someone who knows God.” This is very humbling. It’s a lot to live up to. But, at the same time, if we truly want to know Him, we must stick to it and obey His commandments. The reward at the end will be worth it!

Verse 15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

If--ean

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world…We are given an instruction here to not love the things nor the things of the world. This includes all things ungodly. Movies, music, food, riches, stuff we collect, and the list can go on forever.

But we see that…If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him…letting this love of the world cloud our lives, we block out the most important love that exists. That is the love of God. Without the love of God, we are nothing. We would have no hope of eternal life with Him. Life would be very bleak actually. But again, this love is conditional. God loves all and would that all men would some to salvation (2 Pet 3:9). We have to couple this verse with so many others and we will find that we must do our part to gain salvation. This begins with us changing our love from the world to God. Then, and only then will we have the love of the Father in us.

Verse 19 “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

If--ei

This verse follows a thought that introduces a warning against the antichrists. In this verse we see that…They went out from us, but they were not of us…These antichrists were among the church, but yet were not truly of the church. This proves that some in the church are not sincere and are not true Christians. These also could be those who had apostatized, once being faithful but fell away.

...for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us…here is the if. If they had been faithful unmovable Christians, they would not have fallen away and thus would still be with us, the church.

But instead of sticking it out to the end…they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us…these antichrists went out from the church and by doing this they became known as those who had departed from the truth. They could be those that left on their own initiative or those that had been withdrawn fellowship with. I find the phrase be made manifest to be interesting. Because they had left the truth, they were then made manifest that they were no longer part of the one true church. By doing this, they then showed the world that they were no longer part of the church which completed their manifestation.

Verse 24 “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.”

If--ean

Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning…what have we had from the beginning? Looking back to chapter one verse 5, that God is light and in Him is no darkness. God and Jesus were also from the beginning. These things must abide with us.

…If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father…there is the condition. If...we have to have this truth (God is light…He has always been) in us forever. Then and only then shall we be able to continue with the Son and Father.

Verse 29 “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

If--ean

If ye know that he is righteous…If we know….can we know? Well yes! We can know! Remember that God is light…there is no darkness in Him. Only that which is righteous can be light…so therefore following logic, God is righteous. The ‘if’ does not mean that there is doubt that God is righteous. It is simply calling our attention to the fact that God is indeed righteous.

…ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him…because He is righteous…that being God…we know…we do not doubt…but know…that all that doeth righteousness are of Him. This would include all Christians, those who are born of God and are walking in His light. But, as we have seen from verses above, we must stay in this light and there remain to secure our eternal life.

Holidays 2011...week three

Yeah...well actually this week of holiday was in 2012....but it's still part of the 2011 holiday...so it shall be still called so.

Monday...the second of January. We had a fairly lazy morning that included getting our house cleaned up a bit. Then off to a fun afternoon/evening in the country. We had a lovey time...we ate choka (tomato, baigan (eggplant), aloo (potato) and ochro (okra)) and sadha roti. This is a very traditional meal....especially for the family that made it for us. All us girls took turns cooking the roti and so now we know how to do it...the correct way! We have done it some before...but it helps to see a real Trini cook it...not us implants. Then we took a nice long walk, you can read about that part here. Then as the evening went along...the cards came out. And yes, it was all fours and rummy. I don't know what it is about all fours...but that game is so fun! And so is rummy...and maybe it's not the game...but the dear people that we play it with that makes it so fun! Either way...it's a fun game...and we had a lovey time!

Tuesday...we had some of the students over. There are three of the guys that are not from Trinidad...so they were missing home during the holiday. We had them over for some good food and some games. We had seven of them over...and we cooked Trini for them-and it turned out really good! Then we played cards, yes, all fours again, and a bunch of them played a game of monopoly. We also played blitz..... and Apples to Apples...which is terribly funny with Trinis...who play with an American game...it's fun to try to explain what some of the cards mean...and to see how they think of some of them too! We all had plenty of laughs...and I actually won! I never win that game....but that night...well I did! The as the evening got late...we played some rummy...and then two more games of all fours. I love limes. They are such a lovey part of life now...and I can't wait for heaven...where these good times will never end! EVER!

The Wednesday....what we did Wednesday....Oh yes...Wednesday. That day! Mom, Silas and I did the monthly shopping. We picked a good day! The traffic was not to bad and all the stores we went to were not crowed...except one.

For class that night we went to a very small congregation and while there I was touched by three small boys. They were 2, 5 and 7...and they sang all the songs...by heart. While I was sitting there listening to their sweet little voices singing...it really got me to thinking. How many of us that have been raised in the church from small still have to use the book to sing? And after the class we were talking to the Mom...and she was telling us how they love to sing...and to memorize scripture...and they are under 10! These are the best years to teach children the Bible. Their little minds are like sponges and they soak up so much...we must be sure to be putting the right things into their minds. Needless to say, I came away that night very encouraged...and then determined to better myself in the Word of God. If those three precious boys can sing with that zeal...then surely I, who am many years older can do at least the same.

Thursday...another lime day! We again cooked Trini...and had a family with 3 small children over. They had a lovey time....and it was so nice to have little ones running around the house for a few hours! We were also taught how to make Amchar Mangos and Curry Mangos...both very good...both easy to make. We enjoyed the time to sit and chat with them and watch the kids play.

Then Friday...the last lime of the holidays. This time we went up to San Fernando Hill. This place is crazy beautiful...and to add to that...you can see for miles...and the breeze is lovely!!

We cooked up some pie, chicken, and salad...took the leftover roti from the day before and headed off. We picked up some of the students, and two of the teachers and their families came as well.
More food, some stewed lamb (which was delicious!) and some pelau (like fried rice with meat in it) were added to the mix. We ate and then played games on blankets spread out in the shade. We played...yep..you guessed...all fours...rummy and the younger kids played some board games. It was a perfect day for a picnic on the hill! It did not rain...and the sun was not to hot. But that dreaded thing called time once again visited us...and sent us home. But it was a perfect last lime before school starts on Monday.

Silas and I shared a snow cone...yep...good times!

Saturday was spent at home...getting those last things done on the before school starts list. I was able to get mine done and it was a nice feeling to head into Sunday knowing that I was ready for school to start.

So that was our second Trini holiday...and I dare say it was the first "real Trini" holiday! I look forward to the next one...but I will not wish the time away between now and then. I know it will come sooner than later.

Thanks for following along on the crazy holiday....I hope yours was as fun as mine!

Have a great day...and don't forget to smile! :)

1 John study-Chapter one

Over the holiday break I took some time out of all our limes, and made some time to study. My book of choice was 1 John. I happen to really love this book. It is on my favorite books of the Bible list...along with about 65 others! I also have always wanted to do a word study on the “ifs” of this book. That is exactly what I did this time.

I will be posting my notes one chapter at a time over the next (including this one) five Saturdays. I will include the definitions of the word “if” in each post so you can have easy access to them. Please feel free to add your comments if you have any. I hope that this will bless you in some small way as it blessed me much while I was studying.

What does if mean? From Dictinary.com…

If

Conjunction

1. in case that; granting or supposing that; on condition that: Sing if you want to.

2. even though: an enthusiastic if small audience

3. whether: He asked if I knew Spanish.

4. used to introduce an exclamatory phrase: If only Dad could see me now!

5. when or whenever: If it was raining, we had to play inside.

Noun

6. a supposition; uncertain possibility: The future is full of ifs.

7.a condition, requirement, or stipulation: There are too many ifs in his agreement.

There are two Greek words for if used in 1 John.

They are: ean and ei.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines ean as:

A conditional particle, which makes reference to time and to experience, introducing something future, but not determining, before the event, whether it is certainly to take place; if, in case.

And ei as:

First a conditional particle, if; secondly, an interrogative particle, whether.

If, quite a word that is. So much can hang on those two small letters.

Now for the if’s.

Chapter 1

Verse 6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:”

If—ean

If we say that we have fellowship…we are saying that we profess to be like Him, that is God. We are to be like Him, and by doing so we are in fellowship with Him. But, we are taking a lot on when we say that we have fellowship with God.

…and walk in darkness…This is referring to living in sin. Throughout the Bible light refers to God, and the Christian way of living, and darkness refers to the life of sin, without God. We cannot live in fellowship with God, and be in sin.

…we lie, and do not the truth…simple, if we are saying that we are in fellowship with God, and are living in sin, then we are liars. We cannot do this and have the truth in us. We must either be in fellowship with God not living in sin, or be out of God living in sin. You cannot do both.

Verse 7 “But if we walk in the light, and he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

If--ean

I really love this verse! There is so much hope and promise in it…it makes me feel happy inside…but at the same time…there is a lot in it!

But if we walk in the light, and he is in the light…if we walk in the light…that one statement is powerful. We MUST be in the light! He, that is God is in the light and we want to be there with Him. If we are not in the light…well…we are not with God. Sad thought that. But what happens if we are in the light with God?

...we have fellowship one with another…fellowship with each other. I love to fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ! It’s probably my favorite thing to do. Seriously, we would not enjoy that bliss of fellowship outside of Christ. It’s important to be in Christ! But this is not all…

…and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin…not only do we have the bliss of fellowship, but we also have the forgiveness of sins. And not just some…all sin. Every single one. We must stay in the light to continue to receive this forgiveness. If we step outside of the light, we will not have access to that forgiveness.

Verse 8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

If--ean

This verse is actually quite simple…if we say we have no sin…Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Not a single person in history has been perfect (except Christ). But if we say that we have no sin…

...we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…we become liars, which is a sin. We cannot lie about our sin, and still be in the truth. We must rid ourselves of sin and walk in the truth. And staying in the truth is the only way to stay in fellowship with God.

Verse 9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

If--ean

This is another verse that has so much in it…and it’s special in a way. I remember memorizing it years ago for Bible class…and it has stuck with me all these years. God is willing to forgive us, no matter how “big” the sin is. But it is really up to us if that sin is forgiven. If we are willing to confess our sins, only then will God forgive us. This verse really brings out the importance of the word if to me. If we don’t confess our sins….we will remain unforgiven, thus living in sin, thus not in fellowship with God. That is a scary thought. To gain forgiveness we MUST confess our sins to God.

Verse 10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

If--ean

If we say that we have not sinned…it is impossible for any to make this claim. As we already saw in Rom 3:23 all have sinned. And if we dare to make the claim that we are without sin…

…we make him a liar, and his word is not in us…when we claim to have no sin, we are calling God a liar, and we know that He is not a liar…there is nothing but truth in Him. And not only do we make Him a liar, we do not have His word in us. We can only know how to be right with God if we are in His word, admit that we are sinners and confess our sins to Him.

This chapter and the ifs in it have taught me that 1) salvation is conditional, 2) we cannot lie about our sin and be right with God and 3) that one must be willing to confess to gain forgiveness. These ifs may be small…but they carry great importance to the Christian life.

A walk in the country

One day this week we went done to the La Brea area again and spent some time by some good friends there. After we had eaten a lovely Trinidadian meal, we took a walk down the road by their house. These are some of the many pictures that I took as we walked along. It was very beautiful to put it mildly. I loved being in the country....to see green for a long way, to not hear the constant noise of the city, and to be in the middle of God's beautiful creation.

I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I had fun walking in the country and taking them!

Isn't it lovely?

These are blooms that look like a scorpion...really cool!

Oranges.....

A pretty butterfly.....

The moon was lovely!

I love living in the Caribbean!

Sorrel

Since I have included sorrel in some of my recent blogs, I decided it is is time to give an explanation as to what sorrel is for all of my non Trini followers. Sorrel is the bloom of a perennial garden plant. (I have actually never seen the plant...just the blooms). Around Christmas time is when it is in season and you will find heaps of it all over the markets...in vans (pick-up trucks if you are in the USA) along the sides of the road...and when I say piles...I mean piles! Not just a bit on a table....but HUGE piles of the stuff. Total this holiday I used 19 lbs of sorrel.

Here is what it looks like....

To make sorrel (as in the drink) you acquire at least 3-4 lbs of sorrel for a good start.

(Isn't it beautiful?)

Give it a good wash...and then take the seed part out....you don't use it....

After all the seed pods are out, chunk it all into a pot (or to save time...just put it in the pot as you go), throw in some cloves...you know..till it looks right and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks and some water. Not to much water...but just enough...about 2/3 a pot full. Or maybe 3/4....just till it's right.

Turn it on...and let it cook for a good while...until....

it's done...which means you are tired of waiting for it to be done...and you call it done anyway! No really, it should be a bit thicker than water and have a lovely red color to it. The flower part should be very soft as well.

Then, you strain the pulp and spices out, and commence the making of the drink! Depending on how thick you cook the sorrel down, you dilute it about half (maybe a bit more)....but really to taste. Throw in some good ole Trinidad brown sugar (imported from Guyana) till it's just right. Chill if you have time...or just put it over some ice and mmmm.....it real good boi! It's best with a meal...or for a snack...or to drink when you are thirsty...or....yeah...anytime!

But...now you may ask...what do you with the left over pulp? Well...many people just throw it away. But...I decided that something must be done with it...so I did some looking around on the net and found a recipe for sorrel jam.

So then...I had to try it. It's really easy...you take out the spices...and blend up the sorrel, add some ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves. Then add in some sugar to taste and cook down.

In texture and thickness it is very much like apple butter but in taste...well it's sorrel. And it's very good....with butter and bread...to eat plain...on hot biscuits....and any other way you like jam!

I have enjoyed muchly getting to learn new things here in Trinidad...and sorrel is one of my new favorites.

Holidays 2011...week two

Our next week was just as good...with more friends and more fun!

On Monday we had Miles' 14th birthday. I can't believe my next to youngest sibling is 14 years old! Time sure flies! We had hamburgers and coke floats...we couldn't get root beer....and it was good! Then we had a movie...stayed up late...and had a grand time!

Then Tuesday rolled in and we had another family over for lunch and an all afternoon/evening lime. We played cards...rummy and all fours...watched a movie...had plenty of laughs!

Playing rummy.....

A winning hand!

Having fun!

Spur of the moment piano "lesson!!!"

Watching a movie......

And playing all fours!

Wednesday....well we cleaned up the place a bit...and then took a trip up high street and did some shopping.

Thursday was a family only day. We have been on the go a lot and decided we needed a day just for us. So we packed up some pie, veggies and some snacks and headed off the the beach.

Some yummy pie! We went south....and just for the record...I love south. There is something so homey and lovely about going south...to quote Treebeard..."it's much easier to go south..it's like going down hill." The beach we went to was the one we went to in 2009 when we came here as a family. We had not been back since then, it was good to go back. The beach was not crowded so we had a nice almond tree to ourselves for shade. We played in the water, we collected shells, we ate, and then took naps. I spent an hour and a half reading...in the sun...without sunscreen on my legs...not a smart idea if you wanted to know! And to add to the sunburn...the sand flies were very bad! Needless to say, I still had a great day! After we had our naps...we took a long walk down the beach. It was lovely and deserted and so beautiful! It's amazing to just stand on the shore of the ocean and see the waves...and hear the water and be with my family....who by the way I love dearly. Then we packed up and headed home. (I am sad that I don't have many pictures...it rained on us many times and I didn't risk the camera getting wet.)

That brings us to Friday. Ohhh Friday. Friday was one of those days....when I wished time would stand still for a long time. Two of the second year students from La Brea (Adrian and Trovel) came up for a lovely lime by us. They arrived in time to help set the table for lunch...yeah...they need table setting lessons! We had lasagna, french bread and salad. And sorrel of course. It's about finished for the season and so we got some for the last lime of the year.

We played cards...yeah...all fours again....and music. We hooked up one of the computers to the sound system (the TV) and look turns picking out a song to play. We sure jumped around....but we had a great time. Then along about dinner time I fixed some saltfish (not only is it one of my favorites, both the "boys" like it especially, Adrian) and we polished off the last of the lasagna. Then more cards....and more laughter and above all, lovely Christian fellowship. Even with the current (power) out for a few hours time was still against us and a bit after midnight, the fun had to end. But I know one thing, this is only a tiny taste of what heaven will be like, and I also know I'll see these boys as well as so many other dear friends in that Perfect place!

Saturday ended not only the second of three weeks of our vacation, but it ended the old year. Here in Trinidad most of the congregations have a fellowship that lasts from about 9 PM to 1-2 AM. This year, the first being on a Sunday, the fellowship/worship started at 9:00 PM and went until about 1 AM. South it was again, down to La Brea. We sang for a good hour and a half, had a couple of skits, teaching a Bible based lesson, and then had a worship service. The preaching started at about 11:15 and ended at 10 after midnight.

Preaching in the new year!

(Yes, the clock is correct!! It was 11:45 PM!!)
Then we had the Lord's Supper, another song or two and the close of the Sunday worship. It was so amazing to bring the new year in in worship to the King!

Enjoying some good singing in the new year.
I had never done anything like this before, and I am so glad we chose to do that instead of just going to bed! And of course the fellowship after was so worth staying up until 1 AM! We all passed around New Years greetings and hugs and the smiles were huge! It is such a JOY to be part of this kind of family! One that loves each other, that cares about each other and most importantly is going to heaven together! I am so blessed to have this kind of family!

We headed home and were in bed by about 2:40ish. We slept for a few hours and then got up and went to Sunday morning worship with another congregation. No, we did not "have" to go seeing as we had already had one time of worship, but we chose to anyway. When you love so may people here, you can't not continuing to fellowship!

That ends week two...and now, we have one left, and then school begins again. It will be good to be back at school, but at the same time a bit sad. This vacation has been the best in a long time! If only it could go on forever...but wait...in Heaven...it WILL go on forever! And how wonderful it will be to have no clocks to tell us to go home! We can and will fellowship for days and days with no end!