On a day like this...

On a day like this O' Lord, help me!  Some days start out fine, but then go downhill.  Maybe you have had days or weeks or months like that.  I actually had a pretty good day until late this afternoon.  If you have been reading my list of thanks, you may have seen last week where I gave thanks for things breaking.  I didn't give thanks because they broke, but that in the breaking I was reminded to give thanks.

Hmm...there might be something in that thought that bears on today's post.  When two heart broken and  discouraged disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus, they had someone come and walk alongside them.  They discussed the recent happenings in Jerusalem.  The one who traveled with them explained why there had to be such suffering and how Jesus' death fulfilled prophecies from hundreds of years before.  The two did not recognize or know the one who traveled with them.  It was only when he broke bread with them and gave thanks that they recognized Jesus.

This afternoon I had another thing break.  More accurately, it burned.  I had smelled a burning electrical smell in my kitchen on Saturday.  I called an electrician to come check it out for me.  He could not smell the smell nor find the problem.  This morning I smelled it again and it didn't go away this time.  Since I had called someone already and they couldn't find it, I had to check to make sure the smell wasn't in my head.  I had a friend come "smell my kitchen."  Can you imagine asking someone to do that?  We got a little laugh out of it.  He smelled it too but we couldn't find the source.  Reassured that my nose was not crazy, I called a different handy man and friend to come help me find the source of the smell.

We found it!  It was the main switch in my fuse box.  It was very hot!  When we took the cover off the box, we saw that the switch was melted.  This was late afternoon.  My friend went and got a new switch and changed it out and we turned the power back on.  Phttttt..... is what we heard and the lights flickered on, off, on, off and didn't come back on.  More burning smell.  All my 110V power cords (surge protectors) got singed - thankfully the 220 to 110 inverter did not!  We called another Electrician expert who came to help us find the new problem.  By now it was dark and I had no power.  They needed to see.  I got a backup lamp that worked and we located some other electrical thing (I am not an electrical minded person) in the fuse box where the power from town comes into the house that was not working properly.  We had to go to town quickly, find a store that had what we needed that was open - several were closed already - buy the two parts (as the original new switch also burned out) and return home.  It took a while, but by 8:30 pm I had power restored at least until tomorrow when the electrician expert will come back and fix it better in the daylight.

So, it was a frustrating afternoon and early evening.  Along with the other things that broke in the past few weeks, it could have been a really hard trial.  But - I was reminded to give thanks.  I have power again and I can see in this dark night.  Nothing was plugged into my 110 surge protectors (Thank you Lord!).  I lost a few hours in trying to solve the problem, but there were good people who were able to help me and willing to miss their dinners to do so.  In the breaking of things do you remember to give thanks?  It can be hard, but it is so much better than feeling sorry for yourself and complaining.  And could it be that when we give thanks in the hard things, we are actually recognizing our Lord?  We are remembering to thank him for the broken thing when it is broken and when it is working.  We remember that all things are gifts from him.  We acknowledge his presence.

I am continuing to give thanks for a few of the gifts I see each day from Him.  I'm trying to get to 1000 by the end of the year.  It is a goal to reach for and an opportunity to open my eyes and acknowledge my Lord and his many good gifts - even when they don't seem to be so good.  May you be blessed by my list and encouraged to open your eyes and see Him in the broken things in your life.

gifts that made me laugh

254. My english students laughing at a story that used "here kitty, kitty," instead of the normal "puss, puss," that they use.

255. A TBTI student at tea time imitating the sounds of English to his Turkana ears.

256. A comment on facebook that had me giggling to myself.

Gifts salty, sweet and just right

257. Teaching in 98* heat all day makes me salty with sweat, but it is such a joy to teach!

258. Sweet - laughing with my students over a description one gave of a woman in bushes looking up.  He said, "I see a woman and generation to generation."  It goes with the movie and was just funny to all of us (even him) so we shared sweet laughter.

259.  Just right - dinner with teammates and a visitor and I didn't have to cook!

260. Finishing the ESL movie we have been watching.

261. Playing a modified version of Bananagrams with my students and them asking to play more when the time was up.  

262. My English students asking for the "10 Brands of being a Christian" to be written in English on the board.

Reading the English words for Brands he knows by heart in Turkana

263. My students told the whole story of the movie in understandable English and even added parts from the Bible that were not in the movie.  Yay - progress seen by them and me!

264. Reading stories to the class - such fun!

265. A good chat and walk with a friend.

266. Singing part of Patrick's Breastplate prayer with my students all week and them really liking it!

267. Playing fun games with my neighbors and their visitor this night.

268. Seeing Nancy and Ikai this afternoon.

269. Going to the "blue container store" and getting a little something for me.

a cotton scarf for chilly a/c days on furlough :)

270. A day for catching up on house duties after teaching all week.

271. Three little ones held by me at different times in church this morning.  One baby had a full head of hair.  It felt like a little wool rug against my chin.  So very sweet.

gifts sung, written and painted

272. Watching little ones sing and dance as we sang praises in Church.

273. God's word from I Peter 4 & 5 taught today.

274. A sunset over the Indian ocean painted for me by a sweet young girl several years ago.  It still brings a blessing and joy to my heart when I see it on my wall.

Thanks Maria!

3 gifts almost gone

275. This 3 1/2 year term in Kenya almost over - until the next one after furlough :).

276. This day that has been a blessing but almost gone.

277. That this burned electrical thing didn't make me almost gone!  And the blessing of remembering Him in the brokenness of the afternoon/ early evening.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read this!  Have a blessed week and remember to count all his gifts - even the broken and hard ones.

I'm linking up here today.