Heat + Sun = Water

Spanish worship with Sarahi

This morning's worship was so much fun!  I've really enjoyed getting to know our people and worshipping with my homegrown worship team is the best!  I was able to stay for worship in the Spanish service and was so surprised to see the new families that have joined!   It's finally growing again!  Sarahi, my oldest son's girlfriend joined us and that girl sings like an angel.  I hope Josh will be able to bring her often!  Gary took a picture using his cell phone and it's not clear but here it is.   His message, "Made in God's Image," was great!

5:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon.  It's about 82 degrees in the house, thank God we have fans but I sure would love to be in the pool right about now.   I've been evaluating myself this time of year and figured something out.  With this type of heat, my California nature tells me that I need to be at the lake, in the pool or somewhere where there's central air.  We don't have a pool yet but I'm hoping for one soon.  A girl can dream.

Holiday Harbor where my grandpa moored his houseboat.
Many wonderful summer days where spent here during my childhood.

I grew up with an inground pool in our yard & was a fish!  Could hardly wait for the winter algae to be removed so I could get in!  I also was privileged to grow up on Shasta Lake, California.  My grandpa had a houseboat and we spent a lot of our summer time on the lake as my grandpa loved to fish.  I was a swimmer and a shore explorer.  My family would drive that boat to the prettiest spot they could find.  Not having an appreciation of God's creation is unfathomable to me.  When I see creation, I think of Him and feel close to my Lord.  The McCloud arm is what is coming to mind.  The mountains majestic!  Covered with enormous tall green pines.  Hours passing time looking out for eagles nests, bears, turtles and fish!  In fact, no matter where my family traveled, we were always on the lookout for beautiful scenery & animals.

our youngest son caught this bass
3 times! 

Trinity Alps

Since I've gotten myself on this topic, of the beautiful place I spent growing up, I'd also like to remember camping at Squirrel Flat, Trinity Lake.  It is a special place that's very remote.  There are 2 miles of shoreline and forest roads for riding quads or mountain bikes.  Initially we went up there to ride quads.  But when we decided to get into shape, we sold the quads and road our mountain bikes.  Matt, our youngest, loved fishing.  He's always been the outdoors man.  Greatest fishing story you'll ever hear was the time Matt caught a bass 3 times!!!  He caught it and it got away twice.  The 3rd time he hooked it and the boys radio'd up to let us know.  We didn't believe it but when Gary cleaned the fish he found 3 new gold shiny hooks inside.  

mountains of Chapala during the rainy season
how I long for the rain now!

Chapala

Hawaii or Chapala? (Chapala from my house!)

It's actually overwhelming to me even today, that my family and I are privileged to live in the hills of Chapala.  I love my home country but it would not have been possible, to my knowledge, to have the casita with a view such as we have here.  We can see Lake Chapala if we stretch but my breath is taken away every morning as I look over & up the mountains of Chapala.  It's heaven on earth.  During the rainy season, I could be waking to the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, but no, I'm living in Chapala, Mexico.

Here, just this week I was saying to some lady friends that there's a time and place for looking back.  There are times that we don't need to look back.  Keep your hand on the plow and look forward.  Some reflecting needs to be saved for the time when you're old, lost your teeth, smack your gums, sit on the terraza and remember when with your spouse.  I can imagine Gary and I sitting on our terraza.  He'll have his version and I'll have mine.   He says his will be correct, but I know mine will really be.

Some things, it's just better to forget and think on good things, things that are above, not on this earth.  But these are good things I'm thinking on today.  Times of vacation as a child, when my sons were children and now where God has brought us today.  He knows how I tick.  He knows how much I appreciate His creation and need to see it and how close I feel to Him when I do.  I thank you God, for bringing me to Chapala.  I feel your love here with me.  You rescued me when I couldn't rescue myself.  You could see me and just as others have expressed to me about themselves, you plucked me out of a place and set me in another.