April 29. Whew! 9:20 p.m. already. It has been quite a day! Last night was quite a night too. About 12:45 I suddenly woke up and ran to get some activated charcoal. Felt like I was going to throw up any minute. The activated charcoal seemed to settle things down right away, and I went back to bed, only to awaken again two hours later with the same need. After more activated charcoal and some Echinacea too, I slept a couple more hours and then had to get up just because I had drunk so much water. Before I could get back to sleep, I heard “chew, chew, chew.” A rat was chewing on something. Daddy was awake, and he said it was probably too late for him to find a dish of rat poison before we got up. So I asked Daddy if he would at least try to scare the rat away because I can’t sleep with that rat-cket. He did, only to find that the rat was IN the kitchen cupboard, chewing on Daddy’s chocolate cookies. Now how did it ever get in there? No rats have ever gotten in there before. Now what will we do?
Took more activated charcoal with breakfast this morning. After breakfast and quiet time, I went to lotu for a few minutes, but needed to go rest. Went and rested in the recliner until lotu was over. It would be a shorter day of school so I would see if I could make it through. Praise the Lord that His grace is sufficient in time of weakness. By the end of the morning, I was having a hard time, and was getting a bit frustrated, trying to figure out how I could explain their English lesson any more simply so they could understand. Well, I was just too tired to figure it out. But a few hours have gone by, and the Lord has given me some thoughts so we’ll just do the lesson again tomorrow.
By the time school was over, I was pretty wiped out and ready for nap. But there were students with needs, and we still had to eat lunch. Went to nap as soon as I could which was after 1:30. Dallas, Esau, and Phinehas were out here chopping firewood. Shortly after my nap, Thania came, and she was here four hours checking papers. I started fixing supper. There were carrots to peel and slice up, a pot of rice to put on to cook, and onions and chicken to cook and make into gravy.
Just when we were ready to sit down to eat, the three guys came in. They had finished their work. They said they wanted to talk to us for a while so we asked if they could wait until we finished eating. Chicken ‘n’ rice wasn’t exactly what my stomach wanted this evening, however, so I only ate a few bites of what I put on my plate and then put the rest away to warm up another day. Later on, I ate some graham crackers and then a bowl of cereal. Those seemed to make the tummy feel a little better than the chicken did.
Before I cleaned up the kitchen, we sat down with the three guys. What a blessing and surprise to hear them share their hearts’ desire! The Lord has been working in each of their hearts regarding the need of going out and preaching the gospel. They just aren’t quite sure how to go about it. We’ve been teaching and teaching that there are still many people, even in villages right around them, who need Christ. We were over-joyed to hear them share that God is laying that burden on their hearts. How we need to encourage these young people and bathe them in prayer!
After they left, I finally got the kitchen cleaned up. One part of the cleanup was taking all the food items out of the main kitchen cupboard, removing some things from the tall cupboard so there would be place for the extra food items in there, cleaning off the shelves, and putting things back in their different places. Daddy helped me with that job. Then I got all the lessons graded that Thania had checked. Did the dishes. (Daddy helped me with that job too.) Had a snack. Had a bath.
There was a good group of youth here this evening for their meeting. I do enjoy hearing them sing.
The Lord gave us a beautiful morning, and it looked like we could have a nice, all-day sunny day. But, no, back to the rain again this afternoon, and especially this evening.
“14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” John 10:14-16
April 30. Praise the Lord for a beautiful day all day today!
I was thankful to be feeling a tiny bit better today, but still not well. I started last night on ParaGone. Even if the symptoms are mold symptoms, they seem to be the same as parasite symptoms so maybe the parasite medicine will help. Still didn’t feel like eating much but only had to take activated charcoal once today. Maybe the parasite medicine will help the sore on the roof of my mouth too. Nothing else seems to help.
Praise the Lord for His grace to see me through another day. It was a longer teaching day today, and I was quite tired when classes were over.
After a fairly good nap, I had a little snack and looked over lessons for tomorrow. Then I practiced keyboard until supper time.
Peninnah came and worked in the yard for a while. Sunny and Graham are here working this evening, and several of the students are here studying for tomorrow’s math test and spelling quiz.
“17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:17,18