God brought me through

A couple weeks ago Mummy went to visit my sister and her family in Baltimore, leaving me with the full responsibility to care for Daddy. Three months ago, this would have been a big problem, but I thank God that over the past two months there has been a miraculous transformation. He has calmed down significantly and been very good about taking his medication, so it was not half as challenging as it could have been. I thank God for this answer to prayer, especially for this season when Mummy was not around.

Getting ready to go to ITNAC's
fundraiser on my birthday

God in His foreknowledge also brought into our family the mother of one of our children from Bible Club, Lisa. She and her husband had come to our home one day to pick sour cherries and upon observing Daddy's behaviour she expressed shock at how aggressive he was, and shared about her challenges in caring for her elderly father. When we realized the level of support Daddy would need after his last hospitalization, we contacted her and she was most willing to come on the days neither me nor Mummy could stay with him. She has truly been a blessing.

She cuts his hair and shaves him too!

On the Tuesday before Mummy was due to return home, I found myself with a sore throat. I knew I could not afford to get the cold, because if I was down there would be no one to take care of me LOL On top of that we had the retreat for ISCF campworkers that weekend, plus preparations for Bible Club Closing Program the following week, so I had no time to be sick in bed. I prayed and took my immune system boosters and was able to shield off the worst of the symptoms, gracias a Dios. I also thank God that for that week, we got food from three different sources so I did not have to cook for the rest of that week! Isn't God good?

Mummy was due to return on Friday night, so I asked some close friends to spend the night with Daddy while I headed up north for campworkers retreat. It was while I was in Maracas, St. Joseph that I got the call that Mummy's flight was cancelled and she had no idea when she would be returning. We were already short-staffed for the retreat, so going back home was not an option for me. Very early the next morning I called Lisa and she agreed to stay with him for that entire day until I could have gotten home later in the evening. 

Shalom and his daddy took good care of Daddy Friday night
into Saturday morning

The retreat was very effective. New campworkers were able to spend time bonding and learning to work together as a team with those who had served before. Camp speakers were able to challenge workers about areas in their lives that they needed to yield fully to the control of the Holy Spirit in preparation for camp. Campworkers were introduced to the devotional material, and also exposed to various scenarios they may encounter on camp, and discussed strategies for dealing with these. There was also time for fun and relaxation so it was a great success.

Ready to take on ISCF Camp 2018!

Mummy was able to get on a flight to return home by Sunday night, which was a blessing because I had a graduation I wanted to attend on Monday.The youths from the Teens class offered to come early on Friday to help clean and organize the place for the Closing Program. At the time it was scheduled to start, two out of the three classes who were due to perform items seemed like they were not going to be able to because of how the children were acting up. However with the perseverance of their teachers and some divine intervention, all the classes were able to do a presentation based on the Beatitudes, which was the focus of Bible Club this term. 

Six and under class acting out the
story of the Good Samaritan

Middlers trying to unscramble the Beatitudes

Uncle Garryn using object lessons to preach a powerful
Word about the importance of being salt and light

The greatest joy for me was seeing Antonio in the finals of the Memory verse competition, where he placed second. Antonio has been one of our more active students for over 8 years, and while he has calmed down a bit, his name is still one that I have to call on a regular basis. The fact that he made an effort to sit down this week and learn enough verses that he was a challenge in the competition was a huge encouragement to me that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Teens class doing their skit. The biggest teens class in the
history of Bible Club

I really have to give God a high note of praise for taking me through this past month. There were times when I felt overwhelmed, but there were persons I was able to call and the support they rendered, even at the 99th hour, was truly a God send. Once again, He has proven his great faithfulness.