Taking Your Father's Advice!

The first way in which we learn to take our father's advice is through simple obedience. A child is told what to do and then corrected if the command is not followed. Through direction obedience early in life, we can learn that commands are to be obeyed. The command may come from our earthly father, or from our Father in heaven. Commands from God our Father can be found written in His Word, the Bible.


As a child grows up, sometimes the directions are not always given as simple commands. Often the directives change to suggestions or advice based on life experience. The father wants to allow his child to make his own decision. Input is given for the child's consideration.


A wise child will consider what his father says - even if the advice is given in terms of a suggestion rather than a command. My father rarely gives direct commands. My siblings and I often get advice or suggestions, but it seems that all involved in the conversations understand that in the end, we (as the children) are responsible for our own decisions. I enjoy getting my father's advice, but sometimes I don't exactly follow it.


Other times, I like to follow it word for word. Especially when the advice is somewhat unusual as in this case. . .


When I begin talking about marrying John, my family wanted to know what my plans were once I moved to Ohio. Well, my plans are to look for another job and to work somewhere hopefully as an engineer not too far from where John works. Once I find a job, we plan to find another place to live since John's current apartment doesn't have a guest room.


Now my dad retired last year and has really enjoyed having the time to work on the many projects he has going on. He is of the opinion that I should simply take a break from working. So his fatherly advice (often stated) was that I should "sit around and eat grapes."


As this advice was so often given, I have been very careful to follow it in the week and a half that I've been in Ohio. I have made sure to sit down every single day and have eaten grapes several times a week! John wanted to make sure that we showed how carefully we were following dad's advice, so we took a picture!

Extended Vacation

You know how all the days seem to run together when you're on vacation? Well that's what's been happening for me. I have had a good time so far here in Ohio. The days have been full of different things, and they feel like a vacation.

Today I'm going to the zoo whith the family I'm staying with. Lydia might be visiting this evening or tomorrow. I'm spending most evenings hanging out with John. We played soccer with his coworkers last Thursday evening. That was a lot of fun. Many of them are really good - I just play for fun (i.e. I'm not that good). We've walked some and gone to the YMCA a few times.

I've been organizing, shopping and somehow filling my days. I'm still on the job search. I spent yesterday afternoon looking up a lot of the companies in the area and sending my resume to a few of them. I also now have Ohio tags which I need to put onto my car.

Well, we're off to visit a lady from church and then on to the zoo!

Settling in Ohio

We made it safely here to Ohio last night. The drive went well and I'm beginning to settle in here. I am staying with a great family from John's church. They're not home this week so I guess I'm kinda house sitting right now. I've spent the day unloading the contents of my car into John's apartment. It's been a successful day. Here's the living room as of 10:30 this morning.

Here it is this evening:

Thankfully John's apartment has a lot of closet space that he wasn't using until now :) It's nice to have everything out of my car again!

Back from Peru

What follows is my best attempt at condensing a week long missions trip in Lima Peru into a short blog post written over a few minutes of my lunch break.

I'll start with a few basic facts. John and I joined my church (Fountain of Grace) and another Christian Missionary Alliance church (Elizabethton Alliance Church in Tennessee). Our team of 27 people traveled out on Sunday morning to join the Alliance Churches in San Jaun de Lurigancho, a district of Lima Peru of about 1 million people. The Alliance church is thriving. They have a large church and then many smaller sector churches that meet throughout that area.

Our team was involved in several different ministries during this trip: children's vbs, medical, eye and dental clinics, evangelistic meetings, gospel presentations at local schools, drama presentations, ladies meetings, youth meeting, and Bible training seminars for church leaders put on by three of the pastors that came.

This was my second time to be a part of a trip so I wasn't surprised at the poverty, but it still was a reminder of how little some people have. But as Amanda who was on the trip with me said so well, what the people there really need is not the stuff we have, but the Savior. This world is temporary. I think sometimes we get to liking our lives here a bit too much.

One ministry that I was privileged to have a closer look at on this trip was the medical ministry. On two of the mornings, John and I were able to hang out taking pictures and video of the medical, dental and vision ministry.
Seeing people receive glasses and better sight was a joy. But the more exciting part was seeing the care at which the local church volunteers took in sharing Christ with the people that were coming to the clinics.

I don't have all the pictures I'd like to post yet. And I don't have enough time to talk about my upcoming move to Ohio on Sunday, but more will come eventually.