Lock... out?!

Well well well... what do we have here?! Another blog, I suppose...

Ok, here's the deal. I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to *try* to make this short, but we'll see how it goes.

Yesterday (Thursday) was a very relaxing day... mostly just hanging around the house, talking with Mom and Dad for a good bit over skype, and then finally doing something with my day at 3:30 in the afternoon. I went over and helped Andrea and her mom with some translation and followed that up with a trip to Bonanza with the missionaries and Maust family for some good grilled meat. Went home after that, talked with my good friend KJ for a while (also with Hunter and Mom for a short period of time), and then fell asleep watching "Get Smart". I HATE falling asleep while watching TV... but by His grace, I was able to get up around 5 and go upstairs to the real bed, set an alarm, and fall asleep.

This morning, I woke up at a better hour than 5, got ready for the day, and headed off to SMAC. I was running a tad bit late, due to some poor decisions in the early morning, so I grabbed a taxi and took the more expensive route right up to the door of SMAC (the bus only takes me within a quarter-mile and I walk the rest of the way, usually). I got there to find that NOBODY had arrived yet. Nadie. Not one person. Apparently this is what happens on Fridays... I was unaware. Thankfully, one person showed up about 5 minutes late, and then 2 more at the 10 minute mark. We ventured up to the room, and by 25 after we had 7 people in the classroom. We just went over phrasal verbs and idioms, and I learned that the word for "homosexual/gay" and "butterfly" are VERY similar. Mixing up the "a" and "o" endings of words is not always just an "ooops", but can also be fatal, as I discovered today.

After SMAC, I went back to my place and got some lunch. I've had a great time reading 1 Peter 2:11-12 today, but more on that soon. I talked with mi Madre for a good bit, Hunter too, once I got to the Coupes house, but when I first arrived, I noticed something different. The back door has a latch, and since the key to the front door is broken, I usually close the back door nearly all the way, so I can get in and out. When I arrived today, the door was fully shut. The dog was fed, too, and I remembered leaving this morning thinking "as soon as I get home, I need to feed him." When I saw the pup eating, I said out loud "Did I feed you this morning, Buddy?", and as soon as I saw the door completely shut, I knew the answer. The house cleaner had apparently come through and, seeing the back door nearly shut, shut and latched it like a good protector of the house. So I was locked OUT 24 hours after being locked IN. All I could do was laugh, though... and thank God for blessing me with such nice people, the Coupes, who will understand and act quickly to rectify the situation (ie send the housekeeper over to unlock the door).

I talked with mis padres at that time for a good bit and had some study time in the Palabra de Dios (Word of God), then headed off to UNACH to do some judging with John Mark for an English speaking contestish thing. They had two games of two teams each that had to answer questions, beat the buzzer, and sing karaoke to English songs such as "As Long as You Love Me" and "Eternal Flame". In between games and in the down time, they had random people sing songs, as well, so yours truly had the privilege of singing "I Just Called To Say I Love You" in front of a few hundred Ecuadorian students. It went pretty well, until the third or fourth time the chorus went higher, and by that time it was stretching my vocals a little too much. But it's all good... and after the thing was over and the place was closing down, I sang "A Whole New World" in front of a few people with a female vocalist partner who really didn't sing very much. So I got to sing a lot of Jasmine's parts, too. It was quite a spectacle... if only there was video of it...

Dinner with our "students" (the English Professors) was fun, as John Mark and I indulged in chicken and ham pizza with pineapple juice. I felt pretty good as I was able, in the strength of the Lord, to understand most of what was happening at the table when Spanish was spoken. Thanks, God! May I continue to learn for Your greatest glory and rely upon You for strength in all situations...

Speaking of learning, yet again I've come across a totally cool passage in 1 Peter 2 (11-12).

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us."

I love it whenever we're called "aliens and strangers in the world". John 17:14-16 is where Jesus talks about us being not of the world, just as He is not of the world, and Romans 12:1-2 talk about not being conformed to the patterns of this world but TRANSFORMED. So we need to be different and people need to NOTICE a difference. Just as people can spot me a mile away here in Ecuador (because I'm tall and pale), we need people to see Jesus shining through us. Also, these evil desires that we fight all the time are all out WARRING against us. This is not a little skirmish, ladies and gentlemen, but an all-out daily war that we wage against flesh and blood. The good news? We have the ultimate weapon on our side: Jesus Christ. As long as we are dependent upon Him for strength and continue to trust in Him fully, we are able defeat the evil desires and truly abstain from them. Unfortunately, it isn't a perfect battle record... but that's where the glorious grace of God comes in. Thanks, God!

I also just LOVE the part where it says "live such good lives among the pagans... that they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us." I have quite a few friends that I would love to see glorifying God in their lives (sooner than when He visits us, preferably), and to think that the way I live my life is having an impact on them gives me that much more motivation to live "such a good life" that they will glorify the Father with me on that day! Jesus... strengthen me to be able to do this for Your greatest glory...

Thanks for your prayers. Please lift up my sister, Elise, as she travels to Oxford for two weeks. Pray that she would shine His light over in England and build more relationships with her schoolmates. Thanks, God, for the phenomenal sister you've blessed me with...

In His strength alone...

Luke

PS Pics and Videos should come sooner than later. These posts have been written on a computer where I am unable to hook up my camera. Live good lives, strangers!