Bible Study

It seems like when you want a little spiritual food it is there for you if you want it.  You just have to make yourself open.  I'm really missing Rachel while she's in the states visiting family and doing business so a little 'grounding' seemed in order last night.  Our friends, Gary and Sue Gaithers are full of life and the spirit and are willing to share it with a Bible study class.  The people who come to their Bible study are also full of spiritual food to share and our lives are blessed by each other's presence and words.  Joanna and Bob are like Rachel and me, newly weds with diverse backgrounds and passion for each other.  Joanna left her communist oppressed country of Poland in 1972  under the cover of stealth and darkness and with great risk to herself.  Raised Catholic, she was unable to practice her faith in her country.  Her father was a communist leader but had to keep his Catholic faith under a bushel and profess publicly his lack of any God-like faith.  Joanna just couldn't reconcile the dichotomy imposed by her country's government and by faith and courage alone, left with nothing but her wits.  Bob, a fun loving Texan adores his new bride.  Poland's loss is Bob's gain.  That's how God works.  Do you think this put things in perspective for me last night?

Yesterday was Gary's (62nd) birthday and Sue wanted to give him a little surprise in the form of a cake to share with all of us.  Gary's birthday was our collective gain.  At 62 Gary looks about 40.  I thought I was in great shape from my bicycling but our bike trip to the thin air of the Cajas revealed that this ancient being of 62 could keep up with me, the youngster of 60 just fine.  Gary and Sue just closed on a really nice condo here in Cuenca so it looks like they'll be staying a while!  Of course that's what I thought when I bought my condo in Cuenca!  Now we're headed to the country up in the Imbabura where God first gave me a sign almost exactly a year ago!  God has a sense of humor.  I should have taken his sign a little more literally and a little more seriously then and we wouldn't have to be moving there now.  I wrote a blog on September 14, 2010 entitled Please God, Is This Where Would You Lead Me?  To fully understand the humor, coincidence or God Thing about that event, you can read it from the blog archives.