I was so tired last night after everyone left that when I sat down to write my blog, I got half way through it and fell asleep with the computer sitting in my lap. I had to finish it up the blog this morning with a cup of coffee at my side after a good night’s sleep, which I almost didn’t get. When I went to bed last night, I pulled back the sheets only to discover a large quantity of tiny rubber pebbles scattered around where I was about to lay down. I knew right away where they came from. The other day when Kaleb and I walked to the store together, we walked past the soccer field near our house. They use a type of artificial turf on that field, but they also use a type of artificial dirt – which is probably made from some recycled tires. Kaleb found it quite intriguing as there were a bunch of the pebbles spilled out on the sidewalk. He picked up a handful of them, played with them a bit, and then threw them at me. I asked him NOT to throw them at me, so then he took another handful of them and held them above my head and dropped them on me so they got in my hair, went down my shirt and some landed in the canvas bag with the groceries. I lost my patience with him and told him I had asked him to NOT throw them at me, to which he quickly responded, “I didn’t THROW them, I DROPPED them.” And this is why that child makes me crazy. He always finds a way to do what he wants to do without disobeying exactly what I SAID. I’ve had so many talks with him about the “spirit of the law” and the “letter of the law” and how he spends too much energy on avoiding the letter of the law but misses the spirit altogether. He’s always so proud of the fact that he doesn’t disobey, when in fact he does, by disregarding the intent. So, just to tweek him a bit, I dumped the few rubber pebbles out of the canvas bag onto his sheets the other night. When Kory went to put Kaleb to bed he saw the pellets and swept them out of the bed (on to the floor, of course...) before Kaleb even knew they were there. I told Kaleb what happened, which apparently gave him the idea for a payback. So yesterday when he went to the store by himself, he must have filled his pockets with those pebbles and then dumped them on my side of the bed as a practical joke. It would have been funny if I wouldn’t have been so tired, but there were too many to just sweep onto the floor, so I had to painstakingly remove each and every one. (I’m sure he’s just warming up for April Fool’s Day which is his FAVORITE “holiday”.) So Kaleb came into our room this morning and asked me how I slept last night, then he ran his hands around the sheets, trying to feel for the pebbles, but I never said a word. I too have a few plans up my sleeve.
Kaleb arranged a playdate today with his friend Håvard from his class. Kory drove him over to Håvard’s neighborhood and he spent the entire day over there playing with several boys from his class. He had a great time as he took his bike along so they really made the rounds. We went to pick him up at six tonight but he begged to spend the night with another friend, so he came home and grabbed his pajamas and toothbrush and went right back over there and is now having his third sleepover since being in Norway. We are so thankful for the opportunities he has to play with the kids here. It’s really only been possible lately since his language skills have kicked in. He lights up when he’s around a group of kids, and I love to see that. Hallelujah.
Today Kory and I had the opportunity to be back on the Christian Radio station here in Aalesund. I prepared a couple of stories to share and Kory had a few things on his mind, so we talked this afternoon for an hour. It went very well, once again, and the woman translating for me was very excited and said my stories were so nice because they all had a good point to them and a solid ending, so that was good to hear. She had trouble translating a few words and as she was hesitating, trying to find the Norwegian word to use, I gave it to her, so it was funny for me to be able to help her out (she did a great job.) Kory also spoke for a few minutes about the car wash he did with the refugees and that he’ll be doing it again this Saturday - so he invited everyone to come get their car washed.
The best part about talking on the radio is the hour beforehand when Esther, the host of the show, prays. She’s incredible as she walks up and down the office waiting room shouting out to God, talking to him, praising him, asking for listener’s lives to be changed – everything possible, she’s praying for it. We joined her for that hour and while I was praying I kept thinking of the Bible story of the 99 sheep and the one that wandered away. My prayer was that the “lost sheep” would be listening today and that what we shared would make a difference. We might not know this side of heaven, but someday we will know.
Kaleb arranged a playdate today with his friend Håvard from his class. Kory drove him over to Håvard’s neighborhood and he spent the entire day over there playing with several boys from his class. He had a great time as he took his bike along so they really made the rounds. We went to pick him up at six tonight but he begged to spend the night with another friend, so he came home and grabbed his pajamas and toothbrush and went right back over there and is now having his third sleepover since being in Norway. We are so thankful for the opportunities he has to play with the kids here. It’s really only been possible lately since his language skills have kicked in. He lights up when he’s around a group of kids, and I love to see that. Hallelujah.
Today Kory and I had the opportunity to be back on the Christian Radio station here in Aalesund. I prepared a couple of stories to share and Kory had a few things on his mind, so we talked this afternoon for an hour. It went very well, once again, and the woman translating for me was very excited and said my stories were so nice because they all had a good point to them and a solid ending, so that was good to hear. She had trouble translating a few words and as she was hesitating, trying to find the Norwegian word to use, I gave it to her, so it was funny for me to be able to help her out (she did a great job.) Kory also spoke for a few minutes about the car wash he did with the refugees and that he’ll be doing it again this Saturday - so he invited everyone to come get their car washed.
The best part about talking on the radio is the hour beforehand when Esther, the host of the show, prays. She’s incredible as she walks up and down the office waiting room shouting out to God, talking to him, praising him, asking for listener’s lives to be changed – everything possible, she’s praying for it. We joined her for that hour and while I was praying I kept thinking of the Bible story of the 99 sheep and the one that wandered away. My prayer was that the “lost sheep” would be listening today and that what we shared would make a difference. We might not know this side of heaven, but someday we will know.
