His kind provision--sorghum

Having to keep a gluten free diet in a developing country can be a bit daunting.  But God has provided every step of the way.  Our recent find was at the feed store as we were getting bunny food.  Having never seen the grain in the photo I immediately asked what it was.  "Food for doves," was the reply.  Hmmm.  We took a few grains home and sure enough, it's sorghum!  Sorghum flour is used a lot in gluten free cooking in the states. It's a whole grain, high in fiber and iron and rich in antioxidants.  Bring it on!  We went back, bought 2 kilos (he said his wife also grinds it up and adds it to her bread), and brought it home and ground it and sifted it.  I'm so thankful to have another option besides rice and corn flour.  Hooray!

His kind provision--Carrot cookies

When Elizabeth was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a few years ago, I knew that finding treats for her to eat in this wheat-filled society could be tricky. With time and recipes from friends we were able to put together a repertoire of yummys. However, when visiting friends houses it is nearly impossible to find something gluten free on the tea table, save a stray olive or date. Elizabeth is a trooper though, doesn't complain and sips her mint tea (which equals about 5 cookies in sugar content anyway!).

My friend "Minnie," an intuitive studier of our family, always tries to look out for Elizabeth. One time she made her a coconut creation (which I ate in abundance) that she claimed had no wheat. Elizabeth was a little skeptical (was she SURE that there was absolutely no flour?) and not as adventureous with food options, but always smiles and gives Minnie satisfaction. This last visit she came bearing this treat (pictured above). She called it a "carrot cookie." Hmm...and what is a "carrot cookie?" She replied that it was cooked carrots and honey, rolled in sesame seeds. My heart was so warmed that she went to all of this trouble that I grabbed one off of her tray and popped it into my mouth. My heart continued to be warmed though I did begin to plead with God to spare me from eating another. :)

It is a thoughtful friend to go the extra mile for our family. I am so thankful for Minnie and her kindness.

His kind provision...care for a little lamb

H did not want to go to school this year. She had tried it last year (and the year before) but had spent each drop-off time in tears, so didn't complete the year. So we geared up for this first grade year. We prayed for courage for her (and for me!). We asked others to pray for her. We asked that she'd have tender and shepherding teachers. And guess what? She's now happy at school!

I visited her French teacher because she had said that H wasn't doing very well and needed review. She told me that she spends a lot of time talking with her little girlfriends in class (I asked, "In what language?" She didn't know.). She said, "I heard that she cried a lot last year, so I don't want to yell at her." Yippee! An answer to prayer! A shepherding teacher! Generally, teachers hit and yell at the students. I'm so thankful that our little lamb is protected by our Great Shepherd.

Of course later I filled H in on sitting still and paying attention in class. She said, "But what do I do when my friend wants me to draw with my markers on her hand?" She is such a social bug!

In the photo she sits with the books of 3 different languages she is learning. The first is English (1 1/2 hours a week), then Arabic (everyday) and French (everyday). If you are observant you will see that she has her little hamster in her right hand! Your prayers are appreciated for her!

Old things made new

Our 1986 Nissan Patrol, "Big Red," fits all of us plus some. Patrick's a truck guy and this is a great vehicle to have because people in our country can take old things and make them new.

Yesterday on our return from a beautiful beach about 40 minutes from us, the car overheated. Patrick pulled to the side of the autoroute and within 2 minutes a road assistance car pulled behind us. (Before yesterday, I had never known that yellow road assistance cars existed here!) Patrick and the road man looked under the hood and discovered that the radiator hose broke. So Patrick ripped off the tape that had been holding it together for the past few months (See? If they can't find a part here, they turn old into new! And it had held up through many kilometers!) The car was returned to the correct temperature and the road man had the number for the tow truck.

Within 40 minutes a tow truck pulled up in front and after looking at us all (whole family plus one extra kid) told Patrick that we would need to get a taxi because he didn't have insurance. He changed his mind after Patrick talked his winsome ways with him and we began our ascent up the back of the tow truck. The top of the hook contraption that was pulling us looked like it was re-hammered on the front part of the truck (See? Old things into new!) Patrick's flipant comment, "If that snaps it will come right through the windshield, so duck," didn't quite quiet my fluttering heart! But there were no problems, we were all hooked in, and took off slowly down the highway, perched in Big Red. Two men on donkeys looked and pointed as I'm sure 6 kids, a mom, and no driver (Patrick was in the driver's cab) high in a big red car looked a little quirky. My favorite look was from our 1 1/2 year old neighbor when we drove up our street. He peered out their white curtained windows, looked at us, smiled and waved. He was so enthralled, I laughed out loud and waved back. Quite a day!

So today, Patrick was very cultural and made a new radiator hose out of two old ones. He travelled to a city about an hour away and looked through a junk yard, asked around, and managed to find three hoses that could possibly work. They didn't. He improvised. Hopefully it will work until he can travel to another big city about three hours away. I'm so proud of him always working so hard. And thanks be to God for always providing us manna when we need it and promising that one day He will make all things new.

A kind provision--I think rice is rather nice!

Our oldest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease this summer. Her symptoms weren't too severe--a tummy ache now and then--but through a blood test and an endoscopy the doctor diagnosed her in about 3 weeks. (That is a small miracle in itself!) Her treatment is this--no ingesting gluten (wheat, barley, and rye) ever again. It's much better than having to take drugs in my opinion, but a life change nonetheless.

I came back to our country (nicknamed "The bread basket of the world") armed with new recipes, cookbooks, a few non-gluten flours, and a 1980 Vita-mixer powerhorse that we could grind up rice, almonds, etc. We discovered some good recipes that work well here--a delicious almond cake, pancakes, and lemon coffee cake. However, getting the flours mixed (if I ran out of my imported mixes) took a little bit of time. Grinding up the rice and then straining it so that we wouldn't have any chewy bits in our cakes. Mixing the cornstarch and other flours along with my rice flour and a little bit of almond flour (ground through the blender AND the coffee grinder) for some protein. Yep, a little bit of time.

Yesterday I was at the neighborhood corner store and I found this package of ground rice flour! I have never seen these even in the big stores in the big cities! I almost shouted. The manager came out of a side door as I was fingering these bags and I held them up with a big smile and great thanks! He said that they had just come in that day and promised that he will always stock them for me--ground rice flour and rice couscous. Wow! Only a few pennies more than the regular rice I was buying. I feel like these were hand-picked for us to make our days a little smoother. Again, thank you Lord.

Learning some new skills

A few years ago I wanted my boys to learn some skills. But how? How would I teach them to whittle some wood, tie knots, climb, do extreme sports....boy things? In the States you can join clubs or do classes. Of course, Patrick teaches them a lot, but I wanted a check-off list or something. We prayed and asked the Lord for help.

We discovered some things locally, like leather work and wood-burning designs on pieces of wood from the cork tree. Many things to learn from people here.

Recently, though, the Lord opened the door for them to join the Boy Scouts! Imagine that! They are in the Transatlantic council and are labelled "Lone Scouts" because there isn't a troop for them to join. Patrick is their leader. And, Boy Scout books contain skills--lots of them.

After an afternoon at school, J came in the door with a limping JP. Apparently, JP had stepped on a small piece of glass and J carried him home the rest of the way.

"Mom, mom," J sputtered after we checked JP's foot, "I would never have known how to carry him if I wouldn't have read it in my Boy Scout book."

There you have it! Thanks again God for your kindness to us.

J, a lover of monkeys and little brothers

Just one of God's kind provisions

The kids need help with writing this year. I love reading good writing but don't always know how to teach it or grade it. I hunted to find a curriculum that would fit us and stumbled on a name on a homeschool forum that I like. "Bravewriter." She was offering a course that would produce a individualized writing plan for each student and once a month would offer feedback on each of their writings. Perfect!

Now if that wasn't ideal enough, the Lord blessed more. In talking with the woman who puts together the writing plan, I found that she speaks French and lived in Mor. years ago! So the writing plans for my kids were unique in that they covered topics like "How do you make mint tea?" Wow! Thanks Lord for going above and beyond what I could imagine!