Easter Break 2011

We came to the realization during Christmas that we have missed all our major holidays for too long. We have not worshiped in a familiar setting for Thanksgiving, Christ’s birth or his Resurrection for the past 2 years. We felt spiritually empty as our worship in El Salvador is so different, leaving us desiring more. Thus we decided to take off for Spring break.

We came home for Easter worship to heal and refresh. Too fatigued to engage in many social settings, we remained at home, enjoying morning coffee in silence, reading the paper and watching the winter browns slip away replaced by the many shades of green, plus the woodland wildflowers, tulip and daffodil blooms and the emerging hosta shoots. The finches and buntings migration is under way with continuous action at our bird feeders. We have three placed for visual exposure. Nancy records the dates of the sightings in a bird book; we had visitors that have not been around since 2005.

We enjoy the additional day light of North America. In Central American the days change by only an hour between seasons. It’s typically 12 hours of dark daily. The days in West Bend continued cloudy and very cool. For us it was another welcomed relief to be free of the extreme heat we experience 24 hours a day. We are not used to the heat and now not accustomed to the cooler nights where we dive under layers of blankets while the furnace is set at 70 degrees.

April showers are common in both El Salvador and the US. While the US is approaching summer, El Salvador is approaching winter. Winter temperatures drop to day time highs of 80-90 with 100% humidity. The storms will be severe in El Salvador as they have been throughout the Midwest.

The leadership team of El Buen Pastor has written that the store is very busy. There are many customers and they are working very hard and are happy to be working. The excitement of their new success is allowing them to dream about the future. They have many new ideas for other business possibilities. Sometimes a spark can indeed get a fire going.

Family Update:

Our daughter Elizabeth joined us for a birthday celebration in one of our favorite supper clubs in the Kettle Moraine forest. Her life is full with her nursing responsibilities and life in Antigo.

We had lunch with Jeremiah who is working on his master degree at UWO. Between 3 jobs and school he is a busy young man.

The first week of May we visited our 5 year old grandson Noah and his parents Micah and Melissa in Pittsburgh. It’s a one day drive, yet again another visit that is too brief and rushed. Time with them was refreshing, a joy and a blessing as we see changes in Noah’s maturity upon each visit.

Life continues while we are gone. We have a new grandson in Georgia named Joshua Lucas, born in March to Benjamin and Billie. His sister Ali is 3 years old.

The break was refreshing, familiar worship provided healing and strengthening, greeting friends and family restored our inner soul. The green pastures, still waters and right paths of Easter break which have never been as sweet ended much too quickly.

David y Nancy