This morning I was walking to work, listening to my MP3 player. I felt a bit unsettled and was berating myself a bit for letting my hubby down.

Just as I rounded a corner, the Lord lifted my gaze. Most Mondays and Tuesdays since October, I have been walking by a house that has been under construction. Today, it was done. Not only was it done, but the construction fence had been taken down, and the flower bed in front of the house was planted with roses and shrubs.

Into my heart, He spoke.

"There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears." Philippians 1:6

I am so grateful that He will one day complete the good work He has started in me. I've got a long way to go!

A few weeks ago, Nic said to me, "Do you know who I really miss? Miss Julie. I wish I could see her again."

Miss Julie was Nic's speech and language therapist for more than a year, but this past year he didn't see her at all.

Last night, as our service ended, I came down the stairs in the building where we are meeting, after locking up the area we use for the kids. There was a woman standing by the elevators, and I offered her an offhand "Hola."

"Hi!" she said.

When I looked at her properly, lo and behold, it was Miss Julie!!

I went into the service, where Nic was standing on his chair so he could see the screen and sing along.

I said, "Come with me, buddy, I have a surprise for you. There is someone here you really wanted to see."

I opened the door. He took one look, and threw his arms around her. "I've missed you so much!"

How can you ignore a God who listens to the dreams of a 9-year-old boy, and reveals Himself so clearly?

One of the beauties of living in Spain is the use of a fan in the summer. You can get them super cheap almost anywhere, and they are definitely not to display. They're for carrying in your purse, and flicking open at the bus stop, or on the bus, or the metro.

**When one searches for "fans" one gets people dressed up in team jerseys with painted faces :)

When I was a kid, we lived in Brantford, Ontario for two years. I walked to school. At certain times of the year, I had to walk by a hedge that was absolutely full of grasshoppers. I hated that hedge, because often I would get bombarded by grasshoppers jumping on me.

I have told this story to my kids (in the spirit of "I had to walk to school both ways uphill".) So yesterday, Meg said to me, giggling, "You should have taken John the Baptist with you. He could have helped you!"

That girl makes me smile.

Nicolas made it through the school year without any "expert" help. He had a great teacher, and between her efforts and us working with him, he did pretty well. The last day at school he got these two awards. :) These make me happier than many others could :) He and Meg also each got their Bible award for the year.