in the spirit of Thanksgiving

post by Brin

In my last post I spoke of our lives taking on a lovely rhythm and also alluded to some changes that might surface. That was a while ago, and today with some events behind us, I realize that rhythm had been short-term.

Since then we have hosted both the Bergquist family and my parents. Visitors always bring us a boost, forcing us to relax, play and eat good food. True, isn't it?! Perhaps I will post more on this topic later but right now I have to share something else.

Thanksgiving is close, but could easily become a non-event for us if friends back in the US weren't mentioning it. I bring it up now because last night forced the contemplation. Cleny called me while I was at swim lessons and in emotional, rushed words told me to come home because there was a thief in the house. When I arrived home all my neighbors were on the street in front of my house, huddled in animated discussion. And here is what happened and why I am thankful....Cleny arrived home content and relieved because she had just found out she passed her dentist assistants course. She opened the outer gate to our home which is noisy and then walked the 2 seconds to the front door, opened it and in the same moment heard a loud noise. Startled, she yelled "Ava! Mia!" and then realizing someone was inside screamed for the neighbors and ran outside without catching a glimpse of the thief (likely, thieves) which were just inside the door. I am glad she didn't see them, because it causes an entirely different emotional reaction to look into their fierce, sinister eyes and then ponder what capacity they have for evil. And to help you understand the depth of the story, only 10 days earlier, Cleny had had a gun pointed at her head while at her internship, was robbed of her cell phone, and then was locked into a room. Again, that time we were thankful she wasn't hurt at all and she only lost her cell phone.

The bathroom window rests innocently against the wall.

The timing of last nights events are extraordinary. It appears that our thieves kicked in a weak window and only had perhaps 10 seconds in our home before they heard Cleny opening the outer gate. It was enough time for them to grab a cell phone and charger (ironically Cleny left it at home so it wouldn't get mugged away from her on the street) but in the rush missed an ipod in the speaker dock, my purse and other appliances within a few meters of where they must have been. As my neighbors responded to Cleny's screams for assistance, the thieves disappeared into the jungle behind my house. And when the dust settled (literally, as the thief kicked in a window that made quite a mess), we all marveled at the astonishing timing. To add to the marvel of the thieves timing, had they arrived 20 minutes later, it could have been I and the girls who would have walked in on them, causing a frightful experience for the girls. Neighbors shared their memories of previous burglaries at our home where the thieves took almost everything. And their own experiences where thieves cared out bags of stuff, even electrical wiring and ran off, hidden somewhere in the jungle. The cops that stopped by said we are the third house on our street this past week to be robbed. 'Tis the season to be thankful, and my conversations with God are drenched with that theme

To end this post on an encouraging tone, I made acai and brazil nut bread.  Delicious and incredibly nutritive, it only adds to my thankfullness.

*Obviously, Cleny has been through a lot. City living has not been easy and school, while an incredible opportunity, has been challenging.  But she is doing great and we all celebrate with her getting her dental assistant's license. She has plans to return to Altamira and get married in January. Please pray for her.