What is your normal?

My "Tiny" Cup and My "Elegant" Cup

A while back I wrote about some of the things that are "normal" for us here on the mission field.  Tonight as I was fixing my evening cup of coffee - not in my "Tiny" Cup or my "Elegant"Cup - I got to thinking that you might find it interesting not just to read about what is normal for us, but to see what is normal.  My Sweetie is really going to scratch his head and wonder why in the world I took all those pictures of our pantry items.....until he reads my blog!  So here we go on our visual journey of what is normal in our daily home life on the mission field....

My normal morning routine

My children don't know that in other parts of the world milk comes in plastic 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon jugs!  They think milk comes in boxes that you get from off the shelf (not refrigerated) in the milk aisle at Tottus (our local grocery store).

Many condiments come in these sachet-type packages.  I don't buy mustard or catsup this way (I can get those in plastic bottles), but I do buy mayo, crema de aji (chili sauce), and huancaina (creamy sauce that is used with potatoes), tomato sauce (Sorry - I didn't think to take pictures of the other sauces!) in the sachets - they fit into my refrigerator better - you know that top row in the door of the "frig" that always ends up holding all the condiments you could ever want....yep - that spot!

Mayo   

Tomato Sauce

Then there are some things that are just staples in my pantry - things that can be made in a hurry - you know in case you have starving-children-who-won't-last-another-five-minutes-until-mealtime circling you like piranhas and you have no idea what you're going to fix for lunch because you failed to plan a menu for the week...you see where this is going.... 

Canned Corn and Boxed Cake Mix - A treat!

When we go to Wong (another grocery store we frequent), we can find Betty Crocker Cake Mixes and canned corn!  Wong is where I can find Italian Herb Seasoning and "Lemonade Salt" (Martha's creative name for Lemon Pepper!)


And last but not least...what is in that bag anyway?  Eggs, of course!  Doesn't everyone buy their eggs this way???  This is when I buy them from the market...though I used to buy them this way also from the grocery store in the Philippines.
I can buy them in a carton from the grocery store.
Here a carton of eggs is 15 eggs.   How I buy them depends on if I have time to make a trip up to the market or not - I can usually get the same amount of eggs if I buy them by the kilo as if I buy a carton, but by the kilo is usually cheaper!
This is my normal, and I love it!  I love going to the stores here - it is always an adventure - for example....Tottus recently rearranged their store - the milk and the snack aisles trading places!  I am still getting used to the "new normal"!  I love going to the market also!  My kids like to go past the stand with all the pets....puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, and cuy (guinea pig)....if they could convince their parents they would bring home one of everything every time they walk by (make that everything, not just one of everything!)
So...what is your normal?

A Way of Life

"Everything is going to be fine!"

You know, life on the mission field is always an adventure and very rarely dull!  We see this billboard every Sunday on our way to Callao - and it just makes me laugh!  It's my reminder that even when things aren't looking so bright, God is still in control, and "Todo va a estar
bien!" (Everything is going to be fine!)
I was thinking recently how many things we do here, that for my children are "normal", yet if they were in the States they would know a different kind of "normal"!  Some of the things are simple things that most of us would never even think about - like the packaging your milk comes in.  The milk that we buy here comes in boxes, which can be found on the shelf of the grocery store, or if you prefer, you can buy it in bags - we don't have gallon milk jugs found in the refrigerated section!  How funny it will be for my children to see milk jugs one day!

Martha never misses anything, and I praise the Lord for that (okay sometimes I'm not QUITE so thankful about it....) because it keeps me aware and careful of what I say and do.  I don't realize how often I say certain things, however, until I hear Martha saying them!  For example:  Two different times recently we were in the bathroom at the train station.  Most of the time, there is no soap in the soap dispensers in public bathrooms here, so we normally use a wet wipe to wash our hands.  This particular day, I let Martha try the soap dispenser (she's tall enough now to reach it!), and I heard her say, "Praise the Lord, Mommy, there is soap!"  I was shocked to hear her say, "Praise the Lord," but the Lord has shown me since then how many times I say the same thing!  I'm so glad I can teach my children to praise the Lord in every situation!  Have you praised the Lord today for soap in the public bathrooms?  The other time we were in the bathroom and again most of the time there is no toilet paper in the bathrooms - you learn to carry your own wherever you go, and it's not uncommon for a friend to ask you if you have any paper they can use!  This time, there was toilet paper and Martha started jumping up and down and shouting, "Yeah, there is toilet paper!  Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"  How many of us ever get that excited about toilet paper in the public bathroom?!

I know I've mentioned the train in the past, and it is one of our main ways of transportation here.  We take taxis or combis (small buses) or motos when we go somewhere close by, but for long distance - the train is the best and fastest!  Ian and Martha love the train - especially Ian.  He likes to see the other trains pass ours.  Matt and I were talking one day about how strange it will be for our children when we're on furlough - no trains to ride into the city or to church!
It is such a blessing to have a part in the Deaf Church in Callao!  It is so exciting to see the people growing in the Lord!  We have had two ladies saved in the past two weeks at church!  Rosa, who is Deaf, got saved last week.  Yesterday, Elida (Hearing) got saved!  I will share more about them both later this week.
This picture is not from Callao.  We recently went to visit Liz's family.  Liz goes to the Deaf school here and has been staying with her Aunt and Uncle during the summer break.  What a joy it was to have the opportunity to sit down with her family and share God's Word with them.  Liz has 5 other siblings - 2 of whom are also Deaf!  The young man in the blue and white shirt is Liz's brother Wilbur - he is Deaf.  What an honor and blessing it is to have a part in their lives!