~What a Busy, Sad, Happy, Mixed-up day!~

WHEW! We started our day with devotions. (ON THE MISSION FIELD, A CHRISTIAN CANNOT SURVIVE LIFE WITHOUT READING YOUR BIBLE, DEVOTIONAL BOOKS, AND PRAYING EACH DAY...WAIT, I THINK ALL OF THAT IS ESSENTIAL IN THE USA TOO! =) Our girls quickly did school, to get that over with, and we ate a bite of lunch. Then our kids went to stay with our good friend Gloria, FOR THEY DID NOT WANT TO GO TO THE GRAVESIDE SERVICE OF BABY MICHAEL DAVID! With things being SOOO EMOTIONAL here in S.A., Phillip did not think it was a good idea for the kids to be there either -- AND HE WAS RIGHT!! I had never seen a dead baby before this, and I just cannot handle the thoughts of ever loosing one of my children...it would put me over the brink. AS A PASTOR'S WIFE, I KNEW I NEEDED TO GO TO HELP COMFORT THE MOTHER, BUT I DREADED GOING! Phillip and I bought a little stuffed animal that you could push and it said the Lord's Prayer, and some white roses, and took a taxi to the funeral home. (Phillip also gave them a monetary gift to help with the burial cost!) When we got there I hugged the Mother and we wept together... then she asked if I wanted to go and see the baby...and of course, I had to say "Yes". Little Michael David looked soooo sweet in his little white outfit, in the tiny white coffin. The parents and Phillip and I stood there and wept, and wept. We gave them the gifts, and they were buried with him! =( From there we went to the grave yard and had the grave side service. (Phillip's blog has that story!) It was SAD BEYOND WORDS, the mother weeping, SCREAMING, and almost fainting. They had to hold her back while they "buried him". I WEPT SOOO MUCH, and felt soooo drained that I wanted to come home and just go to bed...but that was not possible. We jumped into a taxi, ran and got our children, came back to our house, grabbed the things we needed for church, and took a taxi the 45 minutes to church. Got there just in time...but everyone else arrived 30 minutes late! We had a good service, then cleaned the church, then we were invited to a PARTY of John, the oldest boy that came home with us on Sunday. He had taken a special class and got his certicate that night, so his Mother planned a surprise party for him. BUT, WE WAITED 1 1/2 hours just for him to get home. HE DID NOT GET HOME UNITL 8:30 PM, due to some things that came up.
~Phillip, & John~

We had a nice meal, gave him a small gift, and had some yummy cake, and then left and got home at 10:30 or so. Talk about your emotions going from WEEPING WITH THE PARENTS OVER THEIR BABY DYING, TO EATING CAKE AND FUN AND LAUGHTER JUST A FEW HOURS LATER...it was quite the day.
~Our family at the party...after a LONG, STRESSFUL day, so we're looking pretty rough. John's little brother, put pink stickers on us. (the white spots are on the pic, not my suitcoat =)~

We fell into bed, and I'm still exhausted this morning. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS...WE COULD NOT HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THAT DAY WITHOUT THEM! Please do keep praying for the parents, Diana (she is ONLY 19)and Jason, during this VERY DIFFICULT TIME!! Thank God that little Michael is in Heaven...but what in the world do people do without JESUS?!