Even the sky celebrates.

As I sit on the balcony typing I can smell onions and peppers on my hands as I have been helping cut them the past 2 days. I wish you could be here as I gaze into the sky on a crisp, crystal clear night and watch a light show from God. The stars are shining so bright, it really is "like a diamond in the sky." Every where I look stars are shooting across the black canvas, I mean it looks like this was made special for me! It really is the most beautiful I have ever seen and I am moved by the goodness of the Lord as I reflect on the past few days.

We are near the end of summer and getting ready for a new season. The days are getting shorter and fall is in the air. There have been some very cool nights here and you can smell the change in the season. The fruit from the trees have been picked and we have stripped the hazelnuts from the trees and ate all them and now we just wait for school to start.

While we wait we made chocolate peanut butter refrigerator cookies...That was a huge hit, especially the licking of the bowl. Boy can they lick it clean! It is a special time for them and me to! I just have to bring my patience with me, there is a real test in letting 10 girls have a chance to put 5 ingredients into a bowl. Everyone gets to stir 5 strokes! :)

The other highlight we had over the weekend was Maria's birthday. Maria turned 17 and me and Juliana wanted to make it a special day for her, after all we only turn 17once in a life time. The young girls and I made a chocolate cake and Juliana, 17 years old and very special to me as well, made a yellow cake. We had a fun day creating and decorating 2 birthday cakes. It was a privilege for me to cook with Juliana, as she said this was her first time ever to make a cake.

At 8 p.m. the anticipation of the party was over all the kids came for games, cake and ice cream. Trust me it is a real treat here. We played pin the nose on the clown and hot potato. I wrapped a few small gifts for prizes, bubbles and balloons. (Thanks again Knox Church) It was so much laughter and fun! Then for the birthday song and then eat! Oh my, the kids were litter ally licking the plate. I know it sounds crazy but true! It is a real treat here!

Food it is what sustains us physically but it sustains us in many ways other ways as well. Think about some of the most important moments in your life...In most cases they involve food, birthdays, promotions, weddings. Some of our fondest memories are smelling our mothers or grandmothers cooking coming from the kitchen and sometimes even the not so happy moments in our lives were discussed at a table eating food.

I think of the memories we are etching into these children's lives just by making a cookie or baking a cake and years down the road when they are making cakes and cookies they will reflect on the first time they made a cookie with Cindy from America who came to the orphanage when I was a child...These times now will go on for generations to come and the thought of it makes me understand the stars dancing in the night across the sky in celebration of generations of promises coming to pass. He is the Alpha and Omega!