Like a Child

Hello all :) Thanks for reading and keeping up to speed with the three of us Harder's down in Guadalajara! We have loved your notes written our way - thanks; unfortunately we don't have e-mails for many of you who post comments...We'd love to write back, so if you could either leave an email address for yourself in your comment or send it to reneeharder@gmail.com, that would be great.

We're now half way done with our first 7 week session of school. We've had midterms this week which have come with a good amount of studying and thankfully good signs of retention and progress. With the help of Jesus.  Like a Child - the title of this blog - or becoming like a child has been a theme running through my mind and heart for a little while now, as we day in and day out attempt to learn Spanish. I (Jake, and I'm sure Renee would agree) find myself not understanding language and therefore simple things like: when and where buses leave from, when to get off (needless to say we've been on some adventures we didn't plan on), having people look at us with that confused-crooked dog face-look....like, 'what in the world are you talking about?' Or probably more often we turn our heads in confusion and say, 'mande?' 

So we've kinda flipped around. Our lives in the States are lived with full understanding how things work, how to talk, people we know, and using the gifts and talents we have for God's goodness. Now, it's as if we are children, learning for the first time simple things that are taken for granted most time: directions, prices, culture, with the biggest being language. 

It can become disheartening. Life can swirl around us at times. 4 million people can definitely swirl. But this is where being like a child in the spiritual sense really keeps things together. Jesus told us to become like the little children. To believe in Him with wonder, simplicity and therefore live with Him in relationship with those same characteristics. Everything comes back into perspective when I try to live this way. we laugh at mistakes, thank God for wherever we find ourselves, and rejoice in knowing that we are alive, fed, and breathing and that God is good despite our circumstances.

I've still got a lot to learn, but I think I'm on that path. God is my Father and He is good and

 therefore I can live from that perspective rather than one where I'm trying to be god: knowing everything, being in control, having it all figured out. Learning Spanish helps me in this quest, and I thank God for it. I hope as Spanish becomes easy my childlikeness only deepens.

'The Gracie Corner"

Gracie continues to bring us such joy. All those little things

kids do that are so silly or random: her immediate word 'dog' when she hears or sees a dog. The way she does her clap and little leg and bottom wiggle during times of worship at church. Her great ability to connect with anybody anywhere with her smiles and blue eyes. Her desire to pick up random sticks and bring them to us at the park. Or when we say, where's your bellybutton? She pulls up her shirt, pulls up her little tummy until she see it, then pokes it and smiles. So silly. We love her so much!