Lessons from a Toddler

The other day I (David) jokingly told some friends that Zane was the most “well-adjusted” member of the family right now! They laughed at the thought of a toddler making transition look easy while his parents are struggling along. However, the reality is that Zane has loved being in Argentina. He relishes meeting new people, exploring new homes, chasing dogs and cats, and having his cheeks pinched and blond hair stroked. While his parents are overwhelmed by the language and infinite cultural nuances, Zane maintains a perpetual smile of excitement (except when hungry or sleepy of course!). That smile repeatedly brightens our hard days and reminds us to be thankful.

As Zane’s birthday approaches (He’ll be 2 on May 4th), us parents have learned some valuable lessons from our little boy:
1. Even the little things in life can be a joyful adventure
Seeing things through a toddler’s eyes can be a lot of fun. Beth and I have been nervous at times taking public transportation or being around crowds of people without being able to communicate adequately. Zane on the other hand loves the bus and makes every outing an adventure. He thoroughly enjoys playing at the park and simply walking on the sidewalks. Zane is constantly running off into the unknown with a gleeful giggle of excitement. We would do well to embrace new experiences as adventures as Zane does.
2. Don’t worry about making mistakes, because that is how we learn and grow
Beth and I make hundreds of mistakes every day with the language and doing other ordinary tasks here. Sometimes we become frustrated and tentative about making more mistakes. Other times we take a break and stop trying for a while. This way of living makes no sense to Zane. He makes mistakes all day long and simply keeps plugging along! Zane is learning lots of new words, but he is constantly mispronouncing them and using incorrect grammar. He even uses some Spanish words occasionally. Zane is not insecure about his failures, because it is part of his development as a child. It is common for him to take a fall after running around. Zane then cries, looks for comfort and quickly goes back to running again. Maybe his parents could learn to run without worrying about falling. And if they do, they can cry a little, find encouragement in their Father, and take off running again.
3. People are blessed when we open our lives to them
It has not been out of the ordinary here for Zane to wave at, hug, or even kiss strangers. (Don’t worry; I haven’t imitated this lesson literally!) The people have loved it. They often respond with big smiles and sometimes interact with us parents as well. Zane makes friends easily, but we should not completely attribute this phenomenon to the fact that he is a cute little boy. The reality is that adults also make an impact on other people when they open their lives and hearts to them. Zane does not worry about rejection. If a person ignores him, he simply moves on and offers the same greeting to another. I pray that Beth and I can have the same attitude of kindness to the people here. We should not worry about language mistakes or rejection. We should worry more about making Jesus Christ known through our lives and our words.

It is no wonder that our Savior encouraged peole to be more like children. A simple child-like trust in God should replace our grown-up fears of the unknown, failure, and rejection. I am so thankful that my Father has given me a daily reminder of these lessons through my son. I pray that Beth and I can have “faith like a child” to serve Him in Argentina.

Now Zane can still learn a thing or two from his parents....like how to use the potty. Pray for our patience and for Zane to learn to use the potty easily....

... Or like safety. Zane climbed this pole higher than the truck you can see by the time we found him. He was saying 'kitty, kitty, kitty'. No playground = I'll use whatever I have around!! YIKES!
Our wonderful Canadian roomies/short term missionaries/new friends. Aaron and Anne Corser spent the last 8 months in the Borstad's home (Converge Missionaries) while they were on home assignment. They held down the fort, learned Spanish, ministered to the church and community, and completed massive building improvements for the church. They are amazing! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION ANNE & AARON. YOU ARE MUCH APPRECIATED!

Now WE are house sitting for the Borstad family until they return in July. Here is their kitchen/dining room.

The outside of the house.
We traveled to Catamarca, Argentina (about 4 hours away) to our quarterly missionary meeting. Our boss and his wife, who were missionaries in Argentina for over 12 years, came as well. Marcia was such an amazing blessing as she watched/entertained Zane so I could be part of the meetings as well. THANKS A MILLION MARCIA!

Dinner with the Flinchums & Corsers

Merienda (snack) at church

We have been having church outside in the back lawn because of all of the construction in the sanctuary. It has been nice having it outside.

Socializing at church = language learning

We go to church every Friday evening for prayer meeting, every Sunday evening for Bible school & church meeting, then Beth goes every Tuesday evening for women's Bible study.