#12 & #13 - Direction and Sweet Potatoes

When you live as a foreigner in a foreign land you are constantly asking "which way?".   Between the language barriers and the cultural barriers life is full of unknown paths.  This week we encountered that in two ways.  

On Tuesday I went to pay Alex's soccer fees.  Sounds simple, right?  Well, no.  First off you can't just give cash to workers in Spain.  Second, not everyday can you pay with a credit card.  So although I had the cash, I couldn't pay and it wasn't a credit card day.  The worker described the process for paying with cash or that I could come back on Wednesday and pay with a credit card.  Decided coming back on Wednesday was easiest.  Ha!  I returned on Wednesday to learn the credit card machine is out of order.  So, decided paying in cash was probably the easiest method.  Not so fast there!  She handed me a form to take to the bank that they use, which of course is not our bank.  And, by now their bank is closed for siesta.  So I wait until today, but no time.  So now to go tomorrow, but I spent the cash I had.  So first I have to go to our bank and get cash, then to their bank to pay the fee, then back to the office to drop off proof of payment.  And yep, tomorrow is the deadline to pay.

On Wednesday we received a letter from the government regarding Alex's residency paperwork.  It is of course in Spanish and in legal terms.  Our tutor helped us read it, but couldn't tell us what we needed to do.  Thank goodness we are not working in Spain alone.  Our co-workers were able to tell us what it meant, but now we are in the "figure out how to handle this" mode.  Days ahead will tell us what is next.

Thank goodness I can depend on God and His promise to direct our paths.  He is greater than any language or culture barriers.  He knows whether to go left or right and He is a safe refuge in the midst of the confusion.  Ahh - what a relief!


Isaiah 30:21
If you go the wrong way—to the right or to the left—you will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the right way. You should go this way. 


Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe

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Our Favorite Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups mashed sweet potato (can use canned, just drain juice, or fresh baked)

1 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 stick butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

2.5 oz canned milk

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c flour

1. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, eggs, 1/2 stick butter (melted), vanilla, and canned milk.  (I use the hand mixer to mash the potatoes and then to mix all the ingredients together)
2. Put in 8 x 8 pan 
3. Combine 1/2 stick melted butter, brown sugar, and flour
4. Top sweet potatoes
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and slightly browned.