Today Elias is home sick with the cold that I gave him.  Even though I am sorry that he is sick, I am enjoying having a little alone time with him this afternoon, while Bella is in school.  We just snuggled under his Iron Man blanket after we took a trip to the pharmacy to get him some more medicine.

Holding him, while his chest rattled under my hand reminds me of the little girl I held in Peru.  She was the cook's daughter and she sat with us all morning while her mother worked hard in the kitchen making meals for us and all the children at the church that day.  Her little chest rattled too.  I wondered then if she had any medicine to take for her congestion.  The community where she lives is in the desert and there is a breeze from the ocean that blew the entire time we were there.  As you can see, the mother had her well bundled, but still the air made her breathing sound even more raspy.
I have thought a lot about options this morning.  We all have so many options.  Just this morning, I have had the option:
1. To send Elias to school or not to send him.
2. To put put pants or shorts on Bella for her school day. To put tennis shoes or sandals on her feet.
3. To give the kids oatmeal, instead of eggs or cereal.
4. To use my extra time to read a book or to check my e-mail and facebook.
5. To spend some time reading my Bible - one of the many copies I own - or to do a devotional - one of the many I have on my shelf.

And this is just 5 of the many, maybe even hundred or more options I had this morning.  I wondered how many options Elias and Xiomara have had this morning.  I think about all the people who feel they have no options, no opportunity to make a choice. Thinking of options reminds me of a man named Richmond Wandera, an LDP student who has not only gained more options for his own life through his Compassion sponsorship and LDP training, but is now working to give ministers throughout Uganda options by founding the Pastors Discipleship Network. PDN is equipping pastors throughout Uganda to better lead their congregations.  I have mentioned Richmond before in several posts, but I recently was looking through his Facebook page and again remembered the important work he is doing. I looked through pictures of pastors being given study Bibles.  One of these pastors only had part of a Bible to use and another pastor was using a small new testament, similar to the ones children are given in Sunday school classes all over America.  I thought of the many copies I have of the Bible, both in print and electronic, throughout my house and how little I think of them.  I am not saying that I don't think about what is in the Bible, but I don't think about the option I have to read it wherever I am.  Sadly, I often opt not to read it.  In the book, The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom talks about being sent to the concentration camp, and she prayed that God would allow her to keep her Bible with her.  Miraculously, every woman in the line was searched from head-to-toe, but she was not.  And she was able to smuggle in a small Bible.  Would that be the option of what I would choose to pray for in that situation?  Do I choose the best options?  God always gives us them, everyday.