Just dropped down to the market round the corner...

TUESDAY 21st June

Three blogs in three days!! Oh my goodness!  I went for a walk early this morning down to the market not far from home. It's in the opposite direction to school, so the only other time I've been there was with Lina the morning she gave us a cooking lesson. Anyway, I always have my camera with me, and when I saw these ducks I couldn't resist taking a photo...

I can count seven.... On the left under the blue umbrella is the girl I bought bread from and the man on the right tried to rip me off on the watermelon... he wanted 30,000D a kilo ($1.50), so I bought some from another vendor for 6,000D.

This delightful lass sold me three loaves of bread, even though I only asked for two - just as well I have an empty freezer! I bought a cob of corn, and a couple of sweet little pineapples from the lady next to her.

I bought a handful of scallions from this man for 10 cents.

I walked back through the bustle and also bought tomatoes (50 cents a kilo) and a cucumber (1 cent)

Now if I just had Seamen's recipe, I could cook up these scuttling little crabs...

 they're fresh - still very much alive, in fact!

Fascinating as a simple shopping expedition is in Hai Phong, something much more thrilling happened this morning. I was reading the book of Numbers and I came across this passage, which I've read and prayed countless times before, but this morning I saw it in a whole new light!

The Blessing    Numbers 6:23 - 27

The LORD said to Moses,  “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

So they will put My Name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.'

Now, here's the revelation... As believers, we (the priests) are called to bless the children (the Israelites)... I already got that... but did you ever really look at the last verse? In praying that blessing over our children we put the Lord's Name on them and the awesome promise that follows is that He will bless them!!! With God's name on them, they are covered. He marks them as His children and all that that entails. Regardless of earthly circumstances, The Name of the Lord is on them, and the blessings will follow.  Isn't that just HUGE!!! ... makes me go all goose-bumpy just thinking about it.