Sometimes It's the Simple Things

I don't claim to the live in the jungle. We don't live in a third world country. We don't live without basic supplies. Normally we even have water and electricity. Sometimes I feel like a wimp writing a post like this. That said, there are still things we live without. For the most part, those sacrifices are very small and we've learned to get along just fine. We've also been blessed with some packages that have supplied us with things we can't find here.

As a result of these "missing" items, we find ourselves getting surprised over what may seem like very simple things to other Americans. In the U.S. we get so used to seeing everything we could ever want (or ever waste our money on) that we don't realize that is not the case everywhere.

So here are some of the simple things we've gotten excited over:

Discovering Dr. Pepper at Tes*co. We bought 9 bottles. I've never bought that much soda at one time in my life. We even took a picture with Jason's cell phone. I don't really even like it, but even I was happy about it!

Realizing the large Tes*co in Budapest has generic Rice Kris*pies, albeit over $4 a box.

Learning there is an Office Depot in Budapest. Only problem is most of the products are in Hungarian, but hey, it looks a lot the same and it's amazing how comforting that can be.

Biting into a grilled chicken wrap from McD's and discovering it contained grated, cheddar cheese! It was probably "fake", but I was excited nonetheless.

Finding packages of crackers that look and taste a lot like Ritz, though more crumbly. I'm not sure if we were just missing them or if they're new. Now we know where they are!

Being introduced to a restaurant in Budapest that is a lot like Chip*otle by our regional administrator and wife. I blame a couple who were in charge of connecting us to their Sunday School class for introducing us to and hooking us on Chip*otle. It was a good place to stop while traveling to or from a church because it's fairly cheap, you get a lot, it tastes great, there's no tipping (boy, I sound cheap!) and it's fast. We were thrilled to discover a place that gave us a taste from home. Only problem is it's two hours away from us. Good thing I'm not pregnant and having cravings.

Jason discovering some ready-made pizzas at Lidl as well as grated mozzarella cheese. Yes, folks, grated. Grated cheese! I saw some grated cheese in Budapest in November (hadn't seen it since we left the States), but the price was a little over the top. This is decently priced and will save lots of time when we have our pizza night, which is nearly every Friday. It will also save my second food processor from ruin while trying to grate cheese. They had some ready-made crusts with sauce and a little cheese that needed some loving care. This new kind has sufficient cheese and one kind even includes ham. Score!

Finding a like-new St. John's Bay sweater at a second hand store. Name brand American clothing in a Slovak second hand store. Who would have thought?

Sometimes it is the simple things that God can use to encourage our hearts.