I can hardly believe it has been a whole month since I last posted anything. You know that either means its been a really boring time around our house so I have nothing to talk about, OR it’s been super crazy and I haven’t had time to think let alone write anything. Sadly it has been the latter and things are crazily rolling along.
Two weeks ago I took the first step in getting my Real Estate license and took a class to prepare me to take the exam. Saturday I passed the exam and next week I will take the follow up class. At that point all I have to do is get my paperwork back from the state and I will be an honest to goodness agent.
Randy has been out of work for the past couple of weeks and I needed to get a job. After much prayer and consideration this seemed to be the best option for a girl without too many marketable skills. (Sadly substituting won’t keep us in Cheerios very long.)
Please pray that Randy finds work soon. And I will try to keep up with the notifications:)

The last couple of days I’ve been a little gray. Not just because the weather was dreary but just the circumstances of life right now. Silly I know but there you go:) So with a clean house (there are some benefits to having a house on the market) and a list of things to do like pay bills which was easy to avoid. I sat down with a book that I had just finished for a Bible study. To be completely honest I did a lot of skimming during the study because I let life get in the way. As I re-read the first two chapters I could just hear God saying that He loved me, over and over. How can I be gray inside with that knowledge? The authors words explain it best.

“I’m ashamed to say my heart sometimes listened to Satan’s siren song.The
words of doubt and notes of disillusionment echo the frustration and confusion I
feel inside. A counter melody to faith, the mournful tune arises during those
times when God neither acts the way I think He should nor loves me the way I
want to be loved. Like two songs being played in different keys, the dissonance
of what I feel clashes with what I know and threatens to drown out the anthem of God’s eternal love.”

Joanna Weaver (Having A Mary Heart in a Martha World)

That was exactly what I was feeling, full of pity for me and whiny about all the things I have to deal with. It was encouraging for me to be reminded again that I know God loves me. I got up feeling a little less than gray and walked out the door into a definitely gray and cold day (You other Kansans know what I’m talking about!). When I got in the car and turned on the radio Chris Tomlin’s song “How can I keep from singing” was on and that was it, my day was bright again even a little bit sunny inside. I posted the song on this page after some scrambling to figure out how, and it has kept me bright ever since.
I forget so easily that I am loved by the Creator, Redeemer, and Mighty God. I hope you can find some encouragement in that knowledge today. Enjoy the song!!

So I made it to Johannesburg, South Africa. It was an eventful and boring trip all at the same time. (Long lines to stand in, and lots of sitting.) The conference center we are staying in is beautiful. There are summer flowers blooming everywhere and the temperature is around 70 degrees. The sun is shining and warm though. The flight was 17 hours long. Not much sleeping happened, though I saw a few movies I hadn’t seen yet and finished a good book.
Today we meet with our missionary leaders and set up classrooms for Bible school. The kids come at 4pm for our first classes. I have 7 five and six years olds. I can’t wait to meet them! My prayer request for today is that we are able to really serve these missionaries who work everyday for the cause of Christ in Africa. This is supposed to be a refreshing retreat for them so please pray that they be rejuvenated and joyful.
I write more as I get the chance. Thanks for your prayers and support.

I am working at Ethan’s elementary school this week. Usually the dropping barometer and snow mean crazy kids but yesterday the kids weren’t crazy at all. The teachers on the other hand!!!!! As it started sleeting and snowing the we began to see small groups of teachers discussing the weather conditions. We all knew the schools wouldn’t let out early, that never happens anymore. But the question was would it stay bad enough to warrant a snow day tomorrow?

Oh the memories! We laugh when we think about the days as kids when we got up on snowy dark days only to have mom or dad say”Snow day, no school” Did that mean we went back to bed? absolutely not. We had a whole day filled with the anticipation of the unknown. Nothing on the schedule. No place to be but on the couch in our pj’s as long as we wanted to be! As an adult though I think the anticipation of a snow day is even better. The thought of not having to drag out early to scrape and scramble; of spending an unexpected day home with no time taken from our pool of meager sick days. That is almost too much for our happy hearts to handle!! As the day progressed it was pretty obvious that the snow day wouldn’t occur, but that first bloom and spark of excitement, the “what if……” it was fun to relive those memories.

Until Emma crawled in my bed this morning wanting it to be a snow day, only to be disappointed. I told them last night it wouldn’t happen, but they didn’t believe me! I guess that will just make it that much more fun when it does happen!

I just read back through the previous post, it sounds a little high and mighty and I certainly didn’t mean for that! I have found in the last couple of years the more God asks of me, especially the more speaking I do, the more He has a tendency to beat me up about things! I guess that’s so I will have something to talk about!

I have been struggling to come up with what to say when I speak at the church in Johannesburg. It feels a little strange to me to think about talking and sharing with people who’s situations are so different than mine. Not that I don’t think all Gods children are the same no matter what continent we live on, but that our life circumstances are so different. I find it hard to offer comfort to a woman with several children, no job or income, very little in terms of material goods, no male support and little food or money. Will she look at me and think“who are you to speak to me about hope?” During church on Sunday morning though a thought came to me that Jesus offers peace in all circumstances. Not peace necessarily in life events, but peace of heart. Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13

” I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”NIV

Maybe that’s where my focus should be in terms of how I share. I can’t offer them financial security or physical safety, but the God I know can offer peace that comes in all circumstances. And He is more than able to offer joy that comes with that peace. No material thing I take can offer that.

So I am back again in my life to the statement that its not about me. You’d think I would have learned that by now! Nothing I have to offer people accomplishes anything! But the God I serve? He can accomplish all things!

In Psalm 46 it says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,” and then later in verse 10 “Be still and know that I am God” It’s a trust thing I know. I’m just a really slow learner. Then every time I think I get it, I forget and start over.

Thank you God for Grace undeserved.