Zoo

Mondays through Thursdays I go to the zoo to practice my monkey skills! :) Okay, really, I help kids with their homework (primarily tutoring math) and then when we are finished we play outside on the monkey bars, assuming weather is nice! I have taught the monkettes how to flip and we are having lots of fun! Today was beautiful and sunny, 80F so I took the camera out!

May I be so bold as to say...

May I be so bold as to say...If my pain and suffering is for the glorification of Godhead--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, then it is my privilege to serve and glorify my Lord and Saviour in this manner.

Jeremiah 29:12-14
Then (Faith) will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to her. (Faith) will seek Me and find Me when she searches for Me with all of her heart. I will be found by (Faith) declares the Lord.

As I teach in the book of Mark, I am blown away by the number of times that Jesus calls out the individual. Our memory verse this past week was Mark 5:36, "But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, do not be afraid any longer, only believe." I love that Jesus pulled out the individual man and spoke to him directly, after only overhearing what others were saying. He gets to the point and addresses the issue at hand. Just like Jesus cares for the synagogue official, He cares for me and you. He speaks to each of us. What is Jesus saying to you?

Isaiah 55:12
(Faith) will go out with joy and be led forth with peace

Psalm 126:2-3
The Lord has done great things for them; the Lord will do great things for (Faith). (Faith) is glad.

Bluegrass math

Fabulous live bluegrass (Native Texans)

+



delicious food (Scenic Loop Cafe)

=


awesome!

New friends! :)

Zeynab Mursal, her daughter, and myself

Fatuma Abdi, myself, and her two children, also Zeynab Mursal's daughter

I have new Somalian friends! The women are such a pleasure to spend time with and the children are a blast to play with!






The kids are intrigued by everything, and the mothers are very welcoming of any love showered upon their kids. I love watching the women join in and play with their children.









In the past couple weeks I have been able to play Twister, Connect 4, and colour!

Misc...

I thought these were cool billboards:

• Have you read my best seller, it's quite challenging. --God
• In my opinion, you are the most beautiful creature in the world. Okay, I'm biased. --God
• With pleasure I will carry your cross, come. --God
• You are not alone; You have me; Trust in me. --God
• Put yourself in my hands and watch. --God

This song was sang at Upgrade, the Wesley college group at UTSA. I find these words extremely comforting during this time of upheaval in my life.

When you could just be silent and leave us here to die;
still you sent your Son to us. You are on our side.

How cool is that? God is on my side. He really does care for me.

And lastly, some thoughts and questions to reflect upon:

• Are you excited about Jesus in your life and sharing that love, joy, and excitement with others?
• It was the will of the LORD. God is in control, even in the dark. God provides reconciliation through Jesus.
• I deserve to die in my sin. It's not up for debate and scriptures are clear. Hearts change; repentance occurs. We need to constantly renew our faith. We can live a life of victory through Jesus Christ. We are called to repentance. Use these forty days of lent to lean on God and reflects what God is calling you to do in this time.
• The important part of Ash Wednesday is that our hearts are torn from our sins. We should grieve over our sins--they tear us from God and each other. We must recognize that we are sinful and need to return to God.
• Be honest about who you are and how you're doing. Set your hope on grace. Where is your hope-beauty, connections, wealth, pedigogy, zip code, intellect, career, etc. Trust that JC is already putting us back together. I am totally accepted and forgiven and there is nothing that I can do to change that.
• When the hand of God writes, it's powerful. What are you going to give up to God? What's troubling you the most? Help us repent God, so that we can live with clean hands. God wants obedience.
• We will die; we will not live forever. The glory and triumph will crack and fade. What would be different if I lived in the mortality of my own life? How would my priorities change?
  

Monkey Skills

I have rediscovered my monkey skills! I successfully cross the monkey bars at the playground. I also hang upside down like a pro! I love bananas, especially when they are slightly green. Come visit me at the zoo, anytime.

Levi and I hanging out!

This is a picture of my Mom...I am proud to say that I take after her! :)

Shattered Dreams...

On 23 Jan 2010, in my post, Tough Questions I'm wrestling with..., I posed the following questions:

• When my dreams of teaching missionary kids in Ukraine, at KCA are shattered, how do I react?
• Do I love God, more than my dreams of returning to Ukraine?
• Am I willing to be redirected by Him?

I continue to struggle with this, although in a somewhat different way. After having your dreams and plans shattered, it is hard to dream again. I had great plans and ideas, but now I question any thoughts, plans, or ideas that I had or even have now.

I read a quote today that made me think about my life particularly. "You know...my whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered that those interruptions were my work." --Henri Nouwen

God uses me in these blips and in these interruptions to plans, dreams, thoughts, ideas, but none the less, it's still hard to pick up the pieces and dream again. What are your dreams? Thoughts? Desires? Ideas? How is God using you? How do you react when your dreams are shattered? Do you dream again--or do you dream again with caution/stipulation?

Half Birthday Ponderings

My half birthday is today--12 February. This is also Kiri and Anya's (my best friends from Elementary school) full birthday. In the past 6 months many changes have occurred; I have listed some in no particular order:

• I could barely walk 2 meters, now I can run 13,000 meters
• I moved to Ukraine, and then I moved back to Texas
• I was extremely sick, and now I am fairly healthy (?--maybe)
• I lost 30 lbs
  
• I was in a dating relationship, and now I am not
• I went from being confident in my faith, to realizing how little faith I have, and how much I need God to persist and overcome obstacles in my life
  
• I was excited for the upcoming year, and now I just want a clear diagnosis and to be healthy and "normal" again...excited, not so much, anymore
  

How has your life changed in the past six months? What has made you stop, think, and reflect? How is your life different than it was or you thought it would be?

Heart Ultrasound

Due to my labile blood pressures and extremely high heart rates this summer, my cardiologist ran a ECG. This test was relatively easy, and required no blood work! It did require a gown and some gel--the technician warmed the gel, which was nice. Results: No abnormal findings. I have a good heart.

God is using me!

John 9:1-3
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

The verse above gives me peace...to appropriate it to me personally--Who sinned, this woman, or her parents, that she would be given all these health problems? It was neither Faith that sinned, nor her parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in her. God is using me. :)

Serving Christ and being obedient is not easy; it costs a person greatly. Notice I did not say it cost a person greatly, it costs a person greatly. There is not one risk, there are risks involved in serving our Lord, and Saviour.

• What can I do to serve someone that cannot repay?
• Knowing it costs me dearly to give up my life to serve, as I give the best as a sacrifice, why do I continue?
• The results are eternal; where is your treasure?

1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel said, “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice”

Current theme: Obedience

For the past month in a half, I have heard the same message preached and testimony given. Obedience--God honours obedience and He does mighty works through people that are obedient.

This brings me to my first question. How may I be obedient to Christ?

When I live by faith, I obey--I do exactly what God says, when He tells me to. True faith in God is a relationship of obedience, rooted in love, to Godhead--God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To obey God, I must know God, and to know God, I study His word and pray. As I seek Gods will for my life, He finds me, and tells me His will; it is not a secret. The seeking is not easy and stepping out in faith--obeying Christ challenges me as well, although I have learned that God is always faithful.

1 Corinthians 3:7-8

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

It is God who makes things grow. I am to be obedient--planting and watering as told. This brings me to my second question--Who is sitting on the throne of my life and heart? My health? Who am I obedient to? God did not create me to sit dormant, rather He created me to glorify Him! Is my health keeping me from wanting to jump again?

And the third question. Will I serve God? Will I serve God with thanksgiving and praise? God has placed me here in San Antonio, Texas, because he wants me here. This is not for me to decide, or for me to argue with. I am to embrace where God has placed me and serve Him with thanksgiving and praise--this includes at the doctors office, in Russian class, as I tutor children, during bible study, and when I am at home. God has given me this time here.

Serving Christ in Ukraine, as I had originally thought for does not look like as planned. What I do know is that it gives God pleasure as I surrender my life to Him, and as I choose to serve Him with thanksgiving and joy. It's about being willing to have my steps redirected. This is not easy, and it is a painful process. In closing I would like to share this hymn with you. I challenge you to think about these words and how they apply to your life.

Take my Life and Let it Be

Frances, R. Havergal, February 1874

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Mobile Blogger Test

This is a test. This blog fullafaith.blogspot.com is conducting a test of the mobile blogger. This is only a test. :)

Encouragement and recognition

Coming home is never easy. Tonight at the Global Impact Celebration (GIC) Dinner, the Directing Pastor, Charles Anderson, recognized the difficulty in a very meaningful way. The GIC is a time of celebration for the church--we celebrate the missionaries the church supports that share the gospel throughout the world. At the end of the presentations from the missionaries, we stood up to lay hands on missionaries that were at tables near us. I was fortunate to be sitting at the table with Setan Lee. I was honoured to lay hands on this great man of God. :)

By the time I stood up, Charles was already laying hands on Setan Lee, and when I got up to join Charles, he said, "This includes missionaries at home," and walked behind me, and layed his hand on me. I started to cry.

I am reminded of the time that my senior pastor asked me to pray for him. Not only that, he wouldn't let me go until I prayed for him. All I could think was, "I am so unworthy, why does he want me to pray for him?" Little did I know that instances like that would teach me how to pray for others.

I received so much encouragement tonight, by various people! The greatest part of all was the recognition that I am still a missionary, just relocated. I love the quote that says, "Either you are a missionary, or you need a missionary." It's not easy to say that you're a missionary stateside, when your heart is in Ukraine. God is faithful. I'm banking on that! :)