Friday, November 23, 2007

Patience is a virtue...who said that?

So, I went to a missions conference last weekend, and I went with high hopes. I thought I'd come home knowing what part of the world I'd be traveling to, what team I'd be working with, and even have some idea of what work I would be doing once I got there. Well...

I told my friend Ever that I expected to go and have doors opened. Instead, I sit here almost a week later, feeling like I saw lots of doors close instead. Either my time to give was too short, the program someone thought I'd be a fit for is over, or my timeline just didn't fit with any of the teams' plans. I don't doubt that I should still go, but now it is a question of patience and trust. I have emailed every group I talked to, made contact with a few teams I didn't get to meet, and still don't feel like I am any closer to changing my situation....and this is where the trust part comes into play.

This morning, my quote of the day was this: "Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius." Comte de Buffon

The passage that went with it was even better..."I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry. He lifted me...and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me...He has given me a new song to sing..." Psalm 40:1-3

I pray for that new song, even if it is different that the one that's in my mind. I trust that the Lord does have a plan for me, in His good timing. Please pray with me that I would rely on God's providence and that I would continue to trust his guidance.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Joy!

Let me just qualify...when I say 'girl' I am referring to a female younger than me. When I say 'woman' she must be my age or older...

So, there's this girl I work with who sings all the time. She sings well with her crystal clear soprano voice, and I envy her ease & skill. When she comes to work, it's easy to predict what kind of day it has been...if she's singing opera, she's been painting; if she's singing disney, she's been with her family, etc. Today, we heard Christmas medley--I heard Jingle Bells, O Christmas Tree, It Came upon a Midnight Clear--among others. She sounded so full of joy that it caused me to pause and wonder, how joyful am I? Does anyone know?

How joyful are you?

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Slow times but fun times

I am trying to earn a reputation as the world's worst blogger. I have some competition, but I am trying to edge them out one silent month at a time :)

There has been lots going on, and I wanted to share so you were in the know.

1-I had the floors replaced at my house. It looks great, but now there is so much dust, I fear I may never get rid of it.

2-While floors were being worked on, I stayed with my sister & her family, which was such a blessing to me. My sis & I had one conversation where I was trying to explain to her the idea of covenant, and how as ones who have accepted Christ as their savior, that both ends of the covenant are held by God, which allows us to rest in Him. Conversation was going well, but I must have some linguistic gap, because I just couldn't shed enough light on the idea of covenant to help her understand.

I know as a skeptic, I was very hard to reach and almost wouldn't let myself trust that God could do all of that. For those of you who knew me before I trusted Christ, how on earth did you get me to listen? I pray for grace to help others understand.

3-My best friend from high school is on her way to my house as we speak, without her husband & kids. We are celebrating her bday in a good old-fashioned way--shopping, movies, and ice cream. We may throw in a football game and a nap just for good measure, but no guarantees!

4-The most exciting news I have is that I was accepted as an intern for Mission to the World, the PCA missions agency. I will be going into the field in January, 2009, and plan to be overseas for at least 3 months, but am approved for an 11-month stint if I am moved in that direction. I will be going to the Global Missions Conference in less than a week to meet teams from all over the world and pray that the Lord finds a team or project that will allow me to serve most to His glory. The last person I talked to really has me interested in Latvia, so we'll see.

Thanks for reading, but I make no promises that my blogging schedule will improve!