you've got mail

yeah!!!! for the first time since we have been here, we got mail!!! we were so excited to get it. one was from my sister and the other of course was from WML. we love it... keep it coming. it's real encouraging to get mail. love you guys!!!

group prayer

**the first day as soon as the men left making it, A and her friends were on it**

ever since my friends got together to pray, i feel that the Lord has been really listening to not only my prayer, but also the prayers of those who gathered. i feel like this week has been going so well and i have to pinpoint it to knowing that my friends got together to pray. i go back to matthew where it says where two or more gather, i will be with you.
since the last time i blogged, which is just two days ago, the Lord has been absolutely amazing at just being God.
yesterday since 7:30-5:45 kids and moms were in our yard playing on the jungle gym. it was amazing. i got some good time with ladies and A got some awesome play time using her language.
the a friend dropped by... i was so excited to see her. she used to be my teacher, but called and asked if she could come by. i said of course. we talked for like three hours about life... her life and my life and how the Lord has been working. ugh it was so awesome. then we prayed together. in a middle of our time together we were interrupted by someone at the door. a mom had brought her son over because he needed help with his english homework. so i sat and helped with that. then the mom asked if i could help with his homework because she only graduated from elementary school and can't help him with his homework. i told them that i was free most nights and they are welcome any time. what a blessing. the Lord is good.
thanks girls for intentionally getting together to pray specifically for me. i really appreciate it. KS thanks for putting that together. the Lord has blessed me with awesome friends.
right now i am at a place called "amanda brownies" getting ready to have my quiet time while A is at school. i am really enjoying my week and could really see God working in my life in such intimate ways.
please continue to pray for me and my little A.

blessings

This weekend, I have had a little slump, no energy, tired, easily frustrated… on Saturday I put A up for sale… the best offer I got was from CW, I really thought of giving her away. It was just a little stressful… But the Lord is good even in those kind of not so good days.

Saturday night a friend called and we had such a good talk. I was so blessed by our conversation and just wished KS to be in the room with me rather than miles away. I think that started my slump to go away.

Then Sunday morning I had a skype call with a group of girlfriends who were getting together to make a care package for us and pray for us. It was such a blessing to talk to them and hear all their voices and a little bit about their lives. AH, so excited for your new condo… can’t wait to see it. JM, I still haven’t seen your condo, but you invited us over so we’ll take you up on that offer. I heard of a pregnancy (which facebook already told me), a death, some creepy things… and so much more. A had a great time talking to them too, she especially liked talking to RB… she really misses you girl. That phone conversation started the best day here so far. A and I went to church afterward. The praise was so good… I love that I could really praise in this language with my heart knowing all the words… the sermon was good too and he was really funny. Another plus to the day… I understood the jokes and the message. Ha ha… After church, I took A to one of my favorite places… it’s a huge flea market in the center of a huge field. Sundays are the only day it happens. It is the place to go for everyone. A loved it. There is cheap shopping, rides, cotton candy, monkey shows, people, food, and so much more. It’s great. P never really liked it, it was too crowded for him. But I just love it. It’s just so much fun. Bargaining, people watching, going on rides (for A), eating… ugh… I love it and I loved that A loved it. We hung out there for like an hour and a half, walking around, looking at what they have, watched the monkey show… then we went to McDonald’s for lunch. The morning ended with coming home and taking naps.

In the afternoon, kids came to play. A’s sometimes funny. She’ll invite kids to come over and play and then watch them from inside. I sometimes get frustrated with her because then the kids are just calling her name through the window and she wants me to play with her. It happened today, so I told her if she asks friends to come over, she has to play with them and that I would not play with her. Attitude started rising, in both of us. So I prayed real quick and asked the Lord to work in both our hearts… A’s so that she would want to play and me that I would be understanding and be a fun mom. Within minutes of praying, A said she wanted to go out. I was watching her play and it was the best time she had outside since we’ve been here. She played cooking, built, played with a balloon and then… she did something that all our neighbor kids love to do… there is a little hill kiddy corner to our house, and the kids take a piece of wood and slide down the hill (kind of like what college kids do with trays when it snows). I look out at one point and there she is, on a piece of wood, sliding down the hill with a huge smile on her face. I was so proud of her. While she was playing, the Lord worked on my heart and gave me an idea. I took an empty box we have in our house and started to decorate it to make it into a stove for A to use while she cooks. I prayed… within minutes the Lord changed both our hearts and with a smile on our face, we did what the Lord wanted us to do. It was so much fun to see her play and to make something for my little girl. She loves the stove and brought in her friend to cook with her. God is so good in answering prayers. Yes answers are sometimes delayed and we have to wait, but I love the ones where He shows it to us quickly, it makes waiting for the ones we have to wait on worth it… you know He’s still working on it and there is a good plan for it. The quick ones are like little reminders that He’s still there. 

Tomorrow A goes to school. I’m worried I’m going to ball as I leave the school. Praying for both of us to be emotionally okay for this.

As I talked to my friend last night, she was just talking about how far the Lord’s brought me… I have to agree on that. From days that were so foggy and numb, to actually smiling again and feeling joy. From walking through the most difficult part of my life in detail with my counselor, to revisiting a place once called home. From nights of crying myself to sleep and scared to close my eyes, to the Lord stirring hopes, dreams and a future in my heart. From dark days of wondering when it would end, to looking forward to what the Lord has for me next. From not wanting to ever be in the country that brought so much pain, to moving here again to see what the Lord has in store for me. These are some amazing things the Lord has done in my life, and seriously He has brought me far. What a blessing to see God’s gracious hand at work in my life, so intimately and personally. It’s just great.

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Today we had an excellent day. A started school and had so much fun. (hopefully we could put up pictures- our internet has been a little funny lately) She cried a little when i left, but it didn't last long i was told. A is so cute. She had snack at school and when i went to pick her up, she had wrapped leftover snack for me. she has been doing that... even at church when they have a snack, she'll save one for me, even if the chocolate melts in her hand. ugh you have to love the girl. :)

last week i ordered a jungle gym for A for our yard. we have a little cement area in the front and i asked a guy to make a metal one for me. they did such a good job. again hopefully i could put pictures up. it came this afternoon and A couldn't even nap... we had kids in our yard waiting for them to be done putting it together. then we had so many kids in our yard climbing, swinging and laughing. it was great!!! praise God for the opportunity to provide for A and the kids in our neighborhood a place to play.

it's been a great two days. i was thinking how my girlfriends got together to pray for us and it's been showing fruit already. thanks girls... and everyone else who prays for us too. keep praying.

growing up

**this is A signing her initials**

today A went to her first day of school. it was a trial day where you go with a parent. it's close to our house and it's really cute. it's bilingual, the native language and english. as i sat there watching her start from my lap and slowly moving on her own to join the class, i almost started balling. my little baby is growing up. i can't believe it. she's going to school... making friends... playing... taking care of our kitten... what's next? she'll start going next week, three times a week for three hours. it'll be exciting.

the best thing though is how much she has grown to love the Word. i've been praying that it wouldn't be like a forced thing, but that she would initiate and love reading. every morning, nap and night she wants to read a story from the bible. this bible is good that after each story, there are good follow up questions. again it's just been bringing up good conversations. last night she said, "i really love Jesus mommy". then today i we were talking about something and she was talking about how Jesus is in her heart and she has to listen to His voice. as A was taking her bath today, i told her how grown up she is getting and she said, "Jesus is growing me". i'm so glad that He is taken control of her life at such an early age and praying that He will continually grow her.

i love my little girl... please continue to pray for her and me as i parent her alone.

baby

i think of our new kitten as a baby... needs so much attention. we kept her in the bathroom the first few nights since she wasn't potty trained... she would wake me up like two times a night... i had to let her out and give her some love and feed her... hopefully now that's all over. she's finally got where to go to the potty and her food is all at the same spot... no more having to wake up in the middle of night hopefully... but she is so cute... A says, "no allie" almost all day, since we don't let her on our beds and table when we eat... A's so good with her. one time i was upset at allie and A said, "mommy allie needs some love". ha ha... i just laughed. it was so funny... we are all doing good. :)

please pray for A as she has been asking some really good questions and praying about some serious desires in her heart that i've never heard her express.

please pray for me as i focus on listening to what the Lord has for me daily.

please always lift up our health and safety!!!

resolution

**last night i typed up "embracing widowhood" to put on the blog today.**

Embracing widowhood

I became a widow at the age of 27. I cried the night I became a widow thinking I was too young. Since then I’ve heard of widows younger than I and my heart ached for them. I hated the word widow, but now am learning to embrace it. Before, I would cringe when people would call me that… one time, maybe a month after P died, I was playing scategories with a group of people… the letter was “w” and it was “something you find at the beach”. Someone I did not know and she really didn’t know me nor my situation put down “widow” for that line. When she announced it, most eyes were on me… I remember saying, “I was just at the beach” as my insides turned.

Before leaving the states, the Lord turned me to the book of Ruth. It was quite by accident. We had gone to family camp with our adopted family, and I forgot to bring books for A to read. So she says, “mommy you could just read your bible” as she brings me my bible. I go through the bible in my head, looking for the shortest book and remembered Ruth. Not thinking of the content, I started to read it to A. I immediately regretted turning there, but she insisted I read it and I thought, well it’s the bible.

I have read that book a lot of times since that is my middle name. Yet this time this book meant something so much more. Three widows and how they handle life. I was intrigued. After that weekend, I called my bible theology major friend and asked her if she knew of a book I could read to go more in depth with this book. She found me two. I chose the skinnier of the two to read, seeming that I only had a month to study this before I left the country. I was floored by the insight this author had of the book of Ruth.

One major thing I got out of the book that helped me embrace my widowhood is God’s provision. The Lord knew that being a widow was going to be hard, so He made rules for His people to follow to provide for them. He wanted to provide for His people… even the widows. So He made rules on how to care for them… and many times in the bible it talks about the role of the body to take care of the widow and the fatherless… to defend the cause of the fatherless and widows… to make sure they are provided for… and as I read through this book, I thought, “wow my God loves me. Nothing takes Him by surprised… He knew what would come and had a plan for it”.
I got this new bible, the Ryrie Study Bible. It was a gift before I left. I really like it. Anyway, I looked in the back with words that have references next to it… so I looked up widow, again in a way to embrace my widowhood (kind of the same as some of you struggle with embracing singlehood). I was shocked when the Lord says in Exodus 22:22-24 “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” God means business. He cares for His people, but He also knows who is vulnerable. So He Himself wants to protect and hear them. My God is just. I know there will be times when I think things are unfair and think to myself how it would be different if P was here and things would have been different. But I don’t have to do anything to make it right… God who is just, hears my cry and will take care of it for me. I do not desire the Lord to kill them by all means, but hey… God means business here.

So I have this new attitude in my embracing of widowhood… don’t mess with me… God’s got my back.

Of course at the same time I pray the Lord continues to humble me and grow me. I don’t plan to take advantage of my position, but I do know and recognize the difference of being single and married and being widowed.

**this morning, i wrote in my journal...**

Lord... come what may. I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN. God i have to trust You have my best interest in mind. I know You will work in and through this. Come what may...I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!! The Lord's got my back.

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as some sayings go... sometimes things have to get bad before they get better. today was bad. the situation had turned for the worst. BUT my God like i had mentioned promised to provide for me and take care of me. so... by the end of the day, through the grace of God and His hand at work, the situation was resolved. PRAISE THE LORD. no more having to worry about this. as i talked to a friend today, who was helping me with the situation, God probably woke up lots of people to pray for us in the midst of this. thank you so much for praying us through this.

i want to thank many of you who have just e-mailed or called to tell me you are praying without asking questions. i really appreciate that. just know that you played a huge part by praying. thank you once again.

we love you and really appreciate the body of Christ throughout the world.

new addition to our family

i had promised A that if a little kitten wandered into our yard, we would keep it. something better happened. aunt S brought us a little kitten she found in her yard. it's so cute. little thing. A loves her dearly and has named her Allie (after her friend, SR's daughter). now she would like to get a bunny and name it Morgan. i said we should get a fish... i think we all know what she'll name the fish if that happens. we'll have to get names from another family after that. ha ha...

please continue to pray for the situation. i feel at peace again, but for some reason the Lord has brought this on the table... so clinging onto His goodness and trusting in His faithfulness in all things. i have to say that Allie's entrance into our family today has made the situation a little less frustrating. :) thanks aunt S for bringing her over. A absolutely adores her. tonight Allie joined us in reading the bible, praying and singing. it was so cute... Allie and A both falling asleep.

requests

please continue to pray for the situation in my life. still not resolved, but trusting the Lord has His best in mind. all is for His glory and really wanting to see that in this. please pray for quick resolution and for my heart. every day that it is not resolved makes me a little weary. please pray for me.

please also pray for A. she was a little under the weather since monday, which means that mommy doesn't get sleep. she's been really good today, but i'm tired... emotionally (from the above) and physically (from not getting much sleep).

please pray for people who do not know Jesus. A and i pray for people to know Jesus every day. please join us in this. claiming the nations in the name of Jesus Christ. i was reading a book today and there was a quote that i really enjoyed (won't quote it directly)... the theme of it was that we are at war!!! spiritually every day we are at war!!! please pray for that not only in our lives, but your own. we are at war people!!! war to claim people's lives in the name of Jesus.

please pray continually for our future. we came because that is what the Lord has asked of us... and daily surrendering our lives to the Lord, asking what He would like from us...

thanks for praying for us!!! may the Lord bless you all!!! we love you!!!

family time

today was kind of hard. went to church and prayed that i didn't have to sit by myself. last week i missed BR and AH so much because they would always come sit next to me, but the Lord was good in answering my prayer. my friend came to sit next to me and it was so good for my soul. after church, A and i took a good nap. we were so tired from our travels.

sunday is usually family time here. lots of families go out together since it is the one day most people get off work. so after our nap, we went for our family time. missed P a lot. just remembering our family times together. A and i went to the mall and walked around, which is what most people do here. then A played at an indoor play area at the mall. we ended with dinner at pizza hut. it was a good day, but we both at one time said we missed P.

i have a prayer request on behalf of a friend. he has dengue fever and has been in the hospital a few days. now being transferred to a bigger hospital in our city. please pray for quick recovery!! he has a wife and two little girls. please lift them up.

also pray for A and i think week as we actually start a normal week here in our house. no plans for traveling or shopping for the house, so that we may be a blessing where we are.

home

thank you so much for praying for us during our travels. we had such a great time and everything went smoothly. we are finally home and A is in bed and i am off. tired.

just a thought i want to reflect on as i think of home. i met some really great people this weekend and as i spoke to one of them, we talked about where our home is. it's just so humbling to be reminded that this is not our home. everything here is temporary... even our homes. as i think of A growing up as a TCK and not really having a "home", i pray that she will always have the eternal perspective of heaven being our eternal home and right now we are nomads, wandering the earth doing what He wills us to do. soon and very soon we are going to see the King and be home forever... never do we have to move again.

again thanks for prayers. please continue to lift us up. the Lord is good.

a surrendered life

I have been here now for a month and I already know that the Lord is working. In many situations, I see that the Lord has me here for a reason and I pray that in those situations, I may do exactly as He wants me to. I want to be every so hearing to what He wants me to do.

I feel that is why He lead me to start studying about surrender. Two books that the Lord has allowed me to pick up has to do with surrender. One book that I finished within a matter of days is Elizabeth Elliot’s “Passion and Purity”. Wish I had read that before I started dating and so glad P had read it before meeting me. The other book is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss titled “Surrender”.

One thing that really struck me about surrender in EE’s book was what we surrender. Although the book is not about surrender, there is a part in the book reflecting surrender. I feel like a lot of times we think that if we surrender our material things to the Lord than that takes care of it, but she took it a step further. Surrender of the things that we feel the Lord is giving us that aren’t material… in the book the example is about longings, desires, loneliness… these are feelings that are okay to have, yet even those EE says that we must give back to the Lord. It was so good to read that as I came into country… my loneliness, that I felt was my right to feel, I learned to turn back to the Lord. Surrendering even the smallest things of my life or what I felt was my right or what I felt the Lord was giving me to feel, all those things, need to be given back to the Lord in order for Him to work in and through that. What an awesome concept huh?

NLD made a point in her book about being a bond slave. I remember when I was 12, I really wanted to get my ears pierced and my dad being a real conservative asked if I knew what that meant. Of course at 12, I was just thinking of getting my ears pierced to look pretty. Then my dad went on to explain that in the Old Testament to pierce one’s ear was to tell others’ that you were a bond slave to another person (Exodus 21:1-2; 5-6). I told my dad that I would do it to represent me being God’s bond slave, I know I just said it so I could get my ears pierced, but I feel like maybe God took what I said for true.  NLD said that there was no known instance of someone actually going to get their ear pierced to say they wanted to be a bond slave to one person… how that represents what our hearts should be. Do we take for granted our God? Doesn’t He deserve our desire to want to serve Him as a bond slave? He is God.

I’m not finished with NLD’s book, but I have to say, I want to live a life totally surrendered to our Father. Pure joy comes from surrendering my life and obeying the desires of my Master’s heart. And having a Master means that I AM A SLAVE. To be able to keep my heart open and pure to hear the prompting of the Spirit that wants to lead me to the ways of my Father. This doesn’t come overnight… it comes through daily surrender and daily admitting of our iniquities and fall at the feet of our Lord and Savior.

The encouraging thing that I have experienced these days is that, like the man in “Napoleon Dynamite” when asked to break the Tupperware, can’t do it and puts his head down in defeat, I sometimes find myself with my head down in that position defeated because I missed an opportunity or didn’t listen to his prompting… but my Savior, ever so gently lifts my head, looks me in the eyes and asks me if I would be willing to do it again… try it again he says and gives me confidence in Him again. We all mess up, but are we going to let Satan use that to discourage us and tell us we are a loser and keep our head down? Who’s voice are we going to listen to when we do mess up? That’s why daily we have to surrender… if we don’t we end up listening to the wrong voice.

Throughout this year, I have really enjoyed the Lord's prompting me in reading my Bible. He points out certain books to read and points out so many things to me... this past month was reading through those books and also the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Bible... rebuilding the wall... i heard the Lord speak to me directly from scripture to encourage me in rebuilding my wall here. Lord... how i desire to continue to walk in your path!!!

Please continue to pray for us...
1. in the situation mentioned before, that the Lord will reveal Himself in it.
2. our travels start tomorrow morning (wednesday evening stateside)... please pray for safe travels.
3. that in me there will be less of me and more of Jesus
4. A's adjustment here... she's starting to be bolder and bolder in going out and playing with kids and using the language, but that she at her age could understand as much as she can and have a heart of Jesus at a young age.
5. that the Lord's spirit would rain down here!!!!

prayer

as i finish lunch, i sit at the computer to plead prayer from brothers and sisters who read this. please pray for us. i do not want to go into detail, but need your prayer today as you wake up and for the rest of the week. i really feel at peace with the situation i need prayer in, but in that peace i know i need a lot of prayer coverage. please lift up prayers... even in small things Satan could try to take control, so i pray that we do not let him get that chance. i ask that you pray... the Lord knows, so please just pray. may He show Himself in this and all situations that will come.

**do not worry, i know it could sound like i'm hiding something big, but i'm not, i just need prayer and sometimes to be silent is a way to bring God glory, so i ask that you not worry or ask questions, but just be diligent in prayer!!**

"my soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN!!" psalm 62:1&2

confidence

Jesus has whispered His love for me throughout my life, like sweet nothings lovers whisper to eat other... this past year He's been screaming His love for me, making sure that not only i know, but others around me know how much He loves me. it's kind of embarrassing because i'm really not worth being loved this much, but i love it... soaking in every bit of His love for me, wanting to in turn reply with my love for Him. i don't know if anyone knows how it feels to be loved... it's crazy...

when P and i started dating, he would do sweet little things for me, just to know that he liked me. he would leave notes on my computer at work, leave flowers on my car (which he got caught by his friend SC in the school parking lot), and bring hot drinks to my house so we could take walks. i would feel so special and you know all those feelings in the pit of your stomach that comes when you see him... and i think, that's from and imperfect person... how much more than does my Savior love me, the perfect definition of love. i feel those fluttering feelings when i think of what He's going to do next for me. i live a day for the day... not for tomorrow for we do not know what tomorrow holds or even if there will be a tomorrow... so each day i wake to think what my Lord and Savior has in store for me... and sometimes it's the beautiful flowers on the side of the road as A and i walk down to catch our public transportation... sometimes it's the note of hope i read in psalms... sometimes it's in the eyes of a little baby... but when i see those, i know my Savior loves me... and He doesn't want me to miss it... He wants me to see it. but it can't stop there... when you are loved and you love the other, you pronounce your love to the person and then to people... that's what P and i did when we got married. he pronounced his love to me for the first time in a quiet little park in park ridge and then on our wedding day, it wasn't to just each other, but we were telling people that we would love each other til death do us part... and that's what we did. just like a wedding where people proclaim their love for each other in front of lots of people, i want to proclaim my love for my Savior. i love you Jesus!!!

my Lord gives me confidence... for things i didn't even know i had a lack of confidence in. He is my confidence!!!

please pray for A&i this week...
1. health and safety
2. A's heart as she plays with kids. it's hard to share at the age of three. we've been talking lots about loving others and sharing... i want to respect her, but also want to teach her how to share and love others.
3. we are traveling july 9-11. (8th night-11morning US time) please pray for safe travels and protection from other drivers.
4. future plans. came here in obedience to our Lord and now praying through some options of what i could do.

who will be against me...

during the past year, when life got tough, i always yelled at P. i told him he was being mean for leaving me to take care of all the tough things alone... i felt sorry for myself having to them all by myself at times and wanted to cry because it was frustrating doing things on my own...

today i had a frustrating day, but i saw a growth in myself tonight as i reflected upon the day... i didn't go yelling at P, i just told God how He really lead me to this and felt at peace about the situation. still not concluded the situation, but as i lay down to rest while A was napping, the Lord did something totally awesome. there is some construction going on just up the way from our house and there was constant pounding, making my rest not so restful... so i prayed, "Lord i just need to rest a little, could you make them stop pounding for a little bit?" no kidding within seconds it poured down rain for like 15 minutes. kids and ladies were running home screaming and laughing because of this sudden rain. then i heard the Lord speak to my heart, "i told you i'd take care of you... just trust me." then i concluded, the Lord is going before me, who will be against me? i trust my Saviour is before me and paving the way so clearly for me... so... on frustrating days, i've let go of blaming P, but now see His hand at work even in those situations. please keep praying for this situation, that the Lord will work in it. i feel utterly at peace.

i am so proud of my baby... she is just such a great blessing to me. this week as we got settled into our house, i could see how the Lord is working in her heart and growing her just as well. on monday, she didn't want to go outside unless there was someone there who could translate for her... like me of course... i encouraged her to speak for herself and gave her words to say... yesterday she went out to our gate on her own and said, "ayo main" which means, "let's play". as she said that like 6 kids ran to our gate, came in and played with her... she is enjoying herself and remembers some of her friends that she used to play with.

another thing i am so proud of her about is her adjustment to the mosque. when we first got here, she did not like the calls to prayer. she would cover her ears and cry... about a week into it, she would stand with her ears covered, then went to, "look mom, i'm listening to the mosque"... now when she hears it, she'll say, "mom let's pray"... i love her... she's growing... we spend 4 times a day praying, on top of meals and naps and night time. (it would be 5 times, but she sleeps through the 4am one... so do i...) i am praying that the Lord use her in awesome ways and want to continue to teach her to live a life for Christ... because that's what life is worth.

we are doing really well. the Lord has covered us with His grace... and His grace is sufficient for me... and i love that He is so far ahead of me and i don't have to worry about much... i love the peace He has given me to live out each day. my life is wholly and only devoted to the Lord. what a gift to be able to live under the shadow of His wings and feel His presence in my life.

reading a book now by elizabeth elliot and again i just think of the costs of following Christ... how everything the Lord gives, we need to surrender back to the Lord... not just material things, but our hopes, desires... family... friends... all those we need to give back to the Lord. what a life it is to live with everything surrendered to the Lord...

i think of matt redman's song "befriended" again... this will be my story this will be my song... how beautiful is that, if we actually let the author write our story so that we may sing with joy for the most incredible ways He reveals Himself to us. the Lord is good... He is faithful... Lord may i confess my love for you to the ends of the earth... that people may also experience your goodness and faithfulness... Lord the prayer of my life... More of you Less of me... fill me with you that i may not reflect myself, but what's in me... and if there is more of you and less of me, of course what is reflected is you and not me... to live as an image bearer of Christ is quite a task, but that you choose me... that you choose us to be that mirror image... how i don't want to mess that up... i know i will, but Lord if i keep my focus on you, how little would that be... Lord... this is my story and song... i want it to be only about you...

please pray for us this weekend as you celebrate the 4th of july or wherever you are at... for our continued health, safety. the Lord's protection in this house. for my friend to live with us. as i reunited with friends and depart with others (a couple we were friends with are moving away). A and my hunger to know the Lord more and grow in Him...

thank you so much for your prayers. one friend prays for us every time she finds coins when she does the laundry. the thing is you don't know what that prayer is doing... it could be preventing something or helping us in certain situations. when the Lord prompts you, whether by a coin or whatever, it's because we need it. so keep lifting those prayers us, we may never know why we lifted those prayers. by you obeying the Lord's prompting could save our lives. please never cease to pray for us...

pictures

**me playing "blessed be the name of the Lord" on the 16th**



**KS, A and A's ci-ci on the swings at our host family's house**



**JS and A playing in the airport**