Answered Prayers

I have not written anything for you guys in a while so I thought I could try to catch you all up on the latest happenings in my life. The Lord has answered a lot of prayers of mine in the past few months and I just felt the need to publicly praise Him.

College has been going well! I have my grades up and I have been doing (a bit) better at managing my time. School has a way of forcing you to do adult things like that... I have been enjoying it, but I will be taking a two-week break this summer for church camps. This school has been an answer to prayer, in that, I can take breaks between classes and they are really good at working with my schedule and finances! It has been a blessing!

I have been talking to a wonderful young man from my church for a little over nine months now. These have probably been the most wonderful days of my life! I care about and appreciate him a whole lot! I had been praying about/for him daily for about a year and a half before he asked to start talking to me, and I must say I believe that the Lord orchestrated it all because His hand has been very evident!

My job situation has changed since I have been back. I am still working at the same place but only as an alternate.Therefore, I have been a full-time college student for the past several months with some small jobs here and there. So, this was even a blessing, to be honest. It has given me more time for other things like school and relationships.

As you all know, 2015 was a year of big changes for me spiritually, but I never would have guessed that I would be where I am today back then! Not in a million years! God has completely changed my life for the better and I love Him for forgiving me and letting me serve Him. I can never thank Him enough for that!

So, I am now a college student, an aunt to three adorable little ones, and as of late I am now a fiance! WHAAAAT?!?! Yup! I am now engaged to the most wonderful man I could have ever hoped to meet and I am thrilled beyond words! I know I will be asked for the story so I may try to dedicate a post to that story sometime soon (hopefully!). For now, I simply wanted to say I am the happiest girl in the world to soon be the wife of Jedidiah :). So many prayers have gone up and so many blessings have been showered upon me. I do not deserve a man like Jed, but I sure am thankful for him!

Sooo... Yeah! Life has been exciting and busy and wonderful! I could not be happier! I know this has been a brief post, and I apologize, but I wanted to quickly let you all know what has been going on. Hopefully, I will be able to give you the story in greater detail soon :) I am excited to see what the future has in store for Jed and I!

Simply,
Sarah

Ethiopia: Round Two

Journal Entry:

Day 7: October 6, 2017

I am often asked, “So, what’s it like in Ethiopia?” “Can you tell me about Ethiopia?” “Do you like it over there?”. Or I’m asked to describe it. Impossible. Well, almost. How do you explain a place you love so much, yet in a realistic light? Yes, I love Ethiopia. It is a great place?  Who’s asking? From what aspect? And what is your definition of great? Haha! I will attempt to tell you about Ethiopia in this post. The real Ethiopia. Here is my journal entry from day seven:

This is a strange place. Here it is the people that are confined within walls; not the animals. The walls are meant to keep people and things out, but it is still a bit foreign to me.

Right now, I am sitting outside watching those passing by. A young woman trails behind four donkeys carrying her load; probably water. It is not as easy as turning on a faucet for some people here. The little things we take for granted… When I arrived home last time and washed my hands, I let the water run a bit longer through my fingers as I stood in awe of how easy we have it in America. It is always available, on command. Never do we say “Wooha Yellum!” (Water gone) in America, but here, it is not so uncommon! “What a little thing,” we think! But ah! Tis’ no little blessing! 

A small child, maybe two years of age, wanders down the cobblestone street taking in his surroundings. A man, whom I assume to be this child’s father, calls out to me (“Americano!”) as he relieves himself across the street. He feels no shame. The last trip, I saw a man bathing in the sewer water on the side of the main highway. What is normal here, can cause one to turn away in shame and embarrassment.

Trash lines the streets, filling the air with a polluted aroma of soured food, soiled clothes and who knows what. The foul scent of trash mountain lingers over Addis Ababa, within every whiff you take. Over time, the smell seems to lessen, though it is only you becoming numb and used to it. Back in March of this year, there was a “landslide” on trash mountain. Many people died. How? The people lived on trash mountain, surviving off of the waste they found each day. Their houses made from/in the rubbish collapsed on top of them, burying them alive. Now, what was it you hate about your home? What was it you are discontent with?

The house at the end of the road looks to be made of mud and tin. Huge improvements have been made to the restaurant/bar beside it since my last visit. The walls and roof are no longer made of sticks and tarp. The walls look to be made from mud or paper-maché, or both. The roof is now a mixture of tin and tarp. And we complain about having a small house, or having to share a room with a sibling, or not enough lighting to do our makeup and hair… How shameful! The last trip, I visited a mud house with two rooms; a kitchen and a bedroom. The bathroom was out back. Three people; one mother, two daughters. One light bulb, two windows, one double bed. Now, tell me again, what was it you were complaining about?

Yes, Ethiopia is a strange, filthy, poor, and even sad, place. And I hesitate to tell you some of these things, but this is the real Ethiopia! Yet, I still love it! But, why? The Lord has done so much for me here. Not only because of the place but the things the Lord worked in me while I was here. The things He taught and showed me here. I left a huge chunk of myself here last time. I felt like I had shed my skin and started anew once I went home. I feel like a new person. Maybe I am. I sure hope so! I know a lot has changed in me since two years ago. Oh goodness, “bazoo” (many) things!

The place has also changed me. For maybe the first time, I saw people as an ocean of lost souls in need of a Savior, instead of simply a crowd of people. Sure, I have known this all my life, but living in the south where “everyone” knows Jesus and is a “Christian”, it is hard to see them as lost when many of them know the truth but simply don’t yield to it. These people? They live in confusion like I’ve never seen before. They have the gospel laid in front of them, but it is twisted in such a way that makes it difficult to untangle and explain even that simple truth and the gift of God. My heart aches for them. The people showed me what lost truly is. Yes, I was just as lost as they before accepting the salvation of the Lord; but I had the truth handed to me on a silver platter from the time of my birth!

Though I learned many lessons on my last trip, there is still much my Father continues to show me this time around! I’ve come to think of Addis Ababa as my restart button. Last time I stayed, I desperately needed to get away, think, pray, and go back home with a clean slate! The Lord graciously worked it out! This time, I feel as if I am here to remember what is truly important. To prepare for whatever the Lord has next for me, whatever that may be. I am remembering what the Lord did for me back two years ago, and also, how He continues to bless me! My Father is reminding me of His proper place in my life! No matter how high I set Him in my heart and life, if He is not my first priority, I am failing as a Christian. Failing as His child. In all honestly, I have been struggling in this area as of late. Not that He hasn’t been important in my life or even in my heart, it is not that at all! However, many things have been going on in my life these past few months, and I have caught myself distracted from my true purpose on various occasions. Please tell me I am not the only Christian with this weakness!

Having all of this in mind, I also wonder how God could even let me be involved in any purpose He has! Why ask anything of me? I am weak! I am insignificant! I am not important, talented, or useful!  “I know. But I Am. My strength will be shown through your weakness. You will be made useful by My talented hands. You will be made important because I am important and I will make you significant by association.”, my Father gently says to me. How great is our God? Too great to be described in words! He is all good! O how I love Him! My Savior, my Friend!

So, what is our purpose? There are lost people even in America, but I had become blind to it. Numb to the calling of God. Maybe you have too. Not called, you say? God placed us where we are for a purpose. Do you truly think that purpose is to grow up, get married, have kids, go to church, go to the store, go to work, and die of old age? Really??? That is not all there is to this life! I’m sorry, but I don’t believe God gets glory just from us not doing wrong. Yes, we can and should live, and not do wrong, but one thing the Lord has been showing me lately is this: Not doing wrong is good, but are you doing right? Living righteously does not consist of only what action we do not take, but also of what action we do take! The Lord gave me this revelation as I watched the Ethiopian people.

So why is Ethiopia special to me? Memories of a tedious growth in the Lord. The patience the Lord gave me through that time of uncertainty, seeking clarity and truth, trying to find where I stood, and hoping to finally set my feet on solid, steady ground. The guiding hand of God so near it was almost tangible for the first time in years! Though the change in my heart did not start in Ethiopia (it started months before), it helped me to solidify and steady myself in my commitments and in my beliefs! He worked on my heart, softening it towards people and towards Him. He placed my beliefs in front of me, and asked me “why?”, changing and strengthening them into what He would have them to be. Ethiopia did not change me. But it was definitely a huge tool the Lord used as He changed me and worked on my heart! That is why I love Ethiopia. My restart button. A mighty tool in the hand of my God. And as He continues to work on me, I am so thankful for a round two in Addis Ababa!

The Beauty in the Storm

    I felt led to write this post, not knowing where to start, or what to write or where it would all lead. Simply, start and hope for the best! Lol! So be prepared for some scattered thoughts, and please bear with me! It's been a while! Sorry about that, but life has been busy and when I have had time, I simply haven't been motivated to write publicly! Believe me, I have probably written enough to compile into a book (or two!), but none of which would have been a good blog post! Anyways,... on to the post at hand! Hope you enjoy it! :)

Photo Creds go to Jed

    We all go through struggles. Some seem to struggle more than others, but we all have our battles whether big or small, physical, or spiritual. I have had my own set of struggles through this life, but I can also say, the Lord has carried me through each and every one of them with grace! I know He will continue to guide me through the things I am struggling with today!

     Many people around me have been facing tremendous struggles, and the Lord has laid a burden on my heart for them! Whether your struggle is sickness, death, financial instability, a big move, or life change, or maybe even the absence a loved one overseas as a missionary or military, know this my friend: God is there! God is with you now in this trial you are facing!
 
    There are no words I can say that can adequately communicate or describe how big, great, and capable our Father is! He is awesome! I can't, I just cannot tell you how amazing my God is! The words simply do not exist! He is powerfully gracious! He is terribly wonderful! He is mightily peaceful! He is the great Physician and the God of war! He was poor but is now preparing a place for us among the mansions in Heaven. He was born in a stable, but now sits on the throne! He died, but He lives! He IS! My God, IS! Praise God, He IS the Great I AM! He is present. He "is", in the present tense, and He is present in the here and now! He presents Himself as a gift to all who believe. How can one describe such greatness? Such grace? Impossible! I am not worthy to even stand in His shadow, and yet He lives within my heart. My Lord wakes me up every morning to speak with me! To have a relationship with me! How can I, a nobody, a simple piece of dirty clay, describe a love so deep, so unchanging, so amazing, and so undeserved, when I have done nothing, absolutely nothing, to earn it? All I did was ask! He is so good!

    I know I started out by talking about struggles, and I got carried away. Something the Lord has been showing and teaching me this year though is this: we can't focus on the struggles. We must put our trust in Him, no matter what comes! Prepare for the storms by looking unto Him, and following Him, not by watching the storm clouds roll in! Worry is not a defense mechanism, it is paralyzing us from doing what needs to be done! Quote from the worrier! Haha! I've got to remind myself of that sometimes! It just isn't worth it to worry so much!
 
    I almost started to write a post titled "Vanity". I may still write the post, but what I wanted to talk about comes into play here as well! Isn't it funny, the things we think are so important nowadays? The things we find "worry worthy"? Sometimes I can understand, and see that, yeah, that's definitely a big deal! But is it really? When placed in the perspective of our Father, are our problems truly significant? A lot of the time, I would personally have to say, "No, they aren't!" Because they are earthy problems-Temporary problems! Even some "life-changing" decisions are temporary! Not to say they aren't important! I'm not stating that at all! Take time to make those decisions, but remember the true purpose of our existence, is not to get into that school, buy that car, or even marry that person! Our purpose is to serve our Creator! All else is vanity!

    Speaking of the perspective of the Father, if we have the mind of Christ as we should, we too can see trials as lessons, or a time of growth rather than just another bump in the road of life. We can learn to see the beauty in the storm. Beauty is not only found on the easy path! Sometimes the most beautiful sights are found at the end of a long, overgrown, and difficult path! It is easy to feel alone on the overgrown path, as it looks as if you are the only one to have ever tread upon it. These are tough, but you are never alone! Look to the Father who placed you there! He will carry you through it! But He can't do that until you draw nigh unto Him! God never places us in a time of difficulty without purpose! You may not understand, but you can try to make the best of the situation! Use this time to grow, to lean on His understanding, not your own. Use this time to acknowledge the mighty hand of the Creator in your life. Pray and let Christ walk you through it! What a beautiful thing! To have the Lord walk you through the long winding roads of life! Have you ever bonded with a friend over tough and trying times? You come out stronger, don't you? Your relationship with that person is deepened through hardship. Let that be the case with our Father!  

    One thing I have seen the Lord do time and time again is calm the storm! Not only in the Bible, but in the storms of life! If Jesus could calm the raging sea, what makes you think He is incapable of calming the storm in your heart or life? How do we have so little faith in a God that is so big? My Father has brought me to my knees in shame for my lack of the mind of Christ and lack of faith! It is a continual battle between the flesh and the Spirit, unfortunately. But victory is possible! With Christ, victory is achievable!

    I can go on and on about the beauty that can come from trials! We all hear cliche sayings such as "You have to endure the rain before you enjoy the rainbow", or "The sun still shines behind the stormclouds." but it is true! Have you ever just looked at creation, and let it preach to you? That may be a strange way of putting it, but it does preach! I am a weirdo (as we all know), in that, I find storms beautiful. I've always loved a good thunderstorm with lightning and lots of rain! However, when life started sending me some spiritual and a few physical storms, I didn't like it too much! I withdrew and became hard, instead of leaning on the Rock who could shield me from all of that! I am still learning, but my Father has taught me that both metaphorical and literal "storms" have a beauty about them! Where is the beauty in disaster, you ask? In God's mighty hand of comfort and victory! Sometimes, He chooses to simply comfort His children rather than take the storm away, but never doubt His presence! He is working! However, He may be working on you rather than the situation! Trust Him! It is a beautiful thing when the Potter places the clay on the wheel to design a vessel fit for His purpose! In the eyes of man, it may seem harsh and hurtful to be slammed onto the Potter's wheel, but we can't see the finished product! Let Him work! The work of the Master's hands is never without purpose! Beauty in a time of disaster is also found in the glory given to the Father through those trials! Glorify Him even in heartache! Even in times of loss and despair, He is still worthy of our praise and gratification! Remember, you don't know what He has planned!

    So, basically, the beauty in the storm, is God our Father! Don't focus on the storm! Look for the Beauty in the Storm! And glorify Him for it! Let us pray for one another as we go about our day. Let us carry one another's burdens to the Lord in prayer! Let's encourage each other! I hope I have encouraged at least one person through this post! Thank you for reading!


    Simply, 
          Sarah

P.s. I have many more busy days and months ahead of me! I will try my best to post on Friday whenever I can, but I may post randomly here and there! Thank you all for understanding! I hope everyone is having a terrific summer! :)

Careless Scribbles

I sit here with words and thoughts spinning around in my mind and yet, I seem to be unable to tie them down to a piece of paper. Too many thoughts. So I write carelessly,...

I apologize for the lateness of this post... life happens. The good, the bad, all of it, happens. That is life. A mixture of good and bad, sometimes tasting more bitter and other times tasting more sweet. Sometimes it's hard to determine exactly what you feel about how things are going.

Growing up is weird. Making adult decisions for yourself is weird! Lol! I'm not good at making swift decisions. I never have been! I like to take time to think about the situation in every aspect and from every view and with every possible outcome. So I don't make many rash decisions. This can be a good or even a bad trait of mine sometimes! I just have to learn to know when to use that and when to avoid giving into that habit. For example, standing in line ordering food, would be a good time to avoid that trait! Lol! At this point in my life though, I think it's a good trait to have. At least I try to utilize it to the best of my ability!

I was pretty sure at the age of fifteen that it was in God's will for me to go to college. So, I started making plans, not wanting this to be something I backed out of, or missed out on simply because I took too much time thinking about it! But God had other plans! He used various things and situations to hold me still. He used discouragement, He used anxiety, He used uncertainty, He used opportunities, and He even put people in my path to steer me in a totally different direction! I used to look back on that time in my life and feel saddened, or disappointment all over again, because I never went through with it. But I now realize why! The Lord needed me to see His plan! Not take the first thing off the list and run with it before I had been given all of the instructions! I know now I could not have handled college back then, at all! I was a very weak Christian. Not to say I'm now super spiritual and a wonderfully strong Christian, who has it all together! Ha! I am far from that! But I have found strength in the Lord! I have grown in my walk with Christ! I hope I don't sound prideful, or come across as having a "greater than thou" attitude. I am simply saying I am not where I used to be- by the grace of God!

Sorry I went down a bit of a rabbit trail there! Anyways, where was I? Oh yes! College. You see, the Lord never gave me peace about any of my ideas I sent His way. I never stopped to listen to what He wanted. Sure, I prayed, but I think for a while I forgot that a relationship with Christ is the same as it is with anyone else when it comes to the structure of it. A relationship is never a one way deal! It takes two people to have a relationship. I was talking to God, but not with Him. I hope I'm making sense! I was telling Him what I wanted and asking Him for favors. But wouldn't take time to hear His reply. Until finally, one day at camp the Lord me asked through a sermon to give Him my blueprints for my life. To give Him my plans and aspirations. Reluctant at first, I came to the conclusion that that was best! When I gave the Lord my plans and listened to His will, He closed some doors in my heart. He opened some more, but to show me that peace doesn't come from following your own will, but from accepting God's will as your own! The more I tried to pry doors open, the more the Lord gave me an uncertainty about it all. So, college went on the shelf, and church and church family became a priority in my life. Taking 2 years to be still has turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I'm glad the Lord didn't give me peace about school back then. Now, I have applied for school, I am still waiting to see if I receive an acceptance letter! Which makes me feel a bit uneasy posting this! I may or may not get in, but I definitely have peace about applying, about the classes I've chosen, the school I've chosen. I feel as if the Lord placed it in my lap for some reason. I hope you will all pray for me, and with me, as I step out on faith to take this journey! 

Since this is a bunch of careless scribbles, I will be a bit random and state some more of my random thoughts for you! Something I have struggled with in the past was easily becoming bothered by rumors. If you said it to my face, it didn't so much, but behind my back, it would really bother me. But this year, I've learned to not really care anymore. No, no bullying or ugly things have been said. Just simple assumptions are made and spread as if they are fact. The oh so familiar situation of people placing their noses were they don't belong! "Grow up people!" I am tempted to go to them and say! But I've learned it's not worth it! Let them believe a bunch of lies, they obviously want to believe them or else they would've asked me themselves! So just a reminder to you all, don't believe everything you hear! Or even what you think you may have seen! Things can be twisted so easily when taken out of context. Don't fall into that trap. Take fact as fact. Don't assume. Simple as that. Thank you, I'll step off my soap box now! 

I'm going to backpedal a bit here. I was speaking with the Lord this morning as I was driving. Thinking and praying about how I had been feeling stagnant for a while and now I can look back and see the Lords hand on it all. :) As I drove slowly in the stillness of the morning, enjoying the beauty of spring, I passed by a still creek bed, noticing as the trees and colors from above were clearly reflected in the unmoving waters. As I took the time to listen, I heard that still small voice answer, "Beauty is not only found in the rushing, moving, waters, but in stillness." As I write this another thought comes to mind. While we pause in that still part of our life's journey, that is a time of growth. And the Lord can be clearly reflected through us during that time of stillness! Even a still dirty creek bed can look beautiful when it clearly reflects the Maker! That is our true calling, right? To bring glory to the Father in everything we do! To reflect His glory and goodness even through our dirty selves. Whether still or moving! What a blessing that God would use us, even as unrighteous as we are, to show forth His goodness! :) 

I know this was random, but I had an urge to write carelessly. So, I did! Lol! Hope you can find a blessing within my careless scribbles! As always, thanks for reading! Until next time! 

     Simply,

         Sarah


Selamina

08.02.15

    Last time I wrote I forgot to mention that Messy made us Habisha (Ethiopian) food for lunch that day! It was really good! I also ate hot sauce with mine, [and] Messy was having a hard time with it! [lol] Yes it was hot! But it was good!

    On to today! This morning I woke from a very eerie dream with a very eerie feeling at about 4:15. It felt as if every hair on my neck & arms were standing straight up! And I [heard] some moaning coming from one of the churches. It felt different somehow and I started to pray away [the] dark feeling that had come over me. Once I had peace, I fell back to sleep. But I found that was really odd! Krystal said it may have been the Muslims instead of the Orthodox. That may have been it, but whatever it was, I never want to feel its presence again!

    We went shopping after this morning service and Krystal found Jelly! Yay! There are some things that if you happen to find them it makes your day! Peanut butter being one of those top precious items! LOL! We also got some freshly made donuts from the bakery! So good! There aren't like the donuts in the US, but they're good! 

    After lunch and supper we had the evening service then sent the boys to bed. All of which were [already] asleep with the exception of Joshua.

    Heith and I had a really good long talk after everyone else went to bed. We talked about a lot of random things, then it slowly got into some more serious stuff. We started talking about Bible stuff and commitments and other things. I think I needed that. He gave me two verses to help me with out with something I've been dealing with in my mind for quite a while. I'm really hoping that I can stick to my commitments. No. I'm going to! I'm desperately trying to grasp onto that very same thing Heith did when he was younger. Determination to do right no matter what. I want that! For the first time in a long time I truly want that! I am reaching for it! I want the faith and dedication of Darlene Deibler Rose (I'm reading her book for the first time)! I want to learn the Bible. I've become thirsty for it. I look forward to devotions and reading my Bible every morning. It's not a chore anymore and I don't, I desperately don't, want that to ever ever change! Oh God, give me the strength and the wisdom to do what's right whether everyone else is or not! Whether it is hard or easy!  

    Even in Africa I face the challenge of music! It's everywhere I go. It's in my head. But I'm learning to be annoyed by it. I know I can't get it out of my head, but I'm trusting the Lord to cleanse my heart of it! It is very tiresome carrying all of that around everywhere I go, but I found a Resting Place. In my Savior, my Lord, the Worthy Lamb of God! I'm learning to trust Him a little more each day.

~Sarah

P.s. Selamina = I have peace.

I realize that some of this post may be a bit weird, but the spiritual battles shouldn't be overlooked simply because they make is uncomfortable. This is real. The battle is real! Taking this trip made me realize just how real! Not only are we in a battle to lead lost souls to Christ, but we do have a spiritual enemy! Thank God we also have a spiritual Ally! He will win the war! But please stay strong for each battle my friends! 

I truly enjoyed looking back at this entry, thinking of how far I had to come to come to this place of peace! Wow! The Lord has blessed me! What sweet peace my Father gives! :) Can you say truthfully in your heart that you have peace? I hope so! 

      Simply,

           Sarah

07.31.15

07.31.15 

    Not last night but the night before, there was a party going on in the street! It was quite funny to listen to! Another weird thing is every morning the orthodox [pray, aka] moan and groan, and it can be heard from a mile away! They also do it later in the day. Most everyone considers themselves orthodox, including Meseret. 

   We were talking about food the other day and Messy said she doesn't eat bacon because it's pork and the Bible says not to eat pork. The conversation continued and she said she really enjoyed ham! Ha ha! Krystal told her that was pork and she just sat there saying "no! nah-uh!" So she didn't even know! Yesterday Krystal was trying to make a grocery list and she found some pepperonis and just started to laugh! I asked her what was so funny. She said both Messy and Daniel have eaten pepperoni pizza she made for them! Yet they don't eat pork! LOL! They don't seem to know what is pork [and what isn't]! 

   Yesterday Heith got the pipe to the kitchen sink unclogged! It was clogged with concrete! Hoping that fix the leak in the hallway! He and Daniel also went to the old house to grab a few things so maybe we will have the basketball goal up soon… Maybe! LOL! He has a long list of things to build and do! He is supposed to build a dining room table and stand for the Berkey, some bookshelves, a desk, put up the rest of the curtains… Etc.! It goes on! 

    Last night we tried a new restaurant. It was pretty good! The meat was still chewy, it is everywhere [here] though. The boys got pizza, Heith and Krystal got beef fajitas, and I got a steak burger. We passed it all around trying everything and it was all pretty good! We were really impressed with the rolls for the appetizer! They were soft and tasted like something you could get in America, which is rare! We also got chocolate and strawberry cake slices for the boys to share. it was pretty good! Heith ordered Krystal, himself and I all mochas. It was pretty good too! Their coffee is strong here but it's not anywhere near as bitter! Oh I almost forgot! My steak burger came with chili peppers and I tried one! Whew! Hot! LOL!
    Heith bought a bag of coffee beans from the area for my dad try. If he likes it I'll bring some home for him but I'm definitely bringing some home for myself! Because I love it! 

    Well, I've been sitting here writing for 30 minutes now! I better get my day started! 

    Simply,

        Sarah

We Moved!

07.29.15

    We are moved into the new house! We moved in on the 27th, Monday. Everything is going good with the neighbors and everything. but we have had a few plumbing problems! The sink has been leaking and we just found that once I drained the kitchen sink, water started pouring from under the wall in the hall! So Heith is calling landlord, and we are hoping she will have it fixed! I met Daniel Monday, saw him again yesterday, and will possible see him again today! He has been helping Heith with lightbulbs and the washer and the sink. Various things around the house. He seems pretty nice but I haven't spent much time with him though. So I don't know yet!

    We cleaned the new house for a whole day and half! It was so dusty! And paint splatters were a nightmare to get off the floors! But we did get it done! Hallelujah!!! I don't think anyone had fingernails after that! Some raw fingers maybe! lol! In the main rooms at least! So, yes, there was more!

    We may be going back to the old house today to clean and make sure we left nothing behind. The day we moved in the new house, our new neighbor brought us lasagna and green beans for supper! It was very good!

    Messy will be working here at the new house too, so she is trying to get used to coming here instead! lol! She keeps getting lost on the way her though it's not far from the old house! For her sake I hope she adapts easily and soon ! :) In the new house I have my own room with my own bathroom! I had my own room in the old house, but we all shared one bathroom (not counting the outside bathroom) [Just a half bath,] but it is still nice!

    We had hamburgers and fried potatoes from the suke down the road and some mac-n-cheese. It was all pretty good. Heith  got the boys bed built today so they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. Heith and Krystal and I all watched some Leave it to Beaver tonight. Well Heith joined us for the first episode so he could have some of Krystal's Peanut butter M&M's! lol!

    Oh yeah, the plumber came today and let's just say my hopes are not high! He came in telling us what was wrong before we even told him what had been happening! Heith thinks he knows what it is, but the plumber is thinking something completely different. So, I don't know! But I hope they figure it out and get it fixed so we can wash dishes in the sink again! We've been washing dishes in a small blue tub and dumping it out back  when we finish.

    Well, it's kinda late and I'm very tired! I sorry my writing has been scattered, but I've just been writing as I think of it!

        

        ~Sarah :P

P.S. I cannot believe I didn't mention this before, so I'll tell you now! Heith and Krystal had been praying for some good neighbors or friends for the boys. When we went to look at the new house for the first time, we heard a little boy saying hello in English. We looked over and there were white people next door! English speaking white people! We all introduced ourselves and found out not only did they live next door, they were from Indiana! What's more, is they had five kids! three girls and two boys. The four oldest were all about the same ages as the Fussner boys! If you have never been on a foreign field you will probably never understand the depth of how great a blessing this was! The Lord had given not only Krystal and Heith friends, but each of the boys! Our God is awesome! :)

   
         Simply,

               Sarah

Hard and Heavy Burden

I'm taking a break from the journal this week. I hope you don't mind! As Easter Sunday creeps up on us, I am continuely reminded of my Savior and what He has done for us! I know that is not the origin of Easter, but christians have come to celebrate our risen Savior on this day. I hope you enjoy this post!

"God, why is this so hard?" "Why does this have to be so hard?" "why must this burden me so?" "Why is this so heavy Lord?" I ask my Father as I struggle seemingly in vain to find His will for my life.

"Hard?" He asks scoldingly. " You think this is hard?"

Pictures of all He has done for me surface in my mind. This was hard.

Ouch. Though the truth hurts, He is right. This isn't hard. Caring for a people that hate you so much they long to see your blood running down your mangled back, that is hard. Having to banish man from the perfect garden you prepared for him, that is hard. Having to kill an innocent, spotless, lamb You created in order to atone for man's sin, that is hard. Sending Your Son to be born in a stable, knowing that filthy place will be the least of His problems in His life time- that is hard. 

"You're right Father! This is nothing. This is not hard. But it is still heavy!"

"Heavy? Really, Sarah? This is not heavy!"

A deluge of images then rush into my mind: My Savior climbing up Calvary, carrying my cross with the weight of all man's sin on His shoulders. That was heavy. The stones of wrath thrown in anger at Stephen, when his only crime was loving the Lord enough to tell others the hard truth- That was heavy! I then see the teardrops of blood running down my Lord's sweet face as He prepared to take on the weight of the cross, the weight of my sin, and the weight of unrighteousness. That was heavy!

This, my burden, is not. O Lord, my God! How can I say this is a hard, or heavy burden? I pray Father, You help me to see my "burdens" through Your eyes! I pray, You help me to stop worrying and focusing on the power these decisions and situations may have over me and my life! Instead, help me to focus on and trust in Your almighty power, and Your unending grace! 

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:

for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,

that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

May this ever be my prayer O LORD! That your strength would be made perfect through my weakness! Use me even in my weakest hour Father! Use my burdens to pursue Your will, to help Your cause, to make me useful to You! I may not understand everything right now, I may never, but I pray God will receive all the glory! Through the good, the bad, and the difficult times! 

    Simply,
        Sarah

P.S. The Lord continued to speak with me on this matter this week, so I thought this may be worth adding to this post!
My mother, Leah and I were just in Georgia this week. We took a day to run around and see the town my mother grew up in. We visited her old home, got to take a tour and picture all of the stories she has told us come to life in a whole new way!
We visited my Grandmother's grave. We took my pastor's advice and took some time to meditate and read the head stones. We saw a family, a parent and two children, had all passed on the same day. We also came across two children that had passed. One was four years old, and the second, three weeks old. They were siblings. They died about a year apart and  never had a chance to meet on this earth. What really touched me though, was what the headstone of the second child stated: "God is Gracious and Faithful". Soon after that, I came across a stone with the simple, yet sweet lyrics: "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus". Even in heartache these people seemed to have faith and trust in the Lord! The Lord spoke to me again saying, " Sarah, you have known no heartache. Not true heartache. " This place was filled with the remains of stories and lives I know nothing of, and yet they spoke to me saying, "This hard! But even when life is hard, you can trust in God! He is still in control!"
We also had a chance to visit dear ol' Aunt Jean. I had never had the pleasure of meeting her before, but, what a blessing this ninety year old lady was to me! Even with alzheimers the Lord used her to speak to my heart again! She told us of some of her hardships and heartaches in her life and later stated, "I've lived a good life. It's been hard, but I don't regret a thing!" She is one of the happiest ladies you will ever meet! Someone who has seen true sorrow, endured true heartache, has the peace of God and no regrets! What a beautiful thing! May we all grow to trust the Lord that way! May our trust in God drive out all doubt, all feelings of uneasiness, and lead us to the peace of God we all too often push away with the cares and worries of this life! 
No, Father, this is not heavy! Gladly I will carry my burdens for Your glory! I choose to lay those that are unnecessary down at Your feet! I praise God for His strength in the hard and heavy burdens. I am utterly thankful that He carried the ultimate burden and that He conquered the task by rising on the third day! O thank You, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

First Time Watching the Boys on my Own in Ethiopia

07.23.15

   

    Meseret came by the work [today], and work she did! Even though there wasn't much work to do!

    Messy went with Heith and Krystal into [what] I think it was Mercato. They dropped her off so she could go ahead to her next job and they went curtain and curtain rod shopping. I stayed at the house with the boys. It was actually pretty quite... for the boys! LOL! But they were all pretty good, so no problems there!

    Heith and Krystal got back after the boys and I had already eaten. The boys ate three pancakes each! Yes, we had pancakes for supper! I didn't cook much back then lol Plus, who doesn't like breakfast for supper? So I had to make another batch for Heith and Krystal and some chocolate chip pancakes for tomorrow.  Which worked out so [that] their food was warm when they got home. Right off the stove actually!

    Krystal showed me all of her new curtains they had made today. Hopefully we can put some up tomorrow!

    [For devotion,] I read some more out of the Charlie Coulson booklet. The boys seem to gobble it up! Krystal and I cleaned the kitchen after the boys were getting ready for bed and now here I am writing! :)

    Oh! While the boys were getting ready for bed Heith told me about Daniel and his sweatshirt! Haha! He was wearing a Justin Bieber one! But people here will wear just about anything, The people also hate gays! It is simply not a part of their culture. So Heith asked Daniel if he knew who [Justin Bieber] was. And of course he didn't. So Heith told him "Well, he's a queer." Lol, Daniel got really mad and was like "No way! Really? My sister bought this for me!" And Heith said, "Maybe a joke?" And Daniel said "Well it's not very funny!" Lol! He was so mad according to Heith and Krystal! They were both laughing as Heith told me the story! It was pretty funny! 

    Yesterday was Brother Bruce Radar's funeral. I haven't heard anything about how it went, but of course we all hope it went well. I hope and pray his family is doing okay! I know it's got to be hard! But with him gone, so is his sickness! He no longer has to worry about any of that! And for that, I am glad! He was ready to go! Well on that note I will stop! I don't know if I'll have time to write tomorrow, because we will be cleaning all day at the new house! Well good-night!

  ~Sarah ;P

Mud House

07.22.15

I can't believe I've been in Africa for almost 2 weeks now! That's crazy! A couple days ago Krystal, the boys, and I all walked to the stores to get bread milk and a couple of other things. We got to try donuts from the bakery. They were actually pretty good! Not nearly as sweet as ours in the US, but they were good! On the way home a man stopped us and said "look my baby." and gestured to his daughter who was probably about 4 or 5 years old. He shook our hands and told his daughter to do the same. She was super cute! I swear it's like we're famous here! ha ha! Seems like a lot of people want to talk to us. Which I don't mind! It's really cool to be able to communicate with the people here. 

We got the chance to go to a traditional Ethiopian house last night! Well, The Fussner's have already been, but it was a first for me! We went to Messeret's house for her young girls' graduation party it was a small mud house. The whole house was smaller than my bedroom at home. Maybe even half the size! it had a small kitchen and bedroom.  One bed, three people. The girls were adorable! Ficarasalaam and her older sister (I can't remember her name) are both beautiful! They are four and five or six years old. 

The food messeret made was so good! I would've eaten so much more, but I had too  take it easy because my stomach has already been a little upset since I've been here. But it was all Ethiopian food with the exception of lasagna. Cabbage and potatoes, green beans and carrots, bread, spring rolls, rice, and some other foods I don't know how to pronounce yet! But all that was homemade! [We had pretty good spread!]

We stayed for a couple of hours and visited with Messy and her girls, neighbors, friends, and family. Most cotuld speak some English, but some couldn't. Most were women but there were some men, but we didn't speak with them. I don't think they could speak English. The lady seemed impressed with the AMHARIC that Heith and Joshua knew.   

They are very pushy when it comes to food! You finisa plate they tell you to get more. No matter how much you eat or say no thank you! Lol! Ficarasalaam spent most of the night in Hheith's laps teaching him new words in Amharic.. And he taught her some English words. Both of Messy's girls caun read and write in English but they can't speak it. But Fica knows what cake is! LOL! [While] waiting for the food, we sat on the bed with the window open and the gate was open as well. Some of the kids passing by stopped to wave and blow kisses to us! It was so funny! They kept coming back too! LOL! When we gave the girls their present of chocolates and we're getting ready to leave, Ficarasalaam came to me and I started talking to her. I said "Ficarasalaam?" And pointed to her. And she started smiling and nodding your head yes. Then I pointed to myself and said "Sarah". She repeated Sarah and her grin grew bigger. She was so cute! She started playing with my hair and seemed like she was just having a ball playing with it! 

There was also a little girl there named Sarah. Heith told her my name with Sarah to and she started just grinning. She came over by me later and I pointed at her and said "Sarah!" Then pointed at myself and said the same. She started smiling and nodding then ran off to play. It was really fun to see and experience so much culture at once! We had homemade coffee and got to watch them cook the beans and everything! I thought it was good! We had chocolate cake.it was good, but since they use real sugar and not a lot it wasn't very sweet. The coffee here is so much better than American coffee! Though it was a small madhouse we said a lot of people and they're pretty comfortably and they had electricity! So that was nice!  

Messy has an oven small enough that she alone can carry it! It was pretty cool! Messy walked us out so we would make it up the slippery uphill climb that was their walkway to the house. It was dark so messy held her held my hand until we reached the stairs at the top. We hugged and said ciao. When we arrived earlier for the party message showed me how to properly greet someone. You take the person's hand and lean in and kiss close to their face three times. But I've seen people say goodbye the same way. Miss you seemed really happy that we came and she just kept thanking us! We had a pretty quiet ride home. We sauce two horses in the middle of the road, the car in front of us barely missed one of them! 
Once we got home and got the boys in bed, Krystal told me that Joshua was scared [and having a hard time going to sleep. He was pretty concerned and Krystal tried to console him.] Krystal prayed with him and he went to sleep.  he was almost crying when he was telling Krystal about it so he was pretty torn up about it. Krystal told me some about some violent things they had seen and that was common but she said that what Joshuah just described wasn't something she expected to see on the side of a busy road. So I don't know but I just hope Joshua can either forget about it or find peace about it through prayer! 
we continued  to talk about how the night had gone and the plans for the rest of the week,  and then we went straight to bed! Today nothing much but cleaning and we will probably try to pack a bit. Messy and her girls are coming to visit on Saturday so I'm excited about that! I get to meet Daniel on Monday he comes to help us move. Daniel is sort of like the fussners interpreter. Well, that's about it! Hopefully within the next week or two I can update my blog!(which I never got to do in Ethiopia! Lol!)

         Simply,
                Sarah

 I apologize for the vagueness of the last story! I decided it best to leave some of that out. But please let this be a reminder to pray for not only the missionaries, but their children! Moving to a new place is hard enough, but when the culture is full of violence and filth, it can affect the MK's in a big way! So please don't forget to pray for missionary kids! 

First visit to Sishu's

I have been staying busy! I haven't gotten around to posting lately! Life is about to become extremely busy, and there will be no apologies from me! I do want to try to stay on schedule as much as possible! Thank you to those that keep me committed! ;) I am going to miss some weeks this summer for sure! Life happens, and I refuse to apologize for living life, rather than sitting on the computer to write a post! I love my blog and I absolutely love that people are interested in reading what I write. I guess what I am trying to say is this: I will not be able to write every week like I did last year! I will try, but no promises! I will try to expound on all that is going on at a later date; but for now, lets get on with today's post! :) Thank you all for your understanding and for keeping up with my blog! :)

07.17.15

    Well, we are beginning to very slowly pack things away to move! Heith and Krystal closed on the house yesterday!

   Oh! And a couple of days ago we went out to eat at a burger place. The name of the restaurant is Sishu, just in case you find yourself in the area and need a good place to eat ;P It was so good! It was pretty cool too, because the tables, booths and even the highchairs were all made out of paper mache! It was pretty cool! The food was great! The ketchup was very different and the coke was too! But it was good! We also went out for ice cream and coffee afterwards, and it was all so good! The coffee, OH MY WORD! I'm hoping to bring some home with me! Which I did! :) Still have some uncooked beans :)

Krystal and I are probably going to be making a lot of curtains soon! Once we figure out what she wants to do with the curtains she has. 

    I've learned a few more words! I understand these may be completely wrong in spelling, and if you have knowledge in the Amharic language, please feel free to correct my errors!

 yik’irita (Yee-kirt-a) is excuse me.

Birr is one of the first words I learned. It is like a dollar to them, but 1 birr equals about two cents in American money. Most things here seem to be pretty cheap, food does anyways. The housing and vehicles on the other hand are quite expensive! $2000 dollars in US money a month is a good price for a nice house!

    Meseret, the Fussner's serantina, is really sweet and good at what she does! I really hope she finds the LORD! She worked for another missionary family before she worked for the Fussners so she has definitely had a Christian influence in her life.  Please continue to pray for her salvation!

    Devotion went well last night! The boys seemed to love it! I read a couple of pages of Charlie Coulson's story. I plan to finish over the couple of weeks but we will see!

    Heith is fixing the light in my room. It stopped working a couple of days ago! Don't know why yet!  I think it was just wacky Ethiopian wiring lol!

    I love going outside with the people here! Lol! Everyone stares and waves at us ferenjis! Some point and yell "Ferenjis!" or "Americano!" Lol! It's pretty rare for white people to live here I guess! They all want to talk to "the white people"! They don't seem to be prejudice as a whole, but we do stand out!

    Krystal is probably going to start school in a couple of weeks so I will be keeping the boys a [lot] more! Which is why I'm here! Well, I'll write more later!

    ~Sarah ;P

P.S. I walked down the street today with Joshuah to get Coke & Sprite at the sukes. [One man spoke to me saying] "You! How you do today?" I smiled and said "good". He seemed pretty happy to communicate with a ferenji! lol

Another group of guys passed us and one [proclaimed] "You look just like my sister! I love you! I love you so much!" Haha! I just laughed and kept walking as did they, but it was pretty funny! I also remember his buddies all elbowing him and laughing. I thought they were going to trip they were laughing so much! Joshuah and I laughed the rest of the way there and back! lol! Heith enjoyed this story, and I have heard him repeat it or he would have me tell it many times! lol! I really like it here!

The wonderful Sishu burger!

        Simply,

              Sarah 

Fussner's New Bate (House)

07.13.15

    The Fussners have a found a house! It is beautiful! They are hoping to move in as soon as the contract with this house is done, which is in 4-5 weeks! It is just completely perfect for all their needs! So praise the Lord for that! So, there you have it! My excuse for not writing was we had been busy looking at houses, and cleaning!
    I really love it here! So far I haven't missed any items or possessions from the states! Of course, I miss the people back home, but I cannot yet say I am homesick! 
    Krystal cracks me up! We just finished getting rid of all the mosquitoes we could possibly find in the boys room and also my own! It was quite hilarious to watch her! I told her I will eventually catch it on camera! Lol! Unfortunately, I never did! :(
    Heith has had quite a bit of building to do since he's been here it seems. He built my bedframe, his own iron bed, (Which was beautiful by the way!) and a wooden ladder. He also had time to make a wooden gun for the boys! LOL! 
    Since I have been here, Heith has been pretty busy with [language] school. I've been trying to pick up on the language a bit so I know how to say a few words. Not spell though!
"Wooha" ውሃ means water. 
"Ciao" means goodbye. 
"Sa-lam-no" =Hello
Still trying learn all that!
    The Fussners have a "ser-en-tiña" to help around the house, but she is also a friend to Krystal :). her name is Meseret. She is lost and she has two young girls. please pray for Meseret's salvation
    The Fussner's are hoping to start a Bible study once they get settled in their new home. Heith also assigned Thursday night devotions to me! So I'm going to have to think and pray about that!
    Well, I'm falling asleep while writing so I [will] write more later!

    Simply,
         Sarah

Arrival

This week I'm going to do this a bit different! I'm going to add a bit of commentary to the journal entrée. Let me know if you enjoy this or if it throws you off!

07.09.15

 

    Well, I had some serious jet-lag yesterday! To the point I was literally falling asleep standing up! But I made it!  The flight was long, but good! I watched TV, finished a book, played some short games on my kindle, [and] slept very little! I got up one time the entire thirteen hours I was on that plane! But I think I timed it just right because I didn't feel swollen at all. I beside a couple that were on their way to Uganda with a [church] group to help missionaries.  From the way they talked about it they often went to help missionaries around the world! Which was cool. I don't know if they were Christians but they definitely seemed to have good intentions! (I did talk with them a bit about their church and the work they were doing. I believe they were from a non-denominational church.)

Once I got to Addis Abba (which is where the Fussners live), I had found a lady to show me where luggage was located, then I found a man to keep pointing me a little farther, then another lady came to me and showed me which line to be in to get my luggage! LOL! Once I got in line, I met a man who said he was from Memphis! I think we both kinda were a little excited to know we were both from TN! But we made small talk until he went to the desk to get his passport checked out as we all had to do. 

    I went to get my luggage, [and] of course, being a little white girl, I stick out anyway! I obviously stuck out trying to continuously find the luggage! I got a lot of help and finally made it to baggage claim! I paid a guy WAY too much to help me, but he kept asking for more even after I gave him [a whopping] $25 [in] American cash! Haha! Stupid move on my part! But he did help me a lot! In my defense, I was tired, and really didn't care! I was just ready to get out of there to see the Fussners! but I finally put my foot down, and said no more! To which he thanked me and quickly went away! Probably afraid I would realize what a fool I was and try to take some of it back! Whatever! At least I know now! I hope he uses it wisely! LOL! Oh well!

    I made it out (with the rest of my money lol)  to Heith and we hugged. I'm really sentimental when I'm jetlagged right? lol Then we were on our way! I learned within the first few minutes of being here, they are all very willing to help you, for a price! Lol! Well we made our way to the house in the "mecina" (car) and heith showed me through town a bit and taught me a few words in Amharic. Ethiopia is definitely a very different place, but as of day two, I would way rather live here than in Washington DC! I was tired of it after just one day!

    Yesterday was pretty much a blur to me! I stayed awake for [probably] 29 hours [give or take a few]! Taking tiny naps on the plane that were maybe 2 hours together! So last night I slept for about ten to twelve hours! Call me lazy, but I felt great today! Well, I will write more tomorrow about what all went on today because it is midnight and I'm still getting over a tiny bit of jetlag!  (and... I don't write for another four days... but I had good reason! I'll save that for next week though ;) )

Ethiopia bound

    I must apologize for the lateness of this week's post! My excuse is a bit of a measly one; I was cleaning house for a game night with friends! (which was fun btw!) so sorry, not sorry! :) life comes first y'all!

    Between the last entry and this one, a big change had already happened in my heart! At youth camp on Thursday night, I got assurance of my salvation, and took a step in straightening out my strained relationship with the Lord. Thank God for His forgiveness and mercy when I failed and doubted Him time after time through the years!

Also, I stayed in Washington for one day and one night with my mom, which was really nice to have that extra bit of time together to sight see a little bit and just spend some quality time together. Though we didn't get a chance to see much of anything, we enjoyed the last bit of time we had before I headed to Ethiopia.

I will try to keep this short, but I hope you enjoy this entree!

07.08.15

    I am on the plane headed towards Ethiopia! I'm still not sure what to expect! But I think if I can get all of my luggage then I'll be fine! I had to check even my carry-on because it was too heavy! So I'm really hoping it all makes it there! If not, I have no clothes except the ones on my back! 

    As I've been sitting here looking out my window [I've been] think[ing], "Why did God place all of this up here where we wouldn't see it for centuries?" I think God likes to see us discover His creation one piece at a time, and He will continue to let us discover the beautiful pieces of His creation until He is ready for us to see it all at once! Now that will be a day! 
    Well, I'm going to try to sleep, beings that once I get there it will be about 7am [10pm our time!]

Simply,
    Sarah

Ethiopian Journey Begins

Here is the first of hopefully many more Ethiopian journal entrees I plan to post. I immensely enjoyed my time there and don't mind reliving a bit of it with you guys! That is, if you all enjoy this particular post! Please let me know what you think and if you'd like more! If I don't get any complaints I am going to continue sharing them! There may be some entries and bits I leave out, simply because some things are better left private. I don't know about you guys, but as I reread some entries on my own, I began to see a difference in how I viewed things and how my whole outlook on life began to change. It's kind of neat for me expecally, knowing what was going through my head and what I was struggling with through that time in my life. I hope you enjoy reliving this journey with me!

06.14.15

I haven't even left yet and the Lord has already started to teach me things through this trip to Ethiopia! I am still learning, but I am trying to learn patience! And to control my stress level! A lot goes into a 3 month long trip like this! I am super excited to get there and be a blessing to the Fussners. I know Krystal is ready for me to get there as well! Lol! She has texted me almost every single day trying to make sure everything is on track! I will be honest, it can annoying at times, being that I'm extremely busy with Izzy, VBS, youth camp, and even Rae (Izzys sister) through VBS week! So much going on and going through my head these past few months. I just hope to set them all aside this week at youth camp so the Lord can truly speak to my heart and prepare me for my trip. I haven't had a great relationship with Him as of late, but I truly hope and pray that can change through this week and my trip. 

Simply,

     Sarah

Goodbye Tuesday, Hello Friday!

     I apologize in advance for the super short post today! I could give you every excuse in the book, but I'll simply say, "life happens!" and move on from there! I will add, my sister Bekah has been terribly sick and we all covet all of your prayers! Thank you!

 

    You're probably wondering, "What in the world happened to the consistent weekly posts we were promised?" Well, my dear readers, I must admit that promise has been a bit hard to keep this year and the year has only just begun! So, my solution is to try a new day of the week! Friday seems promising! I am going to try to post every Friday starting next week on the 10th. I simply have too much going on on Tuesdays so I've thought instead of cramming so much into one day I am trying to even out the load a bit for myself.

    Also, I will probably become a bit lax even on Fridays, as I have much to do when it comes to writing! I have three books I want to write! Two I have started, one I have not! The one I haven't started probably has me the most excited to be honest! I am planning on reading years and years worth of my great grandmother's diaries in hopes to put together a biography about her life. I also have hopes to at least put a dent in the fiction book I have started this year as well. Whether I share that or not will depend on how it turns out. :) Writing the fictional book, and the research for the biography will be more than enough to keep me busy this year! But of course being the ambitious fool I am, I am also trying to tackle a few languages! At least learning the basics. oh and don't forget the bedroom project I would love to do! We shall see at the end of this year how well my ambitions play out! Maybe I will have read through 3 years worth of diaries and will have written a good portion of my fictional book in my newly remodeled bedroom! Again, we shall see won't we? One can be hopeful, right?
   
    I definitely have a list of things I'd like to get done this year, and yet I am not going to be too disappointed if they are not all achieved this year! I have a feeling God may change my plans, and that is okay with me! I am willing to throw all of my blueprints out the window to allow my God to be the superior designer of my life! Though I do wish I could see His blueprint spread out before me, I know I can trust Him!


    I'd love to hear about what you guys have going on and what your plans for this year entail!
Until next Friday!


Simply,
     Sarah
      

Safety

    I must take a moment this morning to brag on my God! How I thank the Lord for safety! Sometimes He keeps me safe from things I don't know about at all and other times He makes His presence known through His safety! This past week, a friend from church was in a single engine plane crash. I thank God for keeping him safe! The Lord has taken care of him every step of the way throughout his recovery thus far. I also have a friend that just left for Indonesia. He also made it safely! The family I stayed with in Ethiopia just traveled back to the states back in November. I have many friends around the globe who travel and though I worry sometimes, I know the Lord has His hand upon them!

    I've also seen what some people, including myself, would consider miracles! A lady in church recently had a scare with brain cancer. Guess what? No brain cancer! No brain damage after removing the tumor! What a blessing! I've seen children that have lived through car accidents and cancer, and injuries that could have very well taken their lives! I myself was sick as a child, I don't know if it was serious enough to say it was a life or death situation, but I know the Lord kept me safe! He kept me here for some reason!  

Psalm 91:1 says,

 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

    I have a problem with worrying, with giving my burdens to the Lord. But I see through all of my worrying, it is only proving my distrust to God! I was upset and worried about something that has been on my mind for sometime now, and as I poured out my heart to a dear friend and counselor of mine, he said, "But do we still trust God?" That convicted me! Do I trust God? Watching miracle after miracle through my lifetime and seeing His hand move in so many ways and in so many various lives including my own, how can I not?

    The safety of the Lord is simply one way He proves His love for us. I don't know if I fall "in the secret place of the most High" but I know, the Lord has over shadowed me since day one! So maybe I do! I have felt His presence throughout my life, and I know He will take care of me. A resolution for the year of 2017, not just an ambition, is to cast all my care upon him! Why? Because He careth for me! This is easier said than done! But it is doable!

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

1 Peter 5:7

 

    So not only should we trust Him, we should thank Him! Thank Him that He looks over our sin and filthy way of living and comes down to where we are in order to love and keep us safe as His children! What a God! That he would care for us! Thank Him! For He is worthy of all of our admiration! And our trust!

   

    Simply,

          Sarah