You Never Change :: Part 1

Nothing seemed to be going right. At that moment, Jesse thought that his whole life was upside down.

 My life is a tornado! I just don’t understand. Nothing will ever be the same!

Jesse sat in the bleak hospital family room with one main question on his heart.

Why?

His green eyes were bloodshot and their usual sparkle was nowhere to be seen. He stared at the ugly blue vase on the table before him, trying to piece the jumble of the past few days together.

Heaving a sigh, Jesse slowly leaned over and buried his face in his hands. Emily, his wife, wiped a tear from her cheek. She put her arm around him and comfortingly stroked her husband’s shoulder. Emily felt a deep weight in her heart as well. She whispered something in Jesse’s ear, and he reached over and grasped her hand tightly. The two sat thus for several minutes.

The sound of stiff fabric rustling together and footsteps caused Jesse and Emily to glance up. It was the doctor entering the room.

Jesse straightened up quickly and stood, studying the doctor’s face. “Doctor, do you have any news?”

Doctor Wallace examined the two in front of him, taking in their current state of emotions. Jesse, with his sagging shoulders and tousled hair…and Emily, with tearful eyes full of concern and questions.

“Please be honest with us, Doctor Wallace.” Emily hoarsely whispered.

“Well,” the doctor began, swallowing hard. “Your mother came through the surgery fine, and is resting now…But—“ Doctor Wallace paused, not sure how to go on. Placing a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, he continued. “But I’m afraid the infection was there long enough to spread throughout her body, and it’s...causing her system to begin shutting down. I tried everything.” His voice broke as he consoled the couple. “I’m so very sorry.”

Jesse could feel the lump in his throat growing larger and his eyes were stinging. He managed to choke out, “How long does she have?”

“I am afraid Michelle has 48 hours or less.”

The last cord broke within Jesse’s heart and tears ran down his flushed cheeks. “My mother…my mama…” He cried, sinking into his seat.

Emily wept hot tears and hugged her sorrowing husband.

The doctor pitifully watched them a moment before turning and exiting the room, letting them have their much needed privacy.

That really is the least favorite part of my job. Doctor Wallace thought to himself as he walked down the tiled floor, back to his patient. I just hate being the one to break the news of a dying loved one.

“It’s just not fair.” Jesse moaned. “She was fine a few days ago! Still the same sweet mama we love and—“ The words caught in his throat and he wiped his wet cheeks before continuing. “And then she had that fall, and wasn’t doing well, and after going to the hospital we found out her gallbladder had ruptured and now this sudden surgery and—.” The distressed words tumbled out of his mouth. “Now…now she’s going. She’s leaving us. Why? Why does this change have to happen to us? Mama…”

Emily reached out and pulled several tissues from the box on the table next to them. She handed some to Jesse, and blew her own nose. “Honey, I love you. And it’s going to be alright.” She made an attempt to speak. “Keep praying about it. God loves you, too.”

Jesse sniffled and planted a kiss on her damp cheek. Standing, he hurried from the room to go to his dying mother’s bedside in the ICU.

Emily sat limply in her chair for a moment, staring at the floor in deep thought. Lord, give us Your strength. A sigh escaped her lips. Keep shining Your love on us. Emily reached into her pocket for her iPhone, and punched in her password. 1:34 am. I didn’t realize it was so late. She proceeded to group text Jesse’s two brothers and his sister, who were traveling as quickly as possible to get to their mother and the hospital. Jesus, help them to get here in time.

Over the course of the next several hours, the siblings arrived, and the foursome stood together by the bedside of their dear parent. Many tears were shed and prayers offered. Even though Mama was in a state of unconsciousness, they spoke loving words to her, held her hand, and tried to make her comfortable.

Then, the call came.

Fifty-two hours after the doctor broke the heartbreaking news; Michelle passed onto glory…and was joyfully greeted by her Savior.

A private family burial was what she had wanted. Michelle…Mama…was laid to rest beside her husband who had gone before. She was lovingly cherished and remembered at her memorial service. Many caring friends brought flowers, meals, and comforting hugs and words to Jesse, Emily and their family.

And then…normal life resumed; or rather, the “new normal”.  Jesse found it extremely difficult coming home in the evenings from work, to find his mother’s room vacant. She will never be there again…I can never speak to her ever again! His heart yearned for her to return. It wasn’t easy to repeatedly answer the question of “Where’s Gramma?” that his three year old daughter, Rosie, asked; while he himself coped with the change.

Change.

The changes weren’t over yet.

*stay tuned for part two! =)*

The Power of the Cross

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: - 1 Peter 1:18-19

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. -2 Corinthians 5:21

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; - Eph. 1:7

Missy’s Testimony: Beyond the Raging Storm

Introduction: Missy wrote this story back in February, and shared it on a few blogs. Recently, I remembered it again, and thought this would be a good time to share her testimony. When she originally shared it, she said that it would be great if others wanted to share her story as well, and good old “copy and past” is fine with her. So if you find this encouraging—as I do—then feel free to pass it on. –Esther

 

A Testimony of God’s Incredible Faithfulness Through Intensely Painful Situations
by Missy

Leah Nicolette made a button to go along with this story—if you decide to share the story, you are welcome to use this as well.

Link to original picture (or, click on above photo): http://goo.gl/wFoH1V Or, grab this embed code: <center><img border="0" src=" http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u523/erose100/Blogger%20Uploads/2014%20Posts%20on%20Blog/Missys%20Story/Button_zps772db399.jpg " /></a></center>

A bit of the past:
     A few of you know that the past few years have been extremely difficult and harsh for my family.
     For more than three years, my dad, Corrie and I took care of my mom and grandpa – both of whom were suffering through different mental illnesses.  During that time, we kept what we were going through a secret and even now, for my mom and grandpa’s sake, I will be very vague about the details of the horrifying things that we went through.  As the only one through that period of time who did not have a job, I turned into the main caretaker for my mom and grandpa.  Thankfully either my dad or Corrie were able to be home at least a little almost every day to give me a break.  At times, when things were at their worst, they would both have to take off work in order for us all to provide 24/7 care for my mom.  We could not afford to place my grandpa in a home and we could not get medical attention for my mom – not unless she were to try to take her own life.   Looking back now, I can say that it was only by the grace of God that we ever made it through.  It was a physically and mentally crushing and spiritually trying time in all of our lives and even now we still have much recovering to do.
     After taking care of my mom and grandpa for almost three years, my mom (due to her mental illness) was completely done with me and kicked me out of the house on the night before Thanksgiving. (2012)  At that point, I was so crushed and overloaded that I was unable to handle anymore.  Thankfully, at that time, both my dad and sister were home and I was able to spend that night, Thanksgiving, and the next night living out of my dad’s sleeper on his semi-truck.  The day after Thanksgiving, I called an older couple (D&D) who I had known for a few years and asked if it would be alright for me to stay with them for a few nights.  They were more than happy to help.
     The days after that event were horrible.  I felt as though I had deserted my family when they still badly needed me – but at the same time, I knew I had given my all and that I was not able to take anymore;  Not without hurting someone or myself.  I sobbed and prayed and sobbed more.  Then D&D shared something with me that astounded me.  D&D had not heard from me in months and they had no idea what was going on in my life - but while praying, they felt strongly like I was going to need a place to stay for a while.  Acting on faith, they began to remodel their basement.  The remodel took a couple of months – All this time, they did not hear from me at all.  Two HOURS after they finished remodeling the bedroom (the last part of the basement that needed remodeled)  - I called them asking for a place to stay.  I had no idea that I would be needing a place to stay – but God knew and D&D acted by faith with much prayer.  That was the first major confirmation that I was supposed to leave my family – even though it felt completely wrong at that time.
The second confirmation came shortly after.
     D&D let me stay with them – not just for a few days but I was welcome for as long as I needed a place to live.  I began immediately searching for a job.  I searched everyday – online and in person.  I filled out stacks of applications but jobs are scarce – especially full time.  During that time, I prayed much about a job, and I had peace.  I knew that if the Lord wanted me to have a job, he would guide me in the right direction.   I was calm about finding a job and trusting, but I was still emotionally wrenching from the harsh circumstances that I had just left and the thought that I had deserted my family.  D&D were very supportive and prayed very much for us even though it was not until two or three months later that I was able to open up and share with them what had been happening.

My Job:
     The phone call was completely unexpected.  Yes, I was hoping for phone calls – hoping that someone would contact me regarding a job, but this phone number I already had as a contact in my phone and I had not spoken with them in two or three years.
     Tristan from Stickit Signs called me – asking if I would be interested in a job working for him as the Chewelah Office Manager.  The best part is – he had NO IDEA THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB!  When Corrie worked in Chewelah, her office was right next to Stickit Signs and that is how I had originally met Tris three years previously.  I had done a little bit of photography work for him in exchange for some vehicle magnets.  We had not been in touch since then.
     After I interviewed with Tris and started work, I found out that he and his wife had been in deep prayer about who they should hire as an office manager.  It was going to be a big job.  Until that point in time, Tris had run the business alone.  He did everything out of his head and so there were no set systems or price sheets and he had no need for them running it solo.  However, his business needed to grow and he was looking for the right person to build systems and price sheets and help him build the business up.  He had to find the right person, and he knew that God had the solution.  For weeks, he and his wife had been thinking of me as a possibility but they did not call me until that day.  If they had called me two weeks earlier – I would have turned the job down because I was still caring for my mom and grandpa.
     Again, God’s timing was so perfect and he had laid out a complete plan before me.

The beautiful view out the side window of my office at Stickit Signs in Chewelah

Two months later:
     After a long paperwork battle, my dad was finally able to get enough financial support to have my grandpa moved into an assisted living home.  I had regularly changed my grandpa every day when I was taking care of him, but after I left, he became much much worse to the point that even if I had been there, I would have no longer been able to take care of him anymore.  Dad was the only one that could handle him and it was very rough.  As soon as my grandpa was relocated, I began to clean out his cabin and work on remodeling it.  My intention was to move into the cabin (right across the creek from my parent’s house) so that I could help again with my mom without actually living in the same house with her.  Even moving into the cabin would have been horribly difficult for me with the state she was in, but Corrie had been offered a new job and was planning her move to Spokane and I couldn’t just leave my dad with the way things were.   I continued to live with D&D but I worked on the cabin whenever I could.  Sadly, it had been badly damaged by my grandpa and was going to take a lot of time, repair and money to fix.

My Miracle Car:
     It was a huge blessing being able to live with D&D, however the drive to my new job was 40 minutes one way IF the roads were good…. And they were not good.
     Every day, as I drove to work, I could feel the worn out car I was driving shake and moan and I felt as though it was not going to last too terribly much longer.  It was extremely high in miles and not worth fixing at all – but it was what I had and once it died I was going to be stuck.
     Thankfully the Lord had a plan for that as well!
     Every day, I thanked the Lord for the car and how far it had been able to go.  Then I would also thank Him for my next car.  I told Him,  “I have no idea where it is coming from – But God, THANK YOU for my next car!  I know it is going to have to be another miracle!”    - And it was.
     The day finally came.  While I was just about to pull out of a parking lot, the old green car suddenly began to shake horribly, I lost power steering and most of the brakes.  THANKFULLY there were just enough brakes left for me to slam on them with all of my might to keep myself from ending up right in the middle of oncoming traffic.  I was somehow able to get the car into reverse and it had just enough noisy, shaky strength to back up into a parking space where it died for good.  I sat there for just a minute and thanked God one last time for the car that had taken me so very far – and then I thanked him once again for the next car that I had no idea how I would get!
     I happened to have my bike in the back so I called my dad, pulled out my bike and rode around for an hour until he was able to come and get me.
     I stayed the next few nights at the house with my family sleeping on my sister’s bedroom floor.  At the time she still worked in Chewelah and so she was able to take me to work when she went, then either her or my dad would pick me up later.  Corrie worked part time and I worked full time so it was difficult for a few days but we did it!
     That weekend, I called my grandma in Montana to chit chat.  While we were talking I mentioned what had happened to the car.  There was silence on the other end of the line and then she asked, “Do you need a car?”  She owned a car and a pickup and she wanted to get rid of her car.  She fully intended to give it away to a family member but she was uncertain who to give it to because none of her family really “needed” a car.  It had been heavily on her mind and she had been praying hard about it for months.  She kept feeling like she should give the car to us, but she didn’t want to cause friction with other family members since at that time, none of us really “needed” it.  Now I was desperately in need of a car and it was an answer to her prayers and a huge delight to her to be able to bless me with it.
     Corrie and I drove to Montana right away and I drove back my new car!  It is a humble little car, it had belonged to my Great- Grandma, then my Grandma, and now me.  That makes the car sound old – but it was very low in miles and well taken care of.   The Lord is the best planner and provider imaginable.

Traumatic Event:
     I had now been living with D&D for over 5 months and was working hard on the cabin so that I could help keep an eye on mom again.  Grandpa was in assisted living care and Corrie had just moved to Spokane.  Dad had to work on and off but that left mom alone a lot even during the times when she still needed 24/7 care.  We were all so burnt out from the past years there very little we could do any longer.  I stopped as often as I could to check on her and bring groceries.  On Friday, April the 19^th, I stopped at the house after work to do more repairs on the cabin and to check on my mom. Both the driveway to the cabin and the driveway to the house were completely covered in broken glass and random other broken items that were everywhere.  When I went inside of the house it was much worse.  Mom was in a very bad state and I could not leave her alone.  I stayed there and dad arrived later that night.  It was a horrible weekend.  On Monday, April 22nd, I had to go to work while dad stayed there.  The house was quiet when I left and it seemed like my mom must have been sleeping – or so I thought.
     I received the call at about 12:15 pm.  It was my dad… he was sobbing… My mom had tried to commit suicide.   At times she would not sleep for days at a time and so when she finally did sleep – she slept hard and long.  Dad had thought she was sleeping and so he did not want to disturb her.  The room had been quiet and he didn’t want to wake her and so he didn’t check on her until that time.  However, instead of sleeping, she had been quietly torturing herself to death.
     I rushed home and arrived shortly after the police and ambulance.  I was able to say goodbye to her before they took her away – I really didn’t know if I would see her again.   Then I climbed in the car and drove to the hospital with my broken dad next to me.
     Mom went through surgery that night.  They had to remove air from around one of her lungs, remove a large section of her intestines, and stitch up several other holes.
     I packed my things from D&D’s and moved back into my parent’s house to take care of the animals and to be there for my dad.   Corrie had moved into town only two weeks before and she lived only a couple of miles away from the hospital.  This was yet more proof of God’s perfect timing!  Dad was able to stay with Corrie at her new apartment to be close to my mom.  If she didn’t have the apartment, he would have had to drive an hour one-way every day to be there.

     My mom ended up being in a few different hospitals over the next seven months.  I worked hard to be able to drive the hour and a half one-way drive every weekend out to see her and dad and Corrie went as often as they were able to as well. 

     During those months, my physical body went through a series of different stages of shock.  There were times that my health was so bad that I wanted to die.  Thankfully I had some very close friends that helped me through. 

     Shortly before Thankgiving 2013, my mom was relocated to a better place where she has more freedom and she is close so I can be there for her.  Since she is now stabilized on medication, she is like a completely different person and thankfully, there are a lot of things from the past years that she does not seem to remember at all.  I feel like I am gaining back some of the mom that I never thought I would see ever again.  I am so incredibly thankful.
     My dad has been such a huge inspiration to me.  He has proven himself to be so faithful and patent even though he has suffered so much.  He still is suffering and is very broken from the things we have been through.  He is in need of friends and prayers.  I feel as though I can do so little for him – but I am thankful that I can make the house into a home for him and be here when he is home.

The Present:  February 2014
     Corrie is still and will always be the best sister ever to me!  She is still living at the same apartment in Spokane and is enjoying her new job as office manager, accordion repair tec, and piano and accordion teacher for Able To Play Music.  She is also still heavily involved with the Portatos Accordion Band and anything else to do with accordion and music!  Last year, Corrie took first place in one of the performance sections of the Leavenworth Accordion Competition.  Not only was it her first time to win first place  - the best part is that she did it with her own composition!
      Corrie has continued to grow steadily with the Lord and He has taken her through even more hard trials.  She is such a huge inspiration to me and to others who know her.

Corrie and I in November 2012 at the end of the
World Accordion Competition when it came to Spokane

     Grandpa is still in an assisted living home and it is a much better place for him.  He has old friends and family members who visit him often and even though he can’t remember who they are – He enjoys the company.

     I am still living with my dad and we have been working hard to repair all the damage inside and outside of the cabin and the house that was caused by my mom and grandpa’s illnesses.  Paint, repair, and new decorations are beginning to make the house into a home and it is helping to slowly wipe away all of the bad memories.   The house is really beginning to look like a different place now and it has been healing for both dad and I.  To our best knowledge, my mom will never be coming back here again. 

My dad's fire place remodel project - didn't he do an amazing job!?!



Clean up and repair

 

After

 

After #2

     I am still working at Stickit Signs and am so thankful for my job.  After hard work of building price sheets and systems, we opened a second store and have hired two new employees that we have been training.  This has been a very humbling process, because as I train others – I realize just how much I have yet to learn myself!  I am just about to move out of the customer service angle of the business and will work as our main artwork designer, book-keeper, and do a little bit of everything else that I possibly can! 

     My health has still be quite bad, but it is much better than it was over the summer!  I am really focusing hard on natural healing and am doing a lot of physical exercise as well.

     Things are changing and getting better.  We have much to heal from but even more to be thankful for. It is well with my soul.   

      GOD IS GOOD – I hope you are encouraged and inspired to trust Him though all of life’s storms.

Thank you for reading.
~ Missy

Here Am I, Send Me

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with

the tongs from off the altar:  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

Isa 6:1-8 KJV

            On April 30, 2009, the above verse became alive in my life and forever changed me. That day started as any other normal day. I went to work at my secretarial job from 7:00am to 5:00pm. Little did I know the change that would take place before the sun set that day. After supper that night, I was just doing things around the house when my mother called me and announced a phone call for me. She announced the name of the caller and I knew immediately why he was calling. Answering the phone, the caller introduced himself and the mission he represented, asking me if I might know why he is calling. To which I answered the affirmative. The caller was contacting me on behalf of the Olive Branch Mennonite Mission. One of the single girls serving in Nicaragua was scheduled to leave the mission field in August and they contacted me to see if I was open to serving for two years. We closed the conversation with the caller asking me to pray about it and contact him as soon as I had an answer. I hung up the phone, relayed the message to my parents, before grabbing my cell phone and leaving on my bike.

Biking down the road, I first called my pastor’s wife to let them know of the call and to ask for prayers. Hanging up with her, I headed to the local park. I needed to sit down. At this point, many questions were running through my head. Why me? Is my dream coming true? Can I really do this? Will I be able to be separated from my family for so long? I want to go but… I called my best friend, telling her all that had happened, asking her for advice. After I hung up, I still felt overwhelmed, but I knew the God who called me on this journey, was also the God who was faithful and would be by my side, if I would only lay aside my humanness and trust on Him.

As I searched God’s Word and His will for me, I was guided to Isaiah 6. Yes, I had heard this passage many, many times; but on this particular night, the passage took on a new meaning. I felt as Moses did. Inadequate for the task that was before, but I was called. I felt the call of God on my heart. Would I shrink back from the task? As much as it was tempting, I wanted to be where God wanted me and He was calling me to serve in Nicaragua. He was asking the question: who will go for us?

As I near the 5-year anniversary of receiving that life-changing call, I look back in awe of what God has done in my life, not only as I served in Nicaragua but also as I continue to serve Him in my hometown. The call of “whom shall I send, and who will go for us” is not only  a call to the foreign field, but it is a daily call. As believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are daily called to serve Him and “stand in the gap” for those who are seeking. Let it not be said as was in Ezekiel’s day:

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30 KJV

Daily accept the call that is placed upon your life. Seeing the Hand of God in my life when I am truly committed to “standing in the gap” and being willing “to be sent” has humbled me. The blessing that comes from being “available” to be used of God cannot be explained. Being used in my hometown has brought just as many blessings as serving  in foreign lands. You may or may not be called to another land. Be ready and willing to go where He wants you to go and fill in the gap where He has called you.

I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go by The Kauffman Family

Jesus is ALIVE!!!

The Garden of Gethsemane / Mount of Olives, looking towards the city of Jerusalem.

Golgotha - "The place of a skull"

Do you see it? The lower half of it is now hidden under the parking lot.

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS RISEN, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Matthew 28:1-8

The Garden Tomb - where he was buried ... and where he rose from the dead!!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17

~*~

Praise the LORD! Jesus is risen and alive forevermore!!!

Happy Resurrection Day!!

Faithful to Answer

The following post was written by my grandma a while ago, and I was very blessed when I read it, so I asked her for permission to reshare someday. She gladly gave it, and since I’m away this weekend on a quick 3-day holiday I thought this would be a good time to share. :)
~Esther

Faithful to Answer
By: Diane

I’ve been asked whether God really cares about us as individuals, and, if so, if He answers prayers. I know that the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes!”, but for some reason my mind often goes blank when I try to come up with specific examples. Wouldn’t it be nice to be quick with a comeback! However, when an answer came recently, I wrote it down so I could pass it along as an example.

The other day at the store when I was busy mixing bread, something came up that really bugged me. It wasn’t anything big nor especially important. Maybe you know how it goes, though: one grouchy thought leads to another, and pretty soon the grouch grows really big and way out of proportion to whatever started it in the first place. Worse yet, it is almost impossible to change to another channel. Finally, I prayed briefly, confessing that those negative thoughts were sin and asking Father to just take them and get rid of them. Wow: they went away fast! It wasn’t long before I couldn’t even remember what the problem had been (okay; I didn’t try for long, because I didn’t want to get caught in the same spiral again!), and had started thinking about what a privilege it was to be making bread from the ingredients provided by the King of the Universe. God is so good!

The next line of thought considered how this seems like such a little thing. Well, Luke 16:10 says, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” (NASB) That can apply to us–but I think it also applies to our God. If we can trust Him to be interested in our little problems, only then can we trust Him to be faithful in the big things. And by the way–I have no concordance with me to help locate this verse, my NASB has no cross-references, and the verse is not in a passage I’ve memorized, so I asked Father to show me where it was. After a very little looking (like through a couple of chapters after I guessed what book to try), there it was… Wow.

My Plans Towards You

Have you ever felt despair of not knowing what tomorrow holds? Faced the unknown with fear? Became sick just thinking about the final exam tomorrow? Worked yourself up at the thought of your job interview next week?

The truth is that all of us have experienced the same or similar experiences some time in our lives. If you are at all like me, I can work myself up at that slightest thing abnormal or unknown in my life.
For example, I recently applied at PA College of Health Sciences as I work towards an Associates’ Degree as a Registered Nurse. The deadline to apply to class was February 1st. All my paperwork was into the college by that date, except for my GED transcript. That transcript was coming from the state of PA and the college did not receive it until two weeks after the deadline. Any applications that are received late are reviewed according to available space. So I began to wonder, was I too late? Would I be admitted to the August class? Should I accept the offer from the other college? After I declined the first offer, I began to wonder, did I make the right choice? Time began to slowly tick by - days developed into weeks. I continued to question my decisions and then started selling myself short.
My faith was quite small at that point and worry was taking over. I was struck with the thought that God is in control and He already knows the outcome. All I need to do is trust Him to lead me in His will. I was reminded of a verse from Jeremiah 29:11

I realized that I had so quickly forgot that God was in control of the situation. After surrendering my college issue to Him, I felt peace knowing that He would work in His perfect time. Although worry continued to surface, I reminded myself to let go and let God take control.
The challenge I leave with you today is to trust all your worry to God. When you surrender it to Him, leave it in His arms. Don't bring it back into your arms to worry and fret about it. He is faithful! He knows where you will be tomorrow, next year, and even ten years from today.
For me, the answer came once I fully surrendered my worry to Him. I received an acceptance letter to the college and the first thing I did before I opened the envelope was to thank God and ask for His continued guidance wherever He was leading me. Sometimes He answers in the way we were hoping, other times He says "No" and yet sometimes He says "Wait"
He is faithful. Trust Him moment by moment!

Blessings! Andrea

Claiming the Promise

Monday morning. I work on clearing the breakfast table, half-listening to my brothers practising their memory verses. My mind drifts elsewhere as I put the food in containers for the fridge. It’s been three months now since we were first told we had to move out of our rental, and even now the house we are planning to move into has not even been finished. Our deadline for moving is getting closer.

Sometimes, we're falling. And it doesn't

seem like there's anything under us.

That's when we need to just trust.

Photo Credit: “Wings” by Paul Friel
is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Knowing that God has been faithful in the past makes it a little easier to wait, but I still wish that we would be able to just move and get the stress over with. The boys start a new verse, and the words snap me back to attention.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

 

All things work together? We’ve been waiting for over two months for the electricity to be hooked up so we can move in, but so far it hasn’t been done! That’s the major hold-up—and Dad just said yesterday that we might end up moving whether or not the electricity is in! I do not want that to happen.
 
But all things work together? Yes, maybe mostly everything else is ready over there for us to move in. Electricity is a big thing, though. But if the Bible says that all things, not just some things—but ALL things work together for good, then I believe it. God knew back in early November when we were told that within 2-3 months we needed to be out. He knows now that the situation is getting desperate—we need to move!
 
God knows. And I’m going to trust Him, even though it looks like it could take them two or three more weeks to get everything done. I’ll trust. Because I believe that when He says in this verse that “all things work together for good”, He means it.
 

God always means what He says.

~Esther

 

P.S. I’m sorry I didn’t write last week. We had things going (which will hopefully be explained soon!), and by Saturday night I was too tired to write. Lord willing, these next few weeks won’t be so busy so I have a bit more time to write. :)

Why Your Blog is Like Your Life

     Good morning, friends!
     Since I’ve only just started writing for JOJ, I thought it would be good to tell you about

My philosophy of blogging

     First off, I’m talking about blogs like JOJ and my own blog. They are public blogs, not private blogs or public websites. I view blogs like ours as places on the internet where Person A publishes information and Person B reads it. It is a mainly an impersonal way of communicating with other people.
     I say impersonal because it is not in person. When Person A publishes a post, she does not know who will read it. Many of the Persons B who read the post will not know Person A personally.

“Underwood” by Ian Livesey is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

     Because I don’t know who is reading this post, I cannot tailor it perfectly. However, I have a good idea that most of you are unmarried Christian young ladies. :) If someone comments on this post, it may be only the first or second time I have come into contact with her. Thus, what she says may come across in a very different way from in that which she intended it! So, if you don’t understand what another young lady has said, either ask her what she meant, or leave it alone. Keep personal conversations, which are likely to contain misunderstandings, to emails.
     I’m not saying “Don’t post controversial stuff.” I’m saying, keep the controversial conversations/arguments which often follow to emails. Most bloggers have a contact page, so use that to keep the argument private.
     What you say on your blog is your view, maybe not mine. What I’m saying here is my view, maybe not yours. And sometimes it’s best to just walk away and leave people alone. We aren’t going to agree on everything!

     Because I don’t know who is reading this post, I don’t know how they understood it. I’ll never know who read it, who was encouraged by it, blessed by it, etc. (Unless you leave a comment telling me!)

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform; (read the rest here)

     Now to my second point:

Why your blog is like your life

     Because you never know who was watching! You don’t know who was reading your blog post, and you don’t know who was watching you hand out the crackers at morning tea on Sunday. You’ll never know who learned something from something you did. And that has two implications:
     First, you should always be on your best behaviour. Not the most important reason for doing that, but still it is one.
     Second, you should be on your best behaviour just in case someone is blessed by it. You never know what God will choose to use for anything!

     We never know what the next day will bring. We never know who has been encouraged by our blog. We never know who we have blessed by our lives. We don’t know so much - but

God knows everything.

     And He works all things for our good.
     Isn’t that worth praising Him for?

-Rhoda