Isaiah 30:15
"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength"
The devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young continues to surprise and amaze me. I am a week and a half into the "O LORD, now what" funk that usually falls upon me after Guatemala. How I love speaking Spanish and connecting people. During the trip I had the anticipation of perhaps coming to the rescue part time, with a hospice social work job in Williston, upon my return. How I love coming to the rescue! Turns out, they found someone who will work full time. Therefore, a double dose of, "O LORD!"
Add to that a healthy dose of Midwestern work ethic and I do feel a bit sheepish lolly gagging about the house until school starts on September 2nd. So I'm told in today's devotion, "Chill, my dear." I also had a heart to heart talk with God yesterday. I poured out my longing to do what I love to do, and acknowledged that I must appear quite the ungrateful brat for all I already have. I seemed to hear Him say He heard me, He loves me and He does not judge me. Thank you God!
So let's have a blast from the past from my journal of 1990 as we learn where we may go with Habitat for Humanity:
06-18-90
Good Morning Abba! Good, leisurely, orderly, loverly start today. Muggy. Cool. Birds singin'.
Talked to my grandma El and by best friend. It's good to know they are still there! In the Other Land. This Land will end. Oh, so quickly.
I hope the birds sing where we go.
God has been so faithful to us. We are healthy and happy. We love our temporary Habitat home. It would be fun to show some family/friends around.
Mark likes s-l-o-w starts in the morning. Bethany is heigh-ho let's go!
Today we talked about sin during training. Cross cultural sin. Read an interesting blurb. The "yardstick" is "love one another and love God."
The heat and mugginess is draining. The kids keep playing and laughing and smiling, though! Maybe the air is cooler down there!
06-19-14
Well. Yesterday Reality Struck. Right between the eyes. Our Habitat for Humanity project proposal says "Bolivia." OK. That's cool. Literally. Usual highs in the low sixties. Lows usually below freezing. No malaria. I looked further at the proposal. No sewage. No latrines. SQUATTER SETTLEMENT!!!
I thought once again about sacrificial living. Making a sacrifice for God. Loving His people in need. We would indeed build relationships by living in a squatter settlement, if nothing else. Is that what You want O LORD?
Hey, it sounded holy, but we've got two little kids for crying out loud!!!
I raved. I ranted. I was mad. At God. Like, get with the program LORD!
It's OK to be mad at God. He can take it.
We called our Pastor back in Minnesota, just returned from Guatemala. We shared. They commiserated. We have their prayers.
Our prayers.
I let go. I feel better.
Dear Abba,
Your will be done. I lay the "where will we go" in Your lap. Where I should have left it in the first place. I trust You to place us carefully, healthfully, happyfully, safefully, purposefully. Amen.
Showing posts with label 1990. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1990. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksksgiving, present your requests to God.
I have been searching for the packet of letters I sent to my BFF regarding my family's Habitat adventures. She saved them for me and gifted them to me upon our return the the USA. Can I find them? Nooooo. They are in some perfectly logical spot, but this beany brain doesn't know where.
I did stumble onto my sporadic journals (all the way back to 1972!). I want to use this blog to record my past musings, prayers and concerns. Let's begin with our arrival in Americus, Georgia, for Habitat for Humanity training.
04-09-90 Wednesday
On Monday we arrived at Americus, Georgia. After asking for directions, we found HFH. Americus may be small and rural but it sure is city-fied! We were directed to our house, named Verite, which is French for "truth." We have the upstairs with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and dining/living room. It is really homey and nice with birds chirping outside.
On Tuesday we were given a tour of HFH and informed of the kids' summer program. We were shown the supply house, where the mail arrives. We got mail from a family, serving in the Solomon Islands, that spoke at our church about HFH. I'm a little chicken because one of them got malaria. Later we got a letter from my brother, R., offering to buy out my share of my father's inheritance for $5000.00. What a jerk!
05-10-90
Today was floor scrubbing and a potluck. Tomorrow we will take the kids to daycare and make bricks.
There is sure no hoopla. Lots of information, act on your own initiative, but no hoopla. We could be exploring HFH and Americus more, but we have little 'uns. We will make them our priority for now.
M.has cheered up a lot with regular naps, special times, and having a home. And a time-out chair. Whew! His screaming matches were regular and hard to take.
It's nice to have clean floors.
05-14-90 Monday
I was telling A. about my fears (malaria, illness) and doubts (can we really assess the HFH thing or will we just be swept along by the fact we sold the house, signed up for training, hi-ho away we go!). I was wanting a message from God showing we were part of His plan, not acting on a mistaken feeling on our part.
B. made me a crown that she said started out to be mountains. Bit by bit, I felt this was my message. HFH will seem like a big, huge challenge (mountain) but it will turn into the best thing we ever did (crown).
Neat! Thank you God! Keep those messages coming and don't give up on me!
We have felt on the right track so far. So let's stay on here in Americus and do the training. Let's wonder if we are right or wrong for the job after we learn where we can go. Sounds reasonable to me! I'm willing to go onward or back to Plan B (hobby farm). God's will is what I want for me and my family.
Last Friday the kiddies tried daycare and liked it. Saturday was tracking down and conquering work boots in Columbus, Georgia. Sunday was Mother's Day. I got two wonderful cards, Mexican food, a Habitat shirt and LOVE! We found St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Plains, Georgia. It is an old, small, quaint, stained glass congregation and church. Old families, old names, old people. No kids attended the service. It will be a change from our Minnesota church. I get a kick out of being in Jimmy Carter's hometown, too. Historical, you know.
'Nuff of the old stuff for today. Today's treasure is God loves me and vindicates me and calls me righteous even when I screw up!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksksgiving, present your requests to God.
I have been searching for the packet of letters I sent to my BFF regarding my family's Habitat adventures. She saved them for me and gifted them to me upon our return the the USA. Can I find them? Nooooo. They are in some perfectly logical spot, but this beany brain doesn't know where.
I did stumble onto my sporadic journals (all the way back to 1972!). I want to use this blog to record my past musings, prayers and concerns. Let's begin with our arrival in Americus, Georgia, for Habitat for Humanity training.
04-09-90 Wednesday
On Monday we arrived at Americus, Georgia. After asking for directions, we found HFH. Americus may be small and rural but it sure is city-fied! We were directed to our house, named Verite, which is French for "truth." We have the upstairs with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and dining/living room. It is really homey and nice with birds chirping outside.
On Tuesday we were given a tour of HFH and informed of the kids' summer program. We were shown the supply house, where the mail arrives. We got mail from a family, serving in the Solomon Islands, that spoke at our church about HFH. I'm a little chicken because one of them got malaria. Later we got a letter from my brother, R., offering to buy out my share of my father's inheritance for $5000.00. What a jerk!
05-10-90
Today was floor scrubbing and a potluck. Tomorrow we will take the kids to daycare and make bricks.
There is sure no hoopla. Lots of information, act on your own initiative, but no hoopla. We could be exploring HFH and Americus more, but we have little 'uns. We will make them our priority for now.
M.has cheered up a lot with regular naps, special times, and having a home. And a time-out chair. Whew! His screaming matches were regular and hard to take.
It's nice to have clean floors.
05-14-90 Monday
I was telling A. about my fears (malaria, illness) and doubts (can we really assess the HFH thing or will we just be swept along by the fact we sold the house, signed up for training, hi-ho away we go!). I was wanting a message from God showing we were part of His plan, not acting on a mistaken feeling on our part.
B. made me a crown that she said started out to be mountains. Bit by bit, I felt this was my message. HFH will seem like a big, huge challenge (mountain) but it will turn into the best thing we ever did (crown).
Neat! Thank you God! Keep those messages coming and don't give up on me!
We have felt on the right track so far. So let's stay on here in Americus and do the training. Let's wonder if we are right or wrong for the job after we learn where we can go. Sounds reasonable to me! I'm willing to go onward or back to Plan B (hobby farm). God's will is what I want for me and my family.
Last Friday the kiddies tried daycare and liked it. Saturday was tracking down and conquering work boots in Columbus, Georgia. Sunday was Mother's Day. I got two wonderful cards, Mexican food, a Habitat shirt and LOVE! We found St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Plains, Georgia. It is an old, small, quaint, stained glass congregation and church. Old families, old names, old people. No kids attended the service. It will be a change from our Minnesota church. I get a kick out of being in Jimmy Carter's hometown, too. Historical, you know.
'Nuff of the old stuff for today. Today's treasure is God loves me and vindicates me and calls me righteous even when I screw up!
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