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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Trip to the spring...
My mom has been kind enough to make slide shows for my blog, and this one is from a trip to the spring a few weeks ago! It was so nice and peaceful in the woods and hiking to the spring. Hope you all enjoy the photos!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Growing pains...
Last Friday Hannah and I were planning on teaching Sabbath School for church the next day, and we had planned to put our lesson together sometime on Friday night. We were sitting around Friday night after worship, and one of the older girls came up to Hannah and asked her if she could teach one of the other classes for the younger children, and she said, “yes”. I realized what that meant for me… I had to do Sabbath school by myself! I had a few things highlighted in my devotional books, and some Bible verses that I wanted to share, but no topic, or real structure of any kind.
When I woke up Sabbath morning, I had a really bad ear infection/ache. I have had trouble in the past with fluids in my ears, and so I was a little concerned to be having trouble again with that same problem. It hurt so much that I was on the verge of staying home from church… I prayed, and remembered that I had a class to teach. So, I got up, got dressed, and went out to the bus. My ear was still really hurting and bothering me, but when I sat down to teach class, I had no pain for the full hour of the lesson. And, I thought that I only had enough material for about 20 minutes, but God kept giving me new thoughts to bring to the table, and new verses as well. I know that it was God helping me through the class because in the States I barely even speak up in SS (Sabbath School) class, let alone teach!
After the class was over, I went into church, and immediately my ear started hurting again! It was hurting so much that I had to go to one of the back rooms to try to relax. I laid down on the kitchen floor for the entire church service, and the pain still hadn’t left me. When we arrived back at the Hogar, I took a short nap, and treated my ear with some oils. I woke up feeling much better.
We ended up taking a trip to a beautiful river in the afternoon and relaxing there for about 2-3 hours. It turned out to be a great day.
Sometimes it’s hard to see just how much God does in my life, but it’s days like Sabbath that make me comforted knowing that God is watching over me, and taking care of me… my lessons in that might hurt a little bit, but I know I am growing so much in faith, and in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I wanted to stay home from church, I really did, but I knew that I would always wonder if I should have gone, or regretted staying… but, even though my ear hurt the rest of the church service, it was worth it if I touched just one person in that SS class. All I know is that God spoke through me, and helped me do something I normally would never do.
I know that God will keep teaching me, and helping me grow, even if it hurts a bit along the way…
When I woke up Sabbath morning, I had a really bad ear infection/ache. I have had trouble in the past with fluids in my ears, and so I was a little concerned to be having trouble again with that same problem. It hurt so much that I was on the verge of staying home from church… I prayed, and remembered that I had a class to teach. So, I got up, got dressed, and went out to the bus. My ear was still really hurting and bothering me, but when I sat down to teach class, I had no pain for the full hour of the lesson. And, I thought that I only had enough material for about 20 minutes, but God kept giving me new thoughts to bring to the table, and new verses as well. I know that it was God helping me through the class because in the States I barely even speak up in SS (Sabbath School) class, let alone teach!
After the class was over, I went into church, and immediately my ear started hurting again! It was hurting so much that I had to go to one of the back rooms to try to relax. I laid down on the kitchen floor for the entire church service, and the pain still hadn’t left me. When we arrived back at the Hogar, I took a short nap, and treated my ear with some oils. I woke up feeling much better.
We ended up taking a trip to a beautiful river in the afternoon and relaxing there for about 2-3 hours. It turned out to be a great day.
Sometimes it’s hard to see just how much God does in my life, but it’s days like Sabbath that make me comforted knowing that God is watching over me, and taking care of me… my lessons in that might hurt a little bit, but I know I am growing so much in faith, and in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I wanted to stay home from church, I really did, but I knew that I would always wonder if I should have gone, or regretted staying… but, even though my ear hurt the rest of the church service, it was worth it if I touched just one person in that SS class. All I know is that God spoke through me, and helped me do something I normally would never do.
I know that God will keep teaching me, and helping me grow, even if it hurts a bit along the way…
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Food on my mind...
I have been here in Honduras for 5 1/2 weeks now. It’s been a good month, stressful, and character building. Home seems so far away, and it’s hard to remember what the States are like anymore. I crave American food so much here. There’s a supermarket where I can buy Trix cereal! It’s amazing… ha. The last bag of Trix cereal I bought here only lasted two days… yeah… ha.
Foods I miss:
Taco Bell
Canned peas
Mashed Potatoes
Ranch salad dressing
Pizza
Olives (black & green)
Taco salad
Orange juice
Eggs on toast (and all breakfast foods in general, vegetarian of course!)
Pickles (jalapeno flavored)
… and french fries… (the list goes on, but I’ll stop there. Ha)
It’s funny that I miss American food so much, but the food here is so bland that I can’t help missing good ol’ American food. Ha. We have rice or beans (or both) at almost every meal.
I started writing this blog last week, and it is now Sunday… Hannah, Amanda, and I always go into Santa Barbara on Sundays because it’s our only free time to go, and we always eat as much ice cream, chocolate, and candy as we can while we can. We have our regular stores that we go to, and then after our shopping it is our tradition to get something to eat before heading back to our safe grounds. Today our normal fast food place was not open, so we headed off to another restaurant near by. When we walked in, I looked to my right, and to my surprise, I saw a plate full of french fries! Not just french fries, but french fries with ketchup!!! I was shocked, thrilled, and oh so excited to indulge in my American lunch! To say the least, I will be going to that restaurant a lot more on my days off…
Foods I miss:
Taco Bell
Canned peas
Mashed Potatoes
Ranch salad dressing
Pizza
Olives (black & green)
Taco salad
Orange juice
Eggs on toast (and all breakfast foods in general, vegetarian of course!)
Pickles (jalapeno flavored)
… and french fries… (the list goes on, but I’ll stop there. Ha)
It’s funny that I miss American food so much, but the food here is so bland that I can’t help missing good ol’ American food. Ha. We have rice or beans (or both) at almost every meal.
I started writing this blog last week, and it is now Sunday… Hannah, Amanda, and I always go into Santa Barbara on Sundays because it’s our only free time to go, and we always eat as much ice cream, chocolate, and candy as we can while we can. We have our regular stores that we go to, and then after our shopping it is our tradition to get something to eat before heading back to our safe grounds. Today our normal fast food place was not open, so we headed off to another restaurant near by. When we walked in, I looked to my right, and to my surprise, I saw a plate full of french fries! Not just french fries, but french fries with ketchup!!! I was shocked, thrilled, and oh so excited to indulge in my American lunch! To say the least, I will be going to that restaurant a lot more on my days off…
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Creepy Creepers...
Everyday I have pool duty with either Hannah or Amanda (two other volunteers from Southern). Today when Hannah and I were walking out to open the pool, there were two Honduran guys talking to Stephen (visitor/volunteer from Germany) and Stephen was like, “hey, these guys want help with their English homework. Can you girls help them?” I got a really bad vibe from both of the guys, and felt like I had seen them before in Santa Barbara or on the bus… Hannah knows Spanish way better than I do, so she went up and started talking to them. I proceeded to open up the pool for the kids to swim. I had been in the pool for maybe two minutes, and I looked up and the two guys were talking to Hannah, but they had surrounded her to where she couldn’t easily get into the pool area. I was starting to get a little concerned, but she got away from them by saying that she had to go watch the pool. The older of the two guys asked if his son could swim, but while he was asking, his son was already getting undressed down to his underwear to go swimming! So, Hannah didn’t really have any other choice but to say, “yes”.
When Hannah got into the water she was giving me very strange looks, so we both went over to the deep end furthest away from the creepy guys, and she said that they were asking her if she could teach them English, and that they wanted to come back for lessons. Hannah and I both know that we’ve seen them before in Santa Barbara, or somewhere near here, and it’s scary that they know where we live. One of the older boys here once told Hannah that guys in Santa Barbara always ask about the “red haired girl” and always ask if she lives at the Hogar! That’s scary, but the scarier thing is that he told them, “yes!”. Yeah, not too great for our safety…
So, Hannah and I were too scared to get out of the pool because the guys kept staring at us… we told some of the kids to go tell the staff that we were really nervous about these guys, but the staff didn’t do anything… Their kid swam for an hour, and it was time to get the kids out, so I asked Stephen if he could ask them to leave. They weren’t too happy that they had to leave, and before Stephen went over to them, the older guy went up to one of the girls here, Tania, and said, “yeah, we’re just going to sit here and enjoy watching these little gringitas swim…”.
Well, Stephen asked them to leave, and they did within about five minutes of him asking them. One of the head staff came in to swim after they had already left, and we told her the whole story. She said not to let their kid swim, and she said that it was really weird that they wanted us to give them English lessons… Hannah and I started our “creeper” video blogs this afternoon after we got back to our room, and I’m sure we will have many more of those blogs to come…
I don’t even feel safe going into town with Hannah and Amanda anymore. It’s getting pretty bad because the guys in town recognize us now, and they’re getting bolder and bolder. Next time I go to town I want to take a guy with us. I don’t know what to do because they all know where we live, and that doesn’t make me feel very safe at nights, even when my door is locked.
Please pray for our safety… I know God will protect us, but I still want to take every precaution I can…
When Hannah got into the water she was giving me very strange looks, so we both went over to the deep end furthest away from the creepy guys, and she said that they were asking her if she could teach them English, and that they wanted to come back for lessons. Hannah and I both know that we’ve seen them before in Santa Barbara, or somewhere near here, and it’s scary that they know where we live. One of the older boys here once told Hannah that guys in Santa Barbara always ask about the “red haired girl” and always ask if she lives at the Hogar! That’s scary, but the scarier thing is that he told them, “yes!”. Yeah, not too great for our safety…
So, Hannah and I were too scared to get out of the pool because the guys kept staring at us… we told some of the kids to go tell the staff that we were really nervous about these guys, but the staff didn’t do anything… Their kid swam for an hour, and it was time to get the kids out, so I asked Stephen if he could ask them to leave. They weren’t too happy that they had to leave, and before Stephen went over to them, the older guy went up to one of the girls here, Tania, and said, “yeah, we’re just going to sit here and enjoy watching these little gringitas swim…”.
Well, Stephen asked them to leave, and they did within about five minutes of him asking them. One of the head staff came in to swim after they had already left, and we told her the whole story. She said not to let their kid swim, and she said that it was really weird that they wanted us to give them English lessons… Hannah and I started our “creeper” video blogs this afternoon after we got back to our room, and I’m sure we will have many more of those blogs to come…
I don’t even feel safe going into town with Hannah and Amanda anymore. It’s getting pretty bad because the guys in town recognize us now, and they’re getting bolder and bolder. Next time I go to town I want to take a guy with us. I don’t know what to do because they all know where we live, and that doesn’t make me feel very safe at nights, even when my door is locked.
Please pray for our safety… I know God will protect us, but I still want to take every precaution I can…
Friday, October 9, 2009
Slide show
My mom made this for me and sent me the code to post it on here... when I first watched it I cried like a baby... I'm missing home right about now...
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Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Highs and Lows...
When I imagined being a student missionary at an orphanage, I imagined being loved at all times by the kids, and appreciated at all times. That would be nice, however it’s not like that at all. I want to always be completely honest in my blogs because I think you all deserve to hear the good AND the bad…
I'd like to start out with the “bad” because then I can end on a good note! It’s been really stressful with the kids lately. They have not been showing any respect to the volunteers here, and we are running out of effective punishments… the staff do not appreciate the hard work that we do, and the work loads are not evenly distributed at all… I have been tempted to let my temper take over when the kids are disrespectful, but I have been trying my best to remember why I am here… and I am not here to impress the staff or get a pat on the back, however, it would be nice every once in awhile. Hannah (friend from school, and fellow student missionary) and I were talking about how little we are going through compared to what Jesus went through when He was on earth. People spat on Him, talked bad about Him, and treated Him like He was just another crazy person on the street. Jesus was not respected by many people, but He did not let that get the best of Him. My time here is already building patience and character, which are both good things for me… it’s not always a walk in the park to work for God… but it is worth all of the short-term struggles that I am going through right now… II Corinthians 4:16-18… that’s what I keep reminding myself of… “17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” Please continue in praying for all the volunteers here because we are getting a little burnt out as of right now…
Now, for the part you have all been waiting for… the good new! Most of you know that I was a music major in college and studied Piano. I had been missing playing the piano so much, and did not even expect to be able to play the piano again until I got back home. Last Sunday afternoon I heard a knock at my door. Normally it’s just one of the kids, but when I answered the door I saw one of the other volunteers, Mandy. She looked at me and said, “Hey, why have you been hiding your talent!?!” I said, “What do you mean?” She continued to say, “You play the piano, right? You even majored in it, yes?” I jokingly asked her if she had heard the piano in the devotional room and she said, “Well, I know that one is horrible, but we have a keyboard for you to keep in your room! The staff wants you to play for devotionals on Friday nights!!” When I saw the keyboard, and had it in hand… I was about in tears!! I did not ask God to bring me a keyboard, but He knew that music is such a huge part of my life, and that having access to a keyboard would make me so happy! I have been practicing the worship songs, and God has really helped me with playing by ear. In the States, I’m okay at playing by ear, but here it’s like second nature to me! I KNOW that God has increased my ability to play by ear since I will be using my talents directly for Him… God is SO amazing!
There’s more good news… I talked to Ryan last week and he is going to come visit me for a week in December! The 24th-31st to be exact! God is so amazing! I did not think he would be able to come visit me, but his parents are going to pay for one of his tickets as his Christmas present! What a blessing! I was so happy when I heard that news…
So, in spite of all the stressful things that have been going on around here… it’s my purpose to look for the good things, and fight through the hard times… God is always working behind the scenes, and it’s my job to see that, and to look for that. I mentioned before that it’s always easy to focus on the bad, and I’m guilty of that as of late, but I hope to continually grow in Christ so that I can get to the point where the bad days do not affect me as much, or at all. I want to have faith in the things unseen…
I'd like to start out with the “bad” because then I can end on a good note! It’s been really stressful with the kids lately. They have not been showing any respect to the volunteers here, and we are running out of effective punishments… the staff do not appreciate the hard work that we do, and the work loads are not evenly distributed at all… I have been tempted to let my temper take over when the kids are disrespectful, but I have been trying my best to remember why I am here… and I am not here to impress the staff or get a pat on the back, however, it would be nice every once in awhile. Hannah (friend from school, and fellow student missionary) and I were talking about how little we are going through compared to what Jesus went through when He was on earth. People spat on Him, talked bad about Him, and treated Him like He was just another crazy person on the street. Jesus was not respected by many people, but He did not let that get the best of Him. My time here is already building patience and character, which are both good things for me… it’s not always a walk in the park to work for God… but it is worth all of the short-term struggles that I am going through right now… II Corinthians 4:16-18… that’s what I keep reminding myself of… “17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” Please continue in praying for all the volunteers here because we are getting a little burnt out as of right now…
Now, for the part you have all been waiting for… the good new! Most of you know that I was a music major in college and studied Piano. I had been missing playing the piano so much, and did not even expect to be able to play the piano again until I got back home. Last Sunday afternoon I heard a knock at my door. Normally it’s just one of the kids, but when I answered the door I saw one of the other volunteers, Mandy. She looked at me and said, “Hey, why have you been hiding your talent!?!” I said, “What do you mean?” She continued to say, “You play the piano, right? You even majored in it, yes?” I jokingly asked her if she had heard the piano in the devotional room and she said, “Well, I know that one is horrible, but we have a keyboard for you to keep in your room! The staff wants you to play for devotionals on Friday nights!!” When I saw the keyboard, and had it in hand… I was about in tears!! I did not ask God to bring me a keyboard, but He knew that music is such a huge part of my life, and that having access to a keyboard would make me so happy! I have been practicing the worship songs, and God has really helped me with playing by ear. In the States, I’m okay at playing by ear, but here it’s like second nature to me! I KNOW that God has increased my ability to play by ear since I will be using my talents directly for Him… God is SO amazing!
There’s more good news… I talked to Ryan last week and he is going to come visit me for a week in December! The 24th-31st to be exact! God is so amazing! I did not think he would be able to come visit me, but his parents are going to pay for one of his tickets as his Christmas present! What a blessing! I was so happy when I heard that news…
So, in spite of all the stressful things that have been going on around here… it’s my purpose to look for the good things, and fight through the hard times… God is always working behind the scenes, and it’s my job to see that, and to look for that. I mentioned before that it’s always easy to focus on the bad, and I’m guilty of that as of late, but I hope to continually grow in Christ so that I can get to the point where the bad days do not affect me as much, or at all. I want to have faith in the things unseen…
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Mission work is at the heart of the missionary…
This blog is dedicated to my boyfriend, Ryan Blythe. I have known Ryan for about 10 years, and I have always been impressed with his happy, easy going personality. He is an extremely caring person, and exudes the character of Christ to everyone around him. The beginning of this summer we had a long discussion about mission work. I shared with him how I decided to be a student missionary this year, and he shared with me how he had been leading out in Bible studies with classmates from his university. I was really impressed with the change that I saw in him, and in how much he had grown in Christ while I was away at college…
Ryan is currently a student missionary in Indianapolis, Indiana. And I am so proud of him! One of Ryan’s good friends is going through a deep state of depression to the extent that he does not leave the house for fear of panic and anxiety attacks. Ben has spent the last 3 to 4 months in his room watching TV or playing video games. Ryan found out about his friend’s condition a couple of months ago and has been visiting him ever since. Please keep him in your prayers because this is really hard on Ryan to see his friend like this. He’s not sure what triggered this behavior, or how to get him out of this state. When I talked to Ryan on the phone he said he was able to visit him for about an hour, and when he was getting ready to leave he had prayer with him and he said a prayer as well. In Ben’s prayer he thanked God for giving him a friend like Ryan that still cares about him and visits him…
I am so very proud of Ryan for taking on this challenge of helping Ben get over his depression and anxiety attacks. Please add this to your prayer list… Ryan has his own mission field right in his backyard. I know that God is going to do great things through him this year. God is already working through him to reach out to his friends and to everyone around him. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of him…
It doesn’t matter the place of service… it matters that one is serving. Your mission field could be smiling at your new neighbor who you don’t really like… or, talking to the person in your class that everyone seems to ignore… there is no special place for mission work. Mission work is wherever you are if you are willing to be used by God…
When thinking about mission work… try not to think about foreign countries, but try to think about the people at your work, or at your school, or just the people you come into contact with everyday. Create your own mission field wherever you are. God has challenged us to be a witness for Him wherever we are…let’s take Him up on that challenge!
Ryan is currently a student missionary in Indianapolis, Indiana. And I am so proud of him! One of Ryan’s good friends is going through a deep state of depression to the extent that he does not leave the house for fear of panic and anxiety attacks. Ben has spent the last 3 to 4 months in his room watching TV or playing video games. Ryan found out about his friend’s condition a couple of months ago and has been visiting him ever since. Please keep him in your prayers because this is really hard on Ryan to see his friend like this. He’s not sure what triggered this behavior, or how to get him out of this state. When I talked to Ryan on the phone he said he was able to visit him for about an hour, and when he was getting ready to leave he had prayer with him and he said a prayer as well. In Ben’s prayer he thanked God for giving him a friend like Ryan that still cares about him and visits him…
I am so very proud of Ryan for taking on this challenge of helping Ben get over his depression and anxiety attacks. Please add this to your prayer list… Ryan has his own mission field right in his backyard. I know that God is going to do great things through him this year. God is already working through him to reach out to his friends and to everyone around him. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of him…
It doesn’t matter the place of service… it matters that one is serving. Your mission field could be smiling at your new neighbor who you don’t really like… or, talking to the person in your class that everyone seems to ignore… there is no special place for mission work. Mission work is wherever you are if you are willing to be used by God…
When thinking about mission work… try not to think about foreign countries, but try to think about the people at your work, or at your school, or just the people you come into contact with everyday. Create your own mission field wherever you are. God has challenged us to be a witness for Him wherever we are…let’s take Him up on that challenge!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Searching for my purpose…
So, I have been here in Honduras for over 3 weeks now. It feels like I’ve been here longer, but at the same time I can barely believe I’ve already been here 3 weeks! It’s so strange.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I came here, but for some reason I thought that the kids would all be so sweet and thankful for all the volunteers that come to help them, but it’s not like that at all. I mean, there are the few kids who really do appreciate us, but there are also the kids that are not appreciative at all. I could name off a few of them right now… haha, yes, the ones who know how to raise my blood pressure real quick! Ha.
Last week, and the beginning of this week, I had been struggling with homesickness… it wasn’t fully until today that I started really realizing why I’m here… I’m not here to do miracles (although that would be cool) but to be a witness… and that’s all. I want to wash dishes the way that Jesus washed dishes. I want to play with the kids the way Jesus did… I want to show the kids that I am here to search for the good. It is always easier to see all of the negative things around me, but today I found joy in helping the kids in the kitchen, even though it wasn’t my “assigned” duty. And the kids knew that… it had been a long day, but it was so much fun hanging out with the kids, slipping around on the wet floor, drying dishes, and singing together. Only one of the boys thanked me for my help, but that one thank you was worth it all. I realized that I can complain all I want about things that happened throughout my day, but what will that accomplish? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I am slowing feeling more and more at home here… my Spanish still needs work, but the more I am just myself around the kids, the more I feel comfortable around them and at home. I am slowing picking up on more vocabulary words, but I’m hoping to quicken the language learning process soon… I’m so ready to be able to talk to these kids!
So, I mentioned earlier that last week was pretty tough for me as far as homesickness goes… but, on top of that I was sick too, and had been for most of the 3 weeks I’ve been here. I am almost completely well now. My mom was able to send some health remedies my way… THANKS MOM!! :) Since I was sick, it was easy for me to get discouraged as well… today Hannah shared a beautiful Bible verse with me that really made me start thinking.... 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Wow, and amen! Right when I’m ready to feel sorry for myself about having to get up at 5:30 a.m. or having to try to send a few kids off to school who refuse too… it’s most than that! It’s WAY more than that… I hope and pray that in some way I can make a difference in the lives around me. I may not see the repercussions of my actions now, or I may not even know until Heaven. It’s not about me knowing now. It’s about me being a vessel for Christ, and letting Him use me in the lives of others, even if all I’m doing is supervising chores while I’m here, or helping out in the kitchen every once in awhile when I don’t have to… I was ready to come home, but now I’m excited for these next 6 months to come because I know God has big plans for me… and that is SO exciting!
I am so thankful, and grateful for all of your prayers and support. I am blessed to have you all as friends. :)
Oh, and thank you to those of you who were a part of sending my care package from Southern! It was so nice to get mail!! Also, I loved the paper that was signed by my supporting friends from Southern! Thank you guys! It brightened up my day!!
Much love,
Laurel
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I came here, but for some reason I thought that the kids would all be so sweet and thankful for all the volunteers that come to help them, but it’s not like that at all. I mean, there are the few kids who really do appreciate us, but there are also the kids that are not appreciative at all. I could name off a few of them right now… haha, yes, the ones who know how to raise my blood pressure real quick! Ha.
Last week, and the beginning of this week, I had been struggling with homesickness… it wasn’t fully until today that I started really realizing why I’m here… I’m not here to do miracles (although that would be cool) but to be a witness… and that’s all. I want to wash dishes the way that Jesus washed dishes. I want to play with the kids the way Jesus did… I want to show the kids that I am here to search for the good. It is always easier to see all of the negative things around me, but today I found joy in helping the kids in the kitchen, even though it wasn’t my “assigned” duty. And the kids knew that… it had been a long day, but it was so much fun hanging out with the kids, slipping around on the wet floor, drying dishes, and singing together. Only one of the boys thanked me for my help, but that one thank you was worth it all. I realized that I can complain all I want about things that happened throughout my day, but what will that accomplish? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I am slowing feeling more and more at home here… my Spanish still needs work, but the more I am just myself around the kids, the more I feel comfortable around them and at home. I am slowing picking up on more vocabulary words, but I’m hoping to quicken the language learning process soon… I’m so ready to be able to talk to these kids!
So, I mentioned earlier that last week was pretty tough for me as far as homesickness goes… but, on top of that I was sick too, and had been for most of the 3 weeks I’ve been here. I am almost completely well now. My mom was able to send some health remedies my way… THANKS MOM!! :) Since I was sick, it was easy for me to get discouraged as well… today Hannah shared a beautiful Bible verse with me that really made me start thinking.... 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Wow, and amen! Right when I’m ready to feel sorry for myself about having to get up at 5:30 a.m. or having to try to send a few kids off to school who refuse too… it’s most than that! It’s WAY more than that… I hope and pray that in some way I can make a difference in the lives around me. I may not see the repercussions of my actions now, or I may not even know until Heaven. It’s not about me knowing now. It’s about me being a vessel for Christ, and letting Him use me in the lives of others, even if all I’m doing is supervising chores while I’m here, or helping out in the kitchen every once in awhile when I don’t have to… I was ready to come home, but now I’m excited for these next 6 months to come because I know God has big plans for me… and that is SO exciting!
I am so thankful, and grateful for all of your prayers and support. I am blessed to have you all as friends. :)
Oh, and thank you to those of you who were a part of sending my care package from Southern! It was so nice to get mail!! Also, I loved the paper that was signed by my supporting friends from Southern! Thank you guys! It brightened up my day!!
Much love,
Laurel
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