Something to think about. . .

Ok, as you all can probably tell, I really like the book of Philippians. So when I found out that the college and career class at church will be going through the book this summer, I was really excited!

So, I would like to throw outfor you a few of the questions and points to think about that Glen Shaw gave us as we looked at Philippians 1:19-25 last Sunday. I will let you decide for yourself the effect they should have on your life...

• "What will others say about me once I am gone? That I was fully devoted to God?"
• "Live life to the fullest, not for myself, but rather to magnify God!"
• "Is Christ what I crave?"
• "What am I really looking for in life? If I don't get it, how will I feel?"
• Another way to put that is: "What do I live for?
• Finally, how do I magnify Christ? Or, my own twist on that would be: "How am I currently magnifying Christ in my life?"

These are all challenging questions. I think we all know what the "correct answers" to these should be, but in all honesty, are these "correct answers" true in our lives?

In Him,

Angie

My Life--here and now

Wow, can it only have been a week ago that I was headed to the airport to say goodbye to my family? Was it only a week ago that the dreaded time came when I reached out and hugged my parents, brother, and sister for the last time for two or three years? Was it only a week ago today that my life totally changed, and will never again be like it was a matter of days ago?

Yes, it was. It seems like it can't be already a week since my family boarded the airplane headed to Brazil, yet at the same time, it seems like ages since those tearful goodbyes took place and forced me begin a new chapter of my life.

Life is totally different now: it is so strange for it to just be Patrice and I sitting together at church, to be responsible for making sure there's gas in the car, to not have those good night hugs from mom and dad, to live with another family and adjust to their way of going about each day. . .

Fortunately, even though I will not be able to see my family for a long time, we do have the blessing of modern technology! Yay for email, Skype, and facebook! So far, I think my sister and I have received at least two emails a day from my parents! What would we do without practically instant communication?

Countless people have asked me "How are you doing?" To be honest, I'm not sure; I think the truth is still sinking in--maybe I'm subconsciously hoping that I will wake up and find out that this is all an awful dream. I really cannot put into words (I probably could, but I'm not sure I'm willing yet for you to read it) what I'm feeling right now. All I can say is that "God's Grace is sufficient." On my own, I don't think I can do this, but I'm trusting in Him to be my Provider, Protector, and Parent while I'm here, separated from my family not only by hundreds of miles, but also by a continent and an ocean.

The next few weeks and months will probably be some of the most trying times of my life, but as I read in Psalm 66 yesterday, "Come and hear, all you that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul." I'm trusting God to show Himself very real and present, and in the years to come, I will then be able to look back at this time and say that He has been faithful, just like He said He would be.

Here is a song that I love and would like to share it with you:


Even in the Valley --
High upon this mountain, the sun is shining bright.
My heart is filled with gladness, here above the cares of night.
but I’ve just come though the valley of troubles, fear and pain.
It was there I came to know my God enough to stand and say:

Even the valley, God is good.
Even in the valley, He is faithful and true
He carries His children through like He said he would.
Even in the valley, God is good! God is good! **

This road of life has led you to a valley of defeat,
you wonder if the Father has heard your desperate plea,
But there is hope in that rugged place where tears of sorrow dwell,
Can’t you hear Him gently whispering: I’m here and all is well?!”

**Emphasis added--don't you love those words?



In Him Alone,

Angie

Just had to post this picture--it was wonderful to be able to get together a few weeks ago with Teresa, a wonderful friend! She and her family were passing through Hutchinson, and, after many (!) emails and phone calls, we were able to set up a time to get together at the Metropolitan Coffee shop! Even though we only had a short while to visit over a latté and a tea, it was a memorable afternoon!

Some tulips I thought were pretty.

What kind of picture would you like to see posted next? Comment and give me your suggestions! :)

Filling my days. . .

Ahhh, the days continue to tick by--minute by minute, hour by hour--each passing day bringing my family closer to June 9th. In the meantime, I'm keeping busy with various things:

• Packing--I thought that after having to sort through all of my earthly belongings back in Brazil and fitting it all into not even two suitcases, I would not have much trouble packing things up now. Well, as you can guess, just the opposite is true. I have accumulated so much stuff in the short while that I've been back in the United States--if only you could see my room right now (it is a good thing, though, that you can't!) I have been sorting my things into somewhat-identifiable piles of things I need, things I want to keep( even though I don't exactly need them,) and other items that I don't need, (and really don't want either), thus landing them in either the "Goodwill" bag or the trash can. Now, all I have to do is put everything that I have decided to keep into some kind of suitcase, footlocker, or box. Until I do that, I think the floor of my room will be hopelessly cluttered. . .

• Preparing for VBS--Next week is VBS at Medora Community Bible Church. My entire family will be involved in various aspects of it: my parents will be teaching the missions-emphisis lessons; Patrice will be assisting the kindergarten class and acting as "Sally" in the puppet skits; Melissa will be busy helping, wherever necessary, with the second-grade class and serving snacks; and finally, Jared wil be attending the special classes for fourth grade! Oh yeah, what will I be doing? That is a good question! Originally, I was supposed to be a helper for the second-grade class, but now, I'm helping with the fifth-grade class, which will be a little awkward. No, it is not because of the fifth-graders that it will be awkward, rather it is because of who the teacher will be--the new intern, who just got here this week! As you have probably already guessed, the intern is a guy, and I don't even know him! Yikes! Yes, I think next week will be a new experience, to say the least! However, on another note, if you could remember to pray for me, I would appreciate it, as I have been asked to give the "salvation lesson" one day for the classes up to second grade. Pray that God will give me the right words to say and help me to clearly convey the message of salvation; pray also that the lesson will possibly draw some of the children closer to a saving knowledge of God, if they haven't already. I will probably be teaching on Wednesday or Thursday (June 3rd or 4th).

• Working--My job at Plesant View Home has been going well. During my first few days there, I wondered how I was ever going to make it for the entire summer, but now that I've gotten used to the routine of things, I really enjoy it. I believe that God has me there for a definite purpose--to share one my reasons for believing that, would you believe that in the little town of Inman, at Plesent View Home, in the kitchen (where I'm working), there works another MK girl?!? I mean, what are the odds of that ever happening? Unfortunately, she has obviously turned her back on the Lord and chosen to reject Him Whom her parents have given their lives to share with others. I definitely think God has caused our paths to cross for a specific reason, though I'm not sure what that may be.

• Practicing--This Sunday I will be playing the offertory at church! I've been practicing and practicing, and yet the music still doesn't quite seem to be "fitting together"--one time I can play it perfectly, and then the next, I will totally mess it up! I will definitely be glad when both services are over and I have gotten through both times without stumbling over the all notes!

Hopefully I will be able to update this blog again sometime soon!

~ Angie

Becoming a Reality (in three weeks)

The days are beginning to come to a close; my time with my family is almost gone. There are precisely three weeks left until my parents, Melissa, and Jared board the airline at Kansas City Internation airport on June 9th, leaving Patrice and I here--HELP! As you can imagine, my emotions are commencing to make a very real appearance!

For the past ten days or so, I stayed with the Franklin family, whom I will be staying with after my parents leave. Because I just started a job, I really couldn't go along with the rest of my family when they went up to Montana to visit relatives and two of our supporting churches. It was during this time of separation that the reality of this pending "nightmare" began to sink in: it really is going to happen--I really will be living apart from my parents in the very-near future!

While at times the thought of going off to college sounds exciting, thrilling, and full of adventure, the accompanying implications of living here in the US, separated from everyone and everything that is familiar, is enough to dampen my spirits a bit. A few times throughout the last few days, I have felt almost overwhelmed with the realization of the reality of it all. "Can I really do this?" I've often asked myself. Each time, my mental answer has been: "Well, it's still a long time off in the future; you'll handle it when the time comes." Well, now the time is almost upon me, and I'm not sure if I'll be strong and get through it or not!

It was with such thoughts and emotions boiling near the surface of my heart and mind that I arrived at church last Sunday. As several of my past posts have already mentioned, we have been going through a fantastic series in Sunday school that is by Dr. Jim Berg, examining the character of God and confirming time and again that He is more than enough for our every need! By the end of the hour, I sat amazed at the way God works--the lesson was exactly what I needed!

Why do I say that? Well, would you believe that the very subject of the entire Sunday School hour was our emotions--the very thing I had been struggling with for the past few days? Perhaps the most revealing truth was that "my thoughts dictate my emotions!" So basic, yet so real! If I don't think about something, I won't have emotions about it! Conversely, in order to sustain an emotion, I must think about it!

Now, I'm not saying that in order to get through the next few days and weeks I will simply ignore the inevitable. No, the facts will not go away by mentally saying they don't exist. What I am saying, however, is that it was very freeing, to me, to discover that it is possible for me to control my emotions and sadness about this all! I do have the power to choose what I think about and by avoiding the negative thought patterns of "poor me" that have threatened to make their appearance with increasing frequency lately, I will also be avoiding the negative emotions that accompany them! I don't know. . . am I making any sense at all?

Needless to say, even with all that said, please keep me and my family in your prayers. While I know countless missionary kids have gone through this very thing and have survived (!), this is a first for me.

Trusting in Him,
Angie

The Next Step. . .

Well, some of you are probably wondering what has happened in my life, especially everything involving my quest of a job. All I can say is that God works everything out for the best--every time! Some times it doesn't always seem like the best thing at the moment, but then other times, it works out how we think is the best. In my situation, God saw fit to allow me to re-take the functional capacity test and pass it! Not only did I achieve the required level 3 in my overall score of the various tasks I had to perform, but exceeded it by a whole point and a half! I can only say that it was of the Lord--especially when the lady who stepped me through it all said that because of my score, I would really to have to work hard in order to pass! She really didn't give me much hope to pass, and asked if I even wanted to proceed to take the test right then and there.

Needless to say, I really didn't want to spend days working out trying to build my strength, so I decided to go ahead and try, even though my chances of achieving the required level #3 were slim. My reasoning was that, if I still didn't pass, well then, perhaps that was God's was of telling me, the second time, that this job was not for me.

The result: As I already mentioned at the beginning of this note, I did pass the test, which in turn means that, upon taking the "drug test," I willl have the job! I am still baffled at the possibility of such a varience in the results of the tests; nonetheless, I am thankful for the way God worked this all out! It is wonderful to now be able to see a little clearer the next step that I am to take in this journey along the road called "life."



Thankful,
Angie

A Door, a window, or neither?

Have any of you come to the point where you are not sure whether something happened because it is God's will (I mean, of course nothing happens without God allowing it, but rather, "did this happen because it is a sign that 'the door is closed'"?) or wondered if it was simply an opportunity to exercise your faith and determination in order to proceed, even though there were some obstacles to overcome in order to do so?

My reason is asking this is that I found out today that I didn't quite pass the functional capacity test I had to do for my job. Everything about this job opportunity appeared like the best thing--it seemed like God was working everything out perfectly! What more could I ask for--the pay is better than I was getting at my other job, it is right across the street from where I'll be living this summer, I can even go full-time during the summer months! It all was seeming to fit together like puzzle pieces! But then...I didn't pass this test. Why?

When I first found out, one of my first thoughts was: "Well, I guess God has something better for me." But is that really so? Is He truly closing this door because He has something else in store for me that will be, in the long run, much better for me, even though it seemed like the ideal job opportunity, or is this simply an obstacle to be hurdled? Am I to passively accept this as "God's will" and do nothing more about it--to give up--or does He want something more of me? How am I to determine the fine line of accepting God's will for my life, doing my best to accomplish what God wants for my life, yet at the same time, not push my way into something that God doesn't want me to be in? How do I determine when God has closed the door and there is not a window for me to go through instead?

The lady that interviewed me said that there have been times when someone doesn't pass this test, but then they re-take it and they pass. Is this whole thing because God wants to test my faith? Is He trying to tell me that He has other plans--plans of good, and not of evil? Is He telling me to trust Him--that He is in control, that none of this was a surprise to Him? Or is He trying to show me that I need to try again and press onward, even though there may be difficulties because I feel this is where He wants me?

Interestingly, I read this verse this morning in my devotions: "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" (Proverbs 20:24), and it seemed to be talking about me. I really don't understand why God allowed this obstacle to come up; I cannot be certain of the course of that I am now to take. However, I take comfort in one thing: It is all of Him, and He is the One leading me down each path of my life, no matter how dark or unknown it may seem!