So my sister tagged me with this game so I'm doing it just for fun. I have to confess that I don't even have 6 blog friends to tag. I'm kind of a loser, so I guess the game stops here. :)
Stacy has tagged me! These are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (or don't and don't feel any less cool....)
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
Six non-important things about me:
1. I am a huge creature of habit. It's a raspberry white mocha every time at Starbucks and chicken fingers regardless of the restaurant. I've even got a regular order at one of the restaurants here in Mbarara. I realize I should branch out, but when I find a good thing I just have a hard time letting go.
2. I always, always listen to my music on random. In fact, the thought of listening to a cd in the right order kind of makes me cringe.
3. I am slightly obsessed with Beth Moore, acacia trees, sunsets, and Sara Groves...in no particular order.
4. I have a few OCD tendencies such as checking locks a lot (it must run in the family), checking my alarm a few times before I go to bed, and consistently thinking I've left the oven on and convincing myself of it until I go home and check.
5. One of my favorite things in the world is driving with nowhere to go and the sunroof open on a beautiful day.
6. On long road trips when I get sleepy, I crank up Mariah Carey's greatest hits and keep myself awake by trying to hit all of the high notes. Now if that's not a funny mental image for you, then I don't know what is.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Meet Carolyne
About a month ago, Desarae and I wrote an email to many of you about a special need that had come up with our friend Carolyne. Carol is from Rwanda, and she fled to Uganda when her entire family was killed in the genocide in 1994. Since then she's lived with a grandmother, gone to school for awhile, and she has recently been living with a friend here in town. Carol doesn't have a job and has no way to take care of herself, but thankfully God provided her with a good friend who lets her live with her for free and takes care of her.
Recently Carol's friend became very sick and lost her job. For the last few weeks, Carol has been struggling to find money to eat and to survive. She has come to us crying several times, and we've tried to help her out as much as we can. We were only able to help a little so we decided to email all of you. It was incredible to sit back and watch God's people react to a sister in need. The way you all surrounded her with love and money was incredible. Thanks to your generosity, we've now got over $1000 raised for Carol, which is enough to take care of her through the end of 2010! We serve a mighty God, and He has a mighty people. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Today we told Carol the good news. I wish you all could have been here to see her reaction. She's not a big hugger, but she jumped up and gave D-rae and I the biggest hugs ever! She just kept saying "thank you" over and over again, and she admitted to us later in the day that she still can't believe this has happened. She couldn't stop smiling, and it was a beautiful thing to see. She was talking about how in the Bible it says that there is a time for everything, a time for suffering, and a time for joy. She said that God has really done a miracle and brought her out of her time of suffering to a great time of joy. She was SO excited!
We explained that she will only be allowed to withdrawal a certain amount every month, which will be enough to live on and also help her money to last until the end of 2010. We sat down with her and helped her plan a budget, and we gave her a notebook to keep track of the money that she spends. Since most people here have never had much money, they don't understand how to budget or save so we're trying to educate her a little bit. At the end of our time with her, she wrote a letter thanking all of you for your love. I'm going to type it exactly how she wrote it so you can get an idea of how people talk here. This is a precious letter.
Let me first greeting you in the name of Jesus that praise the Lord. Am so so happy to have a good message from you. I really appreciate. There is no way how I can thank you because it's like a miracle. Thank you very much. May God continue to bless you all the time. I think nothing I can give it to you only God is the one who is going to reward you. I love you so much in the name of Jesus Christ. May God protect your lives and everything that your doing. Continue to pray for me and I will continue to pray for you because God has done for me the good thing. Bye.
From: Ekyatuhaire N. Carolyne
ekyatcarlo2007@yahoo.com
Carol's life was changed today and you were all a part of that. Continue to pray for her health as she has a heart disorder and ulcers which cause her a lot of pain. Her friend is currently trying to get another job and will find out this Friday if she is hired. Pray that her friend is able to get a job so that they can split the rent and each have more money to live on.
In Rwanda, parent's choose a different surname for every child. Ekyatuhaire means "God has given." I think that's cool to know considering what God has given her today. Thank you for being his hands and feet.
Recently Carol's friend became very sick and lost her job. For the last few weeks, Carol has been struggling to find money to eat and to survive. She has come to us crying several times, and we've tried to help her out as much as we can. We were only able to help a little so we decided to email all of you. It was incredible to sit back and watch God's people react to a sister in need. The way you all surrounded her with love and money was incredible. Thanks to your generosity, we've now got over $1000 raised for Carol, which is enough to take care of her through the end of 2010! We serve a mighty God, and He has a mighty people. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Today we told Carol the good news. I wish you all could have been here to see her reaction. She's not a big hugger, but she jumped up and gave D-rae and I the biggest hugs ever! She just kept saying "thank you" over and over again, and she admitted to us later in the day that she still can't believe this has happened. She couldn't stop smiling, and it was a beautiful thing to see. She was talking about how in the Bible it says that there is a time for everything, a time for suffering, and a time for joy. She said that God has really done a miracle and brought her out of her time of suffering to a great time of joy. She was SO excited!
We explained that she will only be allowed to withdrawal a certain amount every month, which will be enough to live on and also help her money to last until the end of 2010. We sat down with her and helped her plan a budget, and we gave her a notebook to keep track of the money that she spends. Since most people here have never had much money, they don't understand how to budget or save so we're trying to educate her a little bit. At the end of our time with her, she wrote a letter thanking all of you for your love. I'm going to type it exactly how she wrote it so you can get an idea of how people talk here. This is a precious letter.
Let me first greeting you in the name of Jesus that praise the Lord. Am so so happy to have a good message from you. I really appreciate. There is no way how I can thank you because it's like a miracle. Thank you very much. May God continue to bless you all the time. I think nothing I can give it to you only God is the one who is going to reward you. I love you so much in the name of Jesus Christ. May God protect your lives and everything that your doing. Continue to pray for me and I will continue to pray for you because God has done for me the good thing. Bye.
From: Ekyatuhaire N. Carolyne
ekyatcarlo2007@yahoo.com
Carol's life was changed today and you were all a part of that. Continue to pray for her health as she has a heart disorder and ulcers which cause her a lot of pain. Her friend is currently trying to get another job and will find out this Friday if she is hired. Pray that her friend is able to get a job so that they can split the rent and each have more money to live on.
In Rwanda, parent's choose a different surname for every child. Ekyatuhaire means "God has given." I think that's cool to know considering what God has given her today. Thank you for being his hands and feet.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
God Chose Me
The story of Gideon is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories in all the Bible. I've read it a few times lately, and each time I notice new things and learn more about our God. We read it to our boys the other day in school, and last night I shared it with our hostel girls and God just continues to teach me more through the Old Testament. And to think that I used to not be able to get into the OT...now I can't get enough of it!
Gideon is another one of the countless examples of God choosing the weak, the sinful, the imperfect, to accomplish His purposes. Abraham the fatherless became the father of many nations. Moses the stutterer became the mighty leader of the Israelites. Rahab the prostitute aided the spies and is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. David, the man after God's own heart, committed two sins that were very unlike God's character. And then there's Gideon. The coolest part is that all of these seemingly imperfect sinners are listed in Hebrews 11 as examples of those with great faith who are left for us to follow. It's amazing what God can do through those the world views as unable and incapable!
Gideon is chosen as the fifth judge of the Israelites, and we meet him in Judges 6. When talking with an angel of the Lord, Gideon describes himself as weak--his tribe is the weakest, and he is the weakest of all his family. He clearly thinks that God has chosen the wrong man to lead the Israelites against the mighty Midianites, a force of over 120,000 men. But God doesn't make mistakes. He chooses us each for a reason, and He chose Gideon for a specific purpose.
I love how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon. In verse 12, he says, "Mighty Hero, the Lord is with you." Here Gideon is referring to himself as weak, while God is calling him mighty. The angel also tells Gideon to go with the strength that he has, which implies that weak Gideon has strength that maybe he is unaware of.
God doesn't view Gideon the way that he views himself or even the way that others view him. God sees Gideon in a completely different way. He doesn't see him as he is in that moment, but He views him as who he could become with God's power within him. He doesn't look at Gideon and see his past failures or even the failures that he will make in the near future. Instead he looks at Gideon and sees his beloved child and the ways that He wants to use him. Even when Gideon's faith wavers in his conquest of the Midianites, God still views him as a mighty hero and a man of strength.
I love that and I need to be reminded of it. God doesn't remember my past failures at all. It's not just that He chooses not to think about them, but He actually has no memory of them. I wish I could wrap my mind around that. I look at myself as someone who struggles with pride, selfishness, gossip, doubt, among many other things. But God looks at me as His daughter, created in His image, and for whom He has great things planned. When I feel weak, He reminds me to go with the strength that I have and that He'll be there with me to provide all the strength I'll ever need.
Gideon is another one of the countless examples of God choosing the weak, the sinful, the imperfect, to accomplish His purposes. Abraham the fatherless became the father of many nations. Moses the stutterer became the mighty leader of the Israelites. Rahab the prostitute aided the spies and is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. David, the man after God's own heart, committed two sins that were very unlike God's character. And then there's Gideon. The coolest part is that all of these seemingly imperfect sinners are listed in Hebrews 11 as examples of those with great faith who are left for us to follow. It's amazing what God can do through those the world views as unable and incapable!
Gideon is chosen as the fifth judge of the Israelites, and we meet him in Judges 6. When talking with an angel of the Lord, Gideon describes himself as weak--his tribe is the weakest, and he is the weakest of all his family. He clearly thinks that God has chosen the wrong man to lead the Israelites against the mighty Midianites, a force of over 120,000 men. But God doesn't make mistakes. He chooses us each for a reason, and He chose Gideon for a specific purpose.
I love how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon. In verse 12, he says, "Mighty Hero, the Lord is with you." Here Gideon is referring to himself as weak, while God is calling him mighty. The angel also tells Gideon to go with the strength that he has, which implies that weak Gideon has strength that maybe he is unaware of.
God doesn't view Gideon the way that he views himself or even the way that others view him. God sees Gideon in a completely different way. He doesn't see him as he is in that moment, but He views him as who he could become with God's power within him. He doesn't look at Gideon and see his past failures or even the failures that he will make in the near future. Instead he looks at Gideon and sees his beloved child and the ways that He wants to use him. Even when Gideon's faith wavers in his conquest of the Midianites, God still views him as a mighty hero and a man of strength.
I love that and I need to be reminded of it. God doesn't remember my past failures at all. It's not just that He chooses not to think about them, but He actually has no memory of them. I wish I could wrap my mind around that. I look at myself as someone who struggles with pride, selfishness, gossip, doubt, among many other things. But God looks at me as His daughter, created in His image, and for whom He has great things planned. When I feel weak, He reminds me to go with the strength that I have and that He'll be there with me to provide all the strength I'll ever need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)