Remembering

It blows my mind sometimes, how quickly things can change and how just that quickly, I forget how things used to be. Naomi has been sleeping through the night for a while now. However it really wasn't that long ago that she was still waking up multiple times in the night. (I have definitely gotten spoiled and will definitely have a new norm as soon as our next baby comes.) Over the past couple months I have really enjoyed the sleep. Then all of a sudden, last night I woke up at 1 am to the sound of Naomi crying. It actually took me quite a while to figure out what was going on, I had gotten so used getting the peaceful sleep.

For me this definitely isn't a one time occurrence. I forget about a lot of things in the past and focus more on the present. For example I have a hard time recalling movies that I have seen. Even if it was just a couple weeks ago that I watched them. In situations like that, I forget because it is just not very important to me. In situations like the first story, I forget because I like how things are now and don't want to dwell on the past when I was constantly waking up. However, I can also forget good things, ways God has worked in my life, fun experiences with my family as well as some of my German. For me with a lot of things, if I don't think about them regularly then I loose sight of them.

I see this happening at times the longer we are here in the states with Austria and the ministry there. Yes, we are here sharing with people on a regular basis how God has been using us there but it is still easy for to talk about the facts and not as much about my heart. I tend to notice though, the more I skype with people that are still there, the more I hear about the various ministries (both praises and prayer requests) and the more I spend time working on my German, the more my heart grows for the people there. The more I invest in the people, no matter how far away they are, the deeper they are etched into my heart.

Realizing these things has also convicted me of how quickly that can happen too with spending time with God. When it happens less often and the busier I get, the easier it is to forget and not make that time be a priority. In times like these I realize how important lists and schedules are for me to remember everything. As well as how important it is for me to encourage and remind (in a loving way) my husband of these things as well.

In remembering, I am going to share a few pictures from the past year that remind me of all the ways God has blessed and used us.

Mentor relationships

Those that we connected with through German Class

Naomi!

Giving Thanks

It is crazy to me how clear God can make it when He is trying to get a point across to me. I hear it from so many different directions all at the same time. Recently it has been how blessed I really am and how I need to turn around and give the credit and give thanks back to God. I am currently still discipling/mentoring three youth girls over skype. I shared a little bit about my relationship with Caro in the last post and how I was challenged to go on a walk with God and just give Him praise and thank Him for...everything. I learned a lot about myself including how selfish I can be during this time but I have been amazed how this conversation has come out in all of the 3 mentoring relationships that I have. It has come up through different passages of the Bible that we have been reading, different thoughts that they have and how they are being challenged. (Not to mention it was the week of Thanksgiving) It is clear that I have some growing to do and more thanks to give. Through this past week, God has really just amazed me: How well He can communicate with us, how much he provides, and how I am blessed way beyond anything that I deserve. However it is not because of my righteousness but because of His great mercy.