About this time a month ago, we left for a 15 day visit in Tennessee. Luis got to experience the cold, and surprisingly, he liked it at times! We had a great time visiting family and friends; it was such a blessing to spend Thanksgiving with my whole family. I also had a fabulous baby shower at my home church, First Baptist Clinton, where again we received an abundance of blessings! I am so thankful and fortunate to have an amazing family and wonderful friends!
Our little "joy and blessing from heaven," Annabelle Zyana, is growing, moving, and developing so fast that I cannot believe it! Just in two months she will be here! I thank God that she is being beautifully and perfectly woven together without any major problems. Unfortunately, I did have to go to the doctor a couple of times while I was at home. At the second visit, I found out that I have a kidney stone 1 cm long, but I haven't had any major problems with it since the day of that visit and am trusting God that it will all work out. The best part of going to those visits was that I got some really great ultrasound pictures of Annabelle and was even able to clearly see her face! She's so precious, and we can't wait to meet her!
These are my favorite pictures! The bottom one looks like she's laughing!
It feels like so much has happened since we've been back, and we've only been back two weeks. I praise God that He is growing and blessing the project in El Paraiso. Thursday, the sewing class received their pay from the scarves that sold in the US, and Tamara threw them a Christmas party. They were so excited to get just a part of what they earned from making the scarves, and they loved the little presents that they got! Please check out all of the pictures and video on Facebook if you haven't yet.
The presents that got from the Christmas party. Faridad is hiding behind hers!
Our youth activities are advancing as well. Evidently the youth missed us a lot while we were gone, and they were excited when we started back normal activities on Friday. We still have an average of about 15, but it's a solid group and I can see how God is working in their lives. So far, we all have given our testimonies (Daniel Price did a great job in giving his last week), and we plan to start hitting specific topics. Please continue to pray for us and this ministry and that we will be able to minister to them and disciple them in the way that God leads.
Playing a game with the youth= so much joy!
The LORD has been so good to us in so many ways, and I take great pleasure in taking just a little part of the work He is doing. However, He is not just working through us; He is doing a work in us. I think a lot of people assume that mission work is just all about pouring out and transforming others' lives. But the biggest transformation always happens in the life of the missioner. God has taught me and transformed me in ways that I never imagined this year. He has broken bondage that the enemy has had over my life. He has broken my pride in several areas while making me a stronger and more secure person at the same time. He has and is teaching us many lessons about daily life and about this world and the spiritual world.
One of the biggest lessons right now is learning that God is the provider and God's plans prevail over our own. These lessons seem simple and what all Christians should believe. However, our belief in this only is an idea in our mind until we are really tested to live it out. A month ago, I wasn't sure how we were going to go on financially here, but as always, God provided what we needed and more. Sitting here in my house, I can say that everything that I have has come out of the blessing of the Lord. We don't deserve what we have, and Luis and I even feel guilty seeing how many of the people around us work so hard just to eat a little. It makes us want to do more to help others, but we can only do what God allows us and enables us to do. We can plan and work hard in one area, but if it isn't what God has for us, we won't prosper.
I want to give you an example of how our own plans can be thwarted. I had this past weekend all planned out. We had plans to buy a car (another huge blessing and provision) on Saturday and drive to Managua today to renew my passport at the embassy. Turns out that I had trouble getting the money out of my account on Saturday so our plans were completely changed. We tried to go buy the car in the morning and go straight to my embassy appointment, but when we got to where we were buying the car, the seats and everything inside the car was disarmed for cleaning and we had to wait three hours for it to be ready. Needless to say, I missed my appointment, but I realized I had left a paper at home that I needed anyways. These are just the two main examples of how my plans don't work out. And I guess you can say that it was God's will cause that's what happened for one reason or another.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed to the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." One of the patterns of this world is the mindset that we make our own destiny. And while it is good to make plans and to work hard for what one has, it doesn't always work out like we plan or we might miss what God's will is for our lives in trying to make our plans work out.
I don't know what His will is exactly for my life. I do know His overall will is that His children would know Him, obey and glorify Him, and be conformed to the likeness of His Son (Romans 8:29). However, to know the details of all of coming to all of that, I have to look for His will daily and trust that He plans will prevail no matter what.
Thank you again for reading. May you be fully and richly blessed in Christ Jesus.
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