School started for the girls 2 weeks ago, and preschool started for Joshua recently. The girls really enjoy school, Amy started middle school and she loves her new teachers. Haley made some new friends in her class, and enjoys going to school. Joshua is not the happiest he has to go to preschool, but it’s mandatory here in Hungary once you are 3 years old, so we have no choice.
Today is Registration Day at the BI, it is so fantastic to see all the students here. When I walk on the property, I get to hear so many different languages, see so many different cultures being represented. Chris and I are so excited for this year. We cannot wait to get to know the students better!
I started working as the Academic Assistant this year, and spend most of my mornings on campus. JJ faithfully comes with me (not that he has a choice 🙂 ) every time. He is a very friendly kid, so he enjoys being surrounded by people.
Since this month has been very busy (even more so than usual), I had to make sure I make time to be quiet and spend quality time with God. I noticed that if I am not intentional with that, days can go by without me talking to God, reading His Word, meditating on His truths, and I didn’t want that. So I tried to be very intentional with my time with God, and by His grace, I was able to organize my days in a way that I wasn’t too busy to spend time with the One I am busy serving. 🙂 I think full-time missionaries often fall into the trap of thinking they don’t need to spend time with God, because they are serving 24/7.
I don’t ever want to serve without being deeply rooted in Christ. It seems obvious, but my experience is that it’s so easy to just do things out of habit, and once we are good at something, it’s so easy to forget to involve God. As if we are able to do anything good without Him… I am learning what it means when Christ says in John 15, “apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Another thing I am learning is not to say “God didn’t answer my prayer,” as if the only time God answers my prayers is when He gives me what I want. If my kids ask me for something, and I say, “no,” or “not now,” I am answering their request. Probably not the way they hoped for, but that doesn’t make it less of an answer. So since I know God always hears my prayers, and I believe that there’s nothing too hard for Him, then when God doesn’t grant my request, I shouldn’t say, “He didn’t answer my prayer,” instead I should say He didn’t answer it the way I hoped for. And truthfully, since I know He knows best, if He said no to me, I can be sure it’s for the best. My knowledge is so limited, and He knows past, present, and future. He is a perfectly good God, who doesn’t make mistakes. I can always rest in this truth. I can have peace, despite my circumstances because of who He is.
How can we pray for you today?