He... a brilliant medical student, humble leader, loyal soldier, and thoughtful confidante
Together... surrendered followers of Christ and a lovely couple! Here's to new adventures :)
"It may not be to you... that the call is given to leave your country to carry the message of salvation to the heathen; for you the pillar of cloud and fire may rest over some Elam; God may bid you watch over an aged parent, make a home happy, bring up children for Him. Your work may be in ... a parish, perhaps in a crowded city, perhaps in a peaceful village. But is your eye fixed on that pillar, the emblem of the will of your Heavenly King? Is the calm peaceful resolution of your heart, 'Wherever Thou wilt, however Thou wilt, O my Lord! but guide me and I will follow!' Then blessed is your path, whether in the wilderness of green pastures, whether in roaring billows or beside the still waters! ...Fighting against the power of Satan both within and without, you may be as truly serving the Lord, as truly pressing forward to the prize, as if planting the banner of the Cross" ~ A.L.O.E
She... a compassionate school teacher, beautiful pianist, genuine and faithful friend He... a brilliant medical student, humble leader, loyal soldier, and thoughtful confidante Together... surrendered followers of Christ and a lovely couple! Here's to new adventures :) Congratulations!!!
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As nursing students.... we write patient care plans. During sophomore year these were terribly overwhelming and quickly became one of our least favorite tasks, not for their lack of value but for the great time investment required to make one. Now, they make much more sense, thankfully :) While many diagnoses are the same for many patients, each care plan is individualized. Each plan takes into account a patient's specific conditions, medications, limitations, and strengths. My patient may never see my care plan, but I am responsible to implement it. The patient's outcome is based on their compliance with the care and treatments provided. Ultimately, we cannot do anything as healthcare providers without what we call "informed consent" which can be revoked by the patient at any point. A good doctor will use all his resources available to provide the best care and prescribe accurately. The plan of care may include pain relief medications after surgery, ice to reduce swelling, while also prescribing physical therapy, infusions, or nauseating liquids before a scan. Some things are pleasant and others not so much, but all are necessary. The best care plan usually includes both. While sitting in chapel one day, I had a "light bulb" moment. I am definitely a visual learner, and object lessons are my favorite. All of the sudden, I thought "this is like God's plan for us!" He is always doing what is best for me, but I must choose to submit. I have to give my consent - put my life in the care of my Father and take one day at a time. I don't know all that his plan includes yet, but have to trust that everything is for my good and His glory. God's Care PlanToday we celebrate Easter, God's greatest plan - the salvation of His people! His power over death was seen in His resurrection from the grave. It is finished! Everyday, this same power is working in and through us for our sanctification. Here is the breakdown in a care plan format... it is just the way my brain is wired these days :) Assessment:
Diagnoses:
Planning the goal & expected outcomes: this is the ultimate purpose and just some of the things the Lord wants and wills for us! {Micah 6:8}
Interventions: As for God, His way is perfect {Ps 18:30}
Evaluation: May we run the race well!
Rationale & Source: God's Word
~ God has not changed; MY plans might, but He is still the same. His perspective make sense~
and this... is what it actually looks like most of the time when I write care plans... :) Today is special to me because it is a reminder to me of God's unconditional grace and love. 14 years ago today, I was an especially strong-willed, deeply convicted 6 year old little girl whose heart was hard and strongly resisting the Holy Spirit. The gospel was clear in my mind, but far from my heart. All the facts, I could have quoted back to you. I understood that I was a sinner, but I enjoyed making my own decisions! Listening to the song "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" in children's church, my heart would beat faster and harder knowing I couldn't even sing the words because I had put up a wall against submission. I waited for the end of every service when the teachers would open an invitation and hope it would pass quickly. Each time they would invite us to talk with a teacher in the back or raise our hand if we had questions about accepting Christ as our personal Savior, and each time I refused to budge because I did not want anyone to tell me what to do. I knew that I just needed to pray and call out to my God in repentance, but I also knew no one could force me. It became an issue of control. When I could hardly fight it anymore, the Lord extended mercy once again on a Saturday afternoon. Halfway through the AWANA games where a mess of hundreds of kids were seated on a cramped gym floor with all their parents in the bleachers listening, a young guy shared the gospel once again. I remember nothing about him or what he said; I had heard it all before, but I remember his closing. The Lord knew my stubborn heart and had the speaker extend an invitation saying we did not have to raise a hand or talk to anyone and could pray right where we were seated. I remember listening intently - waiting in anticipation for these words. Finally, I released control! I prayed, not perfectly, but broken and repentant. Such a peace washed over me! Christ's sacrifice was sufficient to wash away all my sins. His power was sufficient to conquer death and give me eternal life. His blood was sufficient to satisfy God's wrath. And just as He was sufficient in my salvation, I can trust HIM to be sufficient everyday. This is SO hard to live out, but I want to trust Him. What trust will look like today is a moment by moment choice. He is sufficient to satisfy my heart, to sustain, and to give strength for tomorrow. When I returned to children's church that next Sunday, I remember being so excited so sing. With confidence as God's child, I had decided to follow Jesus! The song might be trite to some but is a reminder to me that following Him is an adventure. I do not know what the future holds - whatever it is, no turning back. I have decided to follow Jesus; Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass. {Ps 37:5}
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ {Phil 1:6} Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. {2 Pet 1:3} Here is a photo journal of sorts for my week in Honduras with Medical Mission Outreach. It was such a blessing to see how God is working there! The ministry of Team Honduras lead by missionaries Matt & Dallita Goins, Jon and Sarah Stammen, and Mark and Amy Coats in incredible. Their humility, dedication, and love for Jesus radiates in all that they do. Thank you for your prayers and support! Iglesia Bautista El FaroPreparing meds at the church before clinic starts! El Progresso, YoroThe Medical ClinicThe team's reaction when they saw the early morning line as we drove up for the first day of clinic! During the four days of clinic we treated 3,618 patients. For the first time, we ran out of so many medicines we had to close clinic a few hours early on the last day. The Lord blessed greatly and even brought the most patients on the rainy day! Over 70 members of Iglesia Bautista El Faro volunteering during the week serving as translators, patient guides, registration, and did the evangelism. Triage: takes blood pressures, pulses, chief complaint, and oxygen saturation. 10 Doctors and nurses served as providers; they send patients to our lab, diagnose, and prescribe. As I saw patients come through the clinic one after another, something struck me. So many did not appear to be sick; on the outside they were smiling, carrying their children, feeding a baby, and talking amongst themselves. Granted some had obvious wounds and bandages or limps and crutches, but at a glance most seem to be doing fine. I was convicted that this is often how I can view people around me. I can dismiss the urge to talk to someone, get distracted by my phone, forget about someone sitting beside me because they seem ok. No one is dying right? Sure, if there was an emergency I would help, but they're ok; or are they? Then, once the young and older patients sit down beside you and tell you about their chronic pain since an accident 5 years ago, or the problems since delivering her last child 36 years ago, or the injury at work 2 months ago, or the inability to eat for the sake of pain, or the sudden chest pain that will not go away anymore - the seemingly normal looking patient becomes complicated. Every person has a story. While we saw many of the same diagnoses, each life has it's unique struggles; we sometimes had to dig with our questions to find the root of the complications and untreated diseases. Many patients had parasites, and all were treated for parasites. The parasites are like sin and sneak in with contaminated water using all the food's nutrients and starving the body. They grow and must be rooted out. While we treated the illnesses we could, it was a constant reminder of their greatest need, Jesus Christ. This is why we do clinics - to give them real hope. But it is often only after someone knows that you care and are listening that we can introduce them to the Healer of their sins, the One who extends to us a gift of eternal life because of His payment for our sins. As I go home, I pray I will not miss opportunities God gives to introduce others to my Father. May we live redeeming the time, be sensitive to the Spirit, and be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within us Members from the church sat down with each patient to pray for them, and explain the gospel. MMO is careful to make sure the patients hear it in their own language from someone they can follow up with afterward in the local church. This builds a foundation for relationships with new believers. We praise the Lord for 51 who accepted Christ! While the patients heard the gospel, the pharmacy prepares the prescriptions. Here is a video I pieced together, I am not a videographer! But it should at least give you an glimpse of the week and show what the clinic days are like :) The Vision ClinicSo many patients came for the vision clinic. Many of them receiving glasses for the first time. First: they read the eye charts on the wall and either wait on the doctor if they have cataracts or pterygiums or wait for the autorefractors. After receiving a prescription, the volunteers look for a pair of reading glasses or a close prescription from the donated glasses. It is a lengthy process and hard work, but many were very thankful to see clearly again! One little boy came having injured his eye a week prior to have the doctor find a metal shard in his eye. Instead of losing his sight in that eye, it is likely it will heal with the eye drops. Other AdventuresBesides working at the clinic, we were blessed to meet all the children at Hope of Honduras Children's Home. It is an incredible ministry with 18 children with contagious joy. The older kids were a huge help at the clinic too and several helped as translators. We enjoyed playing soccer, and jumping on the trampoline, and basketball with them. On the last day the whole team took a fieldtrip to the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking! So majestic and powerful. Some of the team went cave exploring and diving while some took the kids ziplining. It was great fun! Also pictured are a few of the exciting critters we met during the week :) As I flew home a beautiful array of clouds passed below. Fluffy peaks, wispy trails, golden crowns, and frosty shades of blue, and a hundred shades of white and pink as the sun reflected off a million suspended water droplets. It was a gorgeous sight and always changing with the wind the farther we flew. It is a sight we can never appreciate from the ground below. I thought of it like a picture of God's perspective. He sees an entire other side of our lives. He sees the beginning and the end. He sees the rain to come and the next sunrise. He holds blessings in store and is orchestrating tomorrow. Without going to Honduras, I would have never seen how He was working in the believers there, but God saw. He is working in Guyana, in the Middle East, in China, and so many places far from our limited sight. As I think about graduation and the future, I look up and just see clouds. From my perspective it is all still gray. I have hopes and dreams and do not want to waist any time in serving the Lord, but I wait on His direction and pray. I do not wait idly but trusting. I can trust Him who made all things, whose thoughts are above mine, whose ways are above the heavens.
Ps 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and he shall bring it to pass. It is a rough analogy, but as we made Christmas cookies this year I thought of how God made us. He created us in his image, each unique and loves us steadfastly. He is our Creator and our Redeemer. He loved me enough to give me the choice to love Him. He loved us knowing our need for a Savoir because of our choice to sin. He loved His children so much He kept His promise of a Savior for generation after generation. He loved us enough to humble Himself to a manger and become the incarnate Christ as a baby. He loved us enough to accepted suffering. Even though He knew the cost, He was willing to sacrifice for me. His love is eternal and unconditional. Even now He is preparing a place for us to live with Him and worship Him.. We love Him, because He first loved us! This is the love we celebrate at Christmas. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 Long before He came, His birth and life was foretold! This was a source of hope and rejoicing even before the promise's fulfillment! The Lord encouraged His people that He would send the Messiah, and we can trust His promise that He will come again.
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
RugelachA family favorite: a mini pastry-like raspberry treat! Dough:
2) Heat oven to 350. It's is best to line the cookie sheet with parchment paper as it makes clean-up so much easier! 3) Working quickly, roll out one disk at a time to 14" circle. Mix cinnamon and sugar, set aside 2Tbsp for later. 4) Spread circle with 1/4c. preserves leaving 1/4" border. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, raisins, and nuts. 5) With pizza wheel, cut circle into 16 wedges. Roll up wide from wide end to center point. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet and sprinkle with reserved cinnamon sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. 6) Bake 18-22min. unto bottoms are light brown and tops are golden. Remove to cool on rack and freeze up to 3 months. Yum! You know you have been in nursing school when... you make EKG cookies. This is what happens when you have red icing... and just finished a series of lectures on the heart :) Lest anyone think there is not a mess behind the cookies... Mom appropriately got this apron for me. It says "Making a Moose in the Kitchen!" :) ~ Merry Christmas! ~To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc. 3:1 Maybe, I am the only one who dreams of tomorrows and relishes in the memories of yesterday. Perhaps, I am the only one who reminiscences from time to time about "the good 'ol days" when "such-and-such" was simpler or the only decisions we had to make was what we were going to wear that day and even then we could only pick from mom's selection. There is a chance, I am the only one who gets excited thinking about all the seemingly wonderful things the future holds when _____ {you fill in the blank} is over. But I think it is a slim chance; Pinterest is proof of that. However, I can only speak for myself. I once thought of college for me somewhat like the wilderness was for the children of Israel. Instead of 40 years of wandering, I felt like I was beginning 4 years of waiting. No, not for a guy :) for life! I struggled with being content where God had clearly led me. The previous season of life was familiar and dear to my heart. It was not wrong to remember, but I was more desiring to go back than continue to the next season - because now life was harder. Yet at the same time, I was incredibly motivated by all that the Lord has burdened me for the future. So, I found myself stuck wanting to go backwards and fast-forward all at the same time not realizing the opportunities to grow and minister where I was. I was convicted when I found myself delighting more in the familiar than in who my God is, or more joyful at the thought of our traditions than in God's character. Or when I realized my attitude was a reflection of my heart's desire to be where life was easier, where I was comfortable - my joy came from my circumstances not Christ. I had idealized and idolized the past and the future. But if we are looking for people or things to fill us up, we will still turn out dry. Jesus {said} “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jn. 4:13-14 My God is the only one who deeply satisfies my heart with overflowing joy and inconceivable peace. I trust He has our best in mind, and He deserves praise for how He is working. I believe there is a purpose for every season of life. "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass....Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him." Ps 37:4-5, 7 I feel like each change gets better. We can look back at how God used the last to grow us; it is a blessing. But even still, there are new challenges that drive me back to my knees because I have no idea what I am doing! And these seasons of life will always be changing. Once one stage is familiar and comfortable it is time to stretch again. God is waiting for us to ask for the next step's guidance in dependence on Him in prayer. In every new season much is unfamiliar, but He is my constant refuge and strong tower. Rest in HIM.
Day 1: Travel After traveling with Medical Missions Outreach in January to Guyana, I was very excited to go this time to the Dominican Republic for another week of clinics this summer! We flew into Santo Domingo with 50+ other team members. With such a large team of 105 people and many of us from all over the country, we had to travel in shifts! Flying over the water was a brilliant turquoise and the coastline rocky. The countryside has many rice and sugar fields. During the week we all traveled in buses which had great windows to soak in the views and if you were lucky enough, intermittent wi-fi to keep family back home updated :) I have never seen so many motorcycles or so many people riding together on one. Our team leaders and founders of Medical Missions Outreach: Bradley and Kelleigh Edmondson We stayed in the Score International Facilities where we also enjoyed our meals. Day 2 :Making visits In the morning we visited the Fundacion Pasitos de Jesus Girl's Care Home. There are 53 girls currently in the home learning that they are loved by a Heavenly Father and that they are special because God made them. Many of these girls were orphaned, abused, or rescued from the streets. Even though we didn't share the same language, we could paint water-colors together! Below is Carmen and Jessica who have been in the home for 10 years and now help take care of the younger girls. Their singing was a blessing! Another ministry we were able to visit was the Lily House. This is a home for women getting off the street and out of prostitution. It is a 3 yr program designed to teach the women a trade and how to run their own business. They provide a daycare for the women's children and a workshop for the ladies to work in. On the second story were several shops: a bakery, nail and massage salon, and jewelry and craft shop. The ministry's goal is to be self-sustaining. Currently they praise the Lord for 11 women working in these shops! Later in the week we visited a similar ministry called Mercy Workshop. In both of the ministries, money from their sales goes to support the women directly. The Mercy Safe House is pictured below where construction has begun to provide a refuge for some women in dangerous situations. We spent the afternoon walking through 4 different villages passing out invitations to the clinic. Below is the village of La Lamo, where there is currently a national pastor starting a church with only one believer. Since this village was one of the closest to the clinic, we prayed that he may be able to follow up with the many who came. Day 3: Flyers Baseball is a huge sport in the DR as many major league players have their origins here. This allows a great opportunity for ministries here to reach out to the youth with sports. We enjoyed a pick-up game of baseball and basketball before going out to pass out flyers again in the afternoon. Not sharing a language didn't stop anyone - everyone understands what to do with the ball! This afternoon we drove out to a more remote village. I learned how to say "Free clinic for all of your family" in Spanish "Clinica gratis todos familias." The people were always kind enough to accept the flyer and smile at my effort to pronounce the phrase :) By the time we made a loop through the whole village every child was following us eagerly collecting our invitations and chanting for more chewing gum! Meanwhile, half of the team was back preparing medications and vitamins for the week. They made little bags of a month's supply of ibuprofen, Tylenol, allergy medications to name a few. These are later labeled with directions in Spanish for administering. Day 4: Church Because the team was so large, we split into 4 groups for Sunday morning and visited separate missionaries and national pastors' church plants. Mom and I attended Iglesia Bautista Cristianain where we enjoyed worshiping with the believers there! A deacon welcomed us into Sunday school and with the help of 2 team members who interpreted for us, we studied 1 Peter 4 together. The singing and message from Matthew 25 were encouraging, and the people most welcoming! Day 5 : Clinic The Lord truly answered prayers in allowing me to go to clinic Monday. I wasn't feeling well all Sunday night, but after a few hours of sleep the Lord gave me the strength enough to sit up and walk without aches! When we arrived at Quisqueya Multi Uso at 7:30 in the morning we were excited to find a line already outside the building. We set up clinic as fast as we could, dividing the open air building into 3 sections for dental, vision, and medical. Team members worked in triage, lab, as providers, pharmacy, vision, patient assistance, and many Score employees and church members volunteered as interpreters and were responsible for evangelism. The main goal of doing the clinic is for the people who come to hear the gospel in their own language, and the other is to expose as many people as possible to the mission field. Many, if not half, of the team members are not medical at all, and many others are students. To be on the team one simply needs to be flexible to work wherever needed! I was on student rotations which meant helping in a different part of the clinic each day. I really appreciated getting to see how each part works together while still getting to interact with the patients and hear their stories. Monday we had the opportunity to pray with one patient who was a Christian and 3 yr old daughter had passed away 6 months ago. The fellowship that we can share as believers in Christ despite a different language and culture is sweet. We praised the Lord for 732 patients the first day and 13 that accepted Christ. "No Medicine Can Cure Sin" Triage: where we take blood pressure, pulse, chief complaint, name, age, and address for follow-up. Day 6 : ClinicTuesday, I was so thankful to be feeling much better! When we showed up, apparently the word had gotten around about the vision clinic because the line was around the building! I was working with the providers, and enjoyed the chance to talk with patients. Our interpreters were so faithful and patient with us! This was our busiest day - seeing 1,162 patients! Lab: where we did blood glucose, urinalysis, pregnancy test, ear lavage, and breathing treatments. Pharmacy: every patient received vitamins, and a toothbrush as well as any other medication prescribed to them by the provider from antibiotics to anti-hypertensives. Day 7 : ClinicThe lines in the morning stayed consistent. The Dental team had 2 dentist and 2 chairs so their waiting list quickly filled up! They worked non-stop and were able to see about 40 patients a day doing extractions, fillings, and cleanings. The Vision team saw approximately 1500 patients during the week - the most vision has ever had! Beginning in January of 2016 all MMO trips will have a vision team with the medical clinic. We saw several patients with Pterygium which is a benign eye growth that causes blindness - much more common in developing countries while rare in the US. While there is no cure, patients can prevent further growth of the Pterygium by wearing sunglasses anytime they are outdoors. It is amazing that with a simple pair of sunglasses, we can help a patient prevent blindness. We also matched patients with prescription glasses and reading glasses thanks to two auto-refractors. One gentleman who received a pair of glasses was 104 years old; after putting them on he exclaimed "Oo-la-la!" :) Mom worked in the vision clinic all week and learned more than I will ever know about astigmatisms and prescriptions! Today we saw another 1,003 patients. Day 8 : ClinicOur last day of clinic: we were so excited to finish strong. By the end of the day we had seen over 3,870 patients and seen at least 77 accepted Christ after hearing the gospel. Day 9 : Santo DomingoOur team split up: one group going to white water rafting and another sight-seeing. Downtown Santo Domingo had several historical sights that we walked around including the burial place of Christopher Columbus, the oldest Cathedral built in the Americas, and Christopher Columbus's son's home.
Lord, I want to be a spatula - a tool to be used in your hand. There is nothing special about the tool itself, it is just used to spread and stir. I cannot take credit for the wonderful analogy - but I will never forget it. I always loved object lessons :) This is how Mrs. Rossiter described Mrs. Black in the memorial service today. It was beautiful. The testimonies of her life, the stories, the evidences of her touch in the lives of all that came - revealed her passion for serving the Lord.
Seeing her - so still - reminded me that everything is ok; she is not there! She is absent from the body and present with the Lord. This is just her shell; who she really was will always be treasured in our memories. Knowing someone in heaven makes heaven seem all the more real. I know she is there with Mr. Derek, with Grandpa, and one day we will all be together again. We are just pilgrims; we don't have to be afraid to die. Mr. Derek is there building mansions and Mrs. Black is singing in the choir. Ps. 40:1-3
I have been thinking about when I had Mrs. Black for prayer-share my senior year. I remember her encouraging me when I asked for prayer not knowing where I was going to go to college or how I was going to pay for it. She told me about the Israelites when they left Egypt and were crossing the Red Sea. The Lord did not part the waters as soon as they were approaching the Red Sea; they camped at the water's edge as they heard the Egyptians getting closer. It was not until God told Moses to put his staff in the water that the sea parted. She told me "God is never late." And I have never forgotten that. When I cannot understand a situation or how the outcome could possibly be good - I remember "God is never late." During the funeral today, we sang each of the kids selections for "Mommy's favorite". Just walking in, realizing the fact that I am really standing here for the memorial service of these children's mother - made afresh the wave of emotions. The auditorium was packed with people even sitting in the back in chairs. So many who were her students came. The choir led the congregation in singing "It is Well" - Kyla's choice. I mouthed the words with tears streaming down my face. Then Josh's choice was "Complete in Thee" brought back memories of when I sang it for the first time when we were still visiting Bible, and I joined the teen choir/assemble. "Beneath the Cross" "God and I" and many others, each song spoke directly to our hearts. Mr. Black shared the stories behind their choices, and each one described a part of her. While I do not pretend to understand what they are feeling, I know what God's peace past understanding feels like. Kyla told me how they laughed at funny pictures while picking out ones for the slideshow with her siblings. You hold on to each memory, but then it hits you how short life is. We are not promised tomorrow. What legacy am I creating? What is really important in life? Do I take the opportunities I have to tell family how much I love them or others why I have hope? Mrs. Rossiter shared how Mrs. Black had "spread" and "stirred" up others' lives like a spatula. She spread her love for music, art, family and stirred others to be genuine, speak kindly, express loyal devotion, love family, challenge potential, encourage others, live simply & smile. How can we say that our God is good when things like this happen? Because of the verse she had in her living room painted on the wall "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe". God does nothing unkind, nothing is a surprise to Him; instead, He opened His arms and told her "welcome home". Why would God take a mommy from her four children? As Mr. Black said, "We are not asking why. We are just trusting God, and He is good". Our hearts also ache for the grieving family she left behind. We sang song after song - the Lord knew that it was what we needed. He knows our pain. He feels our burdens and wants to carry us through every trial, every day. He loves us deeper than we can comprehend. It is all easy to say, but when our feelings falter and emotions are confusing - these are the truths we must remind ourselves of. When all else is unknown, and when the world feels like it is turned upside down, we cling to the Rock of our Foundation. He is the comfort to the hurting, the peace that passeth understanding, the joy that follows mourning.
http://www.bbchampton.org/donations-for-the-black-family.html
I love these two so much! Being away makes our time together all the sweeter. For all the short weekends spent at home, for listening to you practice piano and violin, for the "bear hugs" when I walk through the front door, for studying together on the couch, for laughter and the late nights - for all of these I am so thankful. I never could have imagined having such amazing siblings when I prayed for a sister and brother so many years ago... (that is a fun story for another time:) You both are incredible blessings to me. Love you :)
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AuthorI will be the first to admit that I am not a writer, but have a sincere aspiration to articulate Truth with grace, in love, seasoned with salt. Here is a journal of sorts, or photo documentations of a journey - one currently around the world in Papua New Guinea working at the Kunai Health Center. Thanks for visiting and your support! Archives
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