GRE

It's done...My testing appointment was for 9:30 this morning. I was told to arrive no later than 30 min before testing was scheduled to begin. I decided to leave my apartment at 7:45 to give myself plenty of time. Since I don't use public transportation during the day, I wasn't sure how long it would take. I was pleasantly surprised with the time it took to get to my stop. I walked for a bit and found the testing site well marked. I wandered into the testing center just before 9:00.

I greeted the woman who graciously explained (in Romanian) that they had been having technical difficulties for the past 2 days and she wasn't sure if I'd be able to take the test today. She didn't expect to know anything before 10:00. I could wait in the hall. I pulled out my vocabulary flashcards and waited...and waited...and waited. Three other examinees arrived. She kept telling us she hoped it would only be a few minutes longer. Two examinees decided to leave and come back for the 1:30 testing time.

Just before 11:00, she called me in to register and assigned me a computer--only an hour and a half behind schedule. I was thankful the exam was computer based so when I finished sections early, I didn't have to wait on anyone else to finish. After 2.5 hours, I finished. The woman 'proctoring' the center was a little shocked that I had completely finished the test. Apparently, most people use 4 hours. I was thankful to be walking out the door when I did...hungry and ready to stop thinking! I'm thankful to have this step done in the process of applying for grad school.

Thanksgiving :)

I had the privilege of traveling to Budapest, Hungary for Thanksgiving break this year. My parents also arranged to be in Budapest so we were able to enjoy some time together! We all stayed with another missionary family with ReachGlobal who graciously welcomed us into their home. It was wonderful to leave my computer at home and just enjoy being with people.It was fun to be around young kids again. We spent lots of time sitting together reading books!

This is all of us headed into downtown Budapest on the train.

In front of St. Stephen's church. The designs on the ground were beautiful!

Some things I'm thankful for:

• God's still at work in my life and in the lives of those around me
  
• warm weather so far this winter which makes traveling to/from school pleasant
• friends and family who love me and support me
• technology that allows for communication
• a great group of students to work with at BCA

Szentendre

On the last day of my time in Budapest, we drove to Szentendre, a small town near Budapest with lots of fun little shops and beautiful scenery. We walked around enjoying the sights and stopped in to look at numerous shops. This town claims the world's only Marzipan museum. Their collection includes the Hungarian Parliament, beautiful wedding cakes, Walt Disney characters, furniture replicas, and so much more, Additionally, you can watch them create new things.

The Never Ending Tram Ride

Because of a Romanian national holiday on December 1st, we had Monday and Tuesday off this week as well. Because of the shortened week, I knew I'd need to spend some extra time at school to be ready for next week. As I left school Friday evening, I was thankful for my warm coat and gloves. I trudged down the street about 10 min to catch the tram. The first one came and it was packed so I decided to wait for another one, figuring it'd be coming soon. Two rounded the corner just a few minutes later. I passed up the first, hoping the second one would be emptier and I might end up with a seat. I was thankful for the seat and the warmth. Before arriving at the next stop, we came to a halt. I didn't really take much notice of it (I was reading a good book), until I realized we'd been sitting for some time and people were starting to walk to the front of the tram to get off. I decided to give it another five minutes (or until everyone else left the tram) and then make a decision. Five minutes later, we were still sitting in the same spot. I trekked to the front of the tram and exited, seeing 6 trams lined up in one direction and three coming on the opposite tracks. Blocking the path was an ambulance. I snapped the picture below (I know it's blurry...) just as the ambulance began to move. So instead of taking the metro or walking, I ran back across the street and got on a tram for the remainder of the trip home. Over an hour after leaving school, I walked through my front door thankful for a beautiful, warm apartment, safety, and a quiet evening ahead.

Family Advent Celebration

Last fall, I found myself frustrated with the Harvest Party that's turned into tradition for BCA. It felt too rushed, frenzied, and like way too much work. I loved that families were together, except that with limited space it ended not working out quite so well, and what adult really wants to bob for apples, have their face painted, or color a fall picture. So, I was watching for other ideas for that Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving.

God provided the answer in the form of an advent celebration. My heart was for families to spend time together and to give families tools that perhaps they weren't familiar with that might help them in guiding their children spiritually. With those hopes in mind, I started brainstorming and researching. I landed on a simple event--time together with a story (one of my family's traditions) and some sharing followed by time spent with other families working on a couple different activities. Students made ornaments and cards and worked with their parents to create an advent calendar made of construction paper rings labeled with verses.

The afternoon went better than I could have anticipated. Rooms were filled with laughter, conversation, and Christmas music. I wandered between the rooms helping answer questions and interacting with parents who I don't often get a chance to talk with. I'm thankful for the staff that was willing to help and for families that were willing to try something new.

With the daughter of one of our elementary aides.

EuJin and her family working on their advent calendar.

Rose working to make her family's advent calendar.

Working together to make a 3D snowflake--no matter the ability of the child, they turn out great!

There were a couple options of style for cards families could make.
Some are visible in the picture below.

The afternoon ended with a couple families playing "6-square" in the courtyard of one of the buildings. The 4th-6th graders have adapted the game "4-square" to allow more people to play in the limited space they have.

Birthday Blessings

I had a very special birthday! I'm so thankful for the family and friends God has blessed me with who encourage me and stand with me in the joys and the pain.

My day started early--Monday morning:)--and with flowers from a friend that graced my office until I left town later in the week. Before the kids arrived, the elementary staff came to sing to me and we enjoyed coffee cake. As I came downstairs from teaching geometry, gathered my things, and prepared to head to my office, I was greeted by all the elementary students outside my building singing "Happy Birthday" in two languages and three different versions. What fun! They'd created a book for me as well, with each student preparing a page with a message and/or picture. I've been through it a couple times and truly treasure their words. The afternoon went quickly with preparations for the advent celebration. That evening I met a friend for dinner out at a Mexican restaurant near my apartment. I felt loved and cherished.

Not only was my birthday a joy, but the days leading up to it and following it were very special as well. My mailbox (both real and email) were flooded with cards, notes, and gifts. It was a very special reminder of all the people God has placed in my life!

It's Finished

They finished the resurfacing/insulation of my apartment bloc. They relocated the scaffolding to the rear side of the building (closest my apartment) and began work there not much later. It's a little disconcerting to be walking around my apartment working on things with a group of people right outside my window installing insulation.

I wish there was a least a little logic to the color scheme/location. I do have
to say that it looks better than the bloc just up the street which has the same
colors with the addition of brown. Yikes!
Here's the up close picture to show the three colors...such a strange combination, but it seems to be the color scheme of choice for this winter. I've seen blocs all around town with similar colors. And as my sister graciously reminded me, at least it's color:)

Ways to Help BCA

Just in case you haven't yet seen these... Here are some neat ways to help BCA.

1. igive.com: Make money for BCA while you shop online at no additional cost to you. When you shop at one of over 700 participating stores (Gap, Old Navy, ITunes, Amazon, etc.), a percentage of your purchase comes to us! It’s anywhere from 3% - 26% of what you spend. Free money for BCA!

2. isearchigive.com: Make money for BCA while you do internet searches. It's not quite up to Google standards, but for free money, I spend a little time using it.

3. idonate.com: Turn cars, boats, jewelry, land, timeshares, overstocked inventory, and much more into donations for BCA.

More information on the BCA website:)

I stopped by Mr. Bricolage after school yesterday hoping to pick up a few items for school projects and some things for my apartment. I found the first thing on my list and then went to ask for help to find two other things (of which I'd gotten the Romanian translation figuring that would make things easier). I went up to one of the salespeople and asked if he could tell me where the razor blades were (lame in Romanian). He proceeded to ask which type of razor blade I wanted to which I had no reply. What did I want to do with this item? Scrape things off of glass. I drew a picture and then proceeded to demonstrate with the small piece of paper I had my list on. He got this look like he knew what I wanted and proceeded to show me putty knives. Not what I was hoping for and they didn't look anything like my drawing. So, since I couldn't come up with any other words to explain what I wanted, I decided to ask for the next thing on my list...sand paper (hârtie de şmirghelui). He didn't understand it the first or second time I said it (not surprising) so he finally tried to decipher my writing. He led me over to the small selection of sandpaper and asked what I wanted it for. For a school project I explained so the color is important. At this point I was hoping he would just leave me to look at the options, compare prices, and make a selection, but he kept picking up items for my consideration--all the wrong color. I finally took one of the things he offered, thanked him, and started walking off. When I saw he had left the aisle, I returned to the sand paper and took my time picking out what I think was the best option considering my needs. I had also noticed the razor blades on the way to the sand paper so backtracked a bit to pick those up. Having completed my shopping list, I headed toward the check out, being only slightly distracted by the Christmas display on the way there.

My friend Laura Brown is an amazing artist. I've always enjoyed seeing her art. I brought one of her prints with me to Romania and it hangs over my dining room table--a smile each morning.

This week I was enjoying her blog and this piece caught my eye. It sums up bits and pieces I've been thinking about recently.

As I think about the future, I realize in some ways that it's become easier to stay in Romania than to return to the US. I've become deeply connected with life here: my job/ministry and the many lives that intersect in that realm, friends at church and school, furniture and an apartment that feels like home, ability to function in a second language, and yet it seems strange to consider that this feels more comfortable than a return to the US.

Life in the US is full of unknowns...how do those self-service check-outs work? Where will I live? How will I deal with driving again after loving the freedom that public transportation brings? How will I stay connected with people there and here?

When you arrive in a foreign country, no one tells you that you might get to this point--that it will be easier to stay.

Story Time

After reading in The Cricket in Times Square about how there came to be crickets, I had my students write a tale about how something in the world came to be. Below are three of their stories (no favoritism...just the top three of the pile). The paragraphing didn't come through as intended, but you'll hopefully get the idea:)

Whose Nose Went Flat?
Once upon a time when animals still talked, there was a pig that loved to eat a lot. But he had a problem with smelling. The problem was that he didn’t have a nose. So he went all around the forest.
The first place that he went to was the doctor. The doctor said, “There is a way to get you a nose, but I need 5,000 beans.”
“But I don’t have that many beans to pay you.”
“Ok pig, there is a way for you to get money,” said the doctor.
“What’s the way?” asked the pig.
“Just get a job,” said the doctor.
“Can I get a job over here?” asked the pig.
“No, no, no, no, no, you cannot get any job over here, not even if you clean my room, give me a bath, make my lunch or my dinner, or do something else!”
“Okay, you want me to get a job somewhere else.”
So the pig went to work at a witch’s house for a month and he got 1,000 beans. Then he worked as a cleaner on a ship and got 500 beans. Next, he worked as a dish washer at a restaurant for 500 beans. He also earned 3,000 beans working at a bank.
He went to the doctor and got a nose. But there was a problem. The doctor and the pig didn’t know how to use the nose. They tried a lot of things, but it didn’t work. At last they tried using glue to attach the nose. It worked! He thanked the doctor and went home. When he got home, he realized something was wrong. He remembered that he forgot to give the beans to the doctor.
He went back to the doctor and paid the beans. On the way back, he feel down and his nose went flat.

By Wu Han

Spinning Class
Once upon a time there was a spider named Alice. Alice didn’t know how to spin a web. Her mother tried to teach her how. Instead of teaching Alice to spin a web, it turned out to be a big mess. Alice felt very sad that she couldn’t spin a web.
Then she had an idea. Her idea was to go outside to find her friends and ask them how to spin a web. The first friend she went to ask was the monkey. She asked, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
The monkey replied, “I don’t know how, but cat knows. Ask her.”
So Alice went to cat. Then she asked cat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“I don’t know how! Who told you that?”
“The monkey,” replied Alice.
“Go and ask the owl,” cat replied.
So Alice went to the owl. Then she asked the owl, “Owl, do you know how to spin a web?”
The owl replied, “I don’t know how. Who told you that?”
“The monkey said that that cat knew how and the cat said you knew how.”
“Go and ask the lion; he knows.”
So Alice went to the lion. Alice asked the lion, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
Then the lion said, “I don’t know how. Go and ask rat.”
So Alice went to the rat. She asked the rat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“Yes,” replied the rat.
“Can you teach me how?”
The rat said, “Yes.”
So the rat taught Alice. Then Alice knew how to spin a web.

By Grace

The Bad Fortune
One day there was a giraffe. He was a normal giraffe and was five feet tall. One day he was walking down the road and saw a fly.
The fly said, “Come with me and I will give you your fortune.”
The giraffe followed the fly to a very tall mountain. They climbed it and at the top there was a big box ten feet tall. The giraffe said, “I want to see in that box.”
Then the fly said, “I will give you a potion so that you can see your fortune. It will give you a long neck.”
The giraffe said, “Yes, whatever it takes to see my fortune.”
So the fly gave the giraffe the potion and he said, “Drink this and you can have a long neck.”
He took the potion and drank it. Suddenly, he had a long neck and he could see in the box. But his fortune was bad and he killed the fly because he was mad. Since he killed the fly, there was no one to give him a potion to make him not have a long neck. And that’s how giraffes got long necks.

By Jon

Smile for my Day

This past week, I came back to my classroom and found a small whiteboard on my desk with the following 'song'. (I'm guessing it was intended to be a song although I never heard it sung or found any music to accompany the words.)

I love Miss Westrum
She is so nice
I love Miss Westrum
I like her voice
She is not mean
She is as nice as a mouse
She is always clean

By: Your Student

Silence

It's been said that 'silence is golden'. As I spent hours sitting in silence on Saturday, I reflected on what silence means in my life. Sometimes silence can be a truly wonderful thing--space and time to think and pray and it means that everything is going well. At other times, silence can be terrifying. When you're waiting for news from a family member or hoping for a response about a job interview, silence can be deafening and paralyzing. Silence can be an indication that I've moved far from God and am not being sensitive to his voice. It can also indicate that there's an area of great pain in my life or the life of someone near me--something difficult to share. I think silence can be incredibly powerful in our lives if we let it.

ACT

One of my roles at BCA the past few years has been to proctor the ACT three times a year. It means getting up early Saturday morning for the trek down to school. As I took tests in the past, I always thought it would be so much better to be the one proctoring, but I've found (at least for me) that I would prefer to be taking the test.

As a proctor, I'm not supposed to engage in any activity (other than reading the testing handbook) during the entire test. That's 4 1/2 hours of sitting, walking around, and monitoring a handfull of students all set far enough apart so they couldn't possibly cheat. I've tried to make the best of it:) One of the things I've started doing is praying for the students taking the test.

This past Saturday, 4 of the 9 students were from BCA. I don't know them all well since two are new this year, but I prayed for God's provision and direction for their senior year and plans for college. I prayed along similar lines for the other students testing. During the break we talked a bit and from what I could gather, 8 of the 9 students are from Christian families living in Romania. What a neat conglomeration of students:)

Yes, I hope they did well on the ACT, but more importantly, I hope they do well in life--faithfully following God no matter what circumstances they may face.

The Pits

You're walking along, enjoying the scenery, feeling like things are going okay. The sky is blue, trees are green, a soft breeze is blowing. Suddenly, the ground beneath you disappears and you find yourself plummeting downward into a pit. It came out of nowhere and gave no warning.

I found myself in a pit this past week. I couldn't figure out how things had changed so rapidly. I'm thankful that God didn't leave me there, but helped me climb out through His presence, His Word, and the many people he's placed in my life.

He Loves Me

Recently, I feel like God has given me a few pictures that capture 'new' things He's teaching me. There's something about pictures that just connect better with my heart and mind.

In one of these pictures, I find myself sitting in a field of daisies. Normally one might pick up a flower and absentmindedly pluck off petals one at a time repeating the phrases 'he loves me' and 'he loves me not'. It seemed though that with every petal I pulled off I was compelled to say 'he loves me'. No matter how many flowers I picked up, each petal seemed to resonate the same thing--'he loves me'. It seemed too good to be true and yet unlike the false claims of the world, it is very true. He loves me. And there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to change that.

HE LOVES ME.

Office Space

I am appreciating having my own office this year. It's been fun to create a space that makes me smile in the afternoons when I sit down (at least sometimes) to do my more administrative duties. I thought I'd share pictures with you so you can picture where I work:)



If you ever make it to Bucharest, I'd love to show you around BCA and welcome you to my office:)

2009-2010 Class

It's been an interesting week! I started the school year with only 4 students (anticipating one student being 2 weeks late). Yesterday, my class size nearly doubled (unexpectedly adding two students) and now I have 7 students. It's wonderful to have everyone together. We've begun the process of trying to get everyone on the same page so we can move forward together. I'm loving teaching although still feeling worn out at the end of the week.


Back to Front: Daniel, Israel, Eu Jin, Li Qiong, Grace, Wu Han, Jon

I was reflecting this afternoon on what an amazing class this is--I get to work with both 4th and 5th grades. There are 4 nationalities represented.

Face Lift

It seems that my apartment building is getting a major 'renovation'. The scaffolding is now covering the entire front side. I'm thankful that my apartment is on the backside of the apartment building although I'm sure I'll get to endure plenty of time with the scaffolding covering my windows and feeling like my privacy is being invaded soon too. They are covering the entire exterior with thick styrofoam. I suppose it has something to do with hoping to make the concrete buildings retain more heat. We'll see if it actually works.

You can also see in the picture above just a small sample of Bucharest traffic. Elementary and secondary students started this Monday and most colleges will resume at the beginning of October.

Morning Routine

It feels good to be back into my morning routine. I enjoy being up early when the city is quieter. Most mornings on my way to school I pass an older man who lives in my bloc. Since I've been gone most of the summer and not heading to school early I haven't seen him since May. This morning our paths crossed and he asked about my summer, vacation, and my return to Bucharest. As we were parting ways, he said that Bucharest is a better place when I'm around. It started my day off with a smile. Seeing him this morning was a blessing.

Come Again

I recently purchased a new portable phone because the one I had been using had an unfortunate, constant buzz during any conversation. After multiple attempts to try and remedy the situation, I decided to switch to my corded phone. I hadn't remembered how frustrating it can be to be forced to sit still while talking on the phone. There's so many possibilities of things that can be done during that precious time.

So, last weekend I sought out a new phone. I was amazed at the tissue paper packaging (saved for future use) and the sheer number of direction books. I'm guessing when purchasing a product in the US you might get two booklets-English and Spanish. Along with this phone came separate booklets for Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Polish, and two I couldn't determine. Sadly there was no English booklet.

Growing Pains

I love learning. In fact, it's one of my top 5 strengths. I value the desire to learn in so many areas of my life. I can tell I'm growing, but it isn't always comfortable.

I spent the first part of August learning in Poland during our Europe Area Conference. Our first day was dedicated to a time of prayer. What a neat way to spend a day together--corporately seeking God in our lives and bringing encouragement, healing, and support to those we serve beside.

We spent time in whole group worship and teaching and had some small group teaching times as well. Our team (ReachGlobal missionaries serving in Bucharest) was able to spend part of an afternoon learning each other's strengths and how we can best capitalize on those strengths as a team.

For me, this conference was also a time of reconnecting with missionaries serving around Europe that I rarely see. I'm blessed by the people I serve beside in Europe! They challenged my thinking, helped me see my heart more clearly, and offered support in so many ways. Another highlight was spending time with some great kids at the water park one afternoon.

I returned to Bucharest exhausted and expectant. I can't wait to see what God does in my heart and through my life this year. I'm looking forward to seeing how He leads as I look ahead to the 2010-2011 school year. It's exciting to have renewed friendships and to look forward to staying connected in spite of the distance.

Among the Hidden

It's now been a few weeks since my return to Bucharest. As I use public transportation to get to/from school, grocery store, church, IKEA, etc, I'm faced with situations that I don't normally confront in the US. Nearly every day I'm asked for money by multiple people on the streets. This creates a certain level of discomfort as I try to decide what to do. I realized recently that the poor, homeless, and lost are those hidden in the US. I don't think I was asked once for money in the 5 weeks I spent in MN. I didn't see anyone sniffing a bag of glue or sleeping on the street. It isn't comfortable to be faced with the dilemma about whether to give money, but I find I'm thankful for those opportunities. It keeps me face to face with the realities of this fallen world, thinking hard about how I can give, and thankful for the way God meets my needs. It's a challenge for me as well to think about how I can continue to do the same when I'm in the US.

Day 2-why I love USAA

I arrived in Bucharest late Thurs night. Friday, I set about the task of cleaning my apartment (removing the layer of dust that had settled even with all the windows shut) and unpacking. Since I buy milk in bulk and had some juice on hand too, I managed to get by without needing to go to the grocery store.

This morning I decided that I wanted to eat more than cereal and macaroni and cheese. I grabbed my cloth bags and headed out the door. My first stop was to buy my transportation pass for the month. This went off without a hitch, but left me with only the equivalent of $2 in my wallet. I had planned on taking the tram to the grocery store and using the ATM there but happened to see one right near the ticket stand. And it's a good thing.

My pin was rejected twice. Thinking that perhaps it was an error with the particular ATM I was using, I walked toward another bank, but found the same thing. At least at each of the ATMs my card was returned to me. I started walking back to my apartment trying to think through options. I figured my bank wouldn't be open--perhaps not until Monday. I didn't want to call and wake up my sister (who has my financial/banking records). I could exchange some US dollars, but that didn't seem to be a great option.

I decided to try calling my bank. Amazingly, I was able to change my pin over the phone using an automated system. I grabbed my bags once again and decided to walk directly across the street before getting on the tram--just in case it really hadn't worked. It had. I got cash, went to the store, and returned home with groceries to 'fill' my fridge.

I'm adding this to my list of reasons I love banking with USAA. They make banking from overseas into something easy instead of a huge frustration and constant headache.

Faith

Our mission executive director recently wrote this on his blog, Leading from the Sandbox.

The one common denominator of all great followers of God throughout history is that of faith. As Paul says in Romans 1:17, “The righteous will live by faith.” What really is faith? First it is believing that Jesus is the hope of the world as he claimed in the passages in John quoted in chapter one. He is the way to the Father. When we say yes to God, acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and choose to invite him into our lives we are putting our faith in Him.

At that moment we become children of God, our hearts are cleaned up, the guilt of our past is lifted and we have an eternal destiny of life with Christ, forever. The decision to give God the steering wheel of our lives is the most important decision that we ever make.

In some ways, that is the easy part of faith. The other part of the faith equation is learning to trust God for every day, every situation and every issue that we face. Way back in the dusty pages of history, God appeared to Abraham with a radical message. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and to the land I will show you’ (Genesis 12:1).”

Now Abraham could not Google the new location to see what it looked like, he had no map to follow, no knowledge of what God had in store for him. What he had was faith in God as God so he chose to take his family and start a life journey based on faith. That is why Abraham is the great example and hero of faith for Jesus and Paul in the New Testament.

Take a moment and put yourself in Abraham’s shoes. I doubt that he was initially overjoyed at God’s message. You want me to do what? You want me to go where? Why? Why me? I’ll bet that Abraham spent months sitting in his tent asking himself a set of questions:

Do I really trust God?
Do I believe that God has my best interests in mind?
Am I willing to trust Him with my future? Really trust him?
Am I willing to take the risk of really following God?

Faith is scary and risky! Faith means that I am saying to God “I am all in.” I trust you, I believe you have my very best interests in mind, I am willing to trust you with my future and I am willing to take the risk to follow you.

This is why life undone is an unlikely gift. It invites us to take a step of faith that we have never taken before to a depth we have never gone before because we have come to the end of ourselves and have no other good choices. Life undone invites us to answer the question, “Are we all in with God and can we trust Him with our future?”

Faith is easy when life is good. Faith is tested and hard when life is undone because now we must grapple with the goodness of God in addition to the plan of God. We may even face moments of doubt (is my faith well founded?) or anger (why would God allow this?) or resignation (is God really in my corner?).

Contrary to what some may think, these are legitimate and good questions because they force us back to God in prayer, force us back to His word and again confront us with the reality of our followership of Him. Every time we again answer in the affirmative our faith is strengthened, based now on a higher level of conviction than before because our faith has been forged in pain and difficulty.

Faith is the decision that we will trust and follow Jesus, no matter what our circumstances, believing that he is good and righteous and holy and has a plan for our lives that is beyond our understanding.

The writer to the Hebrews wrote “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1) and further, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).”

And then referencing Abraham, the writer says, “By faith Abraham, was called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8).”

When life comes undone we face Abraham moments. Will we believe, will we trust, will we follow? You may be facing one of those moments right now. Your choice will make all the difference in the world as to how you walk out the difficulties you face. Faith is always a choice. What is your choice?

Countless times in Hebrews 11 we read the two words “By faith” about an individual who chose to follow God when all the chips were down. They include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepphthah, David and numerous others. The common trait in each of these men and women of God was their choice of faith not only in the good times but in the hard and difficult times. Because of their faith they show up on God’s hall of fame in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.

That hall of fame continues to grow. Every time we choose faith over doubt, despair or anger we join those whose names are listed above. Remember, God “earnestly rewards those who seek him.” Those who choose Him, those who trust him!

Faith is directly connected to the peace that Jesus promised in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Where does that peace come from that Jesus talks about? He says “In me” you may have peace. In Me. Our peace is not in our circumstances (they can be very bad). It is not in our conviction that everything will go back to the way it was before (It may well not). It is not in our ability to solve our problem (we may not be able to). No, our peace comes from our trust in the person of Jesus Christ. We can have peace “in Him,” in His presence, in His goodness, in His love, in His promise to be with us, and in His power to “overcome the world.”

When it is all stripped away, when all of our resources are exhausted as eventually they are, there is the one answer we have had all along, God is there, He is with us, we can trust Him. Do you…today? Are you willing to give to God your situation in faith with a simple child like trust and say, “Jesus I am all in. I trust you with my pain and like Abraham I will follow not knowing where I am going?

It was a good challenge to me to think about my faith.

Updated Status

I arrived home at 11:30 and then couldn't fall asleep right away...

On facebook, you have the opportunity to update your status, sharing with your friends what's happening in your life. So, here's a little of what's going on in my life.

Laura ...

-is wide awake at midnight...and not thrilled.
-liked having 3 seats to myself on my flight from Paris to Bucharest...and the fact I got to see the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumf from the window.
-doesn't know if she has the strength.
-thinks evaluating life shouldn't be done late at night.
-likes my parents.
-thinks airplane flights shouldn't feel like roller coaster rides.
-needs to deal with the leaky toilet.
-is thankful for friends on both sides of the ocean.
-enjoyed the drive home from the airport...back to speaking a foreign language I understand.
-isn't quite ready to unpack.
-is glad to be in my own bed.
-is glad to remember that in ALL things God is in control!
-started to crawl into bed before remembering I'd washed my sheets before leaving but hadn't had time to remake the bed the morning I left.
-is trying to decide what to do first...grocery shopping, cleaning, unpacking, school stuff...

From a Friend

I was sorting through old emails this morning and came across this email from a friend from the first time I came to teach in Romania--in 2002.

i do know that the most valuable thing you can give a kid is not proper english, a good curriculum, or even an abundant amount of knowledge. The most valuable things to give children exist and speak to us through our hearts. To allow children to see your soul, and experience theirs is true joy. To see the glimmer in their eyes, to inspire, to create and stir emotions, to breathe life with them, and learn from them. that is to truly live. If you listen, and listen close to your heart, it will tell you all you need to do and say and act. But you must not let the voices of society, tradition, normalcy, or fear of being unique block off your heart's voice. Children will aspire to what they see. Love, acceptance, and true nurturing of the soul is not something ever written down in a handbook, instruction guide, or expectations and guidelines in a teaching application. I know you have all you need in you. and the things you lack, the Lord will make you stronger or give you the tools to fulfill his ultimate plans. you are placing footprints on the souls of these young ones. Feel blessed. feel magical. feel excited and overwhelmed and under qualified, but don't forget to listen.

Thank you friend, for your words then that have come back to encourage me again this fall as I look ahead to a new year.