Trust

Trust In You - Lauren Dangle

Thank you Lord that we can trust in who you are even when we don't understand what you are doing.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:" 

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Thank you God that you promise to stay with us through the difficult seasons and the delightful ones.  You are faithful.  Thank you for not changing even when everything else seems to.  Amen.

Re-entry..Whatever that means

So we are in America now.  I noticed that people who have lived overseas for any amount of time usually refer to this country as America instead of The U.S, The States or something else.  Funny enough I never used to say America but somehow I find myself saying it too.  Okay, that was random and just kinda of strange but that is where I find myself lately.  Random and strange.  Things that were once normal aren't normal anymore.  Normal has changed.  Re-entry is strange.

Since landing a month ago we have changed sleeping quarters 8 times, traveled more then 35 hours in the car, enjoyed old food favs, attended many meetings, and started reconnecting with family and friends the best we know how.  Transition is hard.  Transition is necessary.  I'm so glad that God is in this mix.  If he wasn't,  I think I would be more of a mess than I feel right now.

The other day a sweet friend of mine, who has been walking with me through the last year, shared thoughts on the verses about in our weakness God is strong.  It's so good because I FEEL WEAK!  The words have stuck with me.  She went on to share that it's as if God pitches a tent right in the middle of our weaknesses.  He is the strength in our weakness.  So lately the phrase, "He's encamped in my weakness" has been on repeat in my head. I pray that days, months, years from now, I'll remember how weak I feel right now and remember how God met me in the middle of it all.

One of the best things this year...

They make it look easy...it's not :)

Kim Bob Prep

Our Korean feast

Friends.

 

Too beautiful to eat - but I did :)

Lots of laughs shared.

Christmas Party - giving Bibles & sharing the story of Jesus birth

Tree Craft

Everyone brought something to share.

Summer was always well loved.

Japanese Cooking Day - Rice triangles and pork cutlets

Eating together has always been a good time

Isaac trying his hand at chopsticks

Special techniques and sauces 

Hosting American Cooking Day

Chili, Cornbread & Cookies

Our little beauty

The ladies making cookies

These times together sharing our motherhood joys and struggles over food, Bible studies, play dates, coffee times and parties have been the highlight of my year!  I have learned so much about mothering from these beautiful ladies and persevering in trial.  It has been a privilege and honor to call them my friends!

King of my Heart

When it feels like a thousand steps

Since moving to Budapest over a year ago I’ve adapted from driving a car everywhere to walking almost everywhere.  I actually like walking, most of the time.  I do admit that when you want to get somewhere quick or have a heavy load to carry, a car is amazing.  Okay, back to walking.  I’ve found recently that I really only like walking when the road is easy.  The athlete in me doesn’t like to admit that.  When I reach a hill, like the one my house is on top of, I don’t really like walking anymore.  It feels really hard and sometimes really, really hard when I’m carrying our 9 month old all the way up.  You have to understand the hill.  It’s big, steep and since my house is at the top, I have to do it.   The other day I was at the bottom of the hill just staring at all the steps and thinking about carrying our daughter, Summer, all the way up.  I was already tired and looking at the hill just made it worse.

Do you ever feel like that with life?  You are already tired, then something weightier comes and before you know it you are drowning, with little hope for what’s ahead.  The road is no longer straight and easy, but is narrow and complicated.  It feels like you’ll have to climb a thousand steps before you will get out.  It’s easy to be overwhelmed.  Don’t worry, there is hope! 

After staring at the stairs for a while I started to walk, very slowly.  As I walked, taking one step at a time, I felt like God reminded me of something.  That’s all I need to do.  Take one step at a time.  If I look too far ahead at everything in front of me I get discouraged and want to give up.  I thought of a teaching I recently heard by Kat Lee.  She a wonderful women who inspires women to action.  She said once, "it's better to do one thing faithfully then many things inconsistently." Accomplishing goals starts with just one step.  When I take one step of faith at a time it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  Actually, before I know it I’m half way there.  It doesn’t mean it’s not challenging and I may end up going backwards or resting awhile along the way but in the end, on the top, the view is amazing!

Our God is so great!  He doesn’t just watch us go through life and its trials leaving us stranded to figure them out alone.  The Bible says that God is with us and even strengthens us!  That is a reason to hope in the trials of this life.  He is with us every step of the way, no matter how small that step may be.  

This song has encouraged my heart along these lines lately: Over My Head

Isaiah 41:10

¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Engage the Crisis

So much has happened since last September!  In addition to adding another child to our family our team shifted ministry focus to the migrant crisis.  We were seeing the hundreds and thousands of families with small children in our train stations lacking the very basic necessities.  It was truly heartbreaking.  As things progressed the situation has changed completely and there are no longer refugees on our doorstep in Hungary but many are still on a journey that takes them outside our borders to their German destinations.  As you know, Andrew has served along side others on several trips providing warm coats, socks and basics, as well as, praying for people and sharing the Gospel. 

My original intention was to blog along the way and share the stories of many of these beautiful people but I haven't done it justice.  In the midst of getting the big kids in school this year, teaching my preschooler, and having a new baby, it was lost in the mix.  I am now attempting to retrace some of those steps through pictures.  I invite you to come along and see the faces that will change Europe forever.  For more of what our organization is doing check out: http://antiochcc.com/engage-the-crisis/
 

God is at Work in the mess

Wherever you are in your journey with the Lord, I can't help but think you will be as encouraged by this message as I was.

Enjoy!

The Word Speaks - 1 Peter 1:3-9

^{These verses have been dear to me in this season of trial and challenge.  I consistently am reminded of them and they bring a comfort and even a joy when I let them speak to my heart.  If you are facing a season of trial I pray these verses do the same for you.
3} Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

more of the sweetness

So it's been a rough year.  I thought the one before this one was rough but I had no idea what that word 'rough' really meant and still probably haven't scratched the surface of it.  I was showing signs of being 'that person' who in random conversations to strangers brings up how hard her life is.  Ugh.  I didn't like that and would tell myself over and over not to do that again.  Well, if you are like me, you know what happens when you try to fix something in your own strength.  It's only a matter of time and there you are again.

So it all came to a head a couple weeks ago.  There I was in my time with the Lord crying out in pain and asking why, why, why as I listed out all hard stuff from this past year.  Every month had significant challenges that I felt the pain of even as I wrote.  Then it came. "You are grieving."  Oh, that's the word.  Grieving.  I think I was in the anger stage.  I'm a firm believer in grieving hard things.  I know it's healthy and right.  I don't think I got off the train there though.  I rode it all the way to self-pity.  I can feel the difference in my heart.  It's one thing to be sad and it's another thing to wallow and indulge thought after thought feeling like a victim of circumstance.  After wallowing for awhile I felt another prompt, " now that you've listed all the hard things from this past year, make a list of all the things you can celebrate from this year."  Oh. Okay.  I was sure it would be embarrassing how few things I'd come up with.  Slowly things started coming to mind and before I knew it my pen couldn't keep up with all the things I was thinking of.  To my surprise there were lots of things!  Now you might think, Susan, are you really that ungrateful? I'm sure you are exaggerating.  I never thought I was an ungrateful person.  I was stuck though, stuck in a way of thinking that comes easily when you are in pain.  Looking in and not looking at my Father.  My Father who says that his plans for me are good.  My Father who calls me to things beyond what I can do but asks me to trust him. My Father who is Faithful and True. Why hadn't I thought of all the good things before? Then something happened. I started to pray and thank God for all the blessings from the last year.  It took awhile as I named them off one by one.  It's funny, as I look back at the two sheets of paper there many things that appear on both.  The same thing I was grieving I was able to celebrate and be thankful for too. 

This last year was hard for me.  That's okay.  This last year was also good.  When I remember this first year overseas I want to remember more of the sweetness than the sour.  I am determined to have a thankful heart.  Thankfulness is leading me to intimacy, friendship and depth of relationship with my Father.  I want to be in a place where I can do what Paul wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". 1 Thessalonians 5:18