Our Cups Getting Refilled

It's been a while, we know.  Please accept our apologies.  We have decided that we just need to buy one of those helmet cameras like they use when caving when we exit the safety of our hotel rooms just so you, at home, can encounter life as we know it.  There's just no other way you would ever believe us.

We haven't really been in a place that we could talk.  By time we get home, our brains are fried, we are in shell-shock and cannot find words. Period.  However, we cannot come home and relax.  We have school work to do, give the kids attention they deserve AND figure out the nightly stressful task of figuring out where to eat (preferably NOT in a mall------which makes the task THAT MUCH HARDER) and then figure out how to find the place.  Nothing is easy. Yet!??!?  (I'm trying to be hopeful).  Almost in tears the other morning over not being able to find a proper plug/convertor/whatever thingy only to discover that there are NO plugs in the bathrooms----b/c that would make TOO MUCH SENSE, right?!?!?!?  I told Greg "it's not the BIG stuff that's going to send me over the edge, it's the "simple" things like plugging in my straightner!!!!" 

Washing clothes in a sink and not being able to dry ANYTHING is getting old.  Little things like Greg having to walk around the entire hotel building instead of entering at the door closest to our elevators b/c there's a Ladies Wedding going on (please note there are already shields around the entire foyer b/c men are not allowed).  OR  us not being able to all swim together in the pool b/c it's "Women only" or "Men only" hours.  These are just a few of the things that are wearing us down............

HOWEVER,  we found a church today.  Most of the people Greg works with go there as well, which makes it feel homey-ish.  At the first stroke of the guitar of a familiar worship song, the tears began to pour down my face.  After 3 songs, my perspective had already changed as well as my heart.  My cup was refilled.  I was refreshed.

 I honestly can't even remember the songs, eventhough I tried so hard to remember b/c I wanted to write them down in my own journal.  But I do remember one phrase "Your Presence is heaven to me".  Oh and it is!  It's heaven to me when I'm alone with Jesus and it's heaven when I've been away from a large group of Believers for what feels like a year (did you know it's only been 3 weeks?!) It feels like an eternity to us since we've been home. 

As I looked around, I saw every tribe and nation represented (it seemed), every color, different cultures all gathered together in room of Oasis Hospital.  For a split second, I felt like I was on a mission trip experiencing one of those "mission trip highs" and thinking it's all cool and everything to have church in a "not church building" with a put together praise team singing into mics with bright orange extension chords falling over the entire stage.  With everyone all scrunched in real tight just so excited to be there.  Then I realized...........I'm living my dream.  Then I realized............or asked..........."what the crud was I dreaming of doing this for? What was I thinking?" 

Another part of the song hit me in that moment, the parts about being willing to go to the ends of the Earth for Him.  You know, the doing whatever You want me to do Lord prayers.  Did we REALLY mean that prayer?  It sure sounds good EVERY single time you pray it, doesn't it.  This song even mentioned the desert.  Funny how He does that, huh? So, needless to say, I had another "Come to Jesus" moment in which I asked the Lord to forgive me for not loving it at the moment and asked Him once again to give me a heart for these people.  The song talked about shining His light in a dark place.  That scripture and phrases like that take on a whole new meaning now.  I DO want to be a light in the darkness.  I guess as an excited little missionary wanna-be teenage girl I thought it would be all lovey-dovey and sweet and.........did I REALLY think it would be easy?   oh my.....how naive I was.............

I will leave you with this though.  The Pastor today brought us this challenge:  "I hope this week that your faith was the kind of faith that was strong enough, deep enough and authentic enough that you were able to ENDURE this week."  Whatever challenges, mountains/giants that stood in your way, evil, persecutions, discouragments, temptations, etc.... whatever you faced this week.  Now take this spin............. is it STRONG enough, DEEP enough and AUTHENTIC enough for you to ENDURE whatever may come your way THIS week?  ENDURE is a good word.  Endure and still smile and still Praise Him!:)

We love you guys and are praying for you as well.  We would love to pray specifically for you if you would like to share with us.  We still consider ourselves to be Doing Life with you despite the oceans between us.  We want to pray for you and encourage you in any way we can!  Thank you for loving us and for praying for us!