Ok. So today I’m starting to eat healthier and exercise.  I know it’s not cooth for women to admit their weight, but I’m going to for the sake of accountability.  I’m starting at my heaviest (again) at 240.  Some people can’t believe that I weigh that much, but trust me…I do!  My goal is to get back to 190….200 would be great, too.  What I need accountability for is mainly exercising.  I’m going to keep with weight training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and cardio on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Sunday is my “free” day.  So if anyone still reads this, please keep me accountable with this!!  I’ll keep you updated as I go.  Thanks!! :O)

God has put this word on my heart lately.  He’s beginning to teach me what it is to sacrifice and what it means.  I’m just curious as to what this word means to you, or what does it look like in your eyes?

Recently, a friend of mine suggested for me to read Luke 7:36-50.  It’s the story of the woman who came in and sat at Jesus’ feet while He was eating with one of the Pharisees.  She had a horrible reputation in that city.  She had heard Jesus speak about God’s love and forgiveness.  So she came into the house where He was eating, bringing “an alabaster flask of fragrant oil”.  With her tears she washed His feet.  With her hair she wiped them.  Then she broke the flask and anointed His feet with the fragrant oil.  The fragrance then filled the whole house!  What happened next just amazes me.  Simon, the Pharisee, says that if Jesus were a Prophet, He’d know that this woman was a sinner.  Jesus says to Simon, “I have something to say to you.”  Uh oh!  Jesus then mentions a parable of forgiveness…which one would love the debtor more.  Simon guesses the one who had the bigger debt.  Jesus says to Simon, “Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she, with her tears, has washed My feet and wiped them with her hair.  You gave Me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing My feet since I came in.  You didn’t anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much.  But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” (vv 44-48)

First thing God showed me the first time I read this passage was the forgiveness issue.  No matter how “big” my sin was, God will still forgive me and wash me clean.  This woman, whose name was not mentioned, had the reputation of being a harlot…a prostitute.  Her heart was softened by Jesus’ earlier teachings.  So when she found out where He was, she went to Him.  She was broken for her sins, which is why she was crying.  Because she was broken, Jesus forgave her.  She said no words…He could see it in her actions and in her face. 

The second thing I learned was about the alabaster flask (jar).  It was typically made of marble and could only hold one application’s worth of fluid.  The fluid, typically a fragrant oil, usually was expensive.  In the woman’s line of work, she could probably afford it and kind of needed it to tease the men!  The way you would get the oil out of the jar was to break it…hence the “one-time aplication”.  God showed me that we are the alabaster jar.  In order for us to be used by Him, we need to be broken.  When we are broken, we find our ONLY hope, comfort, and rest in Christ alone.  We are completely dependent on Him!

Another piece of the puzzle was told to me by my friend who is a hair stylist…someone who cuts people’s hair! lol  God has been teaching her A TON of stuff about hair, roots, etc. through the Word.  It’s been sweet to hear what He’s teaching her.  A middle-eastern woman’s hair is her pride and joy…and can be her downfall.  In public, her hair was always up; also her face, neck, and hair were always covered.  They do this once they “become a woman” so that the men won’t be attracted to them.  In this passage, the woman humbles herself by letting her hair down to wipe her tears off of Jesus’ feet.  Washing feet was the lowest servant’s job, yet she took it upon herself to wash and anoint His feet!  Amazing! 

Whose feet have we washed lately?  Whose feet can we wash today?  There are many lessons in this passage.  Allow God to show you what He wants you to see!  Forgiveness is a powerful thing!

What is time?  Why are we so obsessed with it?  God has given us ALL 24 hours in a day…how are we using it?  Are we using it wisely, seeking His face and the things of His eternal Kingdom?  Or are we wasting it by seeking our own pleasures and to satisfy self?  God has been showing me this past weekend that I fall into the category of the second scenario.  Saturday morning, I had the chance to go to On Our Knees, a time where women come together at the first of the month and pray.  It was my first time to be able to go.  I went in…kind of late because I had stopped at Chick-fil-a…and Julie was reading Psalm 145.  Then we broke off and prayed through a guide that she gave us.  As I was praying through that in my head, the word “time” popped into my head.  I turned to Ecclesiastes 3 and read verses 1 through 8.  The one that stuck out to me was verse 2b:  “a time to plant and a time to uproot”.  I’ve been “planted” here in Hendersonville for almost 25 years now.  I’ve had time to be watered, pruned, and to grow.  What’s next?  Is it time for me to be uprooted and be planted somewhere else?  Other things that God has been showing me is that wherever I end up, there will be poverty…there won’t be all this “junk” with which we fill our lives.  Paul says in Philippians 3 that everything was considered “rubbish” compared to knowing Christ Jesus.  Like Paul, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:11).  I’ve been wasting the precious time God has given me here on this earth.  No more!!  What does God care about?  People, especially the ones who can’t take care of themselves:  the widows, the orphans, and the fatherless.  God is calling us….calling ME…to help those in need, to forget my problems and my needs and to care for those who can’t help themselves.  I don’t know what that looks like right now, but I know that God will take care of it.  That’s all that matters.  No more wasted time.  The time is now!  Get off your duffs and do something that will affect eternity!  That’s the only thing that will last when this world passes!  My pastor always said that we can’t take U-Haul’s with us to heaven!  Give up the junk of the world and give into the calling Christ has given us!  Hallelujah! :O)

Man, so much has been going on since my last post – forever ago!  Ben and I left Samoa on June 7, and we both got home on the 9th…different flights though.  When I got home, I got to play with our dog for a bit.  I missed her so much!  Then that evening, my nephew Landon had a baseball game.  So my mom and I went to watch it.  I got to watch Landon play, but also got to play with Hunter.  Hunter is absolutely in LOVE with baseball right now!  It’s so cute!  The next couple of days included LOTS of laundry and visits with friends.  That Friday night was Hunter’s 4th birthday party.  He got everything he needed to play baseball!  It was so cute.  Then Sunday I was so stinkin excited to get to go to Long Hollow for church!  I can’t believe how much I missed the large crowds and the worship!  God is amazing.  When I was about to leave my ladies Small Group, I was approached by two ladies who gave me money!  Yes, I was home, but God is still providing for me!  After church, we had a camp counselor meeting.  That’s where we learned who we’re going to be leaders with at camp.  Before Friday, the day we left for middle school camp, my co-leader changed 4 times!  I ended up being with Anna Stephens and Heather Williams for middle school and Sandra Huddleston for high school.  Oh my word!  Both camps were amazing!  God has freed me from a secret sin!  God spoke to me at both camps and overwhelmed me with His indescribable love!  I’m still in awe of His love for me whenever I think about it.  My major “God-moment” happened at high school camp.  It’s a long story with a lot of side stories, but the jist of it is this:  I heard God speaking to me and I obeyed.  He then blessed me not even 30 minutes after I obeyed!  I still get giddy when I think of it!  God still speaks to His people!  That’s all for now.  I’ll update more later. :O)

God revealed a verse to me this morning.  It is Psalm 42:2.

“My soul thirsts for the living God.”

Do I REALLY thirst for Him?  The verse before it is pretty famous.  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”  Water.  Scientifically called dihydrogen oxide.  Essential to sustain life here on Earth.  It’s been said that one can go days, even weeks, without food, but only 3 or so days max without water before dying.  The Earth is 75% water as well as your body.  God knew what He was doing when He created the world and us as water-beings.  Without water, everything shuts down.  Without the Living Water that comes from the Well of Life, our spiritual lives shut down. 

In the New Testament, God revealed Himself to the woman at the well as the Living Water…those who drink of it will never thirst again.  How do we drink of this Living Water, you may ask?  Jesus is one part of the Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The three are actually one in the same.  In John 1:1, He states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  From this, we can confidently concur that Jesus is God; therefore Jesus is the Word.  The Word of God is vital to sustain our spiritual lives.  It is the bread and the water.  Kind of cool to see that because the Word is the bread we eat and the water we drink, Jesus is also the bread we eat and the water we drink.  Ever thought about that?  The Last Supper, when Jesus takes the bread, breaks it, and says, “This is my body that is broken for you.”  Then He takes the cup and says, “This is the blood that was shed for you…drink it.”  Jesus is God.  God is the Word.  The Word is the Bread of Life and the Living Water.  Jesus is our Living Water.  We need to drink of Him daily in order to stay focused and on track with Him!

Man how time flies!  It seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane, coming back from a wonderful Christmas break!  These next 3 weeks are going to be busy.  This weekend is the 8^th grade retreat at a local hotel…next weekend is the 8^th grade banquet…then the next week is the last week of school.  There are 2 full days and 2 ½ days.  So there will be parties, fun, food, hugs, tears, goodbyes.  It’s really sobering for me to think that with Christ, I have 3 weeks left to make an impact.  Being this close to the end has me thinking about how I’ve spent my time here. 

Yesterday I was thinking about the things that I’ve learned while being here.  I know that there’s more than what I thought of, but for now there’s only a few things.  The first one, God has shown me exactly how selfish I am.  Some of you reading this may be thinking to yourself, “You’re kidding, right?”  No, I’m not kidding.  Being on the mission field should be all about spreading the Good News to those around us.  I’ve honestly been keeping it to myself…only growing MY walk and not others’ walk.  Also, if there was something I didn’t want to do, a lot of the time I didn’t do it.  I only had “me” on my mind.  I’m praying that these last three weeks that’ll change.  I only want Christ on my mind!!  I want to know Christ and make Him known!

Another thing that I’ve learned here is total dependence on God…mainly through finances.  Also through the strength that He gives!  God has provided for me time and time again with money right when I need it!  It’s so astounding to be a part of God’s movement in that way.  Yes, it is scary, but when you trust the Lord, He WILL come through!  That’s all He wants…your trust and obedience.  God has also provided the strength to make it through the day.  Especially during their summer, the days were long and hot and humid!  You think Tennessee is humid….try coming here!  The heat will definitely wear you out!  But God is my Strength.  He is my Shelter.  He is my Living Water.  I’ve also learned how important water is to the body!  I knew about it before, but with the heat and the sun blaring down on you at almost a 90 degree angle, water is vital to replenish the water you lose from sweating.  I love water!  I haven’t had a soda in a long time!  Not that I don’t want it…it won’t sit well with the heat! 

I could go on for a while longer, but school’s about to start.  That is all for now.  More to come later!  I will try to post pictures from the retreat, banquet, and last days of school as they come, if not here…while in Hawaii on a 6ish hour layover.  Thank you for everyone who has prayed for me and with me throughout this year!  I could not have made it without you.  Thank you also for your support, whether it be monetary, cards/packages, or phone calls…they all have meant the world to me!  May the Lord bless you abundantly! 

Man how time flies!  It seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane, coming back from a wonderful Christmas break!  These next 3 weeks are going to be busy.  This weekend is the 8^th grade retreat at a local hotel…next weekend is the 8^th grade banquet…then the next week is the last week of school.  There are 2 full days and 2 ½ days.  So there will be parties, fun, food, hugs, tears, goodbyes.  It’s really sobering for me to think that with Christ, I have 3 weeks left to make an impact.  Being this close to the end has me thinking about how I’ve spent my time here. 

Yesterday I was thinking about the things that I’ve learned while being here.  I know that there’s more than what I thought of, but for now there’s only a few things.  The first one, God has shown me exactly how selfish I am.  Some of you reading this may be thinking to yourself, “You’re kidding, right?”  No, I’m not kidding.  Being on the mission field should be all about spreading the Good News to those around us.  I’ve honestly been keeping it to myself…only growing MY walk and not others’ walk.  Also, if there was something I didn’t want to do, a lot of the time I didn’t do it.  I only had “me” on my mind.  I’m praying that these last three weeks that’ll change.  I only want Christ on my mind!!  I want to know Christ and make Him known!

Another thing that I’ve learned here is total dependence on God…mainly through finances.  Also through the strength that He gives!  God has provided for me time and time again with money right when I need it!  It’s so astounding to be a part of God’s movement in that way.  Yes, it is scary, but when you trust the Lord, He WILL come through!  That’s all He wants…your trust and obedience.  God has also provided the strength to make it through the day.  Especially during their summer, the days were long and hot and humid!  You think Tennessee is humid….try coming here!  The heat will definitely wear you out!  But God is my Strength.  He is my Shelter.  He is my Living Water.  I’ve also learned how important water is to the body!  I knew about it before, but with the heat and the sun blaring down on you at almost a 90 degree angle, water is vital to replenish the water you lose from sweating.  I love water!  I haven’t had a soda in a long time!  Not that I don’t want it…it won’t sit well with the heat! 

I could go on for a while longer, but school’s about to start.  That is all for now.  More to come later!  I will try to post pictures from the retreat, banquet, and last days of school as they come, if not here…while in Hawaii on a 6ish hour layover.  Thank you for everyone who has prayed for me and with me throughout this year!  I could not have made it without you.  Thank you also for your support, whether it be monetary, cards/packages, or phone calls…they all have meant the world to me!  May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Where has April gone??  Spring Break seems like it was yesterday!  This month has been filled with ups and downs for me.  Throughout the month, we had either no school or a half-day of school on Fridays.  It’s been nice!  This week is the midpoint of the quarter.  It’s hard not to think about going home.  Yes, there are 6 more weeks until I leave to go home; but there are also 6 more weeks left of ministry here.  I have to admit, I have been thinking WAY too much about home and not enough on what God has me here for.  I’ve been selfish…thinking only of what I want.  I’ve been drowning in a pool of my own pity.  However, this morning, God has pulled me out of the pit!  He has redeemed me from the enemy’s hand.  One verse and many prayers of His faithful ones helped. 

“My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”                              Psalm 73:26

God is.  I AM.  He was and is and is to come.  God.  HE is my Strength…not me.  God is my portion.  I looked this word up in Hebrew.  This is what it means….”qlx”  (Cheleq)

portion, share, part, territory

1. portion, share
2. portion, tract, parcel (of land)
3. one’s portion, one’s possession
4. (chosen) portion
5. portion, award (from God)

I am my Beloved’s and He he is mine!  Nothing I can say or do will ever change that!  Praise the Lord!  Please pray that I wouldn’t think on the things past or future but on things of the present…here in Samoa.  Jim Elliot has a great quote that I constantly forget!  “Wherever you are, be ALL there.” (emphasis mine)  That is going to be my motto for the next 6 weeks.  Please pray for boldness and continued strength, not only for me, but for the other missionaries here as well.  Thank you thank you thank you for your support…financially and more importantly through your prayers!  There’s not a prayer that goes unheard!  May you be blessed! :O)

“The LORD my Healer”

I found out yesterday that my neice, Natalie, had a doctor’s appointment for a check-up on her Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.  My mom was watching Sarah and Hunter (Landon’s in school) while my sister-n-law took Natalie to the doc.  That’s all I knew up until last night.  I logged on and saw Katy’s status on Facebook:  “Natalie’s in REMISSION!!!”  I was so estatic and overjoyed!  I hated being here, 10,000 miles away from them, not able to do anything!  All I could do is pray and trust God with the outcome.  El Emunah – God is Faithful!  He answers the prayers of His saints.  Can you tell I’ve been looking up the names of God?? lol  The one that means the most to me right now is Jehovah Jireh – “The LORD is my Provider”.  God has provided for me not only financially, but emotionally, physically, and spiritually since being here in American Samoa. 

Nothing is new here on island.  In the month of April we have no school on Fridays!  The first Friday was Parent/Teacher conferences; last week was Good Friday; this week is a Samoan holiday called Flag Day; next week is our Kid’s Day.  It’s a day where all the classes perform dances for their parents.  I’m pretty excited to experience it.  This past Friday, we had a Good Friday service; then afterward we had a barbeque.  It was so great to get to hang out with the Samoan-speaking congregation for more than 30 minutes!!  We played volleyball for about 3 or 4 hours that afternoon!  It was FUN!  Then on Sunday for Easter, we went to the Korean Baptist Church for an island-wide Baptist Association sunrise service…6AM!  All the churches performed a song or two as well.  We did the song Mighty to Save.  It went very well.  After we got back, I watched a movie and slept from 10:30am to about 6:30pm!  So needless to say we’ve had a busy, yet relaxing weekend! 

That’s about all that’s goin on here on our little rock.  Hope you have a blessed week!!!  7 MORE WEEKS!!!  :O)

This past Saturday we started our basketball season here on island.  The girls and the guys both played a school called Manulele (mahn-u-le-le).  I was honestly nervous about the game.  We had only started practicing 2 weeks before!!  All the games with all the schools on island were to be played that day in the same gym.  It’s a first-come, first-serve basis.  We were the third series of games to be played.  We got there at 8am, but didn’t start playing til around 11 or so!  The games are two, 10-minute halves with running clocks until the 2:00 mark.  So the girls played first.  They were nervous as it was, but to play first before the boys??!!  The did well…as well as middle school basketball can go!  We won…just wait for the score…wait for it…wait for it….5-4!!!!  Yes, there were only 9 points total between the two teams!  For the basketball fans, guess what the one point was that decided the game??  You got it…a free-throw!  Free-throws win games!  Anyway.  The boys didn’t do so well, but they played their heart out.  The guys on the other team were twice their size…tall and slender!  I think their score was 15-9 or something like that.  Here are some pics that Katie took from the girls’ game.  Enjoy!

tip-off

Rebound!!

Coaches!  Gotta love em! :OP