Monday, October 26, 2009

I'm sitting here trying to remember back to Thursday and what all happened that day. It took me a while of thinking and then I still had to ask Deanna if she remembered. (Am I having senior moments again?) Finally, we figured it out!

I worked from home in Thursday morning and then went to the church around noon to print off some of the things I had created on my laptop. I wasn't feeling too well and was hoping for the day to go by quickly, but I was looking forward to the things that were planned. There was some clothing and other items to be delivered to the Christian Women's Job Corp, so Pamela invited me to share the devotion with the class. Then I went to the church and visited with the people at the Medical Clinic. It was a nice day.

Friday morning I went to help at the Food Pantry and also moved more coats from the Coat Drive to the missions office. Vicki P, one of the Rogers Schools social workers, came by to pick up some coats and other things for some families. I enjoy her very much. We are both happy that FBCR is able to work closely with the schools to reach families in need. I also got to visit a family and drop off coats for them. It was nice to be able to supply coats to people on such a cold day. I'm thankful for all the people at church who are bringing in coats to share with families. What a blessing.

Saturday was a pretty, sunny day. Jet and I took a nice long walk to New Hope Park and relaxed there for a while. It was our first walk in days, so we were both very happy. I went to the library and Walmart (of course) and then settled in for a cozy evening at home. I received a phone call from my friend Mary Ann, who was up from Texarkana for the weekend. She invited me to a friend's house, where her former ABF class was having a party. I crashed the party and spent a wonderful evening chatting with Mary Ann and having fun with some crazy party games. I came home with a headache from laughing so hard. It was an evening that I needed very much, after a hard few days.

Sunday morning I woke feeling really bad, but I didn't want to miss church (or give in to my ailment), so I got dressed, but couldn't handle even oatmeal. Since I don't get home from Cuerpo Vivo until about 2pm, I've joked that I need to pack a lunch. I knew I would eventually get hungry from not eating breakfast, so I actually packed my oatmeal for church! I got the chance to eat a little of it, so it was worth packing a lunch bag to church. :)

I had treated myself to a new bilingual Bible and I enjoyed it very much. I had looked at 3 different Bible bookstores before I found one that was in the 2 translations I wanted and the right size. I figured that I would have to get a plain/ugly one and a cover. I ended my search at SKIA and they had 2 that would fit the bill. One was a perfect color combo and even had silver edges (rather than the usual gold) that I liked. It was like God put it there just for me. I started using it Sunday morning in both services. I think it will help me learn Spanish more and obviously it will help me follow along with the message at Cuerpo Vivo. Jaime asked me if I was able to get anything out of the Spanish sermon and I told him that I could follow along with the scripture references and read them in Spanish and English both. It really helps. Of course, I move my lips when I read in Spanish because I want to practice pronunciation. He said he would be looking for that. :)

Spanish class this morning was great. We have wonderful discussions about culture, lifestyle, customs, etc., as well as grammar skills. Oliver has a heart for teaching and really wants us to understand and absorb the language. I'm very thankful to be in the class. God is blessing me with the opportunity to be around Spanish speaking people. I pray for a clear mind, the ability to understand and the confidence to keep trying. I look so forward to improving on being able to meet and share with more people and I'm thankful for the chance to learn a language to make that happen.

God has been dealing with me on some things lately. I may share about it at a later time, but I'm thankful for the lessons He teaches (even though I don't like the pain sometimes). He is so faithful to love me and continue to grow me.

I have not felt well the last week or so, but it's a good time for that to happen, I guess, since I go to see the surgeon on Wednesday. Maybe he will agree to remove that stinkin' ol' gallbladder and I'll be 100% again. I don't want to ever take good health for granted anymore. It's been a year since this journey began and I'm ready for it to end. It will be wonderful to be able to sleep through the night and not be awakened with just enough pain and nausea to keep me awake for hours. At least I'm getting a lot of reading done... But I would rather sleep during those hours.

As with everything, I trust the Lord with my health. I am His to do with what He wants. I just pray that I will be faithful in representing Him in every situation. There's so many opportunities to grow if I just pay attention to Him. That's my biggest desire.