I'm having a good day today! I was kind of afraid it would be hard to get back into the "real world" after the nice holiday weekend, but it's been going so well! It's such a privilege getting to serve here.

I had an incredible Thanksgiving weekend. As I was telling my roommate today, "It felt surreal". (I think I'm using that word in the right context? If not, oh well, I just thought it'd be fun to use a big word on here. :o)) The weekend was filled with a yummy meal on Thanksgiving day, several nice times of fellowship with friends in my S.S. class, a walk each day at the park right down the road (beautiful days!) and ... SLEEP. :o)

I also made a "spur of the moment" turkey soup tonight, using leftovers that were sent home wtih me from Thanksgiving dinner! After tonight, I've decided I can somewhat do "ad lib" cooking after all ... several things I've tried in the past to be "creative" with, making up as I go, ended up not being that good. But the soup tonight turned out pretty well! :o) My roommate tried it and seemed to think so, too. We are moving this Saturday. Hard to believe! We're excited. I'm looking forward to this weekend ... even if it DOES end up being a lot of work. ;o) Hard to believe that a week from now, we will be all moved in!

I've been having such a good week! I think it all started with a nice weekend. :c) Sunday after church I went to eat at The Corner Bakery with a group from my S.S. class. Then I headed over to the mall to purchase a cell phone -- It will be my phone when I move. A blue and gray flip phone, it's a cutie ... but I keep telling it it will be grounded for life if it doesn't stop misbehaving. ;o) For starters, even when I change certain audio settings, they don't respond accordingly.

Tomorrow I eat Thanksgiving dinner with my S.S. class. And some of us (not me) will be watching football, while others will be watching movies (maybe me? or I may just hang out and talk with people!). I'm looking forward to that! I can't wait. :o) I will be making a salad to bring -- I hope it turns out well. It will have lettuce, dried cranberries, chicken, pecans, and mandarin oranges. The fun part is all the ingredients were either gotten free or almost free with a coupon, or given to me or offered for me to use.

Today was such a good day! :o) A friend came over to work on some bikes and grab her stuff, and we enjoyed chatting. Then I went walking and rollerblading at the park nearby.

I got together with Maggie, a new lady on staff, tonight. We had so much fun! :o)

Hi again! It's me. We had our staff ladies meeting tonight ... a much-needed reminder of how we can give thanks in ANY circumstance and also how we can thank God, by faith, for things we do not yet see. Amen.

This was a very timely reminder for me, and I'd imagine for many of us. For me, parts of the two weeks before this one were times of being "in the valley". And this week in some ways feels like the process of getting "back in the swing of things" after having been in the valley. Yet, overall, it's been a rather good week, I think, for which I am so glad! : ) The weekend was good and set a nice tone for the week, I think. There are still things I need to lay before the Lord and trust Him for by faith, but I am so thankful for the time I had after the meeting tonight of catching up/praying with a friend and then driving around on my own, talking with and singing to Him.

On a different note, things have looked bleak this week for us writers, as our "resident walker" is on vacation (must be?) and hasn't paid us our daily visits. We miss seeing him out the window! A coworker and I were joking that we should make a big sign to put in the window for when he passes by -- something like, "We missed you" or "Welcome back". :o)

Oh, the little joys of life!

The lunch went well. I had some opportunities to share the ministry. I enjoy getting to do that!

I enjoyed Sunday school as usual. We all are eating at our teacher's home for Thanksgiving! I can't wait. :o)

My room's been pretty clean lately -- that's a good feeling. :o) I think I've been able to get rid of quite a bit as far as papers I didn't need anymore, etc. And I have a little pile of things that can go "up for grabs".

When you serve at a ministry, those three words are special indeed. :o) I am so very thankful for all the nice furniture the Lord has provided for the new apartment. Hard to believe we're moving in less than a month. Wow.

Hello, dear blog. Do you remember me? :o) I know I haven't written since Tuesday. The rest of the week was kind of hard. Yesterday was especially rough ... quite a lot of crying. It's been quite a while since I've been emotional like this.

Today was a good day, though. I was given "a hot dog, a piece of cake and $10" to help out with a birthday party for fraternal 5-year-old twins! Can't beat that. :o) I had the trail mix "station", and it was the kids' favorite one! Probably because it involved food! We didn't stay for the "piece of cake", but it sure was a pleasant time!

I also spent a couple of hours at the home of a friend on staff, and met up with another friend for supper. We had buy-one-get-one-free coupons! Can't beat that. :o) Tomorrow after church is a lunch for all of us who are in full-time ministry.

God is so good to me! Though Friday was such a rough day, I felt that I emerged from the week with His perspective. Saturday morning when I was spending time with Him, I was filled with His supernatural love. Thank You, Lord. What a wonderful peace that brings!

And I've been having a good week so far. I enjoy looking out the window at the beautiful sky. :o) Thank You, Jesus!

Speaking of looking out the window, I think it would be fitting here to publish some updates on our "resident walker"!

Enjoy. :o) (for background, see last Thursday's entry)

Monday, November 8

Resident Walker Makes Second of Three Daily Appearances

At 11:40 a.m., our resident walker made his second daily debut in the GFA parking lot and even waved to one of our staff members who was pulling out. He was sporting his trademark, a faded jean jacket.

You have been listening to GFA News and Reports, stateside. Stay tuned to this channel for further developments and updates in the life of our "resident walker".
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We interrupt to report some unprecedented news about our resident walker.

At about 4 p.m. (CST), in a mode uncharacteristic of the avid walker, he was spotted driving a white Ford "enclosed" truck (maybe an early to mid 90s model?). It is very important to note that he waved at a GFA staff member as he pulled out from his workplace, before waiting for oncoming traffic and then making a left turn onto South Maple Lane (name changed).

We'll keep you posted on further developments. And as always, thank you for tuning in to GFA News and Reports stateside!

P.S. If you'd like to receive the REAL GFA News and Reports, with stories of the exciting things the Lord is doing on the field, click here. :o)

A rough day. I hope I don't have to repeat it for a while. I cried quite a bit. As I remarked to a coworker with a little chuckle, "I'm not good for much of anything today."

But, I emerged from the day with fun chats and laughter with roommates over a taco supper and prayer, a shoulder rub from a coworker, and some loving shoulders to cry on. Thank You, Lord. Thank You SO very much for the family here that loves me dearly. Thank you for each and every precious one. And thank You for my wonderful family back home and a few hours away.

Aren't you glad that for the Christian, we can't lose? That God loves us more than we could even imagine, and He is always bringing about a greater good in our lives, even through trials? That He hurts with us when we hurt? And, oh, I am so very encouraged to see how He has been working in me His perspective through it all. (It didn't start out that way, and wasn't that way for a while--and I still struggle somewhat--but He has been so faithful to keep working on me. How wonderful it is!) The other day someone remarked that I was "so brave" and they said I radiated the love and joy of Jesus. I needed to hear those words; they were life to my soul. Truly, God has been SO good to me. I love Him so very much!

My lunch with Sherri today was so nice. She is such a dear sister. We had a nice time chatting about the Scriptures, and it was fun sharing with her how the Lord has been providing furniture for me for my new apartment. We really connected and had such a good visit together. She was saying how the Lord always brings us through hard times. She said some really encouraging things. And ... today was much better. Praise the Lord! I am so thankful for that, so relieved.

This afternoon was busy, but good I think! :o) (I LOVE being busy at work--it helps me keep focused!) It was pretty hilarious -- at one point, while I was cleaning my bathroom (each of us on staff take turns helping to clean the restrooms here!), I was alternating between wiping the counter/door and peeking out into the hallway to see whether someone I needed to meet with was free yet. :o)

Helen was here this morning in the desk next to mine, working on some writing projects. We had some great laughs together, talking about our "resident walker". No joke, he literally walks through our office parking lot three times a day. It's too funny. :o) He's a very dedicated walker and an inspiration to me to take some time for a quick walk during the workday.

Anyhow, we both were laughing because Helen was talking on the phone to one of our coworkers and saying, "He's wearing a denim jacket today! And it looks like he's growing a beard." And I teased that I would have thought that was "beneath his dignity." (He always has his "scrubs" on; he works over at one of the medical offices down the street from us.) Anyhow, he used to walk around, looking "neither to the right or to the left," but we've noticed lately that he's actually quite friendly. I joked that he'd better not be snobbish to us if he's gonna walk through our parking lot. :o)

I am so very happy about the election results! When I heard about Bush's victory, I stood up in my cubicle and jumped for joy. :o) God is good ... and so very merciful to us, even though we so much don't deserve it.

Tonight at the midweek service at Calvary Chapel, I watched as a young woman came in a little late and sat by her brother. They looked so cute and homey as her brother leaned toward her and told her something. I got a little sad as I thought of how my brother is no longer here on this earth for me to do that with. Sitting in that pew, I imagined us sitting together like that as we grew older.

The Lord in His infinite wisdom and compassion has, for whatever reason, allowed--once again--a hard and somewhat painful situation in my life that I thought had finally ended. Yesterday I found myself thanking the Lord for this means to be made more like Him. I even recalled how I'd prayed just the day before for Him to make me more like Himself, whatever it takes. He sure does answer those prayers! I was rejoicing in that yesterday.

Today I wasn't so brave. But I try to continually remind myself that God is good, in any circumstance. And He is in control. Absolutely nothing takes Him by surprise. And He hurts when His children hurt--even if it's because of a trial He is allowing in their life for a greater good. He can be trusted! How comforting is that thought. Thank You, Lord. Thank You SO much.

Tomorrow I'm eating lunch with my friend Sherri from work. :o) I'm looking forward to it. She is such a sweetheart, and has such a servant's heart. She serves part-time with us, despite health-related problems, and would love to be here full-time if she could. I appreciate her!

Today was an overcast day. Great day for quick walking breaks. I took one this morning. For some reason I felt kind of sad and unsettled when I arrived home tonight. I think maybe part of it was not seeing the sun today, and then it getting dark so early.

I'm scheduled to share a little tomorrow night during prayer meeting -- to share some from the field. It's not easy for me to prepare and get in front of people, but yet I'm so thankful for the opportunity. My prayer is that the Lord give me His words, words that would touch and encourage hearts.

Truly, He is so faithful. So good to us, so loving and kind.

I had such a nice time today with the family who are my friends. I ate supper with them and we all chatted and prayed together before I left. They are already ministry supporters, but said after watching the Jaishri video tonight that they are going to pray about supporting another native missionary. Hallelujah! Praise God.

Like last week when I was at my S.S. teachers' home hanging out with them and others in our class, it was refreshing today getting to be "at home" with a family. I'm so thankful for the many blessings and special people that the Lord has brought into my life! He has been so good to me.

I had such a nice day today. It felt like I got so much done, and I had some really good time with the Lord. I enjoyed meditating on Philippians 1, the chapter (and book!) I'm memorizing.

Tonight was fun! I went over to Cici's pizza in the next town over, to meet up with people from my Bible study. We were seeing off Jonathon, as a surprise party. Except he spotted Edward in the window as he was walking up. :oP I very much enjoyed catching up with friends there. In fact, tomorrow afternoon after church I'll be going over to a family's house. I'll get to continue fellowshipping with them and show them The Call to Harvest and pictures from my India trip. :o) I look forward to it!

Then I also went to a game night at a staff family's home. That was neat--I played badmitton (sp?) outside with some gals, and then played some foosball with some buddies ... The phrase "It's been a while..." (since I'd played foosball without a teammate's help) became a catch phrase that my buddy Sean teased me about. :o)

Goodbye for now. I look forward to Sunday school and church in the morning. Nice to get an extra hour of sleep. ;-)

This was a such a good day. Like yesterday, the workday went by fast because I was working on a number of different things. Oh, and the projects are mostly finished, plus another one that came up. :o) A couple of stories were finished, and several were gathered for an email update, plus a "thank-you" paragraph was added. All that's left is "wrapping things up" on another story, and I hope to have that done before the end of tomorrow. Yay!

This weekend will be busy! I may be meeting up with my neighbor for lunch, and then Saturday night I have two things going on--I'll probably try to go to both. :o) One of them is a surprise going away party for someone at my Bible study. Another is a game night at a staff family's home. Then of course the next day is Sunday school and church ... AND, an extra hour of sleep. OR time with the Lord. :o) OR both. :c)

Today my friend Jasmine from last week came by the office for her tour. We also ate chili together downstairs at our Believers Cafe'. Jasmine really enjoyed the tour and was impacted and amazed at the vast number of unreached people and how the Lord is reaching Asia.

Over lunch today, she said how she feels like she's known me for a long time. She is such a sweetheart and loves the Lord and has such a heart for missions. I am so thankful for her and that the Lord has brought her into my life.

I went to the midweek service at Calvary Chapel tonight. I'd never been to that one, just the Sunday morning services. It was so good! The pastor went over Psalm 39-42 and made some good points -- about how our lives are fleeting and we are being prepared for heavenly bodies, etc. I also enjoyed the worship time.

Tomorrow I am meeting with several coworkers for our monthly lunch together. I look forward to that! I think tomorrow night my friend Lindi will call and we'll pray together. Then, Friday I might go to my Bible study, and Saturday night is a surprise gettogether to see off a friend from there. :o) I would really like to try to make it. Oh, and my projects from yesterday are going well! By the end of the workday tomorrow, Lord willing, I hope to have them finished.

Sunday afternoon was such a nice time ... A group of us from my S.S. class were over at the home of our teacher and his wife, hanging out and eating chili. And some people were out in the garage for a while, working on a game that they're having for the kids during the harvest festival. :o) I was in the kitchen helping Sammie and chatting with her, but did run out later, joking that I was "supervising". :o)

During part of the afternoon, I just kicked back and rested on one of their family room chairs while some others watched the football game, lamenting the impending loss of the Dallas Cowboys. We talked about us all maybe going over there for Thanksgiving, too. I felt so much at home ... It was a wonderful time. :o)

I got my SEND! articles back today and was given some changes to make and further research to do for sidebars and photos. That was fun! :o) Today I made the needed changes. During these next couple days, I need to try to gather all the information for my additions, as well as some source documentation for one of the stories.

Also, tomorrow I need to write a couple of web stories about our Bridge of Hope program. I was looking at the field reports, and they are touching! My hope is that the Lord would give me the words to convey the heart of these reports--that hearts would be moved as people read them. I know I am utterly inadequate--my words won't do. It must be the words He gives me--those I must write down. I am nothing without Him, and in my flesh dwells no good thing. What a privilege it is to be His ambassador on behalf of a lost world.

It was so pretty outside today! I went driving out in the country and walking--very late afternoon--at the nature preserve. Beautiful weather, especially as it neared sunset! It got cooler and was quite refreshing.

My lunch with Jasmine Friday was good! I showed her my India pictures and told her some of the stories behind them. She wants to come out to tour our office, and we've set a day for next week! : ) I hope it all works out ... We're going to eat a quick lunch first in the kitchen; I guess we will need to gulp down our food pretty fast so we can do the tour and still not have her traveling back to her office too late from lunch. ;o) She was talking about having me over sometime where she lives, on a lake. That would be nice. :o) She has such a love for the Lord and for missions. It so much looks like the Lord orchestrated us meeting and getting to be friends.

Auughh! I just composed a long post with some neat things that impacted me lately, and, alas, there were problems with the server and the post is nowhere to be found. I hate it when that happens. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often.

Okay, so it's been a few days since I've posted. Guess I've been busy. Saturday was a nice day. And I enjoyed my S.S. class at Stonebriar again this week. I did get to eat lunch with my new friend, Lilly. We had a nice time together. I sure do look forward to getting to know her more in the days to come. Yesterday was a good day, too. I went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning and grabbed something to eat. On my way back to the office, I made a lunch appointment for Friday, with a really nice lady I met in the community, while apartment-hunting. She loves the Lord and has such a heart for missions. I gave her some ministry materials and, Lord willing, will be showing her pictures from my India trip on Friday. My prayer is that we will really connect and get to know each other and that she will be impacted for His kingdom being furthered in Asia.

Tonight we had the privilege of hearing some exciting reports from two of our leaders on the field. It's incredible what God is doing on behalf of those who have never heard His name. And the hunger He is putting in people's hearts to know Him. Praise the Lord! To Him be the glory.

Hearing from our field leaders tonight, I was given such a vivid reminder that the things we do here truly matter over there--that we are a significant part of amazing things that are happening on the other side of the world. The things we do here, sitting in an office building, make it possible for our brothers and sisters in Christ to reach their people in the 10/40 Window. Incredible. This is an unspeakable privilege. After being in India--and again, after hearing these reports tonight--I find myself so much motivated to do more and be more dedicated. Praise the Lord. May this fire burn bright within me and never die.

No ransom note today.

And ... no sight of Web Dog. Hmmm, the plot thickens ...

I just thought I'd let that be known tonight ... There was something really neat I wanted to share, but I'm tired now. I'll share more later ... I promise? :o)

Oh, I will say this, the Lord went before me today as I continued to work on the story I mentioned yesterday. (The day went by so fast! It does that when you're absorbed in a project.) Now I have what I think is my full "final rough draft". Only bad news? It's 758 words, needs to be cut down to 400. But God can do that. I'm also probably going to be working quite a bit on another 400-word article this weekend ... Thankfully, I have a rough draft on that one as well (about 400 words!), but I still need to do some research, tweaking, and maybe weaving in of some more relevant things. I've been enjoying this sooooo much!

Well, good night. :o)