8/13/2006
Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
Sorry about the lack of update yesterday. It all stems from�well, a little confession. I LOVE to read. I have always enjoyed reading. When I was a young child, one of my greatest treats was going to the library and bringing home stacks of books to read or getting the newest book order with so many choices. (Now that I am a teacher, that still hasn�t changed�) As I got older, of course, reading became mandatory for classes; fun reading usually ended up being a quick magazine here or there. But every once in a while, I will allow myself the indulgence of a new book, either purchasing one or finding something at the library when the kids go. I learned a few years ago that I can be a little �obsessive� about reading. One day, I started reading Francine Rivers�Redeeming Love. For the next several hours, I totally got lost into that world. I kept just enough of an eye on the kids to make sure everyone was safe. I couldn�t stop reading until I finished the whole book. After discovering that, I began to limit my reading to times when I wouldn�t be too needed, like on trips. Well, I recently I got 3 new books for my birthday. I planned on taking them on the trip when we get called; it gives me something to do on the airplane so I don�t think about crashing and all. Yesterday, I guess feeling the effects of my summer ending, I could resist the temptation no longer. I took the biggest book (to lighten the load on my trip ) and started reading it about noon. I finally went to bed at 2:30 a.m. I did finish it though! (Francine Rivers� And the Shofer Blew) Oh, and one other confession, I always read the first chapter, then the last few pages of the book, then go back and read the whole thing. It is just my style�So that is the long and short of why I didn�t update yesterday! I was involved in the lives and times of fictional characters. Aren�t you glad you knew all that?
Okay, so the verse above, I read it this morning at church. I started thinking, �Continue earnestly in prayer�� I think I can say, I have been doing that part pretty well, though lately, I have almost given up since we keep finding delay after delay. So this week, I throw myself back into praying EARNESTLY. And that will include Mark too during our 10 p.m. prayer time, which we have been unable to do the past two nights with his activities. The second part though caused a little guilt. �Being vigilant in it with THANKSGIVING.� Uh oh. I felt a lot of thanksgiving when we got out of PGN almost 4 weeks ago. But I will admit, the thanksgiving part has waned since then. Do I still have anything to be thankful for since it doesn�t look like she will be home when we had hoped? (Several times over I might add) Well, I am thankful for the MANY people who are praying on our and particularly on Maria�s behalf. I encountered several people at church today who stopped to hug me and tell me that they continue to pray for us to bring her home. And I am thankful for the sweet gifts we have received. Mark came home from a conference in Texas this past week. Someone who works in the same company and has followed Maria�s story gave him a gift to be used for our travel expenses. I was so touched by that! (Thank you!) And I am thankful that Maria is in a good place with food to eat and loving caretakers; to Maria, these are just normal days. Okay, I might need to focus on that thanksgiving part a bit more.
I don�t know what this week holds. Tuesday is a holiday. I don�t know if anyone will actually work tomorrow or not. And Friday, the Embassy does NOT issue pinks. Hopefully though there will be some progress, even if we cannot see it. Thank you for waiting with us! |
