I haven't been less grateful recently for the new gifts or commitments from supporters. It's just that I'm so busy and stressed thinking about all I need to accomplish in possibly less than 3 weeks. So, whenever I was notified of a new donor, I was more focused on the numbers and percentages and the pressure of whether it will be enough to leave by October 5th. The grateful heart got buried.
Yesterday, I confessed and asked God to give me a new heart. He came through! I received word that a whole slew of people I have never met but who somehow heard of my ministry gave over and abundantly in the last week to the tune of $1,300 in one-time gifts. How does a clean, new heart hear that kind of news and not break? I'm overwhelmed, God! You CAN do this and you ARE doing this!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Persuasion
I bought the final Jane Austen book I haven't read the other day, as a treat for the plane ride to Germany, but part of me doesn't want to read it. Then it'll be over. No more Jane Austen treats to look forward to.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
5 things
5 things I've eaten recently
1. green tea mochi ice cream
2. left-over Indian food
3. bugs (on my bike ride this morning)
4. banana
5. Milka chocolate
5 emotions I've felt recently
1. fear
2. paranoia
3. joy
4. grief
5. compassion
5 interesting things I've done recently
1. watched the Princess Bride for the gazillionth time
2. drafted a fantasy football team
3. shopped online on behalf of a friend who's looking on behalf of another friend
4. wrote a will (?!?)
5. danced with my i-pod in the kitchen until I heard the garage door signaling Jim and Lori were back
5 embarrassing stories
1. When I worked in the library, I was once carrying a stack of books that blocked my line of sight, but I thought I knew where I was going. Yep, ran right into a pole that knocked all the books out of my hand and made a huge noise.
2. the awful story of when I drove my scooter through freshly poured cement (ask me about it sometime)
3. In high school cooking/serving class, we had to create mixed drinks and were practicing on real guests. I was assigned to the table with the principal and her mother. I poured the drinks all nice and neatly for full marks, but as I was going around the table to set the glasses down, one spilled all over the principal's mother's back, soaking her from neck to waist in sticky, gooey cherry syrup. Lovely.
4. the time I made a joke about my friend's funny last name right as the room went quiet, and no one laughed
5. dancing on stage to the song "Chicky chick chicken, bok bok, chicken!"
5 hopes for the near future
1. connect with friends and family I love
2. pack well and not forget anything important
3. transition well to Germany
4. find a German church to plug in to
5. build relationships with my students
1. green tea mochi ice cream
2. left-over Indian food
3. bugs (on my bike ride this morning)
4. banana
5. Milka chocolate
5 emotions I've felt recently
1. fear
2. paranoia
3. joy
4. grief
5. compassion
5 interesting things I've done recently
1. watched the Princess Bride for the gazillionth time
2. drafted a fantasy football team
3. shopped online on behalf of a friend who's looking on behalf of another friend
4. wrote a will (?!?)
5. danced with my i-pod in the kitchen until I heard the garage door signaling Jim and Lori were back
5 embarrassing stories
1. When I worked in the library, I was once carrying a stack of books that blocked my line of sight, but I thought I knew where I was going. Yep, ran right into a pole that knocked all the books out of my hand and made a huge noise.
2. the awful story of when I drove my scooter through freshly poured cement (ask me about it sometime)
3. In high school cooking/serving class, we had to create mixed drinks and were practicing on real guests. I was assigned to the table with the principal and her mother. I poured the drinks all nice and neatly for full marks, but as I was going around the table to set the glasses down, one spilled all over the principal's mother's back, soaking her from neck to waist in sticky, gooey cherry syrup. Lovely.
4. the time I made a joke about my friend's funny last name right as the room went quiet, and no one laughed
5. dancing on stage to the song "Chicky chick chicken, bok bok, chicken!"
5 hopes for the near future
1. connect with friends and family I love
2. pack well and not forget anything important
3. transition well to Germany
4. find a German church to plug in to
5. build relationships with my students
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Apartment update
In an amazing feat of both ultimate sadness and ultimate peace, I said no to the ultra cute apartment of which I already posted pictures. Since I'm now trying to get to BFA on a reduced budget for this first year, I simply couldn't afford the ultra cute apartment with the gorgeous blue kitchen. Plus, my good friends the Loves have generously offered their guest apartment to me for the year.
Today when I was browsing through my pictures, I found, surprisingly enough, a picture of the building (sadly the apartment is in the attic, so you can't see windows), one of my brother taken in the guest apartment, and the view from the building which is the town fountain. The apartment is off the "Marktplatz" (old market square) of town.
You should all still come visit! :-)
Today when I was browsing through my pictures, I found, surprisingly enough, a picture of the building (sadly the apartment is in the attic, so you can't see windows), one of my brother taken in the guest apartment, and the view from the building which is the town fountain. The apartment is off the "Marktplatz" (old market square) of town.
You should all still come visit! :-)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Who is this about
Today was the culmination of a big God moment.
About a month ago, I went to a friend's movie night and met one of her friends, Sarah. We didn't talk much, but we did recognize each other 2 weeks later when we were at the same wedding. Not only that, her roommate who was also at the wedding was one of the 7 other ESL students I graduated with 5 years ago. Becca and I hadn't seen each other since. So today Becca, Sarah, and I met for coffee. Clearly my former classmate and I had a lot of catching up to do, and I couldn't wait to hear more about Sarah. What felt like maybe two hours of talking was actually three, and I was so engrossed in hearing their faith stories and sharing my own, that not even the hot sun on my back bothered me till I got up to leave. (I've decided if I could get paid to listen to people's faith stories all day long, I'd have the best job in the world!)
The real moment God showed up was when Sarah was talking in reference to her own support raising experience. She said one big lesson she learned was, "It's not about me!" The words were so simple and yet nearly knocked me off my chair. I felt like a big "Duh" formed in front of my eyes.
This ministry is not about me. It's about God and his glory as his name is proclaimed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It's about God and what he wants to do in the life of missionary kids. It's about God and his love for the German people.
Not even the support raising is about me. It's about hearts that love missions and Germans and MK's and education. It's about my being obedient to present the ministry and others being obedient to God's promptings to give. In no way is it ever my responsibility to move others' hearts. It's not about me.
In some ways, it was what I'd known all along, and yet I still felt a huge weight lift off my heart. Of course I have my role to play and my asking to do, but it's not about me. It's not a reflection of me. It's a reflection of God working in hearts, both mine and others. Duh, Katrina.
About a month ago, I went to a friend's movie night and met one of her friends, Sarah. We didn't talk much, but we did recognize each other 2 weeks later when we were at the same wedding. Not only that, her roommate who was also at the wedding was one of the 7 other ESL students I graduated with 5 years ago. Becca and I hadn't seen each other since. So today Becca, Sarah, and I met for coffee. Clearly my former classmate and I had a lot of catching up to do, and I couldn't wait to hear more about Sarah. What felt like maybe two hours of talking was actually three, and I was so engrossed in hearing their faith stories and sharing my own, that not even the hot sun on my back bothered me till I got up to leave. (I've decided if I could get paid to listen to people's faith stories all day long, I'd have the best job in the world!)
The real moment God showed up was when Sarah was talking in reference to her own support raising experience. She said one big lesson she learned was, "It's not about me!" The words were so simple and yet nearly knocked me off my chair. I felt like a big "Duh" formed in front of my eyes.
This ministry is not about me. It's about God and his glory as his name is proclaimed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. It's about God and what he wants to do in the life of missionary kids. It's about God and his love for the German people.
Not even the support raising is about me. It's about hearts that love missions and Germans and MK's and education. It's about my being obedient to present the ministry and others being obedient to God's promptings to give. In no way is it ever my responsibility to move others' hearts. It's not about me.
In some ways, it was what I'd known all along, and yet I still felt a huge weight lift off my heart. Of course I have my role to play and my asking to do, but it's not about me. It's not a reflection of me. It's a reflection of God working in hearts, both mine and others. Duh, Katrina.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)