Fearless Faith

August 13

Yesterday, a year ago was the day I was due to deliver the twins. So they are now a year old! Sometimes I think preemies should go by their due date for birthdate. It seems to be more accurate. :)

Last evening Craig and I were sitting outside after the twins were in bed. Bomani was out there with us. It was a gorgeous evening. Still. Quiet. Cool. And the stars...they were so beautiful. And so we decided to sleep out on our deck! We dragged our mattress out there—it just fit with enough room the squeeze through the door to get in and out. Bomani thought this was too much fun, and did not want to go to bed! It was so lovely to lie there and look up at the stars as you fell asleep. We lost count of the falling stars we saw. God really put on a display for us. Sometime toward morning a brisk wind came up. :) It was below 60 degrees this morning...so we chose a rather cold night to do this! It reminded us of waking up in Pang Klang...and it's so cold you can hardly get yourself to move. That was worse, somehow. You had no promise of warmth anywhere until the sun was up and shining well. And before we had a ceiling in our room, you could feel the breezes flowing across your face... :) 

Daisy is walking a bit! We had a rough week last week kid-wise. Hazel got Roseola. Then they all three wound up with a cold. So yes, on Sunday I was a mother bear not allowing anyone to hold them. I still couldn't stop people from touching their hands. But that's life, I guess. They are being more shy and Wed. night at church wanted only me to hold them! They still do have a few favorites they go to, though.

Last week we had friends visit for several days! Jason and Emily Atkins, and their daughter Savannah honored us with a visit. We were together for three weeks at MTI two years ago, and the friendship stayed with us. We had a most delightful time together. Bomani and Savannah really started playing together the last day they were here. Savannah talks well, and Bomani started talking more too! God really blessed us through the visit of our friends, and we're grateful. Blessings to you, Jasons, as you go back to Africa!

8-16

Ahhh...it has been delightfully cool the last mornings and nights. So cool that I get up in the mornings and close most of the windows. :) Still no rain to speak of. This is a bit strange, but ever since I found out that there will be a three year drought I have relaxed about the rain. Anything from God is given/allowed in His wisdom. (Someone in church told us that he heard from God that there is a three year drought. Others confirmed it.) I admit that my livelihood does not come directly from the land, so it is not hurting me in the same way it is hurting others. It is very difficult for many.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about faith. And wondering a lot about it for me personally. I just finished the book Wonder 'O the Wind by Phillip Keller. That is an excellent piece of literature—incredibly worth your time. I learned so much about God in that book. And about man. Phillip lived a very high energy, enthusiastic, wildly adventurous life—without God in the center, for 40 years.

Anyway, not to give a book report here. But in the end, Phillip came to the place where he knew he either needed to go on living his highly successful, awesome life with great emptiness in his soul, or completely turn his will (heart) over to God. And after he did that, his life was not a piece of cake. It had some real pain and struggle—but, he had God within. And the adventures continued—only different, because they were God's adventures.

And then there is more. In reading our Bible story book, something is confirmed that God brought to my mind the other day. I was driving to town and He reminded me that in some places, He did not do much because of the people's unbelief. Now that is scary. Could my weakness in faith limit what God wants to do? I just read the story of the man who was let down through the roof and Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven. Get up. Take your mat and go home.” Because He saw their faith.

Hm.

I love the picture I get of Fearless Faith. Not only faith, but fearlessly believing!
The other week something so cool happened. We had this Bible Story Book that I had picked out at GBFS and was a gift from them for Bomani. I really liked it. It brought out God in truth--in His gentleness and love. It had very short stories and excellent pictures. We lost it! I could not find it, and longed for it recently. Bomani is now the age where I can start filling his mind with Bible stories. I wanted to read it for myself! And it was nowhere that I looked. I didn't think I had our name in it, and knew I had taken it to church for Bomani sometimes. I despaired. Then one day, I was thinking of how God had recently told me to stop praying about the 5-6 huge decisions/things in our life right now, and simply believe that He is working. So I told God how much I wanted this book. Why I wanted the book. And I decided to believe His power. It was a bit scary. Soon after that I thought of looking under our bed--things can accumulate there. It was not there. As I straightened up, I looked at the stack of books on Craig's night stand. There was no logical reason to look there. There it was. !!! It was one of those times you know it was from God. Not just a happening. Thank You, God!
Okay, enough rambles! Lata...