Psalm 103

Psalm 103

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

God is good. All the time.

So... I realize that I am a flake and I barely ever write in here...

Good News: I'm going to Thailand!

Bad News: I get to sit around and anxiously think about it for the next seven months because I don't leave until the end of December.

I am feeling very random today and totally unmotivated. But my overall feeling is that God is good to me, all the time.

I recently found this verse:
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

Patience is a virtue and I don't have it!

I sent in my application to join the ministry at The Centre in Thailand on May 5th and my contact over there said that they would pray over my application and get back to me within two weeks. I have spent the last 11 days anxiously awaiting an email. I have not been sleeping well because my mind is spinning so fast that I can't relax. I have been biting my nails which is completely abnormal for me. I have been distracted and just overall impatient. This past weekend was rough because I don't have access to email outside of the office and I had no idea if they had emailed or not. Today I came into the office and there was no email which left me feeling bummed and even more anxious then before. Around lunch time I looked at my cell phone and realized that my ringer was off. I had two voicemails from my contact at The Centre. Surely they would only call all the way from Thailand if they want me to come join them, right? I can't call them back but she said that she would try again tomorrow. So, now I am waiting again but it is even harder now because I am terrified that she is going to ask me to join them in Thailand. Can you imagine picking up your life and moving to Thailand? I am excited as well. Maybe I should go home right now and go to bed so that tomorrow will come faster. My stomach hurts...

Thailand

Sorry that I have not written in awhile, I have not been able to get onto my blog page for over a week. But it looks like it is working now, so I am back!

I have been talking to a woman by the name of Clair who along with her husband runs a ministry in Thailand called The Centre. They minister to college students through English classes, bible studies and by building relationships. The Centre is really just a fun place for Thai students to hang out and feel loved. Clair and I have been talking about me joining them for a year or two and helping with the ministry. I have been praying about it a lot and have decided to go ahead and start the application process. If everything works out (support raising, getting the necessary paperwork to live in Thailand, etc.), I will probably go over there at the end of the year. Clair has stated that they would like to have me as soon as I am able to come.

Right now I am feeling overwhelmed at the thought that I could be living on the other side of the world by the end of the year. But I am also really excited and a bit scared. I hate the thought of leaving my family but as hard as I try, I can't ignore the call of God. I was telling a friend the other day that sometimes I wish God would just call me to a normal life where I could stay close to family, have a regular job, get married and have a family and just be content. But for some reason that I cannot fathom, He has called me to follow Him across the world and leave all that normal stuff behind. He has made me a person that so far has never been content with my life because I know that there are people out there that need to be told His story and I can do that. Maybe some day I will settle down in a normal life but right now I am going to follow His call to Thailand.

Please keep me in your prayers as I am in the application process and will soon be raising money and getting ready to go. Thanks so much for your support! I'm excited!!!