Ben and Friends

I just wanted to share a picture of Ben with his friends Michael and Joel. They've been good buddies for many years now!


Here are the boys at Jerard's funderal in May of 2012,
along with another friend, Jadon, who is presently on home assignment with his family in the USA.

It Is What It Is

I have a bracelet I wear that states, "It is what it is." That simple saying reminds me of the Biblical mandate to be content in all things.

I've been asked about how we can be so patient as we await James' adoption to be finalized. God has led me on a path through the years of knowing that He ordains our circumstances and there is no need for fret or worry; it doesn't help anything.

As Jerard used to lean into me and rest on me, my Saviour wants me to lean into Him and rest on Him in all things.

Two key principles I've been learning are
Being content and giving thanks
These are key to a peace-filled, joyous Christian life.
It doesn't mean there are not trials, but we can know contentment in the trial, peace in the waiting and rest in the wrestling.

Philippians 4: 4-13

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice....do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God....I have learned in whatever situation I am to


be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how
to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned
the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

As one of my favourite songs says,

"Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow....

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.
There's so much to be thankful for

I Timothy 6: 6-8
...godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of
the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we
will be content

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content
with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave
you nor forsake you."

Some various things to be thankful for........................

friends


scripture in own language

work


family

What can you be content with and Thankful for this holiday season?

Jet Lag and Thankful

Hi, I'm back in Davao now. So thankful for safe travels, thankful for time with family and friends in the USA, thankful to be here with my husband and three children.
My brain feels foggy as I work on resetting my body clock thirteen hours ahead of where it had been when I took off from the USA on December 3rd.

"Jet lag can occur any time you travel quickly across two or more time zones. The more time zones you cross, the more likely you are to be sleepy and sluggish -- and the longer and more intense the symptoms are likely to be.That's because it can take up to a day for each time zone crossed for your body to adjust to the local time."

(http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/jet-lag-remedies)

I'll blog more when my brain feels less foggy but for now I'll share some pictures with you!!!

Rest, Peace, Thankfulness

Many changes are coming again. I've enjoyed 8 weeks in the United States and am currently enjoying time with Mikayla before she heads back to college. We have enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving break.
On Tuesday December 3rd I'll be flying back to Davao.

This puts this mother's heart in a bit of turmoil. With one child in the United States and the rest of the family half way around the world, it is hard to leave the one to go to the others just as it has been difficult to be separated from my husband and three children to be here to help my oldest daughter.
Some of this is just natural, normal "going-to-college" transitions for child and mom.

God reminds me gently in His word to Rest. That is my one word that centers my mind on His word, His watchcare, His love.
I believe my Heavenly Dad desires me to pursue this Rest in all areas of my life, and especially in this new phase of mothering a college student from half way around the world, and the other three in "real time" once I return to Davao. I look forward to hugging my three blessings in Davao rather than just talking with them on the phone as we have for the past two months.

REST, PEACE, THANKFULNESS
Those are the three guideposts in my Christian life, in all my life.
To me, PEACE is synonomous with Rest.
And God commands me to be thankful in ALL things, to cast my cares on Him for He cares, and to rest in Him.

I pull out my Bible and read familiar passages about rest, that Jesus is my Prince of Peace, and that Him being the God of peace and rest commands me to let His peace, His rest rule in my heart.

In so many circumstances throughout the Bible, God commands us to seek His rest and peace, to be filled with His rest and peace, to find our rest and peace in Him. And to be thankful.

He reminds me, lovingly, to find my rest and peace in Him, not in my circumstances.
In reading His word, offering a simple prayer of repentence, or just praying, "God, help me, I feel overwhelmed. Please help me stay resting in You for You are my Prince of Peace. I thank You for Your leading and guiding in all my life."

He has been so faithful to combat my stress with His rest and peace when I am faithful to come to Him. I greatly desire for His rest and peace to rule in my heart as a mom, as a woman after His own heart. I don't want stress or exhaustion or emotions to rule my heart; just His Rest, His Peace, and Thankfulness to Him for all things.

The picture of Jerard resting on me reminds me that, as it says in Psalm 131, God wants me to rest on Him .....

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Colossians 3:15-16
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to which indeed you were called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
....with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Happy ThanksGiving and Adoption Update

We had a court hearing for James' adoption November 28th. Thankfully, it was our last court hearing for James' adoption. Now we just have to wait for the judge's decision. That could take 30 - 60 days and prayerfully, not longer.

Today, being Thanksgiving in the USA, I celebrated with Mikayla, her friend, Sarah, my sister, Meredy, my brother-in-law Ron, and my father-in-law, Gene. We had plenty of food and fun.

We started our Thanksgiving celebration by singing a favourite hymn of mine....Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.