The Week Ahead

As a mama, today i am feeling a mixture of sadness, pride and joy. This morning we saw Rachel off to camp. This week she and her friends from church will be serving by helping those in need. There will be so much to do; cleaning, yardwork and childcare to name a few of the known assignments. With so much to do the week should go by pretty quickly for the kids and their leaders.

On the other hand, for Jeremy, the boys and me the hours will tick by very slowly. We will miss her so much-we are already missing her. Though her absence makes it difficult for the next few days we are proud of Rachel. She is going with such excitement and wanting to help that it is hard to imagine not being proud of the young lady she is growing into.

Then there is the joy of knowing that Rachel is doing what she feels is God's will and we believe that the center of God's will is the very best place to be.

It is going to be so much fun to hear of Rachel's experience upon her return. I am sure she will be exhausted but more than anything she is going to feel a deep satisfaction knowing she has shown God's love to those who may experience so little of it in their own lives. The memories and the eternal rewards are going to be far greater than any temporary exhaustion she may feel at the end of the camp experience.

As a mama i ask everyone who reads this to pray for Rachel and her friends this week they act as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Thank you and God bless!

Strength in Struggle

Until last night it had been almost 9 months since my last post. Those months have been filled with all kinds activity pertaining to school, church and other pursuits. In some ways the days have flown by while in other ways it seemed the days would never end. Along the way i have learned some things about myself and witnessed the faithfulness of God-even when i have been less than faithful.

With only a few more weeks left of school i am looking forward to a break from class and studies. This will be the first summer in many years that i will not be teaching VBS. I will miss it but i do think i need the break. There are many things i want to work on in myself before starting a new school year. These are things that really need to be worked on and time needs to be taken to ensure that my best efforts are made.

I thank God for being so patient with me and lovingly showing me the weaknesses and hinderances that continually cause me to struggle. Only with His help can i effectively deal with these issues and only as i deal with them can i be of service to God and others.

In the days and weeks that follow i hope to document my progress in the hopes of encouraging others who may be struggling with similar issues. However God uses me and my story i know it will be for the best. Already He has used to encourage others who deal with depression, anxiety and perfectionism. So i am really looking forward to seeing how He uses me and strengthens me as i confess to Him and others my struggles with an eating disorder.

My hope is that whoever reads this will be strengthened and encouraged as God strengthens and encourages me.