My next financial deadline is approaching soon!! On October 1st, I have to have reached $11,000. Currently I am just over $9400. Please pray about giving financially and helping me reach this next deadline so that I can continue on the race. Thank you for your support!
In the midst of circumstances, it is sometimes hard to be joyful–it is hard to remember thankfulness.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 18 // Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I experienced that last month in Albania. I had just left behind Bulgaria, a country full of people who had unexpectedly captured my heart. It was hard….though our home for the month was aesthetically beautiful, it wasn’t without its discomforts at times. Living with Jurassic park in our backyard; the smell of pig poop (and sometimes human poop, too) wafting into our room and cooking in the midday heat; droves of flies that had no respect for personal space; eating only carbs with a side of carbs; bodies constantly drenched in sweat as there was no air conditioning to escape to from the heat; and a ministry that I was having a hard time connecting to…despite all this, the Lord was teaching me about thankfulness.
Pretty much the only way that I could keep my mind present–to keep it from dreaming about the past month or looking to the next month–was to write down all the things that I was thankful for. In the midst of things that made me uncomfortable, I began to see beauty in moments and recognize the small blessings. It turned my days of running to and from the squatty potty because of the poor diet we were being fed, into a day where I could still find joy. It turned a day working in the hot Albanian sun, picking up sheep poop, weeding the sidewalk, whitewashing in pigpoop etc, into a day that I enjoyed and where I felt productive.
When you are thankful, your perspective changes. God knows that when we focus on our blessings, it’s easier to keep our problems and discomforts in the right perspective–kingdom perspective. King David never lost his keen awareness of all that God had done for the nation of Israel and for him personally, as well. Even though he experienced disappointment, pain, and hardships, David often poured out his feelings of thankfulness to his Creator and Lord. That gratitude became the foundation of his worship of God.
I have always found that I connect to God easily in worship…why not make practicing thankfulness an act of worship too? Its amazing the joy that you can find in praising God for simple things.
There are many things to praise God for last month, but here are just a few:
-whenever we were given bananas or apples at a meal…anything that wasn’t a carb was exciting!
-the beautiful sound of squad worship echoing in the ‘chapel’ in the evening
-finding an anonymous note with a scripture on my pillow
-laughter filling the campsite as we all bond
-going to get coffee with Dido
-hearing the ukeleles in the distance and the soft voices accompanying them. It brought such a peace.
-movies on the balcony with my teammates (Nacho Libre, Notting Hill, Heavy Weights)
-quoting Nacho Libre with my teammates
-my time with The Lord in the morning
-belaying myself to the top of the rock-climbing wall and taking in the sights of the camp–people moving around and playing and enjoying themselves.
-sipping on espressos–because I just love coffee–while taking care of business (ie on wifi)
-deep conversations over sport cream (yes that is a “food”) and animal crackers.
-the pretty little flower I found while weeding and de-thorning the lawn
-Dido’s embrace and cheek kiss when she saw me at the supermarket
-morning squad devotions at breakfast. Nothing like starting off your day with truth.
-jam and bread (best meal there was all month)
-waking up early and feeling the cool crisp air before the scorching heat of the day came
-silly conversations with my teammates on our bunkbeds
-going to get an icecream after dinner even though I already had an icecream that day.
-walking to the beach and playing in the waves
-reading Harry Potter to each other in British accents
-our squad 5k run to the beach and the feeling of pushing yourself to overcome challenges…also crossing the finish line with cheers and claps from squadmates
-spontaneous trip to Montenegro and “cliff” diving there
Psalm 86:12-13 // I will give thanks to you with all my heart, O Lord my God. I will honor you forever because your mercy toward me is great.
