Suddenly, suddenly, suddenly...

I feel like right now in my life I am "riding a wave" of unexpected things. For example, last month I got a new car to use. That really changed my life, and gave me more freedom and flexability with my schedule. This month I have moved into a new place, so I have been adjusting to a new living arrangement. Betsy helped me with her time and car and strength and energy. And, though she wanted to help me from the moment she heard I was moving, the exact time and date of my move was suddenly determined, and she was able to be there for me. Tonight, Cathy invited me to dinner (suddenly) with her family. And, suddenly, Paul helped me with my online teaching application, and helped me fix the problem I was having with it. Again, suddenly!! And, last night, Nackwon and her ENTIRE family came to help me with my final moving plans, (you guessed it, "suddenly"). So many things unexpected have been happening lately to me. What do I make of it? And, also, Elizabeth invited me over to her place this week, so I will spend time with her, helping watch the kids. I am very grateful for a new car, a new living space, and for help with my move, and for help with my application, which all seemed to appear "suddenly". A new car, a new living arrangement, and new activities, are a few of the new/sudden things God has had in store for me lately.

What is Good for the Soul?

I'm sure everyone who reads this would be able to come up with their own list of things to do that are good for one's soul. Tonight I had just such an experience of one activity that lent itself to being good for my soul. And, so, I just wanna share that experience with you, the reader.

Once a month at our church we have a "family ministry night" where families from the church gather together and work. The work consists of bagging groceries which will then be used to give away for free to anyone in need in the local community.

So let me try to paint a picture for you of how the evening went for me. First of all, I was a little tired from a long day of work. And, I'm sure others were too. But, I told myself it was just one evening, and I was just checking it out to see what they do. So, after driving around the church parking lot for awhile I finally figured out where to meet, and parked my car (oh, the new car that God has loaned to me by the way). Immediately I saw the Frala family and the Kwik family walking so I knew I was in the right spot. And, we greeted each other and we talked together for a bit. Karen had us meet in a group and introduce ourselves and then prayed to begin our evening. We each had a table and a certain item to put in each grocery bag, and we all helped out. There was an old man there, he must have been in his 60s or 70s, with gray hair. And, the kids helped out too. So, as we were working we also chatted~I got to chat with Cathy and Nackwon. But, it wasn't just "chatting"~we were visiting. And, it was just fun on so many different levels. One, we were being together. And, two, we were serving together. The bags that we packed would be used to help someone else in need. And, three, we got to hang out and talk together afterwards some more. God also gave me another gift through Karen, and that was the gift of some free groceries for me (thanks Lord).

So, to sum up, I would suggest the following:
1. Being together is good for the soul.
2. Talking together is good for the soul.
3. Serving together is good for the soul.
4. Doing something nice for someone else is good for the soul (similar to number 3).
5. Laughing together is good for the soul (we had a few good laughs together too).
6. Seeing your friends is good for the soul (I ran into Cate's family that night too.)
7. Giving to others is good for the soul. God has a way of taking care of you when we extend ourselves to others, in "big or small" ways.
8. Sharing life together is good for the soul.

Let us, let me, be a person who enters in to living a life that is "good for the soul".

God is so kind to me...

God is so kind to me...
Today alone He did this:
He gave me a voucher to buy new shoes (Leslie)...
He sent me a friend to give me a warm hug (Nackwon)...
He gave me a key to enter my new home (Christine)...
He reminded me that He is praying for me (Elizabeth)...
He reminded me that I am loveable (Barbara)...
Everyday He is good, though I don't always see it or look for it.
May He remind me everyday of His goodness towards me, and towards others.
May He enable me to receive His love and share His love...
God is so kind, and I am so thankful...
To be continued...

We rEalLy DO NeEd eAcH otheR

I'm reading this book by Reuben Welch, a Nazarene, called, "We really do need each other". I highly recommend it to any person in Christian leadership, as well as any person interested in learning and practicing what it means to live by the Book, to live in community, to live in fellowship with one another.

One Pair of Shoes

My daily routine when I go to work is to change into my black work shoes once I arrive to my worksite. And, I keep the other pair of shoes in my locker in the locker room. So, yestrday, I accidently left in a hurry, and unknowingly left my regular shoes in the locker room and went home in my work shoes. And, when I arrived at work this morning, someone had actually cleaned out the locker room and my shoes were MIA-missing-missing in action! So, I was upset and my manager suggested I get a lock. However, my other manager gave me a coupon/voucher to buy a new pair of shoes, worth up to a certain amount ( I think like $30 ). Before I knew I was going to get the voucher I was upset, because I only have one pair of shoes. Well, upon further thinking about it, maye that's not totally true. I may have about 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, but I only wear one pair on a daily basis. After I thought about it some more, I realized God gave me a blessing with the shoe voucher. So now I get to go shopping for a new pair of shoes. Thanks, God! By the way, I did go to ACE Hardware store after work, and bought a cheap lock for $5.

Turning 13, Becoming a Woman

Turning 13, becoming a woman. Today one of our FLOW group members had a daughter turning 13. So we gathered together to bless her, lay hands on her, pray for her and give her words of encouragement from the Bible. It was a really beautiful time of women from a variety of generations and backgrounds, all followers of Christ, coming together to bless a young girl into womanhood.
I know in Mexican culture when girls come of age, at 15, have a special celebration called a quincinera. It is like a big party to celebrate a young girl's 15th birthday. And, in American culture many teens celebrate with a big party for their 16th.
I thought today's celebration was a unique and special way to celebrate, honor and acknowledge our younger sister growing up in Christ.

So today I got up, got ready for the day. Made breakfast and had a short conversation during b reakfast with one of my roommates, Linda. Went to morning worship service then met the women to pray for the 13 year old girl. Had lunch and a picnic with some friends from the church and went to parent's house to watch the superbowl football game. Had a visit with my brothers and ate snacks. Watching a little bit of house. Doing laundry and will go to sleep. Tomorrow is also my day off, what to do what to do?

Another option

I'm going to view another room tonight. I'm super excited about this one! It's a house full of kids, and the way I view it, a house full of LIFE!! So, I have to decide which I would choose, a quiet room in a quiet house, or living with a church family. To be continued...

Viewing a Room

So I put my ad online at craig's list for a room to rent at an affordable price. One lady contacted me as having a room for rent in the area that I am looking for, which is close to work and close to church. So, I met her tonight and she seems nice enough. And, her house is beautiful, with a pool, and big patio backyard. But, the living conditions seem similar to what I have now. She has renters, and while we might talk sometimes, it seems like it would be kind of a lonely place for me. I also may have another option living with a church family that I am more excited about!!

Decision Time~

So, on last Friday my roommates announced to me that my time of living there was over; O-V-E-R, over! Of course, I was stunned and upset, but since that time have gained a new perspective on the situation. First of all, like my good friend Nackwon said, our God is a good God, so we should FOCUS on that. So, I have positioned my mind to think about God's goodness, for this is true. Secondly, I believe that God indeed does move people on both voluntarily and involuntarily. In my case, He is moving me onto living elsewhere, involuntarily. This is being imposed upon me. Nevertheless, it is still God's hand at work to move me on. So, now I am getting excited about what HE is going to do next! I know, at this point, that I am supposed to live somewhere else. Now, it's just a matter of figuring out WHERE that might be. I deeply CRAVE the wisdom of godly people right now. What might you say to me? Another friend, Byron, told me that God will provide a place for me, as long as I keep looking. And, I think that He is right. On Sunday night I felt numb, as I was dealing with the shock and pain of being rejected. I ran into one of the church elders, Diane, and asked her to pray for me. I felt MUCH MUCH BETTER after she prayed for me. And, more stablized too. (What a sweet saint! I hope someday to be able to pray as sweetly and gently as her!) Anyways, so, I've been looking at craigs'list for roommates near my church and work for cheap. I've looked at a place in Fullerton but that didn't pan out. (It was an apartment sharing a bedroom with some college girls anyways). So now I am toying with the idea of moving back to Korea with a 3 month visa in hopes of finding a job while I'm there and changing my visa to a work visa once I got a job (most likely teaching English). I covet the wisdom of the saints. If you have any ideas for me, I'm listening!!!