Psalm 128

This was my Bible reading this morning. I wanted to read something from Psalms so flipped through until I found the correct book and started reading at the top of the page. Oh, I do so hope that this is a promise that my daughter will come home.

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and it will be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
Within your house,
Your children like olive plants
Around your table.
Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Indeed, may you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 128

Whirlwind!

It has been a roller coaster week. I'm so glad that the Sabbath is almost here!

1 - We flew down to Phoenix for my husband's annual company holiday party. It was great to see some of the coworkers and to see the boss face to face. Hubby is very blessed to have his boss. He's a great boss but he has also provided a personal reference letter for our adoption and has been fully supportive of the adoption, giving time off as needed for extra doctor appointments, seeing the notary, etc.

2 - While in Phoenix, I was able to spend two days with my mom. We had fun playing games and hanging out. My mom and I keep in contact frequently via text and phone but it was nice to see her in person! This trip is probably our last before we travel to Taiwan sometime in 2014.

3 - I visited an eye specialist this week, as my optometrist found a concerning growth on my eye. She referred me to the specialist, who diagnosed it as a Salzman's nodule. He said that surgery might be an option in the future but for now we have nothing to worry about and can just monitor it. I need to make sure to visit my optometrist regularly so that she can keep an eye on it, no pun intended.

4 - We had a flurry of emails and phone calls between our social worker, our agency, and USCIS. Apparently, even though we read it twice, we missed a typo on the first page of our home study. According to our home study, my husband is actually two years older than his real age! Oops. We're grateful the mistake was caught now instead of by a Taiwan judge, but it held up our USCIS application. According to the last update call, we should be receiving the final decision in the mail sometime next week.

5 - In addition to the eye specialist, we also visited a regular M.D. this week to fill out our medical clearances. After a long doctor's visit and two blood draws, we were deemed healthy enough to adopt. The doctor asked that I type up the form for him so that it wouldn't be rejected due to illegible handwriting. I dropped off the forms this afternoon and he's going to sign and notarize them this weekend.

6 - Phew. No wonder my husband ended up sick. It was a stressful week! Not all bad stress, but stressful. Now he's out with a cold and fever and I'm praying that I don't get sick as well. I hope he feels better soon!

Next week is Christmas and I pray we receive our completed medical clearances and USCIS approval before Tuesday afternoon. That would be a great Christmas present!

Blessings in disguise

We have been finding a LOT of spiders in our house lately. I had the unfortunate experience of sorting laundry on two separate occasions and seeing a spider scurry out from our laundry pile. Yup, we are definitely in need of a closed hamper. At that moment, it was confirmed that I scream like a girl.

Yesterday, Jeff called our pest control company and told them we're starting to see an influx of spiders. Our normally scheduled visit is in about three weeks. They said they would come out today and spray for us. Yay!

When they got here, our bug guy sprayed really well and said that we might be seeing a few more spiders since it is prime spider season here. On the way out the door, he said this visit counted as a return visit instead of a normally scheduled one. Our pest control company has a policy that if they have to return and spray a second time, the visit is free. I assumed we'd be paying in full since we have a visit coming up next month. Nope!

What a blessing. Today we started the paperchasing process of the home study and the free pest control visit freed up $80 for other things. Like passport photos. And certified birth certificates. Yup, we're definitely chasing that paper now!

Slowly but surely!

On September 24, we bought a bed. Since then, we've been saving our money and waiting.

Finally...

Today...

At 11:30am...

Our very empty living room

At noon...

Bruno wonders what has changed

"Is that for me?"

Our Aries cat claims it for his very own

We are very blessed! We finally have a couch and it was paid for with cash. I have to admit, it is hard to not be tempted to finance our furniture purchases. So far we've been able to purchase a bed, a folding table, folding chairs, an executive office chair for my husband's work at home job, and a couch. Not bad for six month of saving and shopping around. We're slowly furnishing our house and are avoiding debt.

God is so good!

Pity Party - Want to Come?

Earlier this afternoon, I threw myself a pity party and invited my mother. She was sympathetic and let me cry for awhile. Then we started talking about listing our blessings. I told her I would write a blog post tonight and list some of mine...

• My husband, who brought home a pizza tonight so that I wouldn't have to cook
  
• The freedom to worship God
  
• Chocolate Ice Cream
  
• Pay Day!
  
• A cat who hasn't sprayed since his neuter last week
  
• Peppermint Mochas
  
• A well-stocked library
  
• Thirty years of life
  

I do have a lot to be thankful for. I suppose my pity party should be turned into a thanksgiving prayer meeting instead. Thank you, Mom, for reminding me to be more aware of the blessings God has bestowed!

A hallmark day!

Our bedroom at 11:25am

Our bedroom at 11:55am

Praise the Lord! We have a bed!

It's a queen sized organic EcoMemory Foam mattress, covered in bamboo fabric, made in California, and is produced with zero emissions.

Best of all?

We paid cash!!

It was a very long eleven week fight with multiple air mattresses but worth the sacrifice to avoid debt. We finally saved up enough money to order the bed on Friday. Thankfully, the mattress store had one in stock and could deliver this morning.

I am in desperate need of a good night of sleep. Thank you, Lord, for a new bed!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!

May we each follow God this year, wherever He might lead. God is good!

First Preparation Day of the new year

Today is the first Friday of 2011, thus the first Preparation Day of the year. I really enjoyed beginning 2011 with the Sabbath last week. It was a great start to a new year, a chance to spend the day with God.

I like to peacefully enter the Sabbath rather than breathlessly sliding into it. Most weeks, I am not prepared for the Sabbath in advance and spend the last half hour before sundown rushing around. That is something I am trying very hard to change.

This morning, I woke up at 6:30 and had Bible study. Then I got to work. Before breakfast, I had already scrubbed down the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen, and vacuumed the apartment. Then I exercised, ate breakfast, and wondered what to do with the rest of my day! I spent a lot of time studying Japanese, working on a menu for next week, and a few other things.

But now sundown is in 40 minutes, dinner is in progress, and the house is clean! It's a great feeling to realize that I don't have to rush to be ready for the Sabbath. Having an entire day to rest and spend with God is such a blessing! I know I've said it before, but it's true. If anyone reading this is interested, try setting aside the entire day to go to church, rest, and spend with God. He will bless you for the time you spend with Him!

Disappearance

I didn't mean to disappear for over a week. Last Tuesday, we were notified of a family emergency. With less than two hours notice, I was on my way to Texas. After a harrowing 22 hour drive (a good portion in a snowstorm with almost 0 visibility) we arrived in Dallas.

Christmas did not go as planned. I find this especially ironic because I was struggling just over a week ago with plans with my hubby that had fallen through. Hubby and I had guests visit over Christmas, an old college friend and also my sister-in-law. We were eagerly anticipating their visit but I had to leave 12 hours after our first guest had arrived. I never even saw my SIL. Oops.

I arrived home late yesterday afternoon. Our friend left early this morning. At least I got to see him before he left. Hopefully we'll be visiting my SIL this spring to make up for my missing her visit.

Now I feel like I've fallen so far behind. I missed a week of cleaning. I have tons of laundry to wash. I was planning a couple of blog posts for the holiday season but never wrote them. Hubby and I haven't finalized plans for New Years. Because of the emergency, I missed my weekly call with my grandparents (it totally slipped my mind).

God protected myself, my brother, and his wife on our long drive to and from Dallas. My father is doing better and hopefully will not have another trip to the ER. Hubby had a good visit with his friend and sister while I was gone. I have much to be thankful for, even though things did not go according to my plan. Funny how that works.

Blessings of the financial kind

God is so very good and I am so very proud of my hubby!

Hubby met with his boss today to discuss his job performance and how hubby feels about the company thus far. He walked away with a raise and a bonus! Praise the Lord!

Hubby's boss also gave him a $50 gift card to the Olive Garden so that hubby can take me out on a date. It's the boss' way of saying "thanks and I'm sorry" for taking up a good portion of our evenings and weekends in October. Hurray! We've never spent that much money at the Olive Garden. This means we'll be able to get an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert! What a treat!

Praise report

Praise the Lord! Today was a very good day for our car. We visited Jiffy Lube and had an oil change done (expensive, even with a coupon!). Then we had our emissions tested so that we could renew our car registration. The car passed!

I've been reading a lot lately. Today I finished the book Unveiled, the story of Tamar, by Francine Rivers. It was a quick read but very good. Tamar's story is a short one, covered in Genesis 38. Only one chapter is written about her, but the story covers years in time. I had always wondered why Tamar chose to disguise herself as a prostitute, of all things. The book gave me understanding of one possible reason she made that choice.

I found the book at the library. If you have a chance to read it, check it out. It's a great insight into a strong woman who is included in Christ's lineage.

What???

Is it July already? How did this happen? I just turned around and found that it's already July. How is it possible that times passes so quickly?

I recieved two great surprises in my email this morning! First, our car registration for 2010 decreased! We're only paying $89 for one year. I think last year was around $119. I guess that means the value of our car has also decreased, but that's ok. We're almost ready to pass 116,000 miles.

The second surprise was our electric bill. When I saw the subject line on that email, I cringed. We finally succomed to the heat and turned the air conditioning on. Last summer, our bills with AC were about $135/month. Our bills when we're not running heat or AC run around $80. Our bill for June is $100. Not bad! I will admit that the bill is low probably because we only ran our AC for about a week in June. I'm sure July will be much worse.

At least our emergency fund will be replenished by the end of the month! Then I'll breathe just a little bit easier.

100th Post

This is my 100th post. In commemoration of this auspicious event, I'd like to post one of my favorite Bible texts.

With what shall I come to the LORD
And bow myself before the God on high?
Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,
With yearling calves?
Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams,
In ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:6-8, NASB)

Amen. May I ever walk humbly with my God.

Lord, you know me.

I saw this text on another blog this week but had to post it here as well. This is such a comforting passage, especially at this time in our lives. I'm so glad Sabbath is almost here.

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it
(Psalms 139:1-6).

God is so good!

We have had a great day financially, if that's possible when both husband and wife have been out of work for 4+ months. :)

This morning, we deposited my husband's check from that 2 week contract job he completed. When the teller handed me the deposit slip, I was surprised to see a $700 account balance. Our checking account hasn't held that much money in quite awhile. When I came home, I logged into the online banking and found out that we did have $700. Between the check, some help from hubby's dad, and a deposit from half.com, we had money to pay several more bills.

We are now paid up through the end of April. Yay! Every single bill has been paid in full, on time, and no credit cards were used. God is very very good. Also, I paid May's car payment and realized that the payment brought our balance below $6,000. I love celebrating the small milestones. When I entered the payment in my spreadsheet, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we have now paid off 25% of our total debt. We are making progress, even though we're both looking for jobs.

God is so good! He provides even when you least expect it. There are still big hurdles ahead, but when I see how God is helping us over the small hurdles, it's much easier to have faith that He will help us over the large.

And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 4:19, NASB).

Today was a great day!

Today was a great day. We woke up early, exercised, and ate a good breakfast (haystacks!). We spent most of the day job searching, posting stuff to sell online, and cleaning up the apartment.

We sold another couple video games today. We only have a couple left. Everything is posted online for sale and we're hoping the rest will sell in the next couple weeks. I also posted our bookshelves for sale on Craigslist, as well as my SLR camera. It kind of hurts selling off your belongings, but I am so thankful that we are still able to pay the bills. Each item sold helps pay another bill. No late payments yet!

Hubby and I also had our devotional time in the morning. Usually, we read the Bible together in the evenings, but I'd like to switch to mornings if hubby is agreeable. I find that my day goes smoother when I read God's word earlier. Almost as if I have advice and encouragement to remember all day long instead of looking back on the day to see how things could be done differently.

Time with God

I'm so glad the weekend is here, especially the Sabbath. I love taking 24 hours off to rest with God.

I'll be back next week with more uplifting posts. This time with God tonight and tomorrow will be uplifting and faith building. I can tell it's going to be a great day. :)

But he led His own people like a flock of sheep,
guiding them safely through the wilderness
(Psalm 78:52, NLT).

Encouragement in times of trouble

It's late and I should be in bed. Hubby came home from his assignment about half an hour ago so we're still up. This text spoke to me just now. The Lord will guide me. Continually. In everything that's going on right now, I can have hope that the Lord will guide me and restore my strength. That's exactly what I need right now.

The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring
(Isaiah 58:11).

Stress - how much more can we handle?

I haven't posted in a few days. I've been really stressed and haven't felt like posting just to complain. Hubby and I are pretty much out of money. We have enough money for April's rent plus a student loan payment, but that's it. A few bills might not get paid next month or will only receive partial payments.

Thankfully, one of our friends from church has pitched in to provide groceries. She brought us a few bags of groceries and gave us a Walmart gift card to buy more food as needed. A coworker of hers also gave us a gift card anonymously. The friend has lifted us up in prayer at work and another coworker today gave us $100. Every time I think about people's generosity, I want to cry. It's very humbling to admit you need help and it feels humiliating at times.

I've revised and polished my resume and am working on a cover letter. Hubby and I have agreed that I will start searching for a job. Even part time would really help out. My contract work is sporadic and I welcome it when it arrives, but I'm earning less than $100 per month. Neither of us want me to work, but we're not sure what else to do. We're praying about it, though, wanting to do what the Lord wills. If He wants me to get a job, then He'll provide. If He doesn't want me to get a job, then hopefully Jeff will receive an offer soon.

Also, an old car accident from 2003 has reared it's ugly head. We thought that was resolved, an accident Jeff was involved in before we met. Unfortunately, the insurance company is trying to collect damages from Jeff and is suing us for $9300. Long story, but we're looking for a lawyer who will sit down for a consultation and let us know what the best course of action is. We can't afford to pay the debt now, but we're willing to make payments after we're employed.

Please pray for us. I thought I couldn't handle much more, but the stress and pressure keeps mounting. God isn't going to give me more than I can handle, so He must have a high opinion of my threshhold for stress. :) There are a few moments of hope in this experience, like the free food and the monetary gifts, the support from friends and all the prayers. God will take care of us and we should have an amazing testimony to share after this is over. I just hope I can continue to remember all the good when the stress has me overwhelmed.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it...

Sometimes I struggle with feeling inadequate, unlovable, and worthless. I know that God loves me unconditionally, regardless of my sins and my shortcomings. However, I have a hard time comprehending what that feels like.

My husband portrays God's love in action. For almost four years now, he has loved me, supported me, and been my protector. No matter what happens, no matter how I act or feel, he loves me. I've never experienced that kind of unconditional love. Jeff doesn't have to love me but he chooses to. Today I experienced that love in the most clear way yet. And for that, my heart has overflowed with love for him.

Thank you, Jesus, for giving my husband to me. Thank you that he loves me like You love me. Thank you so much. I think I finally understand what real love is.