I'm not just tired, I'm sick....

So, I finally went to the doctor about my extreme fatigue, and it was nice (sort-of) to find out that I'm not just tired, I really am sick! It seems I've had mononeucleosis for over a year, and it has now progressed into Guillain-Barre Syndrome. That explains a lot of my physical difficulties over the past year, and the progressive fatigue I've been experiencing! Now all I have to do is rest, rest, rest... Easy to say, hard to do... I really am trying to get better...

I think I need a housekeeper...

This fundraising thing takes a LOT of time! It's almost like I'm working two jobs now... My house looks like a tornado hit the inside since I come home late, exhausted, throw down my stuff and head for the bed. I rarely have time to cook, but it really doesn't matter since I'm rarely home at meal time anyway... I'm having a really hard time getting up in the mornings, so no picking-up time then either... AAAUUUGGGHHH!!! Those of you who know me know that clutter doesn't really bother me, but this is getting to me! I have stumbled over my vacuum cleaner on my way to the kitchen several times because it's been sitting in the same spot now for over a week... it's waiting for me to pick up all the CLEAN clothes from the floor of my bedroom... I need to reorganize my closet, putting the winter things away, and getting out the summer things... that's why the clothes are not being hung up - waiting for an empty container to put them in! My yard needs mowing, the flowerbeds need weeding and I can't remember the last time I dusted...

Besides all that, my life is great! No, really! It's the beginning of a new adventure, and I know it will take time and energy to get it all together! I feel like I'm on the 'going up' section of the roller coaster, things seem slow now, but I know it will all speed up eventually... Sometimes I get that excited fluttering in my stomach that you feel just before the roller coaster starts on the fun part of the ride... June looks incredibly busy with a garage sale, district council meetings and a two week missions training school... in July my church is having a commissioning service for me, and I already have services scheduled for August and September... when I started, it seemed such a long time until January, but the time is slipping away! I just need to make sure I'm making the best use of it...

Pray for me...

Getting Started...

I'm getting started (I think...) on my next adventure! I've sent out a ginormous stack of letters to family, friends and churches, and now I need to make about a gazillion telephone calls to follow up! Finding an appropriate time to do that will be a challenge! I've already spoken at one pastor's meeting, scheduled one service, and have an invitation to another informal gathering in my section!! It's such a big job, sometimes I think I'll never get there, then I remember how God has always provided exactly what I needed WHEN I needed it, and I rejoice at His faithfulness! Every day I long to be about His business, and this is His business just as much as serving on the field... I pray I will be able to share with others His incredible love for them!

He Never Fails...

I have just received another reminder of that fact... I was wondering about paying up-front expenses for fund-raising... You know, purchasing paper, envelopes and postage for a newletter mailout... that can get expensive... Well, yesterday I won a drawing for $100... I never win those things! Since I don't believe in LUCK, and I believe God has everything under control, I just have to give Him praise for supplying a specific need! He NEVER Fails!

Home again, home again...

...sort of... I'm not feeling very at home yet, still feeling a bit "out of place..." Yes, I am back in Texas, back in my house with all my stuff, but...

While I was gone my final approval documents arrived for my Missionary Associate assignment in Mozambique. I've been approved for a 2-year field assignment; now I just have to begin fund-raising... a pretty risky venture in today's economy...

My faith is really being tested...

Time to Go!

Here it is, time to go! I leave this evening, and I hope to post some updates as I go... Pray for me!

7 days and 7 hours....

...that's how long until I get on the plane... another step toward living my dream. My thoughts and prayers are always to try to do what God wants me to do; this feels so right, and I'm at peace with all the difficult decisions to be made. I read recently about hearing God's call, and what stuck with me is this definition of “call,” attributed to Frederick Buechner. “Call,” he says, “Is where your great joy meets the world’s great need.” It’s where your passion finds expression in service. When something I can teach can meet a need, it gives me great joy. When I can show love to a child, it gives me great joy. When I can do something to make someone's life a little more pleasant, it gives me great joy. It's not about me, it never has been. My great joy is to help others...