Yesterday in staff meeting at school, we focused on Thanksgiving by using our prayer time to simply give thanks to God. To thank Him for all of the specific blessings in our lives and the amazing ways He's acted and continues to act in our lives. As we did this, coming to Him SOLELY for the purpose of thanks, requests and supplications naturally came out in the process. For example, when we thanked Him for the mighty ways He's acted in our lives the past we asked Him to continue to work out His good plans and purposes for our lives. When we thanked Him for blessing our relationships here at HOPAC, we asked Him to continue to bless our relationships here.
And it brings me back to the verse I quoted in my last entry:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which *transcends all understanding*, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
What if we changed our process, attitude, "method" of prayer? What if we came to Him each time with the PURPOSE of Thanksgiving..... and then out of that let our supplications flow? Would this not fulfill this verse and leave us with His peace which is promised to TRANSCEND UNDERSTANDING? What more could we want? Eternal, lasting peace that is promised to defy earthly comprehension... a peace that isn't even capable of being explained in earthly terms. It can be easy to leave that portion of the verse out- the "with thanksgiving" part.... but isn't that the key?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving in TZ
Happy Thanksgiving!
Some thoughts on Thanksgiving here....
-I love that Thanksgiving still has the power to instill a feeling of gratitude and thanksgiving in my spirit all day long, even when I'm half a world away in a country that doesn't celebrate this American holiday.
-This is the first day I've ever had to work on Thanksgiving..... pretty crazy!
-It's 90+ degrees here with crazy humidity.... no chilly, Fall feelings here to ring in the day. :)
-Since I'm at an International School, there's a large population of American staff here and several American students so most students know it's "American Thanksgiving." I had my Home Room class (9th grade) this morning go around the room and tell one thing they are thankful for (though there aren't any Americans in the 9th grade class).... My favorite response: "I'm thankful that I'm black." :-) (she followed it up with "no racism there; I'm just glad that I am....") Ha, love it.
-Tonight I get to enjoy a huge and REAL Thanksgiving feast with my Young Life friends and family here at the Larmeys' house.... Complete with celery, cranberries, and a whole cooler full of other items brought by an American couple that's here for the week. The entire cooler came through Customs without a hitch.... Thank you, God! And thank you, Larmeys, for allowing me to have a "real" Thanksgiving here in Africa!! (The meal's also complete with a turkey raised by the German Boarding House here .... no easy trip to the supermarket for our turkey...)
Again, I love that today more than any other day just instills a feeling of Thanksgiving in me.... and a lasting Joy that comes from that. I'm thankful for SO much.... the many blessings I have in both America and in Africa and the MANY, many loved ones in my life. May I always remember to focus on what I'm thankful for, whether or not it's an "official holiday." (And especially so now in the 'hot season' here when power outages are becoming longer and more and more frequent!)
Happy Thanksgiving to all and Love from Africa!!
***
"In EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which *transcends all understanding*, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
***
(p.s. on another note, I did move houses and it is WONDERFUL!!!!! Thank you for your prayers! I have actual peace and quiet and personal space and can SLEEP now!!!! I am INCREDIBLY thankful for that!! will update more on that later...)
Some thoughts on Thanksgiving here....
-I love that Thanksgiving still has the power to instill a feeling of gratitude and thanksgiving in my spirit all day long, even when I'm half a world away in a country that doesn't celebrate this American holiday.
-This is the first day I've ever had to work on Thanksgiving..... pretty crazy!
-It's 90+ degrees here with crazy humidity.... no chilly, Fall feelings here to ring in the day. :)
-Since I'm at an International School, there's a large population of American staff here and several American students so most students know it's "American Thanksgiving." I had my Home Room class (9th grade) this morning go around the room and tell one thing they are thankful for (though there aren't any Americans in the 9th grade class).... My favorite response: "I'm thankful that I'm black." :-) (she followed it up with "no racism there; I'm just glad that I am....") Ha, love it.
-Tonight I get to enjoy a huge and REAL Thanksgiving feast with my Young Life friends and family here at the Larmeys' house.... Complete with celery, cranberries, and a whole cooler full of other items brought by an American couple that's here for the week. The entire cooler came through Customs without a hitch.... Thank you, God! And thank you, Larmeys, for allowing me to have a "real" Thanksgiving here in Africa!! (The meal's also complete with a turkey raised by the German Boarding House here .... no easy trip to the supermarket for our turkey...)
Again, I love that today more than any other day just instills a feeling of Thanksgiving in me.... and a lasting Joy that comes from that. I'm thankful for SO much.... the many blessings I have in both America and in Africa and the MANY, many loved ones in my life. May I always remember to focus on what I'm thankful for, whether or not it's an "official holiday." (And especially so now in the 'hot season' here when power outages are becoming longer and more and more frequent!)
Happy Thanksgiving to all and Love from Africa!!
***
"In EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which *transcends all understanding*, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7
***
(p.s. on another note, I did move houses and it is WONDERFUL!!!!! Thank you for your prayers! I have actual peace and quiet and personal space and can SLEEP now!!!! I am INCREDIBLY thankful for that!! will update more on that later...)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Link to Karama
For some reason, the Karama link in my previous post wasn't working.... I just fixed it so that it is. Here it is again, though:
http://karamagifts.blogspot.com
Also, I'm coming home for Christmas in a month from tomorrow!! I'll be home for about 2 weeks.... So, so excited! :-)
http://karamagifts.blogspot.com
Also, I'm coming home for Christmas in a month from tomorrow!! I'll be home for about 2 weeks.... So, so excited! :-)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Karama
One of my roles here in Africa is with a wonderful organization called Karama. Karama gives jobs and dignity to women in Africa by employing them to create beautiful products which are then sold in the states. (Combining my passion for design, beauty, Africa, and fair trade....!) I just posted on Karama's blog, so instead of me going into more detail here, read my post:
www.karamagifts.blogspot.com
Karama's website is currently under construction, but a "temporary glimpse" can be seen here: www.karamagifts.com. A much new and improved site is coming soon, where you'll be able to see the true vision and order the beautiful products.... I'll let you know as soon as it comes up!
www.karamagifts.blogspot.com
Karama's website is currently under construction, but a "temporary glimpse" can be seen here: www.karamagifts.com. A much new and improved site is coming soon, where you'll be able to see the true vision and order the beautiful products.... I'll let you know as soon as it comes up!
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