Happy Birthday Dan!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Time flies...

I was going through pictures the other day and realized that is has been a whole year since Rachel and I headed to China! Such a wonderful summer!!

I am so thankful for the opportunity that the Lord gave me to go...the lessons I learned...the friends I made...the things I saw and experienced...the conversations and classes I had...the seeds that were planted...the laughs we shared...the food we ate...the songs we learned...the memories I now treasure...

I hope ya'll don't mind a few more pictures as I reminisce...

At the Great Wall

Such precious, precious faces!

Beautiful scenery

Watermelon on a stick, anyone?

A children's class I taught

Sightseeing

Thursday night suppers at our apartment

Wonderful memories with my sister...

"God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us -- that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You!"

Psalms 67:1-3

Psalms 17:7

"Show the WONDER of Your great LOVE..."

The world will never starve for want of wonders,

but only for want of wonder.

-GK Chesterson

Zephaniah 2:3

"Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth...

Seek righteousness, seek humility."

True greatness: serving others for the glory of God.

This is a genuine expression of humility.

CJ Mahaney

Hooray!!

It's been almost 3 months since my 'little' brother Andrew left for South Carolina. What a joy to pray for him and his ministry opportunity down there, and yet...we all miss him!

So for the exciting news: we recently heard that he's probably going to make it home for the weekend of the 4th of July!!!!

Can't wait to see you, Andrew!!

A prayer

May Christ reign supreme within me,

in every thought, word, and deed,

in a faith that purifies the heart,

overcomes the world,

works by love,

fastens me to Thee,

and ever clings to the cross.

-The Valley of Vision

In the Master's hand

Shall the clay say to him who forms it,
'What are you making?'

But now, O Lord,

You are our Father.

We are the clay,
and You our potter.

And we are all the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 45:9, 64:8

Psalms 143:8

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in You.

Show me the way I should go,

for to You I lift up my soul!"

When your will is God's will,

you will have your will.

-Charles Spurgeon

Quick candid

Isaiah 28:29, 30:18

"The Lord Almighty is wonderful in COUNSEL and magnificent in WISDOM.
The Lord longs to be gracious to you;

He rises to show you compassion...

Blessed are all those who wait for Him!"

You may think of waiting as a passive, inactive time. Waiting on the Lord is anything but inactive. While you wait on Him, you will be praying with a passion to know Him, His purpose, His ways...

Waiting on Him is always worth the wait. His timing and His ways are always right. You must depend on Him to guide you in His ways and in His timing to accomplish His purpose.

Henry T. Blackaby

Pure ecstasy

I can hardly ignore all your comments asking for more details about the recent and exciting happenings in my life, and besides -- Dan is my favorite thing to talk and think about these days (just ask my family!...) so here is a brief update to tell you a little bit of what you've been wanting to read more about...

Dan and I have attended the same church for the past number of years and our families have been friends for awhile. Last summer Dan moved out to Virginia to work for HSLDA, meaning 1200 miles now seperated us -- which really wasn't that big of deal until we started becoming more than friends earlier this year. *grin*

As Dan and I have been courting the past few months (more about how the Lord brought us together in a future post...) we've enjoyed treasuring this season of life though the distance has definitely been tough at times! It'd been almost a month since we'd seen each other and it looked like it would be three more weeks before anything worked out and I'd already begun the count down of "21 days until I see Dan again!"

On Thursday Ruth and I were talking about life and what the Lord was teaching us (I love sister chats like that!) and I shared how much I was missing Dan. Just wanting to SEE him again. Though cell phones and texting is wonderful, nothing compares to actually being together!! I went on to tell her that I'd given these desires to the Lord; He knows best and I can trust His heart!

Little did I know...
Friday night Dan and I were talking on the phone around 11pm, looking forward to the weekend and having more time to visit with each other when Dan randomly switched subjects and asked: "Hey Bethany -- do you believe in miracles?" As I began answering his question, the door opened and IN WALKED DAN!

Talk about total shock. thrill. surprise. elation. joy. bliss. ecstasy.

!!WOW!!

"Delight yourself in the Lord
and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalms 37:4

So yes -- I had a marvelous weekend with Dan -- taking walks, having time to talk, going out for supper, reading the Bible and praying together, hanging out with our families, baking cookies together, and just enjoying each other's presence!

THANK YOU, Dan!
Have I told you yet how amazing you are?

"The Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Psalm 118:23

Together...

...is my favorite place to be!!

Ephesians 5:1-2

"Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us

and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice

to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

This is the real aim of religion,

to love God without restraint,

and never to rest until you have been

united with Him forever.

-Richard Wumbrand

Psalms 23:3

"He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake."

God is wanting to reveal Himself to a watching world. He does not call you to get involved just so people can see what YOU can do. He calls you to an assignment that you cannot do without Him. The assignment will have God-sized dimensions.

-HT Blackaby

Happiness in the mailbox!