A Wonderful Lord's Day!

I've not been on here lately, have I? It's been pretty busy around here since Bill left! We made it through our first week apart and, while it has not been fun, we both made it! Bill and I have been apart before. I thought the worst was after Katrina. It was the summer of 2007. We finally were all living together again under the same roof when Bill was laid off! No work in Houston, so he worked in Louisiana for a few months. It was yucky, but at least he was only six hours away.

Lest this whole post turns into a sob fest, let me share how God strengthened Bill and I at church today. Bill drove to Green Bay and attended an OP church. They read from the Heidelberg Catechism and it was the very thing Bill (and I!!) needed to be reminded of the fact that we still have a loving heavenly Father and He is still in control. Isn't this richly soul-satisfying:

Q & A 26
Q. What do you believe when you say,
"I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth"?

A. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who out of nothing created heaven and earth
and everything in them,^1
who still upholds and rules them
by his eternal counsel and providence,^2
is my God and Father
because of Christ his Son.^3

I trust him so much that I do not doubt
he will provide
whatever I need
for body and soul,^4
and he will turn to my good
whatever adversity he sends me
in this sad world.^5

He is able to do this because he is almighty God;^6
he desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.^7

^1 Gen. 1 & 2; Ex. 20:11; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 44:24; Acts 4:24; 14:15
^2 Ps. 104; Matt. 6:30; 10:29; Eph. 1:11
^3 John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:4-7; Eph. 1:5
^4 Ps. 55:22; Matt. 6:25-26; Luke 12:22-31
^5 Rom. 8:28
^6 Gen. 18:14; Rom. 8:31-39
^7 Matt. 7:9-11


It is so appropriate to read after the Japan disaster also...who still upholds and rules them
by his eternal counsel and providence.

Disasters in nature, disasters in life...both are the result of living in a fallen world and both can make us bitter or make us better. "The same boiling water that softens carrots, makes eggs harden!"

Speaking of Japan, the pictures are such a reminder of Katrina. The force of water is incomprehensible. To see buildings and boats and bridges swept away as if they were paper boggles the mind. I have one Japanese family that I work with and I went, unannounced, to her home on Friday. I just wanted to give her a hug. I just wanted her to know that she was in my thoughts and prayers. As we hugged at the entrance to her home, she told me she had just received word that her family was all accounted for. What joyful news!

This week is Spring Break. Hallelujah!!!!! I will be working with my language students in the mornings, but I have "vacation time" in the afternoons. David and I are looking forward to the arrival of Tommy and Elise from Chicago.

That's my update...time to get ready for tomorrow!