Wednesday, June 27, 2007

God's Restoration

I walked out of the doctor's office with a clean bill of health today, freshly grateful how far God has brought me in the last few years.

See, I struggled with my health throughout High School. There were days when I doubted I would ever feel normal again. And I felt confused that I wanted to help out in China, but was limited because of my stamina. Yet God has been so faithful to heal me and restore me to full health. And now He has given me the strength to go and help the orphans in China.

This afternoon I thought about the promises of Psalm 41:1,3 which say, "Blessed is the man who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him...The Lord sustains him on his sickbed, in his illness you restore him to full health."

God has been so kind.

So in celebration of God's goodness in my clean bill of health, I treated myself to ice cream. Maybe I missed the point of what it means to be healthy by rewarding myself with ice cream, but it's worth celebrating all the same! :)

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not His benefits,
who heals all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."
-Psalm 103:2-5

Monday, June 25, 2007

Prayer

Well, only two weeks and counting until I'm on my way to Beijing!

It's been nice to have some time before I leave to enjoy the east coast and the friends I have here. Yet everyday I feel more ready to step onto the plane and head to China.

If you think of it, please pray for me in these ways as I get ready for this trip:

-For health, safety, and provision for myself and all the other staff and volunteers coming to camp.
-For a smooth transition from living in PA to Beijing for a little while.
-That God prepare my heart for what He wants to do in and through me in China. And also that He would direct my vision for my future involvement with Bring Me Hope.
-That God would work in the Chinese translators and Chinese orphans as they anticipate coming to camp.
-And most of all, that God would get all glory and be honored through the work that I'm doing in China.

Thanks so much!

~Kristen.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Making the most of my time

The kids I was babysitting for last week love playing outside, so naturally that's where they ended up when I told them they had ten minutes before we had to hit the road.

Ten minutes later my watch indicated it was time to go, and I called for the kids, trying to sound somewhat enthusiastic (but really, who wants to leave a swing-set to go to school?)

They were disappointed to leave, yet shuffled inside while asking me, "Has it really been ten minutes already?" When I told them it had been, the five year old sighed as she looked at me and said, "Wow, watches go by so fast..."

Watches do go by fast. I'm already asking myself where the first half of this month has gone. This morning I was thinking about how in only three weeks I'll be in Beijing, and I know that time will go by so quickly.

I've been trying to really enjoy every day that I have here with my family and friends. So a few days ago, my Mom and I took a trip down to Cape May, New Jersey for some great mother-daughter time. (Which actually turned into some wonderful girlfriend time too when we unexpectedly ran into a few friends!)



It was wonderful being by the ocean, and letting God's creation refresh our souls. And we encountered other blessings on our trip, like seeing dolphins left and right! One dolphin even came within feet to the waters edge and was jumping so high; it was magnificent! :) We also enjoyed walking around the charming city of Cape May.



I left Cape May even more grateful for my parents generosity and friendship. My Dad was so gracious to treat his girls to a fun weekend at the beach, and I was so blessed to spend fun time with my Mom, my best friend. What a great time to spend some of my last days (for now) on the east coast. :)

~Kristen.

Monday, June 11, 2007

"Fly High"

So, this post doesn't have to do with China, it's just a tribute to enjoying simple pleasures on (almost) summer days... Hope your smiles and joys match the measure of these kids! :)
~Kristen.






Monday, June 4, 2007

Provision

Yesterday as I was handing out support letters to friends at church, two girls (ages 8 and 11) decided to help me. They had been adopted from China, and so I was grateful to see their enthusiasm for me to go and help other orphans.

At one point when I awkwardly gave out a letter, one of the girls gently informed the man that I was going back to China. I smiled at her, then at my friend. It was a sweet moment. Yet then she continued... "She's going to China, and she wants your money!"

Children are experts at being blunt; they have no problem getting right to the point of an issue. I wish I could be that bold in asking big things of God. I should take a lesson from my younger friend...

My Dad was reminding me of Philippians 4:19 this morning which says, "My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in Christ Jesus!"

It's wonderful that I can bank on that promise no matter how much support I raise for this trip. And as my friend Suzanne reminded me today, it is encouraging that we don't need to worry about any earthly matter because our eternal future is secure through Christ!