Thursday's Letters

Happy Thursday Y'all

Today, I am joining Kristin for her monthly Little Letters link-up, where we write "letters," as a way of sharing a bit of our lives at the moment.  

And today, it's all centered around one main topic. 
 

Dear Writing, I've always been a fan of you. I loved you in my English classes in high school and college. In fact, any course's assignments that were mostly writing essays/papers are the ones in which I excelled.

Dear Journals, I love the thought of you. I've started a dozen plus of you over the years. I always start off great, writing in you ever day. Then at some point, I end up fizzling out. 

Dear Prayer Journal, Writing in you has actually stuck. At the beginning of the year, when I started, I told myself it was okay to not write in you every single day. I write in you similar to a normal journal style format. But I also write my prayers on the day I'm writing and I also write answers to prayer as they happen as well. I really am enjoying you being a part of my life at the moment.

Dear New Pens, There's just something about you that makes the writing process so much more enjoyable. Although, a good mechanical pencil is nice too. Just sayin' :)


Dear Writing a Book, You have always been a dream of mine. I've had different ideas for topics/titles over the years. So that part has changed. But the dream of simply writing one has never wavered. And I didn't tell many people about this. It's something I've just kept bottled up inside for so long. But recently, I've said a bit here or there, if for no other reason than accountability and lighting a fire under my feet, so to speak. That way I'd actually start doing something to accomplish this dream of mine. So you're starting. You're finally starting.

Dear Topic/Title of Book, I may have said publicly (on here, at least) that I'm finally starting to write that book I've been dreaming of. But you're going to still stay a secret.

Dear Fear, I was talking about you with a friend not long ago. When it comes to writing on my blog, I often feel you creeping in my heart and mind. I fear that people will not like what I write. I fear that people will judge me for having (normal, human) thoughts and not being the "perfect" woman, Christian, teacher, missionary, whatever... I told her how you, Fear, seem to always be in the back of my mind. But as I wrote on here yesterday, I'm trying to do a better job at giving control of my life to God. And that control includes letting go of all of my fears too.

Dear God, Thanks for blessing me with a love for writing. Thanks for making that such an enjoyable experience for me. Thanks for giving me outlets to express myself through writing. And simply put... Thanks for giving me the brain, hands, etc. to actually write. What a gift this is!

My First Love

Revelation 2:1-7 contains a letter, from Jesus, to the church in Ephesus. 



In the letter, Jesus listed both positives and negatives.

 He started by complimenting the church. They've patiently endured. They've stood against false teachers. They've toiled and have not grown weary.

But then He faults the church for straying from their first love. 

Who was this first love?

1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." 

At one point, the church in Ephesus was full of zeal for their Savior. They embraced salvation as they loved because He first loved them. It was this joy that led the church to recognize the genuine goodness of their salvation - of which, they were able to recognize due to their former lives in sin. Because of God's love for the church in Ephesus, they were "made alive in Christ," because they had left behind their lives of being "dead in sin." Their new life was clearly evident by their incredible passion for the One who saved them, which they shared with those around them.

So anywho - Back to Revelation 2:1-7.

Remember... He commended them for the good they'd done. But at the same time, Jesus gave the church a warning. They were in danger of straying from Him altogether. In verse 7, He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says." Jesus was warning them to rekindle the love they once had for Him.

So what's the point of this post?

I meet with a few co-workers each week for a Bible Study. And this past week, we were discussion Revelation 2:1-7. And per usual... I've read this passage many many times. But something about it stuck with me this time. 

Y'all, I still love Jesus with all my heart.

My job is in ministry. 

I am a missionary.

I haven't turned my back on God.

But when I read about the church of Ephesus letting their hearts grow cold, forgetting their first love... When I read verses 2 and 3 of this passage... Well, y'all - I felt as if I'd been hit by a ton of bricks.

I felt like God was speaking to me, saying

Elisabeth, I know your works.
I've seen you toil and patiently endure.
I know you've bear for my name's sake.

 Now, I haven't encountered false witnesses or anything like that. But I have encountered difficult situations and conversations over the past 7 months. I have encountered those who don't believe in Jesus, who have wanted to fight against me because of the stance I have taken for the individuals in my care. 

After Bible Study was over and I was home by myself, I said to God...

This isn't about me.
I haven't been very patient about this.
And I have most definitely grown weary in this.
Surely, you've made a mistake.

And this is where everyone should be laughing at my ridiculousness in telling God that He must have made a mistake. 

Anywho - I digress.

God says again...

Elisabeth, I know your works. 
You love me. 
You have kept my commands.
You've endured much so you could do what I've called you do do.

And then came the punch in the gut question.


Have you forgotten me, your first love?

You still don't trust me completely.

Why? Have you forgotten all I've done?
Have you forgotten how far it's come?
Have you forgotten all the blessings I have given you?

And as I literally cried out to God, I realized something.

I'm a bit of a control freak. 
Shocking, I know.

I like to know what's happening and at what time.

I'm a planner.

I don't like confrontation.

I don't like difficult conversations.

I don't like having the control taken away from me.

So for me to give complete, 100% control over to God is scary.

So, in this situation, I simply have not done that. I have continued to keep a tight grip on the control of this situation. Any time something new would develop, I would ask God to help me get through it. But I would still hold on to it. I have never given it all, completely, to him. 

And when you're almost constantly worrying over a certain situation, it is exhausting. And yes, mental/emotional exhaustion is a real thing.

Because in the process of holding on to the situation, worrying over the What ifs and more, I have allowed myself to grow weary.

I had forgotten all the times He'd rescued me and cared for me.

I'd forgotten all the times He had answered my prayers. 

I'd forgotten all the many ways He's blessed me over the years.

And as I realized last night, I was allowing myself to start to pull away, even if just ever so slightly, from my first love - Jesus.

So as I re-read Jesus's words to the church in Ephesus, I reminded myself that just as He had grace for that group of people all those years ago...

 Jesus also has grace for me. 

Because no matter how weary I've become... 

No matter how long I've held on too tightly to that control...

He still has grace for me.

He still loves me.

And I will change.

I have not fully strayed from my first love.

But I also haven't given Him full control of the worrisome/painful situations.

I will do better

I will stop holding onto control of events in my life.

But I will do better. 

I will remember all the good He's done for me.

I will remember His blessings.

I will remember His love.

I will give Jesus complete control of every single aspect of my life. From the easy parts to the "stressful" parts. No matter what, I will turn over every single part to Him, the one who loves me like no other. 

I will go back to my first love. 

March 2019's Coffee Date

Happy Monday Everybody

Today, I'm sharing my monthly Coffee Date post.

The Coffee Date series was started by Erin from Erin Salmon Writes, as a fun blogging exercise each month. And while, Erin doesn't actually host the Coffee Date link-ups anymore, I still think it is fun to share my own Coffee Date post each month. The premise of these Coffee Date posts was, and it still is for me, to pretend that I am on a coffee date with you, my reader, as a friend, and we are chatting about whatever is on our minds at the moment.

So with that said...

Grab a cup of coffee (or whatever) and let's settle in for a chat.

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If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that some friends and I went out for dinner the other night. We ended up going to a local Korean restaurant. Yep, you read that right. Korean food in West Africa. And y'all... This place is quite possibly my most favorite in all of Dakar. I'm serious. It's that good. I had my usual. And as always, it was absolutely 100% delicious.

If someone asked what my last meal would be, I think this might be it.

I'd also show you this bowl of little cooked fish who joined our "appetizer" portion of the meal. I definitely do not feel the same about them as I do the dish above ;)

If we were on a coffee date, I'd also tell you about my new class. It's on Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. And even though I'm just now starting Week 2, I must say... I think I'm really going to enjoy this class. 

I'd probably also tell you that a lot of people ask me why I continue taking classes when I could be done. There are multiple reasons for this. The last 3 were taken to help me renew my Alabama Teaching Certificate. And my thoughts are... If I have the money to take the classes, why not? Then I could continue to better myself as a teacher, so I could provide a better level of understanding, care, and education for the students God has sent me (or will send in the future).

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you about all the fun things I have planned for this week. I'd tell you about digging for fossil (yes, fossil with no "s" at the end), about using chocolate sauce in an object lesson for Kids Club, about a new creative Bible project in class, and about an upcoming Service Day for our school.

If we were on a coffee date, I'd probably tell you about how much I'm enjoying writing. And I'd probably share that while I may never actually publish a book, that's okay with me. I'm just honestly enjoying having this therapeutic/creative outlet for myself.

I'd probably also show you the clipboard/folio above, telling you that I bought it at Wal-mart this past summer. I'd probably tell you how the design caught my eye, but what made me finally purchase it was seeing the price drop significantly from one visit to the next, thanks to a big sale that happened.

If we were on a coffee date, I'd share this recipe with you, and tell you that I threw the chicken, salsa, and beans in the crockpot this morning before school. That way it could cook on low all day. Then when I get home this afternoon, I'll throw in the cream cheese and I'll also cook a pot of white rice to serve alongside the chicken dish. Fingers crossed it turns out like I hope :)

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that I'm currently reading from the book of Isaiah and I'm really enjoying it. I'd probably also show you this picture, as a reminder from Isaiah, to recount the steadfast works of the Lord. I love how every time I open my Bible, I learn something new. It really is the best book!

I'd probably also share a few prayer requests with you. I have a really long To Do List to work through before leaving for our AG conference/retreat in a few weeks, including 4 days of sub plans (to which all my fellow teachers echo my statement of Ughhhh). I also am praying about some decisions I need to make at school. I'm praying about some meetings I have coming up (including 3 the week before I leave for the conference). I'm praying about our conference. And I'm praying about my Spring Break plans, of which I'll share more about later on. On top of that, I'm also praying for some family members and some friends of mine who have loved ones who are super sick. So yeah... There's a lot to pray about. So if we were on a coffee date, I'd definitely be sharing those with you.

What about you?

If we were on a coffee date, what would YOU share with me?

This Week's Top 5

 Happy Friday Everybody




Each week I share the my Top 5 favorites from the week in my classroom, in various school activities, and in events happening on campus.

Here are my Top 5 Favorites from this week.

~ one ~

One of my kiddos performed in our school's talent show this past weekend. And y'all... I was so proud. It takes guts to get up on a stage in front of that many people and sing. And he did it. And not only did he sing... He sang so incredibly well! He totally blew me away with his talent! So yes, seeing him up there on that stage, singing his heart out, was a definite favorite for me.



~ two ~


Listening to music is a favorite past time of all of my students. So periodically, I play a bit of worship music while they are doing independent work. The other day, as I saw them working along, happily singing their favorite worship song, I was reminded once again, of just how much I love working at a Christian school :)

~ three ~

 One of my guys loves tests. Seriously... He loves them. So being able to study for a test on the information he'd recently learned about Costa Rica was definitely a favorite for him this week. And seeing children excited about learning is always, always, always a favorite of mine. :)

  
~ four ~ 

Have I mentioned how much I love working in a Christian School? It's something I say often because it's so true. I love that one of our core subjects is Bible. I love working with students, learning Bible verses, exploring all God and His Word have to offer us all as we go through these adventures called life.



~ five ~

My students' favorite seats are the "comfy seats," otherwise known as these camping chairs. It's the place of choice for fun reading or studying for a test or doing independent work.

What about YOU?

 What's been your favorite parts of this week?

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Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join in on the fun.

Let's Look at My Family

Happy Thursday Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Erika and taking a look at my family.

My family's pretty great.



There's my mom.

And my brother.


And my sister-in-law.



And my nieces.



And I have lots of aunts and uncles and cousins too.

And I can't not mention my Dad. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 4 years since my dad passed away. It sometimes feels like it was just yesterday. Of course, we're grateful he's hanging out with Jesus, not sick or in pain anymore, and all that. But still.. My dad was, obviously, such a huge part of our family. So to not have him around anymore is so hard.  Oh my, do I miss him.

My family is so incredibly important to me. One of the hardest parts of my job as a missionary is being away from family all the time. I miss birthday parties and big celebrations. I have missed (and still miss) so many important events in the lives of my loved ones. And I hate that. I hate saying goodbye so much. 

BUT with that said... I love what I do. I love that I can do what God has called me to do. So that's why I continue to say those tearful goodbyes at the airport. That's why I buy gifts in advance or deliver gifts late. That's why I pack in all sorts of fun memory-making times into the few short weeks I have with family in the summers.

And y'all... I'm so blessed.

My family is (and always has been) so incredibly supportive of me following the call of God on my life. They've never discouraged me from my work on the mission field. Sure they miss me... But they've never once asked me to come home. They've never once asked me to stop doing this work. 

And speaking of missions...

I'm so thankful for my family on the field. I'm thankful for my Assemblies of God and my Dakar Academy co-workers (who I don't have any pictures with for some reason...) who have become like family. What a blessing these people have become to my life! I am so grateful for all of them!




I'm thankful, too, for the people I spend the majority of my time with each week during the school year. I tell my students every year that we are a family. And I am so incredibly grateful for this "family" of mine :)

 

So what about YOU?

Tell me about your family.

Currently

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly Currently link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives.

Each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

March's prompts are...

* scheming * reading * buying * making * accomplishing *

I'm currently scheming (well, not really scheming - more like planning) a fun science project that my class will be doing on Friday, where my crew will be excavating "fossils." I can't wait to see how this turns out. I'm thankful for co-workers who shared their modeling clay and ideas to help make this project happen. My kids have been asking all week what the modeling clay is for. I think they're going to love this activity!

I'm currently reading and studying, in preparation for my newest class, which starts later this week. It'll be on Emotional/Behavior Disorders. It's a heavy topic. But it's one I've always been fascinated by, ever since working with a few such students half - way through my career.


I'm currently buying... I did buy some kale the other day. It was expensive. ...as is most good things here in Senegal. A very small little bundle of it was about $6. But y'all... It was my treat to myself and was worth every single penny. I have so thoroughly enjoyed eating it this week. So very yummy!

I'm currently making a long To Do List of all the things I need to accomplish before Spring Break.

sub plans for the 4 days before Spring Break

Grading / Report Cards

IEP progress reports

Parent Teacher Conferences

meetings with teachers

normal teaching (and all the normal prep that goes with it)

Kids Club (and all the normal prep that goes with it)

a big unit plan all teachers have due before Spring Break

planning ahead for after Spring Break

emails to send

support/missions update letter to write 

normal weekly activities

and more that I'm sure I've forgotten

It'd be easy to get overwhelmed by it all, looking at the ever-growing list of things to do. But I've prioritized the list as best as possible, making sure to focus myself on what absolutely has to be done at what time. And you know what? After doing that, and adding in some good times of rest, too, I realized that even though my list is long, it's not totally un-doable :)

I'm currently accomplishing my goal of writing a bit each evening. It's becoming almost therapeutic. I'm loving it! I'll be sharing more about my plans on here soon...

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

February 2019 Recap

Happy Monday, Y'all

Today I'm feeling gratitude for the good month that was February.

For the past few years, I've taken a photo every single day. Then at the end of the year, I compile those photos into a book. I share some of the photos each month on here, if for no other reason, but to help me remember some of the fun memories and thoughts that went with them.

 
 Although this year, I'm choosing to not share every single photo. Instead, I'll share just a few. Anywho - on to February's recap.

February mostly center around various school events, like...  

Times in the classroom

 

Valentine's Day fun

Fun in Kids Club

A fun day, learning about Canada

  

Softball games

And Olympics with some of my favorite kiddos.

Of course, it wasn't all about school stuff. There were other pictures, like...

Yummy food 

 

Time with friends and their kids

And I will say... I'll be adding the picture below into my 2019 Photo a Day, as a reminder of the best dog that ever lived, since she died last week. Not to be morbid or anything... But simply as a reminder of her. :)

 

And y'all... This isn't all the pictures I took in February. There are so many more fun memories. But this recap makes me smile as I think of all I had to be thankful for in the month of February. And feeling thankful is always a good thing!   

And in case you missed January's post, you can read it HERE.

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Today I'm joining Julie for her monthly Growing in Gratitude link-up, helping us to focus more on having an attitude of gratitude.