While I am Waiting

I am currently waiting. It seems like the line goes around the corner, out the door, and around the block. The greatest part about it is that the line doesn't seem to budge. I check my watch every few minutes, peeking around the corner to see if the line has moved.

Ever been there before?
Waiting for that job, the new baby, the word from the doctor, the money to come in...we all have seasons of waiting. Taking a number in a room full of people doesn't necessarily make my heart soar.

My husband and I are currently seeking God to make some decisions and plans for our lives and we feel like we are waiting. Somewhere between my stress and anxiety about all this, I remembered that the Bible has something to say about it. So since I was waiting (pun intended)...I decided to check it out.

What amazes me is that God KNEW we humans, particularly me, would be impatient little worry-worts, so He gave us some encouragement to get through the tough times. Here are some of the things I gathered...

God is all-powerful

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:25

It's worth it...So don't give up

Therefore we do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

2 Corinthians 4:16

God is with me while I wait

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

God's timing is best

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalms 139:16

Waiting builds character

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3

I hold these verses near and dear to my heart. But even after all of this, waiting still might not be easy--we are entirely human and imperfect. I can't change the fact that I'm waiting, but I can change my perspective. Today I prayed and tried to be thankful for this trying time, because after all, fire purifies gold.

My waiting doesn't mean that God doesn't care.
My waiting doesn't mean that God doesn't hear me.
Waiting means that God, the one who can see EVERYTHING from beginning to end, knows what's best.

And so I humbly ask you, reader, to add my husband and I to your prayer list as we wait.

I would love to add you to my list as well to help strengthen each other during our time of waiting so that we will never lose faith.

xo

Under Grace

We live in a world where everything is instant, but I'm learning that the more important things and lessons, usually are not.

DARN the media for ruining our beautiful females minds in ways we don't even know. I didn't realize how much the media impacted my own mind until I got married.

Before I got married, I had this dream of filling my newlywed house with pillows from Home Goods and finding the perfect trinkets at World Market to go in my kitchen. I thought I would never get frustrated at my newly-wed husband and always have dinner ready.

But not every wife has dinner ready every night. Not every wife is a cleaning machine. Not every wife has all of her hairs perfectly in place and lips puckered, ready for her husband when he gets home. And all of this is okay. But somewhere in my little mind when I got married, it was not.
(Ladies, am I alone on this one?)

After I got married, I quickly realized that I didn't wake up an Insta-wife.

I was trying to juggle a new culture, job, friends, church activities, a husband, and a home without breaking a sweat. Yeah right. (There go the unrealistic Hollywood dreams sneaking in!) Luckily my sweet mother-in-law reminded me that sometimes kitchens are messy and that tomorrow is another day.

Praise the Lord that over time, I learned to be patient and a little kinder to myself as I'm learning how to adjust to my new role and fit everything in its new place. I learned to be more grateful for the little accomplishments and not to let the little things ruin my day.

I'm so glad that being a wife isn't something that is "instant." I have learned and grown so much this past year and wouldn't take back the tough days that taught me what I know now. It's taken me months to be okay with that though! Now, after being married for almost 10 months (whoop, whoop!), I am way more confident, comfortable, and happy with my new role as a wife. And the best part is....that I absolutely LOVE it. :)

This insta-wife thing got me thinking about another area of my life that I expected to be "instant", and that's my relationship with God. I've been learning to rely on God in a whole new way since I've been married. I treasure the quiet mornings I can steal away for my prayer and journal time, but some days it doesn't seem like enough. I should be the perfect Proverbs 31 woman. I should be more spiritual by now. I should do Pathfinders, Youth Vespers, Sabbath School, Sabbath afternoon activities (God forbid I need a REST), and never be overwhelmed or stressed. Yikes...that is not me. And where are all of these crazy expectations coming from?!

I get so frustrated when I fall short. But luckily, no beautifully, God is grace.

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under G R A C E. 

Romans 6:14

And boy do I need a truck load of it everyday. God doesn't expect us to have it all together and perfect in order to come to Him. If He did, we wouldn't have needed His sacrifice. He came to set us free. Free from all of the crazy expectations and things that stress me out. He gives me grace.
He gives YOU grace.

My prayer is that we can all continue to grow day by day, in His grace.

xoxo
Rachel

Creativity Fair

Happy May everyone! Is it just me, or did May totally just take over my calendar? I've got graduations, banquets, campouts, and end-of-the-year activities galore this month. Jesus take the wheel.

One of the big highlights for the school year at SDA Elementary is Creativity Fair. Everyone and their mother came out last Thursday for this event--so much fun! (And LOTS of work!)

The first part of the fair is a classroom exhibition where students display their projects and learnings. The second part of the fair is a program for the parents and families come and watch their child's class perform anything from a song, to a skit, to glow-in-the-dark performances (I told you it was fun). After agonizing for far too long what to do with my kids, I decided to do Ancient Egypt!

I divided my class into 6 different areas of study: Archaeologists, Pharaohs, Pyramids, Scribes, Farmers, and Soldiers. All of the kids loved their roles and quickly became experts. They did research, created posters, and other objects (like chariots and scrolls) to display with their project.

Over the month, our classroom looked like a brown box construction zone. I was raiding the local grocery store for boxes like nobody's business. I'm sure they are glad this fair is over! We built a Sphinx, an Obelisk, and a pyramid. Then we painted a mural, a pharaoh photo booth, and made the Nile River out of blue plastic bags. (Credit for the Nile River goes to one of the Student Missionaries here...her creative mind is insane!) Last but not least, like legitimate Egyptians, we made papyrus! It was super easy and what kid doesn't love making a mess? (I actually had one who was going to die from putting his hands in a tub of glue...hilarious) We decorated our papyrus with hieroglyphics and hung them up. Pretty neat, huh?

We put banana leaves all over the tables and decked them with fruit, all donated by the wonderful parents. And of course we had to take advantage of living on an island and covered our walls in coconut branches--all for free! Love this island life!
Needless to say, my kids were P U M P E D.

Once our classroom was on its way to looking good, I wanted us to SOUND good and be ready for our presentations. My students took notes on index cards and practiced their little talks with partners and then in small groups. We focused on eye contact, volume, talking clearly, and how to answer questions.

That evening, the students came to school in their little Egyptian costumes and looked absolutely adorable. Egypt was definitely the right choice.

That night one of the first people to walk around my room for the expo was of course, my husband. He went around to each one of the projects and made sure to ask the kids lots of questions. I was beaming like a proud mama bear at how excited they were and how well they did.

After the expo was time for performances. We performed a wordless skit set to music about giving our hearts to Jesus. Let's just say my eyes weren't the only ones glistening. Maybe when I get back to the States I can upload the video. Just precious.

Everyone did an awesome job--there was singing, some LED light action, and skits. Such a cool night. Definitely one to go down in the books.