There's a Snake in my Boot

Saturday morning for me consisted of Ibuprofen and Bible reading from my bed. My husband insisted that I acknowledge my throbbing throat and stay in bed for the morning instead of go to church.

As I was reading through 1 Kings, I heard a plastic bag rustle. I lifted my head up expecting to see a gecko crawling through the cracks of my window like normal. Instead to my surprise it was a SNAKE. A dark gray, blue bellied snake as long as my arm but not much fatter than a ballpoint pen.

I jumped out of bed and stood by the entrance to my bedroom as far away from the snake as possible. Without much thought, I ran next door to my neighbor's house who has caught some snakes on campus before. Never mind that I was still in my pajamas. This was an emergency. But of course, no answer. No luck.

I went back into my room and realized I might have made a huge mistake if the snake had moved from where I left him. I did a quick scan to find the intruder. Still on the second shelf of the shoe rack, just winding his way through my sandals. Gross. I called my mom from inside my house. Wifi miracle! (I ALWAYS I have to outside to make phone calls)

She was surprised to get a call from me at that time too.
Me: "Mom! There's a snake in my room!"
Mom: "What?! How big is it?! Where are you?!"

After giving her the run-down and letting her know I wasn't going to get eaten or poisoned, I told her I'd snap a picture and keep her updated. I looked at the time. Probably another 30 minutes before my husband would be back home. And so the stare down began. I wasn't leaving cause I didn't want to risk losing sight of this snake. There was no way I was going to let it freely wander my bedroom.

I went over my options:
1) Throw a blanket over it to keep it from moving all over.
Mom's suggestion, not a bad idea. But what if I miss?!
2) Get him on a broom out of the house.
Crocodile Hunter style. Very brave move. I would definitely earn points from the hubby.
3) Stare it down until my husband gets home.

Option 3 it is. I'm basically pro at killing roaches and spiders, but snakes are another ball game, and although I wasn't in tears, I felt like I was facing a Cobra or a Rattle Snake, and that was enough to keep me on my bed.

Hearing Joey's car come chugging down the hill was music to my ears. He was equally surprised and not sure how to catch the slithery visitor. After minutes of trying to coax him out of the door and a brief moment of anxiety..... "I don't now where he went, I think he's under the bed!" The snake peacefully went out of the door to its real home.

So my friends, if you live on an island you might want to check to see whats making that weird noise. It just might be a snake.

Rachel

Seek Ye First

One of my favorite songs to sing and play on my ukelele is Seek Ye First...

Seek Ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you. Allelu, Alleluia 

I have to be honest, the first thing I seek at 6 a.m. every morning is a shower and food. But one day I started mindfully singing the words to this song instead of just mindlessly singing and I felt like I got hit with a wave. I kept singing it over and over.

This song is a promise. It is also a simple formula for those of you who like math. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

"All these things shall be added unto you." What things? I had to look it up. In Matthew 6:25-32, Jesus is talking about how the birds never worry about what they will eat and how flowers are so splendidly dressed. If Jesus takes care of these small things in nature, how much more will he take care of you?

If you first seek Jesus, everything will be taken care of for you.
I don't think this literally means that you can't brush your teeth before you spend time with Jesus. But it's about the principle and priorities. Do you give Jesus your last tired minutes of the day? The crumbs? I know I'm guilty of that. But if we put Him first in our lives, things will fit together much better. And if the promise to take care of all our needs is not enough, He gave us verse 33.

"For do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Basically He's telling us, "Stop stressing. Let me take care of you." Such a wonderful promise that I know I'll be clinging to today.

Seek Jesus my friends...He will provide everything you need.

Xo
Rachel

The Truth about Angels

Recently, I’ve started reading a book called The Truth About Angels by Ellen White. My husband had shared some interesting tidbits he found with me and so I decided to take it up for myself about two weeks ago.

The truth about angels is shaking. I always knew I had a guardian angel and that they looked out for me. But this is no cutesy little angel with a glowing halo that sits on your shoulder lounging. This angel goes to war for you every single day. They are by your side fighting for you.

“You are not alone in the warfare against wrong. Could the curtain be rolled back, you would see heavenly angels fighting with you.” TA 19.2 

There are angels sent to guide, protect, and comfort me wherever I go. What a crazy thought. What a comforting reality.

Angels aren’t just there to help you break your fall, they are there fighting the invisible hatred and nastiness. If only we could see through the veil and the many times throughout just one day, that our angel has been there for us, I think we would have a whole different perspective on life.  

You are not alone. Be strengthened and put your hope in Jesus.

God has given you heavenly angels, and they angels are fighting with you.

"The one who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine. 

The God of angel armies, is always by my side." 

Chris Tomlin

Whom Shall I Fear by Christ Tomlin gives me chills. Give it a listen. 

Prayers, Rachel  

What I love about living in Palau

This week Palau celebrated its 21^st birthday!

Palau was established on October 1, 1994. Thursday we had the day off from school to celebrate. In honor of this wonderful holiday, I thought I’d post some things I love about living in Palau. J

Let’s get the obvious out of the way—Palau is beautiful.

The water is the bluest I’ve ever seen in my life, the sunsets are the most vivid, and the stars….believe me-- you’ve never seen this many. And if that wasn’t enough, God formed these crazy mushroom-shaped Rock Islands that would end up being one of my favorite places in the world. I’m so glad He did. 

Simple Living   

I hate slow internet, but I LOVE not being bombarded by media. I love not feeling like I’m not keeping up with certain trends or like a couch potato. (I can MARATHON my favorite TV shows all day long…don’t get me started) Life is so much simpler in Palau. I’ve been able to realize what I actually NEED in order to be happy. I need LESS! Watch an episode of Veggie Tale’s, Madam Blueberry and see what got her so blue. Less is more. J

Community

There are many people who have touched my life while living here and I greatly appreciate them all. When you live in a foreign country, every smile, hug, and kind gesture counts. Palauans will give love like none other.

My job

Teaching is something I know God called has me to do and being in paradise while doing it is even more rewarding. The students here are always so excited to meet their new teachers and shower them with so much love. The SDA School here is wonderful and I couldn’t ask for a more special place to work than Palau.

Too Much Fun

Last but not least, Palau is too much fun. As I’m sure you can tell from my pictures. The beauty and adventures are endless and the company is always God-sent.

xo, rach