March 2007

So my cousin Naomi recently emailed me and said she had checked out the website. I thought to myself, “Hmmm, when’s the last time I updated the website?” I just about missed my chance to get a March entry in. Perhaps that should be my goal; at least one update per month. Don’t hold me to that.

Good News & Bad News
Hana lost her job! (That’s the bad news) Her school, Greenwood Lakes Middle School, had to lay off ten teachers due to budget cuts. Since she was one of the last to be hired, she was one of the first to be, well… fired. But we’re not panicking. We actually packed up and moved here before she had a job. God provided, as He always does, and we know He will provide again. Its funny how we tend to freak out a little, even though we know God is in control. I often find myself praying for better circumstances, when I really should be praying for a better heart.

The good news is things are going well at UPC (our church). We’re about to enter our fifth month of working with the youth group. We’ve been having lots of fun. We had a Lock-in, played paintball, and tonight we put together Easter bags that will be distributed to the less fortunate of our community. Each bag has some candy, a bracelet, and a little message about Jesus. The kids they will go to live in the worst parts of Orlando. One of our elders talked to the kids about God’s heart for the poor tonight as well. God’s Word is clear about how He feels about the poor (Exodus 23:11; Lev 19:15; Deut 15:11; 1 Sam 2:8; Job 30:25; Psalm 9:9; Matt 19:21; Mark 12:40; Luke 12:33…the list is long!). What a privilege it was to be involved in showing God’s love for the poor.

My classes this semester are, once again, excellent! The professors here are impeccable. It seems every day I leave class thinking, “Wow. God is so awesome.” He really is. What is really rocking my world this semester is seeing how the Bible (although made up of 66 books) is really one story. Had you asked me a year ago, “is the Bible one story?” I would have said yes. But really looking at how it really is one story has been indescribable. Tracing the line of the covenant, for one thing, is astounding. Oh, I could write for miles about God’s covenant with Abraham.

Well, I suppose I should wrap things up. Thanks for reading. I promise to update this page at least once a month. Please pray that we would patiently wait to see what God has planned for Hana.

God bless,
MjR