To God be the Glory

This week has just been insane. And tiring. And crazy. And whatever else you want to label it.

Thanks, everyone, for praying for Josh's health. He started feeling poorly last Friday,went to a clinic on Monday, felt worse than ever on Wednesday night, went to two specialists yesterday, and had a screening today with a gastrointenologist. Thanks be to God that they found everything was clean and Josh only has a bad infection. We're hoping that the antibiotics will kick in and he'll start feeling better soon. We should have an idea on Monday if he'll be in shape to fly out by Thursday. Please keep praying for him. Josh and I are incredibly relieved, but he's still hurting a good bit. Not to mention, we're REALLY ready to be in Estonia and giving updates on what's going on there!

Otherwise, let me just say that this week was pretty stretching. In trying to take care of Josh and get him where he needed to be, I realized how much self I had been storing up. It wasn't a pretty ephiphany; it's not even pretty to admit it in writing. Early on in the week, I prayed that I would start learning to die to myself and become a servant of others. God took me up on it. What I didn't understand is that death is painful, particularly when there's self involved, and it doesn't wanna go. I don't want to overspiritualize, particularly since I'm not the sick one (just to brag on him, Josh has been an awesome and positive sicko), but I do hope that I'm a step closer to that. I hope I'm closer to walking in stride with the Father. What I know for sure is that God made himself visible to us in how he worked out schedules, how He gave us peace, and how He called others to minister to us in their prayers and kindness. I'm thankful for that.

13 days and counting

Only thirteen days left to go! We don't have a whole lot of news or any really phenomenal stories to relate about a resurrecting phone or defiance of persecution, or anything like that. So, I thought I'd take the time to show you another angle of Estonia. 

I put some pictures up a few weeks ago showing the countryside and the capital city, Tallinn. Take the time to check those out; Estonia really is a beautiful place! Today, I added a video from the LonelyPlanet website that talks a little bit about the city itself. 

My hope is that you can begin developing a mental picture, and it might enable you to pray more specifically. If you will, take a minute and pray for the people and areas mentioned. Pray that, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them, (Isaiah 9:2)." 

Thanks, continually, for joining in with us on behalf of people that you don't know and might not ever meet (in this life). What a gathering it will be in the next, when they get to see the the faces of those who prayed so diligently for them. 

The Difference in a Day or Two

Sorry to all for missing the blog over the weekend. Last week started with a snow day and ended with sunshine and flip-flops. It was amazing. 

The snow began Sunday night and didn’t stop falling until Monday afternoon. It went a foot deep. We grabbed some sleds and went down the hills directly behind our dorm. It was a great time. One group of people made an igloo big enough for four people to crawl into, and there were several giant, seven foot snowmen built around the campus. It’s the only legitimate snow day I’ve ever had; enough to shut down Louisiana schools for a month. In all the fun, Josh put his phone in the pocket of his jacket and went down a hill. Needless to say, by the time he was emptying his pockets that night there was no phone, but more on that later. By Saturday, though, the weather was back in the eighties, which was just awesome! We’re enjoying one last flip-flop splurge!

Back to the phone, Josh found it at the end of the week. It had been buried under the snow the whole time, but he picked it straight up and dialed his voicemail. Unbelievably, it worked. A small miracle for sure, but God is in the small things.