Blessings

Since being home, I've had a lot of confirmation that I am doing the right thing in continuing at LCC next year. Thinking about this, I decided I should share some of the small, but significant, blessings that God has given me in these past weeks:

1. I needed to get a dress for special occasions, but didn't have money lying around. My sister brought me a bag of her old clothes with a dress, in my size, that will be perfect. Additionally, the bag included several pairs of pants that fit me - a big necessity since I've dropped a size in the past year and had no idea how I'd afford to go out shopping!

2. I'd been having some trouble with my I-pod on the trip home from Lithuania, but not enough to merit taking it in to the store. Then, my brother managed to mess it up (long story) on our way to Denver last week. Conveniently, the Apple store was on our route, so we stopped in, told them the problem, and (since I'm still under the one-year warrenty), ta da... I walked out with a brand new I-pod, no questions asked.

3. On our backpacking trip last weekend, we began to lose the trail in the snow, and I, being COLD in my soaked tennis shoes, began to pray and ask God, "Lord, please show us whether we should keep going or stop for the night." About five minutes after that, we passed a clear patch of ground near a stream (the only snow-free spot for what seemed like miles), with a ring of stones in a circle all ready for fire building. We looked a bit up the trail, and then came back to the spot for the night. Hiking further up the trail the next morning, it was clear that we would have been in some trouble with our packs in the snow if we'd kept going.

4. Since last fall I've had some trouble with my right foot giving me weird pains when I walk a lot. I have been hesitant to go to the doctor becuase my insurance doesn't cover check-ups or U.S. clinic visits, so my mom called an orthopedist from our church to see if he'd take a look at me. After a quick visit last Friday, he easily figured out the problem, prescribed me some orthopedic insoles, and wrote "no charge" on the bill for the visit. A MAJOR blessing!

5. My Russian class. I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but I've been taking Russian class for three hours every Tuesday & Thursday night since late May. At first it didn't look like it was going to happen, and then I got worried about how to pay the audit fees for only 5 weeks of a 16 week course. Then I talked to the instructor and was invited to be a "guest" student - which means I go and learn, make photocopies of the workbook (shhh...), and get a chance to interact with other people in Greeley who're at least a little bit interested in the world beyond the States.

6. In the process of support raising, I have met with a lot of encouragement and eagerness to contribute. In fact, I have more people signed on as monthly supporters than as one-time givers. That is really unusual - I almost always get a bunch upfront and then a few people who'll support year-round. All of this tell me, again and again, that God's hands are on this thing I'm doing, that He's orchestrating events and gifts for His glory and His kingdom.

Thanks for letting me share...