Reasons to Be Thankful

Our Father is so faithful to provide good gifts to His children. I don’t know that I have ever had so many ups and downs and rollercoaster days before in my life- and yet sometimes I feel like I can see so much more of God’s grace than ever before.

– This week Kristin and I visited our favorite little cafe for lunch. Another girl sat at a table near us, working on her computer and enjoying the food as well. After we received our food we said a quick prayer and were about to dig in when she approached our table. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “but are you guys Christians?” “Yes” we told her. Her face lit up. “Me too!” Her name is Erin, and she is working in a very rural village with only a few other believers. “Somehow I knew as soon as you walked in. There was something about you”. We chatted, exchanging language learning adventures and things we were excited to be able to find in Phnom Penh. We shared our stories of God’s calling to Cambodia, and it turns out Erin is a Midwest sister from Iowa. As we said goodbye, she said, “We may never see each other again, but it was such a blessing to meet you”.

– This week in language school we have been learning about the words for members of the family and how to tell about them. It has been so special to bring pictures of our siblings and parents and cousins and show them off, and the teachers love it too. We heard stories of our teachers’ families, and how one of our teacher’s parents were forced to marry in a mass ceremony during the Pol Pot era, and yet love was able to grow over the years.

– Sometimes you just need chocolate. 🙂 I made brownies that have served as a wonderful reward this week for getting through the day.

Last October I started counting gifts, writing down the special blessings in each day. It has been so amazing to me to see what God gives and the ways that He can give grace even in the hard situations. In a previous blog I shared a few highlights from the first 1000 gifts. Here now are a smattering of the gifts from 1000 to 2000.

1032. Homeschooling girl and Bible-reading Mom in Starbucks
1038. Coffee in my Sumatra mug
1296. Jessica sent me cookies!
1329. Jamie Grace song that keeps coming on the radio
1369. No car trouble on the long drive home from Texas
1427. Lingering supper conversation and Dutch Blitz on our first night at MTI
1506. How Barbara felt “at home” in Cambodia
1519. A beautiful, refreshing hike with Margaret
1631. Clarity in the solitude
1641. Facebook pictures of Mt. Herman
1648. Nothing can thwart the purposes of God
1755. How we are still friends after 5 years of being out of college
1758. How they glowed when they came back in after he proposed
1836. Saying goodbye- how they cried and I cried, but it was okay
1906. No extra charges for our luggage
1914. Watching Cambodia life out of our window
1959. Our first solo tuk-tuk experience was successful
1978. Little boys with big umbrellas
1986. Permission granted
1998. A mango smoothie on a hot, hot day
2000. Finally, today’s rain