Make my heart be still

I have a new favorite song these days.  I´ve been playing it non-stop as we drive around town living our somewhat hectic life.  Its from the Shane and Shane Psalms 2 CD... ¨Lord of Hosts¨.  This is my favorite part...

Though oceans roar, You are the Lord of all,
the one who calms the wind and waves and makes my heart be still.
Though the earth gives way, the mountains move into the sea, 
the nations rage, I know my God is in control.

I love the whole song, but honestly, most days I wish I could just put that one part on repeat because I so desperately need the reminders.  Daily, I long for the Lord to make my heart be still.  In the midst of busyness and sickness and homework and dinner prep... stillness sounds amazing.  And not just that, but sin and brokenness... its in our hearts and our homes and our city.  We live in a nation that is raging without a doubt.  Watching the news is like watching an out of control crime show many days.  I work with girls who have lived lives of abuse and suffering that are unthinkable and their past haunts them even now that they are safe.  The weight of sin and the brokenness of the world is too much if not for Jesus.

And so we say, ¨though oceans roar, the earth gives way, the nations rage... You are Lord of ALL, You are in control, and YOU alone make my heart be still!¨

A missionary

Last week she came to my house to watch the twins.  She didn't just watch the twins.  She cleaned my house, straightened my hair, did Nicolle's hair, and loved on our family.  We have been seeing huge growth in her recently.  She could easily be frustrated because she is currently spending her days at home just waiting to find a job.  We've gone job searching and talked to beauty salons, but nothing so far.  But instead of getting frustrated, she has decided to make the most of her time.

A few weeks ago her small group leader from church showed them the movie, "War Room"and it resonated with her.  If you haven't seen it, you should.  Its a great movie reminding us that our problems, although they seem earthly, are really Spiritual.  C took this message to heart and decided that she could use this movie as a way to talk to her family and friends about the Lord.  So she has been going to visit her mom, family, and classmates to watch the movie and talk about what it means.  She wants people to know Jesus!

While she was at my house we were talking and she shared with me... "I want to be a missionary.  How can I do that?  What do I have to do/be/study?  I want my job to be sharing about Jesus." And I hope she gets the chance because she is bold and strong and understands what it means to really need the Lord!

A NEW new girl

I had told you about M who was going to move in, but it never happened.  That is so often the case that we think we are moving in a certain direction, and then...  It seems like Scripture mentioned this.  "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" Proverbs 19:21

But trusting in the Lord's faithfulness and good plan, we are moving forward with another girl who is in need.  Her name is P and she is scheduled to move in the first week of March.  She is about 5 months pregnant and will be the first to live with us while pregnant!  Which means another little baby to love on :)  She actually comes to us from another children's home in the area where she has lived for some time, so she is used to rules and stability.  Hopefully this will make for a smooth transition.  Please pray for P and for the girls at PDE as every transition rocks the boat.  And they were set and ready for M and now have to ready their hearts to accept P instead.

C is having a hard time at school.  The other girls found out that she is a mom and that has made for a hard time making friends.  Her classmates are 13 year olds in relatively stable family situations, middle class, and think that being a mom is just weird.  So pray for her as she adjusts and continues to show love toward her baby, even while knowing that because of E her life is harder than it would have been.