In Him...

This morning as I tossed and turned from a night of fighting jetlag and time changes, I found myself wide awake by 5 a.m. (as well as a few other hours of the night), so, to make the best use of the already daylight hours, I made my way downstairs in the house to seek some solitude with Jesus.  My Bible, a pen, and a journal...sweet bliss.

I had a familiar passage on my mind as I settled down to dive into the Word, so I thumbed through the pages to Acts 17:24-28a.  I love the entirety of the passage, but the last verse in particular was where I focused my thoughts...

"For in Him we live and move and have our being" -Acts 17:28a

The greatest blessing to me as I've made this giant-sized move from Indiana corn fields to the rice patties of MaeSot, Thailand, is that it has entirely been about Jesus, by Jesus, and with Jesus.  He has opened the door, He has prepared the soil, He has built this community I now get to be a part of, He has called, He fills me with an abundant peace - it's all in Him!

These first several days have been a whirlwind of new faces and names to recall, new skills to slowly be acquired, and new sights, sounds, and yes, even smells, to take in.  But the chaos of it all has been beautiful because of what God is doing in this place!  His heart is so clear in every direction I look.  He leads this ministry - in Him we live and move and have our being!  That's being lived out here!

Traffic drives on the opposite side of the road (an important thing to keep in mind when crossing the street...always look left then right).  Language is tonal and, of course, difficult to get an ear for.  Weather is currently rainy and muggy.  Days are filled with lots of activity and things to remember.  Yet... in Him we live and move and have our being!

The remainder of this week will be continued training with Kayla, learning from her the many roles she plays, fine tuning my jewelry making skills, and continuing to learn the names of new Thai & Burmese friends.  I'm excited, anxious, and, most of all, truly grateful to the Father for each blessed opportunity!  He's so faithful and good in ways that I can daily see and understand, and in many ways that are beyond what I can even comprehend or imagine right now!

Thank you, thank you Jesus, for giving us the opportunity to daily, and quite intentionally, live and move and have our being in you!  I'm praying for a continued move of His Spirit in this transition, in this ministry, in this team, and in this crazy, sweet life He has blessed me with!