Dezam Trip with Jen & Linda :)

Natural fence to keep cattle in (cacti!) 

He holds me so well,
and He knows my name.

He leads me through hope-laden
valleys,
and renews my spirit day
by day
by day.

There are no corners where
He does not hide with me.

My spirit comes alive when I am
alone with Him
and when I am aware of His presence.

He leads me with a gentle hand,
and I am never alone.

There are many spaces where understanding
grows cloudy,
and answers
become distant.

There are races that we are running,
and clocks we are trying to outdo.

There are seasons of labor
and toil
and heartache
and joy
and excitement
and refinement...all
with refinement.

And my heart grows fonder
in each moment
of surrender.

My lungs fill to capacity
with the sweet

A night out on the town! 

intentions of my Savior.

Where can I go where He
is not?

Where can I reside where
He is not?

There are no forests,
No rivers,
No mountains.
There are no places
where He has abandoned me.

My heart grows more simply drawn
into embrace
as He renews me.

I am washed by waters, clean.
Cleansing, bubbling,

MCC plants trees in old water bags to replant in the mountains.

Rippling through the places they go.




And now...the picture tour of the land I live in and love. :)

We perused the entire town to find these. :)

We slept outside this night. :)

Hymn sing-a-long! 

A friend we met as we walked along the canal. 

Jen and her orange! 

Madame Sarah birds' nests.

Refining water. 

Stanley took us through the riverbed. 

It's a....

Typical Jen & me.

The ocean view on the way home. :)

Musings of a Daughter

Tales from the trail,

Of a musing daughter.

…A few random responses to life.

This is a month of processing. Especially in the past couple of weeks, I’ve stepped into a place of seeking. I’m seeking to know more. Not just for the sake of knowing more but for the sake of knowing the truth, for knowing Jesus better. It seems this is a season where God is sifting through ideas, traditions, and things that I have held onto as “truths.” I desire to worship Him in spirit & in truth, and I deeply hope that this season will draw me into a more pure relationship with Jesus.

The school year is coming to a close in 4 weeks! It’s hard to fathom that it has gone by so fast. I’m so glad that I don’t have to be perfect or do everything on my own strength because there has been a lot of new territory to cross along the way.

Some highlights from the month of April include a hike to the Wynne Farm which is an ecological reserve. There was a lot of mist in the air, so it made for some nice pictures.

My discipleship girls joined up with another group to throw a party for the other group’s discipleship leader for her birthday. There were a lot of sweets. Yum. I love opportunities to joke around with and be a little more immature than normal...

Jim's B-day party...with Jen. :)

I’m finishing up my fourth Danticat book, and she remains one of my favorite authors. The one I’m reading now is called Brother, I’m Dying, and it’s a beautiful autobiography of her relationships with her father & uncle. I’m recognizing that there is a thread of father relationships throughout the books I’m reading…I’m also studying Night with my 10^th graders right now, and there are intense scenes with Elie and his father. I am reminded that I have been fully gifted in this area. I am reminded of the blessing it is to have a father, to have a loving relationship with a father, and to know that your father cares for you and is praying for you. Thank you, Dad! Thank you for leading me well, and for leading me into my Heavenly Father's ways. I’ve had the gift of experiencing a loving relationship with my dad, a reflection of the father relationship God’ children are able to have with Him.  

On the trail with Linda. :)

Here is a snippet of musings from this month:

We will pave the way together,

Through the path You have paved before me,

Hand in hand we will walk together.

We will walk through fire, we will walk

Through pain.

But I will be changed, ever, into your likeness,

As You hold my hand.

As You lead me beside the

Waters that are quiet,

Quieting my soul and reckless spirit.

And even as You take me into the presence of

My enemies,

I will rejoice, I will dance.