I got home from Florida a week ago, but the next morning I left for Indy. Being in Florida was great and just what I needed. I finally got to meet my bff, Stacy's baby, Owen. I love my nieces to death, but it's real cool to have a nephew to spoil now too! We had a good week hanging out, playing with the baby, spending some time at the beach, and having good conversations. I always enjoy the time I have with Stacy and Jeff and I can't wait til we get to hang out again.
After getting home from Florida, I went to Indianapolis for a while to visit with Trent. Going to visit Trent is always a good time. We just hung out and caught up. I finally got to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which I thoroughly enjoyed of course. Also one of my favorite things we did was hang out with Drew! Drew is our friend from college, but before that he was one of Trent's youth kids. Neither of us had seen or really been in much contact with Drew in about 3 years because he moved to Arkansas in 2006. It was real cool to get back in contact with him and spend Sunday afternoon hanging out. I'm hoping that I'll get to see him a few more times while he's in Indiana for the summer.
I left Indy early evening on Sunday so it was a nice drive home, not TOO much traffic, and the perfect weather... no air conditioning needed. By the time I was in the home stretch, I was tired of driving, tired of sitting, and just plain tired. The nice part about a drive like that is the time to just hang out with the Lord, no interruptions. So I spent some time in prayer, presenting my needs/wants/desires before the Lord, lifting others up, and praising Him for being my Father. As I prayed and talk with God a peace fell over me and all I could do was smile, knowing that God was taking care of every part of my life. Most of you know that I want nothing more than to be back in Uganda right now and as you can imagine, God knows more than anyone how badly I want it! Since I've been home there have been a few things holding me back from really looking into going back, but as I sat before the Lord and reflected on the month home, and the year away I knew that I need not worry anymore. I'm so excited to feel free from the things that have been holding me back.
Anyways the whole point of this story is this... I decided to take a different way home to avoid monotony and as the road turned westward instead of north I got to see the most beautiful sunset I've seen since being in Uganda. The sunset drew my attention, but a cloud held it. I'm not one of those people that can see shapes in clouds real easily. Like if I'm looking at the clouds with someone and they say, "aw, cool... see that heart?" I can never see the heart, but I say I can see it. :) So as I'm driving, captured by the presence of the Lord and looking at the sunset, one of the only clouds around was clearly in the shape of a cross. Not only was it a cross, but it was a cross in use. It was Jesus on the cross and it was God reminding me of all of the things He can handle and I cannot. I watched the cloud for a half hour as it took other shapes, but eventually right before it completely dissipated it became the shape of an angel. I knew without a doubt that it was an angel and seeing as though I normally can't even see a simple shape like a heart, I knew that God was allowing me to see it. The whole time I was gazing silently at the cloud beautiful songs of worship were playing over the radio. It was such a sweet time with Jesus.
So, now I'm home and I'm back to work. I'm actually looking for another job because I have too many bills to try and pay off. Maybe I'll work two jobs. Who knows, but I know I want to get back to Uganda ASAP and I know that I have school loans looming over me every second.
I get to hang out with Nick Strong this weekend, which is really exciting. He was in Uganda during the same time that I was. It'll be nice to chat with someone who personally knows all the stuff I'm talking about with Africa. :)
Would you be in prayer with me about my finances and my future? Please continue praying for my friends and family here and across the globe. Many people are having rough times right now trying to deal with life and all that comes with it.
Also please continue to remember Lino and family in your prayers as he will be traveling (Sudan). Pray for his safety and PLEASE pray for his health. Tomorrow is his birthday and I'm really sad to not be celebrating with him... in general I'm missing everything about Uganda. Prayer for that would be great.
Love you all!
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