getting back in the swing of things:)

I've been back in HK for a week now and it is not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I anticipated homesickness like before, if not worse, but I'm ok! It is purely a blessing from the Lord that I am more than content. I have a new resolve and hunger for the work Christ has for me and I look forward to what happens in the next few months. I had an amazing 2 weeks at home in Texas with my family and friends. Looking back it seems more like 2 days than 2 weeks but while I was there I cherished every second. Being back feels like I never left. I didn't really have much jet lag but I have been blessed with a lot of time to sleep so that could be why:)

The youth are excited to get back to Shillage as am I. I've enjoyed getting to spend time with them and hang out and getting back into a routine.

I have begun to read Captivating by John and Stasi Elderdge. Through this book I am getting a different view of God and it has really changed the way I interact and regard Him. One of the first verses I remember memorizing in Bible Drill was Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them." I have always known I was made in His image but this book really breaks down females and our desires from childhood to adulthood. It is a book about relationships but it sheds some important light on the most important relationship of all. God is the author of the best love story of all times, who better to look to for guidance in that department.

I'm not sure what this year will bring but I trust God, thanking Him for the good and knowing He will hold me through the struggles and trials. It is only for a little while that we will endure these trials, but these trials are the fire that refines our faith. I have to keep in mind that this life is just the dress rehearsal, not the main performance. Opening night comes at Christ's return and the curtain call will never come. This world is not my home, I am called to "live your lives as stranger here, in revernt fear"(1 Peter 1:17). We have so few days to do the work God has put us here for, so with the new year comes a new urgency for me. Facing each day as a blank canvas, well more like a paint by number, God has the plans all laid out, all I have to do is paint where He tells me.

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12