Thankfulness in my heart

I have five months left in Uganda.  Sometimes I feel the anxiety creeping in as I think about life changes, saying a multitude of goodbyes to people and a place that I love so much, reentering life in America, all that has to happen before I head to Kenya, the list goes on.  As a team we have been studying Colossians.  In Chapter 3 there is a verse that says “Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart and be thankful.”  I am not so good at letting the peace of Christ run my life.

A friend of mine came over to pray a week or so ago.  She is a single parent who really needs a job.  She has a lot on her mind... a lot she could be anxious about.  She said that a friend had told her she needed to read her Bible and she came upon Philippians 4.  Guess what that says?  Don’t get anxious about anything... but talk to God about it and be thankful and the peace of Christ will guard your heart.  I like that picture of peace being a guard.  It is not like hard things are going to stop coming at me.  I still have to deal with all that stuff.  But as the arrows come the peace of Christ keeps my heart safe.    

So what keeps me safe?  How can I let the peace of Christ rule in my heart?  By being thankful, by remembering God’s faithfulness to me and what he has already done. These are just a few of the things I have to be thankful for.

One of my biggest fears coming into this was being lonely, God has been so faithful to provide roommates.  So far I have had 8 different roommates and only about 2 weeks of being alone.

My entire family... Mom, Dad Randy, Rachel came all the way to Uganda to see me this year!  

I have an awesome team here in Bundibugyo that is like a family.

God has blessed me with great Ugandan friends.

I get to live in an incredibly beautiful place with lush green everywhere, towering mountains, and it is WARM almost every day. The sun makes me so happy :)

God has directed my path and showed me where to take the next step as I make plans to teach at RVA.

God in all his glory and in perfect happiness left heaven because I could not come to him.  And he came down to be with me.  

I have a lot to be thankful for and God’s faithfulness to me is never ceasing!  And this is PEACE!