Sunny Days

Ephesians 3:16-21
¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ever since college, this passage has been one of my go-to passages when I am struggling. When I feel like there is no way I can endure what I am going through and when I feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, I read this passage and am struck with how much God loves me and I desire afresh to be filled with the fullness of his power.

God has certainly showed me this week that He really can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. This week has brought nothing but good news. On Monday, I found out that one of my sister's prayer requests had been answered in a big way and I also found out that a scholarship reccomendation that I had written for one of the girls at our church was approved. On Tuesday, I received a large cash bonus from my place of employment. Though we were instructed not to share the exact amount of the bonus, I can assure you that it is definitely more than I could have asked or imagined! Bonuses are definitely not routine at Trinity, so this was a great reminder that my finances are under God's control, not mine.

Needless to say, my spirits have been pretty upbeat this week, not to mention that I have LESS THAN ONE WEEK until I see my husband! I will be leaving for the airport at 3:00 a.m. next Wednesday. Raul will actually get in to Puerto Varllarta the day before I do, so he will be able to meet me at the airport when I arrive. Our friend's brother was able to find us a very affordable hotel in downtown Puerto Vallarta to stay in, so all of the details seem to be taken care of. I have quite an extensive list of things to bring to Raul, so packing could be a challenge. Among the things on the list are fishing poles, a basketball, and baking supplies. He is a well rounded individual! :)

Raul is feeling a lot more at home in Santa Monica now. He has gotten to know many of the people there and has his usual group of friends that he plays basketball with. He's been attending a church there. He doesn't agree with some of its teachings, but it has at least given him a place to meet people and it is forcing him to search the Scriptures to see why he believes what he believes. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Raul ends up staying in Santa Monica for most if not all of his time in Mexico.

Speaking of his time in Mexico...we are still waiting to find out the date for his first consular interview. Apparently, they are restructuring the way applications are being processed and this has created a longer wait time for applicants. Though the first month apart has gone somewhat quickly, I get a little freaked out at the thought that we have many more months to go. It's a daily struggle for me to give up the timing of everything to God. I find that I am in much more of a hurry than He is most of the time. :)

All of your prayers are still very much appreciated. Though this week has been a good week, last week was a pretty rough one for me. I find myself thinking of my Dad more often these days  and I could use prayers for comfort for me and my family as we continue to grieve the loss of my precious father. Please also pray for safety for Raul and me as we travel to and from Puerto Vallarta. Also, I know it will be very hard for me to say good-bye to him when our vacation is over, so prayers of encouragement for both of us would also be greatly appreciated.

Blessed beyond belief

The countdown has begun and I officially have less than three weeks until I will be soaking in the sun with my hubby in Puerto Vallarta. I'm sure time will fly as I try to get ahead on homework so that I can unplug from everything and enjoy quality time with Raul. What a blessing it is to have a day on the calendar to look forward to. I am also extremely thankful that we chose to save our wedding gift money so that we can enjoy the time together without stressing about how we're going to pay for it!

Raul has sounded much more upbeat the last few times I have spoken with him. He has created projects for himself so he is busy most every day and time doesn't seem to drag as much for him now as it did when he first arrived in Santa Monica. His day begins with breakfast and coffee with his grandpa and then he travels to his grandma's house to check in on her and Lupita. While there, he enjoys some lunch and helps out wherever he is needed. He has also started feeding and watering Lupita's pigs and he slips some food scraps to her dogs as well. Those of you who know Raul, know that he has a soft spot when it comes to dogs so it's hard for him to see her scrawny dogs without doing something to fatten them up.  In the past week, he painted his grandpa's doors and replaced a gate for Lupita. He also has plans to help his uncle pick pumpkins from his pumpkin patch. So, at least he's feeling a little more productive now and he enjoys helping out his family.

Raul is also learning that news (good or bad, truth or lies) travels fast in a small town. While he was working on Lupita's gate, he accidently struck a water line. Since it was nothing more than a rubber hose a few feet beneath the surface, the water started spurting out. Before he could travel home to get supplies to fix it, everyone in the whole town knew about it! There were also rumors about him being so drunk that he had to be carried home to his father's house. However, I'm pretty sure that whoever started that rumor was mistaken since I talked to him the same day that was supposed to have happened and he sounded just fine to me! Ahhh, it reminds me a bit of growing up in Iowa. :)

We still continue to count our many blessing and are increasingly thankful for our family and friends who support us in more ways than we can count. While the future is still pretty uncertain for us, I can't help but be a little excited about what God is us preparing for. There are so many things in my life that I can look back on and see how God was working out all of the details. I know that someday down the road, this adventure will be no different.