A perfect plan.

I have been in California for over a month now.

Yeah - that is crazy.

It seems like yesterday that I was feeling sick because I was stressing so much about what I needed to do before I left. Remember, I am a worry wort.

 Now I am here, and pretty much stress free.

It is so wonderful to be here.

Let me try and fill you in a bit more.

So, I don't have a visa yet. I am here on a visitor visa and just visiting with my friends.

I am getting a glimpse of what life would be like if I lived here.

So far, I like what I see.

I have been so encouraged since I got here. Everyday, in the little things.

The Lord sure has surrounded me with the some of the greatest people.

But at the back of my mind there is always this visa.

I can't hardly say "If I get this visa"

I have to say "when I get this visa"

I worry about it and think about it a lot.

I find myself thinking "what if" I don't get the visa, then what will I do?

My mind wanders onto plan making.

Over the past couple of weeks the Lord has really been working in me to change my attitude.

Do I trust that the Lord has a perfect plan for me? Yes.

Do I believe that if I don't get this visa that the Lord has something else in store? Yes.

Do I sometimes forget to leave it all in the Lord's hands and take a step back? Eh, yes.

I believe that whatever the government decides about my visa, the Lord is in control.

Being reminded of this really puts a smile on my face.

My prayer is that I don't forget this.

I take comfort in knowing that His will be done.

On Saturday our friends celebrated their 8th Wedding Annvirsary.

Every year when this date comes round I am so thankful for them.

I get excited when I think about it.

Maybe that will be my next post.

Such a beautiful story showing the Lord weaving away at His masterpiece.

They are a big part of the reason that I am sitting in California writing this.

But the Lord plays the lead role.

The Lord has a perfect, wonderful plan for all of us.

'For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

So thankful for this.

"I will yet praise Him, my great Redeemer
I will yet stand up and give Him glory with my life
He takes my darkness and He turns it into light
I will yet praise Him, my Lord my God"

I Have a Hope - Tommy Walker.

Praying that I will praise Him and give Him glory in everything I do, knowing that I have hope in Him.

Work.

So...I have been really struggling at work.

We have basically got a new management team and they have a very different style to our previous management.

Don't get me wrong, I get on really well with them and I really like them.

But it is just very different just now.

There is a very different atmosphere and the staff are pretty down.

Me included.

I came home from work the other day and had a pretty bad attitude.

I decided that I wasn't going to do anything to help anyone.

I decided that I didn't even care if things went wrong, I was just going to look out for myself.

Yeah, it wasn't pretty at all.

So me and my bad attitude got home and I was adament that I was going to be horrible.

Later that night I was doing my bible study and I don't think it was any accident that I was directed to this passage.

"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ² Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ" Colossians 3:23-24

Yeah, message heard. Loud and clear, Lord.

So my attitude has changed. I am not working for the people that are making me miserable and putting me down everyday.

I was working for my Father who brings me joy, protects me and loves me.

Makes it so much easier to get through the day.

Living each day for the Lord, and working each day for Him too.

Needed this reminder, do you?



Are you having a HAM sandwich?

So here I go again. I get into a groove of posting lots, then I don't...then I do...then I don't! Ah. This has something to do with me leaving the house at 7am and not getting home til 9PM! I really don't like this, at all. But that pretty much sums up my week last week. All my days filled with hours like this. When I have weeks like this I eat really bad, like baaaad. I maybe manage to grab a bowl of cereal before I go to work, but usually it is a banana. Then sometimes while I am at work I manage to steal some toast with banana (my faaaave!) And seriously, that is about it. Until the end of my day when there are left over desserts and we all have a little bit and sit down and chill out together. It is my favourite part of the day at work. We get to enjoy each other's company. I do love the people I work with. Sometimes it is really hard, but aren't we all hard to love sometimes? So there is my big excuse for no posts. I think it is a pretty good one, right?

We have had some fun time rounds here lately though. The baby brother is home for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!! He arrived home on Friday, late. I saw him after work on Saturday. Honestly I nearly cried when I saw him. I miss that boy a lot. I got a big bear hug from him, and made the most of it because I knew that I wouldn't be seeing many of those for these 2 weeks! I have taken a few days off work so that I actually get to see him. I know these 2 weeks will go quickly, so I am trying to make the most of it. I am the emotional sister. I cry a lot. When I'm happy, sad, scared...you name the occasion and I'll be crying. We were all out to lunch one day having a lovely time. A lady was sat opposite us, on her own, having lunch. I started crying. Yup. Everyone thought this was hilarious, and embarassing. I obviously thought it was pretty sad though. Anywaaay.

So. The other day we were out to lunch and I just new that I was going to be disappointed. I just had this feeling that whatever I wanted was NOT going to be on the menu today. And sure enough, I still haven't had a lemon chicken, mango chutney and rocket toasted ciabatta. Boo. So I ordered a ham sandwich. Sounds quite ordinary, right? Well my mother thought this was SO exciting. "a haaam sandwich? Did you hear that, Fin?" "yeah, whatever" - Fin has no interest at all. So wanna know why this was soooo exciting? Because for nearly 12 years I didn't eat red meat. Wanna know why? Well...we grew up on a farm (THE BEST!) and for a while there was a butcher shop down there. This didn't bother me. Until it did. I was looking out my window one day, and there was a delivery lorry outside. Then I saw it. Something that would change my meals for 12 years. I saw a little piggy over someone's shoulder...dead...skinned....still looking like a pig...but dead. I can still picture it and might be off meat again soon if I keep on thinking about it! So off I took my little 8 year old self downstairs to tell mum that I was going to be a vegetarian. She was not happy. So we had a little discussion and came to a compromise. I was going to stop eating red meat and just eat white meat. This meant I would still be eating chicken, turkey and fish. Fine by me. Because chicken was (and still is) my favourite. And this is the way it stayed for all those years. THEN early last year I was over at some friends and we went to lunch with more friends from Church. On the menu was roast beef. And I was being too shy to say no and felt that it would be too rude to not eat anything. So...I had some beef. I was terrified that I would throw up or something. But it was gooooood. And that was that. I am a meat eating girl again. And really, I knew that I would one day. After all, the Lord did intend for us to eat all these lovely things. Everytime I have been to California I haven't been eating red meat, well until last year. I was trying all sorts of yummy things!

I am going to leave you with a wee photo.



Photo from Google images.

There could be worse things to be surrounded by all day, everyday! It truely is beautiful.

"renew a steadfast spirit within me"

I know already did a post with the title "NEW year"..but I really didn't talk about 2011 at all. So here it is. I am excited for this year. I believe that it will hold many changes and challenges and I so ready for this. Last year I was so sure that I would be moving to California at some point during the year. This year I know that I will be moving to California, but I also know that this will be in God's time NOT mine. So maybe not even this year (I am praying that it is this year though) I am very encouraged by the fact that this is bigger than me and that there are many people praying about this with me. You can pray with us if you like? ♥
I am preparing myself to say good-bye to many dear friends, people that have been around me my whole life. This makes me a little bit sad.  But I know a lot about being far away from friends and still being close to them. I am not worried about losing touch with friends. I am worried about missing people, also something that I know a lot about. But aswell as saying farewell I will be saying a huge HELLO to my American family. And this I am excited about. When I first went to California in 2004 the LORD planted something sweet in my heart, in 2006 I said to my dear friend, Nikki, that one day I would be living over there and in 2009 the LORD told me it was time to get moving!

So really, I don't know what 2011 is going to hold. But I do know who's hands it is in and this fills be with confidence!

I got baptised when I was in California in 2009. Another dear friend of mine, Karen, read out the bible verse I chose. I should do a post on my baptism, it was definitely the LORD's decision. Anyway, the verse that I chose was Psalm 51:10
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
This is still my prayer.

One things for sure, in 2011 I will be praising the LORD.