It’s so silly how things like this really get to me. Or, I should say, I let them get to me. I specifically woke up early (6:30) to ensure enough cyber space. Then, when it doesn’t work it frustrates me. Makes me think of Peter Pan when Tink tells him to think of “happy thots.” Or, in the words of the Hymnist: “Count Your Blessings…” Here goes:
1. The beautiful pinkish sunrise…perhaps rain today?
2. The happy children who greet me everyday as I drive down my lane…happy despite their difficult lives.
3. I am healthy and my family is healthy.
4. I get to have my children around me everyday instead of sending them off to boarding school and only seeing them once every 3 weeks.
5. There is adventure around every corner yet to be explored by us..even just outside our gate!
6. The crops are growing as we’ve had good rain. This promises food for our hungry neighbors.
7. I can teach the Bible to my kids everyday ,pray freely as well as teach Science from a Creation standpoint and history from a Sovereign point of view and I don’t get in trouble at all for it! Home school has its blessings!
8. I’m surrounded by amazingly, Godly people who walk in Truth, love, mercy, and grace.
9. The friends God has given me are truly “iron sharpening iron” kinda friends.
10. My kids have access to music lesson and art lessons from really skilled people.
11. Our new students are truly amazing and excited to learn. God has opened up their hearts and minds to learn all the new things and grasp them fairly quickly.
12. We get to hear amazing stories every day of God’s intervention into the lives of His children. Stories like Mama Eliza, our new student. She didn’t know how to read but really wanted to read the Bible desperately. She prayed and asked her merciful Father in heaven to help her. He miraculously gave her the ability to read…all at once. Now, she is so happy to read and eager to share her testimony of God’s greatness with others.
13. We live in such a beautiful place…right in the midst of God’s gorgeous creation...flowers and trees galore, donkeys, mountains, streams, villages of people, etc. Truly peaceful.
14. We have a well deep enough to supply water to the surrounding areas to bless the community.
15. Down the road is a lovely, Tanzanian Catholic Sister who has become a dear friend. I marvel at her loving, servant heart. She inspires me.
16. I have a wonderful church to be a part of…here in the middle of Africa.
17. I feel at peace when I can sit on my patio or balcony and look out at all the beauty, listen to the birds sing, watch the trees sway in the breeze, hear the children’s laughter coming from our neighbors next door…
18. We are afforded simplicity here. It’s good to get back to the basics of simple life.
19. Cows milk..we milk our own cows. I boil it every day to kill any bacteria and my family can enjoy good, wholesome, organic milk.
20. Watching Meg play with the children of our students. It doesn’t matter if they can’t always understand each other. “Play” is a language of it’s own.
21. It blesses me to watch Meg “prepare” her “ABC and English” lessons to take over to teach the kids.
22. Whenever I can’t find one of my kids I’m thankful they have an 8 acre compound where they are playing somewhere. Meg is most always found around the Tanzanian students, overlooking as they play checkers or something. ☺
23. My kids enjoy going down to the student dining hall to share in “chai” or “tea time” with them.
24. There’s actually a group called “Young Life” here for Savannah to be involved in.
25. We’re blessed with God’s protection in many ways. One way is on the roads. With all the potholes, broken edges, big bossy trucks, buses, carts, people, animals, bikes, etc….He has protected us and we’ve always arrived safely.
26. After 14 flat tires God provided funds to purchase two new tires! Yay!
27. The reality that my God is Emmanuel…He is WITH me..all the time, in every situation. Such comfort and confidence in that!
28. Laughter…guffawing kinda laughter…the kind that makes your side hurt but your heart warm.
29. Raising my hands and singing to the top of my lungs in worship, not worrying about what others think of me. It’s just me and my Lord!
30. Finding a yummy cereal under $9 that is fresh and doesn’t taste like soap or the box it came in. ☺ Rare find!
31. Getting packages from home.
32. Being able to tithe and praying it thru as a family how we want to be a part of blessing others.
33. Watching my children grow in their giftings and in their love for our Lord.
34. Board games as a family.
35. Snack night…every Sunday night.
36. Quiet weekends..rarety.
37. Busy weekends…my kids having their friends over and vice versa. Watching them play together.
38. I love having such diverse friends, Tanzanian, South African, Korean, Australian, New Zealanders, Canadians, British, Sri Lankan, Indian, Singaporean, Philipino, Americans, etc..
39. The beauty of God’s body…His believers!
40. Electricity. It goes off nearly every day. I love the joy of when it suddenly flips back on. Everyone is so excited. ☺
41. Colors…I love color!
42. Music..all kinds..well, except rap and hip-hop! ☺
43. Snuggling my kids.
44. When they snuggle back, no matter how old they get.
45. Long walks with my ipod…listening to sermons, worship music, etc.
46. Turning the music up real load and dancing with my kids.
47. The smell of coffee brewing..then sharing that cuppa with family/friends.
48. Fun, pretty coffee cups that make enjoying a cuppa so much more fun.
49. Red…the color red just makes me feel so warm and invites fun.
50. First morning greetings from my kids as they come down the stairs.
51. Seeing Wes develop into such a sweet, young man…playing with sling shots, whittling with his cool pocket knife, digging out in the field, etc.
52. Watching my girls grow in purity, innocence, and inner beauty as well as outer beauty.
53. Owl City, Jimmy Needham, Kari jobe, Never Shout Never, Colbie Calliat, Starfield….so many more!
Okay…I could go on and on but I must finish for now to get the day started. Wow.. my disposition has truly changed! It really does help to count your blessings. I have so many and many more that I haven’t even counted yet. What fun!!!! I encourage everyone to do it. ☺
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