That Cheese Plate and Other Things

Happy Summer to you!

Most of my good friends in Memphis (including my roomie) work in hospitals so they all hate me right about now.  Sleeping in, watching KLG and Hoda, and going to the pool are high on my priority list during these two beautiful and fleeting months of the year. (Don't worry- I wear SPF 70.)

I know you're all still wondering what was so great about that cheese plate I mentioned in my first post.  Well here is a picture.  Isn't it so artful and heavenly?

Moving on from the cheese plate, I want to share some things I've been learning.  Since the last post, I turned THIRTY.  I know most of the older people reading this are thinking, "You're so young!"  BUT it took me a minute to think that thirty is a sweet spot.  A couple of years ago I started googling actors' and actresses' ages because I started noticing my occasional gray hairs and what I thought were sun spots.  I'm so vain!

One of my goals in 2016 was to turn thirty with a thankful heart and not be consumed by not being where I thought I'd be at this stage of my life, which was vacationing at Disney with my five children.  I was going to be the prepared mom with plenty of sunscreen, snacks, and band-aids, and ready for anything.

What God has done in my life has been very unexpected, fulfilling, and hard-- but lovely.  At age 30 I am exponentially more confident in who God has made me to be. Praise Him for also shifting my focus off of myself and onto His kingdom.

This morning I was reading the She Reads Truth study on Acts.  The passage was about Peter, who through the Holy Spirit, healed the lame man who sat at the temple begging.

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.  And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.  Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.  And Peter directed his gaze at him, as John did, and said, "Look at us."  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.  Acts 3:1-8

The lame man was asking for coins because coins were his immediate need but God wanted to give him complete healing.  God is always working to give us what is best, which is more of Himself (hard pill to swallow and understand).  At age 27, I wanted to get married so I got on eharmony to make that happen.  But God, through my broken engagement, wanted to give me much more.  He wanted me to truly cling to Him.  He wanted me to become securely rooted in these two truths: GOD IS SOVEREIGN and GOD LOVES ME.  He knew what was coming. He knew I would be moving to other side of the globe.  He used all that happened in the past two years to catapult me into the next stage of my life to fulfill the deepest desires of my heart.

I'm so thankful for the past two years for many reasons.  I can now sit with depressed and hurting people and say, "I'm so sorry.  I get it."  I'm glad God didn't leave me where I was- entangled in the sin of idols.  (Still a daily battle)  God is in the business of exceeding our expectations.  He is in the business of restoration, healing, and making His bride, the church, beautiful.

Praise Him for His beauty, His majesty, and His omnipotence!

Follow me to the Far East!

Hello, friends!

I'm excited to be sharing with you some tidbits from my life.  I want to document my journey from Memphis to Singapore so that I can look back one day and say, "Wow! What an incredible thing God did!"  Some major changes are coming, including turning thirty, and I want to be as transparent about the mountaintop experiences as well as the valleys.  I want this blog to point to the Creator of every good and perfect gift.  Everything good that exists comes from our gracious Father in heaven.  Enter Foretastes of Eternity.  An example of a foretaste of eternity would be that indescribable peace that overcomes you that can only be explained by the God of the universe.  Followers of Jesus know what I'm talking about.  I want us all to be looking for foretastes of eternity in our own lives.  I also think little things like the warmth of a long hug from a good friend or the smell of honeysuckle on a cool summer night are foretastes of eternity.  I was enjoying a new spot in Memphis called Loflin Yard last night and thoroughly enjoyed a pricey cheese plate.  The weather was perfect, sunset light shining through the trees, and I was pointed heavenward as I ate olives and bleu cheese.  We will be feasting in Heaven and an artfully and thoughtfully prepared fancy cheese plate reminds me of the beauty of our Creator.  The finest cheeses, the freshest produce, perfectly pickled onions and carrots.  The bounty of God!  FRIENDS, we are the "Easter people"! (A phrase coined by Pope John Paul II)  I have to remind myself daily and sometimes hourly that we are living in redemption.  We have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe!  We are co-heirs with Christ.  We are co-heirs with the Son of God!  God loved us so much that He sent His Son to live a perfect life and die as an atonement for the whole world.  Living with these truths tattooed to our hearts will help us live in a way that encourages us to fulfill Catechism question #1: What is the chief end of man? Answer: To glorify God and enjoy Him forever! (Thank you, Presbyterian upbringing.) We are sojourners merely passing through!  Our joy, peace, and hope comes through Christ alone.  May we be filled with Him!

You might be thinking "Why Singapore?" "What are you going to be doing?" "Where will you live?"  Firstly, I'd like to share with you what led up to this point.  For a few years, I'd been restless and asking God what He wanted me to do.  I absolutely loved my job teaching second grade at Briarcrest but had a desire to do something outside of my comfort zone.  I grew up in Memphis, went to Ole Miss, and never thought teaching internationally could be a reality in my life because my roots were so firmly planted in Memphis.  I've always loved the beauty of other cultures and traveling and adventure but for many reasons He's had me right here in Memphis for nearly thirty years.

Last fall I met the founders of NICS (Network of International Christian Schools) in my Sunday school class at Harvest Church.  As soon as I met them and saw their love for Christ, I decided to apply and walk toward teaching abroad.  I met with the NICS placement coordinators about a month or so later to see where I would be a best fit.  I was completely open to anywhere, however I was more drawn to Asian cultures.  One of the placement coordinators was a big fan of Singapore, saying it was such a "city of light", it was so clean, and every time she visited she wanted to stay!  So I started researching Singapore and decided to apply through NICS directly to International Community School- Singapore.  I had an hour long Skype interview with the Director and Elementary Principal and shortly after my interview I was hired to teach first grade! I got the offer of the position email on our snow day and had decided that if they offered me the position I was going to take it.  I had been communicating with my family about this endeavor for several months so this was not a complete shock to them.  Although it has been a process and I can't imagine having a child move to the other side of the globe, my parents have been very supportive and tried to be considerate and help me in my new venture.  I have their blessing and it means the world to me.

For those who've walked with me through the past couple of years, you know that the above mentioned about what led up to this new season only scratches the surface of how the Lord has worked in my life.  The Lord has been faithful to discipline me, weed out idols in my heart, and point me to getting to know Him for HIM and not just for things He can give me.  I'm looking forward to depending on the Lord in a new way.  I know that He has provisions in the Far East, just as He's placed gracious provisions in my life up to this point.  I have a feeling that I am about to experience lots of foretastes of eternity as I move to the other side of the globe.

Commonly Asked Questions Answered:

When do you leave? July 21 and return December 17 for Christmas break

What will I be doing?  Teaching first grade at a Christian school (basically Briarcrest in Singapore); most of the children will kids of missionaries, business people, diplomats, etc.  I can't wait to get my class list of international names and develop relationships with these children and families!

Where will I live?  Probably with a teacher from my school in an apartment

How will I get to work?  Walking or the bus

What is the weather like?  Hot, Hotter, and Hottest

What language do they speak? English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil (I won't need to learn an additional language because all Singaporeans grow up learning English.)

What can you take with you?  I think like three suitcases.

What is the time difference? 14 hours

How long does it take to get there?  Approximately 30 hours

Singapore is very Western.  Apparently there is a Starbucks on every corner.  I'm looking forward to traveling around to nearby places like Bangkok, Bali, and oh NBD...our staff development over Thanksgiving break is in Hong Kong!

My To Do List as of April 24, 2016:

Sell my cute house I've lived in for six years

Sell my car

Sell most all of my stuff

Eat a lot of delicious Memphis food and soak up time with family and friends

Ways you can pray:

Pray for my parents, that they would experience supernatural peace.

Pray for the sale of my house, car, etc.

Pray that my heart would become more like Jesus' heart and that I would see people as Jesus sees them.

Thank you for praying!