Happy Friday!
Last weekend began the first cold in our house for the season. It was my littlest, who is 4. With a runny nose and cough, now she couldn't go to her regular activities, not to Sunday school, gymnastics or Awana. It was so hard for her to understand, many tears involved. My mama heart just felt really sad for her. A deep reminder that caring for and loving others can come at a cost.
She might have kept me up one night with all her coughing. Three years after her transplant and I still get that lurching in my gut when she coughs like that. With that in mind, I got a call this week that her blood test results show she has 50% of her T cells!! This is actually the highest her percentage has ever been!
So we are praising the Lord for all He has done, and continues to do in her physical healing and in our lives through the journey.
What has your journey looked like this week?
This week on the blog: How to Grow A Thankful Heart
Here are some articles I found around the web this week. I hope you find them helpful and encouraging!
Sarah Hilkmen writes a letter, "to the 7-year old Sarah who declared to the Lord, “I’ll be anything you want me to be but PLEASE don’t make me be a cross-cultural worker” What would you write to your 7 year old self?
These Manitoba neighbours help a farmer in need this harvest
What happens when a farmer's daughter is hit by a car during harvest season, staying in hospital with concern for her wellbeing, while crops on the field need to get harvested. Be encouraged by these neighbours and their gift of love.
It might be interesting to consider that discipleship doesn't happen by chance. Not just by attending a worship service, or spending time with believers. Intentional, purposeful growth in faith happens at a heart and relational level. Here's 4 key aspects to think about.
Part of Crossway's 'How to Pray' series, this article by Conrad Mbewe was encouraging and insightful into the praise and prayer points for the African church.
A good perspective for us as we struggle with the health concerns of the pandemic. "In short, what is happening in the US is not persecution. It’s disruptive. It’s painful. It’s inconvenient. It’s possibly illegal in some cases. But it’s not persecution."
This article may shock you. I'd heard of Katie Davis, but not of Renee Bach. Acting ethically in missions is a huge concern, and, for me personally, a big concern especially with short-term missions. If we approach missions as heroes, we act as a savior, not reflecting The Savior. "Renee Bach’s story is our story, the story of American individualistic missions, where we become the heroes of our stories."
October is pregnancy awareness month, so here's a review I wrote on Liz Mannegren's book Embrace: Clinging to Christ in the Pain of Pregnancy Loss. I give it 5 stars. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone struggling with loss, or miscarriage.
