Intentional Thanksgiving 3

I haven't been able to post because I have been without Internet the past few days, and I only have it now for just a bit. However, I have been keeping up with my list of things I am thankful for. Here is my list from the past few days...

Tuesday...

16. I'm thankful for my Texas roots :)

17. I'm thankful also that God brought me to Iowa and made it feel like home.

18. I'm also thankful for Target, which may seem silly but I just love that store and I know I'll miss it in NZ.

19. I'm thankful that the Lord's loving kindness never ceases!

20. I'm thankful for my best friend Mindi and that no matter how far apart we are, we are able to pick up where we left off.

On Wednesday I was thankful for...

21. Big comfy sweatshirts.

22. Movie nights with Andy.

23. Our small group at church- they are some of our closest friends!

24. Having 2 amazing sisters who I love so much!

25. Having a wonderful brother that I love and am so thankful for!

On Thursday I was thankful for...

26. Delicious Thanksgiving food!

27. Fun and laughter with family.

28. Black Friday shopping (mostly for the memories).

29. For family nearby to celebrate the holidays with.

30. I am also thankful that God has given me so much to be thankful for, both now and for eternity!

Intentional Thanksgiving 2

"I WILL MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING"

Psalm 69:30b

From Sunday...

6.  I'm thankful for our prayer and financial partners that have generously and selflessly supported us over the years and through this time of transition.

7. I am thankful for the amazing woman that God has put into my life to invest in at Iowa State.

8. I love a good book and I am so thankful for them!  I'm especially thankful for my current favorite book, We Would See Jesus, and the impact it has had on my life over the years. 

9. I'm thankful for coffee shops and the inevitable good conversations that happen there.

10. I am so thankful for my family, both the ones that have known me since birth and the family I married into.  I love them so much and am thankful for all the ways they have loved and cared for Andy and I.

Today...

11. I am so thankful for Duane and Danelle Jensen and for how they have selflessly opened up their home to us and let us be a part of their family.

12. I'm thankful that God's timing is perfect, and that nothing catches Him by surprise.

13. I'm thankful for fun friends that I can spend the whole day with shopping, doing crafts, or any other kind of excuse we can come up with to hang out!

14. I'm thankful for rest and the occasional nap!

15. I am thankful for our church family at Grand Avenue Baptist.  I'm am so blessed by all the ways they have loved us, supported us, and have helped us to grow in our walks with God. 

Magnify Him With Thanksgiving

Yesterday I was meeting with a young woman named Lauren who is a student at Iowa State and is a precious friend.  We talked about Thanksgiving coming up and how easy it is to be ungrateful and miss out on all the wonderful blessings we have in Christ.  We committed to be intentionally thankful this Thanksgiving, so we are keeping a list of 5 new things every day to thank God for.  My hope is that we all will not merely feast on food during this holiday, but on the sweet blessings of our Savior. I've decided I want to share my list with you that you might rejoice and magnify Him with me and give thanks of your own.

Sometimes it can be really hard for me to be thankful.  Even in the midst of wonderful things going on around me, I have the terrible impulse to zero-in on what's going "wrong", i.e. what's not going "my way".  There are times when I think I have been patient enough and thankful enough for long enough and I finally have a right to be ungrateful.

The truth is, I never have that right.  Even in the midst of pain, despair, loss, hurt, grief, disappointment .. God's calls me to rejoice, to be thankful.  And the beautiful thing is that God loves me and cares about my joys AND my griefs, and He wants to give me the eternal perspective to be able to face both with courage and hope.  

I was impacted recently by an excerpt from A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent.  He says "The more absorbed I am in the gospel, the more grateful I become in the midst of my circumstances, whatever they may be... The gospel reminds me first that what I actually deserve from God is a full cup churning with the torments of His wrath.  This is the cup that would be mine to drink if I were given what I deserve each day.  With this understanding in mind, I see that to be handed a completely empty cup from God would be cause enough for infinite gratitude   If there were merely the tiniest drop of blessing contained in that otherwise empty cup, I should be blown away by the unbelievable kindness of God toward me.  That God, in fact, has given me a cup that is full of "every spiritual blessing in Christ," and this without the slightest admixture of wrath, leaves me truly dumbfounded with inexpressible joy..."

Only with my eyes turned toward God and what He has done, what He has saved me from and saved me into, am I at last enabled to be continually thankful.

"... I WILL MAGNIFY HIM WITH THANKSGIVING" 
Psalm 69:30b

1. Thinking on what Milton Vincent said, I am thankful that God's cup runs over with spiritual blessings on my life.  He shows me love and grace and forgiveness and eternal life though His Son.

2. I'm thankful today that I am spared from the wrath that I deserve.

3. I am thankful for my husband Andy who loves God and myself deeply.  I know Andy would give his life for me and I can't think of a better picture of God's great love for me.

4. I'm thankful for all the laughter in my life because of the people that are in it.

5. I'm thankful that our NZ Immigration Officer acted on our visa application quickly.  And even though we aren't approved yet, she let us know exactly what she is looking for.  I am most thankful about this because it reminds me that God is the one in control and He wants to help us learn to trust in Him more and more.

Visa Applications Submitted!

After around 20 hours of work, ten passport-sized photos, two trips to the doctor's office, thirty international emails, three phone calls to the consulate office, and countless details sorted, Kathryn and I have submitted our visa applications to work and live in New Zealand!

All in all, I'm guessing it was around 100 pieces of paper!

Between the people in New Zealand that we know and the information we have found online, it appears that approval for visas will take between two weeks to three months! We are praying that it is much closer to the former than the latter- please pray with us!

Depending on when we get these back, we hope to move to NZ in early to mid January! This would give us time to get settled a bit before students arrive on campus in early March!

We have enjoyed learning more and more about the people and culture that we are moving to; we have especially enjoyed their unique sense of humor. The following video is a great example of that, we hope to watch it on the plane soon!