Boards and Prayer Request

Thank you so much to everyone who was praying for our board exams. They seemed to go better than expected, although we won't know our results for 4-6 weeks. We are so glad to have them finished--although it seems to mark the beginning of the end, as far as our time in the States goes.
In my last blog I was talking about being thankful. In the last line I joked about remembering to be thankful when the kids are fighting. For me, my biggest challenges have just been keeping an attitude of gratefulness during the day-to-day struggles I have as a wife, mother, doctor, etc. But as I wrote that line, I thought about all of the people who have to choose to thank God, praise Him and trust Him when circumstances are much tougher--loss of job, loss of health, etc.
I was reminded of this again when we returned home from our test and had received a very sad email from Malawi. The husband of one of my Bible study friends there was killed instantly in a head-on car crash on Tuesday afternoon. Please pray for Katie, his wife, and her 3 girls during this difficult time. Thank you.

I want to be thankful..

Our small group at Feed my Starving Children, 10/31

"I want to be thankful, I want to be grateful, I want to remember everything that the Lord has done..."

These are the words to one of the songs we listen to in the car with the kids. When we arrived in the states, my mom gave us a tape of all of the songs from the Vacation Bible School she worked at this summer. The kids love the upbeat songs and it's so great to hear them belting out the words in the car--God must be pleased when He hears them. =)

But I am touched by the words, too. How simple, yet profound, to always be thankful for what the Lord has done.

We just spent a weekend celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family and we certainly have much to be thankful for. But there are the days when I'm in a bad mood, or things don't seem to be going my way and I'd rather feel sorry for myself. But even in those times, God calls us to be thankful, too. I'm glad this song gets stuck in my head from time to time, because it's a good reminder of all I have to be thankful for in Christ.

Some of the highlights of November that we are thankful for was:

A chance to help out at Feed my Starving Children with our small group (ok, this was actually Oct. 31)

A trip to visit Mike's sister Lori and her family and her church in AZ.

Sydney's 7th birthday!

The chance to connect with so many supporters and get updates on what's happening in people's lives.

Of course, Thanksgiving and its many celebrations with family and friends.

We are thankful, and we are grateful. Now, if I could just remember this when the kids are fighting... =)