Change of Plan

Well, plans must change sometimes. With the unrest in Thailand the last couple of weeks, my plans to visit have been altered. Please keep this situation in your thoughts. I will still be going to China, however the trip might be shorter than originally scheduled and I won't be going to Thailand anymore. It seems like a very confusing situation, but I'm thankful that the violence has stopped. It appears that the issue has not been resolved, but merely silenced for the moment.

Giving & Receiving

In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give;
life can be rich only with such realization.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison

Wow, did this message ever hit home for me tonight! It's been awesome to see His provision through the last few months. The expenses of this trip have been on my mind alot, and I've often let it take over too much of my thoughts. I know He is in control, and it has been a challenge realizing that. It is said, "It is better to give than to receive." Maybe that is because we never can truly grasp the concept of how much we have been given already and how much others give to us daily. Sometimes the impact of one's gift lasts for years. Often I have forgotten how precious each individual life is. This realization brings with it a responsibility to use our precious gift of life to help and benefit others.

New Beginnings

This post will be hopefully the first of many as I get ready for this summer. I will be traveling to China and teaching English for a couple of weeks. Before that happens, I will be preparing my heart and mind for the many relationships I will hopefully be establishing. I'm so excited for this opportunity to give what I can to someone else; however I am approaching this experience with a real understanding that I will most likely learn much more from others than anything I can hope to teach. Please keep this time in your thoughts and prayers.