This week in my life

God has been changing me and shaping me into more of what He wants me to be since I asked Jesus into my life at 6 years of age. There were years of no growth, and years of tremendous growth. The years of little or no growth were totally my own doing..or doing nothing. I have so much to say, but it will come in time. For now, I just wanted to get down what has been going on the last few days, weeks.
I have been visiting a new church for almost a month now. I have been overwhelmingly blessed since the day we walked in. It seems that everything I have been wanting for my family is in this church family. The choir, which I am now a member of, is smaller than I am used to, but it is wonderful. They have been so welcoming and helpful as I get my feet wet. I get numerous emails daily from different members, some telling me welcome to choir and some telling me they are praying for me...my husband is in Iraq, might I add. And the last week has been especially rough for me, because 5 years ago I had and lost my first child. She lived only 2 days and died unexpectedly only hours after we arrived home with her. Today is the only full day she was alive. I feel the prayers holding me together. I opened up about it in my class at church, and also via email to my choir friends. I was not going to, but really felt the Lord leading me to share my pains, because we are told to share our burdens. I am so glad that I did, because now there are many people lifting me up right now. THis year has been especially hard wince Tim is gone. Tim is my rock. He is the one I collapse on when times are hard. He is such a quiet strength for me. I am learning more about leaning on Jesus though this time of separation. The other day, he called me from the front lines, and told me to read Proverbs 31:11-12. I already knew the gist of the verses, from years of Bible study. But both of our phones were dying and he just wanted me to read it, because he had read it that day, and said "you have to read it, it is about you". Tim is still fairly new to the Bible reading. Little did he know that those verses describe the virtuous woman of the Bible. So I went and grabbed the Bible, already opened on the kitchen table, and got my mom in the room, and started reading...and sobbing..aloud. My favorite translation, the New American Standard Bible puts it this way:

Proverbs 31:

11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

12She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

I am thrilled that my husband hold me in this regard. I love him so much. I just pray he comes home to the kids and me. While I am here alone, I am learning more about the peace God gives me through reading His Word, and though the fellowship of other believers. 15 months is a very long time to be away from your husband, but I have the love of Christ to fill the hole in my heart. What more could I ask for? It is enough.