The other night I got to babysit my little cousin, Dakota. She clearly wasn't tired, but I had to put her to sleep - it was already 10:00. At about 10:30, she was just lying in her crib and talking galore. To who? I have no idea. Then I heard her say, "Thank you for Hannah, Mommy, Daddy, Dakooota." Then she kept on saying all of our names again. It was so sweet. Perhaps she was praying. I don't know, but this encouraged me that the Lord has His hand on her life.

God created the moon and the stars to be the light in the world admist the darkness.

Saturday night I was in a church service and the Lord showed me how this is an example how God can use His creation to teach the church.

Just as Timothy and Silas helped Paul raise his hands (maybe this was Stephen), God has the body of a church lift up the arms of their pastor. We can do this by praying for them, tithing, and supporting him in the decisions he makes.

The pastor can represent the moon and the church body represents all of the stars. God promised Abraham in Genesis that his decendents would be as numerous as the stars. (Genesis 15:5, Hebrews 11:12) In the same way, we all work together to be the light admist this darkened world.

Philippians 2:15 "that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."

Let us all strive to be the lights of this world and to support our leaders as God has called us to do.

Sometimes I wonder what all God is doing in my life.
I can seem Him working, and I can hear Him speaking.

Why is it that I will doubt when He does? Why is it that are certain things that He wouldn't speak to me about?

All day Sunday, I was wondering who was going to be proving the childcare during the Danny Daniels seminar. I felt that God had told me to work with the kids if they needed help. As always, the faithful youth were in the nursery. They are awesome servants. Yet, Paul and Erin were with all the other ages.

When I arrived at the church, I pulled in right behind the Greens. Zarah saw me and she just stared. After I had caught up with her family, she was still staring and then her family started walking. Finally after I started talking to her, she began walking as well. I decided I was going to go in so I can talk to her and her brother John. She insisted that I had to stay in there with her. Once again, God uses a child to confirm what He had been speaking to me all day.

It was such a blessing, every child there was a blessing. It was definitely a 3 person task, 2 people just wouldn't have been able to watch all of the children and to play with them. Thank You God for the little gifts that You give to me. Thank You for that gift on Sunday night.

This has been a very weird week for me. Monday night Kristen came up to me and said she just wanted to apologize for how she was mean to me at camp. I must say, there are things I would change when it comes to my behavior towards her that week. Yet, she apologized and I was in awe. It was so random and heartfelt. I owed her an apology as well.

Then the next night, I went to homegroup. The first think little Allison Lott said to me was, "Hannah, I am so sorry for all the times that I wasn't nice to you." I reassured her that she has been really nice to me lately. She responded with "I know but there were times where I wasn't nice to you. And I am sorry. I shouldn't have treated you that way." She's 4! I was mind boggled.

Lord, what are You trying to teach me through all of this? Should I be more forgiving and give more random acts of kindness? Are you trying to show me that You love me? Is this just part of the body of Christ and how we are to love one another? Is this a time of receiving? But Lord, I have been receiving so much lately! Whatever it is You are trying to teach me, You are blessing me in the process. I love how You use Your children - and sometimes little children - to teach me things. I just love You Lord for You are good and You know how to give presents to Your children. Thank You Lord for these.

Last week at home group, Kim said,
God gives you the desires of your heart,
after He puts His heart in you.

It's really true. I can see it with my jobs. The Lord put special needs children within my heart. He told me to work with them and now they are forever in my heart. Even though I don't work with them full time anymore, there's a part of my heart that belongs to them. Working with them part time is a way in which the Lord continues to give me the desires of my heart.

That same night we went through an exercise where we write something down that we want to hear from God on and that we want answered. Then we wrote what we would hope for the answer to be, what we wouldn't want the answer to be, and then the details of what we want the answer to be. That week, my prayer was on where I should work. Exactly one week later, I found out that I got the job I had applied for. Some of the details that were answered:
A job that pays atleast $24,000 a year (this pays $23,500 - close enough for me)
A job that has benifits (yeah)
A place that I can be a witness (Insight has a lot of drunkards)
Some of the details that will be answered in time:
A place/ job that I will enjoy
A place that I can learn and not be bored
A place that I can be creative
Someone that I can move out with

God sees the answers of our hearts questions. We may not see or hear them when we ask, but they are still there. God just wants to bless us immensely - and He's really good at that. Why is having patience so hard at times?