25 Random things

I was tagged by Karen on Facebook... but I thought I would answer here as I'm having a hard time blogging again...

Let's see if I can come up with 25 things...

1. I've probably done something like this before...

2. ...in this very blog!

3. I live on top of a pharmacy.

4. I'm expecting my first child!

5. I love the smell of coffee, but I don't drink coffee.

6. My dog has lived in three different countries. (I know that's not really about me)

7. I like to pray

8. I'm actually trying to not repeat anything I have said before in one of these tags... I will compare my answers when I'm done here.

9. I've never been to Australia

10. I still keep in touch with some friends I made in India about 11 years ago...

11. I love Cinnamon gum, but they don't sell any in France. In fact, I don't think the French like Cinnamon all that much.

12. I love it when my husband plays Jewish music on his Clarinet.

13. I used to not like cooked tomatoes or onions before I got married.

14. I've recently learned that some of our digital photos look wonderful once they have been printed and hang on the wall.

15. I think I'm getting better at this.

16. I used to wake up in a very bad mood each morning since I was little until I gave it up to the Lord.

17. I honestly see most women in my church like my real sisters.

18. I'm not competitive... so I always feel a little bit bad when I play a game with a competitive person, and beat them... just a little bit bad.

19. On our Bookshelves we have books in Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Papiamentu, Hebrew, Polish, Russian, and I'm sure I have an Italian book somewhere.

20. I can only read 5 of these languages... maybe 6

21. I have a hard time getting compliments and knowing what to do with them.

22. I love to watch my husband make bread.

23. I have never broken a bone, although by looking at me you would think they could easily break.

24. I'm thinking that maybe I should sit down and tag my blog posts...

25. I've always thought that it would be cool to organize a package exchange with my blog friends. There are some lovely things here in France that would be nice to share with other ladies, (and you Doug) and some of you live in places where I'm sure you have lovely unique things to share as well. An international exchange!

I made it! Let me see if I can find this other tagging post I'm sure I did before...

My Belly

Today is the first day since about three months that I am able to sit at my computer and have internet access on it! In the last three months we have moved to a new town, a bigger home... we have celebrated my 31st Birthday, Thanksgiving, spent Christmas in Paris, and New Year's Eve in Nice. I don't have a lot of pictures of all this because during our move I couldn't locate my camera... but I do have a Belly picture, or like someone delicately put it, a fat picture!

I hope everyone reading this has had a good Christmas time and has started a wonderful new year in the Lord. He has such wonderful things for us, and I hope that with time we can all learn to take bigger steps of faith as we grow in His knowledge and love.

I won't say much else as it is bed time over here... but I have missed blogging and wanted to thank all who left me so many lovely comments wishing us all the best with this pregnancy. I have kept you all in my prayers and hope to be able to get to posting as before.

God bless and here is the pic!


BTW, if anybody is interested in receiving our Newsletter, please let me know and I'll send it to you!

Peace <><

"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart..."

I cannot let this day go by without posting about our day. I have just had one of the most amazing days of my life. This morning, bright and early, Raphael and I walked down to the Radiologist to get an ultrasound... for me, not him. And the first thing the doctor said about 2 second after she started the ultrasound was, "There's the baby!" or... "Et voilà le bébé" to be more precise. WOW!

We just found out last Thursday that I was pregnant, but we didn't know how long it had been... and to be honest, I wasn't 100% sure of my pregnancy. My body works in such an unusual and funny way that it was really hard to calculate or be sure, so it wasn't until today that we got to know how pregnant I really am. Funnily enough I think it was Sunchi who found out before any of us because of the way she has been acting towards me lately. She just wants to sit on my lap (she has never been a lap dog) and curl up next to my belly.

I could say a lot about what this pregnancy means to me after almost a year and a half of marriage... about what the Lord has shown me in His word about children... I have learned many important things that have changed the way I see it all, but today I want to write about something else.

My dad pointed out to me that the baby's heart was made before his brain and how important that is... and that really made me think. See... when I was looking at the screen, I could kind of make out the head and the little spine as the doctor pointed them out to us... but there was one little thing that I didn't miss and couldn't miss... the heart, and hearing the heart beat of His/our/my baby! :) It's a miracle...

"Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." - Deuteronomy 6:3-7

This little baby doesn't look like much yet, but he/she has a heart... I believe he/she has a soul, and I think he/she is strong as I see how this baby has grown so far and how he/she is going to grow each day as the Lord wills... I pray that this little person will love the Lord with that little beating heart, with her/his soul, and with the little powerful strength she/he has... I was so humbled to see that this little being has that which the Lord asks of us. Our heart, our soul... our strength, and from each according to that which he or she can give.

I have felt unworthy of such a precious gift as I see my lack of love, mercy and grace unto others... and I ask myself how I could possibly bring up a child in the Lord... but thank God it is not about me or Raphael. It's about Him, and I know that all things are possible in Him, and that this baby is here with us because it is the Lord's good pleasure... and he/she is His to start with! That's what it comes down to when you live by faith.

I have a few photos to share... I won't post them right now, but they are coming!

I hope and pray that you have all been well and encourage you to continue in your walk with the Lord.

"Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

"They that sow in tears..."

Lately I have been thinking a lot about harvest time, bearing fruit and blessings... I guess because it's Summer time and the market place is coloured with beautiful Summer fruits and flowers. I have never lived on a farm or had any fruits trees or vegetables to grow, but I can very well imagine how satisfying it must be to see the fruits of your labour and God's blessings. I also think much about it because I realize how much the Lord has blessed me and feel like we are bearing fruit ourselves, in a spiritual way. But I know that many around me are not feeling blessed or like they are bearing any fruit. Raphael and I can both see how the Lord is blessing us here in our home, our little village, church and family... but for some odd reason it seems like we are surrounded by many people, either near or far, that are going through very tough situations. It is one thing to have to deal with a mild headaches, a bad grade, missing a friend, criticism, a bad hair day or bird-poo on your head... all of these can be discouraging, but when you see others having to deal with deep depressions, murder of a family member, sexual abuse, chronic illness at a time when you think "Lord this is not a good time", having your dad thrown in jail while it is clear he is innocent, or no place to live, you know you have to take out your praying umbrella and cover your friends with it, and encourage your friends in your time of harvest...while they sow in tears.

Sunchi and I :)

We visited a friend near Aix-en-Province a few weeks ago and got to drive by some lavender fields that were just beautiful. While driving we noticed that there were some men collecting lavender with their reaping machine. I immediately thought of the verse about not reaping the corners of the fields so the poor and strangers could glean at the corners... and I figured that "hey, I'm a stranger...no?" So I asked my husband very nicely if he thought we could glean there. He was sure we could, but he also asked very nicely and the guys said we could take from what was left over...

I know my colours don't match, but you know, I just didn't care that day; the sky was too blue...don't you just love Sunchi's smile

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:22

Raphael ready to go swim in the lake...hehe

It was wonderful to glean on the fields; the smell was heavenly, and working on the field made me feel so useful, blessed, like I was in the book of Ruth... like I was collecting the Lavender I planted myself! It was wonderful, and we all enjoyed it. I was able to collect so much that I gave quite a big bunch to some of my neighbors, and have left over for my mother-in-law. It makes me happy to think that their homes are filled with the fresh scent of Lavender. I think our encouragements can also have the same pleasing effect on our friends. It doesn't change the circumstances, it is just a smell of something, but it smells like hope and that can make a big difference. I know I'd love some lavender if I was going through winter. But God has a wonderful promise for anyone going through hard times, big or small; His Word says that

"They that sow in tears...
...shall reap in joy."
Psalm 126:5

That's a great promise and the encouraging verse I've been using lately. If you are going through a time of plenty, don't clean the corners of your field, leave some fruit for those around you that are going through hard times or famine. If you are going through difficult times, be of good cheer, the Lord will see you through and He promises that soon, after the winter you will reap in JOY! And we'll be right there rejoicing with you, if not begging for a bite... but it's all good!

This is when I felt like Ruth or so...

There is another famous Bible verse about sowing..."Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap Galatians 6:7... you know? But that's a whole different story.

God Bless.... :)

In the Beginning was the Word....