The past couple of fortnights

I have not disappeared.  Maybe some of you were wondering if I had.  But, then again, maybe not.  ;)

This month has been full for me.  I am taking a 'big' 3-week trip right now, and when I get home, I am looking forward to only 4 more months of homeschool, and then I will graduate!  I would so like to be graduated by the time my next sister is born in June (yes, it is about 90% sure that we are going to get a sister!  =), and then I will once again step into the role of momma-helper-after-she-has-another-sweet-little-baby, except this time, without any school work in the back of my mind, waiting on the shelf for me to come and complete them each day.  What a relief (hopefully) that will be!  When it seems that my day is full of hard-work (for even though I sit down while I'm doing school, the studying is actually work), what then will I be doing when I have none of it to work on?  It will be wonderful to have more time to devote to cleaning, spending time with my little siblings (and older), and general house-managing for my mother when she needs it.  I will have more time to help fold clothes, start loads of laundry, keep up with dishes, etc.  (and reading!  We'll see how far that one goes.)

~*~

I experienced my first plane ride.  Two, actually.  A long one, and then a short one.  I have two more similar ones scheduled for the 29th.  I am sort of excited about the next ones.  On my shorter ride earlier this month, I sat next to a college student (in his second year of college, I believe), and it was pretty interesting.  We talked a little bit, and at the beginning of our short flight, he used several bad words.  Right before we were to get off the plane at our destination, he apologized for using those words (I think he referred to them as profanity), saying that it probably wasn't the best.  Of course, I told him that I would forgive him.

But, I wonder... what made him apologize?  I doubt he would have apologized to someone who uses those same bad words.  Did he apologize out of conviction, or because he didn't want to offend me?

I would consider it an honor if that young man saw a godly example in my actions and speech, prompting him to think about his own actions.  I do also wonder if it had anything to do with the book I was reading, "Joyfully at Home" by Jasmine Bauchum, which contains numerous Bible references, and which he could have easily, and unobtrusively read by simply glancing over at my tray.

It is interesting also, that perhaps even in the same sentence in which he used a bad word, he also mentioned God, and praying to Him.  So, it is obvious that he already knew something of Christianity.  Which I suppose shouldn't be too surprising, seeing as how this young man lives in the southern U.S.  (Don't get me wrong, I don't believe the southern U.S. is a holy land; I just know that there are a lot of churches there, and people in general, I think, don't have a problem with you referencing God, even if they themselves are not Christians.)

I guess I was also wondering if I should try to talk to the person sitting next to me on the plane about Jesus, or if I should just 'let my light shine'.  I suppose this experience may have taught me that even if I don't come right out and ask someone if they know about God, talk to them about salvation, etc., if I just simply act as a Christian aught to act, God can shine through my actions and speech.

This trip is also teaching me much, I think, about how dear my family is to me.  Even though it will be only a brief 3 weeks, sometimes it is sad to me, to think of how I am without them in the sense that I cannot just walk into the next room and see one of them, and have one of them to keep me company.  Even though when I am at home, and doing school off in another room, I still am able to see someone as soon as I walk into the living room.  My family... these are people who really have known me my whole life, better than any other relatives (though of course, my relatives do know me too).  But, my family is the ones who really know how I act day in and day out, and what I really am passionate about, or what I really spend my time doing, etc.  At the same time, this experience is teaching me about living in a different way.

I also have been reading some books by Elisabeth Elliot.  "Let Me Be a Woman" and "The Mark of a Man" are two that I hope to have finished by the time I return home.  I suppose I have been thinking a lot lately about marriage, as obviously that is what I would like to do one day (get married).  I suppose I just view it as one of my goals to prepare for marriage.  Even as simple as how I treat my father and 14 year old brother.  Obviously, I will not treat my husband exactly the same way, but some of it will be the same.  Maybe sometime soon, I can post up some notes or thoughts on the subject from reading those books.

Anyhow, have a wonderful January week everyone!

Sincerely,


Isaiah 58:10-12
And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
 "And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
 "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.