Parfaits, Prayer, and Peace

So tonight, I decided I wanted to get off campus and I mentioned to Julianne and Sara that I wanted to go to McDonald's.... and after thinking about it for a minute, they decided that they did too! So off we went... venturing into Avon. It took us a while, and we got turned around a couple times, but after probably 20 minutes, we found our golden arches and went in for a bite. I ordered a double cheeseburger and a snack parfait from the $1 menu. My burger was delicious (until I looked at the calorie content after eating it), and my parfait was quite the story. I picked it up and was about to mix in the granola, when I had a very clumsy moment and ended up dropping it on my lap. Thankfully most of it was contained in the cup, and I was able to scoop the rest up with my spoon, but not without hurting my pride just a bit (and giving JJ and Sara plenty to laugh at!). All in all though, it was a fun adventure!


Well, all this week we've been in chapel for "Week of Prayer". It's a great time to really just soak in time with God, but it definatley gets tiring when you spend 6 1/2 hours in chapel everyday!! All through this week I've been struggling with not being in NZ with my family and Joshua, but God's really just been giving me a HUGE peace about the whole situation, reminding me with many different things that HE is in control and He has our best in mind. The other night, my friend Kat was leading worship and she sang the song "mighty to save" by Hillsong. I always loved that song because it reminds me that God is mighty to save - especially a few of my close friends who walked away from the Lord. Well, this time I saw it in a totally different light. My God IS mighty to save, and if he chooses to heal Joshua I can't even begin to describe the utter joy and amazement that would overtake me. However, if He doesn't, I still know that He is mighty, and He still knows what is most loving for me and my family, and most importantly - Joshua!

God has just given me this huge peace about the whole situation with Joshua and my being so far away. It has been hard, and I know it may just get harder, but God is there, and He's carrying me through this time and I have nothing I need to be anxious over. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6.

Meanwhile, a photographer in Tauranga learned of Joshua's situation through a photograper/blogger in Canada. He contacted my sister through her blog and asked if he could come down and do portraits of Joshua and the family. He did this at no expense to Susie and Matt, and gave them the digital copies to do with as they please. I thank God for this man's generous heart and compassion towards my family. I know this has blessed my sister and her husband more than can even be said. These pictures will be cherished in this family for YEARS to come! The pictures I have up are just a few of the ones he posted. If you want to see the rest - and I strongly recommend it! - you can see them here.