Old fashioned living...

What is 'Old Fashioned' living anyways? Since I have been wondering around the hills of Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe I have noticed this is still a culture of doing things the old fashioned way. When I first got here I wondered why everything had to be so difficult...I mean, why not just use a lawn mower, drive to the store for what you need, use a dryer for your clothes, or a dishwasher for that matter.
Cutting grass in Slovakia is a chore for some (pictured above), they use a blade and swing it at the grass to cut it. Could you imagine doing that to an entire field. By the time you finished the other end would have already started growing back. In the other picture is a couple walking into the woods to gather mushrooms to cook with. Amazing...we would grow them in our backyard if we really wanted to pick something. Not them, they walk MILES back into the woods to find there vegetables and herbs (basil, etc).
It has amazed me how devoted they are to their culture. The Slovaks are hard workers and GREAT cooks. I have enjoyed EVERY meal that a family has cooked me.

Why am I so interested in this?? Is it because I am from a society of convenience? To be honest, I really enjoy the non-convenient side of thing, or what seems to be non-convenient for me.

"ready-made" society...

So Amy and I decided to have some students over for a movie and cookies. It is always fun to have kids over to our flat and hang out with them. They love to look at our pictures of family and friends and ask us questions about our lives. They are really curious about us and can not understand why we would want to come to Slovakia from America.

While they were here we watched a movie and ate a lot of snacks and ordered a pizza, then after the movie I decided to take some of the cookie mix that was sent to us from AMERICA (THANK YOU to those of who who sent it) and baked them some American cookies (which means I will need more mix b/c I shared our only stash with the kids...haha) and as I was mixing the dough and rolling them to put on the baking sheet, the girls looked at me funny because they do not have cookies like that...meaning in Europe they do not have "ready-made" meals, they are very much a make it from scratch society. There foods do not have preservatives like ours, which can be good and bad. I told them to trust me, they were delicious! Jany, one of the guys loves peanut butter, I let him try the dough, he was skeptical at first but that is the best part, licking the bowl clean. He loved it! (he is the one holding the bowl) It was a lot of fun!

Faith mean acting on our beliefs

The atmosphere around me today is very peaceful...as I sit here with my hot cup of tea, listening to the rain and feeling the cool breeze as it moves throughout my flat, God continues to speak to me about faith. What is faith? The simplest ideas- thankfulness, kindness, generosity, faith- are the most difficult to live out. To continue to trust God, to give ourselves into His keeping, our first fruits, our children, our homes to Him, the RIGHT THING is still FAITH. So what is faith...it is the right thing. To have faith in the one who doesn't remedy life's unfairness, but who does far better: He redeems it-it's unfairness, it's brokenness, it's disease and death and He gives it back to us sevenfold. 2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight"

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it knows the One Who is leading. The life of faith is not mounting up with wings, but a life of walking and not fainting. (Max Lucado, "The Inspirational Study Bible")

At times when I sit here and look outside at think about the fact that I am going to start a new life, new routine, new language, new friends, etc. etc., ...I wonder what God's bigger purpose in all of this is. I know it is for His glory and not mine.
I was reading in Genesis this morning, and in Genesis 12:1, God told Abraham to leave the land he was living in and go the a land that God would show him.
"The Lord had said to Abraham, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you..." humm? That sounds familiar. Kind of like when I heard God tell me to leave America, my home, my job, my family, my friends, comforts, surroundings, and move to Slovakia. That did not sound like a great idea but I left the comforts of my life with only God's word as my guide...faith means acting on our beiefs. Even during the difficult moments here and the ones I am sure to face , I am learning that my faith in God means trading my sorrows, pains, sicknesses, and laying them down for the joy of the Lord.

God faithfully restores his people after time of difficulty...

REMEMBER ME??? Probably not! Okay, so I neglected to post on here since "JoshandBen" posted for me. Well, I am back, so this along with my website should stay updated from here on out...

This summer has been one of the most fulfilling summers I think I have ever been a part of. God stretched me in so many ways, in ways I did not think I could be stretched. One of the areas where I know I have been lacking and where I need to be is spending more time with God every day...personal QT. This morning God spoke to me and showed me Psalm 86. Interesting how that is the very thing I needed to hear. We must be diligent in reading God's word, God confirmed that he had plans for Israel just as he has plans for me, for us and no matter how difficult the circumstances, he promises to support them. This summer I had one in particular circumstance that was rather difficult. My Papa passed away while I was in Serbia. That was hard on me because I thought that I should be home with the rest of my family. I was not able to get a flight out and get home in time. Through my faith and an amazing support team...God faithfully restored me during and after this time.
I was clinging to God's strength during all of this.
The world seems to think that succes comes from demonstrating personal power and desire by networking throught the RIGHT people...God says, true success comes from knowing, contemplating and memorizing His word. (From "The Inspirational Study Bible", by Max Lucado).