John 13:1-38 (i encourage you to read this)

"Jesus left us such an amazing example of love and serving one another. He said “hey, look at these people around you. Your not above them, you are not too big to serve them. Go, love them like I have shown you.” There is no excuse that we can give to say we don’t know how to serve them or love them. Yes, it will be hard, but Jesus has shown us how to, He even loves us with that same love He wants us to show. This is an amazing love He is calling us to give and to show, but it should be displayed in our lives, despite our circumstances and the people it needs to be towards. You’ve got to show love, its part of you now since Christ saved you.
I keep having moments when God just whispers that He is love. “I am love.” I remember something that I love that I learned first semester of Bible college and partly from church back home. The grammar in the text when God says to the children of Israel “I AM” is an un finished sentence, there is no period at the end of it. It’s a sentence left unfinished, that we might fill in the blank of whatever our need is. He is our strength, our courage, our wisdom, our righteousness, and our love. He is all of it.
He’s going to be what we need, and He won’t call us to do something we can’t do. He will give us what we need to show this kind of love."

This is something i studied for my homework, and it gave me an amazing, preciouse, golden "nugget" to hold onto and really learn and understand.

I really encourage you to read this chapter and see what God shows you. This is something too many of us take forgranted, i know i did. I brushed over the verse where Jesus tells us to love as He has also (verse 34). We should not do so, don't follow my example, follow His.

Don't forget: God so loved us, He Sent His Son.

^_^

-'manda

Semester Girls

So we've been missing our girl's this semester as they have been in Korea this past week.

We have 5 girl students this semester (if you don't count me), which is smaller than last semester, but still very big for what they normally have for girl students at this campus.

We are SO blessed by them this semester (God's hand is seriously in our lives and on our D' House, we really have no problems living together.

After class one day, Tamiko took us up on the roof to take some group photos, and here they are! Everyone is so beautiful (God blesses us with beautiful young women, in face, but more so in heart and in spirit).

(It was rather bright that day...hard to keep your eyes open)

(Ina was excited to be out of class teehee)

^_^

(me with Anna and Emi, our two international students)




And this one's for Tamiko, because she got cut out of the other photos that we took by accident!
We love you Tamiko, thank you for being faithful to teach us in our class each week ^_^

Praise the Lord, He is so good to us and for us. He provides all things, and gives us the strength to do all things He has prepared and called us to do. :] who is a God like our God?

God bless

-'manda

Swine Flu, Typhoons~

So, the Swine Flu has died down, which is a blessing (considering that right before i came back to the island, the whole bible college had it almost). I have only had a bad cold/stomach flu being here so far, and that passed in two days. Praise God, i think He is strengthening my immune system!

(something my brother drew while we were chatting)

While that has died down, a storm is brewing as i type this. A typhoon is hittign the island! But, it is supposed to be moving in a different direction, so we areo nly getting the tip of it, if not even that, but just the winds. We typhoon-proofed the cafe and our girl's house to protect againts the winds (which are harsh enough to blow me around while i am standing).

It's sort of exciting (partly because we have chub parties here if there is a bad storm), just to see a different kind of a storm. In Michigan, we have tornados, and in california they had earth quakes. It's sort of strange how it's not the same wherever you go (Ana and Christina were complaining nothing exciting happens where the come from haha).

Everything is going awesomely, the Lord is doing so much in our lives. Each student is being changed, and stretched. I didn't expect it to be such a stretch with the things i am beign stretched with (thought it would be in different areas of my life). But it is all soo good, no matter how hard my flesh wants to make it, Jesus makes it easy if i just yield and submit to Him (i have already felt that relief several times).

This friday, the students are leaving for the mission trip to South Korea. I am sad that i am not going, but i know the other students are going to have their socks blessed off completely. The people there are so impacted by a life lived for the Lord at such a young age, its amazing what God does through just that. Please keep them in prayer, that they would be led, grown, see God's love and Spirit working, and to have the most amazing life changing time ever.

I wish i had more pictures to put up and show you all the little things i get to be a part of everyday. If you get the time and think of it, please pray God would provide me a camera so that I could share the wonderful things He is doing out here and in my life. Thank you greatly.

A cool thing i read, "to shine Your love; even in the least of things."

God bless.

-'manda