Marching On

After an almost 1 year long hiatus from blogging I am happy to say that I have returned, hopefully a better writer and more faithful poster than before.  The past year has been full-- full of work, full of ups and downs and all the things that make up life around here.  It has been my most challenging year so far, as a child of God and as a wife living in a foreign land.  The things that have taken place over the past 20 months or so have turned me into a bit of an introvert. This past winter, my 13th consecutive one in Mongolia, was especially trying.  There were many times I just couldn't see the point in hanging on, much less blogging about my situation.  The freezing temperatures along with the spiritual lessons I was going through were enough to send me to the funny farm a few times over.  The only thing I was sure of was as long as day turned into night and back into day again, Spring would come. 

And it has.  With the arrival of Spring I feel as though some of the weight has lifted.  The trials come and go, but through it all I have the promise that, if I let them, these troubles will produce that Perfect Patience James talks about. 

One thing I have learned is not to compare my hardships with those of anyone else.  Many times we ignore our own pains and hurts because we compare them with those of someone else who has it much harder than we do (especially true for those of us living in a foreign country).  I've learned that my trials and troubles are mine and they are happening to produce patience in me.  At the same time I shouldn't be so wrapped up in my own suffering that I stop caring about others.  This has been hard as my life and ministry (to my family and to my church) seem to have merged into being one and the same. 

Through it all, Jesus, the Good Shepherd leads me.