It is the little things...

These days my life seems to be so busy. Not too busy that I can't slow down or get control of things but just busy enough that at the end of my day I can barely keep my eyes open. Sometimes when life gets this busy it is so easy to focus on all of the things that HAVE to get done and so often times I forget to give attention to the things (0r people) that I need to and want to. This has happened recently with my husband. It is not something that he or I really even noticed (thankfully) but I realized that I was doing life with him, taking care of Keane and Gracie with him, taking care of our team with him, ministering with him but I really wasn't reaching out to him, serving him, spending quality time with him and just having fun with him. I would love to be able to say that when I realized this I got a babysitter and took my husband on a romantic date (which mind you is VERY hard to do in Kathmandu) and spent hours upon hours with only him but that is not what happened. What I did instead was to clean the coffee filter out of the pot, fill the pot up with water and fresh coffee grounds so it was all ready for him in the morning when he woke up. You see, my husband LOVES coffee and makes a hot, fresh pot every morning. The other day he was reminding me that one of the things he dislikes most is cleaning out the coffee pot and getting it ready for fresh coffee to be made. He wished that the coffee would just be ready in the morning without all of that (he was talking about a magical machine and truly not hinting for me to make it). Sounds silly, huh? But no, for Ryan this is something special to him. So, I decided to get his coffee pot all set up. When he realized that I had done this for him he was SO happy and thankful. It made him feel so special and loved. Cleaning and refilling the coffee pot is just a small way that I can show my husband that I love him but it is the little things right? I have decided that I am going to try and get his coffee cleaned up and set up each day for him...not because he ever asked me to do it or because he expects me to do it but because to him it is special and it is just one way, in my crazy, busy days that I can take a few extra minutes and show my husband how special he is to me and how much I love him.

Are there small things that you can do in your life to show those around you that you love them? It will make such a big difference in your relationships and loving and serving those around us honors and glorifies God...

We are princesses...we are special!

Last night I had the amazing privilege of hosting 12 young girls at my home for a "princess party" sleepover (and I certainly wasn't alone, two of my amazing teammates and my friend who runs the children's home helped out too)! These 12 girls are amazing! They range in age from 10-15 and live at a children's home here in Kathmandu run by one of my British friends. The home is a wonderful Christian home where the children learn first and foremost about Christ and how He can change them. They also learn how to be kind and loving, grateful, honest and helpful, among other things. These girls were an absolute JOY to have in my home. They are all from small Himalayan villages north of Kathmandu. There are no other known believers among their people except for the kids in the home. There are 23 total (the boys were jealous that the girls got to come over for a fun night but when Ryan gets back he is taking them to play soccer and have ice cream!) Our party definitely had a theme and that was PRINCESSES. We began the evening with singing and talking about the Bible together. I was able to teach these girls that as Christians, as the King's (God's) daughters, they were special. VERY special. We went through verses that showed that God is the king of kings (1 Timothy 6:15-16) and verses where it explains that God loves us SO much that he calls us "children of God" (1 John 3:1a) and I taught them that even if everyone around them forgets them or if they feel that their friends, family and others don't love them, that God NEVER forgets them, that He always loves them. That in fact, He has written them on the palm of his hands Isaiah 49:15-16). I asked them, "OK, so if God is the king of kings and you are His daughters, what does that make you????" "His PRINCESSES" they all responded loudly together! They loved hearing these things as BIG smiles lit up their faces as I looked at them and said, "God loves you SO much that He allows you to be His child and He gives you the right to be His princesses. He thinks you are SO special and He will NEVER forget you because you are written on His hand." What an honor it was to spend time with these precious girls and simply remind them of who they are in Christ.

It was a short message kept so simple so that the girls could grasp it and really understand. But isn't it an amazing one? I pray that this simple truth encourages you as it has me. As Christians, we are special. God LOVES us and will NEVER forget us. We are His princesses, He is our King.

We spent the rest of the evening eating way too many sweets, decorating cupcakes, blowing bubbles off the balcony, making princess crowns and jewelry out of silver pipe cleaners, drawing princess pictures, eating chicken quesadillas, doing each other's hair, playing with (and bathing and feeding) Gracie and Keane, and watching Enchanted. We then woke up in the morning (at about 6 am) and ate cinnamon rolls and eggs and did each other's make-up, gave pedicures and watched Air Buddies. They girls all left by 10:30 am and now it is 12:30 and I am TIRED. But a great tired. What a great weekend!