Feeling Better :)

Yesterday a bunch of church elders came to our house to hang out and talk and PRAY. It was totally refreshing. The Lord is good! He used this group of people to lift my spirits and give me hope through his Word.



I am so thankful for my church.



I arrived in Chemainus today. I'll be spending the next few days packing up the little apartment we were so generously given (Thanks Malea for agreeing to help me! Can't wait to see you! and Tommy, my coffee bearing friend... I'm sure you will add some fun into the mix!). I'm going to miss it, but more importantly I am going to miss my neighbours - Ken and Rowena! (What a BLESSING it has been to know you guys. This isn't good-bye... I know we'll see more of each other!)


I'll be back in the Comox Valley on Friday for the Relay for Life. I'll be running (or walking!) at 7pm. I am so blown away that my dear friend Brandie would go to all the effort to set up "Team Bethany". - Brandie, that was a very VERY kind thing of you to do and I totally appreciate it! Looking forward to seeing you on Friday!



I'm getting a hair makeover on Saturday courteous of Vanessa's super cool mommy Mary-Ann at Mary-Ann's hair studio in Crofton. I'll look my best for my 5-star hospital stay :) It will boost my self-image and hopefully I'll concentrate more on how hot my hair looks rather than how un-hot my face looks post surgery.



Wow, do I have cool friends or what?


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Today the LORD... Yes, my GOD who SPEAKS to me in just the way I need him to... gave me an answer to a question.

I've been pretty fragile these past couple weeks. I've struggled with the question "why?". Why would the Lord comfort me for so long... give me huge JOY... give me peace that surpasses understanding... only to take it AWAY? I asked myself, "what have I done to make the Lord take it away?".

In the last couple days I have started to see that the Lord is allowing me to feel fragile to magnify the fact that HE is the one who carries me. As I mentioned in my last post, I get a lot of "praise" from various people. I'm not saying that regular encouraging compliments are wrong or anything, it's just that I feel saddened when CREDIT IS NOT GIVEN WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.

Tonight I spontaneously joined in on a bible study with Row and Ken and their friends. We were reading about Gideon (in the book of Judges - start in Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 vs 2+3 are what I'm specifically talking about). Instead of me trying to preach on a passage (totally not my talent!) pick up a bible and read the story yourself.

I learned:

1. A lot.
2. That the Lord wants credit for the GREAT things that are happening in my life! He'll allow me to be fragile, as a witness to others that he indeed is my Comforter and Strength. Amen!

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Thank you Lord Jesus. How can I repay all your goodness to me?

I will lift up THANKS to you in the PRESENCE OF YOUR PEOPLE.

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Dear Christ-abandoners,

Please stop the public slandering of Christ which I have stumbled upon recently. I say this because I am in love with that very same Christ. And in case you've forgotten, he is in fact, REAL.

I am in tears as I write this.

I am not some dumb brain washed girl. I too, explored life while convincing myself that Christ wasn't for me. I hurt myself, I hurt others, and I hurt my Lord and Savior who loves me more than I could know. Exploring that side of life did not make me wiser. It did not make me cooler. It did not make me happier. It did not make me more whole.

When I told Joe about the pain in my heart surrounding you, he asked,

"If they were suddenly diagnosed with Cancer, would they remember their Savior and turn to him again?"

We have a right to free speech. But people, lets all be mature and converse about our struggles in a way that is respectful and meaningful.

It is my prayer that the Lord will get your attention again and that you will be brought out of this darkness and into LIFE.

And I love you. And I love Jesus. That is why my heart aches for you to be with Jesus again.