Hello

Pictures!!!

I have such great friends: Mikka, Me, Dana, Tricia

This is packing day with Les, Amy, Katie, and Tricia (Pat)

More packing: Heather, Les, Me, Amy, and Mandy

Such a nice group photo:) Richard, Leslie, Tim, Me, Charlton & Zach

As I am still experiencing technical difficulties and everyone loves pictures, here are some pictures of my friends from Arkansas! (You cannot see our feet, but I promise we are all wearing shoes.) Sorry that I do not have anymore pictures of Macau, so the pictures and the actual post are going to be completely disconnected.

Since my last post, I have been working toward making my apartment more, well let's just say welcoming and leave it at that. Progress has been made. After hours of scrubbing (ok maybe not hours) I now have a white bathroom sink. Everything received a large dose of bleach, so even if surfaces do not exactly gleam they are germ free. Sarcasm aside, the apartment is actually beginning to feel like a home, which is a great feeling. And although unintentional, that last statement was a great segway into the next topic.

Feeling at home. I know we have all heard that saying (please forgive me for this) "home is where the heart is", and I suppose like all sayings they are categorized as such because they are so true. Home, for me, has changed physically. But this physical change has brought a greater awareness of the fact that this world is not truly our home. The Lord is our home. This fact has never been clearer for me than moments when all I want to do is hop on a plane and say forget it, this is too hard. There are times when all I long for is the familiar sight of my dog running up the drive way to greet me or the sound of silence. There are times when I long for the comfort of a friend playing with my hair or someone offering a shoulder to cry on, maybe even a hug. For me those things have always been "home", they given me a sense of comfort and stability. Now they are all the way around the world.

At this point you may be thinking that I am homesick and missing everyone, and in a sense you would be right. But it is more than that. There is a sense of joy in leaning on the Lord more fully. In chosing to go to Macau to serve the Lord I knew that I would be required to give up some things, namely the things mentioned above. I also knew that in taking this step, I would be more dependent upon him than I had allowed myself to be thus far in my short life. But in just the small amount of time I have been here, the Lord has blessed me beyond any of the sacrifices I have made. Away from the things that are familiar and safe, the Lord has revealed to me new facets of his personality, and what an awesome priviledge it is to be able to know the Lord. Being utterly dependent on the Lord also provided me the opportunity to experience the faithfulness of the Lord. The Lord has shown me that he is home. No matter where I may be, he is always my home, always there, and he always provides. The Lord has shown me his faithfulness in small tasks as well as large ones, and sometimes I think the smaller ones have had a more profound impact than the larger one.

I find myself having a difficult time truley expressing the feelings that I have right now. I am having one of those moments when words are inadequate. They cannot express exactly what I am feeling and experiencing right now, but often times that is how it is with the Lord. Words are not enough. So, yes sometimes I do get sad, but I also know better the meaning of joy. Sometimes I am having to learn so many new things and change so much about myself that all I want to do is shut everything out, but I also understand more of the Lord's strength and more of my weaknesses. Sometimes I want to go home, but I understand more deeply that the Lord is my home. I pray that you also may know the bittersweet joy of sadness, a sense of strength in weakness, and homesickness in the Lord.

Prayer requests:
There are several students that attend the bible classes at the center, but are not believers. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would work in them to lead them to faith.

Please pray for our team, as the "newness" is beginning to wear off and some of us are experiencing some difficulties.

Please pray for Sunny, she is a student at the center who is a new Christian. Praise God! Please pray that she will grow in her faith to the glory of the Lord. Please pray that her husband would also come to faith.

Thank you once again for all of your prayers; they are essential. "He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to delive us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many". (1 Corinthians 1:10-11) Bye for now! All my Love!

Cassie