There are days that I awake and have a harder time than others in focusing on the eternal, there are days when all I can think about when I come to consciousness is “God, can I please just sleep a little longer, can I please just have a ‘normal’ life, can’t I live just a little closer to home?” I know you are all saying you have had the same thoughts- especially if you are a woman; it’s just how we are made, very emotional. But we get up and keep going. I think the thing that has been the hardest has been missing the incredible fellowship of believers that I have grown up in. I have had this conversation with several of you and I know of a special few who have been praying for my continued spiritual growth, my walk with God and my need to have fellowship/friendship. I would like to share with you a little of how God is answering that prayer. Kate arrived in Luoyang in December- 2 days before Christmas! She is from Nevada and came here on a one year contract to teach English. She and I met a couple of weeks after her arrival when we spotted one another on the street outside Wal-Mart. I am sorry but in Luoyang you always talk to the foreigners because that is just it we are foreigners, few and far between and we stand out in a crowd especially if you are tall like Kate and I. We began talking and realized very quickly that we had many things in common but the strongest bond was Christ! We were both alone here and looking for fellowship and accountability and so began our friendship that continues to grow as we allow God to use our strengths and weaknesses to encourage one another. I could not help thinking of the many young women back home that I have the privilege of knowing and praying for who have had a part in encouraging me through the years. Many times that encouragement came in the form of sending me right back to scripture as I dug deep into His Word to answer the incredible questions that they had. With Kate it has been no different- we have to dig deep as we encourage one another to strive for God’s best in each of our lives. Kate and I try to send one another texts throughout the week, call if the text sounds depressed, and meet at least once a week as we work through a Nancy Leigh Demoss study called “Seeking Him.” That is what we are both striving for as we continue to get up day after day- far from home, far from family, far from friends, and far from familiar- SEEK HIM!
Through the laughter, the tears, the McDonald’s burgers that she picks up on her way out here, and the honest sharing of the experiences that have shaped our week- I am reminded of the precious blessing God has given me in the family of God. The blessing of encouragement! There is also the blessing of accountability as we share and study and often times that means saying, “You are never going to believe what a sinner I have been this week, the human side of those emotions took hold and I was the picture of a good girl gone bad.” Then we carry on, we know what sinners we are but it is in that moment that we look at one another and remind each other of God’s grace, His forgiveness, and His incredible care over each of us. It is in those moments when my mind is often drawn to each of you. To the prayers you have prayed for me, the tears you have cried with me, and the encouragement and the accountability that each of you in your unique place in my life provide. So, “Thank you!”
With Love,
Mariah
PS- Several of you have asked about my blog so I wanted to send you the site once again-
http://mariahs-pileofstones.blogspot.com/
And yes I am trying to frequently post to it- in order to give you a better picture of my daily life, most of it is just the silly stuff that keeps life interesting but I pray that you will enjoy it and that there will be moments when it really does give you the opportunity to pause and reflect on the incredible Grace that God has bestowed on each of us.
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