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Work Clashes with My Life

31
Jan
2012
Category: Dvora, Israel  Tags: ,  2 Comments

Today I was talking with a colleague about how stressed I’ve been feeling. With all I need to do personally, and trying to fit it all into my work schedule. I loved her response:

“I know what you mean. Work clashes with my life. This is an issue that I can’t quite resolve.”

I cracked up laughing. But I sure do feel like that at times. I suppose the opposite could be said as well: “Life clashes with my work…” Everything has certainly been clashing with keeping you updated on what is happening. I’ve successfully moved and am enjoying my new apartment more and more each day. The little frustrations of life, like a new toaster that burned out the electric and required resetting my internet connection, make for a good laugh later on. More important are the blessings. Friends who have helped, my god-son who helped me put some furniture together yesterday, others who encourage me, and wonderful, merciful savior without whom I could not have made it through–anything! And Israel too is being blessed with rain, much-needed rain to replenish our reservoirs. It has also been the coldest winter in 20 years, but who is complaining? We have rain!

I was also very excited to get a surprising e-mail last week. I entered a Help project I developed for Accordance Bible Software in a Society for Technical Communication chapter competition. I was stunned to received the highest possible award, “Distinguished Technical Communication,” making my entry a candidate in the International competition to be held in May 2012. WOW! God is good. I not only got some good tips on how to improve the Help, but was given something strong to add to my resume.

I am so blessed. It is easy to complain. I suppose there are things to complain about. But at the end of the day, which is more important, the electric crashing toaster, or the God of the universe who is taking such good care of me? I’ll give you a clue: I am NOT voting for the toaster!

I hope to find time to share later on with some of the very special things the Lord has ministered to me since I moved into my the apartment. Obviously, it was with quite mixed feelings. Memories of my previous apartment in Nesher, memories of Rich and the kids, our home, all the things that have brought me where I am now. And yet HIS good hand has clearly been guiding, comforting, and blessing.

Whatever your situation today, I hope that you too can filter through the good and the bad, and find that God’s blessing is in all of it! May our sacrifices of praise become free will offerings of praise.

 

So Many Cherries on the Cake

19
Jun
2011
Category: Dvora, Israel  Tags: ,  2 Comments

Well, yes, it was my birthday, but there were no cherries on that cake… rather, the expression is from the Hebrew… and in English, “the icing on the cake.”

You see I did have a lovely birthday celebration with many of my friends, and my godchildren, and the Chinese congregation. What a mixture of languages and cultures, from American, Hebrew, Arabic to Chinese! Languages wafting through the air like incense.

And then “Abba” Wong (I call him Abba because he and his wife have been like adopted mom and dad to me here in Israel in many ways.) asked me to come in to talk with my future Chinese students. When I had first heard about teaching English with the English Bible as a text book again, at Noa’s baptism, I was thrilled. Could it get better? I didn’t think so. As soon as I made the commitment, the thought was in my mind, what book should I begin with? My mind quickly wandered over several, but knowing most of my students would be ladies, somehow, I couldn’t shake the thought of the book of Esther.

So now Abba Wong is asking me to come and meet some of my future students, one of whom is a guest professor at one of the universities in Haifa. We greeted each other, exchanged names, and then I was asked to share a little about what I would be teaching. So I prayed, and felt peace, even though the professor was a man, to say that we would be learning from the book of Esther. His eyes lit up. “Really?” and then he continued, “I’ve tried reading the Old Testament, and the only book that I think is not boring is Esther!”

Did I need further confirmation that good doors are opening before me?

So on Saturday, several friends mentioned they thought I needed to get my ticket back to Israel as soon as possible, since prices are going up. I had tried from the US to contact ElAl to check the price of tickets for returning Israelis, to no avail. In the meanwhile, I finally found a reasonable ticket for August 7… which would still let me have a Sunday with my congregation and family before returning. But reasonable only if ElAl would not work out.

Finally succeeded to get them on the phone. The ticket was reasonable, but only from JFK to Tel Aviv. I would have to purchase the Grand Rapids to JFK portion separately… and THAT was a horse of a different color. No direct flights to JFK and paying for each piece of luggage… made the other option cheaper.

So, the office is closed today, tomorrow I order my return ticket…

All that overshadows the bad news I received from my doctor on June 16… my blood work for the new job came back and I’ve been diagnosed with diabetes Type 2. So I’ve started on meds, and am trying to be more careful about what I eat.

The Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever. As I considered all these things this morning, all I could do was lift a grateful heart up to my God and thank Him for how He does care for me and direct me so gently. Carried by His grace every day, surrounded by His love… what more can I ask for?

What’s New?

13
Mar
2011
Category: Dvora, Life in Michigan  Tags: , ,  3 Comments

I promise to post, and then get so caught up with things that I forget to! So where do I begin?

I arrived in Michigan with snow flurries a week ago last Saturday. I was blessed to find out that the kids had planned to celebrate my s-daughter’s 21st birthday that Sunday. We had a great time. I sorely missed Rich (DUH!), but it was so good to be with everyone. Seems that Guay cat has adjusted to his new surroundings. He heard my voice and braved joining us for a bit… and was quite the talker most of the afternoon. So of course, I had to hold him while we took a family picture. It was SO good to see the kids, and Rich’s brothers again.

This week I’ve been focusing on getting caught up with paper-work and trying to eventually get some work done. Paper-work? Had to get a paper notarized and signed as an Apostille (get a dictionary) for Israel. In addition, I had paid for my car registration and never gotten new tags (though after several phone calls, I was assured they’d been mailed to me-twice). So I went to a Grand Rapids Secretary of State SuperCenter. Got the Apostile ($1 and immediate as opposed to over $50 and 2 weeks in Colorado – go figure?!). Re my car registration? The clerk said she thought whoever talked to me at the main office in Lansing was playing games with me. She reissued the registration and gave me new stickers on the spot – no additional charge. I was thankful, since the Apostille cost $50 to mail to Israel (guaranteed delivery by last Friday). However, the papers only arrived in Israel today (Sunday) an hour or so ago… ARGH! Now I understand why my letters that they guarantee 10 days delivery take 3 weeks to get there…

So then I could finally get back to my contract work. To my dismay my laptop started doing freaky things. Long story short, someone in my Michigan congregation was kind enough to take a look at it. Took an entire evening and an early morning for him to discover that it was a very sneaky virus that somehow gets into the root files and operating system. He was able to find it, remove it, and get my computer working back to normal.

Hallelujah!

In between, the State of Michigan has had ONE whole SUNNY day since I got back. They say the temp will be in the 50s next week. I’m not holding my breath.

I’m staying with a friend named Sue until I fly for Israel in two weeks. It has been a really fun time so far. And funny. Every time she asks me what I prefer re food… I pick the same thing she would pick! I think that means we are sisters! She lives in farm country and despite the grayness outdoors, the views are lovely, horses in fields, dogs running down a dirt road, branches waving in the wind while we enjoy being cozy warm inside.

My heart is filled with thankfulness to God for His goodness to me. In caring for me in the big things (keeping safe on the long drive back), and in the little things (like getting my computer virus removed quickly). I’m so thankful to be able to be with friends and see my family again… it is good to enjoy the here and now, and to rest in my Savior, knowing that He has the future well in control.

Would you believe…

08
Oct
2010
Category: Dvora, Life in Michigan  Tags: ,  2 Comments

Yesterday, I went into the basement to get the laundry basket for laundry and discovered a flood in the basement. Rich’s brother came over and was able to determine the problem is with the water heater. We called a plumber – turned out to be a defective part. Fortunately the water heater was still under warranty so I made arrangements to return it today, and pick up a new one. On the bright side, the plumber noted some major problems (like need to redo plumbing in the whole hose) that he felt were not worth fixing – unless I was going to stay in the house (which I’m not).

Well some friends of the family (Luke and Jeff) came over today, well-prepared to do the job. Only I couldn’t get in the truck, it was too high! I had to go get a step stool and cane. Step on the stool, climb into the truck and use the cane to grab the stool and bring it into the truck. We all had a good laugh thinking about how Rich would have laughed at me! What a hoot!

We got to the store, traded in the water heater, no problem. Strapped it securely in the back of the truck (and I saw it strapped quite securely). We began driving back to my house. The truck drove over a bump in the road (no sign warning of bumps in road), the strap snapped, and the water heater literally popped out of the box, and box flew out falling. We still haven’t found the strap… Water heater was still in one piece (on the outside at least). Well, we were all kind of stunned. L and J got out and got the water heater back in the truck, while I thought to myself, “I have some extra, we’ll just buy another one… small enough for just me in the house…”

But , L thought it was worth taking back to his work shed to see if he could fix it.  I was just thankful no one was hurt! Fix it? I had heard that water heaters are “delicate” that is: D E L I C A T E! But I figured he could try… and kept telling him not to worry… stuff happens, it was not his fault, and I could always get another one….

Well, about 30 minutes later L and J returned, installed the water heater, filled it with water, and we waited… and in a very few minutes, less than 30, the water was already warm. Two hours later I could wash the dishes and take a shower. Now YOU explain to me how a water heater could go flying out of a moving truck, land on the road, and after replacing a small socket on top… be still fully functional? I have a feeling a lot of angels worked overtime on that one!

Alone again….

08
Oct
2010
Category: Dvora  Tags: , ,  3 Comments

Just me? Yeah, you heard right. At least for now it is official: the girls are staying with friends from church. So now its down to Guay cat and I… without Rich and the girls, this house is way too quiet. I’m glad they haven’t had time to get all the ducks and chickens yet… they give the place a feeling of activity…

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the bank won’t let me assume the mortgage. So it looks like I’m going to have to look for someplace to live for a while. Seems like so much needs to fall in place for me to get somewhere. Yet all pointers are that I need to find someplace else in slightly better condition to live.

It seems like with the death of my husband, so much else has died with him. Hopes and dreams for a future-with him… And yet, as I read my Bible, and some other old classics by Elisabeth Elliot and others, I am reminded over and over of the complete trustworthiness of God. He has always been, is, and will be sovereign. I am left wondering, “OK, Lord, what do you want me to do next?” For I know, that as Rich and I were saying “I do” three short years ago, the Lord already knew what was going to happen. In His mercy, He did not tell me what was ahead; in His love, I was granted three wonderful years with a very special man.

I am attending a group called “GriefShare” where people who have lost loved ones get together, pray, share, read the Bible and encourage one another. One man there, was married only 6 years before his wife died in an auto accident, leaving him with 2 small boys. Then this morning, as I was rereading some of Elizabeth Elliot’s writings, I was reminded that she was engaged for 5-6 years, and married only two years before her husband Jim was killed by Auca indians. As another friend reminded me a few weeks ago, I can ask “why did we have such a short time together” (a question only to be answered in eternity), or I can be thankful for the three years we had.

Like Elizabeth and the man in GriefShare, I choose to be thankful for what we had.

Today’s devotional (by Elisabeth Elliot) read:

Nothing is Lost

Paul was a man who suffered the loss of everything according to his own claim. Yet any loss he counted pure gain. The key to this transforming of earthly losses into heavenly gains is love. What do we love? If our hearts are set on people  and possessions and position, the loss of those will indeed be irreparable. To the man or woman whose heart is set on Messiah, no loss on Earth can be irreparable. It may shock us for the moment. We may feel hurt, outraged, desolate, helpless. That is our humanity. But the Lord can show us the long view, the incalculable gain in spiritual and eternal terms, if we love Him above all. Everything that belongs to us belongs also to Him. Everything that belongs to Him belongs also to us. What then, can we finally lose? If we lose not Messiah Himself, we have finally lost nothing, for He is our treasure and He has our hearts.

From A Lamp Unto My Feet by Elisabeth Elliot (C)1985

And so, while the surface of things looks far from hopeful, the surface (as with many things) is not a reflection of what is really going on. At breakfast, I was rereading a very old quote from an old book from a conference I attended in college. The speaker was Samuel Kamaleson. He shared something I never forgot and which has become a prayer of my life, prayed often at times like these. I will close with sharing it here for you:

What kind of a God do we serve? Can we trust Him to keep us straight in our commitment? What kind of a commitment is called for tonight? A Yes to end all Noes. If Jesus Christ is God’s Yes to me, then He is my Yes to God tonight. And what am I saying in that Yes? I am saying, “God, if I’m ever tempted to say No, I give you the right to turn me every way but the wrong way. And don’t let me sit on my No. Move me out of it. I trust in you implicitly.

From Declare His Glory Among the Nations edited by David M. Howard, pages 22-23.

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