Dreams.

 

 

“The best thing about dreams is that fleeting moment, when you are between asleep and awake, when you don't know the difference between reality and fantasy, when for just that one moment you feel with your entire soul that the dream is reality, and it really happened.”

I dream about Uganda. Alot. Little dirt-smudged faces, long fingers deftly crafting paper into beautiful creations, the sweet, smoky smell of downtown. Cries of "Auntie! Auntie!" as our Japanese-speaking bus pulls through the gate. Really appreciating a cold Fanta. Worshiping with the women as they sing and dance. Quiet times spent on the veranda watching women and children alike carry gallons of water on their head. Cherishing time with the Father because there is nothing to hide behind there.

I was only there a short time, but I miss it. I miss it so much I feel like my heart could explode. Sometimes I grow weary at the idea of having to wait to go back. Even more so at the idea of not going back at all. My heart is there. And I know full well that God could change my path and I may never get to return to Uganda.

And that's okay.

He knows every corner of my heart, and I long for my desires to be His desires. And every night, I go to sleep with the faith that He's got it under control. I wake up knowing the day is His. He has me right where he wants me, so for now I will miss Uganda and be grateful for my time there.

He will send me back or He won't, but no matter what, it will be okay.

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." -Hebrews 11:32-40

Love, Hailey

 

 

Worry, worry, worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?" Matthew 6:25

How often do we worry about things? I know I worry literally every single day about one thing or another: if my cats are alright (don't judge me), if I'm going to find a job, what I'm going to wear tomorrow, if and when I'm going back to Uganda, I said something stupid and now I regret it...the list goes on and on. But what is the source of our worry?

A fundamental distrust in God.

A fundamental distrust in who He is, what He's doing in our life, and what His sovereignty. John MacArthur phrases it like this: "The way you handle problems, temptations, trials, difficulties, is a reflection of your view of God. If you understand the Lord and who He is and all His power and all His promise and all His resources and purposes and plans toward you and you also understand that He's always near, then where's the cause for anxiety? What are you going to be anxious about? If you understand that God is sovereign, God is loving, if you understand that God is in control of everything in your life for His glory and your good, if you understand that nothing is beyond the purview of God's control, if you understand that He's orchestrating everything for eternal purpose and you can rest in that confident faith, then you're going to be stable in the most serious times. "

Ohhh-kaayy. Easier said than done, I know. But we have hope in the fact that He is our Father and we can lean on Him. Every day, we wake up, take a deep breath, and say, "Okay, Lord, today is Yours. I trust You to use it as You see fit." He delights in taking care of us. He takes care of the birds in the air, of course He is going to take care of us! What a thought, right?!

On a completely different note, signed a lease for the house today, so excited to live with sweet friends. Our landlord is wonderful, so accommodating and kind.  

The kitchen and living room:

Cute, right? God is good!

Love, Hailey

First blog post wooo! Now, where to start? Weaalll...I originally started this blog to document my journey back to Uganda. Seeing as I'm about to sign a lease tomorrow for a house in Harrisonburg, obviously that's not happening at the current moment ;) 

So, I thought about deleting it, almost did, then decided not to. Why? Because of the title. And let me tell you, I spent a loooong time on that bad boy. Had to be a mix between creative and catchy, right? But, I didn't delete it because encountering love is something we all do every day. The Father's love. Whether you know it/choose to accept it or not, He loves you. Like a die-for-you type of love. 

SO. Sometimes I'll talk about my mundane life, sometimes I'll talk about crafty things (because I am literally obsessed with crafty things), sometimes I'll talk about food and cooking (also obsessed) and a lot of times I'll talk about Jesus :) Sometimes it may be cheesy, it may be silly, but I promise it will be true and I will be honest! 

I will probably also end up talking about Uganda a lot- for those of you who don't know, I went to Uganda a month ago for 10 days and completely fell in love with the place. Like hands down, head over heels, in love. Ever been somewhere that you just knew you were supposed to be there? I never had that feeling before Uganda and I realized that it is home, it is where the Lord is calling me to be. I had applied to go back this summer for a year plus but realized the timing was wrong, so here I am in good ol' Harrisonburg, VA; job-hunting, loving my church community, finally finding a place with two of my best friends and I am excited for what the year ahead holds :) 

Sorry if this was exceptionally cheesy, and I tried to make it as cheese-less as possible, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Love, Hailey