Congrats Andy and Laura Baerg...and welcome Gerrit Andrew Baerg to the world! :) What a cutie. :)

Tonight I learned another new lesson...NEVER bake while you are studying...you will burn the cookies when you get completely absorbed in the homework you are doing.

Today we had a Tanzania team outing...here we are in the Congaree State Park...er, Swamp. Brent, Augusta, Sara, Randy, and Sarah. :)

I love SC...do you see the sign? Do you see where it says "FISHING"...and then look at the bottom pic. Yeah. Gotta love it.

Brent playing in the swamp.

For the second Saturday in a row, it was rainy and chilly...and for the second Saturday in a row, I was determined not to be deterred from playing outside. It was wet and it was cold...and it was the highlight of my weekend. I'm thankful for kindred spirits who aren't too grown up and come out and play in the rain with me. Granted, it's not everyone's thing...but there is something sweet in letting the raindrops kiss you as you play with brothers and sisters, enjoying the day that God has made.

I've been thinking a lot today about grace and laughter. Out on that field today where we were kicking the soccerball...there was a lot of both. :) For years I have been trying to just bite the bulle and finally buy "Abba's Child"...while my folks were here for my birthday a couple weeks ago, they bought it for me...tonight, instead of working on hermeneutics, I started Abba's Child...and I ran across this quote: "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." (E.E. Cummings) I thought it was an interesting quote...God made us each so uniquely...I sit here and think of the people I know and I am so thankful for the ones that are genuinely just "themselves"...they inspire me the most. This all made me think of the song that Norah Jones sings, "Seven Years"...

"Spinning laughing dancing to her favorite song...a little girl, with nothing wrong, is all alone...Eyes wide open always hoping for the sun...and she'll sing her song to anyone that comes along....Crooked little smile on her face, tells a tale of grace...that's all her own."

I guess I have just been considering laughter a lot lately. Life gets hectic...we get serious...and then laughter is far removed...I really like Brennan Manning and his philosophy of life and grace...and in his book Ragamuffin Gospel he says, "...We are overcome by the ordinariness of life, by daily duties done over and over again. We secretly admit that the cacll of Jesus is too demanding, that surrender to the Spirit is beyond our reach. We start acting like everyone else. Life takes on a joyless, empty quality. We begin to resemble the leading character in Eugene O'Neill's play The Great God Brown: "Why am I afraid to dance, I who love music and rhythm and grace and song and laughter? Why am I afraid to live, I love life and the beauty of flesh and the living colors of the earth and sky and sea? Why am I afraid to love, I who love love?"" Ever been in that place? I have. And it wasn't so long ago that I was in the depths of it. Thank you, God, for grace...and for laughter. I have some buddies who, if I ever just need to lighten up and laugh, I know they will provide. They are breaths of fresh air in my life. I hope everyone has those people in their lives.

Random thoughts tonight and all a little deeper than I am letting on in this blog...but I just find myself thankful for the outpouring of God's grace and how true and abundant life is found only in Him. People say that following God is boring...but when I look around at my brothers and sisters in Him...and where He leads us all...I find that each day is a new adventure...there is nothing boring about this life.

It's funny when you get to know people what you can find out about them...and I love the picture in my mind of a huge patchwork quilt where NONE of the blocks match...tonight I found out that one of my buddies knows how to crochet...and the other knows how to quilt. Another went down a zip line backwards...one of my girlfriends drives a huge truck that makes most guys jealous...I could go on and on...but the simple beauty of it is how God made us each so different...we are all just wired uniquely, but we have enough in common to still be human and to bear with each other. I just marvel at the creativity of God sometimes.

I love the sound of a gently falling rain outside my window. It has a calming effect on a restless heart and mind.

I have been considering much about the world lately. I have been trying to keep up on news to some extent...though I tend to live in a cave here at school. I read earlier this week about the disaster in the Philippines...my heart broke for those people. I was in Venezuela six months after the mudslides there and saw the utter devestation of the people even six months later. I saw first hand what mudslides do. Tonight I read about an earthquake in Mozambique. Couldn't find anymore out about that, but I pray that it wasn't overly serious...I guess the coming days will tell. My heart was again stirred tonight for the tragedy that has been going on for years in Northern Uganda as I stumbled onto a conversation about that place...Uganda, where I left my heart four years ago. I have read about the attacks in different countries due to the infamous cartoon...places like in Indonesia. There are so many disturbing things going on in this world. One sometimes wonders what God is doing...or if He is even involved anymore. But this one thing I know...He is involved...and He uses these tragic events to bring glory to His name by helping people see who He is and how He loves them. In His name is found hope and love and joy and salvation. Even in these hard days, He is working. Even in these trying times, He is good. He is a gentle falling rain in the midst of chaos.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
Psalm 46:1-3

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise."
Psalm 48:1

This evening felt very African to me. A walk that normally takes me about 5 minutes took me about 45 minutes tonight. After dinner, I walked out with two of my friends and we stood around and chatted for about 15 minutes...then I ran into a girl on my street who I got to chat with for another 10 minutes or so...then my neighbor drove up beside me, turned his car off, and we talked for about another 15 or so minutes before some other friends came up and we finally all continued on. Then when I got home, I headed out again with two wonderful gentlemen to walk a few miles...and then got home only to call my neighbor friend and she and I ran a mile and walked a couple more. It was totally a relational night and that made me heart soooo happy and it felt soooo African. There is work that I needed to be doing as always, but relationships took priority...it was a good break from the time crunch orientation of the day...of the past several days. :) God is good...He just really is.

Popcorn made on the stove top. Vimto that Cori sent me for Christmas. Music like "Africa" and "Sunnyside of Life". Surrounded with pics of times past. This is the epitimy of homsickness. Here are some things I have been thinking about tonight...

...Red Rover in the hallway of the office
...Teaching Olilver (Cori's cat from Canada) how to do sommersaults
...Random Beach Days
...Marshmellow wars
...Pen/marker wars
...Coke in a bottle
...24 on Monday nights
...Ataya with Mountaga and Seydu
...Saucie and the monkey fruit juice
...Close-knit community and my DA friends

There is one song that everytime I hear it, I think of the Ibsen family at our apartment last year when they were all gathered and listening to that song, all singing it under their breath as they went about their other activities...and if you know the Ibsens, you know they are wonderfully talented in music...and all very "sunny". :)

"Keep on the sunnyside, always on the sunnyside, keep on the sunnyside of life...it will help us everyday, it will brighten all the way, if we keep on the sunnyside of life."

God is so good to bless us with such wonderful memories. :)

At long last, I finished the Chronicles of Narnia. No one ever told me how it all ended, so without giving anything away, I was shocked! But it was good stuff...a fun adventure for the last couple months. Now I'm working through Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship"...haha, not quite on the same level as Narnia...but it was one of the options for class, so I decided to go for it. By the way, if you have any suggestions for "lighter" reading, fiction stuff...let me know, ok? I'm always looking for something new. :)

Tomorrow is my first Ultimate game. Yep, I joined the intermural team (though I wasn't really given a choice in the matter)...so tomorrow is our first game at 3:15pm. I'm pretty excited about that...I played this weekend with some friends for the first time in a long time...I forgot how much fun that game is. :) And to make it all the more interesting, there is a bit of "rivalry" because I playing the team of one of my Tanzania teammates...hehe, fun times. :)

Daffodils. The first flower of spring...or at least, in my mind it is. :) Today I was walking home from lunch when I caught sight of this beautiful yellow in our front yard...and then realized what it was! I love daffodils!! :)

2 letters from friends
1 really good smoothie
70 degrees and sunshine
4 hours of homework (it got finished!)
2 hugs
+ 1 really long walk/chat with a friend
______________________________

Blessed beyond my wildest imagination


Thank you, Lord!

Tonight in a vain attempt to keep awake and alert in order to finish my Systematic Theology and Hermenutics assignments, I went and got a coke. Then I noticed that I had some left over vanilla ice cream in my freezer. Perfect combo. Then I remembered a video of a commedian that a buddy and I watched last weekend where he brought up the point that a serving size of ice cream is 1/2 cup...and how whoever came up with that sure had a good laugh...seriously, who only eats a half cup of ice cream in one sitting!? So, in honor of that, I went for it. I had a half cup of ice cream tonight with my coke...and I hope that guy who came up with that serving size is getting his laughs...because I was left very unsatisfied, but practiced self-control nonetheless. :)

Happy Heart Day.

"How priceless is Your unfailing love."
Psalm 36:7

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him..."
Psalm 37:7

"If the LORD delights in a man's way,
He makes his steps firm;
though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with His hand."
Psalm 27:23-24

I read these two Psalms last night and went to bed with these thoughts in my mind. God's love is unfailing...today in class we talked about how God knows what He is doing and has you in your specific circumstance for His reasons. I don't know if I'm alone in this, but sometimes I want things....not like a new pair of shoes or a new car...but other things...and when I feel my heart stirring within me for those things, I have to make myself be still before the Lord and just trust His good and loving hand and be patient for His timing...He knows best! And finally, as I read this last one last night...the words "though he stumble, he will not fall" nearly jumped off the page and into my lap. It does NOT say that this person will not have a difficult time...it just says that even though he stumbles, God's grace will meet him there and uphold him in those times. Someone gave me the advice my first year of teaching to give myself grace throughout the year...but I think that holds true to all of life. God gives us grace, so why am I so apt to withhold it from myself? God knows I'm going to stumble, He's not taken by surprise...but instead meets me where I am...and loves. It's Heart Day...I don't have a boy in my life to get giddy about...but I know that I have a Saviour who is crazy about me...and He's crazy about you, too.

I have been struck lately by just how good God is to us. Last night, my folks took the team and myself out to eat. At one point, I just stopped eating and looked around and realized how blessed we are to have this delicious food. I have been places where that is not the reality of daily life. Two nights ago, on my birthday, I was saddened when some of our guy friends were busy and couldn't come join some of the rest of us for a movie...so, us ladies went ahead and started a movie when two of the guys came over...having ditched the other guys, both came in with hugs and just spent the evening with us. That meant the world to me. Last night, both of my roomies were out with their boys, so I got to be home alone...and it was really hitting me the wrong way for some reason...so after a run/walk by myself, I came home really sad and lonely...when all of the sudden my friend from across the street came over with cookies and stayed for several hours to study with me...pretty much out of the blue. God hears us. Today I got to go on a walk with a buddy of mine and just realized the absolute beauty that we are surrounded by each day...and how much of it we miss because of the fast lane of life. Today was a chance to slow down and enjoy it with good company. Reminders of His grace are everywhere.

Anyhow, today during church, I was reminded that God is good...and not "because..."...He just is good...period. However, it has been magnified to me lately that He pours out love on His children and He hears us when we talk with Him. What could possibly be better than this Love of God? I've been a lot of places and walked a lot of roads...and from my experience...nothing compares to Him and a life lived in love with Him.

Today I am 28. It is my birthday. It's weird being 28...not much different than 27 really. I had to work...but they brought me a cake. My folks are here to visit. Tonight we are going to Uno's for super big yum pizza. Giddy up. Birthdays really aren't so bad. :)

A semester of grad school can certainly be like going through a deep, dark tunnel...as I'm sure my fellow grad students could attest to. There are insane amounts of homework and every professor is utterly convinced that theirs is the ONLY class you are taking at the time. Money gets stretched to the very outter limits of what some people refer to as being "broke". Though there is always money for an ice cream cone from Baskin Robins on a night when you really can't focus. And as for a life...well, it doesn't really exist at all. But this is all a beautiful thing and I am utterly thankful to be here...though sometimes you need to have a light at the end of the tunnel...something to be looking forward to that gives you that extra dose of motivation when you just can't read one more word or type one more paper.

Today, the light at the end of the tunnel came into sight. It is still 3.5 months out, but it is there...lurking in the back of my mind from now until then...I'm going back to Senegal at the end of May to visit my friends!!! Cori and I have been talking about this for a few months now...and today, I received my tickets. It's really going to happen!!

Now...that extra motivation I was referring to...back to the books!! Senegal and friends...I'll see you soon! :)

I read this last night and it was really encouraging to me...

"...and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live..."
Acts 17:26

I was reading in the Psalms today...Psalm 27 to be exact. Verse 14, I love. It says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." I like it when things are straighforward and blunt. Could it be any more clear than this? There is no mystery here. Things going rough in life? Wait for the LORD. Be strong. Take heart. But whatever else you may do, wait for the LORD. You know why we wait? Because we are expecting something to happen or someone to show up. The beauty of the LORD is that He's there...He's in the midst of it...with you. There is a song, I don't know who its by, but a line in it goes, "Sometimes He calms the storm, sometimes He calms His child." It's not that God isn't there and we have to wait for Him to get there to help...He's already with us...and we just need to await His perfect timing...be strong and take heart knowing that He is the Lord and He is faithful.

Today I found out that my friend Susie delivered a healthy little girl...Allison Marie. :) I'll post a pic when I get one...but I already know that little girl is beautiful and very loved. So congrats, Sus and Jim!! :)

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl. I remember watching the Super Bowl last year in Senegal. A bunch of us went to the Marine House and they had it on a big screen outside and a TV inside...for some reason, Cori and I decided to sit outside...we nearly froze to death. I know, you wouldn't think that would happen in Senegal...but I'm telling you, it can. So we were there until after 3am and then had to be at school the next morning to teach. Made me a little homesick for Senegal when I recalled that memory tonight. Such good times and amazing people. Anyhow, enough for now. Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday. :)

I find myself really thankful in these wee hours of the morning for laughter and friends. Tonight I went over to a friend's house to have dinner and just hang out. After dinner, we all played Scattergories. I think easily the best answer of the night came with the letter A and the topic "An excuse for being late"...the answer? Ape Attack. Pretty creative. There were a few of those. Good stuff...lots of laughs...then a dreadfully sad movie where the phrase "Why did I pick such a sad movie?" was repeated over and over by the guy who chose it.

God is good. That's all I have to say. Laughter and friends are such gifts...and they ought not be taken for granted. :)

Looking back to see what is going to lie ahead may not be such a bad thing. Tonight I was thinking about this Tanzania team. We lost one member of our team due to God calling him to other things this summer...which could have been completely discouraging for us, except for this utter peace I feel about that situation. :) So I was pondering back to where this team started and seeing how God has raised up two great guys who will be joining us on this adventure...two guys that we prayed for...one being the leader of this ragamuffin bunch and the other stepping out of his box into a new world of overseas missions. I was just encouraged by looking back and it made me really excited for what lies ahead.

This afternoon I was reading about Paul and Barnabas in Acts. And I was really struck with the fact that these two guys were threatened and Paul was even stoned nearly to death...yet they kept on preaching the Word of God because they loved God and wanted His name to be praised...and because of their love for God, they loved people deeply. Even knowing the cost of their sharing Christ with these people (nearly their lives), they kept going...they could not stop. And I asked myself, "Sara, is it worth it? Is this Christ worth dying for? Even more so, is this Christ worth living for?" Sometimes I think its "easy" (granted, I use that term lightly here) to die for something...but living for it is the real struggle. Does my life reflect Christ? Am I willing to do whatever it is He calls me to? But more importantly...am I willing to just love Him fully? And the Bible tells us that we know we love God if we obey Him. So do I obey Him? These are all questions that came to my mind...I know I have a lot of growing yet to do...and I know that there will be many hardships...but the point is, it's all worth it. All of it.

On a lighter note...if you have been keeping up with the Tanzania Team section of my site, be sure to check out the "Ongoing Prayer Points" in that section. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have an editor as a housemate...I couldn't think of a word earlier and not only did she come up with it, but also pointed out a mistake I had made. :) Anyhow, check that out if you get time...it will not change much...if at all. :)

Meet the Tanzania Team and the missionaries we will be working with while there! The Lyons have been in town for a couple of days to meet with us and help us prep for our time in Tanzania this summer. Anyhow, here is the team! :)

"As for God, His way is perfect;
the Word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
He enables me to stand on the heights."
Psalm 18:30-33

I was overwhelmed today, the first day of classes, with the amount of work that is going to have to be done this semester. But just a few minutes ago I was reminded that God is my strength and He will enable me to do these things that He has called me here to do. Wanted to encourage you with that as well.

As Pastor Owusu-Baafi would say: "God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good....And the best is yet to come!"