A day in the garden

I am sitting here on a bus at 8 o’clock in the morning head back to Ust nad Labem couldn’t be more excited because I really miss this city that we have made our home for the back 4 weeks.

We spent the last few days in between two towns Strakonice and Pisek. We were serving with a JV missionary Leah Cox who has been here for the past 12 years. She has just a fun loving spirit and such a servant’s heart. We did some manual labor, which was good for a change because I was getting kind of antsy sitting around the house working on the computer. Not to down play that fact that the work I was doing was good and much need but the change of pace was nice. We helped a family work on their garden.. Let me tell you, a Czech garden is nothing compared to an American garden.  Us Americans can learn a few things from these Czechs. =) They are huge and beautiful. Full of trees and flowers and LOT OF WEEDS! So we pulled weeds, mowed grass and picked cherries out of the trees and ate cherries out the tree. It was great. WE did the same thing the next day but at a nursing home. I took the time to spend the day with Jesus gardening. Letting him know that I am having trouble feeling his presence and seeing him. This time was much needed. I have been having a hard time connecting up with Him just because of my person lack of discipline. That’s really what it comes down to. 

So, we finishes off the day had dinner and I went back to the church we were sleeping at and decided to commandeer the front lobby and spend time Skyping with my dear friend back home and once again with the Lord. God could not have blessed those that time anymore. I was encouraged and loved on by my dear friend. For those of you who have been on the mission field can understand starting off and really missing your community at first. Then my time spent with the Lord was just amazing! I haven’t felt this connect and filled up with him in awhile. I read two verse that just stood out to me.

Psalms 18:33 and Proverbs 18: 24

I’m reading a book that another friend of my encouraged me to read. It is called Hinds Feet in High Places. She read it when she was backpacking through Europe almost 4 years ago and told me that I changed her life and encouraged me to read it. Well this verse explains so clearly the premise of the book.

“ He made me feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.” Psalms 18:33

I was once again encouraged and reminded that this life is a process. It won’t happen over night. But God is slowly changing me from this girl who is much afraid of almost everything and making into this girl who loves without fear and lives without fear.

As I was talking to my friend we were just talking about some of our doubts and our fears. Talking about how she is moving to DC before I get back and that we haven’t seen each other since she left for Jamaica back in April. Talked about how precious our friendship is and we love how God has grown us together as deep deep friend who didn’t even know each other before our missions trip to Czech last year. We cried together, even thought we always try to end our conversation before the crying, and laughed, and reminisced and dreamed together on the phone. I don’t know f you have ever had a friend like this but they are few and far between. I cherish this friendship deeply.  I went to deep thing about our conversation and woke up thinking about it. I reach over for my bible this morning and read this verse.

“ A man of many companions may come to ruins, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18: 24

I smiled and Ashley came straight to my mind and I thanked God for the friendship I have with her. I thanked him for using her in my life to refine me.Even far from home and in the midst of what feels like a dry season God instantly reminds me, after sometime in a garden, of how he is caring for me and who he is.