Devos,trees,and a little mushy pasta

Hi Mr. Monday!

Today is my second to last Monday that I will spend  in Porto,Portugal,  and I must say it was a pretty great one.

 Each Monday, Michelle, Hannah, and I get together and go over our weekly devotional. While listening to Michelle and Hannah express what stood out to them in the devotional this past week, I felt a rush of joy fill my heart. I am very blessed  to get to serve alongside women who love the Savior and want to please Him with their lives. After our time of sweet Devotion, we headed out the door for the Children's home; we are in the process of painting a tree mural for one of the rooms at the home and once finished, each child and employee will place their hand print on the branches to represent leaves and unity. Today we successfully finished the tree!!! After finishing up at the Children's home, Hannah and I headed home and we were both excited to have one of our favorite meals (shrimp pasta). However, the pasta that I mistakenly chose to cook with is typically used for making a Portuguese dessert with cinnamon sprinkled on top .This type of pasta, after boiled, has the consistency of our mushy oatmeal... sooo, I will leave the rest to your imagination. BUT it ended up tasting fine surprisingly and left me with a great story to tell. Mushy pasta and  all, it was a pretty great second to last Monday! 

Once upon a time, I used to dread picking my head up from my fluffy pillows and removing my self from my warm, cozy bed on any given Monday. However, I have recently had a change of heart for the weekday that is dreaded worldwide. 

The Lord has truly blessed me with the privilege to serve in Porto, Portugal and  I am learning to see everyday  as a gift and chance to give God glory. I now see Mondays as a fresh new start,an opportunity to introduce my sweet  Heavenly Father to someone. 

God is so good and would still be good if  you and I were sleeping on the ground in Africa, stricken with disease, or starving in a third world country. He is God and He is good, period.The Lord of all deserves more than my grumbling and complaining that I have given him on Mondays for at least the past ten years of my life.  

We are blessed to able breathe, walk, smell, talk, write, read ... and, if we are unable to do any of the above,  we are still  blessed ,because we can have a relationship with the Savior, Jesus.We are so blessed to be created and thought of by the same creator that formed the galaxies,beyond and in between

If we wake up, live, speak, work,serve and if every act of motion or motive is only to please ourselves, then yes, we should feel miserable on any day. The cure for a miserable life (or Monday) is to think about someone other than yourself. 

This life is not about you and me, it is all about Jesus and showing His love to our neighbors; He is the reason for all and is worthy of praise and focus.  

I want to encourage you to keep your chin up, be optimistic, and give Jesus praise with your Monday and your everyday.

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24


"My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day." 
Psalm 71:8