Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.


Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

I know I have posted these lyrics on my blog before. I think this may be one of my favorite hymns. I have found myself turning to the Lord more than ever during the past couple of weeks than ever, and Kennedy is back, which has been so good and everything has gone so well as we expected it to...but I've had an unsettling about what my purpose is in gifts God has given me and how best He sees for me to use them- whether it be working or ministering to others through a Bible study. I just have that unsettling feeling of the unknown road ahead of me. I had a sense that this would come about, because my personality is to always be doing SOMETHING- to be on the go. I have either been working and doing school, training for something, or just trying to fill my time with "doing". It hasn't failed that someone everyone I have talked to has asked when I am going to start working out here. And right now, I am finishing up my masters degree, and have this urge to rest. And that is ok. I feel like the Lord is constantly reminding me to come into His presence and lean on His direction for what is next instead of relying on what everyone else expects or even what I put on myself as far as expectations. Kennedy and I are adjusting back into married life and living together, since before when we were here in Manhattan we only lived together about 3 weeks or so...but the adjustment has not been "hard"...nothing about it has been difficult. I think we are more thankful than ever for God's faithfulness in bringing us together and bringing Kennedy through the deployment and home safely and now we can actually live in the same city, married. This hymn, though, in regards to our past, present, and future calms my heart. It brings my mind and heart back to the fact and focus that God is faithful...each morning, new mercies I see. ALL I have needed, HIS hand has provided...Great is His faithfulness unto me. I want my prayer to be one of honesty in declaring to the Lord that He truly changest not, His compassions fail not. I want my prayer to declare this even when everything around me is changing and the world we live in is broken where it may even cross our minds- How can His compassions really be? 

As seasons change, I pray we remember to join with all nature in manifold witness to HIS great faithfulness, mercy, and love. 

Great is THY faithfulness, Lord unto me. 

our "little apple" apt.

my parents came up with me to manhattan, ks to get my apt settled/organized/looking home-y and did the most amazing job. I would not have been able to do all they helped me with in the time they put everything together. I wish I had before/after pics, but this is the shape it is in now (warning: some of these are not very exciting!):

 

This is the street we live off of. Thankful for good running/walking/biking routes that are scenic!

 

 

(Milo: your bird ornament you gave me one year is hanging on that key hanger!)

 

 

Don't let the tv stand fool you for only serving as a tv stand...it is multi-functional in also holding Kennedy's clothes. Haha.

 

 

Haha, the above picture is not part of our home...its a pic of the cutest little Asian girl my mom and I saw at the K-State open house (the physics department show).

 

This is Kennedy's coming home basket- note 1) I already took a pic and showed this to him because I can't keep secrets (I've gotten better over the years) 2) the basket was bought with the intention to use it in our bathroom later to hold towels!

 

Had to document an "organized" closet...because this will not last long

 

 

I also had to show Kennedy's SMALL section of the closet for his clothes!

 

Boring pic, but I had to shout out to Gradi & Leah that our ski pic made it in the master bedroom!!

 

the master bedroom (still coming together)

 

 

And a shout out to Wad for my ring holder in the bathroom. And the Lord is My Shepherd drawing I did to put in this frame from Rachel!

 

Things are coming together.

This was also a post to be used as an incentive for people to come visit us in the Little Apple!!!

 

 



Writing

For the longest time, I have been a journaler. I love to write. I've kept journals and diaries since 6th grade that I have kept over all these years. I find comfort and joy in my writing and being able to express what I'm thinking more clearly (or at least it is clearer to me!) I love looking back through old journals and finding encouraging prayers I wrote praising God for his faithfulness or funny entries about a boy I had a crush on who didn't like me back and I was crushed! 
kennedy before he left started kindof keeping a "journal" for a few days and gave it to me before he left. He didn't write too much for the few days he wrote in it, but I opened it tonight and read this from 8 dec (the day before he left):
"You're in the kitchen and I'm writing. It's 7 am. I'm so sad this is my last day with you for 4-5 months. I've been praying and reading through psalm 23 and just hoping we will be comforted by The Lord while apart from one another. He, not each other, is the best thing that has happened to us and will happen to us in our lives. He can comfort us like we never could. He is our rock and our salvation. He is our fortress in whom we can take refuge. Read john 14:16-18. God doesn't leave us alone in the world". 
Although during this time, I have felt loneliness and sadness like I hadn't experienced before, I cried out to The Lord that I would trust Him more and that He would make Himself more real and present with me. It's not an easy process to go through, but it in itself is good to know the presence and realness of God. He is good. 
I journaled the night I got back from taking kennedy on post to say goodbye because I couldn't go to sleep when I got back to our empty apt. I wrote this: 
"Today was spent with a lot of sadness in my heart knowing k would soon be leaving tonight for several months. We ate a lot today. We watched modern family. I wrote him some letters. I talked to my mom and a friend on the way home from dropping him off and cried the whole way back to the apt.... He just called and I can't stop the tears from flowing. He comforts me by saying "chin up shopgirl". My prayer: for The Lord to walk with me and make His presence known and His truth known that He will not leave k or I or forsake us. I need to know and remember that HE will carry me. My prayer for k: travel safety and swift and safe return and that God would encourage him."
It seems surreal what we have experienced. But I can't say how much I look back on this time and think about the realness of God I experienced and the comfort received in His Word and being reminded of His promises and His purposes. Tonight I am thankful for His presence and comfort.