A Soldiers Faith

TGIF - Today God is First... so in keeping with that, I wanted to share a story a soldier recently shared with me. One I feel is totally blog worthy and one I want to post here so I may go back and read it time to time. Here it is...

Occasionally when one of the doctors get behind in our office, they will intercom me and ask me to go back to the exam room and finish up the chart and bring the patient out for glasses, rather than them making the longggggg walk up to the optical area with the patient.
Well one of these times, I was able to get in on the end of the conversation between the doctor and the patient. This patient had been a soldier, and Dr. T was thanking him for his service. The man said "So many things I fought for back then, people don't even care about now." Immediate Discount in his future! In all seriousness, I still get tears just thinking about it.
For some reason I was flipping through his chart as his name didn't sound familiar to me and he was a new patient to us. I noticed on his Patient Information Sheet what his wifes name was. Then it hit me!
Jack has the most wonderful and kind Aunt and Uncle ever. His Uncle passed away last Halloween and he is forever missed. Anyway, they had best friends that I had heard about pretty much everytime we visited with them. The kind that are there for you, through thick and thin. The kind that are like family... perhaps even closer at times. The kind of friends you have laughed with, shared joy with, overcome fears and triumphs with, the kind you mourn with. You get the picture... Lifelong friends.
This man was one of the friends! So I introduced myself, although, I'm sure we'd met in the past. Sometimes you forget! So in the midst of trying on glasses and such, we had the best conversation. He asked me if I'd heard about the time that he and Uncle J. were in Japan and I said I didn't think I had. He went on to say that he was in the Marines... (I think) and he was stationed in Japan. He had went to a popular hang out and decided to leave and head back to his quarters. As he was telling the story he said he could still remember the scenery of the walk... he was headed up an incline and he saw this tall lanky dude coming at him. He thought to himself it sure resembled Uncle J. but he was in the Navy, so surely not.
But guess what! It was! He said both of them, given a choice, would've chose to see their wives, but God knew what they needed. They needed their friend. The one who knew how the other feels, the one that can sympathize, the one going through the same struggles. He told me... That's how I know there's a God. From that night. Stuck in Japan. Away from his family. Feeling lonely. Feeling sad. God sent him his best friend.
How great is our God to pull that 'ole Navy ship into harbour at the exact place where the Marines were, 1/2 a world away, put these two friends on the exact same street at the exact same time! Only God...
TODAY! God is first.

TGIF May 8th

Today God Is First.... I really don't need to say anymore than that.


BUT!!!!!!!! Just to share how good my God is on this lovely rainy Friday....

1. I received an email that our Visa's have been mailed back to us... so no delay with the swine flu on our Visa's! Yippee!!!!!

2. Today is the day that our little Wen was found abandoned. Her birthday is January 7th, but she wasn't abandoned until May 8th. 3 years ago today is the beginning of her journey... Today not only she, but also her birthmom is heavy on my heart.

3. I checked my email today and had this!!!!!

We requested an update through LadyBugsNLove last week and they were wonderful to work with! Thanks Angela and Kelly!!!!

Looks like a soccer player Jadeth!!!!! Every update we received has said a ball is her favorite toy and every picture and video we have, she's holding a ball!

Isn't she adorable and springy looking in her little floral top! Her height and weight haven't changed since our February updates... 80 Cm tall and 10 Kg. BUT!!!! This time we were able to find out how big her foot is! 14.5 Cm!! That's about an 8 or 8 1/2 shoe! I haven't been able to buy shoes yet.... now watch out!

Someone has already learned to 'pout'!!!!

Tonight is Jacen's band concert, I work tomorrow and Sunday is Mothers Day... so I hope I am able to check back in today and let you all know that we received our TA, but if not... See you all Monday! Have a wonderful weekend and God Bless all you mom's and mom's to be!
Remember... Today God Is First!!!!

TGIF

I've been planning to start a weekly TGIF post on Fridays and when better to start than today... Good Friday. It wasn't a good day for my Savior, but it sure was a good day for me. Thank You Jesus!
Here's my first Today God Is First post! Ponder on it's message and how appropriate it is to share today.

Isaiah 53

1 Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought
God's saving power would look like this?
2-6The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
7-9He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.
10Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
11-12Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.