Strength and Shield

"I am your strength and shield. I plan out each day and have it ready for you,long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way." excerpt from Jesus Calling.

This was my morning devotion. There could be not have been better words for me to read today. I just had to blog about them! :) I think it is so amazing how God knows exactly what we need to face each and every day! Over the past two days I have had a group of ladies over to our house to do some "western" baking. This opportunity came about because of the "small" Christmas gift we had given each of our neighbors on our block right before Christmas. My helper and I spent two weeks making pies to give as gifts. Most all of these neighbors had never had these "sweet things". We made lemon meringue pies and of course the good ole apple pie itself. I thank God everyday for our helper who fits our family so well and who knew how to make apple pie! Anyways...a few of the ladies on the block wanted to learn how to bake these pies. So we set a date and time and started to bake! It was so much fun. Although we do not speak much of the same language we had a wonderful time being together and learning from each other. Only one of the ladies who attended is a believer. Most are Muslim or don't have a religion at all. We all decided that we should get together to do this once a month! I never would have thought that almost six months after moving to Indonesia I would have the opportunity to have non -believing, and almost non- English speaking ladies coming into our home to bake- or even that I would have a helper that knows how to bake pies better than I do! Wow!

Back to what I was reading this morning-I was somewhat nervous of how things would turn out. I wasn't sure if things would go smoothly, I didn't know if I could speak in bahasa well enough to visit, etc.  All of these "worries" were thrown at the feet of God who knew that by making simple pies as gifts at Christmas time this door would be opened. God gave me the strength that I needed to make it through and not burn anything:) J/K, but seriously, everything went so smoothly. I could not have done it without His help. Please pray with me that this "activity" would grow into something other that just casual talk and fellowship. These ladies need Jesus and now I have a chance to build friendships that can, Lord willing, last for eternity. Thanks for your prayers and support. We love and miss you all, Erin