"Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail; They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22-23

This week has brought a lot of hard things. Yet I was reminded of God's presence and beauty each morning and evening as I saw His remarkable work in the sun rises and sun sets coming to and from work. 

On Tuesday evening, the secretary from my school passed away unexpectedly after being sick off and on over the past two weeks. She was a wonderful lady - filled with a bright spirit and love for the Lord, her family, friends, students, and staff. She had the most school spirit of anyone in our building! She was a super Tiger fan, and supported students in our building and district and Tiger teams 110%. She had the ability to make anyone in our building feel welcome. It is my first year there, and she encouraged me to become part of the school "family" since before the beginning of school. We will miss her a lot, and I'm thankful to have known her for even this short time. Her funeral was Friday, and our building experienced an overwhelming sense of support as paras and other non-classroom teachers came to fill in for those of us who wanted to attend. What a blessing to be covered by prayers, encouragement, and support through such a long and difficult week for many. And what a reminder that God only promises us today. Our days are numbered here on Earth, and it is so important that we use each one to glorify Him and reach out to others through His love. 

It has been one of those "lonely" kind of weeks too. One of the hardest parts about being where I am is trying to find friends close to my age. I miss that part of high school and college so much. I have one best friend who I spend time with regularly, and I am so thankful for the way God has allowed us to be so close for so many years. But...I still feel lonely. It's not just that "longing for a relationship" feeling, although I do have the strong desire in my heart to have a husband and a family one day. Sometimes I just see my friends who are in grad school or seminary and have room mates and friends to spend time with regularly and wish I had that too. Sometimes I see friends who live in bigger cities and go to churches with ministries specifically for young adults, and I have searched for that here...unsuccessfully. I've thought a lot about moving to a bigger area as one of my options for next year until I can see if my missions opportunity works out, but...I'm not sure yet. I'm not trying to complain, or sound down. And I am certainly thankful for the many ways God has blessed me. But that doesn't make the "lonely" part go away. It's really hard, and something I have to pray about a lot.

Even though it has been a difficult week in different ways, I know God is faithful all the time, every day. He will always be a Comforter, all-sufficient, and more than enough. But...it's ok to tell Him how we feel too...to be honest and to know He cares. Because He does. He really does. I am thankful to be called one of His children.