Where did 9 go? Now we are at 10!

Well, I didn't ever post for month 9 and now I am well into month 10, and instead of telling people I've now been here so many months I can now say, "Well, in July it will be a year :)."  Those words really thrill my  heart let me tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you for pr me through this first year it has been hard, and one where I have been grinded and sifted until I think I can take no more, yet I have a feeling there may be more coming.  However, He is faithful and He never gives us more than we can handle; however, the part of that verse I often overlook is that word, "when".  Paul gives us those wonderful words of, "He never gives us more than we can handle, but when He does....."  How often do we all overlook that last part hoping beyond hope that He will not give us anything we cannot handle; EVER!  However, we all know that He often does, and the reason He does (I am learning) is because He loves us, and He wants us to experience and know His love in a way most of us have never experienced any kind of love before.  One of the greatest ways He shows us His love and teaches us how to truly experience it is through times of hardship, times of discouragement, times of feeling like we have failed, times of pain.  When look at Him full in the face during those times, His face is full of unfathomable love and that is what He gives us to get through what we think we can't handle.  He wraps His arm around our shoulders, helps us stand up, takes the burden we've been trying to carry, and walks along beside us with our burdens on His shoulders.  As we walk together, if we are patient and listening, He teaches us about our burden why He gave it to us or why He allowed it.  And as He talks and we walk along beside Him; we learn and we see His love for us.....greater than any love we have or can have in this life. 

Although it is great love we often don't want it, because it is too hard.  I have been guilty of not wanting it.  Thinking that I want His love, and at the same time not wanting the difficulty that comes along with it.  However, in His grace and patience I am learning the difficult and "hard" is worth it to know His love to know how much He loves us a little more every day.  Thank you for helping me to keep walking beside Him, when I have been tempted to just throw the burden at the Father and run away.  This post is not to say, "Yay! Everything is all better I'm good now!"  That would not be the truth; however, it is to say thank you for shouldering all of this with me, and being part of that way the Father helps us carry our burdens never expecting us to carry them alone.  Thank you so much for pr me through this year.  Keep lifting me up I cannot do the next 2 years without you! 

If you would like to respond to this post or any post please write me at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com

Serving Him with You (where ever I am),
Rachel

8 Months on March 2nd

The 8th month mark came on a day that I was thinking more of birthdays than being here for 8 months.  March 2nd was my nephew, Elijah's, 2nd birthday, and it was difficult not being there for that.  I still have not been able to contact him or my sister (his mom), so pray that this week we can connect over skype.  However, even though it was hard to be away that day I did have a good day thanks to your pr.  March 2nd was also the birthday of one of my closest friends.  She and I have been friends since our 9th grade year of highschool, and in large part because of her husband and her there are days I have been able to make it through.  They are some of my most faithful pr supporters, and I thank Dad for them.  I also ask that you would lift them up.

These two friends of mine, H & D are currently in process of raising support to go and serve with Cadence International as Workers serving military families specifically the youth of these families on base.  They are currently on track to be working with base in Germany by May.  Please be pr for them as they continue to trust Him to provide the support they need to get there.  If you were to give them $5-$10 a month for 2 years you have already helped in a big way.  If anyone is interested in helping to support them let me know at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com 

Finally, March 2nd was the official time marker of me being in Camel Land for 8 months.  Hard to believe it's been 8 months.  Please keep pr for me in the language area.  I am almost finished with the 2nd part of the 2nd phase of this language program we use here.  Once I finish the 3rd part I should be ready for my first evaluation.  Please pr that I would be able to finish the 2nd part of phase 2 by the end of this week, and that I would be able to successfully come through the evaluation at the end of the 3rd part of the 2nd phase.  It also looks like I will be running in a 5K on Sunday.  This race is for Girls and Women only, and I have no idea what to expect for this kind of an event here in this country.  I am also dealing with some pain when I run, and I have only been able to train on a treadmill.  Pr that I can do this well.  Pr also that I would know what He wants to be doing for Him here ( I know the obvious answer to that, just asking for a specific role to fill).  Continue to lift up also that while I am here He would help me to make some national friends.

Pictures:  1. These are my friends H & D and their son, Samuel.  They are also expecting baby #2. Pr for H during this time, especially for her strength and health.

2. This is me at a point outside of the city, this was before Cmas.

3. The last picture is my sister, Julia, and her little boy Elijah....my nephew.  He turned two on March 2nd.  Julia is expecting baby girl in June.  Pr for Julia, Ben, and Elijah as they get ready for little sister.

Rachel

Remember to become one in a million pr for the Horn in April go to http://www.prayforthehorn.com/ (this is a link so you can click on it and go directly there!)

A Tour of the House with the Wardrobe....Only I Don't Have Snow or a Lightpost

So if you read the previous post you would have noticed I said, " You have to go through the closet to get to the bathroom."  That's right!  In my room is a wardrobe, and there is another side to it!  Ha!  Only I don't have an enchanted, Christmasy land on the other side of my wardrobe....just a toilet, a bathtub, a sink, and some towels and a dirty clothes basket.  So if you want to go "through the wardrobe" come visit me! Ha ha.

Here are more pictures of my house:

1& 2. These are the stairs.  My bedroom and the other two bedrooms are upstairs, along with a hall bathroom.

3. This is the living room.  It is a long room part of it is the living room and part is the dining room.  This is the sofa that I had made here.

4. Here's my recliner.

5. Here's the dining room and yes that's the fridge.  It doesn't fit in the kitchen because there isn't a place for it.

6. These are the brown curtains I had made for the living room/ dining room.  These windows are floor to ceiling and open out onto a small porch.

7.The last 3 pictures are of the kitchen.

                                                                    

The final picture is of me on my birthday.....hope you enjoy the "tour".  Keep pr and lifting up.

Rachel

A Day on My Back

Some of you may remember that when I was a Jman whenever a lot of stress would come into my life my neck and shoulders would seize up and I would be in pain for days.  Often I would just carry on and feel like a stiff tin man trying to get around.  Once I started running at sem a lot of that stopped as most of my stress was being pounded out on the trail or the pavement.  However, since I have been in Camel Land some of this stress in my muscles has come back.  Now that I am running again it is much less, however, it is not as little as it needs to be and I need your pr.  Please pr that right now my muscles would relax in my right shoulder and arm, and I would be able to have full range of motion without pain.  Right now I can't really hold my head up without it hurting a lot, so I have been at home and didn't go to language today.  Pr that my muscles are relaxed enough tomorrow that I can go run, and hopefully a good run will loosen a lot of this up. 

I also want to bring to mind that April 2012 is coming upon us.  Some of you have received notes from me, and emails saying become 1 in a million and join with us in pr for the Horn in April.  Please go to prayforthehorn.com if you have not already,  and find out how you can specifically pr for this part of the world to not only see the light, but to walk in it.  This part of the world has had His light present for centuries, yet for years the people of this corner of the world have turned the other way.  Pr that they will turn around and run towards the Light.  Please go to prayforthehorn.com to find out how you can be a part of this 1 in a million event as we seek to have 1 million people pr for the Horn in the month of April.  During this month we are also having many groups coming to pr walk and work among the people as they pr.  If you would like to physically be here please go to this site to find out how:  prayforthehorn.com (although these are in blue they are not links, you must put this address in your browser to find it).

Being flat on my back today has also given me time to put together something of a vitural tour of my house for you....here are the pictures.

These pictures are of my bedroom. 1. The first one is of my bed.
 2. The second one is of the closet that takes of up the whole left wall (left you're sitting on my bed).
3. Is the wall I see from the head of my bed....bookcase and small dressing table with mirror.
4. To get to the bathroom you have to go through the closet. 
5. These are the curtains I had made for the floor to ceiling windows that are the right wall, which open to a balcony where I dry my clothes.

I'll have to put other pictures in another post.

Rachel

7 Months

Well, it has now been 7 months, and that has only been possible by your pr.  Thank you Lrd for helping me get this far.  Continue to pr and lift me up in being here for this season.  I have now moved into a house in the capital, and basically things are going ok.  There is some rythmn to things now, and I basically have a schedule down.  My house is coming together, and due to a lot of your pr the rest of my cargo was found this past week.  It is a long story I would rather not share on the blog, but if you want to know it all I can send you an e-mail :).  I had already decided I didn't need what was in the rest of the cargo and I didn't want it.  But for whatever reason the Father wanted me to have it, so now my recliner is here along with my plates, bowls, silverware, waffle iron, crock pot, cutting boards, computer printer, and pots and pans.  Hopefully this week the curtains for the living room and my bedroom will be finished and I will get them hung.  According to the "plan", which is a very fluid concept here.....my other furniture will be finished.  In my heart I know my time here is short, but I ask that you would pr all that I have, that He has supplied, He would use to bring Himself honour and glory.  

    There is one kink with my house and that is, it is next to a new road project.  When a new road is being built here all of the people in the community suffer until it is finished because our water and electricity is frequently if not always cut off.  Please pr that my water supply would remain consistent and that electricity would be regular. 

     Language continues to plod along or rather I continue to plod along with it.  One major goal was accomplished this week....I said the blessing in Am all by myself.  I can't help but think that me and my 1 1/2 year old nephew are at the same point in our language skills :).  On Friday I finished phase 2A in our language program and on Monday I being phase 2B.  Lanugage continues to get harder, and I ask that you would pr I would be listening better and keeping up with the homework.  Pr that the verbs and nouns would stick. 

    This week I will be having a birthday.....please be pr for me on this day.  I know that many of you will  be pr without me having to ask and I thank you for that.  This past week I received two packages for my birthday, and I know there are a few more on the way.  Pr that He would bring the rest this week.  Many of you may remember a post from my first 3 months here where I asked that you partner in pr for me for my future spouse and helpmate.  I pr that on my birthday you would all do this specifically.  For whatever reason He has really laid that upon my heart. 

    I hope that you all have a great week, and if you want to send me a longer letter, or you want my mailing address or you want to send a care package please write me at racfarmer@mailboxwiz.com Please also go to prayforthehorn.org to find out how you can be one in a million pr for the Horn in April 2012.

Rachel

Photos:  1. Taken during the holiday Temket, where the O ch remembers the bapt of J by John the Bpt. 

2. This picture on the right is of a guy who works for one of the little souks close to where I live.  He saw me taking pictures and asked for one.

3. The third picture of of a water tank that is a lot like the tank I am currently getting my water from.  Please be asking that our water situation would be worked out soon.

4. This is me in the house, with my lovely pink sheet for curtain.  Hopefully that will be down by this week and the real curtains up. 

I have started running again on a consistent basis.....my running toes are back!  Pr I can keep it up.  Here all my running has to be in a gym, but thanks to my ipod it's not so bad.  Angela Q. Ward:  The pictures of the fruits and vegetables from the previous post are actually olives and ginger :).

Almost to Month 7

Just wanted to let everyone know that the dentist appointment went well.  I had plenty of novacaine, and hopefully this half root canal will hold me, and I won't need a full root canal!  Also in the area of language thank you for lifting me up.  Please continue to do so.  It is getting some better, but this language is hard.  Continue to pr I can learn this for His glory and honor.

I am now in my house, and things are slowly coming together in it Thank for lifting me up this past month.  Please go to prayforthehorn.com to see how you can be 1 in a million lifting up the Horn in April 2012.

Here are some pictures to hold you over until I update on Feb. 2, the official month 7 mark.

1. Me with my first language helper's cousin.

2. My first language helper with her cousin....this friend and helper is getting ready to move to America to join her husband after being married for 1 year!

3. That's not English on that paper, and yes I wrote it!

4. & 5.These are some of the things I get to learn in language.  Can you guess what these fruits or vegetables are?

                                                                                     6. A couple of weeks ago it was a holiday here called Temket.  I will tell more about it in the next update, but this is one picture of the parade that is such a big part of this holiday.

Serving Him with You,

Rachel

6 months......That's Halfway

Sorry that my update for month 7 has been a little late in coming.  There have been some problems with accessing blogs in Camel Land lately.  Cmas here (both of them) was better than what I had expected.  I got to spend Cmas eve with a family here and then again with them on Cmas day.  Internet and electricty were on and working that night for me to talk to my family.  Then New Year's eve I spent the evening with some new friends.  When January 7 rolled around for the traditional Cmas I didn't have a whole lot of plans, but on the Sunday following I went with a family here to eat with a national family in their home.  I left feeling very full!

Since I last updated I have finished pahse 1 in language, and I just completed the first week of phase 2.  I am feeling very defeated right now when it comes to language.  So please be lifting me up in this.  Pr that if I can do nothing else I would be able to get this language to bring Him honor and glory.  I have also now moved into "my house".  It is big and feels empty, but I now have my own bed and am slowly unpacking what little else I have.  Tomorrow, (Monday), I will go shopping for some furniture (table, chairs, furniture, bookcases etc), and then hopefully this week I will go shopping for a washing machine and curtains.  Pr that I am able to acquire these things.  Pr also that I will adjust to living in this house, and that all the mice and rats will be kept at bay.

On Tuesday this week I will have a root canal.  Please pr for this!  Pr that the doctor has enough novacaine and doesn't run out.  Pr that the proceedure doesn't need to become more envasive then what it already is.  Pr that I will also be able to recover fully.  This week I will not have language so pr that I will continue to listen and study on my own, and I will be ready when my teacher returns.

Again if you want to write me send an e-mail to :  racfarmer@mailbowiz.com through this I can give you my mailing address and a care package list if you are interested.

Also go to prayforthehorn.org to become 1 in a million pr for the Horn in April 2012.

Pictures (these are from Cmas)
1. This is who I spent Cmas with, we played a game of White Elephant/Dirty Santa after the kids were in bed.
2. We played football with the kids Cmas eve and again on Cmas afternoon.

Serving Him with You,
Rachel