Hello dear ones,

This week I am determined to put into practice something which I have been trying and trying to do; and that is to live a lifestyle that is more disciplined, with an extra dose of self-control. I know this is something that I can only really do successfully with God's constant support. I'm afraid I have fallen into something of a slump of laziness; waking up as late as I can before work, rushing through my quite time with God, bad eating, and lack of real exercise. Through these last summer months I have constantly chided myself about this, and prayed quite a bit about it. While I feel my heart is in the right place--I really, really desire to have the kind of lifestyle that is full, responsible, and most importantly, honoring to God, but when it boils down to the present decision at hand, "something" always seems to come up.. At cornerstone Claire (who just got engaged!) was talking to us about the importance of living with self restraint and that even little things such as waking up early and eating right spillover and impact other places in our lives. Her words have been playing over in my mind since then and I know this is not coincidence.

Speaking of Cornerstone.. OH what joy! What pleasure! And how incredible it was to meet Hannah's family and dear friends! Words cannot express how blessed I was those 2-3 days, how accepted I felt and how easy it was to trust and open up to people who I had only known for a day or two. And HANNAH! oh Hannah, it was SO SO wonderful see you and spend such precious time with you and learn more about you and the people you love. So thank you for sharing such memories that I will dearly cherish! I just wish both you Genny and Ashley could have been there.. we missed you!

Well, since Cornerstone, I have had a wonderful visit with not just one of my brothers, but two! (A wonderful surprise!) We went out to dinner with almost the entire family (minus one), which was such a blessing since we haven't been together like that since last Summer. We had Spanish tapas! YUMMMMMM. And played many games. :) For the 4th, we visited with some family friends and cooked s'mores over an open fire. It was there that I had the opportunity to speak to one of the daughters who is older and married and had been, for the last eight years (i believe) living and working in Thailand and Cambodia. She is pregnant now, and is planning to wait until the baby is born before going back with her family and soon, her parents also. Our friends are quite concerned for this country (Cambodia) and while we were there her father, who was unable to make it to the cookout, skyped with us all the way from Cambodia!

It is such a sad country, still recovering from the effects of the killing fields, many of those who were responsible are still in government positions and have never been held accountable for their crimes. There is a terrible problem with the sex trade there. It is this area where our friends feel particularly called. As I was speaking to the mother of the family, she told me that there probably isn't a single boy in Cambodia who hasn't been raped. And the girls are in terrible danger as well--though there is more recognition of their misfortune, while boys struggling with this have been neglected and are, therefore, more susceptible. All this has greatly affected the way that I look at ESL tutoring for Cambodian refugees in the fall. I feel this overwhelming passion to raise them up, to love them, to heal them, but I haven't the slightest inclination of what it must be like to go through something like that, to come from such a poverty stricken place. How can I, some privileged little suburbanite, connect with people who have gone through so much? I want to, I dearly want to! And I know that the best way is just to trust in God.. If anything, I know that they will teach me so much more about Cambodia and what it is like to really trust God so much more than I could for them.

I hope your Sunday evening are restful and filled with peace.
I love you all so very dearly!

Sincerely,
Sarah