Reminders

Hello again friends and family! My first full week of teaching passed quickly. The days have been falling into a routine at school. I teach my classes, get ready for the next day, have lunch with Hannah and Maria in their classroom, lesson plan, and then go home. So the time goes pretty quickly.
I guess maybe you're wondering why I called this post "reminders". Well, I remember one of the speakers from the retreat sharing that God uses the word "remember" a lot in the Bible. This is because we so naturally forget. God has been reminding me today of all that He has done for me and of who He is. I listened to a sermon online called "The God who sees you". It talked about the first time this name is used of God in the Bible, in Genesis 16. God used this passage to lovingly remind me that He sees me and He is with me and is for me. This message was timely for me as I was feeling a little lonely and dreading the work week starting again. (Not that I dislike it, but it's hard work teaching 4 and 5 year olds!) His reminder that He sees me, not because He wants to catch me doing something wrong, but because He wants what's best for me, is so encouraging.
Since I have been here I have been keeping a list of God's promises that I've read in His word. I'll share some with you...
"...You are precious and honored in my sight, and .... I love you." (Isaiah 43:4a)
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." (Deuteronomy 33:12)
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." (I Chronicles 16:34)
I have also been reading some really neat quotes from my devotional and a journal from a friend. Here are some of them...
"You are in the Beloved...therefore infinitely dear to the Father, unspeakably precious to Him. You are never, not for one second, alone." - Norman Dowty
"God will find us, bless us, even when we feel most alone, unsure...God will find a way to let us know that He is with us in this place, wherever we are." - Kathleen Norris
"If He has given you His word - His sure word of promise - do not question it but trust it absolutely. You have His promise, and in fact you have even more - you have Him who confidently speaks the words." - J.B. Figgis

Last night after work I went with some of the other teachers to a place called the Loop. The Loop is just a group of restaurants that are only open at night. We were able to just hang out and relax while sitting outside and eating. It was great! :) I got Japanese curry that I had tried and loved in Thailand, so it was fun to be able to get it again. I will try to put pictures up on facebook sometime soon of that and other pictures I've been taking.
I will write more later...