His Love Endures.

beautiful teapot

This past week the Lord really pressed on my heart the word endure. I am the type of person that thoroughly enjoys seeking the meaning of a word, especially words that He speaks to me about. When I say I thoroughly enjoy, I mean I really love it! I look up every verse in the Bible that uses the word, then I look for the definition in the English dictionary, & then I look for the Greek word & its meaning. I'll give you a little taste of what I found:

Endure: 

(verb used with object)

• to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo
• to bear without resistance or with patience

(verb used without object)

• to continue to exist; last
• to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently

Antonyms: fail, die

Endurance: 

• the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.
• the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions
• lasting quality; duration

Greek word for endure is hypomeno (hoop-om-en-o):

• to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee
• to preserve
• to bear bravely & calmly

(Greek word & definition found HERE)

I finally had my disposable camera
developed; love this photo!

I guess where I'm going with this is that so often we pray, speak, & even sing the words His love endures forever, but do we understand the deep meaning of the word? After reading the above definitions I realized the word endure has not yet come alive in my life yet! It's not the Lord's fault, it is written over & over again in His Word; it is my fault because I have not chosen for it to become alive! Replace "endures" with the definitions:

His love sustains without impairment; His love never dies; His love bears with patience; His love continues to exist; His love suffers without yielding; His love has lasting quality; & the one that really twists my heart is His love has the strength to continue & last despite adverse conditions. His love continues despite the way we, as the whole world (including myself), treat others & Him. His love endures despite our selfishness, our hurtful words & thoughts, our hatred, our disbelief, our greed. . .our sin. Whoa. . .praise God for His enduring grace! 

this teapot said on the lid:
Fill me with joy, O Lord

Just some food for thought :). I desire to share more of what God has been pouring into my life currently, but it would be too long of a post so I promise, I will share more in my next post! This past weekend the Lord took me back to my childhood; my cousin Brittney turned 17 & she had a tea party in celebration of it! I haven't had a tea party in such a long time! It was so much fun & we were served 3 different types of delicious tea (in the cutest teapots I have ever seen), as well as soup, sandwiches, & scones; we tried on feather boas & hats; & we dressed up. I had so much fun talking with these women of God & laughing together; I felt like a little girl again & I praise God for giving me that taste of childhood again (I also thank Brittney & her mom for having me). 

my cousin Brittney & I outside of the teahouse

I also was blessed with the chance to speak & play piano at my old church on their missions day yesterday. God is so good & the congregation received me as if though I haven't been gone for 3 years. I saw the beauty of the Lord in their hugs, encouraging words, & obedient hearts; they truly inspired me. I also would like to thank Pastor Kettle for having me & his congregation for being so generous & loving! It went really well & I got a few giggles out of them because as I walked down the stage my mom quickly reminded me that I completely forgot to tell them when I was leaving! So I ran right back up the stairs & shared I only had 3 weeks left here in the U.S.! I also wanted to share a bit about a missionary that also spoke yesterday; he is going to Mozambique, Africa with his family next summer. I am so excited for him & I ask all of you who read this to be praying for him & his family as they support raise!

Speaking of 3 weeks. . .CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I can't. . .it is coming so quick & I am beginning to get nervous, but the Lord is really calming my heart & reminding me of His grace & strength. It's also been really encouraging to instant message back & forth with one of my directors, Christine Huber. Although I haven't officially met her, her love for the Lord shines & she is such a blessing & so encouraging!

I am still in the process of raising support so if you would like to know more about supporting me go to: Supporting the Journey to Japan & Electronic Funds Transfer: Supporting the Journey to Japan

Gigi, my neighbor's dog
captured on my film camera

I no longer have a cell phone so if you need to get a hold of me you can on good ol' facebook & if you need to call or text me just message me on facebook or you can e-mail me at: abigaillafleur_s@live.com & I will reply with the phone number :)! Please continue to be praying for not only my new adventure, but also for the missionaries that are already in Japan & please be praying for the country of Japan overall! THANK YOU!

my dog Blue & I :)

Love,
Abigail

"May His name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun." 

-Psalm 72:17

(amen!)