5 Things I'm Thankful For!

Dear Friends, 

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Or, as many of you might say, Happy Day-to-find-cheap-Christmas-Presents Day! However, since I neither have a car nor any money, I am still on the Thanksgiving side of things. And since I have yet to do this, I would like to share five things I am thankful for.

1.)   I am thankful for the God I serve: This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I am so blessed to serve a God who is good. I am so thankful that God is all-powerful, all-knowledgeable, all-capable, and yet cares deeply for me as a person. I love that I don’t have to be afraid of my God. I can trust him and know that he is good.

2.)  I’m thankful for my Family.

a.    My parents each love God, love each other, and each of their eleven kids. My parent’s raised me well; I wouldn’t be who I am today without them. I never had to worry if they were going to stay together or not, which is a blessing I don’t even fully understand.

My wonderful blessing of a family!

b.    I’m thankful for each and every one of my ten siblings. Each of my siblings is truly a blessing. I would go into how each one has impacted my life, but that would take next to forever. But know that I thank God each day for my siblings and I would never ever trade them for anything. 

c.     I am thankful for the Extended Family that I have. I have Grandparents who love God, Aunts and Uncles who love God, and cousins who love God. I also have aunts, uncles, and cousins who have yet to believe. My extended family, although crazy at times, is a blessing.

3.)   I’m thankful for the ability to study the Bible

a.     I wrote a paper last year about how much I took my Bible for granted, and yet, I still do that very thing quite often. I forget that many people do not have a Bible in their mother tongue. I am so blessed to have the Word of God in my first language; both Old and New Testaments; in multiple versions; with multiple additional resources; and all on the internet which means I can get any of this in 2 minutes. It’s SUCH a blessing

b.    My time at Moody in Spokane, although it’s not even been a full semester yet, I have learned so much about God and his word. I have hit a spiritual growth spurt, and it’s one of the most wonderful things in the world. The professors are wise and compassionate; I am so glad I came out her

Most of my Housemates.

4.)  I’m thankful for the relationships I have.

a.    I’m thankful for my housemates. Each of them has taught me something this semester. It has been great to be surrounded with godly young women who are growing right along side of me.

b.    My relationships back home, especially with friends from Grace church have been such a blessing this year. It’s so good to know people are genuinely concerned for my well being.

c.     Jordan and I have recently started a mentorship relationship with the Associate Dean of Residence Life and Spiritual Formation here at MBI and his wife. This relationship has already proved to be incredibly beneficial. Brian and Amie are full of knowledge and experience and have already taught Jordan and I much. I am so excited to see how God works through this relationship

Me and My Man.

d.    Which brings me to my relationship with Jordan Scott Fischer. I could go on for days about how much of a blessing Jordan is, but for your sake, I’ll try to sum it up in a couple sentences. Jordan has encouraged and motivated me to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ. Jordan has honestly, as cliché-ish as it sounds, has helped me grow into a better person. God has given me a man that I love to serve and respect; I couldn’t ask for a man better than Jordan. 

5.)   Finally, I’m thankful for my possessions. That may surprise you, but I am realizing more and more how I need to be thankful for the things I have. For example, I am incredibly thankful for my computer; it allows me to achieve things quicker and easier. I’m thankful for my bed, my wardrobe, my shower, my phone, my house, my glasses, my journal. There are several items that I own, that many people do not. Instead of pretending that the average person owns a laptop, I am going to praise God for the things he’s given me and do my best to use them to serve him and others.

Now, there are countless other things I’m thankful for, but these five are the ones I’ve been thinking about the most this past week. I pray you all have spent sometime thanking God for all that you are blessed with. And I hope you don’t get to warped up in Christmas shopping that you forget to be thankful, like I quite often do.

In Christ,

Hannah

Missions Conference

Dear Friends,

As some of you may know this past Monday and Tuesday (the 14th and 15th) I attended Moody Bible Institute- Spokane's Missions' conference.
I have never actually been to a mission's conference before and, as you may be able to imagine, I was quite excited.
I wish I could tell you everything that happened, everything I learned, everything I experienced; however, I neither the time nor the words. But I can tell you the Lord moved. He taught me many things. And stirred up my heart. I have begun praying for missions like I haven't before. I even changed my major from Youth Ministry to Intercultural Missions with a Youth Interdisciplinary. I ask that you would join me in praying for the nations as well as wisdom in direction and passion for wherever God may use me.

In Christ,
Hannah

Change

This past week I've realized how much people change

Family Picture in Dec 2007

I'm reminded of this often when I talk to my little brothers at home. Almost every time my mom sends me a picture I am astonished at how much they grow. And when I was showing  one of my housemates old pictures of my family. If you look at the pictures, my family has changed immensely over four years.

Family Picture without Caleb or I, Oct 2011

Then, I was skyping yesterday with a friend from home yesterday. She and I hadn't talked in a while and therefore we spent a lot of time catching up. And as we do almost every time we talked, we discussed how much we have changed in the many years we've known each other. We joked about how we thought we were so old when we were 16. We were almost upper classmen in highschool; we could drive; we were practically adults! But since then we have changed so much.

And then in my devotions today I was reminded of the unchanging character of God. In a world that is constantly changing, it's so assuring to know that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Some of you already know this. But how often do you dwell on the fact that God never changes! He is secure and reliable. Never will he change. I don't know about you, but for me, this is something that I want to dwell on more often. It is so comforting to have a God that I can rely on. :~)


In Christ,
Hannah

Perception

Dear Friends,

In this photo, the top half of
Jesus looks rather feminine.

Over the past few weeks my perception of Jesus has been challenged. You see, being raised up in the Church, I often view Jesus as a Sunday School answer or a buddy. I have this image of Jesus in my head where he's Caucasian, with gorgeous hair, well groomed, and he looks gentle and passive. Not to far off from this picture here to the left.

In fact, I am struggling with the idea that perhaps the God I claim to be so in love with is a God that I do not know at all. Sure, I know lots of 'facts' about God, Jesus, and the Bible. I know that I have a personal relationship with Jesus. I know that Jesus is Prophet, Priest, King. I know God is a father. The Holy Spirit is Helper, Advocate, Counselor. However, often, I'm afraid, these are titles and words attached to a meaning that I have not taken the time to evaluate. What does it mean that Jesus is King? Yes I could give a bunch of verses that answer the question, but that's not meaningful unless I figure out how to apply it. How does the fact that Jesus is King impact my life? Do I worship Jesus like he's ? Do I interact with my circumstances like Jesus is King? Do I listen to what he says as a Prophet. Do I apply what he says like it's actually a message from God. Do I actually understand what it means that he died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins?

How do you perceive Jesus?

Often the answer to all of those is no. You see, I have been, in a way, conditioned to view Jesus in a way that I perceive is most beneficial to me. But that is so very wrong. It's time for me to really examine myself and pursue Jesus in a way that genuine. You see, Jesus doesn't just want me to pursue him above all else, but rather instead of all else. Only he can satisfy. Only he.
So Friends, I beg you to join me in a search for Jesus. A search for an accurate perception of He who is our Lord and Savior.

In Christ,
Hannah Joy

God's Working

Dear Friends,

I wish that you were all here so that I could constantly tell you what's going on in my life. God has been teaching me so much that it's hard to even begin to explain.
Right now there are two major things that He has been constantly bringing up. I tend to be a bit stubborn...so I have found myself doing a lot of wrestling with God...and losing.

The first thing is that I need to be intentional about my faith. I cannot sit back and expect God to work through my life. Although I am learning a ton through the classes I'm taking, the books I'm reading, the papers I'm writing, the speeches I'm giving, and the profs I'm listening too, I still have to get in the Word ever single day for myself. I need to spend time in prayer. I need to seek God--not simply ask Him to make life convenient. Some of you may think this sounds obvious--and it does. However, actually putting this into practice is hard your first semester. I'm taking 17 credits, I'm nearly 2000 miles from home, I'm surrounded by people to befriend, and I still need to find a job. It's been a challenge to get up early and intentionally spend personal time with my Savior--however, I can already see the difference it's making!

The second thing God has been working on with me is the idea that God is my only Audience. I am not doing ANYTHING to please the world or anyone in the world. My only goal is to please God. I don't need to try and prove myself to my friends or roommates. I need to serve God alone-there is no other option. If I jump in and serve God with absolutely everything, I do not have to worry what anyone will think. Christ was loved the people He was around--but His ultimate goal was to please His Father. This is an idea that I have yet to fully understand. However I know it is incredibly important. In Galatians 1:10 Paul says that if he were trying to please man he wouldn't even be a servant of Christ. I am so often concerned about what people think and I need to change that. Later in Galatians, Paul says that if I walk in the Spirit then I won't fulfill  my fleshly desires--it's really a great passage. It goes on to say that the desires of my flesh oppose the desires of the Spirit, "to keep you from doing the things I want to do"(Gal 5:16-17).

If you're thinking "wow--that's a lot" imagine how I feel! God is seriously molding my life--and it's fantastic!
Please don't stop praying for me!

In Christ,
Hannah

Seizure.

Dear Friends,
As some of you already know, Jordan had a seizure yesterday (and a week ago saturday.) He was at his house, thankfully, where his housemates knew what to do and how to take care of him. They called 911, and the ambulance took him to the ER. When I got there, he was still a little out of it, but quickly came to. After a while, he was able to piece together what he remembered of that day. The doctor ordered a number of tests that all came back normal. They sent Jordan home with some anti-seizure medicine and a phone number to call to set up an EEG.
As I am writing this, he is at his EEG appointment, and I am getting ready to pack. In three hours the entire freshman body leaves for a retreat. Jordan was given permission to go on the retreat as long as he doesn't do anything that would kill him if he had a seizure (e.g. swimming, rock climbing etc.) We get back saturday afternoon, and hopefully will get EEG results on monday.

How are we doing?
Jordan is a little emotionally shocked. With no history of any medical problems, this came as quite a shock, especially since his pilots license is questionable. However, there is absolutely NO doubt in our minds as to God's sovereignty. I am not lying when I tell you that I fully trust God in this whole situation I am confident God brought us out here and I am confident he has a plan. So pray that God will open our hearts to what he's teaching.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. Jordan, after some recovery, should probably post a blog next week sometime (jordansfischer.blogspot.com).

Until then, we would deeply appreciate your prayers,

In Christ,
Hannah

Housemates

Dear Friends,

Well week two is through! And as always, the past week was busy--but so much fun! I really love my classes and my professors. I was able to get to know them a little more last week. I was also able to get to know some of my 'brothers' in my 'brother house'. And best of all I was able to get to know my housemates even more.

From left to right: Shannon, Julia,
Cassie, Liz, Erin

My roommate Erin is from Evergreen Illinois, which is right south of Chicago. She's studying Intercultural missions and is the best at making me laugh.
Cassie is my RA and she's from Montana. This will be her last year here and she'll have a Biblical Studies major. She's like a big sister, best friend, and mom all rolled into one.
Liz is from Chicago and is studying Biblical Studies. She has a twin sister! Liz is super outgoing and real.
Julia is Saginaw Michigan and is a youth min major. She has the absolute bestest hair ever. She's super sweet and nice to everyone.

Tsveti trying her first ever PB&J!

Tsveti is from Bulgaria and is also an intercultural major. She has a great accent and isn't afraid to be a little sarcastic.
and last but not least, Shannon is from Grand Rapids and  is only here for a year to get her certificate of Biblical Studies. She is determined and fun.
It's absolutely fantastic!

This weekend I am going on a Fall Retreat with all of the freshman and some returning students. We leave Thursday and get back Saturday. I'm super excited for this trip- should be full of bonding and memories. But before that, on Wednesday I have an interview for an  office assistant position at Moody-which is a total answer to my prayers! So if you would pray for the retreat and the interview I would much appreciate it!

In Christ,
Hannah

Success!

Dear friends,

I have survived my first week of school! And it has been absolutely amazing. One of the coolest things is that each professor clearly is passionate about Jesus and about students. In each class we open with prayer. The atmosphere is very uplifting and encouraging.
I am so excited about each of my classes (with the exception, perhaps of "Principles of Lifetime Fitness--but that's only a 8 week class anyway). I am not sure which one will end up being my favorite, but I think I will end up appreciating The Church and Its Doctrines the most, even though it will probably ensue the most work. That class is full of information and the professor is a guiness. On that note actually, all of my professors are incredibly intelligent, which is super exciting. One of my professors looks exactly like my dad...he even has the same jokes, which makes his class so very entertaining.
I am really feeling like I am settled in. I'm meeting tons of people, which is great. I still don't have a job, but I'm trying hard to trust God with that. There is a possibility that I might be able to get a job as an office assistant at Moody, so if you would pray about that, I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, if you're willing to pray for me, pray that God will remain my focus. There's a lot going on, and it can be a bit crazy. I'm so very excited to attend a school where I can emerge myself in the Bible, however, I never want it to become 'just homework' or something that I'm so used to that the wonder and mystery just isn't there. I do not want my studying of the Bible to ever become mundane. So please pray that God will continue to pursue me, that I will continue to learn so much about His Word, and that my thirst and hunger for Him will never cease!

In Christ,

Hannah Joy

A week of beginnings

Dear Friends,

I apologize for not giving you more information on everything that is going on. I have been ridiculously busy this past week, and I’m sure the weeks to come will be even busier.

Tsveti and I on our way to our first class,
with our house in the back.

Since I last wrote, much has happened. Jordan and I tried out a church here in town the last two Sundays. It was a great church, in some ways like our church at home, but I am not confident that I’ll end up there.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I spent time looking for a job, helping housemates move in, getting to know the city and my roommate Erin (who is absolutely fantastic). Thursday and Friday was new student orientation, which actually, turned out to be incredibly interesting. Saturday and Sunday their were a few events planned for us Moody students to get to know each other. And Monday began the school year off with my first day of classes.

Me and my wonderful new roomate: Erin!

For those of you wondering, I have still not found a job. I have applied in almost every place within two miles, including the school. I would really appreciate prayer about this, considering the numerous expenses I have over the next couple of months. However, on the positive side, I have spent the time that I haven’t been working, bonding with my housemates. Cassie is the RA, Shannon and Liz have a room downstairs, Tsveti and Julia have a room upstairs, and Erin and I have the room across the hall. Each girl I live with (so far seems) amazing. We have had so much fun and I’m stoked for the deep friendships we will build.

So thanks to all of you who are praying for me. I truly appreciate your prayers. Please pray that I find a job, and that God will continue to show me how blessed I am.

Love to you all,

Hannah

A New Start.

Dear friends,

The past week has been crazy busy, and I finally have the time to sit down and catch you all up. So here is a super quick day by day update:

Monday the 8th, I flew out with my Daddy early in the morning. The first plane we were on didn't have air...so that was exciting. We met Jordan in Minneapolis, and then we flew out to Spokane. The first day we did lots of shopping.

Tuesday we got to go see my Aunt Esther and Uncle Travis and their family, which was so much fun (Because I'm tallest!)
Wednesday we went and looked at Moody's Aviation office and hanger, went on a tour of Moody's campus and went grocery shopping.
Thursday we met up with Dad's friend from college and then Dad was off.
Thursday night was interesting. I had suddenly realized that I had graduated from my family in a way. I mean sure I'm still a Beaty (whether I like it or not....), I'm still my parent's daughter- But I'm an adult now. I'm on my own. I'll only go home to visit. There's so much responsibility!
Today I got really pumped for school. I got to meet one of my housemates, Shannon, who is fantastic. And I started thinking about how fun this semester is going to be! God is going to teach me so much and I cannot wait! For those of you who are praying for me: please pray that God will open up my heart to all He is going to teach me. It is going to be a wonderful semester, and I'm so super pumped!

In Christ,
Hannah

Prayer Requests

Dear Friends,

As you all know, I am leaving this Monday for Spokane Wa to major in Intercultural Missions and Youth Ministry and Moody Bible's campus out there. You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how busy I have been over the past week trying to get stuff ready and say goodbyes. There are now only a few last minute details that I need to work on, but I would like to ask you all to pray for me. I have come up with just a few prayer requests that I would really appreciate prayer on:
1.) Pray that my focus will constantly be on God. With all of the craziness and new environment and new friends it may be difficult to remember that God is still my first and only goal. So please pray that no matter what my eyes will be focused on God and whatever He may have for me.
2.) Pray that I will be able to cultivate some good Christian friendships. It has been a while since I have had deep relationships with fellow believers. This is probably one of the things that I am both most excited for and most nervous about.
3.) And finally, pray that I will learn a ton. Pray that I will do well in my studies and learn so much about God and how to serve Him that it'll be just exciting.

Thanks so much. I really do appreciate all your prayers!

In Christ,
Hannah

A sharp bit of honesty

Dear Friends,

This week I learned something that was very hard to swallow. Well, I suppose it wasn't as if it came as a drastic surprise, but rather I have been refusing to acknowledge the truth. You see, these past two-ish weeks have been very hard for me. I have felt abandon and unimportant. It appeared to me like everyone I knew and loved had something way more important to deal with, and therefore they didn't have the time of day to even notice how hurt I was. However, the real issue was not their lack of loving support, but rather my over dependence in humans. All my trust and dependence ought to be in God my Father! Not my family or friends...
This is something I have struggled greatly with all my life. I desperately seek affirmation and attention from people rather than God. Perhaps you may find this surprising, but the truth is I have a low self esteem. Very low at times. I struggle with my worth over the littlest of things. But my worth is in my Savior who bought me with an incomparable price!
So friends, please pray for me. Pray that I allow God to truly be Lord over my life. Pray that I depend on Him for every need, including the emotional ones. Pray that I will fervently seek after Jesus Christ, because that is the only way that I will feel like I belong.

In Christ,
Hannah

A Blessing in Disguise...

Dear Friends,

This week God has opened my eyes to this truly amazing blessing He has given me. This blessing is one that I had contemplated before. However this blessing is in a disguise of chaos and familiarity, and I have not been as grateful as I am now.
My family has tripled in size since I was born. We have lived in ten different houses in my lifetime. My parents have had multiple job changes. Life has brought us many adventures and challenges.
And through all of these changes my family has only been encouraged through their beliefs. They still believe in the Bible. They still believe in the power of prayer.  And they still believe in Jesus Christ.
Although my family has had its share of difficulties and stress, they have always stuck together. My parents are still alive, together, and in love. My siblings are all healthy and growing. And, honestly, life is pretty good.
My parents have trained my up in the way that is godly. They have always encouraged me to follow God and to do what is right. Although they have made mistakes, they have always loved me and truly wanted the best for me.
This is one of greatest things God has blessed me with. I cannot even explain how grateful I am that my family loves the Lord and encourages me to do the same.

Hannah

Regret

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, today was my last day at Steak n Shake. Although I did indeed love my job as a waitress, I would be lying to say that I was sad to leave today. I truly enjoy the people interaction that I got as a waitress. I loved serving people, giving them what they asked for, and making them smile. However, I did not always agree with everything that happened in the back. Not that I'm saying anything against Steak n Shake corporation. I just did not always get along with my coworkers. They had all been friends long before I was there, they all were at a different stages at life, and they lived a lifestyle that I simply could not relate with.
All this not to complain, but rather to provide some background for rest of this blog. Today was one of the worst days that I had there. I was fairly tired and we were understaffed. The stress of the day was building throughout the day and it was tough. It was not the kind of last day that I had foreseen. So when I was finally able to go home I was ecstatic. But...after being home for awhile, thinking about today and my year and a half at SnS I started to get upset.
I spent a year and a half with these coworkers...but never did I share the gospel with them. They knew I was 'religious'. The often made comments about how 'innocent' or 'good' I was, but I am not just a 'good religious person...I have a personal relationship with the Almighty Creator God. What a waste of my time! A year and a half of wasted relationships. Sure there were some hard days, some much harder than others. There were many times that I got very frustrated with those I worked with, however there is not one of them that I would want to live or die without knowing the good news. I was not very close with them, but I had chances.
I pray that I will not ever again look back on a year and a half of my life and feel the regret that I have now. My prayer is that I will be able to live my life in a way that declares the Truth, and that the Holy Spirit will give me the courage to verbally lay out the Gospel when He leads.

In Christ,
Hannah

Update.

Dear Friends,

I apparently am not to good at this whole blogging thing. My life has been so busy that the thought of blogging hasn't even crossed my mind. However, due to my desire to write down what is going on in my life, as well as keep you updated on what God is doing in and through me, I have to decided to try and blog once a week, or at least once every other week.

I am currently trying so very hard to figure out what God might have me do with my life. The way things have been lining out over the past few months has reassured me that God truly does have a plan for my life--I just have no clue what that might be.

I have decided to do whatever God may have me do. I will obey. Whether it's foreign missions to the middle of nowhere Africa, or a school teacher in the states, or a stay at home mom, or who knows what--I will obey. That is not something I am struggling with. However, with so many options out there, it is difficult to decipher what it is that God would desire from me.

Over the past couple months He has directed me to cross-cultural missions. Although I believe that missions is extremely important, I had never seriously considered it before this past month. Perhaps God is asking me to consider this to see if I am truly willing to go wherever He asks. Or, perhaps, He is calling me to be a cross cultural missionary. I do not know. But I will continue to pursue whatever path He directs me on.

So, I am asking you to please pray for God's guidance in my life. I will admit that I am one to plan everything. I like to at least have a general idea of what may happen. Therefore, this whole trusting God and not having a clue what I might be doing is scary. So if you would please join me in praying that I will be content and joyous in whichever direction God leaves me, I would greatly appreciate it!

In Christ,
Hannah