Every day this week I’ve been saying those four words and it’s become a bad habit. I hit the ground running at the beginning of this week and didn’t stop until I crashed on Shabbat. Every day, I was constantly doing something and barely had time to relax before it was time for bed.
There were countless things to be done in the day, it was as if the list kept piling up. Each time I had finished one thing, someone would need help with something else or I had to do more homework. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good week, but I was very happy when Shabbat arrived.
Unfortunately for the next two weeks, Kate isn’t going to be at Ulpan because her parents are coming to visit. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her! Looks like I’ll have to pay closer attention and ask a lot of questions. I just hope my teacher doesn’t get fed up of me and sends me to the slower class.
Along with trying to retain all the Hebrew I’m learning, I found out that my oral test is creeping closer by the day! Because I’m flying to the States with my dad at the end of this month (Yippee!) I have to take the oral test in two weeks! It may seem like a long way away, but before I take it, I need to write a story and three situations, all in Hebrew, to say to my tester.
When I think about it, it seems like it’ll be an easy test, but that doesn’t make it less terrifying. I’m scared about taking the test because I freeze up whenever I take one. It’s bad enough I rarely pass a test the first go, but taking a test that is all speaking is even more terrifying.
In these next two weeks, my trust in Yah is going to be pushed to its limits. I never want to lack in my faith, so I’m praying that He will continue to strengthen me until I’m as strong as Samson (ok, maybe not that strong) and have the confidence to take this upcoming test. I want to walk into the test room feeling His arms around me and say all the right things at the right time. I just need to have faith in God, and in myself, that I can do that.
Work has been good this week. I love going to work every day because it’s a great time to practice my Hebrew. It can be hard to speak in Hebrew sometimes, but my co-workers always encourage me and tell me that I’m improving. A bonus is that I get to taste all the foods I’m packing, which is awesome! (Their banana rolls are to die for!)
Another thing that happened at work this week was that I was paid to write! I arrived at work on Wednesday and my boss told me that she needed to talk to me about something. My heart began to beat very fast when she said that because I thought I was getting in trouble for something, but then she told me what she wanted, and it was quite the opposite of what I expected.
My boss went on to tell me that she wanted to make an English site for the store with an introduction that had been written in English, instead of being translated from Hebrew into English. So, for the next two hours my boss and I bounced ideas off one another until the introduction was complete. I am really proud of its outcome.
We are called to, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) It doesn’t matter what age you are, “And YHVH said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ but go to all to whom I send you, and speak whatever I command you. ‘Do not fear their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares YHVH.” (Jeremiah 1:7-8) We are also told to, “…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Those Scriptures can be scary to follow when it comes time to act on them, but with YHVH’s strength, words will come easily to us and the fear will leave. At work, I am constantly asked about my faith. My boss thinks my family is crazy for following “The Book” and the sightings of the moon, but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to ask questions.
It’s amazing how easily my answers come after my boss asks the questions. Usually, I would freeze, but at work, I’m not ashamed to share my faith with them or to play worship music in the packing room. The only time I find it hard to be a light to my co-workers is when people I know come to the shop and my boss talks to them about being “Yeshuim” (that’s the name my boss calls my faith, and I love it!).
There are many believers living around us, but they are more Christian than Messianic. Like most Christians, the believers around here think that the Law is done away with and that the Lord’s feasts are no longer needed to be celebrated. I still love them, but I don’t want to be put in their category because of the reputation they have with the Jews who live in the area.
It’s so awesome to be asked questions about my faith, but it can be difficult to explain. I have to make everything simple since their English isn’t perfect. When I come home and tell my parents the questions they asked and what I said, I never seem to get it right. I’m not like my dad. I don’t know the exact reason for everything we believe, but I understand the core of it, so I answer the best I can.
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals…” (Proverbs 12:10) In Israel, having a dog means tying them up and leaving them outside. Dogs are rarely played with or even considered once they are no longer puppies. It’s a sad thing to watch because my family understands that dogs need more than a leash, food, and water. If it were up to me and my mom, we’d have at least ten dogs, but my dad has a strict “no animals policy,” not applied to our dog or outdoor cat.
However, for the last year, we have had a dog come and sit on our doorstep almost every morning. His name is Dolce (like Dolce & Gabbana). He used to live in the other part of the village, crossing a very busy road to get to our house. It was a miracle he arrived without any injuries.
We didn’t want another dog, but since Dolce kept coming to us and the owners didn’t seem to care where he was, we offered to adopt him. After weeks of his owners changing their minds, they finally said we could adopt him.
It was exciting to make Dolce part of the family, but it’s a lot of hard work. After he moved in, he’s become the puppy he never was never allowed to be. He always wants to be loved on and makes everyone laugh when he throws his teddy bears in the air and catches them. However, we have to keep a close eye on him because he gets up to all kinds of mischief.
Since his old house is only two minutes up the road, Dolce doesn’t understand that he doesn’t need to go there anymore. Whenever he and our neighbor’s dog, Bruno, are together they find it a lot of fun to run off and go back to his old home. It’s embarrassing to have to drive to their house and pick him up because that’s what they would have to do every night. Hopefully, he’ll learn.
This next week, I’m going to start trying to train him to stop barking so excessively and to stay at the house with us. It’ll be a challenge, but it's worth taking the time for. I’m so pleased he’s a fast learner.
Though my days are filled with many events, I really need to prioritize what is more important. The first thing I do in the morning, after waking up, is read the Bible. For me, that's the best way to start the morning because it encourages me and starts the day of right. My problem is that I get absorbed into Facebook right after I've finished reading a chapter in the Bible. This is where prioritizing comes in because I waste time looking through my Facebook in the morning.
I wrote last week that I was reading Candace Cameron Bure’s book, Reshaping it All. As I’ve continued to read it this week, I found that each chapter was all about prioritizing and self-discipline, something I really needed to read. Candace writes, ‘If we prioritize our lives to take care of the important things first, everything finds and settles into its place, so everything can get done.’
I need to start asking myself, “What is more important?” because I am easily distracted by my Facebook timeline and the endless videos available on YouTube. My prayer for this week is that I’ll stop saying, “I don’t have time,” and start making time for the more important things.
We have 24 hours in a day, that may seem a lot, but the hours can sneak up on you. I find that I can get a lot done in the day, but always wish I had more time for the other things I wanted to do. In the next three weeks, before I fly to America, I’m going to start learning how to put the important things first and spend less time on my phone or laptop. Three weeks is plenty of time to practice putting the important things first and learning how to put my trust in YHVH.
Philippians 4:15, “I have strength to do all, through Messiah who empowers me.” Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares YHVH, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
What are you needing strength for this week? Have you prayed about it? YHVH has an endless supply of strength and courage, all you have to do is ask. He wants to be a part of your lives, not just for the times where you’re struggling, but for the happy and content moments as well.