I met a man sitting on a bus stop bench on the street this past Thursday. His name was Mike and he was begging for money. I stopped and talked to him. He claimed that he had mental problems and couldn’t work, and got social security every month but it wasn’t enough. I tried to talk to him and encourage him. I shared Jesus with him. He claimed to know Jesus, not as one of his children, but he believed he existed. I tried to encourage him to pray and rely on the Lord for salvation. But Mike said he was afraid to pray, because he believed that every time he prayed, God punished him. In the end, the best I could do was hug Mike and promise to pray for him, which I have been doing every day.
As I walked away, I was filled with great sadness and great joy. I cried out to God for Mike, pleading before the Lord for the salvation of his soul. But I also cried out in praise and thanksgiving for all that the Lord has done for me. I have absolutely nothing that was not a gift from God, and yet I take everything for granted and even complain in my heart at what I see as lack. Just an hour before my bike was stolen from a bike rack in front of Haggerty Hall on Ohio State Campus. How could I possibly mourn the loss of my bike when God has blessed me with so much, and here was a man who had so little. God loves me, and in his love he took away his bike (it was never mine), so that I would depend on him even more, and so I would get more exercise ;)>.
I am an unworthy servant, straying from the path in so many ways. But God still loves me and forgives me. If I spent every moment for the rest of eternity praising him, it would not be enough. Thank you all for your prayers. Know that the Lord is with me and is looking out for me. I am with you all in spirit, together as the body of Christ, and always will be, no matter where I go. Please continue to pray for me, as God tells us all to pray continually and without ceasing. Some specific prayers are: that God would continue to provide for me financially, without using too many student loans. That he would continue to give me strength to study as we are given more homework and start learning Chinese characters. Please pray for Mike, and for Jerah, my roommate, who is having an eye operation this week.
Chinese progresses. I am still learning fast, but the difficulty is rising as well. We begin learning characters on Monday, and after glancing at the text book, I know it is very complicated. I have now completed Chinese 101. I did in three weeks what is normally spread over a quarter (nine weeks). The next three weeks is Chinese 102, and the last three weeks is Chinese 103.
I have finished re-conquering the yard around my house. I am working part time for my landlord doing yard-work and house-work to help pay for rent, in case you didn’t know. The yard looks so much better and I loved it. I pulled a lot of weeds, trimmed everything, mowed, pulled more weeds and did a few other random things. I now know a little bit why sarah likes her grounds job so much. So now I’m starting on the house. I have to deep clean all the rooms, and might do some interior work, depending on what Mr. Pettibone wants done. Though I do not enjoy this as much as gardening, I am very used to it and very good at it, since I’ve been doing it to our house for the past 10 years.
I thank everyone who reads my updates and am grateful for your interest in my life. Please feel free to e-mail me, since I would love to hear from you. To all: be well, stay safe, and God bless.
In Christ
Lydia Thomas