*Going Home!!*

I get to spend 25 days at home!!! SO excited!! Please be praying for me on the 28th of July because I will be traveling all day, several planes, several airports, and... the first time trying it alone! I really haven't flown that often, flew to Vietnam with my Dad, flew back with the Missionary family. Flew once in the states with my sister. And flew here to France with the Cole's. So yeah I've never had to pay as much attention as I will need to this time around... I figure once I do it I'll feel a lot more confident about it but at this point it seems complicated. But I know the Lord will be with me and will lead and guide :)
Michael, Liz, and Viviane are out of school the whole month of August and I was graciously given that time to go home and meet my new Nephew! And spend time with my parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, church family, and puppy :D Except for Jenny & Kyle I haven't seen any of them since the end of December and so yeah I'm beyond happy about it!!

Near the end of August I'll fly back to France to finish out the year as Viviane, Adeline, and Mathieu's Nanny :)

So thankful for this mission journey and the opportunity to experience new things and be a part of these children's lives.

Yes I have some ideas what will happen or what certain things will look like when I'm finished here but really the Lord only knows. He already has plans for me and I'm thankful to be able to rest in that. And to get to look to Him for direction. It's not as important what my plans are for next year as it is where my heart, mind, and attitude are today.

{{Holy Fire burn away, my desire for anything, that is not of you and is of me, I want more of you and less of me. Empty me. Won’t you fill me with You. With You}}(Jeremy Camp)

{{I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost: Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God. Bought by such love, my life is not my own: My praise, my all shall be for Christ alone}} (Chris Anderson)

{{So take this selfish heart of mine. I want to give it all. I've wasted too much time. And melt away everything that's not of You, I want to know You more, so much deeper than I do - completely unrestrained}} (Jeremy Camp)

<3 Rissa

~Day 190~

First of all I want to mention that it is my friend Jenny's birthday today!! She is away at Navy bootcamp and I can't call and wish her a happy birthday :( But I'd like her to know that I'm so proud of her for the sacrifice she's making to serve her country and to wholeheartedly do what the Lord has called her to. She's brave, strong, and determined - if you only knew how much I miss you! Praying for you every day! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Secondly I'd like to announce that as of Saturday June 30th I am now the proud and extremely excited Aunt of a brand new baby boy = which makes TWO NEPHEWS for me!! :D My strong & amazing sister Meridith gave birth to Nathaniel early Saturday morning and a few hours later I got to see them both on skype (beyond thankful for technology). He is just precious! I'm so appreciative of my sister Rachel keeping me updated and calling me to tell me he had arrived safe and sound. Congratulations Jason & Meridith - lots of prayers going your way, so excited for you! Can't wait to meet him!

Michael & Liz just started summer school (for the month of July) so I get to be with all 3 kids most days and I'm enjoying them as much as ever. Since we've be in France Mathieu has changed so much, he's 9 months old now and scooting and rolling to get where he wants to go, I imagine soon enough he'll be crawling and quite unstoppable :) He and the girls are so full of energy and smiles!

My Grandma is in a nursing home now but from what I've heard I think she's improving some and hopefully will be able to return to her own home after awhile.. It's hard when you only get bits and pieces of the story but she's in the Lord's hands and I know I can trust Him to do what's best for her.

I've been sick this week, not sure what it was or where it came from but it's slowly going away and for that I'm grateful, hopefully in a day or so I'll back to normal. I'd like to start running again because it's been way too long now, no shock there, consistency is not my strong point, but the Lord's still working on me :)
Consistency is not only a difficulty for me with exercising and eating healthier but with a lot of things, getting up earlier, studying French etc. And the most important - spending time with the Lord - daily. I know for my life it really affects every part if I don't spend time talking to Him and reading His word. My focus/purpose/joy/ everything, it goes down hill so fast if I'm not taking time to be still with my Jesus. How am I to know what Jesus would do if I'm not asking Him and studying His life? How am I to handle situations with a godly attitude if I don't know what the Fruits of the Spirit are and I'm not feeding & watering them? I can't love others if I can't remember what true love is. I won't bring God glory if He's not my top priority. All that to say I'm so thankful that the Lord remains faithful even when His children do not. I don't want to take that for granted, I want to love Him more and give more of me, because He deserves, and wants - all of me.

I've been a little down the last weekish because I had to say goodbye to my friend Abi, it was time for her to return to England. We were "kindred spirits" as Anne of Green Gables would say :) - as sad as saying goodbye is I pray our friendship can continue and I'm more than grateful for the past 6 months. Thinking a lot about what it means to be thankful.. James 1:17 says Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
And I'll leave you with a quote from Nancy Leigh DeMoss "A grateful man or woman will be a breath of fresh air in a world contaminated by bitterness and discontentment. And the person whose gratitude is a by product of a response to the redeeming grace of God will showcase the heart of the gospel in a way that is winsome and compelling."


<3, Rissa

*Eighty-Seven Years*

Three years ago today my Grandpa Maupin passed away. I was with him, his wife and his children.I had just returned home from spending a year in Vietnam and I'm so thankful I got to see him one more time, got to tell him I loved him, got to be there with my Dad through that heartbreaking experience... To me it was awful to watch him take his last breath in that hospital room, but all in all he peacefully passed from earth to eternity. I had never seen someone die before, every time he took a deep breath I was terrified it'd be his last, and then he'd keep on breathing for a couple more hours, until one moment he really did take his last breath, it was almost a relief, but I was left with an emptiness, a finality. His life on earth was finished. My Grandma was a widow, my Dad and his brother and sisters would have to live the rest of their lives without their Dad. No more Father's days or birthdays, phone calls or hugs.. Only memories to live with. I have such beautiful memories of visiting Grandpa and his farm, playing in the hay and the creek, petting the goats, listening to stories of when my Dad was little etc. I miss all that. I miss my Grandpa. And I miss what could have been, I wanted him to be around for my future.. I'm so grateful for the 87 years he had though, for the people he influenced, for the legacy he left. I'm thankful for the 20 years I had to know him. He left behind his beautiful wife Ellen whom I love so much, he has 2 sons and 2 daughters, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. I hope we're making him proud, I hope we carry on his name in an honoring way. My one regret is that I wish I had known him better, I wish I knew his favorite color, his greatest childhood memory, what it was like growing up in the 1920's and 30's, how many places did he visit etc. He was a private man, but if I could do it over I'd ask lots more questions, to have seen 87 years on this earth, he must have had lots of stories, memories, good times and bad... So if you still have your Grandpa and can go spend time with him, I'd encourage you to do that, sit at his feet and ask him about his life, let him know you're interested in the wisdom he has to share and the lessons he's learned along the way. I took my Grandparents for granted a lot, growing up I just thought they'd always be here. I praise the Lord that they were always there when I was a kid, that I didn't have to say goodbye until I was an adult and that I carry around those memories with me. And hopefully I still have more time with my other Grandparents and I pray I'll make the most of it. Death is a hard thing, but it teaches us to cherish the moments, because we never know how many we have left with the people we love. And too, it makes me think - what will I leave behind? if I die tomorrow, or 80 years from now... We all have choices to make, and my choices won't only affect me, they'll affect people around me, and the generation behind me etc. Your life can either hurt or help, you can live to bring glory to God or to yourself, what is it you want people to remember about your life when it's over? I love you and miss you Grandpa. Dad-I'm praying for you, and I love you.

*James Elsworth Maupin August 15th 1921 - July 3rd 2009




*With all my heart* ~Rissa