Three Minutes of Pure Joy

I wish that my phone could automatically save phone conversations so that I could replay the phone call I received today at 5:45 PM. A phone number popped up on my screen from Dahlonega, GA and my heart immediately started racing as I answered it. Here is the conversation that followed:

Me: Hello?
Caller: Beeb?
Me: PLEASE TELL ME YOU PASSED
Brendan: I PASSED

THE TWO SWEETEST WORDS I HAVE HEARD.

We were only able to have a 3 minute conversation but he sounded fantastic and it was amazing to just be able to hear his voice. The most amazing thing about Brendan is that after all he has been through, all he wanted to know was about how I was doing and to make sure that I was OK. He hasn't slept more than 3 hours or eaten more than 2 meals a day in weeks and his only concern is me. I thank God every day for giving me such a wonderful, loving, selfless man to spend the rest of my life with.

This photo was taken the day Brendan left.. we don't look too thrilled.

This is the first time since we have started on this journey through Ranger School where I can say that I will possibly see Brendan in less than one month! This is huge. I am so ecstatic that I can hardly formulate my thoughts into sentences to write.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

This is a light at the end of the tunnel. Although I know that we are far from the end of the tunnel, he still has to get through swamps, but I trust the Lord and I know that He will be faithful to us no matter what.

I was listening to the radio this morning and there was an excerpt from a sermon by a woman named Beth Moore who is an author and founder of Living Proof Ministries. I had never heard of her before yesterday and honestly haven't had the time to completely explore her beliefs or really do more than Google her, but she said something that I repeated to myself over and over again until I was able to pull over and write it down. I'm not sure exactly what she said but it was basically this:

If we are easily discouraged we will never be profoundly used or deeply affected.

I truly feel that God has given us these struggles to make us stop placing our hope in failing, fading, temporary things, and to allow us to completely turn to Him. By allowing us to go through these times of trial, we have been given the opportunity to outwardly display our trust in God's complete sovereignty to others by not losing faith despite the circumstances.

Let me follow that up by saying that by no means am I trying to imply that Brendan and I are not blessed. By owning a refrigerator, we are in the top 2% of the world's wealth. We are so thankful of everything we have, but we know that we are given nothing if it is not given by the Lord, and we know that nothing we accomplish is for anything but the Glory of God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

I thank the Lord every day for Brendan and for the love that we share between each other. Although I don't ever think I will look back on this experience as one of my top ten best times of my life, I believe that Ranger School and seperation has not been something that has broken us, it has been a catalyst to transform us and our love into a more Christ-like union. I mean, honestly, Brendan and I had only thought of God obscurly until then. The love that Brendan and I have now is so much stronger because it is blessed by the Holy Spirit and is unbreakable no matter what is to come.

Please continue to pray for us as we enter into this final phase of Ranger School, we know that nothing is certain and that all will be done according to His plan. Nonetheless we covet your prayers. Through Christ all is possible.