Speak with Conviciton

My First Pots!

Claire and I took up pottery at the end of February. These are my first two pieces. Everyone, including myself, was sooo impressed. Girl got skillz, what can I say?

I started on the wheel last week and hope to have some of those pieces soon!!
(Click on each picture to see the detail).

Henna

My first time (outside of street fairs that charge you $30 for a small butterfly on your arm) getting henna. The girls loved the fact that I got it. A woman at the museum had a little stand. This cost me a little under $5. Two weeks later it's starting to fade away.

Dubai Museum

I took my girls to the Dubai Museum. This was my first trip to downtown Dubai. The museum is housed in a fort. It tells the development of Bedouin society and the UAE. It was really cool. One of the best museums I've ever seen.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

It's been 8 years since I became a Christian. I can't believe how time flies. It feels as if it just happened yesterday. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who have been influential in my walk.

But most importantly, thank you Jesus, who knows just how far the east is from the west, when You spread Your arms out upon that cross for me.

Last year's post

I Have a Brain and It is Perfect!

Amen!?!? My MRI came back perfect. My blood results on the other hand did not. It's a long story. I'm treatable. I just have to wait a few more weeks for my doctor to return.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

I do believe this is the story of my life. If someone was to write a biography about me, it would be one page long. This is what it would say:

"The Lord constantly taught her to wait upon Him.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait..."

The Judah....Da Da Da

The Judah cat has returned!! God is so faithful. I cried a lot over the little babe, but then put it all in God's hands. The more I thought about the situation, the happier I was. I knew and I trusted God to take care of Him. He says He would, and He has!!!
I am so glad I serve a wonderful, trustworthy God!

I'm also very happy to see Judah back at home. He's naughty. :)

Judah is Missing

My kitty is missing!! He ran away last night. I'm so sad!! But I will trust God to return him...

Al-Ain Zoo

During our four day break, I rented a car with two ladies from work and drove 2 hours to Al-Ain, which is right on the boarder of Oman. We couldn't go into Oman because it's illegal to take rental cars across the boarder. We enjoyed our day at the zoo. It was very hot!!! The poor animals stayed in the shade. They are smarter than us.

Trusting Him

J. Hudson Taylor once wondered, "How does a person really learn to trust God and hear His voice in 1852, as those in the Bible did?"

The same questions is relevant today as it was in 1852 and every year before and after that. How do I learn to trust God like those in the Bible and afterward?

God says that He supplies all of our needs. He will take care of us. He is our Father and we are His children. He tells us to call on Him and see just what He will do.

I know I need to learn this lesson so desperately. He is my only true need. He is all that I want and nothing more. However, life brings it's little surprises, so to speak. I decided to take God at His word.

I have needed an MRI for sometime now, going from doctor to doctor, with no success. Finally, I found a doctor who applied for a CT scan for me. Ok, well, that's a step closer. Fine. Turns out, the doctor never filed my paperwork with the insurance company. I waited 2 weeks and still no approval because no one could find the paperwork!! I was told to make another appointment (which I would have had to pay for) and see the doctor again. I was also told that because my insurance was expiring soon, that the CT scan would not be approved.

Well, I went to another doctor, who applied for a MRI. Same thing. Insurance was expiring and our school was switching companies...no way. I couldn't even get a full month of medicine under my insurance.

Well, I've been waiting and waiting for this new insurance card from the new company. I would have to make and pay for another appointment with the new doctor, then have the doctor write up the MRI and go back again to have the test. This can not be done without the insurance card.

The person in charge of insurance kept telling me to pay out of my pocket and apply for the money back. I had a MRI in the States of my shoulder and it cost $5,000 USD. I don't have that kind of "pocket change."

From that point on, I knew God was going to have to do something and I needed to trust Him. I prayed and prayed and asked Him to make a way. Saturday night I got a call from the hospital asking when I wanted to come in for the MRI.

I was shocked!!!

How did this happen?!? The old insurance company could not have approved it? Could they? My insurance expired nearly 10 days prior! The new company surely did not approve it because the hospital did not know I have a new company!

A bit of fear flushed over me. Would the hospital expect me to pay out of pocket?!?

On Sunday, I went to see if the insurance card had come in yet. If I have the card, I wouldn't have to pay.

Well, not that it surprised me, but there was no card! The person again told me to pay out of pocket and I told him I did not have that money. He was shocked (although, I told him before) at the price. He gave me a form to get money back if I paid. I clearly stated to him that I would not be paying for it.

Either somehow an insurance company would take care of it now or someone would give me the money to pay.

Well, I walked in and handed them my old insurance card for proof of who I am since I didn't have another card. I had the MRI and walked out. No one asked me for money. No one said the card was expired. Nothing.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God's doing. He is so faithful to His word. If I can trust Him in those small things, then I can trust Him with much larger, more impossible things. I pray that God continues to teach me to trust Him in ever aspect of my life. I pray the same for you.


*As for the MRI, I freaked out. The technician told me to close my eyes. He strapped me in, put a cage over my face and rolled me in the machine. He said, now, open!! I screamed to be let out. It was the most scariest thing in my life. After composing myself, I went back in. This time, I told him I was not going to open my eyes. He was afraid I would go to sleep, which you're not supposed to with a brain scan.

I was not allowed to move. Usually when I'm scared, I pray or sing. I had to do that all in my heart. Everything within me wanted to bust out in prayer aloud.

The scan took almost an hour. I moved once, so that part had to be redone. I was really scared the whole time, but I knew the Lord was right with me. I don't think my heart ever raced so fast in my life before!!

Hopefully, I'll have the results by Thursday.

Nicole's History

This day in Nicole history:

Two Years Ago (2007)


One Year Ago (2008)

Theme of my life: Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait....upon Him!

My birthday is in 9 days!!!! I will be 8 years old! :)

Letters

By the way, feel free to send me letter, pictures, etc. I've gotten one letter from my friend Michelle. That's it. Nothing else. Not even from my own family. No Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day cards...not one. If you ever feel moved to, please write!!! The only mail I get is the one internet bill.

:*(

Church and School

A few pictures from school. I finally went "native." One of my boy's parents sent traditional food to school for Prophet's Day. I ate local style for the first time...with my hands!!! You gather the food in your hands and then squeeze it all together. Then, you use your thumb as a fork. One guess how I felt about this...

As for church, if you look hard, you can see Ray Comfort on the wall. My students (I teach the 12-14 year old class) are learning about Way of the Master. We've finished "Hell's Best Kept Secret," "True and False Conversion," "The Firefighter," and some lessons on how to approach sinners using the Ten Commandments. Next week, they will start to learn how to defend their faith and speak to those of different faiths. The kids are really excited for the upcoming weeks. So am I. I love apologetics.

6th Grade Projects

Just a sample of the work my students have been doing. (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Kush and India). I'm a huge fan of project work.

UAE Doctors

Seven doctors later...My blood vessels are not dilating. I'm not getting enough blood to my brain. That explains my symptoms. I need a MRI soon. Waiting on the approval by the insurance company. My insurance expires this week. Apparently, we are changing companies?!? Who knows. I'm trying not to get stress out about it. Waiting is the most difficult part.

I've been on some medicines for treatment and prevention of the issue at hand. I've been feeling a bit better. I feel like I have a bit more energy. I'm terrible at taking pills. I often forget to take the night pill until late at night. That means, it takes a long time for it to start working...and I stay up late!

But through it all, G-d is faithful! How I would change nothing to see Him glorified. For that, all the suffering and waiting is so worth it. He continues to teach me to trust Him. I am grateful. How I fail at times, yet, He remains the same. I know of no other like Him.

I'm looking forward to the summer. I will be staying with some very dear friends who are family to me. I will be staying in the "country," which means I can relax more. I need it. I will also be going to Repent and Witness again!!! I'm super excited about that. I miss the crew from last year!

Valentine's Day UAE Style

It was also my habebte's birthday! I made her a ghetto cake. There's not much of anything you can decorate cakes with here. I took some chocolate that hardens and I used that spoon to write on the cake. I got mad skillz yo.

Simple Seed and Love

I've been feeling very much like a wilted flower lately. I want to share something encouraging with you, because I know it will encourage me as well.

As most of you know, I had some huge family problems this Christmas break. But that's not the focus of this story. The focus is the faithfulness of my Lord and Savior!

When I was 15, I participated in a Christmas card program for US troops. I sent off a bunch of cards, writing about things I liked and wishing those who received it a very Merry Christmas. Both my parents were in the military, so I understood what it would be like to be away from family during holidays.

Well, I remember getting 2 letters back. One was from a guy who I thought was creepy and the other from a young Air Force guy. Thinking back, he wrote a really nice letter. He talked about how Jesus was the best person in his life. I was taken back by it and never wrote back. I hated God and Jesus at the time. I was into some really nasty stuff.

I remember throwing out the creepy guy's letter, but I kept the other one. In fact, I still have it, 12 years later. I would often read those lines he wrote about Jesus over and over.

I became a Christian 3 months shy of turning 20. I began writing the guy letters to tell him how he planted that seed. After all, it was the first time that I had ever heard about having a relationship with God! Every letter I wrote was eventually returned to me. He had moved on.

I used the phone book and military locators to no success. I gave up. I had been anxious to tell this person what the Lord had done in my life. I had guessed I would just have to wait until I got to heaven.

Again, this Christmas, the person came to mind. This time I tried Facebook and would you believe it? He was on Facebook. I found him and prayed about what to write. I had so much to say! I couldn't wait to tell him about this 12 year old letter. I wondered what his reaction would be.

Praise God his reaction was positive and now we can keep in contact. (He and his wife are going into missions in the next few years).

It's it just amazing what God can do? How he can take a few words that we might seem would have no power and bring to tug a person's heart towards the Father? How much does the Father love us to inspire someone to write someone he (or she) has never met about His Son. I am forever grateful to our Lord for it!

So, with this Valentine's Day, I encourage you to love someone and tell them about God's saving grace! You'll never know what kind of heart your words will seep into. After all, Jesus did not give us the "Great Suggestion..."

A New Hair-do and an Author

Claire cut all my hair off. Two days later I met famous author, Philip Yancey, at my church. He gave a really good talk about prayer. Connected nicely to what I have been learning in my class. Oh yeah, I'm back in school taking a class this year.

It's that Time Again!!

Boot Camp!! Join us in New York City this summer!




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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

New Year, New Thoughts

Hey Y'all. I haven't been really into updating here. Sorry. There's so much that I want to say, but yet I can't say it in this forum. Shame. The entire world needs to hear it. I haven't felt like saying much of anything else. I stand in awe at the Creator.

When persecution arises, who will be there?
No one.
Who will come to my defense?
No one.
No one but you my G-d.

There's not one ounce of strength left within me,
yet I am still standing by your grace and mercy.

My L-rd, come to my aid.
Rid me of my trial and turn my mourning into joy.

Comfort me, oh G-d, 'tis another day of need --
needing you -- needing your saving grace and perfecting love.

My soul cries out -- L-rd, my G-d, take over.
Bring glory to your name
so that all the world would know you are G-d.

And I will sing your praises among those who hate you.
Though they shoot arrows, a melody will arise from my heart
to your throne -- one that speaks of your goodness to me.

How you saved me.
How you forgave me and gave me life as a sign
of your love for the world.


Lebanese Flower. My favorite restaurant with some of my favorite people.
Entertaining the kids at church with Christmas carols.
My 1st Thanksgiving. Yes, I cooked all this.