He cares for the birds of the air...

As many of you already know, our family is in transition again. If you don't receive our monthly prayer emails or quarterly "snail-mail" letters, and would like to, please send us your addresses. To briefly catch someone up, Matt has taken a job based out of London. After much prayer, we have decided to move to Istanbul, Turkey to make travel and the job overall more "do-able" for the family. The kids and I have spent this first week of the new year looking for a new apartment while Matt is training in England. One day this week, after a rather exhausting fruitless day, we decided to take a stroll through a park. While I was sitting on a bench (feeling rather sorry for myself and beginning to grumble!), I noticed a very bright green bird in a tree. Startled, I asked another woman at the park if she knew anything about birds. To my surprise, she said that actually she loves to come to this particular park because she is almost always sure to spy wild parrots. According to her, a truck load of tropical birds over 10 years ago were being transported to Istanbul's botanical gardens when they escaped. (I later confirmed the report with this article http://www.todayszaman.com/news-191234-wouldnt-you-like-to-discover-istanbuls-secret-garden.html.) I found this very interesting. The birds do find refuge at the botanical gardens, but they have also settled all over the city. Why did the birds not try to travel back to their homeland? The climate has to get downright miserable for them, and they surly have had to make adjustments to their eating and other natural habits. In my moment of pondering, the Holy Spirit pulled from my memory the verse that says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matt. 6:26) Yes, yes I am more more valuable in God's eyes! What an encouragement!! no, NOOOO I do not want to move again. I do not want to "settle" again. I do not want to adjust to new foods and new weather. However, I know in my heart that God has an amazing plan, and I truly desire to be used by HIM. I guess that if a simple creature like a bird can trust God to provide, I can as well. Do I imagine that it will be easy? - NO, but here we go again off on a new road to this adventure! Father, help me remain humble, teachable and useable for your glory!! AT