A Tribute to My Mom

It is time to end my blogging hiatus with a very blogworthy topic: My Mom.  I'm always a little nervous to write about someone so worthy of praise, because I know I will not be able to say everything.  But here's an attempt at honoring my Mom and pointing out some of her excellent qualities.

Happy Mother's Day!

What an amazing woman!  My mother, Faith Stynsberg, is probably the most servant-hearted person I know.  She is always serving--and always doing it cheerfully.  She has been pouring herself out for her own husband and children for more than 27 years, and she continues to minister to many other children and families through daycare, AWANA, VBS, and a multitude of other ways.

It was a blessing to me, Tyler, and JaNae that Mom was a "stay-at-home-mom" who was always there for us (even while blessing others through daycare).  She and Dad have always prioritized spending time with us and being there for our big events (or what seemed to us to be big events).  Mom and Dad have very gracefully handled the process of becoming "empty-nesters," striking the balance between giving us freedom and independence while still being involved in our lives.  Mom sent me a package for my birthday, even though I would be coming home just a week later.  That was pretty cool.

Mom is an incredibly hard worker.  I used to take for granted all the things she does; now that I'm a little older, I admire her more and more.  I love how she finds creative ways to make a difference.  Every year, before most of us have even started thinking about Mother's Day, she begins using every spare moment to make delicate bows (around 200 of them) for Mother's Day corsages.  She puts countless hours of work into these corsages each year (and Dad helps a lot with the process too!) to provide mothers with this symbol of honor while raising money for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.  In the past couple of years, she has also perfected the art of making mittens out of old sweaters, and this has raised money on different occasions for Living Hope, Breaking Free, and our sister church in Ukraine.

Much of this work goes unnoticed, because in the world's eyes, these are "small things." Mom has never set out to climb the corporate ladder or find a place in the spotlight.  Instead, she cares for children in their most formative years, dealing with dirty diapers, picky eaters, fights over toys, and a million "why" questions; she washes dishes, vacuums carpets, and cooks meals; she works patiently and diligently on her crafts, knowing that small things do make a difference; she studies the Word of God; she prays.

And she allows God to shape her into the woman He wants her to be.  If you're looking for an example of Biblical womanhood, hang out with my Mom for a while.  Watch the way she respects and submits to my Dad and the way she loves her children.  Observe her attitude: selflessness, cheerfulness, self-control, patience, and rarely a complaint coming out of her mouth (though she deals with more physical pain than most of us understand).  Oh, I am richly blessed, and I hope to become very much like this woman of God.

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; 

her husband also, and he praises her.  

'Many women have done excellently, 

but you surpass them all.'

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:28-31 (ESV)

I thank God for you, Mom.

Love, Alyssa

Does anyone know why my blog randomly puts "video" boxes at the beginning of my posts?  I'm not trying to frustrate people with non-functional videos.  Truly, I'm not!

God provides a new roommate!

You may remember that in October God gave my roommate Sarah clarity about her calling to India.  She had known for years that she was to go to India at some point, but with whom?  To do what?  Well, after a lot of prayer and seeking she felt led to join the ministry of Beracha House, a house for destitute children which has also started a Christian school that is reaching their Hindu community.  Now it was time to discern her departure date, and as crazy as it seemed, she felt strongly in mid-November that she was supposed to leave in January.  The whirlwind of support-raising, packing, and a hundred little details began, and amazingly everything was falling into place, except one thing.  Who would take over her lease at our duplex?

I could see that God was all over this situation.  I could also see, through the scriptures and books I was reading at the time, that God wanted to challenge my faith.  So Kayla and I told her she could go freely, trusting that somehow God would provide a roommate (or what we needed to cover her portion of the rent--because we certainly didn't have it!).  We continued praying that God would provide a roommate—particularly a roommate that would fit well with us and share our heart for prayer, fellowship, and ministry in our neighborhood.  Many of you have joined us in these prayers.

God’s timing is perfect.  Through some unlikely connections on facebook, we got connected with Annemarie, one of Sarah’s acquaintances from years ago.  Kayla and I met her last Tuesday, and we were struck with how perfect the match seemed to be.  She’s an answer to all of the prayers above, and she’s also been praying for roommates who pray together.  She also just happens to share Kayla’s passion for Japan and a love for the age group of the Girls Group we host in our home.  And she's able to move in right after Sarah moves out.   

Take note!  God can be trusted to take care of His children, and He lavishes good gifts on us.