Sabbatical
Dear Friends,
Our God is a great and awesome God and so loving and kind! Praises be to Him!
Thankfully, with the help of a prescribed sleeping aid, I have been getting more sleep. I am still quite tired, and praying for full healing so I can sleep without medication. (Yes, I use melatonin as well, but it doesn't enable me to fall asleep.) I think I basically burnt myself out over the past 2.5 years - culminating in a too busy trip to Asia (as a number of you have said to me!) For some reason, I didn't realize that I was not planning enough rest and space during that trip. I am learning - sometimes the hard way!!
All of my blood work came back good so I have no medical diagnosis thankfully. I did two liver cleanses, and I think I began to sleep better as a result of the first one. Now I'm working on rebuilding my adrenal and thyroid. Part of my problem has been feeling very jittery as I think I've had too much cortisol in my system.
My OMF supervisor has kindly granted me one month of Compassionate Leave of Absence (like a Sabbatical) to work on healing and rest. This starts today and ends on March 15. During this time, I will seek the Lord about His will for me - what work/ministry He has for me in this season and how I can thrive and not burn out. I'm not exactly sure what I will do with myself during this time, but I'm sure God will show me.
Meanwhile, Scott now has 14 piano students and has continued to work 2 night shifts per week in addition to two afternoon/evening shifts, so we are thankful for God's provision for us. And - Scott has been interviewing with two churches (in two different States) about the possibility of becoming their pastor. So - we'll see how God leads!
I would be glad to pray for you as you send me prayer requests and praises!
Blessings,
Jennifer