Temporary Physical and the Eternal Spiritual

My mom and I are very thankful for the time we've had in this house.

On the morning of January 7th, I went outside the house to take a picture of the Palisades Fire. 

Shortly after this, we evacuated to my brother's family.

The next night, we learned that our house had burned down. 

We weren't able to take too much with us, but my mom and I are both well (and the cat), and we have felt God's peace and care in everything 😊

One of the things that I lost in the fire which was meaningful to me was a ring, like the one above, that I used to wear almost every day. It had Deuteronomy 31:8 (in Hebrew) engraved on it. 

This ring was a temporary physical symbol of an eternal spiritual truth that does not change...

This spiritual truth about God's wonderful faithfulness and constant presence does not change, whether I have a physical ring, or not, or a physical house, or not, or anything else, or not. 

God goes before us, He is with us, He never leaves us nor forsakes us, and He doesn't want us to be afraid or dismayed 😊

After staying with my brother's lovely family for the first two weeks, we've been staying in the home of a very kind person from my church. We are so thankful to God for this!

We've been working on all the things that need to be done in this time, and we're looking for a place to live. 

We would appreciate prayer for God's wonderful will, way, and time for everything.

Thank you!

Update on Mozambique

Jose Tembe & Wedaeli Chibelushi reporting for BBC News:

"278 people have died since demonstrations began in Mozambique after the electoral commission declared Daniel Chapo the winner of the presidential elections in October, extending the Frelimo political party's 49-year rule. The fatalities include protesters, children and members of the security forces. 

The opposition leader, Vanancio Mondlane, fled Mozambique, saying his life was in danger after two of his aides were shot dead in October. He previously said he will install himself as president on January 15 - the day Daniel Chapo is due to be sworn in - despite the constitutional court upholding his rival's victory.

The electoral commission declared Chapo the winner of the election with 71% of the vote, compared to Mondlane's 20%. The constitutional court revised the result last week, giving Chapo 65% and Mondlane 24%. International election observers previously said the vote was flawed, pointing to doctored numbers and other irregularities during the counting process. 

The ensuing protests have dealt a severe blow to Mozambique's economy. More than 12,000 people have lost their jobs and more than 500 companies have been vandalized. Along with businesses, Frelimo offices, courts, police stations and road toll booths have been torched. 

Last week, the police reported that more than 1,500 prisoners escaped from a maximum security prison, taking advantage of the political unrest.

Neighboring countries have also felt the impact of Mozambique's unrest. Several thousand Mozambicans have fled across the border into Malawi as a result of the violence. 

A new wave of protests are set to begin on January 2."

Thank you for your prayers for Mozambique.