Restored for God's Glory: October 2016

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

International Day of the Girl Child 2016

Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!

I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing awesome, thanks to my Father in Heaven. This afternoon, I returned from eating lunch with co-workers and returned to my job as a mining engineer. When I get off work, I can drive myself home. I've had formal education. My passion for STEM was nurtured in high school and I was encouraged to study engineering in college, so I received my mining engineering degree from Virginia Tech. As of today, I have had the choice to stay unmarried until God's appointed time for me to do life with the man He's created for me. I was not captured or assaulted before fleeing from Sierra Leone when the civil war broke out in the 90s. I grew up, lived/worked, and still live/work in safe neighborhoods. I have the choice to move to a state (having no family member close by) and live by myself. If I get sick, I have access to healthcare. I can vote in the upcoming elections and have the choice to run for office in the future. I can publicly be a Christian and dress whichever way I choose as long it honors God.

Having shared all of the above, a day like today makes me realize more that there are millions of girls/women who don't have the privileges I've had in life all because they're born a girl. Declared by the UN, today is observed as International Day of the Girl Child. The observation supports more opportunity for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their sex. This year's theme is “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: A Global Girl Data Movement”, is a call for action for increased investment in collecting and analyzing girl-focused, girl-relevant and sex-disaggregated data. One year into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, improving data on girls and addressing the issues that are holding them back is critical for fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. Gender inequality includes areas such as right to education/access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, and protection from discrimination, violence against women and unfree child marriage.

I may not be able to change all of these inequalities girls and women face in the United States, Sierra Leone, and worldwide but I'll keep trying through When You Believe Foundation, mentoring young girls, advocating for the recruitment and retention of girls/women in STEM, encouraging my younger sisters/nieces/cousins to strive for excellence, being there for the women in my life, and other ways that God leads me to. Besides my engineering degree, I'm happy to have received my minor in women's studies leadership in college. So today I encourage you to do your part and make this world a better place for all girls and women. You can start with your family and community. Together we can make a difference!

...But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Genesis 2:20-22.

God bless you.

Jesus loves you.

Restored woman living for God's Glory,

Ruby B. Johnson.

Have you given your heart to God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior? If you die today, will you make it to Heaven? If no or you are unsure, do not waste any more time and receive salvation now.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Embarking On New Journeys

Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!

I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing great, thanks to my Father in Heaven. As I mentioned in my previous post, a lot of changes have taken place in my life lately, and that is why I haven't been blogging as frequently as I used to. But I count it all joy for all God has been doing in my life - in and through me. In addition to recently moving to Nevada and starting my new job, I recently got into a courtship with an amazing man of God and we're prayerfully looking towards marriage and trusting God to lead us in this new journey together. In this season of courting, we're using it to really get to know each other, talking about our past as well as what a possible future with each other would/should look like, family and career goals, talking about our expectations for each other as a spouse, seeking godly counsel, and more importantly: finding out if marriage and doing life together is part of God's will for our lives. As much as some of the conversations we have may be dry or result to disagreement, we have been successful in moving forward because he was my friend first before we decided to get into a courtship and we acknowledge our differences and find this as the appropriate time to discuss and work on these issues. As it says in one of the scriptures that keep me disciplined in life, ...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19.

Idaho Potato French Fries

One of the things I love and look forward to doing more of with my new job is traveling. Last week, I was in Boise for a minerals administration training; this was my first time in Idaho. For someone who's very new to the western side of the country, I believe I will visit all the states within the next 4 months because of work. I thank God for this opportunity and give Him all the glory. Being that the training was a whole week and required a full day of work, I didn't have the opportunity to really explore Boise but I'm sure this won't be my last time going there. The hotel was hospitable and Idaho is a beautiful place but I missed good ol' Nevada, especially being in pacific time zone and getting my extra hour of sleep. Also, I will like to share my disappointment of not getting to see any potatoes being grown while I was in Idaho, but ate a lot of it throughout the week; seeing and eating potatoes just seems like the right thing to do when in a state that's popularly known for that!

Beautiful Idaho Mountains

Upon returning back to Nevada this past weekend, I finally got to attend church yesterday for the first time in my new home state. I am blessed to be in a small town with many churches and I attended one that is about a 2-minute walk from my apartment. Service was great - the worship and message was spirit-filled, and I could feel God's presence in the place. The body of Christ was very warm and welcoming and I plan to attend again. My prayer now is that God plants me in a church whereby I can be used for His glory and do Kingdom work. My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, my prayer for you is that you bear good fruit throughout the week. May you be a blessing to many, because you may be the only Jesus someone encounters this week. Make it a priority to love others and that you glorify God in your words and thoughts. Be light of the world and salt of the earth. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:13-16

God bless you.

Jesus loves you.

Restored woman living for God's Glory,

Ruby B. Johnson.

Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival 2016

Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!

I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing well, thanks be to God. A couple weeks ago, I attended the 15th annual Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival in Spring Creek! It was so much fun seeing a hot air balloon up close for the first time, watching the setup! Unfortunately they did not launch the balloons as they have in past years that day due to weather conditions, but I had a great time regardless. It was definitely worth waking up very early on that Saturday morning for this! Upon leaving the festival, I went to eat lunch with a co-worker and then to see the snow on the Ruby Mountains by the Lamoille Canyon. Later in the evening, I attended my supervisor's 60s/Woodstock-themed shrimp broil housewarming party. Below are a some photos I took from the festival and my adventures afterwards.

60s Party - Peace and Love

God bless you.

Jesus loves you.

Restored woman living for God's Glory,

Ruby B. Johnson.

Sierra Leonean Elegance - African Excellence

Hello my sisters and brothers in Christ!

I pray you and yours are doing well. I am doing fantastic, thanks to the Almighty. This past August, I had the honor of serving as a bridesmaid at the wedding of a great man whom I consider as a father along with a very amazing woman who happens to be his bride. This was my first time serving as a bridesmaid. The weekend was full of wedding festivities and I had a lot of fun. It may sound biased because the couple has a special place in my heart and I was part of the bridal party BUT this wedding was truly the wedding of the year and one of the best I've ever attended. Beautiful couple, wonderful ceremonies, great crowd, delicious food, and elegant outfits - everything was great! It was a great weekend to celebrate love, Sierra Leonean elegance, and African excellence. I was proud to be a Sierra Leonean woman. Friday was the wedding ceremony and reception, Saturday was the wedding picnic, and the bridal party attended Church together on Sunday. On the wedding day, the bridal party had 3 outfit changes: one for the Church ceremony and 2 during the reception (African wear from Senegal and cocktail dress); all outfits were custom-made. Below are some photo highlights from the wedding weekend. Fun fact: I caught the bride's bouquet at the reception. He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22.