infinity dreams tag

• Write eleven random things about yourself
• Answer eleven questions that the person who tagged you wrote
• Write eleven questions for your friends to answer

• I'm the only girl in my family.
• My favorite color is anything blue/green- like mint, turquoise, etc. It's pretty obvious too. :)
• I love my office job, supporting my farmer and helping people learn about real food.
• I dream of having my own sustainable coffeehouse for college kids and doing some lifestyle photography.
• A quiet escape to me is sitting at a coffeeshop with a book, a pen and notebook- hand-lettering.
• I want to learn to drive manual REALLY bad.
• I'm a perfectionist, organization savvy (on most occasions)... Took a test once and it told me I was 90-100% OCD. :0
• I enjoy gardening- planting stuff and seeing the beautiful rewards. Not sure about the canning, etc.
• Smoothies are like my favorite thing other than Trickling Springs Ice-cream.
• I do not enjoy taking care of customers in a store setting, but love communicating with them via email, phone, text or face-to-face at drop-points.
• I would never wear shoes if I didn't have to. Long live sandals & flip-flops!

Here's the questions Jodi asked me.

• What is the hardest thing you have ever done? To be honest, I'm not sure. Probably pay taxes. lol
• Would you rather work everyday of your life inside (office job) or outside (an always outside job)? I like my office job, but I equally enjoy being outside, especially with my hands in the dirt on cool spring days.
• What song have you been listening to the most lately? Where I Belong (Building 429) and Aside From Grace (Daryl Petersheim)
• If you could travel to one place any where in the world right now and stay there for two weeks, where would you go? Ireland
• Cake or ice cream? By far, ice-cream! :)
• If you had to learn another language, which language would it be? Spanish
• What is your favorite fiction book? Agh! I haven't read fiction for sooo long! But you know... Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austin (I've only watched them- never read the book.)
• If you could only wear one color of clothes for the rest of your life, which color would it be? Anything between green and blue- turquoise, mint, sea-foam- I think you get the jist. :)
• What famous woman (past or present) do you look up to? Oh dear! I have no idea. I really like reading about women in the organic, sustainable farming/gardening career. Or woman truck-drivers. That doesn't even really seem equivalent!
• Would you ever go deep-sea diving? Uhh, probably not. I'm not a super water person, although I enjoy the sun and water, I don't just overly enjoy swimming, etc.
• If you could fix one problem in the world (pollution, poverty, etc.), what would it be? I would set out to conquer the world's chemical industry- the ones that are supplying baby formula containing microscopic needles, the ones who are using Chemo on cancer patients (studies show that under half of cancer patients that opted for Chemo are still living after 5 years) and banned the actual CURES to Cancer, the ones who provides the sprays for crops and GMO seeds. Why don;t we all go back 100 years when everything was grown in the garden (ORGANICALLY mind you- there were no sprays for this and that back then- no life has not become more simple since then- it's only got more complex and frustrating!) and if it had to be imported, then you didn't eat it.

• What is a song/book/movie that you love purely because of the memory attached to it?
• What is your favorite "escape"?
• Baking? Cooking?
• You were given the chance to fly, free of charge to any destination in the world, given you lived there for the rest of you life, where would you go?
• Would you rather give or receive a gift?
• What are you most attracted to (feet, jaw line, facial hair, eyes, etc.)?
• If you were given $500 cash, what would you use it for?
• Castle or cottage?
• How many children do you wish to have?
• Home-school, Christian Day School or Public School?
• You have to make your family your last meal before you leave on a missions trip to the African jungle, what would you fix? Or would you eat out? Where?

join me

Hey! I started another blog at lurondahege.wordpress.com. Come over and check it out! :) -Luronda

wait.

I came across this verse yesterday. Obviously it hadn't been the first time I seen it, because what made it stand out was the underline I had put under it earlier. 

Sometimes we like to rush into everything. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one, as I have talked to other people about it... We need to learn to WAIT. Just calm down, take life one step at a time. Yeah, you'll get to the top faster if you take 2 while taking the physical stairs, but in life most times you'll take 2 steps forward 1 step back. And it's perfectly normal. God will bring things in your life to show you who He is. To make you HAVE to Trust Him. He wants you to be in communication with Him. He wants to tell you something. He truly enjoys when you just have to sit back and rest in His arms. He loves you and wants you to know that.

When God tells you something- you better believe it.

Just my morning musings. God bless you on your journey!

of jars and scars.

One of my pet peeves is reused jars that still have the wrap-around label on them...

AND SO... This morning I was washing the breakfast dishes and... there was two of those horrible jars... It was nearing 8:00 and I really should have been going to work, but I scrubbed those crazy labels off- or at least I tried. That glue stuck hard, I laid it- glue down into the water and hoped that till I finished the rest of the dishes it would decide the use of sticking was no longer revelant. And then it struck me- that jar was scarred. It as scarred for a reason. It was not really a BAD thing, but it was to teach me a lesson.

What I've been through does not define WHO I am, WHAT I've made of myself, because without Christ- I'm NOTHING. What others think of me should not affect what I know Jesus has done for me. I know He has set me free- no, that does not mean I live a perfect life. No, that doesn't mean I don't ever mess up. And no, that doesn't mean some people have a hard time forgiving me for what I've done. But I love the word picture When God Ran paints. He forgives. And He loves me none-the-less. I feel so unworthy, but He loves me just the same, even if I wouldn't accept it. I'm flawless- you're flawless. The mistakes you've made don't define you. The scars you have are meant to teach you. To carve you into the person God wants you to be. You don't need to hide them to be perfectly whole.

>>Praise God, we don't have to hide scars
They just (strengthen our wounds), and they soften our hearts.
{They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are}.<<

fear of the Holy.

It was so revitalizing to come home from an amazing sermon this morning and just think. Ponder. Ponder things in my life. Think about how truly selfish I am... (I'm so thankful God is a forgiving God.)

I also had time to sit, relax, enjoy some *black* coffee, music, and curl up with a book. The book that I flew through at SMBI so that I could accomplish the 600 word essay before the deadline... I thoroughly enjoyed reading it then- it seemed deeper than Tozer, but I think I was reading too fast- trying to comprehend too much. Mike Bickle, the author of Passion for Jesus has inspired me greatly and given me many answers to questions that none-the-less haunted me.

As I was reading, I was searching for a reason why Christians today seem so shallow (this has been a search I've been on for several months). AND I found the answer! (At least, I'm pretty sure I did!) And I can't really say it in another way and be effective, so here goes...

"If we have no fear of God, nor the fear of consequences, then we will easily break His commands. The downward spiral of morality in our society is directly proportional to the loss of our understanding of the greatness of God. In the minds of many who believe there is a God, He is only a little more than an elected official-not to be taken too seriously when we disgrace Him."1 

He continues that God/Jesus is seemingly a Santa Claus now days. SomeOne who rains gifts of Mercy, Love and Grace, but has no Just or Angry attributes. Who judges with simple Love and Mercy? Not even a judge in a physical Court of Law today simply forgives injustice without punishment. God even more so. Tozer says it like this: "Between His attributes no contradictions can exist. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one."

I believe with all my heart that God will become real to many people in this generation if they open their eyes to the seriousness that the short span of life granted them holds. If their eyes' scales loosen and reveal the true God. The Holy God, the One who is Jealous. But if the people continue to see status more important, hope is slim. (and by the way, it's scary, because often when status is important to someone, it is hidden- the motive is not easily noticed in your own life.) 

The greatness of God is REAL. We have to face it like it's real. Understand it is real and worship Him.

1. Passion for Jesus (Cultivating Extravagant Love for God) by Mike Bickle pg.28

vision.

There is one thing that is seemingly getting lost in this generation. It's the vision. The vision of following Jesus. Doing what Jesus did. Giving God our lives, ultimately our hearts. 

There's people I grew up with that seem to care less about God. Yeah, they show up at church on Sunday, but they don't have CHURCH in their heads, in their hearts. Church is pretty much for the party, getting together afterwards talking about the latest car or... whatever! 

To be honest, it scares me. Maybe I shouldn't let it bother me. But really, I think something needs to happen. I definitely do not have the answers, because I've seen children of men and women I admire turn to living just like they want. That is not freedom. It's bondage. Bondage to the one who loves to lie, pulls the wool over your eyes and tells you you're ok. Like seriously the Bible never says that it's wrong. But people today are asking the wrong question, the question is not "What's wrong with it?" but "What's RIGHT with it?" It took me a very long time to get this concept- and to be completely honest- parts of it still puzzle me. For example, there is really nothing wrong with listening to country music, but really, what is right about it?

How many of us will continue sharing the vision of living lives that Jesus would have us live? How many of our children will share that vision? Grand-children? When you put life into perspective of eternity- life is really short. We only live once. We've got to live it right. God made that way- if only we'd believe, entrust our lives to His will and follow His lead.

I pray each of us would pass the VISION on to the coming generations.

my time at... SMBI!

Life at SMBI is amazing. (I would have said awesome, but then again- in Discovering Our God we learned that only God is Awesome. Not the new dress, or the car.)

I walked through those doors with mixed feelings. A new place. A new world. And totally new people- other than a handful of friends from back home. Uhh, I guess it was "back home", literally you aren't that far away from home at 45 min. but this was definitely home away from home.

I will have a hard time forgetting the great times we had in (and out) of the SMBI doors. Tour was definitely my favorite part aside from the missions trip we took for Personal Evangelism class to State College.

It was a great time for me to figure out who I really am. I think that every person should experience this- just ask me- I was NEVER going to go to Bible School- there was nothing that was more silly than that!

Starbucks outings

Or the little place I fell in love with- yes, at first sight too. :)

HeBrews Coffee Co.

 I never realized my laugh was such an amazing thing. I guess to me it's just normal, but I had so many people talking about my laugh- really guys, it was embarrassing! But it's ok. :)

A few highlights:

Tournaments

The fruit basket my dear mother prepared for me- instead of eating snack foods

StuCo devotions in the little white chapel

Thanksgiving Vaca at home and with Steph!!

Dressing up like Muslims for Personal Evangelism 

Going to Mercersburg Academy for the Christmas program (and the AWESOME sunset that evening- no the picture doesn't even give 1/4 credit!)

The Girl's dorm Gift Exchange

Melody's Chai in Discovering Our God

Banquet night, the Wolfer's lambs, Mary's song

I never realized while there how secure it was. Everyone had a story, everyone accepted that, everyone was cool with who you were. It didn't really matter if you were "cool" or not. (Or maybe that was something I missed...) If it was feasible, I'd live there- well, no, maybe not... But I am thinking pretty seriously about going back... :) 

I can't think of one thing that happened there that doesn't bring a flood of memories, smiles and maybe even an occasional outburst of laughter- yeah, for those of you who know me- you now what I'm talking about. :)

I pray that each of us will continue to seek God with that fervent love we cultivated at bible school.

when did it happen?

And so, today found me- awake by 4:30 and at work before 5. The cloudy, cold atmosphere made everyone wish for a blanket, good book, {coffee}, and some music. AND... guess what, I got just that. Well, minus the blanket, I'm quite okay without. :) And after my coffee, I got the second cup of [fresh, hot cider]. The raindrops hit the window- racing to the bottom, the leaves- they are making their way the earth's green floor. It's October. A beautiful time of year- really what time isn't?

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Working through difficult things isn't fun.

Much less watching your friends be hurt and stay hurt isn't fun either. That's why I try my best to help where I can. I know how it feels to be hurt. Rejected. I know the freedom I feel, why wouldn't someone want to accept the Love Jesus offers. But teens of this age and time no longer see the need for Him in their life. (Oh, how ironic coming from a teen, eh?)

And so as I was thinking over this all, it came to me- when did the church at large start losing it? When did they start losing Jesus? When they started allowing cars? Sunday School? Music? Different styles of head-coverings--or none at all?  Youth outings?

I believe with all my heart- it was actually when the appearance became more "saving" than a heart experience. When the size of the head-covering became a "life or death" issue. When suspenders became mandatory. And the size of check you tithed made you "buddy buddy" with the preacher. and When Pastors became "holier than thou".

It's so sad to see some so conservative. Wrapped and twisted into tradition and don't know why they do things, except out of fear for what may happen (to their church membership) and what people will say.

Life is much more than trying to please man. You won't ever please everyone. I'm sorry if you're convinced you can. You're wrong.

Only Jesus can give you the {Peace} you've been looking for.

We Are Yours -I Am They

beauty.

Maybe I just tend to be more optimistic than most people. But I love taking walks. Picking wild flowers. Finding joys in dirtiness. Loving deeply. And yeah, getting hurt. It teaches so much.

Beauty isn't just the skin though. Look deeper. Feel. Listen. You don't just SEE beauty.

Try finding something beautiful in each day. The icky. Ugly. And messy. 

And of course, it doesn't take work to find beauty in something that is already beautiful. 

rubies camp 2015.

And with a grateful, over flowing heart, I present to you-

These ladies have taught me so much about myself. About others. And most importantly drew me closer to God- knowing I could not make it on my own.

We had a great week including

• getting rained out while playing softball
• Jug-A-Lug
• Swimming
• Cabin Time / Talking
• Devotions / Sharing
• Life Stories / Sharing Time around the Camp-fire
• watching God work in their hearts 
• all the wonderful food including the Pizza we won for Cleanest Cabin! :)
• "Of course you can't play with us! You don't have a shiny scale to play flash tag!"
• Clifton's blessing- the "Ticklish Reuben" song
• Trevor doing like 130 push-ups (nearly double his record)
• Pastor Jeff sitting on our barrel in "Slingshots"
• the party Thursday night / watching for meteors
• the huge spiders downstairs

And of course, many other things like Mini-Classes and Creek Walks...

Sooo. Here's the picture tour of our week... :)

Pastor Jeff in "Water Balloon Slingshots"

and who DOESN'T like getting mail?

whoever would have thought this stuff
would come in so handy?!

the EPIC fail

And with that we ended a very wonderful week. A week that will never be forgotten. Maybe to a degree, but not totally. Each of us will remember something. If it isn't something I did. We did. Jeff said. Trevor did. We will remember what God did! 
Love each of you beautiful ladies!

listen.

Too many times, I listen to reply. Not understand. I read emails to reply, not fully think through them and understand their heart. I read letters. But do I really understand their heart? Do I understand why? Do I laugh at something that is important to them? 

I pray that I would become the person God wants me to be- listening to understand their heart. Not reply to what was just said.

More.

I always loved the way the ad for Radio Theatre's Oliver Twist started out- "More?""You want some MORE?!" It was so captivating- it always caught my attention.

And then I started thinking of today's kids, teens, people in general. I believe every single one of them is screaming "More?" with all their hearts. The next best thing comes out and they need that too. Nothing is ever new long, before the next thing comes out. I can't even get out of the local Sprint store with a "new" cellphone. Yeah, it may be new, but it's not the latest device.

All you have to do is go to the American's most famous, Wal-Mart to see kids, teens, people saying "more". Some go to the extent of throwing fits if they can't get what they want.

But so many people need <MORE JESUS>.

They are looking for more in all the wrong places. 

There is 2 sides of the road to this one. You can go to the side and get in the rut of- we need more more rules, we need to follow more closely to tradition, more church services, more good looks, etc. Or the opposing of we need more drugs, more cigarettes, more friends, more music, more things. Things that fill that void in our life. Really both sides of the story here are quite similar. They are both looking for THINGS to fill the void up. They don't really know what Jesus could do to that big gaping hole in their life. That hole that calls for (I'm talking from a girls perspective here, so guy's just flip this around) boy-friends, assurance that you won't be :Forever Alone:. If you knew Jesus and He lived in your heart- trust me- you're NEVER alone! 

Things can't take the place of more Jesus. Only Jesus can take that- so they can search and search for a million years and they still won't feel satisfied with themselves and what they've accomplished.

Un...Qualified

Rubies Camp has been on my mind very much recently. I feel so un- yeah, I forget what that word is. Sometimes unreal would explain how I feel. Sometimes unlearned would work better. And unqualified would definitely fit the best.

Why would I qualify to be counseling these girls for a week? Why would I qualify to be there for these girls? Most likely I'll end up being their hero or their best enemy. Hopefully not the latter, but from the polls taken last year- most of the counselors never did like their counselors when they went to camp! 

But then- how am I qualified to have a higher ranking job than the girls that have been working at the farm for 2-3 years?

Why am I qualified to be learning so much at such a younger age? Soul-ties. Witch-craft. Occultism. Matriarchal Spirit. Why?

qual·i·fied

ˈkwäləˌfīd/

adjective

adjective: qualified

1. 1.

   officially recognized as being trained to perform a particular job; certified.

   
   

   • competent or knowledgeable to do something; capable.

     
     
2. 2.

   not complete or absolute; limited.                                                                                                        
3. 
   

I realize that any people do not know Jesus. Personally. They don't know Him. They just act it. Dress it. And- yes, it turns into an occult. But that's beside the point. But how am I qualified to know this stuff? Why can't the whole world know this? Why am I qualified to be raised in a Christian family? A God reverencing, hand-raising, worshiping family? 

I have a heart for the people that don't know. I want to tell them. They are all around me. Right next door- witchcraft reigns, the Jezebel spirit has ruled for many years. Satan laughs. Just what he wanted all along. 

I've been called to love those who don't know anything comparable to what I do. I've been called to tell them about the Jesus I know. The Jesus that saved me. The God Who is much bigger and better than any celebrity, $$, etc. There is nothing to live for if you don't know my God. My prayer is that I can and will be Jesus to the people I meet.

I have been qualified for some things like being Christ to the less-than lovable girl, the hurt boy, the screaming for help loner (no, that's not literal. Loners are quiet.). Being called is qualification enough. What has God qualified you for?

1. 
   

When It Really Hurts but You Find Love

What on earth am I here for?

I was asking myself this question the other day- when matter of fact was there were some things going on in my life that weren't exactly wished for. Things that did not make me feel very loved, wanted, or at all accepted. 

Then while I was bottling milk Friday, I had lots of time to just stand there and think about everything. Bottling was going extremely good. Everything was going so smooth. Compared to all the other times I had bottled- this time we made absolutely NO mistakes, the bottler wasn't trying to eat any bottles (well, it never tried to, but it would damage the bottles), no bottles had fallen on the floor- I was feeling proud of us. :) And I knew even though it made me happy, it made the boss happier. 

Working closely with people I realize that many to all of us feel the same.  Sometimes we feel forgotten, left out, unwanted. We try everything in our power to become something, make something out of ourselves. But only God has the key. He's the One that makes everything out of nothing. He's the One that makes less than desirable things happen. He's the One who sent His only Son to die for me. Isn't that reason enough to feel loved? I mean, if you were in a mob and someone pulled a gun to your head- wouldn't you fell absolutely indebted if a lowly, plain dressed- almost ragged man that has air of authority would step in and get shot instead? That's love. He loved you enough to know that there's something else that has to happen in your life before it's your time to leave. 

He loved you and wants to know you very personally. He wants to know what makes you upset, He wants to know when you're hurt. And even though He already knows- He wants to hear it straight from you.

He cares. 

Where He leads, I will follow.

I want to make Him happy- making Him happy makes me happy.

my Mom

My Mom is an absolute beauty.

Her heart is even prettier. She loves so deeply. She puts so much time in to us. 

For last 2 decades she's supplied us with 3 meals almost every single day.  She got up in the wee hours of the morning to pack Daddy a lunch and kiss him good-bye to another long hard day on the road. And start the laundry. Then a couple hours later she'd pull herself out of bed again to get us up and off to school, etc. She's an amazing woman.

Now, Daddy doesn't leave until about 6:45. So it's actually luxury. But her life is still stressful as a home-school Mom, who also works at the farm when needed, and keeps our elderly neighbors flowerbeds and garden. She's seen alot in her 40+ years on this ole earth. You can just see it in those serious, yet happy hazel eyes of hers.

But she's worried. Worried what her children will have to face 10, 20, 30, maybe even 60 years from now. She has wrapped her being in to raising us in a good home. A home where you can see Jesus in everything done. 

She loves to relax and have fun with us all at the cabin. Sing. And just have time to spend with the family. Going on dates with Daddy and walking at the park.

She's amazing. She has contributed a big part to my life. 

We've hurt each-other deeply, but grace is great.

To all the wonderful Moms- you are amazing. Keep up the amazing work. You have girls and boys watching you every moment- gathering information and one day will be following in your footsteps.

Happy Mother's Day!

*********************************************************************************

Cities intrigue me. Bridges, trains, cars, people.

This weekend we went to the CHAP convention. It's a convention for homeschoolers. 

Had a bunch of fun with these crazy girls.

I was the oldest and it was very obvious too. I went to bed around 10:30- I woke up the next morning and they said- "Yeah, we talked till 3!" Wow! I remember those days! :)

The next morning, we packed up and then went back down to the river. The breeze over the night had cooled everything down- it was gorgeous.

We walked awhile and met a man in a wheelchair. I had suggestion we at least say "Hi". Then he launch into a life story and we talked for awhile. Its amazing what you can learn from older people- sometimes I was hoping he was lying or at least stretching the truth, but he did make a good story teller. :) 

I fell in love with everything. I hope to go back to CHAPs again. It was tons of fun. Meeting people. Making new friends. Hanging out with the crazies. And meeting people, I NEVER expected to meet.

To Help and Be Helped

You know that moment you know you should be freeing yourself from the torment. The pain you've been dealing with for the last several years. But it scares you. You don't want to feel that raw, open pain. Being ripped apart, so vulnerable to outside world? But you know after the pain is gone then comes the happiness, the joy you see in others lives who have already become so vulnerable.

The brokenness. The pain. The vulnerability. The trust. It all takes time, but in the end you will look back and never regret it.

We never experience something Jesus didn't deal with. He knows. He understands. And He wants you to live free. Free of guilt. Free of shame. Free of hiding.

You will NEVER regret it. Not once.

kintsukuroi (n.) (v.phr.) "to repair with gold"; the art of repairing pottery with gold or silver lacquer and understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken

Jesus can kintsukuroi. But only if you let him.

Heal The Wound

I used to wish that I could rewrite history

I used to dream that each mistake could be erased

Then I could just pretend

I never knew me back then

I used to pray that You would take this shame away

Hide all the evidence of who I've been

But it's the memory of

The place You brought me from

That keeps me on my knees

And even though I'm free

Heal the wound but leave the scar

A reminder of how merciful You are

I am broken, torn apart

Take the pieces of this heart

And heal the wound but leave the scar

I have not lived a life that boasts of anything

I don't take pride in what I bring

But I'll build an altar with

The rubble that You've found me in

And every stone will sing

Of what You can redeem

Don't let me forget

Everything You've done for me

Don't let me forget

The beauty in the suffering

My prayer is each of you would find healing in your suffering. Jesus dealt with the pain. He hung on that cross for you. For me. He could have hung there. The pain wouldn't have had to register. But it did. He let it. He understood what you and I would go through. He wanted to save us.

Praise Jesus!

Some Teaching? ALL Teaching

So the sun has dipped behind the mountain

and I finally sit down- to write. Daddy has been bugging me about blogging like I use to for quite some time, and although I thoroughly enjoy it... uh hum! Time? Is there any time to sit down and just blog?! It's like some days I'm up before 5 am and still at work at 9 pm. There ain't no way I'm finding time to blog in my week!!!

But after this morning's wonderful sermon and the hike up to Eagle Rock...

They really are such a sweet couple!!! :)

I decided I have time to blog, SO here I am!

Well, when I was in school- like 1st & 2nd grade, I admired my teachers- and rightly so, but now that I'm older- I realize they had flaws like any one of us. And along with admiring them I, too, wanted to teach school. Well, somewhere along the way that teaching desire diminished and I wanted to become a RN. But of course, now here I am, a common farm girl. (And... I love my job, by the way!!) But still, teaching is something that happens in everyday life. We are always teaching each other something at the farm- whether it's good or bad! And I found a note in my Bible this morning that really hit me-

Yeah! It never hit me that hard before. I have made some great friendships at the farm- with complete strangers, what do they see in my life? I especially think of this lovely lady-

Samantha was raised in a home that was anything but Christian. Miraculously, both her and her boyfriend are here- after a horrific accident. She means so much to me and my life. I will never forget the times we hung out together, going to work early , and just working together. The questions we worked through together, the many questions she still has about Mennonites and the answers I will have to give even though they go against my grain! (Because of church differences.) She has an amazing testimony and she isn't scared to share it! Friday she'll be going to Roxbury Treatment Center and will be sharing a short version of it. She'll definitely need prayer!

Back to what I was saying- I work with her every single day of the week. And with her upbringing and all, I'm sure my lifestyle is teaching her alot. It's pretty much up to me (with God's help) to show her what's right and wrong- in everyday life. What is my life teaching her (or anyone looking on)? Is it what I want to see in this falling world when I'm old and a stooped Grandma?

God willing, we'll (Samantha & I) can forever be great friends and will grow old together and have baking days where there's only a little bit of dough left and we share it, and drink chai together, and share silly secrets, and talk about really deep subjects. I hope that never ends!

We don't often think about our neighbors watching us closely, but I've come to realize ours keep a close eye on us and how do they say we live, does our talk and our walk line up? Or do we do some stuff Monday- Saturday that would never happen on a Sunday? (That, of course, is other than work!)

Remember we always teach MORE by how we LIVE.

How Great Is Our God

Hey, for those of you who didn't read my post on g+... A girl I work with, a recent believer, one who never had heard of God until almost losing her boyfriend (who grew up in a Christian home) has had a rough several days. Her Mom is missing since Aug. 20th, which is different than the news report I seen. She has a hallucination problem, which causes her to do rash things sometimes... She left without any ID (her purse, cell phone, and car). Our imagination runs to what may happen. Samantha & I checked up the numbers for all Delaware hospitals and called them over lunch break- with no success, much less some of the dunces she talked to- for crying out loud these are certified people they should understand this person has no ID they won't have a name for her!! But anyway! She is desperate, never having a good relationship with her mom- she wants to make things right, and would rather know if she's dead or alive rather being left hanging to imagine what might be happening- what could have happened. I ask that y'all pray for her, her step-family, and also her Mom.

As I was typing this post a song was going through my head-





This is my small way of trying to help her find her Mom, prayer really does work miracles. I know it does! Our God is great! And even though I sometimes forget to keep my promises to people to pray for them- I'm trying to remember them now that it came to light. Wishing y'all a fabulous weekend!

Busy Life?

Huh. Funny I thought life would be extraordinarily fun after I reached upper teens. I'm realizing now how my idealistic life was really off the wall!

Friday, the 8th, was our first Youth Gathering!! That was exciting- building up to my super exciting weekend/week!!!

(Saturday) So the day rolls around- I drag myself out of bed around 6:30 to run see Dad before he leaves for work (or else- I wouldn't see him till next Sun!) Then I fly back to bed so I can so-halfish catch up on sleep... :) Well, I packed in record speed- 45 min! 11:45 rolled around and I was freaking out I'd get lost in the middle of Lancaster! But all my fears were distinguished when... I recognized everything from last year- when we Jr's had went shopping and also when the Nurse took me to MedExpress for my burned heel. I arrived, and like none of the girls were around I'm like ok, I didn't really expect to be the first one here, but fine! So LiMiT training started that evening...

(Sunday) Sweaty and tired... Ready for a break, but still we move on TOGETHER. Our team was moving on inch by inch, but we were getting closer to finishing the task. That is- almost. Until the groan was heard further down the line, "Oh, no! We disconnected!" Sooo. Back to the start again! Again? after we had come so far? Yes, we went back. It was disappointing, but as a team- WE WOULD DO THIS! I finally came tothe realization TDA's aren't that bad!

(Monday) Anticipation built the closer the time neared for the girls to come. Last minute finishing touches. 12:35 our first girl arrives. Then hundreds- yes, literally hundreds come pouring in- till all 240 were there.

Bad attitudes came as one looks at the schedule "You mean!?" Another sighs, "I give up! Everyone else is finished, let's just GO!" I flashed that you-got-this-girl look to the counselor.

Supper-time rolls around not a bit too fast. The director's son, Caleb, just COULD-NOT wait! Then... "You didn't know Canadian's eat dessert first!?" he teased as he ate his Popsicle.

(Tuesday) With dampened spirits and drenched clothes we tramp to the zip-line. Just the thought of zip-lining turned my stomach. The trail down to the platform to catch the kids was slick, the plat-form was none-the-less slimy with mud. Neither of us 2 down there knowing what we're doing, the conditions, and all- it took 4 people to catch the one coming down! NO JOKE!

Playing in the gym for lack of anything else to do.

Pyramid Ball in the rain!!! We losers did 20 jumping jacks for the girls... :)

First Chorus practice!! Living Inside the Crayon Box

Making new friends is totally amazing! The type you can share with and they feel with you. Those 9:30 pm walks in the rain. The horse running wild. EVERYTHING was wonderful! Even the rain, the mud, the slipping, the sliding, the falls. EVERYTHING!

(Wednesday) We stand in the dining hall gabbing, not knowing what to do with the girls being in their cabins already. Nelson & Elaine come out of the bathroom, both having suspicious looks on their faces... ok? "Do any of you want to become certified?" Elaine calls. Certified for what!? Well, all 6 of us tramp to the bathroom, Elaine gets a plunger in the midst of her laughter. And shows us what to do. We just stand there laughing historically. Melody (already certified from Tuesday) takes the plunger and gets the job done- but not without us devising another plan... One for Thursday night Talent Show. ;)

This thing probably had the work-out of it's life hauling all 6 of us around!

(Thursday) As the week neared an end- I could tell my body had taken a toll. Head-ache, shoulder-ache (from falling in the rain), and stomach-ache (from all the laughing!) :( Well, what else? :) What God was doing in these ladies lives was incredible! Changing them for the better, drawing them closer to Himself. Showing them it's ok to be a woman.

^Talent Show^

Thursday Night PARTY!!!

Gumball Machine Good-night Huggers!!

Then came Talent Show... A lot of people were bugging us Jr. Counselor's to do a play, because we had did one last year (First Anniversary Jr. Counselor Play!!!) ;) Well, at first we didn't have anything planned until- Wed. night when the episode arose... Thanks to the help of Nelson & Elaine, Brock & Grant Ruhl this thing wouldn't have gotten anywhere... Your suggestions were everything, the water idea though wasn't used cause this was girl's camp! ;) lol We pretty much re-played Wed. evenings scene with some additions... I wanted to add the video... but for some reason it won't play so, sorry!

(Friday) We couldn't have asked for better weather all week... even though it rained it helped us realize we need to be flexible and learn to deal with what God sends our way anyway! Closing program came- friends & family poured in then suddenly EVERYONE was GONE! Debriefing... then I headed for home, but not without getting myself lost in the middle of Lancaster! Well, actually I wasn't very lost at all, but I didn't know where I was... If only I had punched everything into my GPS before I had left, instead of thinking I could do it on my own... So I got home at 6:50... My brother sure were ready to see me, for some reason! They said they were bored! Very interesting! :) 

Program

Jr. Counselors

Clean-up afterward

Well, there's a rundown of my week- specifically posted for my friends who won't be talking much to me in church tomorrow... Very sorry, I couldn't stay!-if it wasn't for teaching Sunday School I doubt I'd be there at all!