Africa!!! (Part 2)

Ok, I'll just apologize up front to everyone for how long this took. I really have been incredibly busy and working on this in snatches at a time. It takes longer than it looks.

Anyway, continuing on...

Sat. SEPTEMBER 8th

This was our first REAL day with the kids at Chepemma. We decided to "break them in" by playing kickball in this large field they had by the chapel.

Here we are organizing the game. This was harder than it looks considering many of them couldn't understand us.

At first, the children were shy about playing and none of them wanted to throw the ball at the opposing team or even kick it very hard when it was their turn. Fortunately Ellen (the other American in the picture besides me) :) is quite competitive and I was on her team SO... she and I made sure we showed those kids how to play ball. ;) Once, though, I accidentally hit a boy in the head/face with the ball... (cringe) Thankfully, he only kept running and smiling... tough kid. :) Despite the misshaps, the kids caught on fairly quickly and hours later, they didn't even want to stop for lunch. We did though and while we ate a snack lunch under a tree, the kids all went home (or back to the orphanage) to eat their lunch.

That afternoon, since we'd forgotten the craft projects we had planned on doing, we ended up just setting up three "stations" around the area. The guys station was balloons, Kimber & Ellen's was face painting, and for Bev's and my station I got to teach an impromptu art class!! I taught them the color wheel letting them mix the colors with the crayons we brought. For some reason, it really hit me that day that they're just like us. I've taught a few art classes over the years, and I realized that teaching kids in Africa was the same. They're just normal kids who love new, exciting things... duh, right? Well, I don't know why, but that hadn't struck me before. Maybe I just always thought that the way a person's culture is, drastically affects him. But the truth is... it doesn't.

The big difference I did see was how appreciative these children were of our activities and time. They don't get candy and balloons and crayons all the time. In fact, they think a handmade milk jug car is a wonderful toy and beans as your one meal for the day is plenty. Imagine if you had grown up like that. Wouldn't you be more hesitant to complain about what you DIDN'T have?That afternoon we also learned two Kenyan worship songs. It was so much fun crowding around with a bunch of the kids singing the beautiful Swahilii words. (The girls behind me in this picture kept reaching over and touching my hair. It was so sweet.) I think they really appreciated us taking the time to learn something from THEM. So often we expect to only teach while on a mission trip but in reality you always end up learning way more than you bargained for. :)

We went back to the cabin that night and had an awesome time of worship and sharing of testimonies. Afterward, I stayed up talking with two of the ladies from the group til almost 3:00am! I grew really close with all of these women. It's nice that all of them are from my church so now we can continue on in the friendships that began thousands of miles away! We even have a monthly get together planned for the five of us to fellowship, chat, and re-live the memorable experience of Kenya.

Sun. SEPTEMBER 10th

Wow. Sunday was such a blast! We got up and prepared to be at the Hope Center at 10:00am sharp for church. Since we were going to be introducing ourselves, and leading a few songs (including the ones we had learned the day before) we couldn't afford to be late. Just putting into effect the good manners we've been raised with, right? Well... we had forgotten we were in Kenya. Apparently it's common knowledge that if church starts at 10:00, you don't start arriving til about 11:00. Sure enough, we didn't actually start the service until about 11:15. Ever seen Lion King? Well, Hakuna Matata is the Kenyan motto. I just like to call them kindred spirits. ;) Nevertheless, church was well worth waiting for. We started out with some hymns (sung in Swahilii of course) and then it was our turn. Rachel and I each shared short testimonies and read a few verses. It was definitely a brand new experience speaking with a translator. I thought it would be very distracting but instead I found it gave me more time to think about what I was going to say next. (As you can see, I'm not the most photogenic person in the world.)

And here we all are singing our recently learned songs and a couple from home which we had to come up with on the spur of the moment.

After this, we listened to a sermon on a verse in Isaiah... quite long I might add and thankfully, quite good. And then came the really fun part: The offering. The pastor had everyone line up in the aisle. Elders, men, women, then children. As each one came to the front the pastor would announce to the entire congregation what each one was giving. Sounds pretty different, huh? We thought so. But it wasn't over yet. One of the last people to give was a little old lady who gave... not shillings like everyone else, but... a chicken!!! A little hen who was tied at the feet and looking scared to death. "Ok," I thought, "she's giving that to the orphanage." Nope. As soon as everyone sat down there was an auction. We called it the great chicken auction because along with some papayas and sweet potatoes, the chicken was auctioned off in the middle of church. Who bought it? Shane contributed 500 shillings to the church and gave the chicken back to the orphanage. Here he is with his prize. By this time it was well past lunch and I'm pretty sure these two were both getting hungry. Mmm... fried chicken. (Yes, there IS a chicken between them.) ;)

After church (and lunch), we decided to take a hike up one of the mountains nearby.

I'm going to be a softie and go ahead and publish this. Call it my conscience, but I feel bad for making y'all wait so long. For all you naggers out there... I hope you're happy! ;) (I'm in the middle of a day too.)

I'll be back... no really, I will. ;)

The Much Waited For... Africa Post!!!!! (Part1)

Ok, I finally decided to snatch some spare minutes and post about Africa!! The best way to do it would probably be to just go through each day... journal-like. :)

Wed. SEPTEMBER 5th
I left around 4:00pm for Africa with 5 others. My first time out of the country!!!! Our flight schedule was as follows. From Knoxville to Detroit - 2 hrs., from Detroit to Amsterdam - 8 hrs., from Amsterdam to Nairobi, Kenya - 8 hrs.

Left to Right: John (founder of One Vision International and leader of the trip), Kimber, Bev, Rachel, Ellen, and yours truly.

Thurs. SEPTEMBER 6th

Still in the air... It was hard to sleep on the plane and I never thought I'd appreciate the horizontal direction so much!!! The airport floor started looking very tempting during our layovers but time didn't allow it. We had small screens in front of us for one of the flights and so I watched movies, and slept... sitting up. When we touched down in Nairobi that night, I started to get really excited. I couldn't believe we were actually there after so much planning and expecting!! A missionary named Shane came to pick us up with his two little boys. We were soon to find out that Shane and his 5yo son, Abraham (called Hammer) were going to accompany us and provide us with entertainment the entire week! :) That night we stayed in a convent in Nairobi. We were thankful for nice rooms and decent showers. During my quiet time that night my mind was brought to this verse in Ephesians and I wrote it down in my journal.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Ephesians 6:10-12

I knew the Lord was reminding me of what this trip was for. We were starting a battle... a battle to win souls for Christ, being prepared with the armor of God to withstand the schemes of the devil.

Fri. SEPTEMBER 7th

We got up to start the day at 7:00AM Kenya time, midnight our time!!! Suprisingly the time difference didn't affect me all that much. I guess the plane ride wore me out just enough to help me sleep well through the night.

At 7:30AM all nine of us (a native named Shadoa was driving) and at least that many suitcases loaded up in a van and started the 4 hour drive to Chepemma Hope Center.

Along the way, we went through insane Nairobi traffic, saw beautiful scenes of the countryside, and ate at a nice Kenyan restaurant for lunch. For the most part, I wasn't prepared for what I saw. I never imagined Africa so beautiful. I guess I pictured it to be more dry and desert-like but instead I was met with the striking contrast of huge green mountains rising up out of flat widespread pastures. It was amazing how far we could see when we were driving up on one of the mountains.

That afternoon, we got to the Chepemma Hope Center where we planned to spend most of our time that week. It was in the land of the Maasai tribe, set in a valley with mountains surrounding.

Pastor Lemech showed us around the place and as we walked, children started appearing out of nowhere glancing at us shyly and following the group. We found out soon that they LOVE having their picture taken and we happily obliged. Here are some from that first day.

This is one of their classrooms (don't exactly know what I'm doing here);) ... they were doing Social Studies that afternoon. Written on the blackboard was, "How Kenya Became A Nation"... it made me want to sit down and start studying with them.

There are about 99 kids at the school, of which about 60 are orphans. At the school, the orphans are provided with a place to live (buildings made out of mostly tin), one meal a day, and school supplies. Even with so little, it was amazing to see the contentment in the children's faces. They had everything they absolutely needed, and were satisfied with that. It really made me start thinking about how we, as spoiled Americans, have such a warped view of what we truly "need". I have so much to learn from their example of contentment and lack of complaining.

That evening we travelled about 30 min. to "Sunrise Acres", the place we were staying for the week. It turned out to be a nice set of cabins built to house mission teams. Our cabin had four bedrooms, a nice livingroom and kitchen area, and a bathroom.For dinner we drove to a restaurant down the road and ate very African"ish" food. Back at the cabin, the team hung out for a while listening to missionary stories from Shane (some not so very pleasant to hear) and planning out our schedule for the next day with the kids. I went to bed that night very excited about what the next day would bring.

**I'm realizing how long this is going to be so I'll just post in sections. Part 2 (and 3, if necessary) coming soon.**

To Post or Not to Post... That is the Question

If that's the question what's the answer??? (What a weird quote)
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Anyway, it's late I'm tired and I've had a VERY busy week so beware... Proceed reading at your own risk.
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So every night this week I spent in Knoxville teaching at our church's Kamp KidStuf(yes, I did spell that right). Kezzi, Hope, and I all taught a dance "track". We ended up with 12 girls... all very sweet girls... some hilarious girls...and a smallish stage to practice on.
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I have found that it is quite interesting trying to "herd" little girls. They tend to stand in clumps squealing, talking, and having way too much fun to want to listen to "teacher"... yes, that's actually what a few of them called me.
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"Teacher? Can I tell you a secret?" a 4-5 yr. old Indian girl named Irene asked me at snacktime. She then proceeded to put her mouth right against my ear and whisper one of quietest whispers I've ever heard. The VERY SECRET conversation went something like this:
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Irene - "Do you know about buried treasure?"
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Me - "No I don't. Do you?"
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Irene - "Yes. Shhhh." Whispered story I couldn't hear half of, telling an intricate tale of pirates of old and how they sailed round the world and gradually each one died and no one knew where the treasure was but now she did (for some reason I didn't catch) and wasn't that cool?
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Me - "Wow. That's a great story. Where did you hear about this?"
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Irene - "Oh... it was in the TV" (notice the uncommon usage of "in") ;)
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Me - "Oh ok. That's great."
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Irene - Sighing and proceeding to sit in her own seat again, giving my ear back it's personal space, "Yes... the TV can be very helpful"
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This same little girl would go around the room we were practicing in, collecting all sorts of odds and ends. At the end of one night I had two handfuls of 'stuff' from her pockets that she had to give back... and I mean worthless stuff like washers, random pieces of plastic, wooden blocks, etc. I don't think I've ever met such an observant kid. I don't think I would have found all that stuff if I'd crawled around on my hands and knees!
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There was another 5 yr. old girl who was such a sweetheart but I don't think she said a single word the entire week. Every time I asked her anything, she'd nod and smile shyly and keep going. Funny thing was, she listened the best and knew the dance better than most of the girls double her age.
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Needless to say, the week was quite interesting... and a ton of fun. All the girls learned their dance beautifully and performed it tonight (the last night of Kamp) for their parents and families.
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I probably have more to write about but I don't know what it is...
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Oh yeah, Abel got bit by a snake. He didn't see it... he just reached down into the grass to pick up something. At first they thought it was a bee sting but Mom took him in when she realized there were two fang marks and it was swelling and looking bruised. Anyway, they think it was a baby copperhead. The swelling has gone down now and he's been to the doctor about twice now just to make sure everything's ok. Pretty scary... I hate snakes but not as much as I despise spiders.
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And I got my shots for Kenya last week. Total of 6 shots in my arms. The actual shots weren't too bad but I didn't feel too swell the next four days. I'm going back for a couple more in 3 weeks - Polio and second series of Hepatitis B. I'm pretty much fine now just a little soreness in my left arm from (I think it is) the Malaria.
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If you happen to have a lot of time on your hands, patience for ignorant people, and a longing to hear some good fatherish come-backs, stop by the Screaming Penguin's blog and check out the comment section.
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So this is probably the randomest post I've ever done and the most exhausted I've let myself be while posting.
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I'm sleeping in tomorrow morning...
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...And eating eggs and toast for breakfast... mmm...yes... I think I will.

Another Missouri Trip

I am finally posting again!! Call the newspapers!! (Ok, don't.)

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Anyway, we just got back from yet another trip to MO. We had a great time as usual. This time Mom and us girls all went for a homeschool get-together that our friends host. We had a blast throwing water balloons, playing wiffle ball, volleyball, and frisbee.

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A big part of the trip for me was taking a trip into town to Evangel University in Springfield. I found out that I knew the kids of the art professor there and I'd heard a lot of good things about the school so I went in to check out their art department. I've been considering different schools around our area here but just haven't found anything that really felt right. So many people I talked to didn't have good things to say about the art aspect of the surrounding schools. But anyway, I went to Evangel and was really impressed. I'm still just praying about it and will be checking out more schools in our area just in case... (it would be SOO hard to leave home). If you would, I could really use prayer for this. I don't even know for sure yet if I should go to school or not. I know this would be a really big decision to make and I want only the Lord's will!!

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P.S. My friend Garrett has a very thought-provoking post up right now (called Nothing is as it Seems) You can read it here and comment or just think about it. :)

Late Night Movie

Last night, Candace, Hope, Kezzi, and I all went over to Grandma & Grandpa's to visit. Well, actually, Candace was over there first and then Hope and I went over to join the party (cause we know that wherever Candace is, there the party will be also) :). Turned out that Candace had borrowed a movie, THE movie 'Patriot' to be exact, and was planning on watching it with Grandpa. So Hope and I decided not to miss out and, of course, when Kezzi heard we were watching a movie, she came prancing over as fast as her short legs would allow. We finally stopped visiting at around 11:00pm and snuggled in downstairs, Grandpa in HIS (and no one else's) armchair ;), and us girls scattered around with blankets and yummy snacks provided by Grandma, who doesn't like watching hard war movies but loves to run around and feed us!! ;)

Anyway, I was reminded again of why I like the Patriot so much. Last time I watched it I was a few years younger and I didn't understand as much as I did this time. I will admit, it's very hard and emotional (I cried, of course), but it has such a beautiful meaning behind it that I'd never caught before. I used to think it was a movie about revenge - the good guy kills the bad guy to pay him back for all the bad things he did. But it's not. Instead it's about motivation and understanding what drives you. At first, Benjamin Martin acts in fear of losing his family or his family losing him but then starts realizing that he's really not in control of that. No matter what he does, danger will come to him and his family. He slowly realizes that he cannot act based on what might happen or what he wants to happen. He must act based on what is good and right and true, which, in his case, was helping secure the freedom of the United States. (And since killing the bad guy happens to help in the cause, it just makes the movie that much better.) :)

Back from Camp But Not Back Home... yet

Wow! What a week and a half I've had. I flew to Missouri on the 29th and stayed with some dear friends for 5 days then went to a Worldview Academy Camp with two of those friends. It was amazing!! I learned SO much and you'll probably hear more about it in the posts to come. In short, VERY short, my perspective changed on how I view ministry for Christ and how I walk with Him through ministry. Through learning about how to defend my faith, I learned more about the nature of God and why I should give everything to Him daily so that He may work through me to affect others. I went "out witnessing" for the first time and realized that it's not as scary as I thought but actually very exciting and challenging. I also learned more about art and why some modern art does qualify for the Christian definition of "ART" while some does not. I'm still in the process of processing everything I learned but every day something will come up that will remind me of a lecture at Worldview and challenge me to dig deeper and think harder.

After WVA my family and the family I'd been staying with took off for a weekend vacation in Branson. We had a fun, relaxing time swimming and getting lots of sun. Now I'm with just my family staying with some other friends in Missouri. We will be traveling home tomorrow.

Life On Oak Hill

My Aunt Lori now has a blog and she's keeping busy posting about all the happenings over on their side of the hill. Be sure to stop by here and leave lots of comments!! (I'll leave it up to each of you to decide whether to be obnoxious or not.)

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There's sure to be some interesting posts going on over there!! They're a great bunch of family and the coolest people you'll ever meet!!

Friday Night Fun

Hey folks! Tonight we have a friend over to spend the night and since there's already four of us sisters... when we invite another girl over, it's an automatic party! We've been having lots of fun playing guitar (that would be Tristan and Kezzi), singing, and just having a good ol' time. Right now I am home sitting with the sleeping younger kids while the rest of the girls went to get some goodies for our movie time. Just thought I'd snatch this minute to post. :)

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I've been doing quite well lately. I'm realizing that this time of my life is filled with evidence of the Lord's faithfulness. He has really been opening my eyes to see just how much I'm blessed. I still struggle quite a bit with keeping totally focused on Him and being content but I know the Lord is blessing me with a time of peace and I need to be grateful for it while walking through it. I realize it won't be this way forever.

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Another blessing is the beautiful weather we've been having. I love the beginnings of summer when it's not too terribly hot but warm enough to get some sun. We've been outside quite a bit planning new flower gardens and even building a new patio area complete with a small water fountain and a fire pit. Along with the new improved chicken house, our property is looking more country"ish" and homey. I like it. :) It makes me feel even more like a country girl. ;)

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I know this sounds realaxing and all, but like I said in my last post... I HAVE been busy!! :) My main concern, as of last night's meeting for this subject, is getting in order what I need for my mission trip to Kenya. We practiced using the story cloth last night and I'm afraid I stumbled through it a bit. The stories are all the ones I grew up on, but I realized that I need to work on my storytelling skills! :) I also need to start getting a passport, shots, and 'fun' stuff like that.

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Well, the girls are back so... let the party begin!! ;)

Busyness (not Business)

Ok, definitely time to post again. I'm really busy right now... or at least it really feels like I'm busy. I was just bellyachin' the other night about how much I have to think about. I've got work, trying to make sure I'm doing my part at home, dance recital coming up Friday, drawing for my fourth book, another trip to Missouri to plan for, a mission trip to try to raise money for, the list goes on. I'm really feeling the Lord testing me in how much and how often I'll lay it all at His feet. I found myself slacking on my quiet time, like not even doing it, and kind of getting in selfish brat mode. But since I've been making it priority again, which was a few days ago, I've been feeling His amazing peace flood over me and realizing (yet again) that if I give it to God, I don't have to take so much on myself.

Anyway, we have recital coming up Friday and I'm pretty nervous about it. Ususally I'm not at all nervous about recital since HiStory performances are our main focus but for one thing, my first dance I've choreographed will be performed there and for another, I just learned the dances about 3 weeks ago!!

I've also been working lots on my fourth book. I have two pictures almost finished and I'm finding out that I've gotten faster than I used to be. If I wasn't doing anything else besides working in the mornings, I could do half a picture every afternoon... which means a picture every two days (do the math, it's true).

Oh yeah, and I went to see Spiderman 3 on opening night!! Candace and I went and since the movie started at seven, we had to buy tickets at four that afternoon. We had the tickets, but then we didn't get there early enough so it was REALLY crowded and Candace and I didn't even get to sit next to each other. I kept wanting to lean over and make comments but stopped myself when I realized that was a strange guy sitting next to me, not Candace. (No, they didn't look alike.) :) The movie was pretty awesome, considering I didn't even see the first one. Very action packed but with a good plot too.

The other day, Candace announced in all seriousness that she was going into town to get kidnapped.

Don't worry, the movie store didn't have it... Of course, we had fun with that one. "Ha ha, Candace is going to get kidnapped!" Yeah, I know, lame. We all thought it was pretty funny though.

Candy Blogs

Candace has now entered the wonderful world of blogging! Visit her HERE and leave lots of obnoxious comments!!

...And Back Home

So I'm back to home sweet home and getting back into the swing of things. I had a great time in Missouri and sold more books at the homeschool conference than I thought I would but not as many as I would have liked. Some of my time was spent sitting at my booth being VERY bored and deciding that I'm not cut out for the job of selling stuff. The rest of my time was spent hanging out with old good friends and not quite as old good friends (including the screaming penguin) and meeting new friends including two wonderful girls from my dear home state (Danya and Mallory)! I also participated in a homeschool graduate panel which was a short workshop where parents could ask homeschool graduates questions. I was pretty nervous to have to talk to a room full of 20 or so parents, public speaking always makes me nervous, but in the end I was glad I did it. All in all I had a great time and look forward to going back in the very near future.

When we got back to our town we met the rest of the family at the park and took a walk around the lake there. I talked my head off to Candace and Hope, who stayed at home, the whole time we walked. In fact we walked around the lake twice and I was the only one who uttered a word the entire time. I think the girls were a little surprised at my blabbering. But, after all, I was on coffee so that explained it. Unfortunately, I'm not on coffee right now so my blog gets the short version.

Today was spent as normal as ever going to work and coming home. I plan to really kick into drawing for the 4th book in the series this week since I now have pictures to work with. I also have a dance recital coming up that I'm not very prepared for SO... I've got a lot to do and a lot to think about these next few weeks. I very much dislike being busy but hopefully, with quite a bit of prayer, I can stay focused on God and not get too overwhelmed.

On the Road...

I am sitting here in my car typing on the laptop (don't worry Mom's driving) while riding to Missouri. We are going to see our friends for the week and we're going to be VERY busy while there. So... I just thought it would be fun to post while on the road since I won't be able to for a while. Maybe I'll write about our stay when I get back to my 'beautimous' homeland. It's been a very nice trip so far except for the fact that I don't feel very well with a sore throat and a head cold. We plan on stopping for the night and finishing our trip in the morning. To my Missouri friends: Can't wait to see you soon! :)

Mission Trip!

Yesterday, of course, we all went to church. Dad, Kezzi, and I went early to help with various stuff - Dad runs sound, Kezzi helps w/ 3rd grade boys, I help w/ 2nd grade girls (Hope usually comes to help w/ preschoolers but she was feeling sick). Anyway, after church we went out to eat with some friends from church then the rest of the family went to Sam's while Candace and I stayed in town buying time - and a few things from the mall - waiting for a missions meeting at 6:30 back at church.
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We both have been interested in going on a mission trip sometime but we've never really seriously looked into it so we thought we'd come to the meeting to check out what trips were available. Personally, I was very leery of the thought since I already have a lot going on this summer/spring what with starting the 4th book in the series of "Grandmother's Hope Chest", dancing, and a couple of trips already planned. But we went anyway. It turned out that we qualified to choose between 3 different places (the other 2 trips were guys only). As soon as the leader started describing what was involved in each of these trips, Candace and I knew which ones we wanted to choose. I didn't expect to really WANT to go on one of these trips because, as you may know, I'm not your typical missionary type girl. :) I like routine, comforts of home, and frankly I'm rather a spoiled brat at times. :) So when I found myself really wanting to go on this trip to Kenya, I was a little taken off guard.

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The trip is not necessarily a hard one. If I understood it right, we will be traveling around the area of Narok telling the gospel story using a "story cloth", which is a cloth with (I think) about 20 small Bible story pictures that tell the gospel in order. The leader said that there are usually about 50 Maasai people at each stop who gather to listen to the story and that about 10-12 want to accept Christ immediately after hearing the story. The Maasai are given time with the group afterward to ask questions and hand out their original chai tea. The group leaves a Bible story cloth behind with the leaders of the village who usually can repeat the story after only hearing it once.

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Candace was immediately interested in a trip to Madrid, Spain. It sounded perfect for her personality since her group would be walking around the city and initiating conversations with perfect strangers. Madrid is very non-responsive to "missionaries" so they'll be handing out free bottles of water along with Bibles, and DVDs that tell the story of Christ. They most likely won't see as many rewarding results as we would in Kenya, but they'll be planting seeds that will hopefully grow and spread.

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The trip for Kenya is planned for one week in September and Candace's trip to Spain would be in November. We're both still praying about it and seeking the Lord for His guidance. We know that it will be no small undertaking (together we'll need to raise 4,000.00) and we pray that doors would be closed if it's not His will. Nevertheless, we are both very excited and look forward to growing in the Lord through a brand new experience.

Passover and Daily Happenings

Yes, it's been a while since I posted last and I'm sorry to anyone who got tired of visiting my blog and seeing the same old picture and post up for so long. Even though it is a purty car. :)

Last Saturday I spent almost 6 hours hanging out with a very good friend of mine driving around to all kinds of interesting places in our small town including Wal-Mart, Steak & Shake, our local coffee shop, a small local restaurant, two movie rental places, and a creepy dirt road right outside of town (for fun). All in all we had a great time.

Sunday was church and a lazy afternoon then Monday night we celebrated Passover. We had our traditional Passover meal here at home consisting of unleavened bread, lamb roast, spinach dip, a delicious cole slaw, and baked (sweet) potatoes. We celebrate the Passover not because we are Jewish, as some would presume, but in remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross to fulfill the Passover Feast. When we talk about how the Israelites had to use the blood of a pure spotless lamb on their doorposts to protect them from the Angel of Death, we remember that Jesus was the ultimate pure sacrifice and that dwelling under His blood covenant is a constant place for us to find comfort and safety.

Today, was not very unusual except that we went to the mountain lake for a swim this afternoon. Unfortunately, not much swimming went on since the water turned out much too cold. I did, however, get a bit of a sunburn and a short nap on the sand. Very pleasant (the nap not the sunburn). This evening, we went to see the Becks in their new (becoming not so new) house. Dad brought a rope and in no time was giving rides on a brand new tire swing.

Anyway, that's what has been going on in my life. It hasn't been the most interesting couple of weeks but my goal is to just sit back, enjoy what God brings, and in the meantime post about it, as boring as it may be. :)

My New Car

Here it is folks. My new car. It really is a done deal this time. We found out that the dealership was asking too much for the Buick so I went car shopping again. This time I got a great deal (it was worth at least $2,000.00 more than what I paid). The dealership made a mistake but said that they couldn't back out of it once they had told me the price. It's a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix with only 64,000 miles on it. v6 engine 3800, whatever that means. :) It's got a power sunroof too! It drives great and my sisters approve of it since it's not so "grannyish" as the Buick. :)

In other news, the Becks are doing well and are VERY busy sorting through all the stuff they've had given to them. We went over today to help sort through kids clothes and their new house is starting to look more and more like a home. Please continue to pray for them as they try to make the unfamiliar feel like home.

This weekend was spent doing four HiStory performances in three days. It went very well and as always, the story of God's Son was a good reminder to me of what a mighty God we serve and how powerful His presence is around us. We are hoping to take the show "on tour" within the next year or so. Some tentative places are Birmingham, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and maybe even Springfield MO.

A Terrible Loss

Well, if you read my mom's blog you'll know that our dear friends' (the family from Becks Bounty blog) house burned down yesterday and they lost everything. They were only able to save a couple pieces of charred furniture. It was a miracle that no one was hurt. I was actually there when the fire started.

I had just gotten my new car and I wanted to take Luke & Abel for a ride in it. Mom suggested that we go get Luke's shoes that he had left at the Becks house Thursday so that's what we did. When we got there some of the family was sleeping and the rest were just lounging around watching cartoons. We rang the doorbell and most of the family came out to see the car. While we were standing around in the driveway talking, not two minutes after we arrived, their 3rd oldest son came out of the walk-in basement door and told his mom that the couch in the garage (which is a part of their basement) was on fire. From then on everything happened so very fast. Tammy (their mom) ran in to get their dad who was asleep in the room next to the fire. They ran out seconds later past the fire and Kevin flung open the garage door. The flames were already so big that he stumbled back but his hair was singed. I grabbed a gas can that was sitting near the garage door then backed away. Tammy called for me to dial 911 on my cell phone so I did then handed her the phone. All the kids were very quick and obedient to pile into my car and after making sure everyone was accounted for we backed away, sat in the field by the house, and prayed together. When I looked up I could see smoke pouring out of even the top story windows and I realized that the fire trucks would not get there in time. This was only about 5 minutes after the fire had been discovered. I drove the kids to the neighbors, who are also friends of ours, and from there we could see massive flames leaping up in the sky. Soon after, I could hear sirens but I knew that it would be too late to save very much. The fire was finally put out after more than an hour but the roof and the entire interior was completely gone. We don't know yet exactly how the fire started but all we know is that there was gas cans beside this old couch in the garage. We were all just hit with an overwhelming gratefulness that every person (and pet) is safe and unhurt.

The family is currently staying with the neighbors and they have a lot of friends who are willing to help. Many have already provided much needed clothing and necessities (they did not have insurance on the contents of the house). Please keep them in your prayers as they recover from the shock and look for a new home to start over.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of Having a Sister Gone For A Month

Candace is gone for a month to attend a L'Abri center. While very excited for her sake, I am wondering if this will really be worth it in the end... :)

Advantages:
My own bedroom for a while
Being able to borrow her clothes and not worry that she'll want to wear them
Umm....

Disadvantages:
An empty bedroom
Not having her here to talk to before bedtime
Not having her here to talk to WAY after bedtime
Brushing my teeth and putting on make-up at the mirror alone
Not being able to ask her opinions on what to wear (even though she faithfully gives the answer, "whatever you want")
Not having her here for our HiStory performance next weekend
Not having her here to make fun of and, yes, boss around :)
Not hearing her complain about my messy room
Not having her here to stick close to whenever we're in a crowd
Wondering what she's doing
Her being too busy to even talk on the phone very much
Not being able to hear her talk on and on
Not being able to tell her to shut up so that I can talk too :)
Lots more that I don't want to write for fear of sounding depressed

Perspectives

A very good song by Kutless. The group never ceases to amaze me how meaningful their words can be. I appreciate their hearts to dig deeper into the ways of the Lord. Many of their songs have spoken to me through the years.
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It feels like your life's crashing down all around you

Let me ask if it's really so bad

Look at the world in it's suffering

Can you honestly tell me that no one else could understand

All of the hurting inside

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CH: Why can't you see that freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away

Who could you be if your lens was changed for a moment,

Would you still be the same?

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A young child looks through a great stained glass window

Watching the people go by

Everyone seems to be wearing a red coat

His mother sees jackets in white

Now he can't understand why does she see it this way

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Yesterday, you really couldn't see

By changing your angle a new world would be

Revealed to your once blinded eyes by moving a few degrees

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Sometimes when we feel trapped in our hurting, we only need to evaluate our perspective to gain freedom and answers that we are looking for. At times, I think this can mean putting ourselves in another person's shoes, or at other times simply presenting the different options and opinions to the Lord for His approval and scrutiny. My prayer, for myself, is that He will make it evident when I am looking through "stained glass" and that I will not fail to see when He does.

Being Sick

Kezzi and I have been sick with the stomach bug yesterday and today. We both got sick at the same time and are now getting better at the same time. Yesterday, for us, was spent lying around sleeping, watching a couple of movies and being, for the most part, pretty miserable.

A small note: I do not recommend watching Napoleon Dynamite while sick with the stomach bug. The queasy feeling that comes when you watch that movie when healthy is about a thousand times worse...

This afternoon we went to see the new movie called "Amazing Grace" on the life of William Wilberforce. It was a tad bit slow at times but a very good portrayal of what Wilberforce went through to pass his bill for the abolition of the slave trade. The movie told the story of a man who gave of his time, his health, and his life to bring about what he felt God had called him to do. Now we just need a William Wilberforce of our time who is called to dedicate that much for the abolition of abortion.

Just Startin' Up

Yes, I'm going to try my luck at my own blog. I'm hoping it will get me a little more motivated to blog more often.

Today is Saturday and unfortunately I did not get to sleep in much. Instead I got up and went grocery shopping for Mom then came home and ate a late breakfast of eggs and toast (yum). We've been cleaning up around our house like we do most Saturdays so it's not been the most exciting of days.

Lately most of my time has been spent at the dance studio preparing for our big "HiStory" performance, a dance/drama on the life of Christ, coming up in a few weeks. I found out last Wednesday that the girl I was understudying sprained her ankle so now I've got a lot more new roles to think about and remember. But I kind of like it that way (not the sprained ankle part - the new roles part :) ). It makes me have to really be thinking and praying about the show.

Anyway, hopefully my next posts will be a little more interesting. We'll see... :)