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.