Daughters of Destiny

Only 11 months late... ;)

2011-03-15T12:45:00.001-07:00

Oh... my... WORD!

Do you all remember the rule Mr. Bell shared with us near the beginning of EXCEL about the airforce and punctuality? "Ten minutes before time is early; five minutes before is on time, and 'on time' is late, so BE punctual." ;) (Or something very close to that.)

Exactly eleven months ago to the day, Chrissy posted to encouraged us to blog a summary of our last six months. I suppose that means I have 15 months to summarize... Lol! What an undertaking! Here commences Operation Catch'em Up... :D

Official "Operation Catch'em Up"
Report

-------------------------------------
Phase 1:
Operation Sweet Summer Survival
April-Aug 2010
Work 20 hours a
week as a page at my city library, conclude assistant teaching for a sewing class, nanny for a family down our street, enjoy time outdoors with family and friends, do a summer Bible study with my three sweetest-ever (Wisconsin) sisters in Christ
Summary: Busily enjoyable
-------------------------------------
Phase 2: Operation Fall Anticipation
Sept-Oct 2010
Continue Operation SSS, commence tailoring class (as a student)
Summary: Productively pleasing
-------------------------------------
Phase 3: Operation Oklahoma/Texas
Escape
Nov 2010
Fly to Oklahoma, drive with Alaina to Dallas, Texas, to attend EXCEL 33 graduation and see a ton of terrific friends(!!!!!) including a bunch of you!!! :D (Chrissy, I still can't believe you were there. <3)>
Summary: SOOOOOO MUCH FUUNNN!!!
-------------------------------------
Phase 4: Operation Winter Craziness
Dec 2010-March 2011
Conclude tailoring class, commence teaching beginner's sewing class, working at Library, continue to enjoy more time with family and friends at Bible study, hockey
games, and get-togethers, redecorate my room, etc.
Summary: Fabulously fantastic.

God is so faithful and true. So much has happened in the last fifteen months that it is just crazy, but I wouldn't trade the lessons that my Lord has taught me for anything. God's blessings to you all! Hugs and prayers!

So remember my dear sisters, when all hope of posting in a punctual manner has flown away, the best motto should be: "Better eleven months late, than never!"

war between family and satan

2010-04-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

tonight I just came home from a two day children's conference. the theme was war against satan. it was a kinggy castle type theme and we had a wonderful time. It was also very intense. we teach the kids in several different ways. one is in a small group. each team has about 10 or 15 children between 4 and 12. we teach them personally one on one about different biblical truths. the same truths are taught in a large group, in the songs thy learn, in the scriptures we memorize, in the puppet show and most of all visually in the sketches that are preformed. each sketch talked about a royal family (a king, queen, and two princesses) Sir Deablou (who represented satan) was the evil trickster that tried tirelessly to tear the family apart. kidnapping, starting gossip and more. the one that visually hit my heart was the last battle. a story of what will happen in the future, were Sir William the valiant knight fought voicelessly against Sir Deablou. after finally winning he was put on trail and banished from the kingdom were Sir William than bound and gaged Deablou and through him into the lake of fire! I began to choke up when the royal family began to rejoice over the fact that they can now live a life without the trickster. What a wonderful picture of the rejoicing we will one day have when we can live an eternity without satan! God has blessed these past two days with such wonder it would take hours to explain. We did a parent presentation were we sang and quoted the scripture and songs the children had learned about our sward and how to fight satans temptations. at the end Deablou appeared one more time manly speaking as a charge to the parents. He told them "I am after your kingdom, I want to destroy your family you fathers are the only way to keep me out. I hate scripture and God, I want your family to fall apart, I want your children." it does seem intense and even scary but in the day we are living in even me personally knowing of and experiencing myself friends and family who have a member who has turned there hearts away from home, they needed such a charge. The understanding of the importance of protecting the family. I am so encouraged and tired and ecstatic all at the same time. I am already looking forward to next year.

Please Post

2010-04-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hiyah, girls :D

I was wondering what all of you have been up to? I think it would be a grand idea to have everyone write a post summing up the last six months... So if you still read this, or get updates from it pleas participate :) Because I would love to hear about you :)

Chrissy

my dear friends

2010-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

well hello there, it has been so long since I have talked to you!! I am so sorry for my tardiness, it has been so busy. first, I am now in bible collage! our pastor has started slandered bible baptist collage. its in modules. we will do between 1 and three weeks at a time, then take a brake for a week or two then start a new one. It is so exciting. along with it Aaron Baker has started Ezekiel shcool. a very long intense collage corse on music. in fact anyone who has heard of or been to sound foundations, that use to be in Indianapolis, that is what he is teaching by. As well as other stuff he feels we need to know. today is my first day of that. I will be leaving very shortly, so I wanted to get my post in before I leave. please pray for me. this Module will take 3 weeks 8 to 530 (sometimes later) 6 days a week! but in the end of about two years I will have a associates in music and with the other classes I will later get a bachelors in christian education. well got to go, my ride just called and will be here shortly. love y'all *bye*

Two posts from me in a row!

2009-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Goodness me!
Well I hope you guys are all doing well! I am doing well. I am currently working on finishing school and have been recently looking up some info so I can get into college. If all works well and if God is on my side, then I will enroll next fall. Meanwhile I'm pretty excited! I can't wait to see what my future holds... :)
Ah and I am SO looking forward to CHRISTMAS! AND SNOW!

I love you all bunches x 3 + 5!

See ya!

hehehe, so sorry guys!

2009-09-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

HI!

My gosh! As your Sunshine I have been lacking discipline in giving you news! Well rest assured, I did not die! My ankle is way better, I even got a job and surprised myself by skating today with only falling of my skate once. I guess I can say that I've been pretty busy lately, I got a job so I worked all summer. Of course I'm still writing; the one I'm currently working on right now is a book I called "Deathwish" Okay I know it sounds really weird and creepy but it's not so bad! I mean, I love it so far, there are still a lot of things about it that I don't like but I'm just in love with the idea of my book. Shoot me an e-mail if you want an exert to be posted on the blog someday. Oh and Chrissy did ask me to get a song of mine on the blog sometime. Well turns out I have one, but I don't think I can post the music so I'll just post the lyrics:

I got so little to say

And my words are too small

Every bits of my heart that are falling

are melting in your presence

and when I see your robe

filling your temple

and all the angels singing:

Holy, holy, holy!

A breaking heart

A flaming coal

A voice that said:

Who will I send,

To walk before me

and speak the truth?

A voice called from the east

Here's the one I will sustain

My chosen one that I love and

in whom my soul delights

In him I entrusted my spirit

He will speak the the truth

And the heavens will shout:

Holy, holy, holy!

A breaking heart

A flaming coal

A voice that said

Who will I send

To walk before me

and speak the truth?

I got so little to say

And my words are too small

Every bits of my heart that are falling

Are melting in your presence

My knees are shacking

My lips burning I said:

Here I am Lord, send me:

Holy, holy, holy!

So yeah, I was thinking I could compose another for my church soon, but I still don't know about that one. So we'll see. Meanwhile! I thank God for working in my life the way he does! I mean, I couldn't have a special person thats more patient or lovable than he is!

Love you guys!

Sammy

Chrissy...

2009-08-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

She's been my leader.

My influencer.

My comforter.

My strength.

My encouragement.

My shoulder to cry on.

My ear to listen.

My random happy place.

She's the one that I cannot hide from. (Even when I try!)

She is one of the biggest ways that my God tells me that He loves me.

She is my friend.

She is my Chrissy.

Happy birthday dearest!

I love you.

Like a bird without wings,

that longs to be flying

Like a motherless child,

left lonely and crying

Like a song without words

Like a world without music

I wouldn't know what to do,

I'd be lost without you

watching over me.

Non nobis Domine!

2009-07-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

my dear friends,

It has been such a productive summer. God has put so many challenges and blessings in my path. I want to share with you a few of them...

As you know my summer consists of 5 day bible clubs. We teach in day cares as well as neighborhoods, and projects. If you don't know what a project is, go to the most dangerous, dirty, worst built houses in your area or in your state, and your there. there filled with drug runners, gang bangers and children. I have to say just in my 9 years experience in these places I would say 99% of these children are unloved, beaten and called things that you would never imagine. I love these children, that's were my heart lies. This year I did bible clubs in my area, Hammond LA, and Natchez MS. doing between 3 to 5 clubs in different areas a day! It does get tiring but when God calls you to do something, he will provide the strength and the endurance to do it.

all my stories take place in Natchez. we did 5 clubs a day. It was me as well as two other young ladies. we had a missionary couple who where our counsels and our drivers. Our first two clubs were in day cares, they went fine, but the problems happened in our last three. the first project we went to was pretty large, I had been there before a few years back, but didn't remember very much about it. the first day we knocked doors to invite kids, but since it was so big, we started the next day. we had 13. the club only lasted one other day because the deacon in the area didn't like what we were doing. We think he told the families not to let them come, because there were kids everywhere but they wouldn't come. so that one fizzled out, but we did plant seeds and if any of those children die without Christ there blood wont be on our hands. And if that deacon was responsible, there blood will be on his.

the second club we went to was fine, but had many distractions. Witch normally there were, but satan wanted to use the unusual ones. the first day one of the kids would sit only through part of the club than ride his bike through it back and forth. By the third day we had to tell him he couldn't come unless he stopped, so he did. on another day we had three kids riding horses down the street! that was a first on one two were riding double, and the oldest on the other. On another day, right as one of the girls was giving an invitation a school bus stopped right next to us and the kids began screaming to our kids and everyone looked up. thankfully satan didn't win, 2 got saved still. Than on the last day, I was up telling the missionary story when I noticed I lost the attention of all the kids for a few minuets. afterwords I found out right behind and up the street there was a drug deal going on at that moment. God did get the glory in the end having 4 I think get saved at that club.

finally, we went to this apartment complex. The owner let us use this conference room. (which was really just a little air conditioned room with folding chairs.) the first day of that club was interesting. wile one of the girls was up teaching the memory verse, there was a boy next to me kicking the chair in front of him. The girl who was sitting in the chair, had a 8 or 9 month old baby in her lap, and was getting annoied. she turned around and yelled, and at the blink of an eye the two of them were up and ready to fight! I jumped between them and prayed the would not jump on me too. I yelled at the girl, her name was keavonna, and told her to sit down. Then looked at the boy, his name was Tyrell, and did the same, but He wouldn't. He stared straight at keavonna and had the look of murder in his eyes. I tried to get him to look at me, he wouldn't. I even tried to force him to sit down, he wouldn't budge. he just kept staring her down. There was so much anger in him I was really worried he would try to hurt her or even me. finally on of my counselors told them to take it outside to try to get him to sit, and intently he went out the door with keavonna shouting I CAN TAKE HIM!!! with the baby on her hip. I jumped between them again, and told her to go sit, and she did. I than started toward Tyrell to try to talk to him but he wouldn't stop. they were only about 9 or 10. That day 9 people got saved!! Including keavonna, and a 9 year old who brought her mom and brother, they all got saved!!! the mother said that she had never heard this truth before!!! she had to be at least 48 or so. She had never heard of Gods promise. after the club was over, we were just fixing to leave when I saw tyrell. I walked up to him and he started away from me again. I than said, wait, I'm not angry, I just want to talk to you. he stopped. I than said I was sorry for yelling at him earlier, but I was not about to have a fight break out in the middle of club. I gave him the whole gospel, and said, you know, God doesn't care what happened in there he cares only about your soul, what your going to do with the rest of your life. He started crying. I continually told him I Love you and That God loves him. in the end he asked Jesus into his heart and received Christ as he personal savour. I invited him back to club the next day and gave him a hug. he came the next day with a completely different countenance. and such a thirst for the word of God. that next day, I had the opportunity to speak to a girl only 13 who was in a gang. She accepted Christ as well, but than we began to talk. Her name was De-keria. I encouraged her to leave her gang, than the Lord just pressed on my heart to talk to her about pressure. I said your gang might try to get you to come back, they might even threaten you, but you need to stand alone and know that your a child of Christ and he will protect you. I than asked her, what if someone put a gun to you head and said reject Christ or die, what would you say? She answered, no because God will protect me. I told her even if they did kill you, you would be in heaven anyway. She smiled. I have he address, so I can encourage her more, so please be praying for her. On the last day I gave the missionary story. I like to do the last day, because I like to give a charge to the kids to be a missionary themselves. I would tell them about a friend of mine who is a missionary to Vanuatu a place that had no missionaries or even a bible in there language, and she is there unmarried and they love her. She is practicly part of the tribe. She lives there. well afterward keavonna comes up to me and says, she wants to be a missionary!! and not just to her neighborhood, or school but to other countries! She was asking me question after question, Ive never heard of Vanuatu, what other countries are there that never had a missionary, can you get books on missionaries at the library? I gave her three missionaries to read on, Hudson Taylor, who was what you would call a normal missionary, Darleen Dibler Rose, someone who when through suffering for Christ, and John and Betty Stam, a couple who died for the cause of Christ. That way she could have different aspects of being a missionary. She told me, I use to never want to grow up. But now I want to grow up as fast as possible so that I can go to these other countries before anyone else does. I was so exciting to see the commitment she made, and her excitement in it. I gave her a wordless book so that she could use it as a tool to win souls, and when she saw my 5 day club invitations she got so excited and ask for some. we gave her a bible, and she was beaming! I always wanted a bible of my very own, she said. I want to encourage you all to do a bible club in your area. Even if you only have one kid come, God will rejoice. Like the words to one of my favorite songs...

Go sound the horn, strike up the choir, as sinner is saved, saved from the fire

no more in darkness, hes received my son, all heavens rejoicing,

that's the value of one

You will never know who's life you might touch.

far left blue shirt, Tyrell

next to him keavonna

on the right next to me De-keria

ready... set... finish!!!

2009-06-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am packing and finishing up a couple of assignments before I leave today. I am going to Rachel's house with my sister and we are going to stay with the Starks family for the weekend and attend the BASIC seminar with them. Then, on Sunday, the Starks family is driving down to Lawton to meet my family and to get my sister back home. Sunday night, me, Allison, and Rachel are sleeping over at Julie's house so we can all drive down to Dallas together, courtesy of Julie's mom, Mrs. Sholtess who is going to drive us.

On Monday, most of us students will be there or arriving except for two girls I think. We are going to go to the mall and watch a movie that night. Tuesday is the official start day but before we give our speeches... we are going to go to very special coffee shop (at least it's special to me, I'll have to tell you that story some other time!) and then the day will begin with final speeches and assignments with lots of fun activities thrown in between, formal desserts, scrapbooking our pictures, team meetings and then... GRADUATION!!! On Friday, at 2:00. Happy day!!!

God gave me a smile last night in the form of a beautiful sunset. I went outside to journal in the fading light and several times I would just stop writing and stare at the gorgeous sky. But then, after writing for a while, I looked up and the colors were gone. God showed me that this is the what is happening right now. AE was a glorious sunset of His power and might in my life and now, the colors are fading and this chapter of my life is closing. That is... until tomorrow. What kind of sunset He has for me then... I don't know. But it will be just as beautiful and amazing as this one.

What's the sunset in your life?

I love you all dearly!
Kristin

wow

2009-05-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

lots of fun at chef, skits and games.

wow, I think I just made Kristin feel a lot better about taking so long to post. I think its been 2 months since I have, and I missed it so much. I have been very busy. the pictures below will explain.

well, first was our chef conference, our church does the children's program and I was song leader. It was sooooo much fun our theme was family fun and our decoration was family picnic and we had the whole stage to look like a camping ground. It was such a blessing to do and the children loved it..... after that, two day after actually I went to big sandy to teach pre-Excel! It was so much fun to teach these young girls the things I learned when I was there age. God just gave me the words and the endurance to get through another week. then this past week I went to smite!!! I know y'all have herd me talk of it, going out to do bible clubs and such. Well, it was last week, I was the leader of a team of two other girls one first level, and one second, then I was also on a demo team, were we go from class to class, one a day, and do a demonstration of a bible club. that was fun. our team in particular did well enough to do the group demo (were all classes are together) on Friday. I was such a fruitful week. we had I think 1400 or more enrolled and 550 saved!

my team had a daycare, we had about 12 saved out of 16. Plus 3 committed to be missionaries, whether it be in there family, school or neighborhood! one little boy who got saved the first day did not have a bible, so one of my girls gave him a new testament. the next day he told us all about the stories that he read and we figured he read about 4-6 chapters in John the night before! We gave him a full bible on Friday, his face just beamed and immediately started reading the beginning! The second boy, his name was Rodger, he was about 9 or 10. When he rose his hand to get saved I sat and talked to him and 3 other children, one little girl got saved the day before and just needed to understand that she would never have to do it again, the second, a boy, got saved during my invitation after telling the bible lesson. The third, also a boy, told me he asked Jesus into his heart while I was talking to the other two, he said that he didn't want to go to hell and ask Jesus into his heart, to forgive him of his sin, and save him from hell. Well, I sent the other three back to there seats and began talking to Rodger. He prayed to himself, and afterwords when I asked him what he said, he answered and I asked him, did you mean that with your whole heart 100%, and he looked up at me and said no. so I explained it again to him and said I want you to pray again, but this time, picture yourself in a room all alone with Jesus, and a door. You can either go to Jesus 100% believing or go out the door. well, he prayed and afterwords I asked him what he said. He said... I pictured myself in my bedroom, and Jesus was standing next to my bed, and the door was open. ( I never mentioned the door OPEN) I started to walk over to the door then I SLAMMED IT, then went to Jesus asked him to forgive me and come into my heart, and I meant it 100%!!!!!!!! I just wanted to cry, it was such a blessing to see that he understood. anyways, here are the pictures from my experiences :).

my pre excel

Rodger left and darian, I think..... my daycare

demontration of the missionary story

our "fearless" HaHa, leader Uncle Jerry Pertell

on that happy note here are some quotes from smite....

If you fail to prepair, you are preparing to fail.... If satan isn't in your busness, your probobly in his, bro. capacy.... Dont ever get bigger than broken... Envy diggs the mud that jelosy throes at success, bro. capacy. love you lots

20 more days...

2009-05-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, 20 more days and I shall be in Dallas preparing for graduation on the 19th of June... at 2:00PM... just 20 more days.

I didn't realize that it was so close. Time is going to fly by and I only have 15 more days to get all of my assignments finished. My last assignments aren't due until the 12th of June but I need to have everything finished by the 10th because life gets crazy right after that.

I am going to Oklahoma on the 10th and I am going to hang out with Rachel and Julie at the BASIC seminar at the Oklahoma City Training Center. Then I am going to drive down with Julie and Rachel to Dallas on the 15th where I will meet up with most of my fellow classmates and best friends while we go hang out at the mall before our first "official" day begins when the rest of my fellow AEers will show up.

I find myself thinking about AE graduation more and more these days. Assignments are finally starting to come together and I am almost finished with everything. I feel like I'm in a race against time to get them finished before the 10th and then... there's a final speech in Dallas and some assignments to turn in and get graded. Then, finally, graduation on the 19th.

I am weary. Exhausted. Worn out. Some days I don't feel like I can get out of bed and some days I really don't want to flip open the laptop screen to work on assignments. I don't want to get my grades back. I don't want to keep doing this.

But I have too. There's no way I can stop. If Christ is for me than nothing, not even myself, can be against me.

Advanced EXCEL has been the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life. This year has been the hardest year for me in my life. The past couple of weeks have been the hardest days in my life. Seriously, nothing has ever been harder than what I've gone through this year.

Is it worth it?

Is what worth it? I don't know. But I am going to find out. I am determined to finish this chapter of my life well and I am going to find out what it was that I fought so hard for. What was worth all the pain, tears, struggles, heartache and sleepless nights?

When I find it... no doubt... it will have been worth it. Because that's the way God works. Everything He ever brings us through is worth it. Everything.

20 more days...

Where has the time gone???

2009-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Time literally seems to be flying by! I was working on my AE assignments this morning and remembered that it was my day to post again---already!

I very humorously keep track of the weeks flying by with posting on our EXCEL blog on Wednesdays one week and turning in my next AE assignment on Friday of the following week. Oh, well! God has everything under control and I know that He will give me the time that I need to do what I am required to do. With His grace, I can stay on top of things and trust His sufficiency to see me through!

I just want to say that I love you all very much and that I am praying for you! I don't know what each of you is going through right now, but I do know that God will help and encourage you through whatever the situation may be as He works everything out for your good and for His glory. Keep relying on Him and keep your focus on His goal for you. Our Heavenly Father will work out everything else in His good time, and His timing will be perfect for our needs.

Love you so much, my friends!!
Sarah

A long over-due post

2009-05-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

*hangs head in shame*

I know, I know... It has been WAY too long since I posted. Especially since I asked y'all to be posting in my last post and then here I am not posting and... wow... yeah. So here is my long over-due blog post that's not even on my correct day.

Advanced EXCEL has kept me crazy busy pretty much all day and even late into the night. My most productive hours of the day seem to be around 9-12:00 PM because that's when I have the most energy and the house is quiet because noisy little brothers are all in bed. I work best when I have a lot of energy and everything is quiet so I can concentrate.

I would definitely appreciate your prayers for me and the rest of us AE girls as we work hard to try and finish our assignments and get ready for Graduation next month. We are almost done! My family just got an invitation for my AE graduation and it just kind of seemed to add to my ever-raising stress level.

This week has been a little discouraging for me for a lot of reasons and it has been a big struggle to keep my focus on Jesus and keep running the race He has called me to run. God has taught me so much this year and, right now, I just want to finish this chapter of my life well.

I love you all!
Kristin

Praying for you!

2009-05-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends!

I hope that you are having a wonderful day! I am enjoying the beautiful weather that we are having right now in Wisconsin. It is about 70 degrees out and partly sunny! After all of the rain that we have been having lately, it is nice to be able to go outside. I have been enjoying going on walks lately, especially when I go with Katee Switzer! She lives just five minutes from my house, so we have been getting together to go walking about once a week and it is a lot of fun!

Our family has a new 12-passenger van! The Lord really blessed us, and we all love the new vehicle! Our other one was a 1992 with about 190,000 miles on it and, if you slammed the door too hard, you would leave pieces of rust on the driveway or parking lot. It had served us well so, when the van demanded its resignation (by refusing to shift out of first gear), we decided to allow it to do so! After all, what other option did we have? Lol! :)

I am working on my Ministry Proposal for an Advanced EXCEL assignment this week. I am going to do something with a sewing class. We'll see how God works everything out! :)

I am praying that God will bless all of you today (and this week) with some extra big smiles from Him as you continue to do what He has called you to do! "Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Love you all!

Sarah <3

P.S. Just a reminder that this Sunday is Mother's Day! Don't forget to do something special for your mom to show her how much you love her and appreciate everything she does!

Big Sandy '09!

2009-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

'Ello luvs!
I thought you might like to see some pics from my Pre-Excel team at Big Sandy... Hope you enjoy them!
To those of you that were there... 'twas wonderful to see you!
To those of you that weren't.... I wish that I could have seen you! :)

Okay so I had my team do sound off... I would say "Team B!" and they would all line up in order. Then I say "Sound off!" and they would say their number (1-9) and then I would say "10! Fantabulous!!!" (10 was my number) They really liked it!
So... front to back... Rachel, Katie, Josie, Carlin, Emilie, Meghan, Sarah, Anna, and Jerusha... my adorable team! :)
Human Knot... at outdoor game time.

Human pyramid! B)

Team B!! The one, the one, the fantabulous! :D

The "Run with Power" water bottles that I made for them... they really liked them. :)

I love our blog, don't you?

2009-04-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone, I am a day late. My apologies! I remembered last night around 11:45, and I was not about to take the time to post at that late hour!! Anyone who has a problem with my decision will just have to deal with it. LOL! :)

I really do love our team blog as it has worked the best for me to be able to keep in touch with y'all! I enjoy each post and love you all tremendously!

Congratulations, beloved Chrissy, on being the 50th person to post on our blog! You have just won a FREE* trip to Honolulu, all expenses paid. All you have to do to collect it is send me your credit card info and let me know when you would like to go! Call me at 1-840-247-4779 and your tickets will be in the mail. Again that number is 1-UGO-CHR-ISSY and we will be waiting for your call! :) LOL!

My life has been very easy to summarize lately... God is good, assignments are progressing, and I am enjoying time with my family. Brief and to the point, I know, but I am enjoying it!

FYI: My family and I will not be taking our annual trip to TX for Big Sandy Regional Conference this year. Our van has decided to retire and so, until we purchase a new one (which we are hoping to do in the next week or two), we are with out the necessary transportation for such a arguous journey. No! Don't even suggest it! Walking... walking is TOTALLY out of the question! :) Looking forward to next year... :)

Blessings to all of you! I am praying for you. Thank you for putting up with my humerous mood! I seem to be able to make everything seem funny right now. :) Hopefully my goofiness (if that is a word) has brought a smile to your face!

Because He lives and In God We Trust, enjoy each day that the Lord has blessed you with! His mercies truly are new every morning and His love is the very BEST! (See Ephesians 3:13-21!)
Love you lots!

~ Sarah

2009-04-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hiyah girls!!

How are yall doing, I am home now so yall can call. (hint, hint)
I am having a fabulous time and enjoying being home for a while. Life has been full and good, filled with Family, friends, work, and all the little things that make up life. My favorite thing so far has been eating breakfast in my pjs :D and getting out in the sun!!

God has taught me so much over the past few months and I can't wait to share it will all of you, but that will have to wait for another post. For now I just want you to know He is good, and He is working, and His love will never let you go.

Have a fantabulous day!!
Chrissy

2009-04-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Huzzah! I finally remember my post day... on my actual post day! :D I kept remembering either before or after... *sigh* Oh well!

Anyway, Hello Team 6! I hope that you all are doing fabulously and having an amazing Friday! My Friday will be amazing just as soon as I turn my assignments in! ;) (actually... it's amazing already, it will just be more amazing then!)

I'm just over a month into the AE home practicum now and I am enjoying it immensely! The assignments are a bit of a challenge, but I love the challenge and I feel that God is teaching me a lot. Strangely enough, I am also really enjoing the one paper that I was really dreading... the medical research paper. Goes to show you that God isn't limited by what we think are our limitations. :)

I am also going to be a Pre-Excel team leader at RTC in Big Sandy this year... I am very excited about that!! (VERY excited!) And I hope that I get to see some of you there! T'would be amazing to see you all again! :D
That also reminds me... I'll be gone over my next post day, but I'll try to post on the weekend that I get back.

Well... I should really get back to work now... assignments call! I wish that I could give you each a huge hug... know that I'm sending one your way!

Call me if you like... let me know if you don't have my number because I'd love to hear from you!

Love to you all!

~Alaina

Humor, cookies, and little brothers-- A FANTASTIC combination!

2009-04-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, everybody!

I hope that you are having a productive week! God is good and His faithfulness is new every morning. This week I have been working on AE assignments and enjoying being at home with my family.

I was unsure what to write to post today until my four-year-old brother Ethan said something this evening that gave me a good laugh. I had to share this smile with you. Maybe you can laugh with me! :)

My mother and Ethan had gone to the grocery store for a few things and, when they returned home, Ethan came into our entryway and shouted, "Saaarraah, I'm hooome!"

"I am in my room," I replied, knowing that he just wanted to know where I was.

Ethan came running into the bedroom holding a package of his favorite cookies. "Sarah, look! I brought you some raspberry chocolate-chip cookies!"

I thanked him for thinking of me and smiled at how thrilled he was over cookies. "Oh, Punkin-- you're in your element!"

As he joyfully turned and ran out of the room, he giggled, "I knooow, Sarah!! I am an elephant!"

Oh, how I love that darling little boy!

May God bless your day with many reminders of how much He loves you and how important it is to find pleasure in the little things that He made. Enjoy your family-- they will make your day!

Lots of love, Saaaraah Poss :)

Hi!

2009-04-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hi once again, I'm so sorry for taking so long to write. Since the last time I wrote alot has happened. A couple of weeks ago I went on a college tour trip with a group from our church, it was a very packed week but I really enjoyed my time and was able to get an idea of other college possiblities. I have basically decided that I will be going to Cornerstone Bible Institute in SD. I need to start working on my application in the next week or so. Please pray for me during this time as it all a very big change for me and I'm very nerveous about being on my own.

Also about a week ago I lost my job (the older lady I was taking care of was placed in the nursing home so I wasn't needed anymore) so right now I am looking into some job possiblities and am praying that I'll be able to find something.

Well last week we got 18 inches of snow, which was the biggest snow they've had here in Kansas in many years, the only sad thing was that we were not here and missed it all =( Only an MK thats lived in Brazil would understand why I love the snow =) Here is a picture of the snowman I helped my brother make!

Till next time!

HI!

2009-04-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello y'all!
I hope you are all doing fabulous today. I am... well... still recovering and it gets discouraging sometimes. I have zero energy and you kind of need that when you're trying to do anything. God has, once again, shown me His faithfulness in amazing ways and it is a big comfort to know that He is there for me during this difficult time in my life. He is my Jehovah-Shammah.

AE is going... somewhere, but I am not sure where yet! (quote from Hannah) It is a lot harder than I thought and God saw fit to add several more obstacles in my way, like getting sick and missing a week and a half. I am reminded of Chrissy's puzzle analogy because all I can see right now is the difficulty and heartache that these circumstances are causing me and my family. God has the box top though, He sees the whole picture and He knows the reasons for why this happened to me. I just need to trust and rest contentedly in His will for my life and allow His perfect work in me during this season.

Staying strong,
Kristin

Here's a shout out to the team: PLEASE POST!!!! I want to hear what's going on in your lives and how y'all are doing. It's only been 4 months since EXCEL 31 ended so you still need to post for two more months before you can stop (which I hope you won't) so please, please, PLEASE keep posting.

Mondays and my point of reference

2009-03-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

Greetings to all my dear friends! I have enjoyed reading about what has been going on in your life lately. Thank you for each and every update.

I had a wonderful time at Advanced EXCEL, and I am so glad that God allowed me to go. I learned a lot during those six weeks, and I am thankful to God for all of the things that He taught me while I was down there. Since returning home from the DMC, I have been kept quite busy with my family and AE assignments. This week, I have been working on AE practicum assignments and, because of God's faithfulness, I am making some progress.

I don't know about you, but Mondays are almost always a difficult day for me. I can very easily become overwhelmed with what needs to be done. Here is a portion of a paper that I wrote for one of my assignments today that I hope will be a blessing to any of you who, like me, want to enjoy each day that God has blessed you with, but have a hard time keeping your focus on Christ and His sufficiency when Monday morning shows up.

Stretching from desk to ceiling in an unending pile, papers wait, calling for my attention. The longer I stare at the mountainous stack, the more intimidating it becomes. Growing with each passing second, first paper by paper, then chunk by chunk, the work load increases in size faster than I can complete it. There is too much to do, and the harder I try to get everything done, the more I find still unfinished. In panic, I frantically try to fix all of the problems at the same time, only succeeding in setting myself up for frustration and defeat.
My mistake is that my focus is on myself, my problem, and my incapability. As long as my point of reference is myself, I am going to end up being discouraged. In despair, I will continue to try to change myself and to live the Christian life in my own strength. I need to change my focus.
With Christ as my point of reference, when I see the pile on my desk, it doesn’t look so overwhelming. I can take the projects one at a time, and He will work through me, as me, to get each job done. Since my focus is on God, I am free to trust Him. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He will be sufficient in and through each aspect of my life.

I would appreciate your prayers as I continue to allow Christ to be my focus, my point of reference, and my sufficiency. I love you all very much and I am praying for you! May God continue to reveal Himself to you more each day and may He be your source of strength as you continue to be a blessing to others!

Blessings on your week!

Crazy roller-coaster ride through life!

2009-03-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!! I am back from AE a little sooner than expected and I'm excited to be posting again! I'm not sure if it's exactly my day or not but since Sarah is still at AE and it is Wednesday, I figured I'd just give it a shot.

The reason I'm home early is because I got very very sick last weekend and ended up going to the hospital for two nights. I had a high fever with a really bad ear infection and, possibly pneumonia or sepsis. Kind of like an infection throughout my whole body. The doctors are really not sure and, once again, I was labeled a "Medical Mystery" which is pretty much the story of my life.

This is definitely not the way I planned AE to go but God's ways are best and I have learned SO much through this experience. God has just become a whole lot more real and personal to me. I talk to Him almost all the time now and what's really great is that, since I'm actually listening to what He has to say, He talks to me too!

I also turned 18!!! My birthday, despite being in the hospital all day, was the best birthday ever. The nurses all wished me a happy birthday, I got a little cake from the kitchen, I got a birthday card from the nurses, I got to sign a property release form thingy before I went to my room, my little brother called and sang happy birthday to me in his own special way, and to top it all of, the entire AE class came to room in party hats and sunglasses and gave me flowers and a bunch of cool presents that I'll treasure forever!! It was great!

I came home Tuesday afternoon and slept pretty much all day. Today, I've been able to stay awake but I'm pretty tired so I'll probably go to bed pretty soon. I was able to finish two assignments and I'm going to set up a video conference over Skype with Grace, Lauren and Chrissy so they can fill me in on everything I need to know for the home practicum.

So, despite all the bad circumstances that did happen, I'm pretty happy and just enjoying life right now. Recovery is going nice and slow but it is going and I'm feeling better every day. Continue to keep me in your prayers and remember that y'all are in mine. I love you!!!

Kristin

hello all

2009-03-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

My goodness, everyone must be so busy these past two weeks. I have been pretty busy. we are doing a garage sale in a couple weeks so we are practically pulling our whole house apart to get it done. this is our annual Abita garage sale. the best time to do one. all of Abita springs will be doing one, so it will be fun all around. I cant wait till its over though our house is upside down right now and I hate it.
really other than that its been pretty normal. cleaning, gardening, church, shopping etc. I hope y'all are doing well.
Love Heather
Ps. 31:5

Hello fellow team-6-mates!

2009-02-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here I am once again, at the DMC in lovely Dallas, Texas. I must say, that the place is quite different without our whole team here, but Kim is working staff for two weeks and I understand that several of you might come to work staff later on in the course. I certainly hope so and very much looking forward to seeing you again!

By the way, I adore Advanced EXCEL! We’ve learned so much, and have had a ton of fun to boot! J It’s wonderful (of course!) to be around Chrissy again and she is an amazing leader (also of course!) and doing a fabulous job of helping us to be better writers. I’m really enjoying her class.
Grace is wonderful and I’m really enjoying getting to know her better. She is teaching us Speech and I gave my first speech (ever!) last week for class. It was on computers. I definitely have a long way to go in learning to make speeches.
Lauren is leading our discussion group reading The Rest of the Gospel. We haven’t really read much out of it yet, but we have had really interesting discussions! She also does most of the morning Wisdom Searches and they’re very thought-provoking. (Even at 6:30am!) We have lots of fun discussing just about anything. J

I don’t have a whole lot of time to write, assignments you know, but one thing that I really want to leave you all with is a reminder to trust. The other day, Chrissy did a Wisdom Search on Isaiah 45:2-3 “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and the hidden riches of the secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by name, am the God of Israel.”
God is going before us to make the crooked places straight, to break the gates and the bars, and to give us the treasures and the hidden riches. He calls us by name, and He knows every little thing about us. He is our God. This was really encouraging to me, and I hope that it is to you too. J
Hope you all have an amazing day!
Love and blessings,
~Alaina

my dear exelonians

2009-02-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

hay, I hope all of you are doing well. especally thoes at AE! from what Ive heard all is going very well. God has been teaching me so much the past couple of weeks. about two weeks ago we did a world history coarse (being my favorite subject, I enjoyed very much). and I learned so much. Bro. baker started from the garden of Eden and ended at the present day wars. It was a lot to cover in one week but it was a sinch, compared to (in a dramatic tone) da da daaaaaaa, EIC week! I enjoyed it soooo much. We are even going to have an American history coarse as well, then we are going to talk a man in our Church to do a Louisiana history coarse too! he knows everything there is to know about our wonderful state, so I am looking forward to it.
I also have been doing a lot of gardening!!! I love to garden. Watching Gods Creation happen right before my eyes! Right now I am growin peas, cabbage, leaks (a type of green onion, very good in potato soup), regular green onion, lettuce, dill, garlic chives and parsley. next week I will be growing purple green beans, then a few weeks later Ill be growing tomato's, cucumber, okra, banana peppers, squash, possibly bell pepper and Brussels sprouts, basil, purple basil, sage, chives, and any other herbs that seem satisfying, I will be doing a lot of dehydrating and canning!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY, I love it. Its funny though, when it comes to outside, I do pretty well, but my thumb turns gangrene when it comes to house plants
God also has been teaching me a whole bunch on Revelation. I think I mentioned it that Brother Baker has been teaching on it on Sunday and Wednesday nights. I am enjoying that too. Its always fun to hear deep scriptural insight. it has been sooo much of a blessing in my life.
It has also been a time of learning for me this week with mom. she is still in pretty bad health, but now she feels better were she can do thing again. For the past three years I have pretty much taken over the house, cleaning, cooking, taking care of daddy as well as momma, taking care of grandma, etc. but now we are trying to switch over back to mom being in control. It is tough sometimes, but the past three years has only been a training for me, now I need to fall back into "daughter mode" :). please pray for me in this area, because sometimes we can get very flustrated at each other. ;).
Well, I hope all of your days are a blessing, and a joy, I love you all :).
Love Heather
Ps. 31:5

2009-02-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hello dear friends!

Alaina Kristin and I have been back at the DMC for ten days already! I am so bery glad that God chose to send me to Advanced Excel, and I am excited about all of the truths that He has taught to me so far. I am looking forward to all he will continue to do in the next four and a half weeks.

Have you noticed a steadily reaccuring theme in the events going on around you? It is not often that I do, but life here with AE is the major exception! I have never before had the experience of seeing so many acctivities support and reenforce eachother and what we are learning.

Everything, and I mean everything, relates to either pride, humility, love fear, the good shepherd, trust, lies, or openness and brokenness. Wether it is our daily devotions, wisdom searches, classes, speakers, "dates" with God, evening team time or the sermon on Sunday, it all centers around one of these common themes.

I would love to tell you all about what we have been doing lately, but time will not allow it. Instead I need to close with these two verses which come directly from my heart: "bretheren (or in this case sisters) pray for us. 1thes. 5:25 "My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen" 1Cor. 16:24

Love, Sarah

HI

2009-02-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Well its been quit awhile since I have written, so I decided that I needed to write again. Life has been pretty normal around here with work and helping with things at home. The end of January I started helping with a kids class at our church on Sunday nights and am really enjoying it.
Next week I'll be heading to California for a week to visit a friend of my that I haven't seen for almost 5 years. I am very excited about my trip!!

I hope and pray that all of you that are AE are having a great time and learning a lot. I have really enjoyed reading the AE blog and seeing some the pictures Chrissy has posted on facebook!

Till next time.

2009-02-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Well first I have noticed that a lot of you are not posting... Please try to keep this up girls, I want to be able to here what is going on in your life, and what God is teaching you. Please hang in there an post on your days as much as possible and if you miss it post on the weekend, please.

Ok, now that I said that I want to share what God has been telling me today... I was in church this morning feeling just fine, having a pretty good day, and minding my own business. When God decided to start talking.... He spoke through the song O Love that will not let me go:

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

1. O Love that will not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

That in thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

2. O light that followest all my way,

I yield my flickering torch to thee;

My heart restores its borrowed ray,

That in thy sunshine’s blaze

its dayMay brighter, fairer be.

3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

And feel the promise is not vain,

That morn shall tearless be.

4. O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from thee;

I lay in dust life’s glory dead,

And from the ground there blossoms red

Life that shall endless be.

God then told me that His love would indeed never let me go. He was and is the faithful friend I had been searching for and would be so for all eternity. He love is deep and strong and encompasses me, and consumes me until it is part of me, bringing me completion.

His love is more than enough. In Him I find completeness and rest, He is my greatest joy my hearts one desire.

The last post....

2009-01-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

Sounds a lot worse than it is really. 6 weeks away for Internet isn't too bad. :-P But anyway, as you know, I too, along with Kristen and Sarah will be joining the ranks of Advanced Excel 17. I have almost all my clothes and shoes packed and I am so very excited for Monday. I will heartily miss not seeing the rest of our team around the Center though, it'll be weird without you guys!
Like Sarah said, LOVE MAIL! :-D So if any of you find yourselves with a bit of time on your hands..... :-D

~

Hey! New blog look! I like it! B-)

~

Truthfully, life is pretty good. :-) I've really enjoyed spending lots of time with my family, and we've been able to have some good discussions on some of the things that we learned at Excel. Relax a bit and have some fun! :-D I love family! But now, I'm really ready for the next thing. AE! I think God is going to use this to challenge me in new ways, but I know that He'll be there to help me through/over them! :-) Of course, your prayers would be appreciated, I know that I have a lot left to learn, and I'd just as soon learn it the first time! :-)

Next time I talk to you, I should have some new pictures! I hope the rest of you keep posting because I'll look forward to reading them when I get back.

Lots of love and many blessings!

~Alaina

Until We Meet Again!

2009-01-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hello, friends!

This will be my last post until after Advanced Excel, unless Chrissy does something about it! :) I am almost done packing and I have made excellent progress on my pile of letters that I did not reply to from friends who had written to me in the last six months! I have a simply nasty habit of letting them sit a long time before I reply, and then when I get around to them there is a whole stack so I takes me a while!! I definitely need to conquer procrastination!!

Oh, well, I am really looking forward to AE, and I would definitely appreciate your prayers for safety during my flight down there on Monday morning, and then for continued enthusiasm and endurance during the course! I want to be able to learn all that I can while I am at DMC as I remain open to all that God wants to teach me!

On Friday and Saturday, three of my brothers (Matthew, Caleb, & Ezra), my dad, and I are going to Watertown, WI, for the Annual Great Lakes Music Festival at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. We went last year with some friends of ours and we all had a very nice time and learned a lot! This year we are doing the vocal tracks (instead of the orchestra one like last year), so it has been easier to prepare the music, which was nice because I have been quite busy lately with life in general. The "theme" for this festival is Americana. The directors selected "Shenandoah," "Jesus, My All, to Heaven Is Gone," and "The Last Words of David" for the numbers that the entire group will sing (SATB), "The Cowboy Carol" (a combination of "The Old Chisholm Trail," "Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along Little Doggies," and "Home on the Range") for the guys (TTBB), and "God Bless America" & "Pretty Polly Oliver" for the ladies choir (SSAA). We are looking forward to it, and I am really excited about most of the songs! :) They sound really pretty!

If you want to, you can keep track of AE and the things going on down there on the AE blog: http://www.advancedexcel.blogspot.com/. Also, if you have time, we love getting mail, right!?! I can't promise to write back right away, but if you want to drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you!

I just thought of the hymn "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again" when I was trying to decide what to label this post. I really love that hymn's sweet message! Look at the words sometime when you get a chance!

Praying that all of you will have a good night's sleep, and a special week in our Lord's service!!
Love you lots!!

2009-01-27T14:52:00.001-08:00

Hey girls!

Kim says to tell everyone hello, and that she is doing well... She is working on fininshing school so she can graduate this spring. They do not have access to the blog but wanted you to know that she was thinking about yall. I know she would love to hear from yall.

I am doing well and having a lot of fun getting ready for Advanced Excel. I would appreciate yall's prayers that eveytning would go well, and that God would speak through each of us to the girls coming. That we would get the rest that we need :D haha and have a great time together as well as learn a lot individually.

Thanks for all the prayers and I will try to be better at updating after this :D

Hello!!

2009-01-21T19:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! It is my last turn to post before AE starts... AAAAAH!!! You could say I'm a little stressed out... but just a little! ;-) I went shopping on Monday and got some cute things for AE and, drum roll please... I got a cell phone!!! Finally!!! So if you want my number let me know and I'll message you on facebook or send you an email so you have it! I plan on posting lots of pictures of my stuff and my phone as soon as I can find the downloader thingy (USB cord?) for the camera. So for now you'll just have to look at this one of me and my sister!

And now to tell you all about my life as of right now. For some reason, I can never feel good for more than two days before I feel bad again and it's incredibly frustrating. I'm worried about how it's going to hold up for AE but something tells me that God has means for something good to come by this and I just need to trust Him. Easier said than done! I really appreciate your prayers for me that I would not be discouraged about this and that I would be able to just trust God with everything.

This Friday I am going to go to Rachel Stark's house for her birthday party which is a sleep over so I'll be there till Saturday! I'm really looking forward to seeing her again and, if everything works out, she might sleep over at my house the day before we leave for AE and we'll drive up together which will be so much fun!

And I think that is all so until I find my camera cord to add pictures... I think it's time to say good night and God bless y'all with an amazing day tomorrow with a big smile and hug from God!

Love you tons!
Kristin

2009-01-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!

I hope that you're all doing very well!

AE starts in just a little over two weeks and I'm very excited to go back to Dallas! I do have much to do by way of preparation so I'd appreciate your prayers if you happen to think of me.

To be totally honest, I'm not quite sure what to post today. :) (Imagine, me at a loss for words! lol)

Anyway, I have a bit of shopping left to do, not to mention packing. This morning I bought a Dell notebook to take with me. :D I've been wanting to get one for years but just finally had a good reason and bit the bullet this morning. I can't wait to see it! It's 'Spring Green', should be pretty, don't you think?

As I said, I'm so looking forward to going back to Dallas and to the Ministry Center, but I will really miss those of our team that won't be there. The place will seem very different without you all. :( You all know how I love mail, so if you want to write me, I'd be delighted to hear from you! :)

Okay, my brother wants the computer, but before I sign off here's me telling you all that I love you. :)

I hope you have an awesome weekend!

w/♥,

~Alaina

Second Timothy Two Verses Twenty & Twenty-One

2009-01-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Hello, dear friends! I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts, as it is a fun way to keep in touch and see what you've been doing lately! I am so glad that God put me on the team that He did!!

My friend Rachel came over today, and we enjoyed spending time together while we made matching skirts for her three little sisters! (Rachel had made one for herself last year, and she had just enough fabric left over to make adorable little skirts for her adorable little sisters! :) They are black flare skirts with a stitched white flower pattern and white eyelet godets. Rachel and I had a nice time of fellowship, and I had a great time making stuff for little girls, which is not something that I get to do very often! :)

Babysitting, teaching recorder, and life at home still continue, and I am enjoying my time at home while it still lasts. God is faithful and His love never changes. Though the circumstances that engulf our lives here on earth may fluctuate as rapidly as the weather, God Himself never changes or wavers, and whether we are tempering a raging storm or sailing peacefully into a sunset, He is always there to protect, direct, and guide us into the safe and steady harbor of His everlasting love.

I have been enjoying memorizing II Timothy chapter 2 with "Journey to the Heart and friends." That is one of my all time favorite chapters (and has been for a very long time), and I am enjoying the opportunity to get to know it better with the "Journey Challenge" of memorizing its twenty-six verses in the first twenty-six days of January! The verses for today and tomorrow are verses 14 & 15 which say:

"Of these things put them in remembrance,
charging them before the Lord
that they strive not about words to no profit,
but to the subverting of the hearers.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth."

The first verse has been a good reminder to me of how important the words that we speak are to God, and the second is a good reminder of how important it is that as daughters of the King we are "above reproach," which, I might add, requires a considerable amount of effort on our part. I am so thankful that we serve a just and merciful God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever!!

As a conclusion, I'd like to post my two absolute favorite verses from II Timothy 2. (I think that I've included them before, but oh well.)

"But in a great house
there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these,
he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified,
and meet for the master’s use,
and prepared unto every good work."
II Timothy 2:20-21

God's blessings to you all dear sisters, and may God bless you all with sweet dreams and you bask in the radiance of His presence and sleep peacefully in His everlasting arms! Lots of love!

Photos!

2009-01-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

In November, my uncle had four tickets to a Florida Gators game that he didn't want, so my brother, two of my fellow Gator fans, and I went up to Gainesville to see our Gators play. We had a great time watching the future NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

I've recently been trying my hand at bmx... It's a lot of fun, great exercise, and chance to spend more time with my little brother.

MMMM!! YUMMY! I love cupcakes! Amanda and I made cupcakes recently... so yea.... I love cupcakes. haha

I wuv my wittle brodder!

MY CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it, but I'm still getting the hang of it, lol.

Me and my little sister, Anna, goofing off.

Amanda and me trying to look tough in our brothers' boy scout shirts, lol.... (notice... I got my hair cut!!)

So yea.....

my life is going pretty awesome...

I have the best friends and the best family ever....

Lately I've just been doing school, going to Bible studies, figuring out my plans for the year, etc. I've also been showing some friends the Life Purpose Planning book...

hahah, I HATED that book before Mr. Novotny showed up! Now I love it!

I also have been thinking about my own purpose, and trying to apply it more on a daily basis..

It's not always easy. Also, my family is watching the weather, waiting for a snowstorm, so that we can go skiing/snowboarding.... I'm excited!!!

Well, as much as I love my life, there isn't much to say about it, hahah.

That's all folks. ;)

2009-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi, well better late than never. I was so busy today I forgot its my turn.
nothing much to report, its been the same old same old. we are officially getting ready for the home school conference in April. its very exciting. I love working with the kids, and doing stage is even more fun. I will be song leader and a friend will be assisting me. the theme this year will be about the family! It is going to be so much fun and I cant wait.
Lately the Lord has been teaching me flexibility as well as some patance. mom has had a few setbacks with her arm leaving her to do very little but sit or try to sleep. its left me with a lot of responsibility in the house, cleaning cooking shopping etc. God is defiantly teaching me allot right now please be praying for me. love you all... :)

Update!

2009-01-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know today is not my day to post but it's really late and nobody else posted today so I thought I'd give y'all a quick update on me and how I'm doing since you are all so wonderful and you care about me and you pray for me when I need it. I love you girls so much!

Anyway, I am doing much better healthwise than I was when I last posted and that makes me happy. I still hurt a lot but it's not nearly so bad as it was and I'm not feeling totally exhausted anymore. I stayed home from church today and slept in late and that really helped a lot. I totally needed it.

And when my dad came home from church he sat down with me and told me that he felt I needed to go to AE even if it kills me. Yes, those are his exact words. He said there would be dire detrimental effects for me if I don't go and I have to go. So I have this super excited feeling to know that I am going for sure but I also feel a little bit reluctant because, as much as I really want to go (I mean, REALLY want to go) I'm worried about what will happen if my health isn't good. I just don't want to miss anything I guess. I remember being so worried about throwing up at EXCEL because I didn't want to spend 24 hours in my room because of everything I would miss! :-) But I am going no matter what because my daddy said so and I'm just trying not to think about all that could happen and just be excited about seeing y'all again!

Things were really bad this week and I just didn't feel like it was ever going to get better and all I wanted was to go back to EXCEL and be with my friends. Well, there are still a lot of things going on but I don't feel nearly so stressed about them as I did. Everytime things got really bad that was when God would give me a little smile from Him to let me know that everything was going to be ok. Sometimes it was in an email. Sometimes it was on facebook. Sometimes it was a letter or a phone call or text message. And sometimes it was a comment on a blog post. God worked through you, my friends, by showing that He cared when you showed that you cared.

It's amazing, you don't really think that God is using you when you sincerely ask someone if they're ok but He really is. Our God is a God that answers prayers. I have so many people praying for me that, whenever I think about it, I feel so loved. And that has helped me so much in getting through each day. Thank you for praying for me. I appreciate it so much!

I love you!
Kristin
Ps 147:3

It's me again!

2009-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!
Only about three more weeks till AE now. Just in case, I want to let you all know now so it doesn't come as a huge shock if it does actually happen which hopefully it won't but it is a possibility so I thought I'd tell you now than tell you later. I might not be able to go. My health has decided to take a turn for the worse this week and I haven't felt well enough to leave the house. I didn't go to piano lessons yesterday and I won't be able to go to church tonight either. It bothers me a lot that I might not be able to go and I just don't understand what God is doing. I thought He wanted me to go to AE and He let me get accepted an everything just seemed to be working out until now and I'm basically house-ridden for the time being.

So that's where I'm at for the time being. I cry about it alot. I spend a lot of time just asking God "Why?" I don't know what God's doing but He does. I'm reminded of my roommate Stephanie. There were a lot of really discouraging things that happened to her during EXCEL yet I never once saw her waver in her faith. She still got up early each morning and read her Bible. She still prayed. She always shared with me what God was teaching her through it all. And I wondered how she was able to still trust God when He was allowing all this bad stuff to happen in her life.

Now God's allowing bad stuff to happen in my life and I don't feel like I have any other choice but to trust God. Before I went to EXCEL I didn't really want anything to do with God and I was going to do everything my way because I didn't need Him. But I just can't do that now. If I give up on God than what do I have to see me through each day? Nothing. So with all that being said, I'd like to give you the lyrics to this song that has become very powerful to me during this last week.

Yes, Lord, Yes

I'll say yes, Lord, yes to Your will and to Your way.
I'll say yes, Lord, yes. I will trust You and obey.
When Your Spirit speaks to me,
With my whole heart I'll agree,
And my answer will be yes, Lord, yes.

Please say yes to God this week with whatever He's taking you through. It's a whole lot better than saying "No, I'll do this my way." I've done that before and it's just not worth it anymore. It takes everything you have and gives you nothing back.

2009-01-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Happiest of New Year's to you all! :)
Oh and I'll see Kristen and Sarah and Chrissy in one month from today! :) I'm looking forward to it!

Well it seems to be the week for quotes here on the blog so I'll put up one of my favorites. (I have many, so you'll probably hear more of them in the future!)

Audrey Hepburn once said, "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."

I really love this quote because it's an exhortation to me not to give up on people, even though it's my tendency to do so. God never lets us out of the palm of His hand, and we should never hold a wrong action against someone for eternity.
After all, if we all got what we really deserved, where would we be?

Lots of love and smiles and hugs!

~Alaina

Talk to you all next year!!

2008-12-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well, dear friends, this is my last opportunity to talk to all of you in the year 2008! Tomorrow begins another new year that God has blessed us with! My prayer for you in the year 2009 is that our Heavenly Father will continue to draw each of you closer to Himself each and every day as He continues to unfold His special and perfect plan in and through your lives, and that each of us would be willing to be made willing to be wholly available and wholly useful for His service!!

I'd like to share with you some highlights from the last couple of weeks and some things that are coming up for me in January.

My parents and I had been praying about the details for my traveling down to Dallas in February. In my family's Christmas letter, my mother mentioned that I was going to AE and if anyone had an extra airline ticket that they had gotten from frequent flier miles and were unable to use, to please keep me in mind. On Christmas day, my dad's brother called to say that he had a ticket for me and that, if we swung by his house on the way home and gave him the necessary information, he would book it for me the next day! I was very excited at this answer to prayer, as it would save me about $350! The only draw back was that Uncle Doug said that he couldn't guarantee that the flight would be non-stop. (Mom and Dad really wanted me to have a non-stop flight since I would be traveling alone.) We decided to pray that God would bless us by providing a flight had the specifications that we needed. The next day, Uncle Doug called and said that he had e-mailed my travel information to me and I should go and check it out. I went, and looked, and what did I see but a non-stop ticket that was exactly what we had been praying for! God answers prayer!! Of course we all know that, but it is very encouraging to me when He makes His answers so clear that I know for sure that God did this just because He loves me!

Jennifer called me! I really enjoyed talking to her! She is leaving very soon (I think!) for Oregon!! I want all of you to feel free to give me a call any time. I'd love to hear from you!

I have assigned myself to read through my Bible in the year 2009. Although we have read through the Bible as a family a few times, I have never done it by myself before, so I decided that it was about time that I accepted the challenge. I would appreciate it if you would all help me by keeping me accountable! :) There is something so encouraging and motivating about accountability. . . !!

I have jury duty in January! I was kind of surprised when I received the letter from our city court saying that my name had been selected in a random drawing and that I should be on call for jury duty for the month of January. It was another answer to prayer, though, since my turn will be over before I leave for Dallas! I am looking forward to jury duty, as this will be my first time to do it!

I'd like to close with a quote by George Muller that was very encouraging to me when my family came across it in Wisdom Book a couple of years ago.

"God's work, done in God's way,
will never lack God's supply.
He is too wise a God to frustrate His purposes
for lack of funds,
and He can just as easily supply them ahead of time,
as afterwards,
and He much prefers doings so."

God's resources are limitless, His power is infinite, His love is unceasing, and nothing is so great that He is not greater still!!!

"He hath done all things well." Mark 7:37

Love to y'all!

untitled.

2008-12-30T17:56:00.001-08:00

Well,
to mix it up, I will give you some of my favorite quotes/lyrics...

"Meaninglessness comes not from weariness of pain and suffering, but from weariness of pleasure."Ravi Zacharias

if only we as a culture could get that in our heads^^^^

"Well, I'm just people watching The other people watching me And We're all people watching The other people watching we... I'm just you, you're just me"Jack Johnson

I love this one, because it reminds me that so often we all have the same struggles, the same thoughts, the same emotions, no matter how different we think we are from others, or how much better we feel.

On that subject, I remember a couple of summers ago in Russia, when James (the missionary my sister and I assist) said during a Bible study that you can find something to love in anyone....
Ever since then, I've found that no matter how annoying or whatever a person is, there is ALWAYS something to love about them.

Try it this week.....

who annoys you?

Find something to love about them!

Yea, and that's all, because I need to get off the comp!!

work for the night is coming

2008-12-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

Latley our pastor has been teaching on the end times. biblicly you can really see how close we are. last night he was teaching and a verse stood out to me that I want to share with you.
Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is Darkness, and not light. Amos 5:18

The bible talks about looking forward to the rapture, but when we leave it will be wrath on those left behind. My charge to you is to encourage you to go and preach the gospel to every creature. go door knocking in your neighborhood. Or get friends together and do bible clubs tell bible stories. I love bringing tracks in my purse. I go to walmart and just hand them out to anybody God reviles to me. or Ill stuff them into pockets in the clothes section. Invite people to your church. Be creative. God want us to bring as many to the Him as possible. the more we bring to Him, the less have to see God wrath when that day comes. Ill be praying that God will show you these things. I want to end with the words to one of my favorite songs...

work for the night is coming

work through the morning hours

work wile the dew is sparkling

work mid springing flowrs'

work wile the day grow brighter, under the glowing sun

work for the night is coming

when men's work is done.

the arrangement of this song then goes into another song that says we'll WORK till Jesus comes, and we'll be gathered home. So with that WORK till Jesus comes, tell the story to Jesus and win the lost. God Bless.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that today may be a very special day for you all as we celebrate Christs birth. This Christmas season has been very special for me as we are spending it here in the US. We have been able to attend several different Christmas programs, and also help my aunt with a Christmas dinner that was for one of our supporting churches. It was a lot of work but at the same time was a fun also =)

Last week we got our first big snow here in Kansas. It was soo beautiful and we all really enjoyed playing in it!! I was just kinda sad we didn't have any for Christmas =(

Tommorow my family is going to Branson for a couple of days to enjoy a little more Christmas down there! Pray that the roads willn't be bad to travel on.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's me!

2008-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I honestly don't know if it's my turn or not but I've been wanting to post for a while now and I actually have some time so I'm going to do it today and hopefully we'll be able to figure out our blog days!

Things have been so crazy busy since I've been home and it shows no sign of slowing down at all. It's really too much to try to explain so I won't try. :-)

On a positive note, though, God gives me lots of smiles during each day and I really enjoy spending time with him during my devotions and I actually like reading my Bible now! I didn't hardly ever touch it before EXCEL but thankfully, things have changed and I am so glad.

Oh, and before I go I'll share my happy news with you. I am going to be attending Advanced EXCEL this spring and I am super excited about it! I can't wait! I know God is going to do awesome and amazing things in my life as a continuation of the awesome and amazing things He's already doing in my life!

So, with all that being said, I love you all very dearly and I hope you all are having a fun Christmas Eve and that Christmas tomorrow will be a wonderful day for you as you remember our Savior and the reason He was born!

Merry Christmas!

I love you!

Psalm 147:3

My books

2008-12-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

If you guys ever want to hear more about my books, I have a blog you can go on. Just click on my profile and youll see the other links. Feel free to post ideas, questions, comments and arguments! I will always be here to answer them.

Love,

Sammy Sunshine.

Untitled.

2008-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, I missed my day to post! Sorry guys!
I actually realized it Wednesday, but I figured that I would post on the weekend, instead of taking away from someone else's day, and causing confusion, lol.

Anyway....
Life has been pretttttty weird lately....
Honestly, it's been a tough couple of weeks for me...
I just feel like I keep letting people down and not being all that I could be....
It's not really a place that I enjoy being very much.
I really don't know what to say about it..
It's pretty awkward blogging about it, lol.

Well, what else can I say?
God has been strangely faithful. Haha, or should I say, I have been strangely aware, lately, of how faithful He always is.

The more I keep track of what I pray about (all thanks to Mrs. Welch's devotional prayer thingy), the more I see God answering my prayers.. It's amazing that He doesn't just take care of the needs, but sometimes He lavishes me with what I simply want, too!
It reminds me of that song by Casting Crowns that says, "Your love is extravagent".
Sometimes it's so much more than I could ever ask for.

This month I have actually been pretty busy, haha.
If you know me, you know that I am pretty good at looking busy, but often I really have a ton of free time.... sometimes too much free time. Anyway, it's been great to be busy! Lots of church stuff, and also I have been helping my neighbor with their catering business, so that has provided some much needed (and much coveted) money... yay!

So... hmm... I wonder what you all have planned for Christmas?
Things will be pretty simple for me...
This week two of my friends have one of their parents, respectively, going out of town, so a bunch of us have been hanging out all weekend and will probably continue to do fun stuff until Tuesday or Wednesday... yeah!!! Plans include a bonfire, movies, games, snacking, and I might spend some time teaching my friend some tricks on my bmx bike.

Christmas day... I'm not sure what exactly I will do... I think a bunch of my family is coming to my house, and once again we will celebrate the unorthodox way- replacing the classic turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, etc., with Italian food instead! We did it two years ago, and boy, is it refreshing next to all the cliche' holiday food, hehehe.

Well, I need to get to bed..
Sorry again to all for missing my blog day. Terribly sorry.
Anyway, I have really missed all of you the last couple of days.
God Bless!

God is with us

2008-12-19T22:49:00.000-08:00

dear friends,
I realized talking to meg the other night that I missed my time to post. O well, I wanted to let you know the news.

mom is home now! completely healed!!! She is stronger than when she came home the first time, and is up and around. The problem was this...
sometime in the past (maybe before the surgery, or before that) she was stuck with and IV or a shot that was not sterile. she had hepatitis, encephalitis, and about 7 other blood infections. the night she went into the hospital her kidneys and liver shut down, she has sleep apnea, (which is when you sleep your breathing is very very shallow and wide spaced) so it was giving her complications breathing. She had so much fluid around her brain, they said it seemed imposable that she came back mentally in only 5 days!!! she is now completely and totally healed!!!!!!!!! God worked a wonderful miracle in her life. the doctors are amazed!!! the say that nobody has ever healed completely from all this, let alone this quickly!!!! one of the nurses came in and said "hi, I just wanted to see our hospitals first miracle! God worked so mightily in moms life and truly did work a miracle. she almost died many times and was in such bad health the doctors are flabbergasted that she is still alive and with no brain damage. She had the opportunity to wittiness to many of the nurses and tell them this was God getting her attention in some areas and it happened this was for God to get the glory. God has been so good to our family, giving mom back to us, and with a new thirst for God she didn't have before. what I'm sharing with you is only the beginning of what they told us, she was very sick, but now is completely clean. Thank you for your prayers I know the helped :). God bless I love you all :)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hello loves!
Okay, I posted very long last time, so this one will be short (I hope!).

Anyway, to catch up a bit on what I've been doing: Mostly making Christmas goodies. :D I've made covered pretzels, peppermint bark (two batches), peanut butter cups, white chocolate peanut clusters, peppermint fudge, dark chocolate fudge, and I helped decorate Christmas cookies yesterday! We made up tray's and took them to our library and firehouse, eye doctor and dentist (ironic, eh?) offices, we also gave some to the mail lady (Miss Donna, she's really nice), and we'll give some to the UPS man if we can catch him and to our drycleaner! :) That's kept me somewhat busy, but I've had plenty of time to relax too! I've taken up reading again and I expect that I'll be pretty much useless until I finish the series that I'm currently working on. I've also been making Christmas cards and gifts!

Christmas is kind of strange for us this year. Dad's been in Arizona since the second of the month and won't get home until the 27th, bit of a bummer! Mike is still at Stillwater (about an hour away) because he wants to try and get a job there for when he's not doing school or studying. So our family is down to 5 temporarily. Anyway, we'll be celebrating our nomal Christmas stuff (special meals, gifts ect.) on the 29th. Not too much of a big deal. Truth be told, I was pretty upset when I came home and found out, but I determined to have a good attitude about it. Then the other night we were watching a Christmas movie that starts out with our soldiers in the Middle East. One of the buddies of the main character died in an explosion. Right before Christmas too! I felt pretty ashamed of myself! My Dad is coming home only two days after Christmas. Some family's won't see their loved ones at all, and don't even know if they'll make it back safely. It was a pretty sobering thought...

I want to leave you all with a well know Christmas verse with an added emphasis:
Isaiah 9:6
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder (notice that my God only needs one shoulder for the weight of governing the whole universe?): and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
In this season that can get so busy and hectic and crazy busy, let us remember that our Father bears the vast universe on His shoulder and wants to be your Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas!!
Love,

~Alaina

Give me a sunshine!

2008-12-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I guess its now legal to wish you all a merry christmas! I had news not so long ago that I am having another appointment with the doctor on the 6 of January. Sometimes I really wish I could've had slowed down a bit that evening...but oh well, thats not my business' its God's. Nothing has really happened that is truly exciting except I have acquired myself the task of being Cinderella. I have been most happy to become of some use, even though my heart gets broken so very often at the task...I guess God can't afford for me to become lacking in any way. I truly hope though that I will learn my lessons some day. Ah well, I find it helpful sometimes to recall my time there, when I was put before so much truth. But oh well, life is good! There's lots and lots snow here now. Not that its unusual around Christmas. I only wish you could all have a white Christmas, just as I do almost every single year! I am blessed, truly blessed. I have written a lot too lately and am most happy with the outcome of my story. So that is a great subject of happiness!

Love,

Sammy Sunshine.

What a wonderful time we had!!!

2008-12-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

I figured out that today was my day to post-- aren't I brilliant! LOL! I'll catch on sooner or later!

Well, as my post, I decided to share two of my favorite team pictures with you! I am so thankful to God for blessing me with the opportunity to make such wonderful memories with y'all, and I am also thankful for the blessing of photography which allows us to capture the moment exactly as it happened!

Do you remember this day? I sure do! We got to go to the park after all!

We had such a wonderful time, didn't we!!?!!

On a slightly different note, I have some information that I would like to share with you, so that all of you can be among the first to know. I just wanted to tell you that I mailed in my application for Advanced EXCEL on Friday the 12th, so they should have received it yesterday (or today). I haven't received conformation yet, but, unless God directs otherwise, I will be returning to DMC on February 2nd, 2009! I am looking forward to all that God is going to teach me while I am in AE, but I will miss those of you who cannot be there. "Home" just won't be the same without all of you there, too!

I am praying that all of you will continue to follow in our Saviour's footsteps and enthusiastically persevere with what He has chosen for you to do! God's blessings on your week!

I love you all so much!!!

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge himself from these,
he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,
and prepared unto every good work."
II Timothy 2:20-21

2008-12-14T15:30:00.001-08:00

Wow, where has the time gone...

Life has gotten crazy busy with December activities,

studying and work.

I am sure each of your lives is also getting busy as the days go on, but please remember, God needs to be your foucus. Never take your eyes off Him and all the other things will fall into place and you will have more contentment than you thought possible, and a greater peace than you can imagine.

This is the lesson God has been teaching me since I have been home. He, once again, is telling me to rest in Him and to remember that in Him alone I find completeness. He has also been challenging me to be completely wherever I am, whether at home or else where. That "no man putting his hand to the plow looks back" and to "take no thought for the morrow, sufficient to the day is the evil thereof."

My prayer for you is that you would live in today and look on only your beloved savior's face. That you would be completely wherever you are and remember that Jesus came as a servant and layed down His life for you, not only in death but in life... go and do likewise for Him...

A tree in the woods and snow on the grownd

2008-12-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

My dear friends, I know Ive posted before, but I felt that the Lord wanted me to let you know a little of what is going on recently in my life.

My mom had arm reconstruction sugary on Friday December 5th. she was in the hospital until Monday and was in a lot of pain. wile in the hospital we we struck with very bad news. the phone call was terrible. She began to cry, and handed the phone to me. I told him to tell me and he wouldn't, finally after the third time of saying "Tell me" he told me. My brother wants no relationship with our family. I hung up and for the first time in my life I had to take a walk for being so angry. I took the elevator downstairs and found myself running to the hospital chapel. I sat down and began to weep. Why God why is he doing this? I felt like my heart was ripped in two. after about ten min. I went outside. I was feeling claustrophobic and needed more space. Into the parking lot I went and found a large patch of grass with a small storage building on it. I walked straight to it and paced back and forth again asking why this was happening.

After about 20 min. I sat down and began weeping again. I found myself begging for God to hug me. I said Ill do anything if you just gave me one real tangible hug. I heard God tell me, you know I am hugging you, non of this is your fault. Ill take care of everything. I began to think about what Chrissy would pray on us at wisdom search about getting a smile from God. so I started to pray, God give me a smile from you :). As I looked up I began looking around at Gods creation, It was cold the trees were nearly bare the sky was clear with and occasional wispy cloud. I began to cry and tell God, you are a huge God, please give me something to hold on to and encourage me through the day. I then looked over in this small patch of woods. the trees had no tops (I figured from hurricane Katrina) few leaves and all. But my eye caught a single branch with leaves on it that bowed into almost a complete circle and another one coming up, closing the gap against the tree. I stared at it for a wile, and realized it was the shape of a half a heart!!! I could hear God telling me, I am Jehovah Rajah, don't worry, it will be whole again. I felt a overcoming peace come over me I cred and said Thank you God. then went into the hospital. I was got for over an hour, I found daddy looking for me, and together we went back upstairs. God will get us through this, he is all powerful.

today I ask you for prayer. Mom came home from the hospital on Monday and went back in on Wednesday. Wednesday morning she woke up around 11:00 am and was acting very strangely. I figured maybe I gave her, her pain meds too close together last night and she is just groggy. through the day it was getting steadily worse. she fought sleep wouldn't eat, I could not get her to lie down and she refused to listen to me. finnaly around 4:30 I pushed he back to get her to lie down and she said she couldn't do that because she couldn't breathe! I began to worry and called my pastor for what to do. He suggested calling her doctor. When I got in touch, the nurse told me she need to go to the hospital if she is having trouble breathing. I immediately called 911. there she could not walk, only stand up briefly. The fire department arrived first. One of the fellas I knew because Dustin worked with him. Troy asked what was going on and I explained it all to him. when the ambulance arrived we jumped in and were on the way to st. Tammany parish hospital, because that's were she had her surgery, but a few feet down the road I heard the paramedic say something to the driver and she called over the radio were changing to lakeview, it quicker. I started to worry, because I knew that meant she was getting worse.

In the hospital she became delusional, was non responsive to us, was looking all over and could not stop moving. they did multiple tests to find out what was going on. the took blood 4 different times did a spinal tap an x ray and a CAT scan. It was very scary to see her like this.
two ladies from Church shewed up and spent a wile there, as well as my pastor and his wife, Aaron and Laura, and Aaron's brother Jason and another young boy from church. I ran into Creg Cato who is a paramedic that goes to our church, and he went in to see momma too. I was a rough night. I spent the night and and didn't sleep because she didn't. I was afraid she might pull something out.

She is still there, and the doctors have done every test under the sun and given her antibiotics to cover anything they could think of that it might be. Daddy said it reminds him of an episode of House. The doctor even said don't be surprised if when this is over we still have no idea what it is. they said that the tests are pointing to things but none of them appear to be the actual cause. she had a rough night last night. In the past three days I slept only during the day when day picks me up in the morning to switch. He stays all day, I stay all night. slept about 5 hours yesterday was up almost 20 hours and slept today from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. and will be going back to the hospital shortly. she is more responsive now, and no longer delusional, but were afraid she could die.

yesterday morning I looked out the window and noticed it was raining. I then realized it was not rain but SNOW!!!!!!!!!! It hasn't ever snowed that much in south Louisisana!!!! we had anyware between 4 and 10 inches!!!!!!! it was such a wonderful smile from God. when daddy and I switched I went to a friends house for dinner and we had a snow ball fight and everything. Ive not seen snow since I was 12. and show that thick even longer! I was so greatful for Gods creation, and sharing it with me.

Anyway God bless, and I hope to see you all soon :)

Hello, dear friends!

2008-12-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

I am praying that all of you are doing well and are enjoying the time that you have to spend impacting the lives of family and friends! I love you all and I am so thankful to God for allowing me to have the privilege of getting to know each and every one of you!

A few weeks ago, I began working on a quilt. I had purchased the materials last fall, but hadn't had time to do anything with them until now. The quilt will be queen-sized in greens, creams, tans, and browns when I am finished with it. It is definitely a time consuming project, but I, personally, enjoy quilting and find it relaxing.

One day, as I was cutting out some of the squares for the quilt top, I remembered something that my mom had said to me during my last quilting project.

Why take such beautiful fabric and cut it all up into bits and pieces, when you'll only to have to sew it back together again?

My mother enjoys my quilting and, of course, she knows why! As I was smiling to myself while I thought about her comment, all of the sudden, it dawned on me! This was just like Chrissy's glass figurine illustration! In order to make a quilt, it is necessary to take beautiful fabric and "destroy" it by cutting it apart. Then, and only then, do you have the ability to put together those pieces in an attractive pattern. Each homemade quilt is unique and tells a special story that is like no other. As heirlooms, they become priceless treasures. Their real beauty comes through those "worthless" pieces of cloth. As Chrissy has often encouraged us, let the pieces of your life be a continual reminder to you that God is working to make you into an heirloom that will reflect the wisdom and investment of your Designer and will one day cause others to marvel at the beauty that God can make out of the pieces that we surrender to His care.

Since returning home, my mother encouraged me to undertake the task of teaching two of my younger brothers, Isaac and Levi (ages 8 & 6), to play the recorder and to learn to read music. I willingly agreed, looking forward to the opportunity to spend time with my brothers while teaching them something constructive. They are eager learners, and we are all enjoying the experience. It is not uncommon for all three of us to be heard laughing hysterically at the silliest little thing. :) Our three year old brother, Ethan, would join us, too, if his fingers would cooperate by staying on the holes where he put them! Spending time more one on one with Isaac and Levi reminded me of something that Jesus said to his disciples.

"At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying,
Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him,
and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted,
and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child,
the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name
receiveth me."
Matthew 18:1-5

Since right now my main area of ministry is to my own family at home, it can be easy to get a little discouraged with the day to day activities- not that they are a problem, just that it seems like not much is getting accomplished. This passage has been a good reminder to me that the little things that I do and the quality time that I spend with my little brothers has eternal value and is extremely important to my Heavenly Father. Every minuscule task can be turned in to a labor of love and every child helped can be done as a service for my Lord Jesus Christ. By conforming our attitudes to Christ's, drudgery turns into delight and "a waste of valuable time" becomes "time wisely spent."

May the Lord bless you and keep you, and give you a smile and a hug that you can carry with you all throughout the week!!

HI

2008-12-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it's my turn to write about whats been going on in my life =) It is so hard to believe that its been over a month since we've come home. In that time I haven't had much time to slow down and relax =) Right after I got back from Excel, I was home for a day and then my family headed up to Montana to spend Thanksgiving with my Mom's family. It was lots of fun spending the day with relatives, playing games and eating lots of food =) I also really enjoyed getting to know my 2 little cousins that I'd never met before!

Me and one of my new little cousins

On the way up we even got to see quite a bit of snow which was exciting since I haven't seen any for almost 12 years!! Also we were able to stop at the Bible school which my Dad really wants my sister and I to go to. I really enjoyed it, but need prayer if that's where the Lord wants me to go.

Some of the snow we saw!!

Well I guess that's all for now. Till next time!

Crappp!

2008-12-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well of all people it had to be me! Well I'm sorry, but I have had a crazy week! I am presently babysitting my two little nephews, and they honestly have been driving me crazy!

Other then that, I am kinda fine, some conflicts have risen upon my arrival and with that a few tears. My foot is the same as usual. I have an appointment on the 14th for an MRI, which is a huge praise, because it could have taken a lot longer to get one :) Now I have started reviewing my book and started pitching in some new ideas which I am excited about! Readjusting to different mentalities is kinda tricky. It's hard but it's life! It seen I had forgotten how sometimes the world could be so unfair... it is a reality that struck me upon the very arrival home.

With Christmas coming, I'm sure that a lot of exciting things will happen! I can't wait for our family reunions which are both exhausting and a ton of fun! God is good! He has given me wonderful friends and a great character building family!

Love all of you!

Good afternoon girls!

2008-12-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Three days ago...... I surveyed the horizon as the battle raged on. We were completely surrounded. The sound of crashing steel rang though the air broken only by the thud of the catapult and the cries of pain. We were fighting valiantly, but there were too many of the enemy, and not near enough of us. Numbers may not always win battles, but they certainly appeared to be this time. The worse part of it all... was that most of the enemy wasn't even fighting! They were just looking on from the tree line, waiting to sweep in and finish off whatever their comrades didn't.

From where I stood, it appeared that we had two options. We could die fighting, or we could surrender and live once again under wretched tyranny. Neither outcome seemed very appealing to me, but I couldn't see any other recourse. I knew that the High King had sent his sister for help, but that had been quite some time ago and I didn't think that we could rely on being rescued at this point.

Ku-THUD! I turned around to see what the crash was. Oh-no! They were attacking the How it was crumbling under the battery! That meant our backs were literally against the wall. No hope of escape was left. I looked toward the High King to see how we were to proceed. But he too, looked as though he felt the situation was beyond redemption...

~Miles away....

Thump- Thump- Thump We urged the horse faster! We had to get there in time to save them! The enemy solider behind us was gaining fast and the horse was getting tired. If we couldn't get through, then the others would be lost! Suddenly, we realized that there was a third person in the forest, and they too were gaining fast. All I could see was a flash of golden fur between the trees. Then, it jumped in front of us and stopped..... it was a Lion. With a mighty roar he leaped over us and attacked the enemy solider. We were safe!

Six weeks prior......

"Just when it looks like there's a horrible A and a worse B, God shows up and gives us an amazing C." ~Lauren B.

About that time I wanted that amazing C pretty badly, in fact, I was begging God for a C. The thing was, I knew what C I wanted too. And in the last three weeks since I've been home, God has given me part of that C. It wasn't quite the C that I thought He should give me, but it was definitely better than the A or the B. And I know for a fact, that He gave me the right C, because He doesn't make mistakes.This is how my God works. He's far bigger than my circumstances, and He delights to show me all the ways that He can take care of my problems better than I can!

Okay, so three days ago I wasn't exactly in the middle of a battlefield. I was actually in the kid's section of Mardels watching the newly released Prince Caspian whilst sitting, not on a magnificent steed with Queen Lucy, but rather on a very small purple bench. But hey! To someone with an imagination like mine... I was there! Fighting alongside my fellow Narnians. :)

(Along that note, I don't recommend watching a Narnia movie with me, it's usually interrupted by things like 'No!' and 'You rat!' or 'Yeah Peter! Go Edmund' and 'Huzzah!'. I can control myself, but usually choose not to! :P)

Oh and if you haven't seen Prince Caspian yet, you'll have to do so, so that you can find out what happens! :)

Anyway, as I was watching this battle unfold, I thought of the correlation to what Lauren had said to me six weeks ago. When all is almost lost, God can come in and show Himself strong on behalf of His people. Just like Aslan did for the Narnians. Then He receives all the honor and the glory. What I'd like to challenge you with is do you trust Him enough to rescue you? Will you step back and let Him give you His perfect C option... or are you happy with trying to fix your horrible A or worse B?

Will you let your Lion of Judah defeat your problem with His mighty power and echoing roar? I hope so, because it sure is an amazing thing to see!

Love you all, miss you tons! I'm praying for you!

Love and blessings,

~Alaina

...that was close

2008-12-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, haha, I seriously almost forgot that it was my turn to blog! I have been looking forward to it for the last two weeks, but somehow it nearly passed me by. That would have been very excel-ish to forget... (can we get projects if we're late, Chrissy? :P)

Oh yes, and just as warning... there are two things that I pretty much always do when I write something online, so I just want you to be prepared.
numbero uno is the dots.... I just.... I don't know... do lots of the dot, dot, dot's.
and numbero dos.... to make smiley faces easier, I often omit the the little :'s and just make my smiley faces in the following way:
)))))))))))))))
It's pretty fun to do)))
So yes. Those are my two vices when it comes to blogging.

Ok, moving on. Life after EXCEL has been different, but I almost feel like I never left home... it's been mundane, but not insignificant. It's one of those in-between, where-do-I-go-from-here chapters in my life. I keep talking to myself, talking to God about what I am supposed to do now, and sGod really challenged me at EXCEL to be a person who cares about those around me. It was easy at EXCEL, because when you're living with 60 girls, someone is always hurting... they're always someone to help... but now that I'm back home... I feel like God is asking me again to be about other people, but now it's more of a challenge, because I can't just sit around and wait for an opportunity to come to me. But now, I have to read people (mwahah, yay for psycho-analyzing people without them knowing it.... but hey, if they get a free hug, they'll be thankful), or call people up, or sit and talk to people when I know I'm tired or have school to catch up on. So yea... that's one thing God's been asking me to do.... be more proactive about serving people. I think there's a verse somewhere about people hiding their eyes from the needy.. sometimes I realize I'm one of those people hiding their eyes... or maybe just too lazy to open my eyes in the first place....

There are a million things that I could probably ramble about all night, but I just want to mention a couple more things....

Last week the most awesome thing ever happened.
I have been thinking for a long time that I want to hear God's voice. So last Monday, out of no where a thought came to my head (I don't know where it came from...) and I wondered... would I rather hear God's voice or get my dream camera and a bmx bike (two things that I have been wanting for a really, really long time). It may sound shallow, but it really took a lot of thinking. So after a while I decided that I'd rather hear God's voice, and pretty much decided that unless they dropped in my lap, I wasn't going to worry about getting the bmx bike or camera that I have been wanting and gave those up to God. The next day, my Mom and I were shopping, and my Mom said that we should check Sears for cameras. I basically said, "Ok, but Sears never has any good deals." We went in, and it so happens that the new Canon models are coming in, so the old ones are on sale. They had my dream camera, a Canon Xti (which was originally $700) for $450. I was pretty interested, so we asked the sales guy some questions and it turned out that they only had one left, the display. Because it was the display, I got 10% off, and ended up paying $400.
It's situations like this that make me feel so stupid for not always being willing to let God be in control. It's like.... OH NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE BLESSED! I'M HAPPY WITH SECOND BEST. I'm just so happy to be cramped up in a dirty basement instead of staying at the Hyatt hotel that has the elevator that goes up to the 28th floor (hehe).

I wonder what would have happened if I decided that God's voice was less important than a couple of toys.. I'm guess that I wouldn't have my camera. :)

Wow, this got long!
Anyway, I love you all so much.... I can't wait to read all of your blog entries!!!!

a wonderful 2 weeks served :)

2008-11-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

wow, I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since we've all been together! We just finished our missions conference and had a blast. I was not sure what to post, so I thought I just tell yall what Ive done.

Some of the things we learned were so amazing! The man who preached every night was Bro. Bud Lanson. he was very good. He preached on some of the passages of scripture that we memorized at excel. I was excited to see some of the verses I memorized broken apart into a broader meaning.

On Sunday afternoon, we prayed over two young people in our church who surrendered to be missionaries, a young lady about 10 believes God has called her to the Navajo Indians and another young man about 12 to Ecuador! God loves to work in young peoples hearts doesn't he. we are all ready planing next year!

God has been has been giving me many tests since arriving at home, I guess he wants me to see if I remember to apply the things Ive learned under pressure :). It seems that God wants to make sure I don't forget. Its such a blessing, to be able to apply the things Ive learned. Even when it gets discouraging.

Before going I have a prayer request for you. Laura Baker had a misscarage, yesterday, Sunday afternoon. please pray for her recovery and a special blessing for she and Aaron. Thanks.

2008-11-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

Can I post? Please, please, please?

Will you Love Jesus More??

2008-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

I feel quite sure if I did my best
I could maybe impress you
with tender words and a harmony
a cleaver rhyme or two
but if all I've done in the time we've shared
is turn your eyes on me
then I've failed at what I've been called to do
there is someone else I want you to see

Will you love Jesus more
when we go our different ways
when this moment is a memory
will you remember His face
Will you look back and realize
you sensed his love more than you did before
I'd pray for nothing less
than for you to love Jesus more

I'd like to keep these memories
in frames of gold and silver
and reminisce a year from now
about the smiles we've shared
but above all else I hope you will come
to know the father's love
when you see the Lord face to face
you'll hear Him say "well done"