Hello September!

Can you believe that fall is almost here? The nights are getting cooler and leaves are on the cusp of change - autumn here we come!

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I am currently studying Bible Hermeneutics (the art and science of interpreting the Bible). It is fascinating stuff. We just finished lessons on the history of the Bible. Did you know how many people gave their lives so that we could have access to a Bible that we could easily read? It really makes me appreciate that my Bible is not simply another book - it is my lifeline. I think that I will detail that information here later, it is definitely worth sharing.

Alice

Today, we said goodbye to a dear friend. Alice's 95th birthday was Tuesday, and in the very early morning of that day, nearly the hour of her birth, God took her home to be with Him for eternity. It was her deepest wish to be with her Lord, and to go on her birthday must have brought her great joy.

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Alice was a diminutive, white haired woman with a huge smile and sparkling eyes. She may have appeared small and a bit frail, but spiritually she was a giant. Whoever coined the term "prayer warrior" must have known her, because the name fit her perfectly. If the church doors were open, she was there. She lived and loved to serve. Her funeral service today was bittersweet. All of us who loved her will miss her, but anyone who spent more than 30 seconds with her knew where her hope and treasure were, and we rejoiced for her because of it.

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Many happy memories were shared today of a woman who completed her race in such a way that she set an example for her many friends.

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Happy Birthday, Alice!

Stories from Atlanta

Finally got all of my school work caught up from last week! That was a challenge!
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So much happened in Atlanta last week, it was an amazing experience. As I shared before, Monday was spent in the city, working with the homeless. Coming from a rural area, homelessness like we saw in Atlanta is completely outside of our realm of experience. I was so impressed with the members of our youth group, who gladly chatted with the men and shared the Good News with them.

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Two of our days were spent at an apartment complex outside of the city. Nestled in a suburban area, back a little road, and you were deposited into an entirely different world. You see, this complex is entirely populated by refugees from 19 different countries - the most war torn areas of the world. The children mobbed us! Some of the kids did not speak English, but all of them knew the language of play. Our job was to spend time playing with the children and getting to know them. What a joy that was! It was completely impossible to tire those kids out, and a few of them actually climbed on the bus with us. When we lovingly removed them from the bus, they stood on the back bumper determined that they were not going to lose us. It was heart wrenching leaving that place as the kids ran alongside us, waving and asking us to come back. I'll not easily forget the time we spent there.

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The apartments and their occupants are served by a wonderful man of God, Mr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett is a missionary from Nigeria. His deepest desire is to see souls won for Christ. Talking to him was absolutely amazing! He had such insight into the plight of these refugees and had such love for these kids and their parents.

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More to follow tomorrow.

Mission Atlanta 2010

Well, we made it home to Pennsylvania yesterday! I had no Internet access (other than the few hours I camped out at Starbucks), so I have lots of stories from Atlanta ready to go for this week. I'll post them throughout the week. God blessed our youth group abundantly! The whole week was amazing.

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To start off the week, I thought I would post a quick slideshow with some of the pictures from our mission trip.

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Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Now for a story from Monday:

We navigated the treacherous seven lane highway into Atlanta and reached SafeHouse, a kind of drop in center for the homeless. There, we prepared and served a free pancake and coffee brunch and spent time getting to know our guests. The men that came for the meal were very friendly and loved getting to visit with the teens. After the meal and clean up were complete, we walked to a park in the city to eat our lunch. The kids and leaders were eager to share their lunches with the homeless in the park, but were dismayed to find that there was a fine for doing so. As we talked with the people we met, we shared our hope in Jesus Christ with them. It was so exciting to see some of our kids share their faith for the very first time!

A Smorgasbord of Thoughts

Greetings from South Carolina!
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Smorgasbord of thoughts sounds much better than "A Jumble of Things Rattling Around in My Head", doesn't it?
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Today started early and involved a lot of traveling. Around 10 hours on the road and two or so distributed between meals and pit stops.
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Since I have the apparently rare ability to read in a moving vehicle, I put my travel time to good use. I started and finished the book "To Save A Life", which was adapted from the movie soon to be released on DVD. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It's absolutely excellent and here is a trailer for the movie:

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I also am halfway through The Life You Always Wanted by John Ortberg and I am loving it. If only I had not misread the syllabus and started the incorrect book. Unfortunately, Mr. Ortberg's fine book will be laid aside while I catch up on this week's book, Ordering Your Private Life. Rats. Reading instructions was never my strong suit. Oh well, we still have at least two hours driving time tomorrow.

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Excitement is abounding for this week! I just cannot wait to see what God has in store for our gang! We have an awesome God, so I'm expecting an awesome week!

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Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to share the Word!

As the deer. . .

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1 NIV

This verse was on my mind as we waded along the creek bed this weekend. It's been hot. Really, really hot. And dry. The creek we enjoyed has been known to spectacularly flood during especially rainy times, but for now, it is very shallow - barely ankle deep in spots. During drier spells, when water sources on higher ground become undependable, creatures draw near to life giving water ways that do not easily give out. Deer are especially beautiful, and are often seen in the evenings as they venture into fields to graze and to streams to drink. Their red brown coats gleam in the setting summer sun as they gracefully weave in and out of the tree line.

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A deer does not need a weather report to tell it that the weather is miserably hot. It probably doesn't read the newspaper either, so it didn't see the headlines bemoaning the low level of our water ways. It knows simply that it needs hydration to live and where to go to find nourishment. Psalm 42:1 describes our very souls panting for God as a deer pants for water. Our souls need God, in fact they were created to be connected to Him. When we neglect to spend time with our Creator, our souls cry out for Him. I'm so thankful that, like the deer, we can go to the Lord and He will meet our needs and give us life!

Sometimes, God Speaks Greyhound

I want to be very honest here - I am NOT a big fan of change. I like to be in control. Experiencing a panic attack was terrifying - I was definitely not in control. It required change, again not a fan. My response to this happening was completely mature and rational. I pouted. And pouted. And pouted. Also, I whined. And cried. I didn't want this. I didn't understand where God was in this. I prayed (but mostly I just whined at God and called it praying).

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One night recently, I was laying on our couch, trying to nap, but mostly just complaining to God, that I just didn't feel very close to Him. It was quite the pity party. No sooner did I pray that, I felt one of the dogs climbing up beside me. I braced myself for Runner's boneless 70 pounds of deadweight to flop down on top of me. When that didn't come, I looked over to see Midnite, ever so gently curling up beside my legs. Just to explain, Midnite does not cuddle. She is affectionate, but she wants at least half the couch or nothing, and you must not touch her or she huffs in exasperation and gets up. But, right there for the first time ever, Midnite voluntarily snuggled down with me.

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Four years ago, we decided to adopt a greyhound. We had visited with some of the already adopted dogs and promptly submitted an application. Shortly thereafter, we were matched with a small female recently retired from racing in Florida. The kids were so excited to go pick up our dog. We went through the fenced in yard and were greeted eagerly by three other dogs, while Midnite slunk in the background. Despite our best efforts, she hid behind the other dogs and spurned our attempts at getting acquainted. There were reservations because of her spookiness and a household with kids, but we decided to go ahead with a two week trial period. During that test run, we discovered to Midnite was terrified of everything and everyone. We walked her with a harness and a collar lest she panic and slip out of one or the other. When she wasn't scared out of her mind, she was depressed, lying in a far corner, curled up in a tiny ball, pretending we didn't exist. She almost didn't stay. Somewhere along the line, she decided that she trusted us. Midnite became the sweetest, quirkiest, smartest dog we could have ever imagined. I had forgotten the skinny, shy, scaredy hound we brought home.

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When Midnite curled up with me as I was grousing at God for seeming far away, I was reminded that not long ago, the pup curled up at my feet was a lot like me. The only difference was, she trusted us. Did I trust Him?

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Yes.

Did Anyone Get That License Plate Number?

Can I just say that right now, I am not happy.

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I'm in a bit of a snit actually.

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I feel like I've been broadsided by a big ole truck that I didn't see coming and I'm struggling to peel myself off of the pavement. For some reason, my world became a very scary place overnight. I went from being in the driver's seat to clinging for dear life to the back bumper. I know that soon, I will gradually crawl back up over the car and regain control of the wheel (preferably Chuck Norris style).

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Everything around me carries on as normal. I'm doing my best and praying that God will take care of the rest. I'm so thankful that even when I cry out to Him and don't have the right words to say, He already knows what is going on and He is right here beside me.

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Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31 NIV

Chiaroscuro

My word of the day is:

Chiaroscuro - Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ros
Etymology: Italian, from chiaro clear, light + oscuro obscure, dark
Date: 1686
1 : pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color 2 a : the arrangement or treatment of light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art b : the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities (as of mood or character) 3 : a 16th century woodcut technique involving the use of several blocks to print different tones of the same color; also : a print made by this technique 4 : the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface 5 : the quality of being veiled or partly in shadow

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I'm most certainly not an artist, I picked this word up at an drumline competition last year, where one of the bands used this as the theme of their presentation. Chiaroscuro, as they portrayed it, was the stark contrast between light and darkness.

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This week, that word took on new meaning for me. Darkness and Light are intertwining themes throughout scripture.

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"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

John 1:1-5 NIV

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When we accept Jesus, we become lanterns in a world engulfed in darkness. The flame isn't ours, it's borrowed, but it reflects brightly when we actively seek out the source of our light. Recently, I learned an important lesson. Darkness isn't passive. Spiritual darkness is insidious, it creeps into unlit corners and leaps to take advantage of any given opportunity. Christians are charged with being the light of the world, and that doesn't happen if we let ourselves become apathetic in our faith. A dim lamp leaves a lot of room for shadows. For instance, have you ever spent time reading at the end of the day when the sun is setting? At first, you have plenty of light. Then, engrossed in your book, you become oblivious to the fact that you are squinting at the page. Finally, you look up from the page and wonder when it became so dark. Kind of like what happens when we become distracted in our Christian walk? Everything is going fine, then we get wrapped up in other facets of living and soon we wonder when all of the junk crept into our lives.

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Remember Chiaroscuro. The contrast between light and dark. Keep your light shining bright!
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On a side note, E-mom generously invited me to write a guest post, so if you visit Chrysalis, you can read my review of the book One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda.

What God Requires

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Today, I am thinking a bit about my favorite Bible verse. In our Sunday school class we are studying William Wilberforce and what it means to be a world changer. The class is inspiring and I do believe that God can use us all to be world changers if we submit to His will. World changing sounds like hard work to me. It seems overwhelming if you think about it. But you know what, Micah 6:8 brings me much peace. God requires us to be just, love mercy and walk humbly by His side.

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You know what?

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Done diligently, it just might change the world!

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Isn't God awesome?

Prescription for a Bad Day

(simply because this picture makes me smile!)

Today knocked me down, kicked me a few times and stole my lunch money. That’s how it felt anyway. The day began dramatically with a clap of thunder and a bit of lightening, but I pulled myself out of bed and got ready for work and had hope that today would be filled with sunshine and rainbows.

That, my friends, did not happen.

Today was filled with uncertainty, irritation and stress. Lots of stress. Not sure- did I mention the stress? By the end of the day I was a mess, just wrung out and used up. Once dinner was in the oven, I had a bit of time to reflect on my somewhat disastrous day (okay, so disastrous might be a tad too dramatic). I tried to figure out where I went wrong today. Where could I have spoke or acted differently that would have changed the today’s course? Was there anything I could have done? Maybe, maybe not. Some days are just those kind of days.

It’s funny, though, as I sit here this evening writing this post, dreading what might be round two tomorrow, an old Sunday school song has lodged itself between my ears. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice, which is, of course, taken from Philippians 4:4. Having this particular song stuck on repeat prompted me to take a closer look at this particular verse, and the verses surrounding it.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

Wow. As it turns out, the early Christians were apparently pretty familiar with bad days. I’m sure that their opinion of a bad day and my opinion of a bad day were vastly different. I’ve been known to pitch a fit if I put a hole in my nylons. They were risking persecution, imprisonment and even death. Paul was very familiar with those dangers. He spent time before his conversion being the persecutor and after, being the persecuted. Yet, as he closes his letter to his brothers and sisters in Christ, he gives them some very solid advice. Rejoice. God has your back. God is big. Huge. Immense. Unfathomable. And He has it all under control. Rejoice.

Consider the Cross

Tonight I took part in a Good Friday service which was a joint venture between three area churches.
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Our church features a wooden cross hung on the wall directly behind the pulpit. On Ash Wednesday, the cross was draped with purple, today it was changed to black and Sunday it will be covered in victorious white. I imagine our church is not uncommon in this observation.
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As we prepared to go to this evening's service, I thought about the cross. A lot. Growing up, I always felt confused about Easter. Christmas was easy to revel in. Babies are blessings. Baby Jesus brought such joy to the world, God sent His son to save us from our sins! Rejoicing at Christmas seemed natural. Easter, for me at least, was harder. I remember, as a child, sitting in a service at Easter, and hearing the crucifixion account described very graphically. I was horrified. Somehow, up until that point, I had managed to trick myself into believing that Jesus, being the Son of God, was somehow exempt from feeling pain and suffering. That delusion ended dramatically that day.
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For a very long time after that particular service, I alternated between feeling overwhelming guilt and shame when I thought about the cross or trying very hard to avoid dwelling on the subject altogether. I'm not proud of the way I felt, but I'm just being real. The guilt was terrible. I felt so ashamed of the fact my Savior had to go through such a horrible death for little, insignificant me, who despite all He did for me, still couldn't get her act together. Completely missing the fact, by the way, that there was nothing I could ever do to earn what Jesus did for me that day on Calvary. I got that He loved me, I was just missing the fact that He LOVES me!
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It took time for me to grasp the fact that what He did for us was a gift. Gifts aren't earned - they are given. This gift wasn't given begrudgingly, or with strings attached. This gift was given with great love and unmeasurable grace.
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Think of it this way. If I scraped together every available resource I had to buy someone I love a gift, would I want them to feel guilty every time they looked at it? No. Would I want them to feel unworthy? No. Would I want them to avoid the gift every time they thought about it? NO!
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I would want them to take joy it that gift. I would want them cling to that gift. I would want them to think of my love for them every time they saw it, thought about it or used it. And if I, flawed as I am, feel that way, how much more so must Jesus feel that way about us?
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I hope, as Easter quickly approaches, you take some time to consider His gift to us that day long ago on the cross.

Success vs. Failure

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Please hit play and then read this post.

Bossy, aren't I?

I continue to consider and dream about what God's plans might be for the future, and one nagging thought continues to bother me. What if I fail? What if I go out on faith and end up flat on my face? What if I? Hold on a second, just who is this about anyway? Not me, that's for sure! It's about Him, not about me. If I write to glorify Him and not a single soul reads it, that's not failure. If I'm never asked to speak publicly, but am willing to share my faith to even a few, that's a success!

God's definition of success and failure is different than our definition of success and failure. We want to succeed because it makes us feel good. We avoid failure because it feels bad. Success equals greater and failure equals less. God sees it much differently.

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. Matthew 18:12-14 NIV

A human shepherd would probably march home with 99 sheep and look at it as a successful grazing trip. Sure, he lost one, but he brought home 99, because his focus is on his personal success. I'm so thankful that our Heavenly Father doesn't gauge success and failure in the same way we do.

Anything we do wholeheartedly for the Lord is a success, even if the results seem modest to our eyes, the trick is we need to make sure that our focus is clearly on Him and not on us!

Dreaming

This morning, I came across this post on Lysa TerKeurst's blog at Proverbs 31 Ministries. It hit home in a big way. This is a subject I've been praying about for awhile now.

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I have big dreams. I have held them close for a long time, only recently beginning to put words to them and dare to hope that my dreams might be more than just flights of fancy.

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Ever since I was in elementary school, I have dreamed about writing a book. As I grew up, that dream changed a bit from wanting to write the great American novel and become famous and fabulously wealthy, to wanting to write to glorify God. Last year, my dream expanded to wanting to speak and encourage women in the church.

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For many months, I've prayed about my dreams, trying to discern whether this desire comes from a selfish ego or a true desire to serve the Lord. I'm still praying and hoping that God will send opportunities so that the way will be clear. Waiting is hard, though. I try hard to remember:

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But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

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For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Awesome promises from an awesome God! I'm going to continue to seek His will for me and my dreams. I pray that you dream big dreams to serve Him, too!

The Best Laid Plans

Remember that Chonda Pierce concert I was looking forward to?
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The one that was supposed to be last Saturday evening?
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The one that I had 47 women signed up to go to?
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Yeah, that one.
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Turns out a wicked winter storm can thwart the best of plans. On the good side, the concert has been postponed to May. And Chonda is worth waiting for.
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Its funny how plans get changed. Once the show was moved, my focus slid to the Ladies Bible study I was planning for this summer. Just like last year, one study in particular kept coming to my attention - Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst. I'll post more about the upcoming Bible study very soon - once I feel a bit more organized.

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Among the plans for this year is a ladies' retreat scheduled for November 12-14, right now the preparation seems immense, but I know who is really in charge and He's big enough to handle it. The theme for the retreat is Leaving the Masquerade: Getting Real and Living an Authentic Life for Christ. There will be more on that to come, too.

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I'm afraid this post has been a bit all over the place. There is a matter that I would like to ask for prayer about. Last February I had an opportunity to speak at a Ladies prayer breakfast. In that moment, I felt certain that speaking is something that God would have me to do. I have been praying since then, and asking for His direction and asking that if this is not His will that the desire to speak leave me. It has not left. I have no idea how to, or whether to, proceed. Your prayer would be very much appreciated.

God Sings!

Zephaniah 3:17 (New King James Version)
The LORD your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

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This verse is on my mind today, so I thought that I would share it. What a wonderful feeling to know that the One who created the universe and all that is within it, the One who breathes stars into being, the One who construced Mount Everest and the amoeba, rejoices over us with gladness and singing!

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Have a terrific day!

Reaching the Oasis

Sorry I've been a bit remiss is my posting lately.
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This weekend, we held our annual winter youth retreat. I love time spent with our youth - they are, quite simply, awesome kids. It had been a busy week, but busy weeks are pretty common for us, so I was not sure I had the energy for late nights, hard beds and a packed schedule. Ready or not, I left work on Friday and joined the group bound for winter camp.

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Chapel was inspiring, worship was beautiful and game time was a hoot! There is so much more I could say about each one of these, and I'm not doing justice to those activities or to the work that went into them, but I so want to tell you about something else that happened this weekend.

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Something that made me want to build a monument by the Jordan River (see Joshua 4), so that I would never forget the precious time that God supplied me with this weekend.

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Saturday's activity was sledding. Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be), the deep freeze that has gripped Pennsylvania lifted this weekend and our snow has melted for the most part, and the plans had to be re-routed. The kids went tubing at a local ski resort instead. I like snow, but I hate being cold, so I, and another leader, stayed behind at the camp. Several folks from our church came to camp to cook for our crew, and I figured I could read a book and relax a little. Shortly after the kids set out on their adventure, the remaining adults gathered in the common room and began an impromptu Bible study which led to the best discussion I have had in years. YEARS! There I sat, in a room full of fellow Christians, all of them deep-rooted in their faith. The fellowship was so sweet, I didn't want it to end.

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It occurred to me that sometimes our Christian life feels a bit like a long journey through a desert. We live our lives in an environment that is hostile to our beliefs. We go to church, read our Bibles and pray, and that keeps enough water in our canteens to get us through. Yesterday was like reaching an oasis. I came away full and overflowing.

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He is so good!

My Mission Trip

Hi everybody! It's me, Rachel. My mom wanted me to write about my mission trip to Dallas. Well, here it goes.

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As some of you might know, this was my first time flying. I found it was just like riding in a car... only 3,200 feet in the air.

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Because of some of the flight delays, we didn't do much the first day. So I'll just skip to Day 2. We started making posters and working on skits for the VBS we were going to do on Days 3 and 4. In the afternoon, we went out and racked a couple widows lawns. However, my MIG (that was my mission group) went out and picked up trash along the curb. Then we went back to the white house (that was where we stayed) and had dinner and a church session.

Day 3 was the first day of VBS. WE got somewhere between 15-20 kids the first day. Some of the leaders where expecting a few more than that. You see, this church has so many outreaches, some thought it was a church with a couple thousand people in it. It turns out the maximum occupancy is 216 and the 60 people from our group took up about a third of the congregation that Sunday. But the kids that were there seemed to have a lot of fun. After the three hour program, we went back to the white house and had lunch. We went and cleaned up some yards again and then got showers.

I'm going to take a quick break and tell you about the house we stayed at. There were two bathrooms for 60 people. We had 20-30 minutes to get ready for bed. That did not work so well, but we managed. For showers we went to the "Clothing Closet" which had about 20 showers in it. They hadn't opened it to the public, but the purpose of it was for the homeless. They could get a shower then get a new set of clothes. We were the first people to use it. OK, back to the trip itself.

On Day 4, we continued with our VBS. We had a couple more kids that day. In the afternoon, we did more service projects. We cleaned up a yard that had a ton of leaves in it. As Day 4 was New Years Eve, we stayed up and went to Parks Manor. This is a local nursing home. we went and visited with the residents there. We then went back to the white house and had a little party.

On the fifth day of the trip, we met a woman named Judy. She had once owned the most popular club in that part of Dallas. There would be hundreds of people on her corner. Some where prostitutes, drug dealers, and others that were up to no good. In January of 2009, she became a Christian and she shut down her club. Well, when she had some money, she paid someone to paint her house blue and green. It was at that point pitch black. Long story short, the man ran away with her money. So that is what I did for Day 5 and Day 6.

Day 7 was our last day so we all said our goodbyes. We went to the airport in two shifts. The first shift was, if you left before 1 pm, you left for the airport at 2:30 am. The second shift was the one I went with. It had everyone that was left. We had to be at the airport at 6:00 am. So sitting in an airport for about eleven hours is a fairly long time.

Anyway, just a little side note before I finish up, everyday we had PB&J sandwiches. I have to say, I don't think I will have another for the next couple months. I hope everyone enjoyed this post. If you have any questions about anything we did down there or just the trip in general, you can leave it as a comment and I can answer it. Bye!

2009, I hardly knew ye.

Wow. 2009 is over - already! Where did the time go? I've been blogging for an entire year!

Last year I wrote a contemplative post, listing the highlights from the past year as well as things I wished I had done better. I'm not going to do that this year. 2009, was, in many ways a very difficult year for me. I struggled through some trying times, but if I had to do it over again, I would not have done it differently. I grew a lot this year, I learned a lot this year and God is still working on me!

So, instead of looking back, I want to look forward to 2010. My goal for this year is simple - deepen my relationship with God and get on board with His plans for me. Part of that plan will be, I believe, coordinating women's ministry opportunities at our church. A retreat is in the works for November 2010, and hopefully another women's Bible study. For some time now, I have been feeling a strong desire to speak to women about God's abiding love for us and our need to support and encourage one another within the church (Titus 2). That will continue to be a matter of prayer for me as I seek the Lord's direction.

Welcome to April in January 2010!

Leaving on a jet plane

This morning was a first for my family. We left our rural surroundings, drove to the big city, went to an airport and put our daughter on a plane. This probably seems like small potatoes for most people, but given the fact that neither my husband nor I had ever set foot in an airport before, let alone an airplane, this was a huge leap of faith for us.

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Our daughter and two friends are presently on a holiday mission trip with Global Expeditions. The three girls arrived at their destination safely, very excited for the week to come. Next week, I intend to turn this blog over to my daughter so that she can share her experiences (and hopefully pictures, too) here.

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As a side note, I need to tell a story that happened when she was about four years old. We were celebrating a family birthday party in our dining room. At some point when we were eating cake and ice cream together, she climbed halfway up the stairs in order to address us. "People!", she shouted, "I'm here to tell you about the GOOD NEWS!" She proceeded to give us a mini sermon telling us about the love of Jesus Christ.
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We should have known then that we would one day be putting her on a plane for this very purpose.