Dad's Home!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.
We've been really busy with VBS at church.
It was a great week...
I worked with the 2s, 3s, & 4 year olds,
did registration, and was in the puppet ministry.

Thursday, some friends took us to VBS
and mom left to go to the airport to pick up dad!
We've been planning on him coming home for some time now
and it was so exciting to have that day actually here!
The younger children didn't know he was even coming,
so it was a nice surprise for them when he walked in
with mom to pick us up from VBS.
It was such a wonderful reunion...





He's only going to be here for a little while,
but I know I'm going to enjoy every minute!
He also brought us some gifts.
Mine was a porcelain doll from Germany...



It was so wonderful eating as a family again!



Today, he and I went grocery shopping together.
It was a great father/daughter time!
I'm so thankful that he was able to come home!

Dreams Must Die

I find it interesting
that the Lord
has given almost
every young lady
the desire
to be married.
This is a good desire -
a God-given desire.


All the same, marriage is not our ultimate goal.
A husband is not what will make us happy,
and marriage is not what will bring fulfilment in life.

Even young girls of today seem to think that
a boyfriend is what will make them happy.
That a boyfriend will fill the 'missing spot' in their
lives that we so often feel, too.
When we have these unfulfilled longings in our lives,
we often look in the wrong places for help.
Thus, we can spend our entire lives attempting
to have our desires met...
But we'll never be rid of that 'something missing'.
Jesus is the only One who can fill that void in our hearts.
It's sad, but God's thinking and the world's are completely opposite.

As single young ladies, it's important to realize
that a husband won't make us happy.
Nor is marriage a right that God is "suppose" to give us.
It's a gift.
Our purpose in marriage must not be to get, but rather to give.
And while we're on earth, we'll always experience unfulfilled longings.
God intends for these 'longings' to draw us to Himself.
He knows that He's the only One who can satisfy
and complete our hearts.
I find it amazing how patient God is, to wait for us to turn to Him.
He never gives up because of His love for us.
He wants us to know and experience the reality that He is enough.

And surrender is a daily part of the Christian life.
Jesus said to ..."pick up your cross and follow me."
Every day it is important to crucify our dreams and desires,
so that His will and His best will be done.
The Lord will quickly ask us to surrender any possesion, friendship,
interest, career, or dream that begins to take priority.
Sometimes He gives them back, sometimes He doesn't.
His will is infinately better than our dreams.

I like what Sarah Mally says in her book that read:
"If you were asked to die for your faith,
would you be willing to lay your life down?...
I assumed most of us would say we'd be willing to die for Christ,
but it's sad that we're not so willing to live for Christ, ...
Oftimes we're quick to say we'll surrender in the big things...
but when it comes to the little, daily things,
like surrendering friendships, forgiving a neighbor,
or giving up what we want to do in order to serve others,
we're not so ready to submit."

So true.
If the Lord asks us to sacrifice our best to Him,
if He asks us to wait when it seems that every
other girl at church has a boyfriend,
if He asks us never to be married... are we willing?
Any sacrifice to the Lord is not a loss, but a gain.
After all, we are not our own.
We've been bought with a price.


"For whosoever will save His life shall lose it:
and whosoever shall lose His life for My sake shall find it."
Matthew 16:25

Friend Moments and It Must Run in the Family...

We all inherit different traits from our parents.
Some traits are more obvious than others,
like, perhaps, what I've inherited from mine
that was displayed yesterday afternoon...




The silliness just keeps passing through generations! ha ha
These were actually suckers.
They were yummy and we had fun eating them!


Yesterday I also finished another puzzle.



It reminded my mom and I of my brother, Will.
He feels the Lord may be calling him
to be a preacher when he grows up.
There will be many times we hear him 'preaching' to his
invisible congregation in his room.
It's so cute.


While I was working on the puzzle last night
Mom came in and reminded me of how
I have, indeed, inherited the 'generational silliness' ...











Ha ha. I love you, mom!
I love how you add 'animation' to our lives and my blog! :)

Today we went blitzing around the church's
neighborhood to invite people to VBS.
After that, we ate lunch and headed back to the church.
There, we puppeteers practiced for VBS
and I practiced a duet with the assistant pastor's wife.
We sure have been keeping busy!

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Calligraphy and More...

While my friends were visiting on Friday,
we decided to pull out my calligraphy pens and ink.
I like the Old English penmanship and decided to practice it.
After they left I decide to practice some more
and worked at writing my favorite verse...

The past couple of days have been busy but fun.
My friends spent the night Friday
and also last night.
We had lots of fun together and made the suppers.
Today we also babysat the younger ones so that
the moms could have some special time together.

It's so relaxing to sit down and rest the remainder of the day!
And I hear 'my' hungry cardinals outside chirpping.
Poor things... it rained and flooded their birdseed.
There was a mourning dove earlier trying to fish for seed,
but wasn't succesful.
We've had birds galore lately!
The ground seems to be moving with all the baby
house finches and mourning doves.
There's also a few baby cardinals and lots of bluejays.
Today I saw some baby black capped chickadees for the first time!
In fact, I see the baby cardinal is out now...
I should probably go give them some more food.
I just love God's creation!

Sewing, Schoolwork, and Doctor Appointments...

I apologize that I haven't posted in a while.
I've been very busy lately and haven't found much time
to spend at the computer.
Our summer is flying by!

What have I been up to?
Last Friday, I started cutting out fabric
for matching dresses for my friends and I.
I sewed the bodices that evening.
Then Saturday, at around 6:00 pm, I finished all 3 dresses!
I was so glad I finished them so that we could wear them Sunday!



We've now made them our 'Friday dreses' because we
get together for pizza every Friday.
(So guess what I'm wearing right now... ;o)

I've also been extremely busy with trying
to finish up my schoolwork.
I've been keeping to my schedule,
so I should be done by the end of next week!
I hope to start up my second-to-last
schoolyear near the end of August.

Yesterday was a long day, too.
We had to drive 3 hours away for my MRI.
We arrived early to avoid rush hour,
so I played the piano in the hospital for about 30 minutes
while the children played around.





Then we headed off to check in.
I don't know why, but one of my favorite parts
of doctor appointments is filling out the paperwork!



I'm not so fond of the loud and tight-spaced MRIs, though,
but this one was quite enjoyable for a weird reason...

I must confess that I do like needles. I know... it's weird.
But I love getting my bloodwork done, IVs, etc...
And guess what I got with this MRI?
An IV!!!!!
Oh yes, the staff thought I was strange,
but I loved having the IV. ;o)

After an almost 2 hour MRI, the IV had to come out. :(
As I was trying to snooze in the noisy MRI tunnel,
Mom and the children were exploring the big hospital.
And when I was finished,
they showed me something that made my day.



A BABY!!!!
How sweet of the Lord!
He knows they are my absolute favorites.
We had one at our church we moved away from,
and I've missed it ever since. :(
Of course, I couldn't play too much
because of the IV that had been in my arm...
but I did play one song!!!

Well, that's what I've been up to.
I plan on posting Monday, so have a great weekend.

Have A Life Purpose Bigger Than Marriage

Many of us tend to get wrapped up in the idea
that our goal in life is to be happy.
We constantly go out of our way, no matter
how small, for our own happiness.
Buy a new do-dad, eat a yummy snack, watch TV, etc...
But what we need to realize is that we're NOT created for our own happiness,
but to glorify God;
in one sense, it doesn't really matter if we're happy or not!
(Of course, God does desire for us to be happy,
but our focus shouldn't be on trying to be happy,
but on doing God's will- which is what brings true happiness.)

When we forget our own desires and concentrate on
giving our lives in service for God and others,
He fills us with unexpressive joy!
Because loving God and others makes us happy,
while loving ourselves keeps us lonely.

If our single years are spent simply waiting for 'Prince Charming',
feeling self-pity, & dreaming of being married, life will be miserable.
But if these years are spent serving the Lord,
each day will only get sweeter.
So as you see, youth is full of the most valuable years in life.
Few people realize just how valuable these single years
can be for the Kingdom of God.

It's sad that today's young adult seems to think these years
are a time it's OK to be irresponsible, have problems,
rebellion, and struggles.
But this is completely opposite of how the Lord desires our teen years.
He tells us in 1Timothy 4:12,
"Let no man despise his youth;
but be thou an example of the believers, in word,
in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
After all, when the years of our youth are gone,
they've vanished forever.
The decisions we make now will affect the entire life ahead of us.

Not only is youth valuable, but it's powerful.
The world will often listen to young people
more quickly than they will adults.
Mature and wise youths stand out today;
they're noticed and their voice is heard.
What a wonderful time to share the gospel!

And I strongly encourage you, as a young, single person,
to devote yourself to the work of the Lord.
Since these years are full of so much potential,
it is time now to start learning good qualities and good character.
Singleness is a special gift that is very profitable and fufilling.

So marriage cannot be our ultimate goal in life;
We must purpose in our hearts to have a life purpose
serving the Lord, giving our enitre lives to Him.
If we don't, we won't be fully prepared for marriage.
And unless we're focused on His work,
we'll never be fulfilled in singleness or marriage.



"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you."
Matthew 6:33

Sewing and Keeping Busy...

Last Friday, I found time to sew

while our friends were visiting

(as they do most Fridays) .

Here is the finished dress...



Mom and I had a great time sewing together,
as we always do.

Also, today, I finished sewing my brother's curtains.

They are camoflauge.
Here they are...

Also, I've worked out a schedule to get my schoolwork
finished by the end of July/ beginning of August!!
Then, hopefully, I can start my new year sometime next month.
Hope you all have a great week!

When The Lord Says Wait

In continuation from my notes...

Many of us young madiens find it very difficult to wait,
especially when we don't know how long we'll have to wait.
But what we may not realize is that this is a precious time, taking us to deeper levels of trust, strengthens our faith, reminds us to abide in Jesus, and teaches us to delight in the Lord.


The Lord has plans for each of us,
but no matter who you are,
God's plan for you includes waiting.
There are several consequences that happen when we fail
to patiently wait for God to bring about His plans.

1. We miss God's lessons.
God intends to teach us many things through waiting.
We miss these special lessons in perseverance, trust, and faith
if we're not willing to wait.

2. We miss God's best.
God desires to give us His very best.
And many people have no idea what they've missed
because they weren't willing to wait
and find out what the Lord had in store.

3. We miss God's help.
There are dangers that happen when
we take matters into our own hands.
God wants us to learn to be dependent on Him.

4. We miss God's opportunities.
We miss the opportunities to show the world the power of God.
When we, by faith, follow God's ways, others are able to see His love
as they watch God work in the little details of our lives.

Many times we are tempted to think our Heavenly Father is late,
and since He's taking so long, we'd better
take matters into our own hands.
But as we look back, we'll always see that God is exactly on time.
If it's God's will for us to be married, then He will not leave us single
for even one day longer than He knows is best, right, & perfect.
But while we're waiting, it can be so hard to understand.
That's why it requires faith.

Young maidens commonly struggle with many fears,
especially of marriage.

What if I never get married?
How will I know God's will?
What if everyone thinks I'm weird because I don't have a boyfriend?
How will I know when I meet the right person?
What if I don't like the person God picks for me?

Fears like this often causes people to make wrong desisions.
But we shouldn't be governed by fear, but by faith.

Instead of feeding our fears, we could...
ΘRefuse to listen to Satan's lies.
ΘFear the Lord. All other fears will
diminish when you stay focused on God.
ΘPay attention to the needs of the people God put in your life.
ΘMeditate on specific verses that remind you to rest in the Lord.

Waiting doesn't mean just sitting around
wondering when something's going to happen.
Rather it means serving the Lord faithfully
right now wherever He has put you.
Waiting includes the idea of service, not that we should do nothing,
but that we should be focused on Him and His work -
Serving God with all our hearts, resting in Him, and trusting
He'll take care of everything else.


While waiting can be hard, it's necessary.
Ask the Lord for help.
He will always give us the strength
to do what He has called us to do.



"For the LORD God is a sun and shield:
the LORD will give grace and glory:
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee."
Psalm 84:11-12

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

Saturday Happenings...

Today was a beautiful stormy/rainy day

which we spent, mostly, indoors.

I was glad that we had gone grocery shopping

a few days ago to pick up some things for chemistry,

so I was able to work in my 'lab'.

(a.k.a - the kitchen)

I did a Chemistry experiment of testing acids and bases.

Here I am with my supplies:

Sorry if the photos seem a little dark.

I couldn't expose my litmus paper to light.

Here are the test tubes I filled from my experiments...

The blue foamy one is shavings of soap dissolved in water,

and the other one is Coke.

The blue one is toilet bowl cleaner

and the white one is lye crystals dissolved in water.

I had a lot of fun putting my knowledge of acids and bases

to the test in those experiments!

I'm excited that I'm nearly done with my Chemistry

then I'll be starting Advanced Chemistry. I can't wait!

I also sewed a new dress today.

Here's the material and completed project...
I was glad to be able to finish it before tomorrow

so that I could wear it to church.

I hope you all have a great Lord's Day.

Our 4th of July...

I didn’t get around to posting anything yesterday,
seeing we were quite busy

(which has been ongoing lately).
For the 4th of July we went to

a colonial palace early in the morning
and had a wonderful time!
My mom posted pictures on her blog.
On our way back, we passed this, um, patriotic site…

lol...
They’re so cute!

Yesterevening, our church had

a root beer/and coke float fellowship

after the service...

I also decided to bring a patriotic dessert…
It was a jello flag mold
(and quite yummy!).

Afterwards, we all went
to our assistant pastor’s house
to see the fireworks from his front yard...

We also did some fireworks of our own.
First, we did some morning glories...

Here's Will...

Beth and Carolynne...

Me...
Then we did some bigger ones in the road... It was a great time of fellowship!
I hope you all had a great Independence Day!
I apologize to all my readers/commenters that I
haven’t been able to respond lately.
Things have been quite busy at our house.
I hopt to try to catch up on everything
and start my posting up again next week.
Enjoy your weekend!