i've never really eaten those before. i am now. they are good.
so! now i am officially home for the summer.
i feel a little as though pondering and expounding posts won't come as easily this summer. maybe because at home the computer is in the kitchen/dining room. i'm not sure that's conducive to pondering. it's most certainly conducive to talking, my mom knows that firsthand!
freedom doesn't exist. that's what my YWAM director always told us. it started heated debates, even detailed diagrams! the bible tells us we have freedom in Christ. that we have the mind of Christ. but is it really freedom when we aren't allowed to do certain things? obviously, sinning is something we are trying to eradicate in our lives, so are we really free if we "can't" sin? if i'm to "put to death therefore, [various sins]" as paul tells the church in colosse, then i'm not really free. am i? what do you think? my belief is that the problem with understanding our freedom in Christ is that we're still defining freedom by the world's terms. the Spirit's definition is what matters. in so many things we look to the world's definition and get mixed up. even prosperity...we know God has promised to bless us, to give good things to us, but it becomes twisted when we look only at the world's definition of prosperity. God's prosperity on you may very well include the world's definition, but that is not guaranteed or the most important or most significant. so with freedom. our world tells us that freedom is to be able to do whatever we want, whenever we want and to tolerate others' behaviour. freedom in Christ? release from the bondage of sin. release from that dictating our lives and our eternity. we may still sin, but in the freedom given us, we have been "qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light". qualified, in the greek, means we have been equipped with everything necessary to perform our duties! so we may still sin, but the beauty and the freedom comes as we realize we have authority in Christ, we have been redeemed (already happened), and we are equipped through the Spirit to put to death sin in our lives! i'm not sure if all this makes sense to you, sometimes i just need to pour out my guts. (thanks to chris keim for the inspiration and challenges!)
Friday, April 29, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
annie and a winter wonderland
yes indeed. annie is home!!! very exciting. tanned and gorgeous and not "a jerkface"! i'm glad you're home annie-balls. i missed you muchly. i think i told you that, though!
as you might have guessed, there is snow on the ground. i'm in the city again, for another two days, and then my life/living here is over for 4 months. last night jen and i went to baked expectations on osbourne, and had to park far away. i was wearing flip flops.....my toes got numb. plus, before that, at lori's house, i tripped on the cement patio thing, and took a huge tumble, scraping my knee, foot, hands and arm. it was strangely enjoyable! jen laughed, but she did feel sorry for me too!
as for today, my cousin maria and i were going to go for a walk at the Forks, and then get icecream. but it's one degree outside and there's snow on the ground. hmmm. creative ideas, anyone?
maybe we'll finally buy me that cowboy hat! i was actually invited to go to a rodeo (thanks eric!) , but i was gone and didn't get the message till today. would've been a good time. anyways, i stubbed my toe a minute or two ago, and now it's cold and hurting, so i think i'll have a shower.
as you might have guessed, there is snow on the ground. i'm in the city again, for another two days, and then my life/living here is over for 4 months. last night jen and i went to baked expectations on osbourne, and had to park far away. i was wearing flip flops.....my toes got numb. plus, before that, at lori's house, i tripped on the cement patio thing, and took a huge tumble, scraping my knee, foot, hands and arm. it was strangely enjoyable! jen laughed, but she did feel sorry for me too!
as for today, my cousin maria and i were going to go for a walk at the Forks, and then get icecream. but it's one degree outside and there's snow on the ground. hmmm. creative ideas, anyone?
maybe we'll finally buy me that cowboy hat! i was actually invited to go to a rodeo (thanks eric!) , but i was gone and didn't get the message till today. would've been a good time. anyways, i stubbed my toe a minute or two ago, and now it's cold and hurting, so i think i'll have a shower.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
a country girl once again!
i'm home! and God so answered my many prayers and requests to be back in the country, smelling dirt, etc. (see previous griping on previous posts:)
friday night was my first night home and guess what i did? after lugging all my stuff down to my room (i tell you, i have accumulated way more stuff than i thought in the last year!), and after supper, my brother took me out to his new property. it just has a garage/shop on it, and a garden plot. we drove out in his big dodge (*smiling with joy*) and then i helped him rip out some of the wall and insulation to get it ready for installing a new garage door. snipping live wires, it was all fun ;)
later that night, after one of my sisters had already bathed, my brother called us on his cell from the barn, saying we had a major emergency. it was already dark out and the cows had gotten out - knocked down a corral panel or two, and headed out to our as-yet-un-fenced pasture. so we spent the next couple hours outside, in the dark, very cold, running through manure! that's what i call life at home! and all in one night! i also got to play with the pussens and my puppy, who is stinkier now than she's been in awhile.
and yesterday i learned all about how to handle food safely, got certified with the easiest multiple choice test ever and watched my little sister's volleyball team win their tournament!
this morning, i had a great time at church...i went to the ball diamonds during first service, because my family had to use my car, and there wasn't any sunday school. so i wrapped myself in a blanket and read and prayed at the diamonds, and then at the peters ave. park on the swings. amazing. i learned a lot this morning, actually. but i have to straigten my sister's hair now, and then go to work, so i'll share tomorrow, maybe. hope you all had an equally eventful weekend!
friday night was my first night home and guess what i did? after lugging all my stuff down to my room (i tell you, i have accumulated way more stuff than i thought in the last year!), and after supper, my brother took me out to his new property. it just has a garage/shop on it, and a garden plot. we drove out in his big dodge (*smiling with joy*) and then i helped him rip out some of the wall and insulation to get it ready for installing a new garage door. snipping live wires, it was all fun ;)
later that night, after one of my sisters had already bathed, my brother called us on his cell from the barn, saying we had a major emergency. it was already dark out and the cows had gotten out - knocked down a corral panel or two, and headed out to our as-yet-un-fenced pasture. so we spent the next couple hours outside, in the dark, very cold, running through manure! that's what i call life at home! and all in one night! i also got to play with the pussens and my puppy, who is stinkier now than she's been in awhile.
and yesterday i learned all about how to handle food safely, got certified with the easiest multiple choice test ever and watched my little sister's volleyball team win their tournament!
this morning, i had a great time at church...i went to the ball diamonds during first service, because my family had to use my car, and there wasn't any sunday school. so i wrapped myself in a blanket and read and prayed at the diamonds, and then at the peters ave. park on the swings. amazing. i learned a lot this morning, actually. but i have to straigten my sister's hair now, and then go to work, so i'll share tomorrow, maybe. hope you all had an equally eventful weekend!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
groupies :)
so i've been thinking about taiwan a lot lately, even dreaming about it almost every night. i miss people a lot, but i get to see them in my dreams! it's like steph said to me "God's giving you your fix at night!" so these are some of the girls we met out there, they followed us everywhere while we were in tainan, in the south of taiwan. i would say it was us they liked, but they thought one of the guys on our team was pretty cute ;) that's me and clarissa in the back there.
in the spirit of having no studying to do, or any homework, i made a quiz!
http://www.quizyourfriends.com/yourquiz.php?quizname=050421120916-193024
enjoy your day :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
praise the name of Jesus!
I'M DONE SCHOOL! i just finished my biology exam, which i studied like crazy for all day yesterday, and felt ill-prepared for - but GOD IS GOOD! i asked my mom to pray for me, and i did a lot myself, and it went well! i really feel like i could have gotten an A - at any rate, i didn't feel stressed writing it, i felt confident, now it's over and i've been singing praises to God, loudly and smiling and i'm going to take myself out for a hamburger! once my run-on sentences are done.... :)
it's rising up all around
it's the anthem of the Lord's renown
Holy is the Lord God almighty!
.............
how great is our God
sing with me how great is our God
all will see how great is our God
name above all names
worthy of all praise
my heart will sing
how great is our God!
~ chris tomlin
those are my thoughts right now! i was reading "captivating" on the bus ride home, and this is what is pouring out of me right now - i love you Jesus!!!!!!!!
it's rising up all around
it's the anthem of the Lord's renown
Holy is the Lord God almighty!
.............
how great is our God
sing with me how great is our God
all will see how great is our God
name above all names
worthy of all praise
my heart will sing
how great is our God!
~ chris tomlin
those are my thoughts right now! i was reading "captivating" on the bus ride home, and this is what is pouring out of me right now - i love you Jesus!!!!!!!!
Monday, April 18, 2005
shine for you
one more exam to go! my hardest one, and the one that matters the most. unfortunately my attitude could use re-adjusting in the caring department. loving my new book so far, did i expect anything else??
last night my landlords came by. if you remember, my roomie went out to pray over their house, becuase of crazy happenings, nightmares and other things stinking of demonic activity. and a week or so ago, she and her friends also anointed all the doors with oil. but they didn't tell anyone, except me, cuz i joined their little prayer fest after. so! my landlords asked for steph, but she was out, so adam looked at me and asked if a curse could be put on their house by a mark on the door. after a bit of "Lord, help me!" in my head, i explained how we anoint things with oil to physically symbolize what we do in the spiritual, so the reverse could be true, if someone wanted to curse the house. i also mentioned the old testament story of Passover, but they interrupted me to say it was oil they found on their door. so i explained it was my roommate's friends that prayed over and anointed the doorways, and that's all good, so they were much relieved. i told them we were still praying and they said they were praying for their kids every night. a step in the best direction ever, i say!!! so please keep their family in your prayers!
yesterday was the first time in a long time i was able to go out for lunch after church. fun times! andrea guilted me about my priorities to try to get me to come out for power & praise night on tuesday, cuz i have an exam wednesday.....we'll see what happens ;)
last night my landlords came by. if you remember, my roomie went out to pray over their house, becuase of crazy happenings, nightmares and other things stinking of demonic activity. and a week or so ago, she and her friends also anointed all the doors with oil. but they didn't tell anyone, except me, cuz i joined their little prayer fest after. so! my landlords asked for steph, but she was out, so adam looked at me and asked if a curse could be put on their house by a mark on the door. after a bit of "Lord, help me!" in my head, i explained how we anoint things with oil to physically symbolize what we do in the spiritual, so the reverse could be true, if someone wanted to curse the house. i also mentioned the old testament story of Passover, but they interrupted me to say it was oil they found on their door. so i explained it was my roommate's friends that prayed over and anointed the doorways, and that's all good, so they were much relieved. i told them we were still praying and they said they were praying for their kids every night. a step in the best direction ever, i say!!! so please keep their family in your prayers!
yesterday was the first time in a long time i was able to go out for lunch after church. fun times! andrea guilted me about my priorities to try to get me to come out for power & praise night on tuesday, cuz i have an exam wednesday.....we'll see what happens ;)
Saturday, April 16, 2005
captivating
that's me! at least, that's what Jesus says! my parents and two little sisters came over last night for my birthday supper, and to take back some of my furniture already. and they gave me the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. it's the "Wild at Heart" for women. i wish there were someway to show you my excited face!!!!! so i started reading last night, and here's some snippets...
[you] want to be desired, to be pursued by one who loves you, to be someone's priority...
as echoes of the trinity...made in the image of perfect relationship, we are relational to the core and filled with a desire for transcendent purpose. we long to be an irreplacable part of a shared adventure.
we desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. we want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.
i can't wait to really dig into this book! i think so often we can get hung up on the details of the Word - don't get me wrong, i love studying the word and taking it apart to fuly see it, but the beauty of eldredge's work is that he takes lessons that are implicit in the Word. and scripture completely backs it up, but we so often fail to see it if it's not laid out explicitly.
last night after supper with my family, i headed out to st. norbert to watch a movie with some friends from church, and i was a little early (they had all been mini-golfing while i was out for supper) and so i drove out to the country, since they live at the edge of the city. how i miss open spaces. i could belt out dixie chicks here and now. i love the land! i'm tired of being surrounded by buildings, traffic and people. i want sunsets over the hills, i want walks in the pasture with my dog (who has returned, by the way) and i want gravel roads to drive on. fires outside in the dark, to lie on my back and actually see stars, and to smell dirt, animals and rain outside, not just greasy muck and exhaust. one more week and i'll live there again!
[you] want to be desired, to be pursued by one who loves you, to be someone's priority...
as echoes of the trinity...made in the image of perfect relationship, we are relational to the core and filled with a desire for transcendent purpose. we long to be an irreplacable part of a shared adventure.
we desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. we want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.
i can't wait to really dig into this book! i think so often we can get hung up on the details of the Word - don't get me wrong, i love studying the word and taking it apart to fuly see it, but the beauty of eldredge's work is that he takes lessons that are implicit in the Word. and scripture completely backs it up, but we so often fail to see it if it's not laid out explicitly.
last night after supper with my family, i headed out to st. norbert to watch a movie with some friends from church, and i was a little early (they had all been mini-golfing while i was out for supper) and so i drove out to the country, since they live at the edge of the city. how i miss open spaces. i could belt out dixie chicks here and now. i love the land! i'm tired of being surrounded by buildings, traffic and people. i want sunsets over the hills, i want walks in the pasture with my dog (who has returned, by the way) and i want gravel roads to drive on. fires outside in the dark, to lie on my back and actually see stars, and to smell dirt, animals and rain outside, not just greasy muck and exhaust. one more week and i'll live there again!
Thursday, April 14, 2005
this is for the girls
so here's one of my latest thoughts: take it or leave it, argue it, let me know what you think. so you know that kind of giggly feeling you get when you see a cute/hot/good-looking boy? where all you can do is say/think "oh my goodness, that is attractive"? i saw one yesterday. and i thought that to myself. and i almost reprimanded myself for feeling that way, cuz why would i care what someone looks like, it's all about the heart, right? well, then, i remembered that the gift of attraction between people is totally that - a gift, from God. and if that little feeling is what i get when i appreciate beauty in the human race, how much more will i feel when i see my bridegroom, Jesus, coming in the clouds, filled with glory??! i tell you that feeling of appreciation will become much more, and you won't have any idea how to live with so much emotion, desire and love in your heart, but you get to, because Jesus wants us to live with him forever!!!!! thank you Jesus for providing a way for us to be in relationship with you, forever and for loving us so extravagantly! thank you!
and thank you for the weather....sunshine is so good! thank you for my friends, their encouragements and love, for my family and their oh-so-practical love and encouragement! annie isn't coming home tomorrow after all, she was able to change her flight so she could stay in germany for a week, but thank you for bringing her home safely anyways!
"when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world" ~ 1 cor. 11:32
that's the other little thought, from bible study last night. thank you Holy Spirit for conviction, for it speaks of God's grace to us!
and thank you for the weather....sunshine is so good! thank you for my friends, their encouragements and love, for my family and their oh-so-practical love and encouragement! annie isn't coming home tomorrow after all, she was able to change her flight so she could stay in germany for a week, but thank you for bringing her home safely anyways!
"when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world" ~ 1 cor. 11:32
that's the other little thought, from bible study last night. thank you Holy Spirit for conviction, for it speaks of God's grace to us!
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
loyal listener winner!
yuppers, that's me! i never win random things in my life, let alone on my birthday! the irony of it all is that steph friesen from CHVN called to tell me i had won the loyal listener birthday deal (which includes cheesecake...and holly is laughing at me or very jealous...) well....she is the same steph friesen that is planning to come check out our apartment and take over my lease! and she has no idea it's me cuz she's only ever talked to my roommate steph! what a coincidence - "i call it positively providential!" if you know where that's from, points for you!
so i'm done english for the year!!! praise the Lord, and hear me heave a sigh of relief. apparently the latest news at my home in winkler is that my dog (who, by the way, does hug me, because an important component to any hug is being received, and she does!) is missing! she's not really "my" dog, actually. i liked our other one too, but life on the farm....anyways, so coffee is gone. i hope she comes home by the time i do! and tonight i get to go to bible study and solve the mystery of rachealypoop :) and of course, dig into the Word, which i LOVE!
so i'm done english for the year!!! praise the Lord, and hear me heave a sigh of relief. apparently the latest news at my home in winkler is that my dog (who, by the way, does hug me, because an important component to any hug is being received, and she does!) is missing! she's not really "my" dog, actually. i liked our other one too, but life on the farm....anyways, so coffee is gone. i hope she comes home by the time i do! and tonight i get to go to bible study and solve the mystery of rachealypoop :) and of course, dig into the Word, which i LOVE!
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
four walls and kutless
these four walls are closing in more and more everyday....if i could think, i would know what song that's from....but i'm listening to worship with kutless and it's hard to think of a song when you're listening to other music...
anyways! two straight days cooped up in my apartment and i'm going crazy! i have my english exam tomorrow. and more days cooped up after that. today i had planned to study in the park, but the rain prevented me. i guess i haven't really been cooped up, yesterday my sister took me to moxie's for my birthday! that was nice, but we were incredibly full afterwards! and tonight eva (yay, she's home!) did stop by to introduce me to her friend....so life is not all these four walls....but ugh, i'm ready to get out!
are you ever in that place where you know exactly what you should do, and you know you're being lazy and you still avoid it? right now, i sense God everywhere around me. i can hear the Holy Spirit whispering to me, but i don't listen! i'd really appreciate prayer. my head says the words, my head tells my heart to listen, my head tells all of me to get off my butt....and then i cheap out! i take the easy way out. is it that i'm not being challenged enough or is it that i refuse to be challenged? a friend of mine (wise girl..) says anything she loves is something that has scared and challenged her. i can't say that. i'm never really scared of anything. maybe i'm scared of being scared. maybe i'm so tired of studying my mind is going spastic! but really, vulnerability is essential to love and relationship and intimacy with Jesus. thanks for listening to me being vulnerable.
anyways! two straight days cooped up in my apartment and i'm going crazy! i have my english exam tomorrow. and more days cooped up after that. today i had planned to study in the park, but the rain prevented me. i guess i haven't really been cooped up, yesterday my sister took me to moxie's for my birthday! that was nice, but we were incredibly full afterwards! and tonight eva (yay, she's home!) did stop by to introduce me to her friend....so life is not all these four walls....but ugh, i'm ready to get out!
are you ever in that place where you know exactly what you should do, and you know you're being lazy and you still avoid it? right now, i sense God everywhere around me. i can hear the Holy Spirit whispering to me, but i don't listen! i'd really appreciate prayer. my head says the words, my head tells my heart to listen, my head tells all of me to get off my butt....and then i cheap out! i take the easy way out. is it that i'm not being challenged enough or is it that i refuse to be challenged? a friend of mine (wise girl..) says anything she loves is something that has scared and challenged her. i can't say that. i'm never really scared of anything. maybe i'm scared of being scared. maybe i'm so tired of studying my mind is going spastic! but really, vulnerability is essential to love and relationship and intimacy with Jesus. thanks for listening to me being vulnerable.
Monday, April 11, 2005
it's raining, it's spring
i love spring. april showers bring may flowers. Lord, may that be true of this year's spring - no may blizzard, please!
my weekend was eventful and fun. friday night kendra and lori had cherise and i over for a joint "birthday bash"! good times were had by all, let me assure you. some people from prov came over for the evening too, which added in the laughter department. christina flipped the arm chair, dan made noises and clint was, well....clint. at 1:30 in the morning we took a little trip down to cherise's apartment to get her laptop (long story) and met gina (with her as-yet-un-introduced boyfriend stu) and jen, with her also-un-introduced boyfriend dallas. there we were, in the parking lot, in the wee hours of the morning, some of us wearing pajamas, others - no wait, the same ones wearing pajamas were the ones with side ponytails! we met the boyfriends, we shivered a bit, and went back to our "bash". after hours of staring at a laptop and telling kendra she was asleep, we went to sleep. oh, and we did laundry through it all. and! the neighbours were pretty rowdy and friendly. and, i forgot my favorite part of the evening (besides the large amounts of food-thanks girls!). we went for a walk earlier in the evening and found a school playground, without swings! horrified, we searched some more and found a small playground with a delightful swingset. i love swinging.
on top of all this, and playing guitar all weekend, we went to Hear the Music night with Jon Buller for some praise & worship, which i thoroughly enjoyed!!! and church rocked the house sunday morning, as per usual. i love that place!
there have been a lot of thoughts in my head, a fair amount of tears cried, but today isn't the day to share it all. eva's home from malawi! and annie is home soon too! two very happy thoughts. one more happy thought - i found a park about an hour's walk from my house - alas, no swings (what it this world coming to??) but it's right by the river and has beautiful groves of trees and grass....mmm, i love the ground. it's flooding in some areas, but i love it all the more for that! hopefully more studying can be done there this week!
my weekend was eventful and fun. friday night kendra and lori had cherise and i over for a joint "birthday bash"! good times were had by all, let me assure you. some people from prov came over for the evening too, which added in the laughter department. christina flipped the arm chair, dan made noises and clint was, well....clint. at 1:30 in the morning we took a little trip down to cherise's apartment to get her laptop (long story) and met gina (with her as-yet-un-introduced boyfriend stu) and jen, with her also-un-introduced boyfriend dallas. there we were, in the parking lot, in the wee hours of the morning, some of us wearing pajamas, others - no wait, the same ones wearing pajamas were the ones with side ponytails! we met the boyfriends, we shivered a bit, and went back to our "bash". after hours of staring at a laptop and telling kendra she was asleep, we went to sleep. oh, and we did laundry through it all. and! the neighbours were pretty rowdy and friendly. and, i forgot my favorite part of the evening (besides the large amounts of food-thanks girls!). we went for a walk earlier in the evening and found a school playground, without swings! horrified, we searched some more and found a small playground with a delightful swingset. i love swinging.
on top of all this, and playing guitar all weekend, we went to Hear the Music night with Jon Buller for some praise & worship, which i thoroughly enjoyed!!! and church rocked the house sunday morning, as per usual. i love that place!
there have been a lot of thoughts in my head, a fair amount of tears cried, but today isn't the day to share it all. eva's home from malawi! and annie is home soon too! two very happy thoughts. one more happy thought - i found a park about an hour's walk from my house - alas, no swings (what it this world coming to??) but it's right by the river and has beautiful groves of trees and grass....mmm, i love the ground. it's flooding in some areas, but i love it all the more for that! hopefully more studying can be done there this week!
Friday, April 08, 2005
ugh
i have a sore throat. and my computer just randomly shut down, all by itself, and restarted. and now the pages aren't loading properly....
I GOT A MESSAGE ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE FROM ANNIE!!! i'm excited i heard her voice, but disappointed i missed her call! only one week, i can't wait to squeeze the life out of my girl that's been in malawi for the last 6 months of my life! it'll be good to see her.
last night for house group we went to Union Gospel Mission and helped with supper. pretty much we chopped many vegetables and much fruit. and then there were the onions...i have a lower tolerance for them than most people apparently! and Todd (thanks so much anyways!) made me a birthday trifle. a week early. but he said he'd still make a cake for me next week wednesday! we were tossing around ideas, not the least of which was a possum cake. one big momma possum on the bottom, with a bunch of bite size baby possums on top! doesn't that sound appetizing? if you want to hear more thoughts of the day, you can read cherise and rae's blogs from yesterday. they " 'spress my feelings ezackly!" as davy would say in 'anne of avonlea'.
I GOT A MESSAGE ON MY ANSWERING MACHINE FROM ANNIE!!! i'm excited i heard her voice, but disappointed i missed her call! only one week, i can't wait to squeeze the life out of my girl that's been in malawi for the last 6 months of my life! it'll be good to see her.
last night for house group we went to Union Gospel Mission and helped with supper. pretty much we chopped many vegetables and much fruit. and then there were the onions...i have a lower tolerance for them than most people apparently! and Todd (thanks so much anyways!) made me a birthday trifle. a week early. but he said he'd still make a cake for me next week wednesday! we were tossing around ideas, not the least of which was a possum cake. one big momma possum on the bottom, with a bunch of bite size baby possums on top! doesn't that sound appetizing? if you want to hear more thoughts of the day, you can read cherise and rae's blogs from yesterday. they " 'spress my feelings ezackly!" as davy would say in 'anne of avonlea'.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
my previous life
i was re-reading some of my old easyjournal entries from the last year, and i was a bit surprised at some of it, laughed at most of it, and wondered at the changes that make us who we are. here are some snippets...
"i love to dance when no one else is looking, we're all just worshipping!! praise jesus!!! i love jesus! have i told anyone lately? i love jesus!!! love, love, love!! seriously, i would crumple into a ball and cry if he was not my lover and best friend and generous dadddy. that's right, daddy with 3 d's :} cuz he's so good!"
"i love taiwan so much!! we worked with Ray of Hope, a crisis pregnancy and abstinence program in tainan. i would love to come work with them some more, but we'll see where God calls me in the future! also, they need english teachers here like crazy!"
"time to get my butt in gear and get moving into my new city-student-university life. and thinking about the practical things...like money... and student loans....and road trips!! wait,... that last one isn't so practical i suppose....but it gets me more excited than the other ones, and that counts too, doesn't it?"
"i've never had so much inside me that needs to come out somehow. but knowing where to let what out is where the discernment comes into play. what needs to be verbalized, what simply needs to be processed by me alone, what needs to be developed even deeper... i have the feeling this journey will never end"
"who knew i could miss home so much. who knew i could cry so much in one week. who knew that after the best times in life come the worst times. who knew that even those worst times can be filled with beautiful blessings. who knew?"
so that has pretty much taken you through my life since last year around this time. i left last march for alberta and then taiwan in june. it doesnt' seem so long ago. and yet, that last quote is from my first month in university, and things have moved forward since then too. God is good!
"i love to dance when no one else is looking, we're all just worshipping!! praise jesus!!! i love jesus! have i told anyone lately? i love jesus!!! love, love, love!! seriously, i would crumple into a ball and cry if he was not my lover and best friend and generous dadddy. that's right, daddy with 3 d's :} cuz he's so good!"
"i love taiwan so much!! we worked with Ray of Hope, a crisis pregnancy and abstinence program in tainan. i would love to come work with them some more, but we'll see where God calls me in the future! also, they need english teachers here like crazy!"
"time to get my butt in gear and get moving into my new city-student-university life. and thinking about the practical things...like money... and student loans....and road trips!! wait,... that last one isn't so practical i suppose....but it gets me more excited than the other ones, and that counts too, doesn't it?"
"i've never had so much inside me that needs to come out somehow. but knowing where to let what out is where the discernment comes into play. what needs to be verbalized, what simply needs to be processed by me alone, what needs to be developed even deeper... i have the feeling this journey will never end"
"who knew i could miss home so much. who knew i could cry so much in one week. who knew that after the best times in life come the worst times. who knew that even those worst times can be filled with beautiful blessings. who knew?"
so that has pretty much taken you through my life since last year around this time. i left last march for alberta and then taiwan in june. it doesnt' seem so long ago. and yet, that last quote is from my first month in university, and things have moved forward since then too. God is good!
Monday, April 04, 2005
anne of windy poplars
yesterday i went for a beautiful walk. just me, my book, my bible, my camera, my baseball cap and a plaid blanket. i found the elementary school just a couple blocks down, and headed straight for their small and soggy ball diamond. i love ball diamonds. i love baseball. i miss baseball. sorry for the almost-caveman talk. and then i spread my blanket on the little bench and i read. it was gorgeous. i wish i could do that everyday, but alas, there are children there every day for school. not that i don't like children. on the contrary, i love them very much! but the staff might think i'm creepy and a kidnapper if i show up during school. on my walk, i passed some kids playing with a wagon and giggling - so cute and special! then they said, "let's let the lady pass first..." the lady! so i smiled and said thank you to the cute children. and the little boy said "thanks lady! did you hear that guys, i said 'thanks lady!'" and i laughed to myself.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
gummy worms
i love gummy worms. not much else that's gummy, but gummy worms. although i did put my foot in my mouth at my sister's volleyball tournament because eating gummy worms made me remember too much detail about the reproduction of earthworms. my bio exam is in less than a month....hopefully i'll keep the facts in my head till then, and only for then!
it's been a relaxing weekend. i loved church this morning, as usual. i love worshipping in celebration and joy!!! i love it.
quote for the weekend:
"have you found your matching half?....well, then, we must think of how we can find her!" (him, in other situations....)
~ nicholas nickelby
(it's a funny, charming, sad, sweet and laughable charles dickens story - watch it sometime!)
it's been a relaxing weekend. i loved church this morning, as usual. i love worshipping in celebration and joy!!! i love it.
quote for the weekend:
"have you found your matching half?....well, then, we must think of how we can find her!" (him, in other situations....)
~ nicholas nickelby
(it's a funny, charming, sad, sweet and laughable charles dickens story - watch it sometime!)
Friday, April 01, 2005
outreach taiwan
this is my friend jennie with two of the most angelic kids i know: joanne and vanessa. on the left is a homeless woman we spent some time with too - the missionary we worked with called her "gugu" which means ant. she doesn't speak.
the weather outside is gorgeous! so much of the snow has melted and when you're in the sunshine.....mmmm. we missed the bus today because mr. shawn super-fantastic wasn't driving and so the other dude didn't wait for us :) i'm very domestic today - i've dusted (a little plug for the swiffer dusters, they are great for quick run-over cleaning!) and ironed my skirt and now i will proceed to vacuum. steph's home group is coming over for praise and worship, and well, let's just say if someone were to worship lying on the floor they may find things up their nose! watch me go...
oh a little funny story for you from our bus ride. steph and i had a lapse in our conversation and we could hear this filipino dude behind us, chattering away on his cell phone. then suddenly we hear "coleen far-rell" and we giggled to ourselves. then not a few minutes later we hear (again, the midst of a steady stream of tagelic, or however you spell what filipino's speak) "do i not make you happy anymore?" it amused us.
this is my friend jennie with two of the most angelic kids i know: joanne and vanessa. on the left is a homeless woman we spent some time with too - the missionary we worked with called her "gugu" which means ant. she doesn't speak.
the weather outside is gorgeous! so much of the snow has melted and when you're in the sunshine.....mmmm. we missed the bus today because mr. shawn super-fantastic wasn't driving and so the other dude didn't wait for us :) i'm very domestic today - i've dusted (a little plug for the swiffer dusters, they are great for quick run-over cleaning!) and ironed my skirt and now i will proceed to vacuum. steph's home group is coming over for praise and worship, and well, let's just say if someone were to worship lying on the floor they may find things up their nose! watch me go...
oh a little funny story for you from our bus ride. steph and i had a lapse in our conversation and we could hear this filipino dude behind us, chattering away on his cell phone. then suddenly we hear "coleen far-rell" and we giggled to ourselves. then not a few minutes later we hear (again, the midst of a steady stream of tagelic, or however you spell what filipino's speak) "do i not make you happy anymore?" it amused us.
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