A Sailor's Christmas

I know that Christmas is over, but I found this poem online today. SInce my dad was in the Navy for six years, this poem really touched my heart and made me stop and think about all those sailors spending Christmas far from home.

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.
They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.
I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.
They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.
A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.
This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."
I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.
The Sailor say's to our country "be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.
The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! I know that it's easy to get caught up in the giving (and getting) of gifts, spending time with family, and enjoying all the new things that you've gotten, but never forget Never forget hat Jesus is the reason for the season; there would be no CHRISTmas without Christ.

We are celebrating Christ's birth today, and the greatest gift that you could give Him for His birthday is your soul. The gift of salvation would also be the greatest gift that you could receive.

All of us have sinned. (Rom. 3:23: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.)No one can honestly say that they haven't sinned. There is a consequence of sin, and that consequence is death. (Rom. 6:23a: For the wages of sin is death:)

Through sinning, we not only earn physical death, but also eternal death. Because of our sin, we are sentenced live forever in hell, a place of great pain and torture, after our physical death. However, there is a chance to escape this death!

While we can never escape physical death, we can escape from eternal death. God gave His Son, Christ Jesus, to die so that we could have eternal life. (Rom. 6:32b: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.) (Rom 5:8: But God commendeth his love towards us that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.)

The death of Jesus on the cross paid for your sins and for my sins. It payed for all the sins in the world. (John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.)

All you have to do is believe that Christ died for you, and that He didn't stay dead, but rose again on the third day. (Rom. 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus,and shalt believe in thine heart God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.) The gift of salvation can be yours if you will only trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. (Rom. 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.)

Please, if you have not already done so, will you pray today and accept the free gift of salvation

The boys

I was able to go down and see Chase and Cole tonight for the first time since I got home on break. It amazes me how much those two grown when I'm away at college!!

Chase turned 7 in September, but he talks like he's 30! He's in first grade this year, and he loves it. He can read very well. He's already up to my shoulder, if not past there, so I know that before long he'll be taller than me! There's something definitely wrong with a 7 year old being that tall!!! Of course, maybe it's just that I'm too short. :)

Cole is now 4. He'll be 5 in April. He goes to preschool right now, but this fall he'll be going to kindergarten. It's so hard to believe that he'll be old enough to go to school! Like Chase, he's very tall for his age. He comes up to about the middle of my chest. *Sigh* I guess that's one of the downsides of being short, all the little kids are taller than you! lol

We exchanged Christmas gifts with them tonight, just like we have every year since Chase was born. They were both thrilled with the k'nex (kind of like legos) sets that we gave them, and Holly and I loved the bath and body works sets that we got from them.

They just got a new cat, named Brutus (after Brutus Buckeye, of course!) and he is so cute! He'll just lay there in your arms and let you pet him, and he's oh so patient with the boys' hugs and kisses and squeezes! :D

I'll be babysitting them all day tomorrow, from about 6 am until around 4:30 or 5 pm. Since there's snow on the ground, I imagine that they'll drag me outside and convince me to play in the show with them (well, to tell you the truth, it doesn't take much convincing; I love the snow!) and go sledding with them. As is every day with thsoe two boys, it will be tons of fun and I'll be completely exhausted by the tiem I get home, but I wouldn't trade it for anything; well, almost anything. ;)

Healing

I am so thankful for a God that can heal anything, even broken hearts. This summer, I went through a very hard, painful experience: I had my heart broken. I gave my heart away to a guy and when I got it back, it was in pieces.

My heart was slowly, piece by piece, put back together again. God was able ot take all of those broken pieces and fit them together to form a heart once again. He is the true Healer of broken hearts.

God used many different tools to piece my heart back together. He use Scripture, messages that I heard in chapel, and, above all else, friends.

It's amazing how when you surrender everything over to God, He will take your life and mold it. Although I do not know exactly what He's doing in my life right now, I am looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for me.

This past semester, I finally learned to be content no matter what. One of the biggest areas in which I struggled with that was the area of dating/marriage. One of my greatest fears had always been staying single for the rest of my life. God used my experience thsi summer to teach me that I needed to wait on Him, rather than trying to take my life into my own hands. I learned to wait on Him, and let Him bring along the right person for me.

It was only after I learned to wait on God and to be content that God started doing an amazing work in my life. The week of missions conference at Ambassador, I surrendered to Missions. I don't know if God is calling me to missions or not, but I am willing to go, or as I've hear it put many times, "wanting to go but willing to stay." I don't know exactly what God is doing in my life, but it's pretty amazing, and I'm excited to see what more He has in store for me!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love Christmastime!!! It's my favorite time of the year. I love all the hustle and bustle, shopping for gifts at the last minute, the music, seeing the smiles on other people's faces as they open their presents, and, of course, all of the decorations!

I am so happy to be home for Christmas Break and to be able to spend time with my family. I can't wait until Christmas Day, which is pretty much the one day of the year when we're all home at the same time, and the day which is set aside for family time.

This year will be a tad different from past Christmases, as Holly will be leaving on that evening to fly to Andrew's house and spend time with him and his family. This is her last Christmas at home, as next Christmas she and Andrew will be celebrating Christmas in their own house in North Carolina. It's going to seem so strange without her here next year for Christmas.

Well, it is almost time to leave for church, so I had better go get ready! I'll write more later!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Well, I'm finally home for Christmas break. It was quite an interesting and eventful trip, but I got home safely. The trip, which usually take 7 to 8 hours instead took over ten hours.

When we (Christie Darling, Michael Troester, and I) left school, it was sleeting. Shortly after we got out of Shelby, it started to snow. By the time we got to Statesville, NC, the snow was coming down hard and fast. Once we got to Virginia, driving was starting to get a little tricky because the roads were so slippery from the snow.

Our trek through Virgina and West Virgina was rather...interesting. While we were in Virginia, we did a 360 right in the middle of the interstate, ending up in a ditch!! Thankfully, we were able to get out without too much trouble and carefully continued on our way. While on the West Virginia turnpike, we did quite a bit of sliding around, but thankfully God kept us safe and we didn't get into any accidents, although we did come close a couple of times.

We were finally able to get ahead of the snow shortly before we got Charleston, WV. It was raining, but that was much better than snow!! From Charelston to Zanesville, we only had to deal with rain, but once we got to Zanesville, it started to snow again. Thankfully it was only a half hour to Christie's house from there, so the roads weren't too bad.

We were at Christie's house for about five minutes or so before Dad and Holly arrived to pick me up. I was very happy to see them, and even more happy when I got home. I don't think I've ever been so ahppy or so relieved to be home.

It snowed all night last night and is still snowing now. It's not supposed to stop until tomorrow sometime. It's amazing how much prettier it looks when you're nice and cozy inside!!

4 More Weeks!!!

Only 4 more weeks until Christmas break!! It seems so very hard to believe. It seems like just the other day I was starting classes and moving into the dorm, and now the first semester of my last year (at least for right now) at Ambassador is drawing to a close.

This semester has been a rough one, but it's also been a good one. Although I had a rough start, it's gotten much better. I've enjoyed making new friends and continuing my friendships from the previous year. I have learned so much not only in the classroom, but also out of the classroom.

I have two of the bestest (yes, I know that's not proper grammar, but I'm going to use it anyways) roommates. Christy and I get along wonderfully, and Jennifer just sits there and laughs at our craziness and our mock fighting and picking at each other. :) I'm looking forward to getting to know both of them even better next semester.

Next week is Thanksgiving! I'm very much looking forward to it for several reasons. First, Holly is coming down the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, secondly, I'm going to the Stolikers for Thanksgiving, which I know will be a blast, and thirdly, we're one week closer to Christmas break!!

Well, i need to wrap up now. I'll try to write more later.

An Update

This past week was Missions Conference at Ambassador. It was a great week!

The speakers, Dr. John Halsey and Dr. Ron White, were both really good. All of the messages this week were really good. I can't really pick a favorite.

On Monday, Ron White spoke about being surrendered to Missions. This really convicted me because I had not been surrendered to Missions. I had always looked at it as something that other people are called to. I kept making excuses like, "I don't think I could stand being that far away from my family," "I don't think I could survive if I ad to go someplace without electricity and running water," and other such ridiculous excuses. On Monday I surrendered to being willing to go to the Mission field. I don't know if God is or will call em to missions, but if He does decide to call me,I am willing to go.

Fall Break

Fall Break has finally arrived!!! Actually, it's almost over. I leave tomorrow after the morning service to go back to Ambassador to finish up the semester. As much as I have enjoyed being home, I am ready to go back.

On Wednesday, the first day of Fall Break, Mom and I went thrift store shopping in Columbus. It was their monthly half-off day (the last Wednesday of every month everything is half-off), so I got lots of nice clothes for fall and winter for only $20!!!!

Thursday I took Mom into work and did a little shopping in town. After I got back home I just laid around, enjoying not having to do anything.

On Friday, Mom had the day off, so we spent the afternoon together. We didn't really do anything special, just stayed around the house, but it was fun to be able to spend some time with her.

Today (Saturday) I once again just laid around and relaxed, as well as spent some time with Mom. I got fitted for my bridesmaids dress for holly's wedding, which I'm super excited about.

In the evening, after dinner, I made cookies to take back to school. It's become kind of a tradition for me to bring back cookies after a break. I've done it for every break since fall break my freshman year.

I am sick!!! I know, I know,you're supposed to rest and recuperate over break. Well, I didn't. I got sick instead. :( Yeah, no fun, I know. I am not sure what I have, but I think it's the same thing I had earlier in the semester because I once again have horrible body aches and a cough. Hopefully I will get over it soon, because Missions Conference week is not a good week to be sick at school!!

Although break has been really good, I'm ready to get back to school. I've missed all of my friends, and I've even missed all of the noise and giggles of the dorm, believe it or not. Once I get back, we have missions conference all week/ The next weekend is T.A.C. Conference, which i have a big part in this year because of being on I.B.C., then in two weeks we have the Messiah and thanksgiving, which is going to be an absolute blast this year, plus Holly's coming down for it, which will make it even more fun! The following weekend, we have Christmas caroling with the school. This will be my first year going because last year Emmanuel's Christmas Cantata was the same weekend. This year, it's the following weekend, which means that that weekend will be busy as well. The Friday after the cantata is the beginning of Christmas Break. It's going to be busy, but I'm looking forward to it all. I love the busyness of it all!!!

I don't know when I'll have time to post again, but I'm sure I'll be able to update on some Sunday or Wednesday afternoon at church. Farewell until then!!

Teach Me to Do Thy Will

Why is it so hard to follow God’s will? I’ve wondered that many times in these past five months. I’ve dealt with a lot in that time that has taught me to follow God’s will no matter how hard it is.
This summer, I began talking with a guy with the intent of us getting to know each other better, and eventually, to begin dating. Only a couple of weeks into us talking, I received a phone call from him saying that he didn’t have peace about us dating; he didn’t feel that it was the Lord’s will. I struggled with that. Even though we had only been talking for a short time, I had not been careful with my heart, and I had begun to care deeply for him, and, yes, even love him. I couldn’t believe that God was taking that away from me. I thought for sure that this guy that I had been talking to was the one He had for me. I questioned God and became very bitter against Him for taking away the person that I loved, that I had been so sure was “the one.”
The following few months were tough. I held a lot of bitterness in my heart against God. It wasn’t until I heard Evangelist Dwight Smith preach a message during opening revival about bitterness that I realized how wrong I was. I had been holding this bitterness in my heart against God, and inside it was eating me up.
Once I repented of this bitterness and got right with God, I was finally able to see that the guy I was in love with wasn’t the person God wanted for me; it was the person I wanted for me. I had convinced myself that my will was God’s will. I realized how important it was to make sure that God’s will is our will, and not the other way around. It was only after I realized that that I was able to begin healing and start to move on with my life.
About a month or so ago, I started praying seriously about something. As I continued to pray about it, I felt an uneasiness about it, but I ignored it, thinking it would go away if I continued to pray about it. It wasn’t until this past Monday night during devos with Miss B, the Dean of Women at Ambassador, that I realized I was once again trying to make my will God’s will.
The devotion was not on anything to do with God’s will, but across the page from the verse that she had us turn to was a verse that caught my eye. This verse was the only verse on the page that was underlined. It was Psalm 143:10: “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” I kept reading the first phrase of that verse over and over again. “Teach me to do thy will.” I realized that I needed to make that my prayer; I needed to ask the Lord to teach me to do His will.
Doing His will doesn’t mean doing it just when it’s easy, or just when His will matches our will; it means doing His will not matter what happens, and no matter what our will is. We need to be willing to trust that God knows best. If we follow God’s will, then He will bless us and we’ll be so much happier than if we followed our own will.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Another Update :)

Okay, so I really should be doing schoolwork, but I haven't updated my blog for awhile,s o i thought I'd do a quick little update.
I am finally over the bug that I had; I still have a little bit of a cough left, but other than that I am feeling much better.
Classes are going great right now. Midterms start on Tuesday, and, surprisingly enough, I'm really not worried about them. I'm sure that will change once it comes time to take my first midterm on Wednesday! :D
After midterms is Fall Break, which I'm super excited about!!! I'm going home for it, and bringing Andrew with me so he can visit Holly. ;) Needless to say, they're both quite excited about that! ON my first full day home, Mom and I are going shopping at the Ohio Thrift stores in Columbus for their monthly half-price day, which is the last Wednesday of every month. I'm hoping to get some fall and winter clothes for school. I was looking on my closet the other day, and most of my clothes are for spring and summer, so that will be a very helpful trip.
I'm not sure what else we'll be doing over fall break. I know that we're going out to eat one night at Clark's, a family-owned restaurant about two minutes from my house, which, unfortunately is closing soon due to the economy and lack of business. This will be my last opportunity to eat there as they are closing right after Thanksgiving. I was sad to hear that, because Clark's has been there forever, and it's kind of a landmark in a way. They have delicious food for very good prices and I always enjoy going there.
After Fall Break, I'll be back down here with only a little over four weeks until Thanksgiving. I'm very much looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, for a couple fo different reasons. The first one, and my main one, is that Holly's coming down for Thanksgiving week!!! She'll arrive on Tuesday before dinner, go to Emmanuel with Andrew and I that night for our praise service, and be here through at least Friday night, if not Saturday morning. I'm very much looking forward to having her down here as I have really missed her. My second reason for looking forward to Thanksgiving is because I will be going to the Stoliker home, affectionately referred to as the nut house because of all of us crazy college students that they adopted, for Thanksgiving dinner. Chad West, Amy Marshall, Lisa Penachio, and Caleb Getty, their other college student adoptees, will be over there as well, which guarantees that it will be crazy and tons of fun!
Well, that's about all I have time to write for now. I'll try to get a post written sometime this week and post it on here on Wednesday night when i come for visitation.
Goodbye until then!!

Update

Right now I am sitting in my hiding place at Emmanuel (I won't reveal where it is because then it wouldn't be a good hiding place anymore) and am quite sleepy, so I thought I'd do a little updating on here to keep myself awake.

There's not a whole lot going on right now. This next week is going to be quite busy as we start Missions' Conference at Emmanuel on Wednesday. On top of that, I have a test in almost every class this week. Sign Language on Tuesday, Systematic Theology and Major Prophets on Friday, and Hebrews and General Epistles either Wednesday or Friday. I'm going to be quite busy this next week!

This past week I've been quite sick. I'm not exactly sure what I have, but I think it's some type of flu bug. I've had a fever on and off since Tuesday, as well as body aches, a headache, chills, and a horrible cough. i have not been sleeping well at all because my stupid cough keep waking me up!! If I'm not better by tomorrow I am planning on going to the doctor and hopefully I can get something to get over this! I had to stay in from classes for three days straight, and I do not wnat to miss anymore classes!

Well, that's pretty much it. I'm going to go see if I can't find someplace to take a nap. I will try to update again next week, but it depends on how much schoolwork i have to do.

Rest In Me

I have been struggling this week, well, all summer really, with something, and a friend told me about this song and let me listen to it. I wanted to share the lyrics with all of you here. This is one of my favorite songs to listen to when I'm going through a hard time.

Rest In Me
Kevin Inafuku

When confusion fills my life and my world inside is torn apart;

When the road just seems too rough and discouragement just grips my heart,

I lift my eyes and see, the One who died for me

Is standing there beside me, and says so tenderly,

Oh, be still, My child, and know I’m your God.

Rest to know the King of Glory is on your side

Let Me bear all your pain and carry your load,

Oh, be still, My child, and rest in Me.

When I lose the ones I love, and there’s no one there to stand by me

Or when all I have is gone, my dreams, my plans are all destroyed

I lift my eyes and see the One who died for me

Is standing there beside me, and says so tenderly

Oh, be still, My child, and know I’m your God.

Rest to know the King of Glory is on your side

Let Me bear all your pain and carry your load,

Oh, be still, My child, and rest in Me.

Oh, be still, My child, and know I’m your God.

Rest to know the King of Glory is on your side

Let Me bear all your pain and carry your load,

Oh, be still, yes be still, just be still, My child, and rest in Me.

A Little Update

Well, it's been awhile since I posted, so I'll give y'all a little update of what's going on in my life.

On August 20, I returned to Ambassador Baptist College for my Sophomore year of school. I was excited to get back and see all of my friends again as well as being back at Emmanuel Baptist Church with my church family.

I have two roommates this year, one of whom was my roommate last year (Christy Godfrey). The other is a freshman from Brazil, Jennifer Duarte. Jennifer is an absolute sweetheart! I could not have asked for a better roommate!

The Monday after everyone returned was Skate Night for the college. A local skating rink was rented out and all of the students divided up amongst various cars and the school vans to get there. I had an absolute blast! It had been awhile since i last skated. I think the last time I had skated was skate night my freshman year. Despite that, I did pretty well. I didn't fall at all, which made me quite happy.

Throughout the rest of the week we had various other events such as the annual cookout and the get-acquainted day. On Thursday, classes started. Because I only have two classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays, it was a pretty easy day for me. Friday was a little heavier of a day for me; I had three classes. I know, I know, I have it so tough this year!! :D On Mondays and Wednesday I have four classes (one of my classes, the 7am one, only meets on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is why I have one less class on Fridays).

Saturday was league draft. Because I am the secretary/vice-president for the Patriot League, I was kept quite busy from Friday afternoon into Saturday evening, especially since for most of the time I was the only one working on our room and our booth in the gym. I was exhausted by the time League Draft started on Saturday night. To make matters worse, I had a horrible asthma attack during one of the games, and they ended up having to call the squad. Not a great way to start the semester!!

On Monday, Opening Revival started a school. Dr. Glenn Jaspers spoke in the morning chapel services, and Evangelist Dwight Smith spoke in the evening services and during Wednesday chapel. All of Brother Smith's messages spoke to my heart, but I think my favorite was the message that he preached on Thursday night, entitled "Power Outage." He spoke about how we have to surrender everything to God, and how he can't give us anything until we first empty our arms. This message really spoke to my heart because there was something, or rather someone, in my life that I was refusing to give to God; I wanted to keep it for myself. That night I surrendered it to the Lord. I can't say that it's been easy since then, that I haven't been tempted to take it back form God, but it has been easier than it was. I still am struggling with this, so your prayers in that area would be appreciated.

As much as I love opening revival, I am glad it is over. It was a very tiring and hard week for me physically but especially emotionally. These next few weeks are going to be rough, but I know that the Lord will help me through them. I am learning already this semester that I am not going to make it through unless I give everything to Him.

I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me this year! Some specific prayer requests that I have are: finances (I need a job), good grades, and that I can be a blessing both at church and on campus.

I will try to update again before too long!

Free Music!!!

Recently I've been reading some coupon web sites. On one of those websites was a link to a free cd download! The cd is by Greg Howlett, a Christian pianist and I highly recommend it!! Here's the link: http://www.greghowlett.com/portraitsdownload.aspx. This cd is available free until August 31!

Once you download that cd, if you tell others about the download on either Facebook, Twitter, or your blog and then email Greg Howlett and let him know, he will let you choose a five song download from one of his other two cds, both of which I highly recommend.

Another great place to get free music is http://www.amazon.com. I didn't find out until tonight that they have a whole section of free songs available for download. I got some really good classical songs off of here tonight, as well as a Celtic cd. Not sure yet if the celtic cd will pass at Ambassador, but we'll see. I kind of doubt it will, as it has more of an upbeat feel to it, but I might be surprised. I also found a really pretty sounding wedding song cd called The O'Neill Brothers Wedding Music: Amazon Sampler, but it's not available for download until August 11, so I will have to wait for that. You do have to sort through quite a bit of music on here as there's about 1,000 free songs available for download, but I think it's worth it.

Another website that I got a free download off of was http://mincymedia.com/blog/2009/07/23/like-a-river-glorious-free-music/. This is only one song, but it's very pretty. The artist is Christian pianist Dave Mincy.

Needless to say, I am VERY excited to find free music downloads!!! I absolutely love the Greg Howlett cd that I downloaded as well as the Dave Mincy song. I love finding anything for free!!!

Tuesday Night Fun

Chase is having swimming lessons this week, and tonight Chad and Maranda kindly gave me a ride to watch him. He did so well!!! I was so proud of him. He's turning out to be a regular little swimmer! The kid would stay in water all day if you let him.

He started out in the five foot end, swimming about two or three feet to the ladder ALL BY HIMSELF!!! After that, they moved to about ten feet away from the ladder. He was a little unsure at first, so they let him use a noodle to help him swim, but after the first couple of times, he bravely discarded the noodle and swam by himself once again. He did so well!
Before leaving the five foot section, Chase's teacher had all the kids use a noodle to do a backstroke. Chase had a little bit of difficulty getting the hang of this, but after a few times, he was doing excellent!!!

After they left the five foot section, they went to the three foot section, where the kids dove for rings. Chase had absolutely no qualms about jumping right in after his ring. They eventually moved the the four foot section, where they had the kids jump into the water and swim all the way to the ladder in the three foot section. Chase enjoyed this part quite a bit; his favorite way to jump in is doing a cannonball!

Right before it was time to leave, the teachers took the kids over to the slides and let them go down them. At first, all of them were a little hesitant, but after a little while Chase and another boy bravely decided to try the slides. Once Chase went down once, he was hooked!! He kept wanting to go down over and over again! The teachers finally had to tell him that it was time to go, which disappointed him; However, he cheered back up when they told him that he could do it again tomorrow.

After leaving the pool, Chad Maranda, Chase, Cole, and I stopped to get ice cream at the Dairy Bar in Hebron. Chase got a vanilla cone, Cole got a strawberry cone (or pink ice cream; as he likes to call it!), I got a hot fudge sunday, and Chad and Maranda shared an oreo flurry. The ice cream was delicious!

After we got the ice cream, we took a little drive around Hebron. We went by Chase's school and Chase was so proud to point out his school to me. It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks he'll be in first grade!!! This is Cole's last year before going to school; next year he'll be starting kindergarten! I'm starting to feel really old!

Once we finished our tour of Hebron, which didn't take too long because it's quite small, we came back home. I had such a fun time with Chad, Maranda, and the boys, just like I always do. I'm going to miss the boys so much when I go back to school; after seeing them everyday it's going to be hard to get used to not seeing them for several months at a time. :( But Chase has promised to write me, and I get occasional phone calls from them, so I will have to be content with that, because not even my boys can keep me from going back to school.

I took plenty of pictures of Chase's swimming lesson, so I'll get those up here as soon as I get them on the computer.

Pajama School Review & Giveaway

YLCF.org, a Christian blog that I read regularly, wrote a review on the book "Pajama School," a book about growing up homeschooled. It sounded very interesting. The author's main reason for writing the book is to encourage other people who are homeschooling their children. I've included the link to this article below.

Pajama School Review & Giveaway

Sacrifice

I got this story in an email today from EBC list, the email list that my church down at school has. I got tears in my eyes as I read this. It was a great reminder of what July 4th is truly about.

Everyone,

I wanted to share something that just happened tonight. I was sitting
at the gate in the Washington-Baltimore airport waiting on my flight to
Charlotte. The plane was at the gate. While we were waiting for the
attendant to announce the boarding for our flight, I saw about a dozen
Transportation Security Agency uniformed personnel head to the departure
ramp. I was concerned there was a problem, meaning a delay. Just what
I needed!

Several of us moved to the observation window to see if we could see
anything going on outside. That is when I saw a lone uniformed Marine
standing at the bottom of the ramp leading from the cargo hold of the
aircraft to the ground. I thought to myself how this small delay for me
was nothing compared to the sacrifice a Marine and his family made for our
nation.

There were more and more people gathering to see what we were looking at
down on the tarmac. The people were quiet, but not silent. I looked
down the concourse and saw other small groups gathered close to the other
observation windows looking down at the conveyor and the small detail of
Marines that had appeared. They were part of the funeral detail or an
Honor Guard. In the distance there was a hearse, another vehicle, and a
police car. As they drove to the bottom of the ramp, I knew the remains of a
Marine, in a flag draped casket, were about to be moved from the
aircraft and into the hearse. It is customary for uniformed members of the armed
services to salute any American flag as it passes...especially when it
is covering the remains of one of our fallen warriors.

The people standing around me were mostly civilians, but I could tell
they wanted to be respectful, they just did not know how. I had no idea if
that Marine's family was down below in one of the vehicles. I
couldn't have the family, or those Marines, look up and see a bunch of people standing
from above...staring. When I saw the pall bearers (Marines) move to the
bottom of the ramp, I had to do something.

It has been four years since I retired from the Army, but duty called.
I turned and faced everyone in the terminal, and in my loudest command
voice, I told everyone the remains of a Marine were about to be unloaded from
the aircraft, and it is customary for everyone to stand and be silent as the
body is moved. Believe it or not.everybody, as far as I could see,
stood up and the entire terminal became quiet. I then said as loudly as I could,
that all current and former service members, in or out of uniform, were
authorized to render the hand salute, and all civilians were to place
their hand over their hearts. As soon as the tip of the flag draped coffin
appeared, I bellowed out "Pre-sent...ARMS" and you could hear
a pin drop except for the multitude of arms going over their hearts. The entire
terminal was silent...no talking, no announcements over the PA,
silence...only silence.

The casket traveled down the ramp. All the US Air employees servicing
the aircraft and unloading baggage stopped and stood silently with their
hands over their hearts. The police officer was saluting. The Marines picked
up the casket and placed it gently into the hearse, then closed the rear
door.

Inside the terminal, I gave the command to "Or-Der Arms".
When I turned around, there were literally hundreds and hundreds of people standing
silently...all over the terminal...at all the gates on our side of the
concourse, as well as all the gates on the opposite side. I noticed
every woman, of child bearing age either had tears in her eyes, or running
down their cheeks...and a lot of fathers did too.

I was taken back. People still care. During the next 10 minutes, a lot
of former service members, fathers of soldiers, and a few moms came and
thanked me for letting them know what to do. I didn't do anything compared
to that Marine. People want to be led to do what is right.

America still cares. America still has gratitude. The American spirit
is not dead. We don't need to apologize to anyone for who we are.

I don't know who that Marine was, where he served, or how he died.
All I know is that he raised his right arm, took the oath, put on that
uniform, and did his duty. That's good enough for me. I don't know
how he died, or where he was going. All I know is that his dreams for a better life are
over. Somewhere tonight there is a grieving wife, or mother, or
father...and their pain has just begun. I began this evening concerned
that I might be inconvenienced. Tonight I am safe, my family is safe, the
worst thing that might happen to me is a little inconvenience. I am safe
because of the sacrifices that Marine made. I am safe due to the sacrifices
that all our brothers in arms have made since 1776.

His duty is over. Our duty is not. It is not our duty to simply stand
and pay respect as a fallen soldier passes. Our duty is to remain steadfast
that our Armed Forces not be committed to harm's way recklessly,
that they be properly housed, trained, and led. We need to do our duty to provide
our young men and women with the best equipment, not simply with weapons and
armor that is "good enough".

I wish I knew the family of that Marine to say thanks. I wish I could
let them know that for a few minutes, in an airport terminal of one of the
busiest airports in the United States of America, a group of Americans
rendered an honor to their son. I doubt it could take the edge off
their loss, but I think it wouldn't hurt.

It made me think. It made us all reflect for a few minutes. Gratitude.

Thank you brave Marine for one last gift...Hooah...Semper Fi.

Ken Robertson
LTC, USAR, Retired Reserve

God Bless the U.S.A.

Tonight, while I was watching fireworks, the song "God Bless the U.S.A." started playing. I had heard the song numerous times before, but tonight, for the first time, I really listened to the lyrics.

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars
to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas
from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to L.A.,
There's pride in every American heart
and it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

Read those words. They bring tears to my eyes. As the last verse and chorus say, "It's time we stand and say: I'm proud to be an American." I don't hear that phrase often enough anymore. I will unabashadely tell you that I don't agree with President Obama's decisions or beliefs, nor do I like what he's doing. But the president is not the country; he's only a man. Just because we don't agree with what he's doing doesn't mean we can't still be proud to be an American!

Like they say in the song, "And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right [freedom] to me." I will never forget those who have sacrificed their lives and are currently risking their lives so that I could remain free.

To all of you who have served or who are serving in some branch of the military, thank you. To all of my readers, next time you hear the song: "God Bless the U.S.A." or any other patriotic song, I challenge you to stop and listen to the words. Think about what they're really saying. If you do so, and you have even an ounce of patriotism in you, it will no doubt make you think about and appreciate the freedom that we have and, the men and women who have fought to give us that freedom, and possibly even bring tears to your eyes, as it did to mine.

God Bless America! Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Happy Fourth of July!! I think that Fourth fo July is one of my favorite times of year. Fireworks, days off, grilling, parades...well, you get the point. I love seeing everything all decked out in red, white, and blue as well.

I'd like thank all of those that are in the military, or are veterans, for their service. I have several cousins that are in various branches of the military, including one who will be shipping out to Iraq shortly. I also have several friends who are in the military

I am the proud daughter of a United States Navy veteran. Dad never served during a time of war, but he has said several times that he still would have enlisted if there had been a war going on. He served for six (?, not auite sure if that's exactly right) years. The only reason that he did not reenlist is becuase he didn't want to have children while still in the Navy. He was out to sea six months at a time, and he didn't feel that would be fair to children. Thank you, Dad, for the time that you did serve.

Both of my grandpas served during World War II, and one of my uncles served during the Vietnam War. I am so thankful that these men were willing to risk their lives for our country. The reason that we still have the freedom to celebrate the Fourth of July is because of people like my dad, my grandpas, my uncle, my cousins, and my friends.

To those of you who are currently serving in some branch of the military, stay strong! There are still people who support you and appreciate your service.

Curious :)

Okay, I'm kind of curious. Does anyone actually read my blog? I will continue to whether anyone reads it or not, but I'm curious. This blog has kind of become a venting place for me; I write about things that are on my mind but I don't feel comfortable talking to anyone about. I guess, in a way, you could almost call it a journal.

The main reason that I started this blog was to stay in touch with my older sister, Holly, after she went to college. However, I was down there with her this past year, so that reason really no longer exists. Also, she informed me a while ago that she really doesn't read my blog anymore. :P

Enough rambling for now. I will probably write more soon.

Making Cookies

Well, today I decided to be daring and I made cookies with Chase and Cole. As you can probably imagine, they loved the idea. However, by the time it was all done, I was regretting my decision. The kitchen was a mess, thanks to my two little helpers. However, I must add that Chase helped with the cleanup. He did quite a few of the dishes for me!

Despite the huge mess that was made, we did have fun. Chase and Cole both helped with the mixing, and towards the end, when the dough was getting stiff and hard to mix, Cole held the bowl while Chase held the mixer. It was so sweet! Cole absolutely adores his older brother and would do anything to please him, which, I must admit, Chase takes advantage of sometimes!


Once the cookies were ready to be put on trays and go into the oven, I sat the boys down at the table and let them eat their lunch, which consisted of hot dogs and a candy bar. That kept them busy long enough for me to get all of the cookies on trays and the first batch into the oven.

When they were done eating, I put Chase to work doing dishes (no, I wasn't forcing him, he volunteered!) and put Cole down for his nap because he was being a crab. He always looks so cute and innocent when eh's sleeping; why can't he ever be like that when he's awake?


Well, that pretty much sums up the adventure of cookie making with a six year old and a four year old! Next time I'll think twice before suggesting that we make cookies!!

(The finished result!)

Holly & Andrew's Wedding Website

Ceremony - The Knot: Wedding Web Page Builder

Shared via AddThis

God's Protection

I am praising God for the safety he has given many of my friends. Back "home" in North Carolina, they had a few tornadoes touch down in Kings Mountain, which is where the church I attend is located. They were having Vacation Bible School at the church, and God thankfully protected them. Torandoes touched down all around them, but none touched down by the church.

Unfortunately, one of the tornadoes touched down near the houses of several of the church members. There was just minor damage, such as windows being blown blown out and siding being blown offf. No one was home at the time in any of the houses, so thankfully no one was injured.

It is amazing to see how God protects those who trust in him.

Prayer Requests

Oh my! I have so many prayer requests to share. Several of them are prayer requests the friends have shared with me, and a couple of them are my own.

A friend from elementary school's dad had brain surgery yesterday. He had a brain tumor, and, although it was benign, it had to be removed immediately. He made it through the surgery fine, but please be in prayer for him as he recovers. His name is Mr. Loy (I don't know his first name).

A friend from college contacted me today. His mom, Margorie Engelheart, had a gallbladder attack yesterday and had to have her gallbladder removed in emergency surgery. His parents are missionaries in Africa, so please pray for her recovery.

My best friend from college, Laura, and I were talking yesterday, and she said that a man from her church is in need of a heart transplant. He's second on the list in the country, but the doctors aren't even sure he could make it through the surgery. I do not know his name, but please pray for him. He is saved, but Laura is very close to him, so it would be hard on her if he died.

Also, my great-grandma, Helen Jackson, is suffering from congestive heart failure. She has only been given a few months to live, and she is not saved. As I said in my blog post about her, I would desperately love to see her get saved before she dies. It would be so much easier on me if she died before I go back to college in the fall so I don't have to fly hoem for a funeral.

If you could pray for all of these things, I would greatly appreciate it!

My boys =)

I realized today as I was making lunch for the boys just how blessed I am to have this job and how much I enjoy it. I often forget what a great job I have and how much fun I have doing it because I'm too busy thinking about the few things i don't like about it.
I was standing at the kitchen counter today making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the boys and listening to Cole babble away about watches when it hit me. I realized that I would not trade this job for anything. Not only am I making good money, but I get to spend time with my two favorite boys in the whole world.
On top of that, I'm getting experience that I could not get anywhere else. When I was standing there making the sandwiches, I could see myself someday standing at my own kitchen counter, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for my own kids. Having babysat the boys from the time Chase was twelve weeks old, I've had a lot of experience with kids.
I realized today that although I may get tired of listening to Cole's "chitchat", as Chase calls it, or watching cartoons on tv when I'd rather be watching a movie, I wouldn't trade this job for the world!

Grandma Jackson

Last night I found out from my dad that my great-grandmother, his grandma, has congestive heart failure. In other words, her heart is not circulating the blood through her body properly because there's fluid building up around. The doctors have only given her a few months to live.
This news saddened me. I am pretty close to her, and I have never lost someone close to me before. She's been in poor health for awhile, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the knew came that she had either died or was dying, but that doesn't make it any easier. She's not saved, so that makes it even harder.
Although I am not looking forward to attending her funeral, I am hoping that she passes away before I go back to college this fall. I would rather not have to fly home from college to attend a funeral, especially not at the beginning of the semester.
Please pray that she will get saved. She is in the beginning stages of dementia, so I'm not sure she is able to understand the concept of salvation, but I know that God can work miracles. There would be nothing that i would like more than to see her accept Christ as her Savior before she dies.

Summer Update

Well, summer is now in full swing. I am enjoying being home, but I miss college!! More specifically, I miss all of my friends at college. I'm already counting down the days till I go back...only 73!!

I have not been able to find a second job this summer like I was hoping to. :( I had a couple of interviews, but no one wanted to hire someone who would only be home for the summer. I am so very thankful that I am babysitting Chase and Cole this summer, because this way I at least have one job. I am planning on making up some fliers to offer babysitting services for the evenings and weekend. Hopefully this will give me a little extra income this summer.

The Lord has really blessed. Between savings bonds, what I already have in my savings account, and babysitting the boys this summer, I will have enough money for almost all of next year. This is a huge relief to me because I do not have a job down at school for when I go back. :( I won't have a car, either, so I'm going to have to find a job on campus. Housekeeping usually needs people, and from what I've heard, you get plenty of hours, so I'm hoping to get on there. Mom and Dad have told me that if, when it comes time for finals, I don't have enough money to pay off my school bill, they will pay it off for me. I would really rather not have to ask them for money, but I'm thankful to know that the money is there if I need it.

It's hard to believe that I'll be graduating this next year. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was arriving on campus as a freshman, scared to death and not knowing what to expect. It doesn't seem real that I'll be a sophmore this year. Time sure has flown!

I am praying very hard that the Lord will supply enough money for all of next year and most of the next. I would really like to go back to Ambassador for a year after I graduate to take miscellanious classes that would help me in the ministry, or even as a wife and mother, if the Lord blesses me with a husband and children. At this time, it doesn't look like it will be possible for me to go back for a third year, but I know that I have a God that will supply all of my needs. I am trying very hard to trust in him for everything.

Other than babysiting, I really haven't been doing much this summer. I am teaching Mom's Sunday school class during summer break, so a lot of my spare time goes into preparing stuff for that. For the next four weeks I will be teaching on Esther, who is my favorite Bible character. I'm hoping to be able to convey how exciting the story is to my class. I started the series yesterday, and to my regret, only one out of the three students I had was excited about the story. The other two, who are both boys, said that they've heard the story before and that they don't want to hear it again. Please pray that I'll be able to get them excited about it. If you have any ideas, please, fel free to share them with me.

I'm hoping to start a memory program with them called Victory for Verses. It's a program where kids earn "dollars" for memorizing verses. There is also a list called the Memory Master list that has itmes such as the ten commandments, the days of creation, the plagues of Egypt, and other Biblical facts. These are worth more "dollars." At the end of the summer, the kids will be able ot redeem these "dollars" for prizes. I'm just waiting on my Pastor's approal before I start the program.

Well, that's pretty much everything that's going on in my life right now. Pretty boring, I know. lol :) I'll try to update again soon, but I['m not making any promises! :D

PawPaw

Today I will be going fishing with my Dad and PawPaw. However, Dad will be in a different boat. This will give me an oppurtunity that I've never had before: to be alone with PawPaw. I'm hoping to use this time alone with him to witness to him.

For as long as I can remember my family and I have been praying for Granny and PawPaw's salvation. Dad has witnessed to both of them several times, but until recently, their hearts were hardened towards the Gospel and they didn't want anything to do with it. However, a few months ago Dad had an opportunity to witness to them again, and they listened and actually seemed intersted.

It has long been a desire of my heart to see Granny and PawPaw accept Christ as their personal Saviour, however, I must admit I have been lax in witnessing to them. Although I've had opportunities to share the Gospel with Granny, I let those slip by. I regret that so much now. Being at Ambassador has really given me a burden for souls, especially for Granny and PawPaw. I would hate for them to die without getting saved. They mean so much to me taht I cannot just sit by and do nothing.

I know that there's no guarantee that I'll get an opportunity to witness to PawPaw today, and even if I do get an opportunity there's no guarantee that he will get saved, but I still have to try. I have been in in constanst, fervent prayer about this and the Lord ahs given me a peace about it that I cannot explain. I just somehow have a feeling that I will indeed be given a chance to witness to PawPaw.

Please pray with me that, first of all, I will get an opportunity to witness to him, and that he will listen when I do. Also pray for his salvation, as well as Granny's. Nothing would make me happier than to see them accept Christ as their personal Savior this summer. Please, please, please pray that the Lord will give me boldness as well as the right words to say so that I can clearly present the plan of salvation to PawPaw, and that he will listen to it and get saved.

“There is no other activity in life so important as that of prayer. Every other activity depends upon prayer for its best efficiency.” M.E. Andross

"Our only true power is the power of prayer. When we pray, God moves from heaven. When we pray, things happen that would not otherwise happen. By prayer all things are possible." Dr. Ray Pritchard

The Lord's Will

If it's the Lord's will, then how can it be so hard to accept? Why does it hurt so much? I've been asked that question by a couple of friends, and each time I didn't know how to respond, mainly because I had never had those feelings before. But now, I know exactly how they were feeling and how hard it was for them because I'm going through the exact same thing. It's not an easy thing to go through, by any means.

It's been almost two weeks now since I first asked those questions, and it hasn't gotten any easier. I still don't know the answer to those questions. I was so happy with the way things were going, so sure that it was the right thing, then, suddenly, I was confronted with the fact that it wasn't God's will. I couldn't believe it. Not God's will? I had been so sure it had to be God's will; after all, I was happy and content with the way things were going. I didn't understand how it could possibly be any thing other than God's will.

I was devastated. I cried. I cried a lot. However, that didn't help. The only thing crying did was remind me even more of the pain I was going through and of what I had lost. I couldn't figure it out. If it was God's will, then why did it hurt so bad? Why was my heart so heavy? Why did my heart heart feel like it had shattered into a thousand pieces?

The one thing that did help was turning to God for answers. I sought comfort from the one place i knew I could find it, God's Word. I opened my Bible first of all to my life verse, Isaiah 40:31. "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; they shall walk, and not faint." That verse brought me so much comfort, because i realized that if I looked to the Lord and trusted Him, then in due time, He would give me the strength to go on.

The next verse that I saw was right across the page. I had read it before, but never had it spoken to me like it did when my heart was so troubled. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

And so it continues, with the Lord leading me to verse after verse after verse. Every verse that I read was exactly what I needed at that time. Even verses that I had read before and had memorized as a little girl held new meaning for me.

Although that period of time was, and still is hard, it helps to know that I have a wonderful God right there with me. He will always be by my side. It reminds me of a well-known poem, Footprints in the Sand, by Mary Stevenson. The last few stanzas of the poem are: "'Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.' He whispered, 'My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.'"

That poem has never meant more to me than it has in these past couple of weeks, because I know that the Lord is carrying me through this trial. Even though I still don't understand why, or how it can hurt so much even thought it's His will, He knows. Although I still cry, and although it still hurts and it will hurt for awhile, I know that God is right beside me, ready to help me whenever I ask.

Poem

I found this poem today on http://www.ylcf.org when I really needed something to comfort me. I won't go into details, but I was recently hurt very deeply by someone who was a very dear friend of mine. When I read this poem, it seemed like the author knew exactly what I was going through, and God used this poem to comfort me.

Why This Road?
By Jaclynn Robinson

I lay it all down on the altar, Lord,
Every piece of this broken dream.
I can not understand Your plan for me.
I stumble to ask You, why this road?

When so much just seemed to fit perfectly,
My heart it dared to hope and to dream.
Now only to be filled with an aching
In the confusion of why this road.

Though I may fight and struggle through all this,
The answers to the questions do not come.
I know I must be content without them,
Enough to know You know why this road.

To accept Your will, to keep on trusting--
I must, but hard is the task at hand.
When tears blur my vision to what You’ve planned,
I choose to follow You down this road.

The strength for the season comes only from You.
From the same well, joy for the journey.
As You lead, I’m slowly but surely learning
To rejoice in spite of why this road.

The End is In Sight!!

Well, the semester's almost over. I have six finals left, and then I will be done with my freshman year at Ambassador Baptist College. It's kind of bittersweet. I'm excited to be going back home for the summer, but I am definitely going to miss all of my friends. Thank goodness for cell phones, email, facebook, and skype. All of my friends have at least one of those, so I will be able to keep in touch with them during the summer.

The school year has absolutely flown by! It's hard to believe that it was almost nine months ago when I first arrived. It seems like only yesterday. Out of the two semesters, I would definitely say that this semester has been the most difficult. I've been through a lot this semester, especially wiht my asthma. It has gotten way out of control, and no one can seem to figure out why. I have had so many doctor appointments in the past month that I've lost count. Thankfully, my last one is this Thursday, and my Mom and Dad will be here for it!! A week ago Monday, I went to the hospital to get some tests run and the doctor is going to let me know the results at my appointment on Thursday. The test results will hopefully tell the doctor why I'm having so many problems with my asthma. I'm hoping that it's something simple and easy to fix, because I'm tired of having all these asthma attacks.

Holly will be graduating this Friday! It's so hard for me to believe! I'm really going to miss her next year. She has been such a great help and encouragement to me this semester with everything that's gone on. I wish she sould come back, but she odesn't have the finances, and she wants to plan her wedding, which will hopefully be taking place next spring. NO, there's no ring on her finger yet, but hopefully she'll have one on there before the end of the year. The parents' permission has already been given, so now it's just a matter of time until Andrew asks her.

I don't really have any plans for the summer other than working. I'm going to be babysitting Chase and Cole four days a week to start, then hopefully five days a week. RIght now, Cahd, their dad, is only working four days a week. One nice thing about that is that I'll have my birthday off. That means i won't have to get up at the crack of dawn!!! That was one thing I wasn't looking forward to. I've always taken my birthday off before, but I wouldn't be able to do that babysitting. The Lord worked it all out.

One thing that i really want to do while I'm home is become active in my church, New Lexington Bible Church. I'd really like to get involved with the children and teenagers. I'm going to be teaching my mom's Sunday school class, which is grades 2-6. I'm very excited about that. One of the things I'll be teaching on is the book of Esther. This is one of my favorite books of the BIble, so I'm really going to enjoy studying it out and teaching it to the kids.

Well, that's about all for now. I'll try to post as often as I can during the summer, but I'm not sure how frequently i'll be updating. I'm always horrible about that!