let's drink water

 via

awkward:

- taking this 40 Day Challenge where you only drink water for the 40 days of Lent.  I've never done Lent before--never even really knew when it was until I worked at McDs last spring and it seemed like all we sold was fish--but I thought this was an interesting challenge, and I can always drink more water.  I admit, however, it's a bit daunting--I drank a gallon of peach tea in preparation.
- the wall mirrors that go all the way around the main room of Planet Fitness.  I have scoliosis and walk kind of lopsidedly, but I never realized how bad it was 'til I saw myself walking in one of those mirrors.  So, thank you, Planet Fitness, for slowly breaking down my positive self image. ;)
- my science teacher this week, after he realized that Valentine's Day was coming up.  After we all teased him about not getting anything yet for his girlfriend, he proceeded to inform us that every day with him is like Valentine's Day, "and every night is like the Fourth of July."

awesome:

- quitting my 365 challenge.  It is such a relief to not have to worry about taking a picture every single day. Yay for failure!
- Valentine's Day!!!!  I ended up skipping school today (because my car is falling apart), but I did go to Walmart to join the masses of boyfriends, fiances, and husbands desperately searching for some passable flowers and maybe some chocolate. I had a hard time holding myself back from running down the aisles singing "All the Single Ladies".  Go watch this cute video for some Valentine's Day cuteness--my favorite is the little red-haired girl. :)
- prayer for Djamsel would be awesome--there's some issues with the center he's been attending and I'm not really sure what the outcome will be.  Hopefully it'll all be resolved soon--please pray that his center won't be closed!
- an A on my science test!
- getting tested to see if I'm able to donate bone marrow this week!  I was encouraged to do this by my science teacher, who knew someone who has leukemia and is in need of a transplant.  The only thing that was kind of weird was that, when I went to my teacher's school to get tested, of course he was there.  Nothing like chatting with your professor while awkwardly swabbing the inside of your mouth--I felt like we were really bonding. 
- Happy Valentine's Day!

 

apologies aren't accepted here

I got a letter the other day from my little girl, Majoie, who I sponsor through Compassion International.  Her letters are very scripted--she's only six years old--so my favorite part of her letters is usually at the end where she asks me a question.  This time she asked, "When are you coming to Togo?"  If only she knew how much I long to come and meet her!

I also got a letter from my correspondence child, Cristian, several days ago.  He's fifteen years old, and I really enjoy his letters because he's much older and actually answers my questions.  We actually have conversations!  He is so encouraging to me in my faith, always sending me verses and telling me he's praying for me.  I just love getting letters from all of them.

Chloe asked me to tell her what my science teacher looks like.  When I told her his skin is about the same shade as mine, she automatically took that to mean that he is actually my twin brother and my mom left him at the hospital when "we" were born.  Not sure where Rachel fits into that picture...

Chloe was pretending to read a book we had lying around about marriage, and she told me: "Oh, you know what the book says?  It says that about six months after you get married, you get a baby sometimes!"  Then she told me that the book also said that "right after you kiss [at your wedding] you feel like you're married."

"If I ever get a Chihuahua, I'm going to name it 'Ouchie-Wa-Wa'."

She has this thing lately where, every time I say something's wrong with my physically, she has to go tell our mom.  "Chloe, I have a hang nail."  "Let me go tell Mama!"  "I don't feel very well."  "Mama!!!"  "My eye looks a little red."  Mama has to know.  It's a bit annoying--I have to constantly be in perfect health now. 

The other night Chloe gathered all of us to have a tea party at the table.  She'd watched the American Girl movie "Felicity" and wanted to recreate it.  She was making sure we were all very proper, and I accidentally added cream to my tea without realizing that she was the one who was supposed to do it.  She looked at me aghast and I said, "My apologies."  She lifted her nose primly and replied, "I'm sorry, but apologies aren't accepted at this tea party."

girl behind the blog : : Christmas traditions + merry Christmas!

Hey everyone!  So today I'm linking up with Ashley and Kerrie for The Girl Behind the Blog: Holiday Traditions.  I'm kind of late getting on this band wagon since it actually started last week, but I didn't have a camera until today!  It's awesome; I'll be posting some new pics from it within the next couple days!  Anywho, now I can finally join in to this link up.  I hope you enjoy hearing about my Christmas traditions--I had such a good time thinking about them!  I thought it would be really weird to film myself, but it actually wasn't so bad. :)


It took a mere four hours for this video to publish...needless to say, I was a bit upset.

Here's the ornament I mentioned in the video.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

let's resolve : : November '12

Lately I've been thinking about the resolutions I made for 2012, and wondering if I'd actually accomplished any of them.  I'm planning on making a separate post on how I did on each of those at the end of December, but I got an idea from this blog to set five goals each month for me to accomplish.  I think it'll be good motivation for me.  I'm going to call it the "Let's Resolve" series.  Resolve may be a bit of a strong word for some of these goals, but it helps remind me of Jonathan Edwards and the seriousness he had about his goals in life.  Some of these goals may be quirky or funny, but some may also be very serious and weighty.  I want to have a driven mindset for those certain goals.  Each post will be somewhere in the middle of the month since that's when today just happens to be.  So, here are my goals for November 2012!

1. Get a job.  I have been unemployed since I finished my summer at Glorieta and, to be honest, I've loved it.  I really don't like working and have loved having so much freetime, but it's time for me to start being a responsible adult again and get back into the workforce.  The only problem is, no one seems to be hiring these days!  But I know God will provide the perfect job for me, in his timing. :)

 source

2. Make a craft.  I really want to make a bunch of cheap, cute presents for my friends this Christmas, and I found an awesome tutorial that was exactly what I'm looking for.  I'll make sure to post about it once I actually make something!

 source

3. Cook something.  A dessert, a meal for my family, anything.  Much as I loathe cooking, it's a necessary part of life that I need to get used to!

4. Write Christmas letters to all of my Compassion children.  I've sent money for their Christmas gifts already, but I want Djamsel, Majoie, and Cristian to know through my words how much I love them and wish I could personally be with them for the holidays!

5. Finish memorizing 1 Corinthians 1.  I've been working on this chapter for about a month now, but not as hard as I should have been.  I'm going to do my best to finish it within the next month, and move on to chapter 2!

I think I'm really going to enjoy setting goals for myself each month!  I already had a really great time coming up with these.

How do you like my new layout and blog name?  I love it so far. :)

20 random posts : : my greatest challenge

So this is number 5 in my 20 random posts series: my greatest challenge.  I lead such a difficult, persecuted and suffering life, it was hard to narrow it down... Ha!  God is so incredibly good for me.

" far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think"

Ephesians 3:20

I would have to say that my greatest challenge right now would be in being content with where God has me.  As I go through my classes and look for a job, I have to admit, I want to be out of here!  I want to be in India already, teaching kids at an orphanage and ministering to people in true need!  My desire is to be a few years down the road, finished with my degree, on the mission field.  But I guess I'll always struggle with that: once I'm in India, I'll want to get married, and then I'll want children, and then I'll want grandchildren!  I'll always struggle with trusting God's purpose with my placement in the world.

To combat this sort of thing, I usually try to figure out why God has me where I am now, and what I can do here and now that will minister to people.  For example, I think one of the reasons He has me here, going to school and working and living with my family, is so I can grow up and gain some life experience before I just go off on my own.  I mean, I'm only 19--I haven't really done much with my life yet!  I need time to grow in the Lord, to establish myself and solidify my faith, and to just prepare myself for what He'll have for me.

 Sorry for the terrible quality!

In terms of ministering to people here and now, I have my Compassion kids: Djamsel, Majoie, and Cristian.  The three of them are such incredible blessings in my life; everytime I look at their pictures on my wall, I'm just blown away that the Lord of the universe, who created these kids and can speak to them so much better than I can, has allowed me to reach out to them, even if in just some small way.

Overall, in struggling with contentment in God's plan, I just have to remind myself that He is God, I'm not, and He's in control.  I am learning to rest in Him

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

I wanted to share some of the music I've been worshipping to lately.  Enjoy!



I found this song a long time ago and just recently discovered it again. It is so beautiful!



I had heard this song before, but I guess they did a new recording of it recently, and I like it a lot more. I know I haven't done an Everyday's Thanksgiving post in ages, but this song reminds me anew of how much I have to be thankful for; 10,000 things to thank Him for shouldn't be difficult, let alone 1000!

20 random posts : : 20 random things about me

Awhile back, during my time at Glorieta, I found a list of 20 things to blog about, and I thought it'd be fun to do!  Here's the first one.

20 Random Things about Myself

1. I am a very picky eater.  I don't like cheese, eggs, bananas, alfredo sauce, jam, tuna, or tomatoes.  I could probably think of more, but I'll leave it at that.

2. I don't like to talk on the phone.

3. I'm not satisfied with anything less than straight A's.

4. I sponsor two children through Compassion International, Djamsel and Majoie, and have one correspondence child, Cristian.

5. One of my favorite movie series is Ice Age.

6. I'd like to get married in the Glorieta prayer garden. :)

7.19 is my favorite number, which is awesome, 'cause I'm turning 19 on the 24th!

8. My favorites authors include Elisabeth Elliot, Randy Alcorn, Amy Carmichael, Josh Harris, and C. S. Lewis.

9. My goal in life is to serve as a missionary in India, preferably working with children at an orphanage or school.

10. I really enjoy writing songs.  Over the past 4ish years, I've written about 60.

11. My favorite flowers are carnations, tulips, and poppies

12. I'm technically 5 feet, 7 3/4 inches, but I just say 5'8 because that's so much easier!


13. One of my favorite worship songs is "I Will Praise Him Still".

14. I have a beta fish named Titus, a lab named Sal, and a cat named Hilda.

15. I've never had my own room. (didn't have a pic for this one!)

16. I love origami figures.  I used to be able to do some, and I really want to learn again!

17. I really enjoy touring art galleries, especially if they're free (Santa Fe is awesome for this!).

18. I've always wanted a pet turtle. :)

19. I've never broken a bone.

20. My favorite chapstick is peach mango.

*most of the pics are from weheartit.com

Glorieta!

Hi everyone!

Well, I think it's pretty obvious that weekdates might not be happening "weekly" while I'm here.  I can't get internet in my room, and it's kind of a hassle to bring my laptop and plug and everything to a wifi spot, at least on a set day every week.  So my weekdates might be all over the place for a few months.

I am really enjoying my time here so far.  I'm rooming with Rachel, which is awesome, and we both feel very comfortable in our room.  I haven't taken any pictures of the room as a whole so far, but I'll try to sometime this week.

Here's my bed.

The dresser on the left is mine, where I'm keeping most of my stuff.  I brought my guitar too, and I'm really glad I did; I was able to play a bunch of songs yesterday during some free time.

We have two closets, but we didn't bring enough clothes to fill even one, so the other one is mostly for storage.

Next to my bed I taped up my pictures of Djamsel and Majoie, a drawing Chloe made for me, and a card from my mom.

I love this picture of Chloe, so I attached it to my mirror, where I can see it every day.

And here's just some of the stuff on my dresser.

On our first day here, Sunday, we first had a worship service before playing a bunch of games all morning and afternoon.  They were team building games that helped us all get to know each other, and also helped us learn everyone's names.  It was a lot of fun.

Yesterday, Monday, we mostly just went over camp rules, guidelines, stuff about our job positions, etc.  It was more of a boring day, but we were able to get outside and play some games in the afternoon, so that was fun.

Today I have my first job training at 1.  I'm going to be working in the dining hall, which is apparently one of the harder positions, but still good.

There are people from all over the world here: Poland, Portugal, China, Tanzania, Mexico, and Czechoslovakia, as well as all over the United States.  I've really enjoyed getting to know the people from China--Bart, Yia, and Alvin.  They're so passionate about their faith, and they're not afraid to show it.  I've had some great, encouraging conversations with them.

I'll probably try and post here once a week, but I might have some opportunity to do it more often; we'll just have to see.  Have a great day!

weekdate #003

1. This past week I've been really busy with homework, especially getting ready for finals next week.  I was supposed to have a math exam last Thursday, but my teacher graciously allowed it to be a take home.  My math final is on Thursday, and over the weekend I've been preparing study sheets for my other three weeks that will be on the 1st and the 3rd.

2. On Wednesday my family and I went to the botanic gardens.  It was so beautiful!  We're going to try and go again next month when everything's blooming and before Rachel and I...

3. go to Glorieta!  In February, Rachel and I were both hired to work at Glorieta (this is where my youth group and I went for Regeneration last summer) for the summer, from the end of May to the second week of August.  We'll be living there all summer, but it's only about an hour away from home so hopefully we'll be able to visit occasionally.  I'm really nervous about moving out for the summer, but I'm also so excited to see what God will do!  Only one more month!

4. The weather has just been so beautiful lately.  Rachel and I are trying to walk a lot more than drive at school; there are a lot of places close enough that we can walk to.  It's a lot of fun!

5. Work on Friday was CRAZY.  It's spring break around here, and it's really obvious at McDs!  I only have two more full days before quitting before Glorieta!

6. Saturday night was my church's memorization group (Living Word Initiative) meeting.  It was so great!  I feel like I'm really treasuring my church family lately since I know I won't really be seeing them over the summer.  Saturday's meeting was a huge encouragement to me.

7. I rearranged my wall where I had Djamsel's picture hanging up so I could put Majoie's up too.  I put this quote in the middle because it reminds me of how God's going to provide for me so I can provide for them, however long He sees fit.

8. Speaking of Majoie, I'm going to try and write my first letter to her tonight!  I am still just so excited that I'm able to sponsor her.  I loved having a little boy to sponsor, and now I have a little girl too! :) God is so good!

9. This week I have discovered coffee!  I'm liking a walking advertisement. :)

10. Like I said in my last Everyday's Thanksgiving post, I've been going through "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.  I really liked one of his tips in the book where it says that you should smile at people as genuinely as possible, really focusing on them and acting happy to see them.  So I've been trying to do that this week, and it's amazing what an effect it has on people!  I've really enjoyed seeing how, even with just a smile, you can really make someone's day better.

Djamsel and Majoie

This is a post I have been dying to make for a few weeks now, but I had to wait for something to come in the mail.  And today it did!  Today I received my info packet on my new Compassion child, Majoie.  And so today I'm going to post about both of my Compassion children, Djamsel and Majoie.

I'm not sure why I haven't already done a post about Djamsel.  I never really thought about it until recently.

I started sponsoring Djamsel in April 2011.  I only had enough money for one month's sponsorship, and after about two months of looking for a job I hadn't had any luck.  However, I felt God was leading me to start a sponsorship, so I went onto the Compassion website to look for a child.

I really had no idea where to start.  At any one time, there are several thousand children waiting to be sponsored through Compassion.  Thankfully, there are ways you can narrow down the search, and I decided to specifically look at the children will mental or physical handicaps.  There were only about twenty of them, and I think I clicked on Djamsel's picture first.  The second I saw him, I knew I wanted to sponsor him.  He was the child for me.

Djamsel lives in Indonesia with his family.  The sight in his left eye is defective, as you can see from his picture.  He's nine years old.

It took about six months for me to get my first letter from Djamsel.  I'd already written to him two or three times.  I was ecstatic to finally hear from him, and since then I've gotten several more letters.  He calls me "mama Sarah". ;D

I have been sponsoring Majoie for exactly one week today.  Once again, beginning her sponsorship was a matter of trusting in God to provide, and I know He will.

This time around, though I considered sponsoring another handicapped child like Djamsel, I instead decided to look at the children who had been waiting the longest for sponsors.  The first child to come up was Majoie, and I just fell in love with her.  She had been waiting for a sponsor for 257 days.

I finally got Majoie's sponsorship packet today (yay!).  She lives in Togo with her family, and she's five years old.  I can't wait to get my first letter from her!

So that pretty much sums up my sponsorship stories for now.  I hope you enjoyed reading them, and I'll continue to update on Djamsel and Majoie when anything happens.

weekdate #002

1. Saturday was Chloe's first soccer game!  It was freezing and so windy, but she had a blast, and so did we!  I already posted a bunch of pictures, so I wanted to do some video now.  Chloe's the one in the green with the pigtail braids. :)

2. So often I forget what a huge blessing my church family is, but I was really reminded of it today as some of the women gathered together to pray for a woman having surgery this week.  What a blessing the body of Christ is!

3. My dad's sermon yesterday was amazing.  I always enjoy hearing him preach, but yesterday he was talking about joy (one of my favorite topics), and also about how envy and discontent can steal your joy away.  I was really convicted, but also really encouraged as I was reminded of God's sovereignty and how we find our joy in it.

4. On Tuesday Rachel and I went to see Titanic in 3D with some friends.  I personally don't like the movie--it's sad and also completely based on infatuation--but I had a good time hanging out with Morgan and Corey.

On this first pic I accidentally totally cut Morgan off, but we got it right on the second one. :)

5. Today I've been listening to Piano and Rain.  Goodness gracious, is there anything more relaxing?

6. Friday night my family and I went to the birthday party of a man at our church.  It was so much fun!  We laughed so much.

7. I've been taking Chloe on a bunch of walks because the weather's been so nice.  We get to talking about a wide range of subjects.

8. I have my first finals next week, and soon I'll be done with my first year of college!  It's honestly unbelievable.  It's gone by so fast.

These last two are killing me...can't think of anything!

9. Saturday night I went to a classical concert with Rachel for her school assignment.  I had to go to one with her before and it was awful because I almost fell asleep (classical music can be really exhausting).  However, this concert was a lot better because they didn't dim the lights and it was shorter.  I actually enjoyed some of the music!  Although I still think the best thing about classical concerts is when they're tuning their instruments; I think that sounds better than the actual songs.

10. This week I made the decision to sponsor another child through Compassion.  Her name is Majoie, and she's five years old.  I'll try to do a complete post about her and Djamsel once I get her information packet.  I'm just so excited to learn more about her!

Everyday's Thanksgiving, Part #34

I'm thankful for:

0661. my own cell phone!  I love my phone, even if I don't often have opportunity to use it.  I hardly ever have to charge it, either; it's been at two bars for about three days now.

0662. how even Chloe encourages me to witness to people

0663. and how she talks about Daddy's sermons.  It's amazing how much she remembers.

0664. this music video.  I love the creativity of this band, Walk Off the Earth.

0665. it's been so nice and warm here lately

0666. my second exam in my math class was a take-home!  Hurray!

0667. meeting awesome Christian people at the most random places

0668. walking to the mailbox with Chloe

0669. that my best friend hasn't spoken to me for a few days because she's getting to spend some time with her sister. :)

0670. "Discipline: The Glad Surrender" by Elisabeth Elliot.

0671. my beta fish, Titus

0672. how my Compassion child, Djamsel, writes to me and calls me "mama Sarah". :D

0673. prayer meetings at my church

0674. getting caught up on math homework (I was SO behind!)

0675. homeschool conventions

0676. Tylenol

0677. unique ways to reach out to people

0678. green clothes for St. Patrick's day

0679. I like coffee now! (although it's kind of pointless since caffeine doesn't do anything for me, but it still tastes good)

0680. the World War II era

"I'm starving"

I know I don't normally just write, but there's something I've been wanting to post about for awhile, and I finally got around to it tonight.

Throughout the past year, as I have gotten a job and actually had money, I've learned what a blessing it is to give it away.  I've seen that God will provide for every need even if it feels like He's led you to give more than you ought to.  I think I've especially seen this through sponsoring a little boy through Compassion International.  I began to sponsor him before I had a job, trusting that God would provide for me to provide for him, and He did.

As I have given more of my finances away to those who are less fortunate, I've realized how blessed I truly am.  I've become more and more aware of some of my extravagant habits, and even how some of the words I speak are completely inappropriate for one who is truly concerned about providing for "the least of these" in God's kingdom.

One particular phrase that I've found harder and harder to hear as I become more sensitized to the needs of the less fortunate is "I'm starving."

I say: "I haven't eaten in four hours, so I'm starving."

A child in a third world country says: "I haven't eaten in four days, so I'm starving."

As we become more and more like Christ, I think it obviously follows that we become more and more like Him in His speech.  I really don't think Jesus walked around on earth commenting on how He was "starving" while He cared for those who truly were.  He thanked His Father for what was provided, and didn't worry about it the rest of the time.

For those of us "who [have] been given much, much will be required" (Luke 12:48).  I want to encourage you to give some of your money away.  It's really hard at first, but I think we as believers have to get rid of the notion that the money we have is ours.  It isn't. It's His.

The food we have, or don't have, is His too.  Next time you're tempted to say "I'm starving" (and we all know we say it, about ten times a day!), try saying "I'm hungry" or just keep your mouth shut and wait patiently until you can eat.  In all likelihood, none of us will ever really be starving.  So why say we are?  Instead, we should focus on those who really are in need, and ask God for ways we can help them.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

Today is...

...a momentous day.  I've done my first guest post for another blog! (!!!)

Two weeks ago Compassion International posted a request for sponsors to submit possible entries for their blog.  So, half an hour before I headed off to Regeneration, I typed up an article and emailed it to them with the hope they'd publish, but not really thinking they would...

But they did!  As of today, you can read my post on their blog.  It's not anything incredible, but it is exciting for me, so I hope you'll go check it out and tell me what you think!  You can read it here.

I have but one passion--it is He, it is He alone.  The world is the field, and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.

-- Count Nikolaus Ludwig Von Zinzendorf