Today you can pray for...

- the cholera epidemic in Haiti.  It hasn't really been widely reported.  It's suspected that the Artibonite River is contaminated and has been spreading the disease.  Over 3500 cases have been reported, and almost 300 people have died so far.  Please pray that organizations like Real Hope for Haiti would be able to reach out to people and warn them about the disease, and that the river would soon be cleansed!  I have no idea how that could happen, but God can do anything.  He can show people how to do that.

- all the things that have happened in Indonesia in the past week.  Yesterday there was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake there, and as a result a tsunami pounded the Indonesian shore, killing 113 people.  Today Mount Merapi, a volcano on the outskirts of the city of Yogyakarta on Java Island, erupted.  25 people have died, including a three-month-old baby.  Authorities are trying to evacuate the 11,000 people that live in the vicinity of the eruption.  Please pray that those who have been injured would heal quickly; that the authorities would be able to evacuate people quickly and efficiently; that the evacuees would have places to go and be sheltered; that God's glory would be seen through this.

Thanks for praying!

"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.  For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines.  These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."

Mark 13:7-8

Everyday's Thanksgiving, Part #1

I got this interesting idea from Jessina, who got it here.  And I decided to join in!  I really do have so much to be thankful for, but honestly, I take it for granted so often, I think there may be some times when I doubt I can get up to 1,000.  However, I'm going to!  Because there's at least 10,000 things I should be thankful for in my life, and getting to 1,000 will be a piece of cake with that mindset.  Even if I start thanking God for things like toilet paper and Kleenex which, since He brought it to mind, I've just thanked Him for anyway.  I would gladly hug the person who invented those precious items.  But I hope I can think of more interesting things than that.

Anyhow, let's begin! * the ones in bold go along with the pictures

0001. Scotch tape

0002. landscape paintings

0003. listening ears

0004. and mouths that speak wisdom and advice

0005. a precious baby sister given to my family over 4 1/2 years ago

0006. blogs like Real Hope for Haiti, that tell the facts as they are and have helped prepare me for some of the things I may experience on the mission field

0007. unexpected songs that I fall in love with, such as "I Will Lift My Eyes" by Bebo Norman, which is posted below

0008. the day I discovered blogging!  I never imagined I'd have to much fun doing it.

0009. sharpened pencils

0010. leather journals

0011. the pleasure of anticipating a birthday

0012. timelines

0013. calculators that do the math for me ;D

0014. classical piano music

0015. the Greek alphabet

0016. scholarships

0017. dandelions

0018. zip drives--simply marvelous things

0019. rickrack

0020. and riffraff