weekdate #006

Funny story to come. :)

1. I missed my Monday weekdate this week because I went to visit my grandparents for a few days, and I couldn't connect to their internet while I was there.  Hopefully I'll get a post up with some pics of what we did while we were there sometime today!

2. My last day at McDs was Friday!

3. On Tuesday Rachel, Ellie, and I went to town and saw The Avengers.  It was really good!  I love movies like that, with lots of explosions and catastrophes. :)

4. Chloe lost her first top tooth!


5. Getting ready for Glorieta.  Soooooo soon!


6. Friday and Saturday was the Ongoing Reformation conference.  I only went to the Saturday part because I worked all day Friday, but going on Saturday was really fun.  My dad's sermon was my favorite, but I'm probably biased. :)


7. I've been going on a hymn-craze lately.  At the conference we sang one I hadn't heard before; it's called "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior".  I think it's based off of the story in the Bible where the blind man called out to Jesus as He was going by, and I thought it's a cool story behind the song because the song was written by Fanny Crosby, and she was blind too.


8. I'm slowly making my way through The Circle series by Ted Dekker.  Slowly, because I lost "Red" for a few months and finally found it on Sunday.  I like Ted Dekker's writing style--he really makes you think.


9. Getting ready for summer classes to start on Monday!

10. So thankful for my mom (happy late Mother's Day!).

The Story of Ian & Larissa

I found this video today, and thought it was really interesting.  These people were really courageous.  I hope you enjoy it!

the look of joy on his face

I got a free download of one of John Piper's books yesterday, and as I was reading the introduction I was really gripped by the story of the deaths of John and Betty Stam.  They were missionaries to China and were beheaded by Communists in 1934.  Their three-month-old baby daughter, Helen Priscilla, was alone in the world, hidden in a basket by her mother, with a ten dollar bill and the hope that someone kind would find her.  I hope this short excerpt telling the story of the deaths of these two brave martyrs encourages you as it did me.

   *Never was that little one more precious than when they looked their last on her baby sweetness, as they were roughly summoned the next morning and led out to die… Painfully bound with ropes, their hands behind them, stripped of their outer garments, and John barefooted (he had given Betty his socks to wear), they passed down the street where he was known to many, while the Reds shouted their ridicule and called the people to come and see the execution.

   Like their Master, they were led up to a little hill outside the town. There, in a clump of pine trees, the Communists harangued the unwilling onlookers, too terror-stricken to utter protest—but no one broke the ranks! The doctor of the place and a Christian, he expressed the feelings of many when he fell on his knees and pleaded for the life of his friends. Angrily repulsed by the Reds, he still persisted, until he was dragged away as a prisoner, to suffer death when it appeared that he too was a follower of Christ.

   John had turned to the leader of the band, asking mercy for this man. When he was sharply ordered to kneel—and the look of joy on his face, afterwards, told of the unseen Presence with them as his spirit was released—Betty was seen to quiver, but only for a moment. Bound as she was, she fell on her knees beside him. A quick command, the flash of a sword which mercifully she did not see—and they were reunited.

-- Geraldine Taylor

 * excerpt taken from "This Momentary Marriage" by John Piper, page 14

weekdate #005

1. This week was absolutely packed with busyness.  For starters, I'm done with my freshman year of college, and I got straight A's!  God was so good throughout this year.  He is so faithful!

2. On Tuesday Rachel and I went to the zoo.  It was a lot of fun!

3. Also on Tuesday was Ellie's Varsity awards night.  It was so great to see all those people from Varsity that I haven't seen for a year.

4. Friday and Saturday night was Ellie's play!  It was a blast. 

5. Yesterday I did the prelude at church.  I thought it went really well, which is nice, because I've messed up pretty badly on the last two. :)

6. Yesterday afternoon Rachel, Ellie, and I went to play tennis and just hang out.  It was so much fun, especially because Rachel and I will be leaving soon and there won't be many more times like that.

7. Hannah graduated from high school this week.  Congrats, Hannah!

8. Sunday school yesterday was kind of an impromptu discussion about trials and suffering.  I find discussions like that really encouraging; it reminds me of why we go through difficult things, and also how good it is to get to the other side.

9. My dad is leaving for Cameroon in about a month!

10. Looking forward to my last week of work!

the zoo

On Tuesday Rachel and I went to the zoo together.  We probably looked pretty weird going around the zoo with all the couples with their kids. :) It was a lot of fun, though!

All credit for the pics goes to Rachel.