Today's the day! The sun is shining, some snow has fallen, and it's Ben's birthday! And guess what he got??? A mac mini!!! He's so excited! Our presents keep getting more and more elaborate as the years pass, and I can tell Daddy enjoys getting us the 'electronics' as we learn to appreciate them. Daddy was disappointed he couldn't be here when Ben opened his presents this morning, but he had to go to a meeting two hours away.... :( But at least he'll be here later today! And grandma's coming out tomorrow! She was supposed to come today, but when we heard the forecast, we decided to have her come out tomorrow, because we don't want her driving in the snow in the mountains.

I've been busy recently (like always!), and this blog has fallen to the bottom of my 'to do' list. But I figured I've left all of you (if anyone reads this, that is :P) out of my life for long enough, and decided to sit down and write something. We've started a Bible study with the young ladies in our church since I last posted, and have had three already! They are so encouraging, and I'm so excited that we can actually lead one for all our younger sisters in Christ. We have our next one tomorrow night, and I can't wait for it, because the Thomsen's are coming out to help us with it! They used to have a Bible study for us when we were younger, but then they had to move away. We really miss them. But they are coming back to visit, and I can't wait to see them! They are so strong in the Lord, and are always so encouraging. I only wish they could stay longer :).

Check out this cool video:

http://www.vimeo.com/1700732

I know, I know. It's been too long.

So much has happened since I last posted!! I don't even know where to begin....

I guess I'll start with Honduras. That's enough for at least 5 or 6 entries :P. About a year and a half ago, on our first trip down to the Dominican Republic, we met a man. He was the pastor up in Slippery Rock Baptist church, and as he and my dad started talking, Pastor Dave started talking about this orphanage he goes to often, down in Honduras. He told us about a who went down there for several weeks (or months, I don't remember which), and now is down there permanently. He told us that if any of us ever wanted to come down, to give him a call.

Well, we didn't think much about it then. But, last spring, this orphanage in Honduras came back to Heidi's mind. She was graduating from high school, and isn't starting college until February. Seeing that she had all this time off, she decided that she wanted to do something worthwhile. Honduras looked interesting, and she decided to look into it to see if we could possibly go. Several phone calls later, she found out that Pastor Dave was about to buy tickets for their next missions trip, and that we could go! So, Heidi and I decided this was the right thing to do, and we bought the tickets.

Little did we know what we were in for.

Our friend Elizabeth heard that we were going, and she decided that she wanted to come too. We dubbed ourselves the "fearsome threesome", and went off to tackle the world. Two days, and many tears later, we were trying to figure out why we had come.

When we first stepped on the bus, that first day we left, we stepped into a car full of strangers. If you told us that they would be practically family in less than a week, we would have laughed at you! Of course, we knew in the back of our minds that it might happen, but we couldn't imagine anything of the sort.

The only person we really hit it off with from (at least close to) the beginning, was Nathaniel. He was Pastor Dave's son, and he was a character! He became our friend early on in the trip, right when we really needed someone to connect with. He was 13, but he really seemed a lot younger, and he took the place of our brothers for the week. I think he needed someone to connect with too, because everyone else saw him as annoying. About the first week he was fun to be around, although by the end of the week I saw why everyone else was glad to get him off their hands :P. (He did keep us sane for the beginning of the week, when we didn't know how we'd survive the rest of the trip, so Nathaniel deserves a whole paragraph :))

Anyway, the plan of travel was to drive down and catch our plane in Washington D.C., which flew to San Salvador, where we had a layover, and then from there to fly to San Pedro Sula, in Honduras. Well, it took forever to just get to Washington D.C.!!! I guess they wanted to make sure they had enough time to get there, and wanted extra time just in case something happened to the bus, so we left here at 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon, and didn't get to the airport until probably around 3:00 the next morning. Yeah, it was long. Especially when you have no idea who the people are around you.

We stopped at a Baptist church along the way and went to their evening service, which was quite interesting. Coming from a non-denominational church, I'd never realized the emphasis that some people put on their denominations. It struck all three of us as a little strange. I mean, who cares whether you are Baptist, or Methodist, or whatever, as long as you follow Jesus Christ and the Bible?? It is kind of funny how different they are from our church though. For example, on the info sheet they sent us before we left, telling us what to pack and so forth, they listed the KJV Bible on their to bring list. When we saw it, we were all wondering why in the world they put the "KJV" before Bible. After talking about it for a bit, we decided to bring our good old NIV Bibles :P. Now that I've spent a week with them, I totally understand the KJV part. Whatever they believe in, they really and truely believe in it, and think it's the only way. I don't want to group all Baptist's together, because I'm sure there is a lot of difference between them, but they are much more like that than we are. It's not that I think the KJV Bible is wrong, but I do think that people can decide which translation to read themselves. Now that I've spent 12 days with Baptists though, I understand them a little better than I did that first night :).

After the church service, we drove a while longer, and then got to another Baptist church where we planned on spending a couple hours to try to sleep. Sleep is right!!! We decided that the church must not have liked us coming so late or something, because the rooms were freezing! Every time you finally fell asleep, you woke yourself back up the next time you shivered! And of course Heidi and I had only one jacket between us (someone forgot hers!), so we didn't even have anything to keep us warm. (Who brings anything warm to Honduras, anyways?!?) After spending a couple hours there, we got up and moving again, and set off for the airport. By this time, we were all wondering what we were doing here! To think that so much had happened, and we hadn't even gotten out of the country!

Needless to say, by the time we got to the airport, so much had happened that we decided we could go home right then and have plenty of stories to tell. (Oh dear, I haven't even gotten to Honduras yet.....this could be a long post - I'll try to speed it up a bit :P)

Anyway, by the time we got to Honduras, we felt like the trip should be over.

It wasn't.

The joke of the week between Heidi and Pastor Dave was "This is our time"! Every takeoff and landing and at every slight turbulance in the airplane, Pastor Dave would look back at Heidi and say, "This is our time!" At first it was only a joke. That changed. Several times during the week we said it in all seriousness. (These upcoming stories are the kind you tell your mom, but only after they happen :P) Even now I am beginning to forget all that happened down there, but I will try to remember as much as I can for your benefit.

We stayed in what they would probably call a city, El Progresso, for the first two nights. We didn't do much, but I guess that time was just to get used to being there or something. We helped a missionary there hand out tracts one morning, but other than that we hung out and walked around the town a little. We ate at their restaurants, and then went to the missionaries house for dinners (there were about 40 of us).

That was a hard time for us. Not really having a purpose for the day, and not knowing anybody (and thinking the people you are with are kind of weird), made everything difficult. A lot of tears were shed on the trip, but I know they helped build us up. I found this verse in James while I was down there that kind of related to what we were going through: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised for those who love Him." (James 1:12) We were definitely going through a trial, and we had no choice but the persevere. I knew God had a plan for the trip, and I also know that we had to go through the hard times to really learn what God had planned. I know I got a lot more out of this trip than I ever got out of any DR trips, and I think that was because it was so hard. I had to rely on God to get me through.

Now that I look back at the beginning of the trip, I can hardly remember why it was that hard. The main difficulty we had at the beginning was getting used to the people we went down with, and their ways. But once I'd grown to know them and love them, it made everything a whole lot easier (in that aspect of the trip). I think if I went back, but this time knowing the people, it would be a lot different. We had trouble fitting in for a while, but once we did, it opened up the doors for us to have other problems =D.

Wednesday (I think), we left for the orphanage. After a several hour bus trip, I was ready to get there. I really had no idea what to expect in the upcoming days. I thought we would be spending a lot of time with the kids, but that's not how it turned out. We really went down to help, so we were put to work. One of the main projects that the s worked on (they liked keeping guys and s separated), was sorting through a whole roomful of dirty cloths. Fortunately, I have some artistic ability, so I got to help paint a mural, and leave the room full of clothes to Heidi :).

Wow - if you've read this so far, that's pretty impressive :). I have so much more to tell, but I have to go to bed now....

Hopefully I can keep up with this blog a little better than I have been :P. I will try to write more about Honduras (soon).

(By the way, I haven't proofread this thing, so please overlook any of the mistakes which I'm sure are there :P)

Well, I don't even really know where to start. We just got back from vacation last night around 8:30, and are still settling back in to normal life. We were up in Maine, who's state motto is "The Way Life Should Be". It's the perfect motto for it. If it wasn't for all my friends, I would definitely move up there, although I'm not too sure about their winters :).

The two weeks we spent up there were so relaxing and peaceful - just the way I like vacations! There was so much time, but also so much you wanted to do. Like read, swim, kayak, draw, and just hang out. Grandma was up there the whole time we were, as always, and Aunt Jayme was able to come up for a couple days over the 4th weekend. She's the best Aunt imaginable - everyone is always laughing when she's around. For the second week my dad's Aunt came up, and we got to spend a week with her, which was nice since we don't see her too often.

There are so many things we did, and yet it seems like the first week we were up there was so long ago. The two weeks are broken up in my mind as 'before Katahdin', and 'after Katahdin', Katahdin being the day we spent climbing up Mt. Katahdin. But that's another whole entry in itself!!! For now, the way I'll describe 'the climb' is one word: scary!!! I'll tell you about it later, when I have more time.

Right now I need to go to bed, cause I'm used to getting a lot of sleep :). I'll try to post more on Maine later. Good night world!

I Am

"Oh gently lay your head upon My chest, and I will comfort you like a mother while you rest. The tide can change so fast, but I will stay the same through past, the same in future, same today. I am constant; I am near; I am peace that shatters all your secret fears; I am holy; I am wise; I'm the only one who knows your heart's desires. Oh weary, tired and worn, let out your sighs and drop that heavy load you hold, cause Mine is light. I know you through and through; there's no need to hide - I want to show you love that is deep and high and wide. Oh gently lay your head upon my chest, and I will comfort you like a mother while you rest."

~Jill Phillips~

It's Friday! For some people, this Friday is especially an exciting day, cause they are either done with school, or only have a couple half-days left. I'm sorry to say that I'm still not done... :( We had evaluations on Wednesday (which basically means I know I passed my grade), and with Heidi being done with school, and the weather being so nice, I really don't feel like doing school! This is one of those times when I wish I was in public school because that would make me actually do school...I'm realizing I have trouble with self-control :).

We are having pizza night tonight, which actually is pretty unusual, cause we are almost always busy on Fridays. Saturday night seems to be pizza night now. But we have our orchestra performances (practice!) this weekend, so we are busy tomorrow night. I think we might watch "The Christmas Child" tonight (....and have Christmas in May?!?). I got it out of the library cause I saw that Steven Curtis Chapman (who, btw, really needs our prayers right now) was in it, and also Megan Follows!!! She's Anne in Anne of Green Gables, and I've never seen her in any other movie, so I'm excited to see it. I don't know if the movie will be good, but I'll find out! Oh, I realized that I always say "we" instead of "I" whenever talking about anything. I really need to get a life....

I've have this song stuck in my head for the past couple days...its called The Call, and it's by Regina Spektor. It's the song at the end of Price Caspian, and I've been singing ever since I saw the movie. I really need to stop listening to it....

Well, I should go, because I want to read before dinner. I'm reading a book called "Shadow Spinner", and I don't know if it's good yet or not, so don't read it cause I said I did until I finish it :P. Talking about books, one of my favorites is "Hinds' Feet on High Places". It's an allegory kinda like "Pilgrim's Progress", yet geared towards s. It's one of those books that I say I should read every year, but never do :).

Ok, I'll sign off now.

My family and I went walking in the woods near Squaw Valley Park last Saturday morning to get outside. Around this time of year my dad really gets the itch to go backpacking, camping, hiking, or do anything outdoors. It had rained that morning, but when we were there it cleared up and the sun was shining part of the time. The forest was so pretty with the raindrops and the new green spring leaves. The trail was a little muddy, but we found a waterfall and Ben climbed to the top of it, and was exploring the woods. I would've been right there with him if it wasn't for my camera which kinda distracted me from trying anything too daring.

Being out in God's creation with the birds singing around me is so calming. After all that's been going on at our house recently, I've needed to draw back and see that God is in control. It's crazy the amount of stuff that can take over your thoughts without you realizing it. It seems like a lot has come up recently, and it all just adds to what I think and worry about. But God has a reason for everything, and we will solve these problems in His timing (which is almost never our timing!). His ways are perfect though.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31) (That's for you, Heidi!)

"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life...." (Philippians 2:14-16)

I was just thinking - how often do we complain or argue every single day? If you think about it, it is probably a ridiculously high number. Isn't that how we are not supposed to be? How can we shine God's light when we are not acting any differently than the world? If the world looks at us and sees that we are complaining as much as everyone else, will that make them want to follow Jesus? No! Isn't that so sad? We need to stop complaining and start rejoicing so we can shine like stars in the universe, and also so we can show people what following Jesus is really like!!

Last night we went to the Third Day 'Revelation' concert at Orchard Hill church. It was really good - probably one of the best concerts I've been to. Before last night my favorite concert was the first one we ever went to, five years ago, with Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, and Casting Crowns. Heidi and I were comparing that concert with this one, and came to the conclusion that we like SCC's music/words better, but Third Day's concert itself was just as good, if not better (if that can be possible?!?). Mac Powell was so much fun, and looked like he was really enjoying the concert. He started singing 'Rockstar' (Ben's favorite song), and he sang the chorus first, but then when he went back to sing the verse, he forgot the words! And he wrote the song! Later he came over to someone in the front row and grabbed their camera, and started taking pictures of the band and himself, while he was singing. It was a great concert, and we had a lot of fun. He kept us entertained =).

The opening band was kind strange though - but aren't they always? Revive was the name of the band, and they are from Australia. The lead singer looked so much like someone from a movie....but none of us can remember who. Heidi thinks he looks like Ian from National Treasure, I think he looks like Mr. Guppy from Bleakhouse, and Ben can't decide who he looks like. Any thoughts?

I love going to concerts with my dad - he's so much fun! We blasted music the whole way home, and laughed at all the people who went to the concert. I still can't believe who went - all these grandmas were there dancing away!! But hey, why not?!

What a great start to the weekend!

Heidi has officially diagnosed me with yellow fever. When she found out I got three y noses in the past two days, she told me that she just read about yellow fever, and one of the symptoms was getting y noses. Despite the fact that you can only get it in South America or Africa, she had me diagnosed in a jiffy. Then she went on to diagnose our friend and our cousin. So, seeing as yellow fever can be ly, I may not be seeing any of you again.... Needless to say, I'm not too worried cause Heidi overlooked several important symptoms - like a fever, headache, vomiting, lever and kidney damage, and the like. So I wouldn't call myself yet. I do have to warn you though...I wouldn't have Heidi be your nurse quite yet - I'd give her a few more years!

Off to the Third Day concert.... =)

When the weather suits you not,

Try smiling.

When your coffee isn’t hot,

Try smiling.

When your neighbors don’t do right,

Or your relatives all fight,

Sure ’tis hard, but then you might

Try smiling.

Doesn’t change the things, of course –

Just smiling.

But it cannot make them worse –

Just smiling.

And it seems to help your case,

Brightens up a gloomy place,

Then, it sort o’ rests your face –

Just smiling.

~Unknown~

Three ways to get rid of hiccups:

1. Have someone stare into your eyes.

2. Eat peanut butter.

3. Breath in through your nose, then breath in through your mouth, swallow, and then breath in through your mouth again (all without breathing out). Let your breath out slowly.

I've only tried the first one, and it didn't work :(. I haven't had a chance to try the others because I haven't gotten the hiccups yet. The last one sounds like it would work the best, but you'll have to try it out and let me know what works for you!

Imprisoned, Yet Not Alone

or A Martyr's Prayer

The door clangs shut behind me,

The smell of death closes in.

My eyes wish they can not see

The scene which makes my head spin.

I reach for a wall, but recoil

From the slimy, dank, dark walls;

My dress this filth will spoil,

But I know that shall not be the worst of all.

The cold, harsh laugh of the soldier,

I still hear it ring in my head.

The ice-cold weight of the iron,

Can not another be here in my stead?

But no, this is all for my Lord's sake,

And I know I can trust in Him now.

To be worthy of putting my life at stake

Is an honor worth more than a crown.

How can I reject all I believe in?

To do so would be pure foolishness.

My Lord was imprisoned for my sin,

Can I do anything less?

My Lord, help me endure each moment,

I can't win this war on my own.

Your pure heart may I not rent

By turning from the fearful unknown.

If I should die between these walls,

Isn't really my gain?

The Lord is the strength of those He calls,

And nothing He does is in vain.

Praise the Lord, my heart, my soul!

For He draws me near with His love.

It pours down 'till my heart is full,

Overflowing with glories from above.

No matter what troubles to me befall,

I will stand up to the danger I meet.

I know the Lord is watching over all,

And He will not let me suffer defeat!

This morning I was reading Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Devotions. I don't read it all the time, but when I do, I always get something out of it. Today I read the evening devotion from April 30, and I want to share a part with you. The verse he talked about was Psalm 139:17, which says, "How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!" He expounded on it, talking about how much the Lord thinks of us. God is looking down on us, thinking about us, listening to us, and loving us; His eyes are always fixed on us. The ending of the devotion stuck out to me. Spurgeon said, "The notice of a nobleman is valued so highly that he who has it counts his fortune made; but what is it to be thought of by the King of kings! If the Lord thinks on us, all is well, and we may rejoice evermore." It's true. How often do we forget how great the Lord's love is for us! If only we could keep that foremost in our minds, how differently we would live! Let us endeavor to "fix our eyes on Jesus" this week.

Look to Jesus!!

Hello world!

I want to welcome you to my blog, where I plan to post random things about me and my life. You never know what you'll find whenever you visit, cause I don't know what I'll feel like posting =). This is a new experience, so hang with me here. I don't plan on having anyone read this; this is really just for me to have fun. But that's what I said about gmail, and look what happened there!

I've just spent a really long time trying to figure this whole thing out, so I should get back to school. With babysitting tonight, I don't have much time left. So adios amigos, and have a fantastical evening!!

Hopefully I'll post again soon!