Victoria

I want to ask you guys to pray for a little girl. Her name is Victoria and she is five years old and battling cancer. I do not personally know her, only through email. Please say a prayer for Victoria and her family. Their only hope for her now is Jesus. She is a wonderful, amazing little girl who dreams of growing up to be a ballerina and a mommy. Though I don't really know her, I know that she is such a sweetheart and is still full of faith. Please keep her in your prayers.

Merry Christmas; after hearing about Victoria my heart got set back into what Christmas is really all about....the gift of Jesus Christ, and our hope in Him. Because of Him we truly have something to celebrate.

May you have a beautiful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Sweetly Broken

I love the song, "Sweetly Broken" - it is definitely one of my favorite worship songs.

I love the chorus, how it talks about Jesus beckoning us to the cross, drawing us to our knees, and we become so lost in His love. I love the thought of that, I love the truth in that. That He is always calling us to the cross, that place where we become broken in ourselves and are finally able to be made whole in Him.

Sometimes though I find that I often fight the things that would bring me to that place. This week though I was looking up Scripture that had to do with our brokeness and each one I found brought me comfort. For I saw how God can take the broken heart and heal it. Sometimes I think the hardest prayer to pray is just simply saying "God I need You", and yet I was thinking how maybe it's the best kind. I have learned that daily we are a broken people, yet our brokeness can be made sweet when we take it to the Lord.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 61:1
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

His Grace

Thanksgiving is approaching quickly, and while there are countless blessings for which I am thankful, I am just going to name one. For to name all my many blessings would take forever, because God is just THAT good. I am giving thanks for what He has given me, but I will be most thankful for His grace. Really, the list could be endless of whom and for what I am thankful, but I think it could all be summed up in that simple word...grace.

I'm thankful that His grace is sufficient for me, and I'm thankful that He loves me so much He died for me just so I could have that grace. It's nothing short of amazing.

So right now, today and forever, count your blessings. But never forget the most precious one of all. Grace. There is nothing that this life can throw at you that His grace can't handle. Nothing.

And to me, that's the greatest blessing of all, for I know how often I fail, how often I mess up, how often I fall upon His grace. I know that each and every day I need the grace of God, and that apart from that grace, I am nothing.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Studying James

In church group on Sunday evenings we've been studying the book of James.

This has been a good yet challenging book. The book we studied before this was Romans.

Now, if you ever have studied both these books you know that they seem quite different.
Paul, writing Romans, is all about grace. Many times in that book we are reminded that salvation comes from faith and nothing we can do could ever earn our salvation, and nothing we could ever do could take our salvation away once we confess and believe that Jesus is the Christ who came to save us. I love Romans and never tire of reading it and discovering once again God's great love for man.

But then we get to James. It just somehow seems different, doesn't it? The whole Bible teaches us that salvation is by faith not by works, so then why does James talk about faith that works so much? I was confused by this for a long time but little by little things started making more sense. And even now as we are studying James I find myself understanding more and more.

James of course does not teach that salvation is through works. Obviously that would be contrary to what the whole rest of the Word says. But he does talk an awful lot about doing good and thus showing our faith. This was a very difficult concept for me to grasp. Finally I understood. Faith is believing that Jesus came and paid the full price for my salvation. There is nothing I need to do to get this salvation except to accept what He did for me and confess I'm a sinner. But what James is talking about is that if we truly believe in Jesus, our deeds are going to show it. One good example my pastor used was if you are going to take a test, and say "I have faith I'm going to get an A" but never once study, your faith is just empty words. You don't really believe that because you didn't act upon it. So too, if you say "I believe that Jesus is my Savior and saves me from my sin" but never turn from your sinful ways, you're merely just saying empty words.

I loved what my pastor quoted: "James and Paul are not standing in front of each other fighting each other. Instead, they're standing back to back, each fighting different battles"

So once I studied a little more and understood more clearly these books, I could see that really James and Paul aren't that much different.

Paul's books are a joy to read. It reminds you that nothing you do yourself can ever get you to Heaven, it's only by the work that Jesus accomplished on that cross. It's only by grace.

James can seem really harsh, but what he says is true too. If we really believe what we say we do, our actions will no doubt show it. If the only reason people know you're a Christian is because you told them, then you need to examine yourself to see if your faith is real. People should know you are but not because you told them, but because of the way you live your life.

I love James 2:18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." I've been thinking of that verse a whole lot. Can people really see my faith through my works? Or is my faith just empty words? It's a sobering thought indeed. May we be a people who live by the grace that Jesus Christ so freely gives to us. And a people who live our faith out loud.
As someone once told me "Our good works are a by-product of our love for Christ"

I don't think I could have said it any better.

Cubbies

I might have mentioned before that I help out with the Cubbies (3, 4, & 5 year olds) at church. If I haven't, well, I guess I'm mentioning it now. :)

Last time one of the cutest little girls on the face of this earth said the cutest thing.

Here's the conversation, to the best of my memory:

Mike (teacher of the class): "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Bethany: "I want to be a Queen, but queens are bad. She hurries to explain: But I'm not going to be a bad one. I'll be a good one."
Mike: Well that's good! What are you going to be the Queen of?"
Bethany: "I'm going to be a Queen who lives in a castle."
Mike: "Oh, do you have a Prince?"
Bethany: "Yes. His name is Miles and he goes to my school."
Mike: "Really? Does he know he's your Prince?"
Bethany: "Yes he knows it. Bethany pauses for a moment then says: No actually he doesn't know yet."

Bethany exits the "stage" in her beautiful Queen gown and goes sits down while Mike calls on the next child to explain what "career" they want to have when they grow up.

It was way too cute! I totally love being in there with all those kids.
They never fail to make me laugh or to give me something to smile about - even days later.
I love those kids.

Count It All Joy

Count it all joy
When the rain begins to fall
Count it all joy
When you've no strength left at all
Count it all joy
When the clouds begin to break
Count it all joy
When your world is about to shake
Count it all joy
When the tears run down your face
Count it all joy
Because of God's amazing grace

He's Coming Back!

Today in church our pastor talked some about our Heavenly Hope.
We have been studying the book of Revelation and it's been a challenge but also an encouragement, especially today.

I loved it when he talked about how we should daily be watching and waiting for the Lord's return, sitting at the edge of our seats living as though today is the day! Oh how differently I'm sure each and everyone of us would live, knowing He would soon be here to take us back.

Needless to say it was a big encouragement and a great reminder to me to keep my eyes fixed on the things above.

Then tonight at church group we sang the song "I Am Amazed" Man I totally love that song and the last verse, the one that says "I am bound for paradise..." really touched me. It was the perfect ending to the day. Singing that song and knowing that I am bound for paradise, it is real and it is right.

It's a challenge to me to remember daily to live and watch for His return. Sometimes it seems so far away, and other times it seems even further. But I need to stop living by what I feel and start living by what I know. I know Jesus is coming back to take us home. I know I am to be thinking on the things above, and storing up treasures in Heaven. I may not know what day He is returning, but I know I am to live as though it's today. I know Jesus is coming!

How differently we would view our daily lives if we would just live each day in that hope. How much richer would our lives be! So let's take up a stand. Let's live each day in the hope of Jesus Christ. Let's not just keep it inside us, but let it consume us. Let's live each day to know God more and more. Let's wake up each day knowing this may be the day. Let's live each day in the Lord's grace. Let's never stop watching for His return. Let's live at the edge of our seats.

2 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

"I am bound for paradise
And it is real, and it is right
To believe Your words in black and red
That You'll come back just like You said and...

I'm amazed, I am amazed
At what Your word tells me You did
I'm amazed, I am amazed
You gave it all so I might live
And I'm amazed with You"

You're coming back! Thank you, Jesus.

The Cross

The cross upon the hill all rugged and bare

Tells of the love and suffering that took place there

It speaks of the grace and declares the love

That Jesus gave before taken above

And looking closely you can see

A young child on bended knee

Intently gazing on Heaven's face

Thanking Jesus who took His place

Upon that cross where Jesus hung

So that we could live, knowing it is done

Thinkin on God's Faithfulness

God is sure faithful! Have you ever noticed that? You probably have, because I don't really know how one could not see His faithfulness. Really. He is just that faithful. Which by the way completely blows my mind.

I was remembering how I felt right before I was about to leave for Berlin. I was so nervous the week before! Many promised to be in prayer for me all along the trip and I was given nothing but encouragement. Still, my heart was uneasy. What would it be like? What was there that I could do on a mission trip? So many questions and doubts filled my mind.

I think it was really two nights before I was to leave that I began to feel the peace which I so desperately longed for. I had always felt peace about me going, I really felt inside that this mission trip was something God had planned for me. But I was getting caught up in all the fears and doubts that can weigh one down.

I went for a walk 2 nights before, just because I felt like I needed some quiet time to be with God. Time to just think. He was so faithful and met me right there! As I was spilling my heart to Him, telling him all my fears and uncertainties, He gave me an overwhelming peace. He placed on my heart the verse Isaiah 41:10, my favorite Bible verse. I felt so much peace in that promise and I was again reminded that His grace is enough. I realized that I may never feel ready to do what I did, but I didn't really need to be. All I could do was turn to God and realize that His strength was what I needed, not my own. I knew that He had this trip planned for me long ago, before I was born actually. And knowing that brought me so much comfort. Just knowing He is God. I found so much peace in the knowledge that He would go behind and before me.

Maybe some wouldn't want to feel that way before a mission trip. Honestly, I didn't want to. At the time. But I now realize I wouldn't have had it any other way. I am so thankful that God showed me that I was not the reason I was heading to Germany. He was. And He was the only One who could give me what I needed on that trip. His grace had been enough for me in the past, and there was no reason it wouldn't cover me in the future. His grace was definitely enough.
It always is.

The Subway

So this is a story that I find hilariously funny. But to you it may seem a bit of a bore as it might be one of those "have to have been there" types of stories. But we'll give it a shot...

This takes place in Germany -

Now our means of transportation was either the subway or walking. Given a choice, I always voted for the subway. Not that I dislike walking, I really did enjoy walking through the streets of Berlin, but everything exciting seemed to happen at the subway.

So one day, I can't remember which but it was towards the beginning of the trip, we went on the Subway. Not everyone from the team was with us just because this was one time when we split up, one group going one place and the other another place. We were at the station, got on the subway and were waiting for it to leave for the next station. The doors were closing when all of a sudden this guy tries to get on in time. Well, he didn't quite make it. I mean, he did, but he sorta got stuck in the door. It was HILARIOUS. I wish I had saw the whole thing but I wasn't paying that close attention until I heard a big BANG and then the pastors and another team member say "whoa" and trying to help the guy on. He made it, without any harm done really, except his face was beet red, whether from panic or embarrassment I do not know. Probably both.

I wanted to laugh outright then and there, as a matter of fact I started to...but one look at the guy's face told me I'd be wise to wait til a later time to do my giggling.

We made it off the subway and I was laughing uncontrollably. One of my friend's on the team was thinking it was so funny I found it all so comical. Finally the assistant pastor asked me what I kept laughing about. I told him and he was also amazed I found that so funny. I was laughing non-stop for probably the longest I ever had, to the point where I was falling down. Everyone was just staring at me laughing, but laughing not because of the guy but because of me.

Sooo, that was one of the major funny stories of the whole trip. Every time someone (which was usually me) mentioned that I would just about die of laughter. I was still laughing late that night and people thought I was so crazy when I told them I was still laughing about that guy. They said the guy probably even forgot it by now so it was kinda weird I remembered so much.

I think it was the next day, maybe two days later, we were on the Subway once again and a lady got her purse stuck in the door. The pastor of CC Berlin told me I was bad luck since never before in his life had he seen someone or something stuck in the door, and here I go and see it twice in 2 days!

I loved the Subway.

Scattered Thoughts

Do you ever stop and just think?

Maybe wonder where there's so much suffering in the world?

Or have you ever just stopped and enjoyed the simplicity yet beauty of the sunset?

Lately I've realized a lot of pain in the world. And at times it can become overwhelming. I don't understand why people get hurt. I don't get it why some people get sick while some get healed. I don't understand why a 4 year old has to cry because she misses her mommy so much, and my heart breaks knowing I can't say "she'll be here soon" since she's in prison and in reality will be there away from her precious daughter for a very long time. It's just so hard to grasp, hard to think about.

Sometimes I like to just go outside. I like to see all of God's creation. Maybe see the sun shining warm upon the earth, maybe see the golden-leafed trees swaying in the cool wind. All of creation seems to shout out the name of our awesome Creator, declaring His goodness.

And during those times when even thinking is painful, I see more closely the simple yet beautiful things. I've learned that my many "why" questions I long to have answered really don't matter. I've learned that you can't go through life without a struggle but what you do with that struggle only you can decide. And instead of constantly questioning what God is doing, I can thank Him for what He has done.

As important it is to realize life is not always going to be a smooth ride, it's also important to know that God is always good. Once you experience those trials it helps you see more clearly the things that are important, and those things which aren't.

In life there will always be those questions we can't answer but wish we could. But sometimes just knowing God knows the answer is enough.

Life is a gift. It was given to us for a reason. We hate it when we give people gifts and they don't do anything with what we gave them, just stick it in some faraway corner. God sure must be patient with us, because I know He has given us this life and it is truly a precious gift, and He wants us to make the most of it.

So even when there is lots of suffering around, it's important to just know that God is God and thankfully we are not. And because of that we can enjoy the simplist of joys.

Running barefoot along the sandy beach while the ocean mist sprays your face. The simple things. And knowing we are always in the hand of our Father, and He's holding us oh so tight and won't ever let go. The most important thing.

Psalm 121

I will lift my eyes up to the hills--

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming

in

From this time forth and even forevermore.

The Champ

Just wanted to let you all know of a sweet girl named Stephi nicknamed "The Champ" The reasons for her nickname is obvious, she is definitely a fighter and champion!
Stephanie is part of my "Caringbridge Family" and has Down Syndrome and was born with a heart defect. She has had to fight for life way harder than anyone should ever need to. I just wanted to give a small post about her asking for you all to pray for her and her wonderful family. Pray works and they need it right now as always. Please join me in prayer for this special little girl and her family.

Champ's mommy wrote a special poem for her special daughter:

An angel sent to Earth for me, to show me things I could not see.
A little one with light brown curls, Gods precious gift--My little girl
A broken heart would beat within, all we could do was wait on Him.
A smile from her, can light a room, she soars above a world of gloom.
As SHE suffers, many lives are touched. Our little Champ, she endures so much.
But, Father God, I can't understand... Why won't you move your mighty hand?
PLEASE take away some of these crosses she bears, let her ENJOY the life that you have spared.
Let her talk, and walk, and eat. Let her feel the sand beneath her feet.
Let her whisper words, or yell for joy. Maybe even meet that special boy.
Let her dance, and run, and do what girls do. Let me hear her say "Mommy, I love you"
Lord, please NOW- lift her burdens up. This is too much, for her tiny cup

When The Rain Comes - Third Day

I love this song.
I actually just heard it for the first time yesterday and since then I have listened to it countless times.
Like I said, I love it!

Ps. a special thanks to Lori for telling me how to post it on here :)

Everyday Struggles

"Everyday has a struggle, and everyday has a choice.
You can be weakened by your struggle, or strengthened by your God."

I wrote that late one night in Berlin. The following evening we were going to be giving our testimonies and I was going over mine mentally (I get very nervous talking in front of people). As I was thinking about everything God has brought me through, and how He is always, always there for me, I thought how every single day we all struggle with something. No matter how hard we try or dream or imagine to have a perfect day with no struggles, we just can't. But it's in your struggle that God will use you the most. And there's always the option of just letting it overtake you, or realizing God is bigger and can handle anything. And I mean anything! The thing that I think I would change about that writing though is that sometimes we are weakened by our struggle, but at the same time we can be strengthened by God, if only we look to Him. It's like Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12 "when I am weak, then I am strong" I love that verse so much and it is one that when I'm struggling my friend reminds me of that and when she is struggling I remind her of that. Because it always brings peace knowing that God is strong, even in our weakest points.

One more thing...don't lose hope about having that perfect day. Because once we get to Heaven we'll be having perfect days everday of our everlasting life. Perfected by the Father's love.

My Trip to Germany

Germany was amazing.

Where should I start?

The flight over there was long...longer than I had expected. I was anticipating eight hours, though I'm not sure why I thought that, to find out it was twelve. Four hours on a plane can make a difference. A big difference. The way back though seemed much shorter, partly because I was so exhausted I slept the whole way just about and partly because I didn't have that anxiety building inside me of going out of the country.

But, I needn't have worried. We got there and spent the day resting. We stayed in this big boarding house which was great. It was really neat and the family running it are also Christians devoted to spreading the Gospel.

I fell in love with all the children of Paul's (the pastor of CC Berlin) neighborhood. I call them all sweet, though some disagree with me on that one. The kids definitely have a different way of life, and they spend most of their time on the street...it's kinda a mystery where the parents are while the kids are out running around. It was a very rough neighborhood, and had I actually understood the language, I'm sure I would have been shocked at some of the profanity even the young ones were using. One time we asked what the kids were saying, and the translater said we don't want to know. Seeing these kids and the life that they live made my heart cry out for them all. They are all so lost. I asked Paul if these kids don't believe because they don't know about Jesus, or if they are just denying Him. Sadly, Paul said he has shared with them countless times, and they really do understand, they just refuse to make that choice. But I so loved spending time with them. One of the girls especially, we got attached and spent time together. She is one that I often call sweet...Paul was amazed that I saw a sweetness in her, but I told him that I'm sure that deep inside she has a very sweet heart. It's just lost inside this world that she lives in.

It was also very fun getting to know Paul better and his fellow mission workers. One guy, Nari was a total crack up and kept us all entertained. When I first got there I confided in him, telling him that I was scared but I hoped God would use me that week. Nari just said "Don't hope, believe". So from then on I realized the importance of believing that. Not believing that I myself could give anything to these kids, but realizing that God is big enough and strong enough to work through someone as small and weak as me. And believing He would do so.

We also went out evangelizing. I was pretty nervous, having never done anything like that before. I must say that I didn't get on that box and share my testimony or engage in conversation with anyone, but I did stand on the corner and passed out lots of tracks. It was great but also could get a little discouraging when people said no. But I kept thinking that I am not really being a nuisance to them. Maybe in their eyes yes, but really, I am offering to them the greatest gift of all, and who knows, maybe that night was the only night they would hear about Jesus. All I can do is pray that they would come to Christ.

We had a day set aside for sight seeing which was nice. We went to the museum of Babylon which was way cool. Walking through the gate that Daniel most likely walked through was awesome. And it was neat going to the concentration camp. But of course it was also very sobering. It's absolutely crazy how cruel man could've been to actually do the things he did to fellow human beings.

We had to remind ourselves though that really, we all are no different. We all have sinned and in our Father's eyes it's just as bad and cruel. It reminded us of our need for a Savior, and made us thankful to have Jesus.

There was much fun and laughter on the trip. Lots of good natured teasing as well! I am a Beavers fan and Paul is a total Duck so I was constantly telling him how good the beavers are and vice versa. It was fun!

It was tough to say goodbye to everyone. But I so hope to see them all again...soon!

I think what God really placed on my heart this trip was to be in constant prayer for these people. For Paul and his ministry, for the children and their families, for the whole city of Berlin. I have had a few people very heavily on my heart ever since I left, and I know that it is God reminding me to pray without ceasing for them.

Needless to say, I had a wonderful, wonderful time. I am so thankful that God opened up so many doors making it possible for me to go on the trip. He is good.

Next summer: Belize....

Chocolate Ice Cream

Last night at the meeting I was talking with Ty, a lady who is also going on the mission trip. We were talking how it's so hard witnessing to family members. I myself know that I never feel that I say the right thing, I always come away feeling like I failed. She understood and said that it's so hard. We were talking about how we know in our hearts that Jesus is real just by knowing what He has done in our own lives, our own hearts. How when we go and spend our quiet time with Him we know that we're not just talking to ourselves, but truly Jesus meets us right in that place. Ty said she guesses that people can't really understand that until they have experienced it for themselves. The pastor leading the trip, who was standing nearby, then said "It's like chocolate ice cream." He said that you can tell someone how yummy, how delicious, how wonderful it is, but until they have tasted it for themselves, they can't really understand why we're so excited about it. That's exactly like Jesus. We can be all excited and siked about how awesome and wonderful our time with Him is, how amazing His love in our hearts is, but until they too experince it, until they get a taste for themselves, they won't really understand.

It's my hope and prayer that we can be those who are so excited about our "Chocolate Ice Cream" and be so enthusiastic about Him that we will make others hungry for a taste.

God is Good!

So I thought it was about time I do another update...

EXCITING NEWS is that I have now raised my money for my trip! Praise the Lord!! I was sooooooooooooooo happy, I cannot even tell you!! How it happened was also cool...it was totally God.
We had just gotten home from a few days at the beach (we had a blast!) and I received an envelope in the mail that came for me while we were away. It was from my grandparents and it was a check to help my finances for the trip. I was SOOO excited about that - I was literally jumping up and down and telling my friend who was with me how excited I was. Then, I get another envelope from my aunt and uncle and I was just so happy even before I opened it. As I was tearing apart the envelope I tell my friend the amount that I have left to raise for the trip. GOD IS GOOD - the check was made out for EXACTLY that amount. That was too much...I was just giddy with excitement and was so happy. I of course had to add everything up just to be sure I had it all and good news, not only did I raise what I needed to turn into the pastor, I also raised enough to pay back my parents for the deposit they had given him. They had said that I didn't need to worry about paying them back (thank you Dad and Mom!) but I still wanted to since it was for my trip. And sure enough I was able to, and also pay for my passport. So it's all paid for in full!!

I'm still continuing to work at Infinity Stone, ya know, I wanna be able to take some spendin money :) But also I really enjoy going there and the receptionist has even been giving me some sit down jobs to do, such as filing and labeling...which I find nice. I love cleaning but it is good to have some work at a desk :)

One month from Saturday I will be leaving for Germany. It seems it is coming so fast but that is good! Tomorrow evening we will have a team meeting and I am very anxious for that. I think it will be a good time to get a little more prepared and also grow together as a team as we come to know each other more. Please pray for those who have not yet raised all their money as of now, and also please pray for all of us that the Lord would prepare our hearts for whatever He has in store for us in Berlin.

With that, I will say goodnight, or goodmorning, either one works :) I hope that you all are having an amazing summer and that the Lord is blessing you lots.

Pennies for Germany

Things are shaping up for my trip to Germany. I went and applied for my passport this week and I slowly but surely am getting to the needed dollar amount. I've been continuing to go to Infinity Stone once a week to clean and doing other little jobs here and there that will help.
I recently started a penny drive! I have a little pail that asks for penny donations to help me go to Germany. I know someone who went to Cambodia and she did that and it actually ended up greatly helping. So, today to Infinity I took it, and sat it by the sink and coffee maker (where the most people go). I just left it there while I cleaned and wasn't going to go around asking. But then the secretary apparently took it around out back to the shop and when she got back she was all excited and told me that she got me donations!! It was such a big blessing to me and I decided that maybe this would work!! :-)

I'm really excited for the trip - only 2 months from tomorrow!!

Germany here I come!

I am so excited about going to Germany! In some ways August 19th seems very far away, and yet in others it seems so close, afterall, we are now in the month of June. Which I think is good and bad (not about this month being June, that is a very good thing in my opinion), because I am so excited I could be packed and ready to leave tomorrow. But I can't exactly leave tomorrow because I don't have the money. So there is the little problem. That is why I am totally willing to wait the 2 1/2 months, for that gives me time to raise enough. Some moments I'll stress about it, and at other times will feel total peace. But I know that where God guides He provides, and I really don't have any reason to worry. I love the verse Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Today I did do some work at a countertop place. They are the people we are getting ours from and the owners used to be my jr. high leaders at a church I went to and I am also friends with their daughter. So Carol (owner) had offered to give me some work to help me out. It was cleaning - cleaning windows, dusting, sweeping and mopping, and cleaning the blinds. Oh, I was so excited to hear I got to mop, you know, with one of those big mops they use in stores. The guy who showed me how to use it probably thought I was nuts, because I said "Ooh, I've always wanted to use one of these!" The whole blind cleaning thing took a really long time and I was so worried that as I opened them I would snap the cord. I finally managed to open the first one without causing harm to them. So, feeling a little bit more confident, I moved onto the second window. As I was struggling to get the blinds open, all of sudden the whole thing just comes crashing down. I was shocked, and really stressed. Not to mention the blinds banged me on the nose. I could care less about my nose at that point, I just hoped the blinds weren't broken. Thankfully, I found out that they were not at all broken, and were easily snapped back into place. It was only then that I realized my nose hurt but it was just a little bruised. No biggie. Needless to say, I asked someone to pull up the other blinds for me. I was going to take no more risks.


Anyways, so I'm really excited about the trip!!! I've never been out of the country before, and oh, I just love love love to fly! My first time (I remember) flying was really only about a year ago, and it was a short trip at that, just to California. Then I was able to fly again in August when my mom and I went to Dallas, Texas. Now THAT was a fun flight. It was nice and long, at least to me it was long. Once we are in the air though I kinda lose interest, I just read a book or hope that they will show a good movie or serve us pop and a snack. The landing and take off are the best though. But even though I love it, I do get super nervous and pray like crazy. Just something about being high up in the air unnerves me...

But flying's not the only exciting thing about going. I think it will be great to go to Europe on a mission trip. My grandparents are actually there right now, on a vacation they have been planning for sooo long. I can't wait til they come back so I can tell them that now I'm going! You know, it's actually kinda cool. Months ago, while I was at their house, I was trying to convince them that I should go to Mexico this summer with my church group. My parents weren't too hip on me going, but I thought my grandparents might think that it would be cool. And, I thought if I got them on my side, they might convince my parents. I was wrong. They too didn't think it was that good of an idea for me to go. My parents had said the only way I could go is if someone from my family comes along, but no one wanted to. But my grandpa did say that if the only way I could go was to have a family member go, and if no one in my family would go with me, he would consider coming. My grandma still wasn't too sure about the whole thing and said "Wouldn't you rather go to Europe?" Of course then I didn't really show much of a desire to go, because I was trying to talk about Mexico!

So in a way, it's rather ironic that she said that, I had no idea that I would indeed end up going. I'm not going to Mexico, I decided that back in April. My parents really didn't want me to but said they'd think about it. I prayed about it and felt like God was saying not this time. I was disappointed but I knew there would be more blessings listening to God than going to Mexico if I really felt I shouldn't. So really only a month or so goes by when a friend of ours and I start emailing. He asked me if I had any thoughts about going to Germany. I told him it would be amazing to be able to go and thought it would be really neat if my Dad could also go with me. I mentioned it to my parents and they didn't say a whole lot. But when we are going is when my Dad starts back to school (he's a teacher) so those are days he can't really miss. I never in my wildest dreams thought they'd say yes to me going. But Al and I kept emailing and I was getting more and more info about the trip. I prayed about it and talked to my parents and then they said yes! I was amazed they agreed, but incredibly happy!

So, when my grandma gets back in a week I can tell her that I am going to Europe. She was right all along. God sure does work in mysterious ways!

Germany Mission Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

In August a team of people from my church (Calvary Chapel Southeast) will be going to Berlin, Germany on a mission trip. After much prayer and thought, I have decided to join them. This is my first mission trip and I am very excited!

I would like to ask for your support by praying for me as I prepare for this mission. Please pray that God would work in me and through me, and that together we would bless the people of Berlin, and show them the love of Jesus Christ.

While in Germany we will be helping our friend, Harold Paul Rostig, who is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Berlin. As most of our focus this trip will be on the neighborhood children, we will be holding several different outreaches for them. We plan to hold activities for them including games, food, music, possibly puppets, and of course Bible studies. Other outreaches include music on the subway, and an outreach on college campuses. We also are preparing for possible engagement in one on one conversations with Muslims.

However great or small the outcome of all these events may be, my hope and prayer is that we could reach out to the people of Berlin, showing them just how much our Savior loves them.

I sincerely thank you for all your love and prayers. If you would like to support me financially*, I would greatly appreciate it. However, above all, I ask for your prayers.

Thank you and God bless,
Emily

*please note that all donations are tax deductible if made out to Calvary Chapel Southeast, with “Emily Peterson – Germany” in the memo line. Checks can be mailed to:

Calvary Chapel Southeast Portland
13520 SE Pheasant Ct
Milwaukie, OR 97222

Thank you.

Sweet Verse

The Lord sweetly showed me this verse tonight and I thought it was amazing so wanted to share :)

Psalm 143:8
Cause me to hear Your
lovingkindess in the
morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in
which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You

The Debate

Sunday was the debate!

My brother said he thought we got our butts kicked, but I thought it was a lot of fun and I think we all actually learned a lot. As it turns out, I have known the "athiest" for a long time, he goes to our church. I guess a few people knew who it was already, but I didn't know, since I didn't hear anyone mention his last name. So I think knowing who he was made it less nerve racking for some. So he was just up on the stage and we were all in the audience and were supposed to raise our hands when we wanted to debate on something he said or just to pick a topic to debate. I must admit, I didn't raise my hand a single time! Yep, I didn't say a word, I felt bad, like I really wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of anything...besides, it was pretty entertaining just listening. It went pretty orderly, but occasionally it got a little crazy with everyone trying to talk all at once. Dave (the "atheist") clearly made it known beforehand that he is NOT an athiest and he does not believe any of that stuff.

At the beginning I mentioned that I learned a lot, one of the things that they said, was you can't be tearing apart the person, because then it's no longer witnessing, but just arguing. We are spreading the Gospel of love, and how can you do that when you insult the person for their beliefs which you find odd? Attacking the beliefs and the person are too entirely different things. Of course, you need to point out the faults in the beliefs, but you can do that without pointing out faults in the person. For example, saying "Wow, how the heck can you believe that? That's not very smart" probably isn't the very best thing to say.

Another thing, was a lot of what our group would debate, or want to make as a topic, really doesn't matter when you get right down to it. They said when you're trying to witness to somebody, just let the small things go. Even when people were trying to prove different stories in the Bible were true, that's not the point. The point is the Bible ITSELF. And, you need to go to the Cornerstone, go to Jesus, talk about Him, not about lots of little issues that really don't matter.

The last thing is you gotta know when to stop. You can go back and forth back and forth, but there comes a point when you just have to let it go, even if it means continuing the conversation at a later time. The person will go home, and what you said will get them thinking. It's rare that after debating that someone will just say "You're right, I believe now". I mean, that totally is possible, but it does take time. And you can't argue anyone into the kingdom of God. Jesus is the only One who knows and can work in the heart of man, and we are merely His tools.

P.s. Okay, so I know this picture has nothing to do with what I was just talking about, but isn't it cute?! That's my dog, Gidget - she's 4 years old but still acts just like a baby. Seriously, she chews up everything, but I love her! It's fun to wrap her up in a blanket, and tuck her in at night. =)

I made it!

Today's been busy, and I don't have much time, but wanted to just say, "I MADE IT!" I set a goal last night to raise $300 for the Pregnancy Resource Center and in less than 24 hours I raised $500! I thought I had all day to collect online pledges but I checked my email today at 11:15 and oh my goodness, I received a message saying all online pledges had to be made before noon. I panicked! I prayed and asked a friend to pray, and got on the phone.God is so good, for I know it was only Him, as I was so stressed today and cut for time, but, I exceeded my goal!!
Just wanted to share the good news since I'm so excited! :)

My Song & Prayer

May Your joy be my strength and my song
May Your grace be what I stand upon
May Your words to me be sweet
May they always guide my feet
May I shine to others Your love
And may they glorify my Father above

Life's Happenings

Well, since it seems it's been awhile since my last post I thought I should do so. :)

Things have been going well. I am really looking forward to summer. It is May - Yay! Our swimming pool is just about ready to open for the season, another BIG YAY!

We've also been remodeling our kitchen and bathrooms which makes things crazy. Not really having a kitchen, for awhile only having one bathroom with 5 people in the house, and having only one sink with running water makes things kinda crazy. But I am excited for when things will be all done.

The apologetic study (apologetics defend our Christian faith) has been going great. I at first was thinking we had all summer to study, but really we only have 3 lessons. The debate will take place on May 18th (one week from this Sunday). I have been finding it all so interesting and I really enjoy it. It's also been a LOT of history and it's one of those things where it would be nice to be able to listen to it over and over because each time you'd catch something else. Last week was the most interesting so far, talking about "how do we know God exists?" The teacher asked everyone if we can PROVE He exists and of course we are all nodding our heads. Finally the pastor in the back said "Nope". I was a little surprised since I thought the class was going to be saying how we can prove God exists. But, really, we can't. Not scientifically, but if we BELIEVE He exists, then we should be able to give reasons and evidence. And really, it makes a whole lot of sense. And after discussing it for a long time it helped me understand that when we choose to believe in Jesus, we're not just taking a blind step of faith. It logically and truly does make a whole lot of sense. A point that I found very interesting was this: using the scientific method we can't "prove" God exists. We can't "prove" He exists by observable and repeatable experiences. However, using that method it can also equally be said that using the scientific method you can't "prove" Napoleon existed.The limitations in the scientific method is it must be repeatable, but can we relive History? No. Can we go back to when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated? Can we go back to when Hitler was alive? Can we go back to the crucifixion of Christ? No, we can't. But just because we can't, doesn't make those events any less a reality.

People will wonder why a lot of "smart" people don't believe if it really logically makes sense. The answer is that a lot of the issue is not that people don't have enough evidence, it's the moral issue, they just don't want to believe. Because, when you believe in God, you know you need to submit to Him, and people don't wanna do that. We also went into A LOT of different other beliefs and I was amazed at some of them. I think "how could anyone truly believe that?" and yet they do, and that's sad. Some people don't believe in any god and some have like 50. It's a crazy world, and I know that God wants us as believers to shine to others His love, His Son. I thank Him for the grace that allows us to do so. I really would like to explain more on why it makes so much sense God is real, and I plan to do just that after I finish studing some more. I have it all in my mind and yet I can't explain it very well. I also hope to share more on other religions, because I have found it very interesting. I left my "handout" with a lot of information at church but the teacher has another one for me that I will get next time I go. He also has a lot more stuff on apologetics that I plan on asking for.

This weekend should be fun. I just decided to participate in "Steps for Life" with my church, a walk-a-thon that supports The Pregnancy Resource Center. Since it is on Saturday, I really don't have much time to raise money for it, but I set a goal and will do my best to achieve it! Any little bit helps and we will have a good time. I've never done this before, although my church does this every year, so it will be a fun time.

So yep, that's basically what's going on in my life right now! Nothing too exciting but I really wanted to post so thought I would :) I hope God is blessing you all lots!!

He Never Lets Go

So I've been wanting to post but it always seemed mixed up, like jumping from subject to subject, but I thought I'd try to combine it all...sorry if this seems a bit scattered...

One song that I absolutely love is called "You Never Let go" by Matt Redman. I just love that song so much and it always brings lots of peace and comfort to me. You've probably heard it, but just incase, here are the lyrics:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when I'm caught in the middle of the storms of this life

I won't turn back, I know You are near

PreChorus:

And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me

And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:

Oh no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go, In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go Lord, You never let go of me

Verse 2:

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles,

but until that day comes,

We'll live to know You here on the earth

Bridge:

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on,

And there will be an end to these troubles, but until that day comes,

Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

I love the thought of that, that He never ever lets go of us, no matter what. But most of all, I love the truth of that. It brings so much assurance as does Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I so love those verses and go back to them often.

Oh, and thank you all so much for all the encouraging messages left on my last post. You know how I was talking about longing for Heaven? Well, I still do, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. It's not like I cry on my bed all day because I want it so bad. Yes, I really do want it and can't wait until we are all there, but I also know that this is all part of God's plan. I also know that there are way to many people out there who have yet to come to know Jesus. I certainly would rather wait awhile, and have them come to Heaven with us. Afterall, once we get there we will be there for eternity. But I still am really excited about us all going there, and I am so thankful that the Lord has actually made me excited to go. Before there wasn't excitement, there was a lot of fear, but now God's replacing that fear with hope and faith. God is good!

In my church group we are going to start studying the apologetics. I am very, very excited about this as I am sure it will be awesome. So then when people ask us about our faith, we not only will tell them what we believe in, but why we believe in it. So I am very excited about this. We will even have a guy, who will be acting as though he is an Atheist, but actually is a Christian, come in and we will have a debate! I am definitely going to be doing some studying beforehand! I think it will be a lot of fun as well as a big blessing...

I thought I'd close with a poem I wrote a couple months back. And the funny thing is, a couple days after I wrote it, I realized I had also written something exactly one 1 year before. I wrote this one Feb. 11 of 08 and the other one was Feb. 11 of 07. I don't know, I just thought that was kind of cool since I didn't even know that until after I had written this. I actually still have not given it a title, I normally think of one right away, but I haven't really thought of one yet. Anyway, here it is:

In my Father's arms, that's where I am

In the safety of His plan, is where I stand

In the midst of the rain, His light does shine

Gently touching my heart, saying "You are Mine"

In the quiet of the morning, His face I seek

He is my Savior, my strength when I'm weak

In the stillness of the night, the world fast asleep

Jesus smiles to my heart, holds me while I weep

In the twinkling of an eye, I'll see my Maker's face

Overwhelmed by His love, amazed by His grace

Journey of Life

"The Long Road Home" as you can see is the title of my new blog. After thinking and praying about what the name should be, I thought of that. Now maybe some of you who are as nutty (in a good way of course) about Little House on the Prairie as I am, think that I stole that title from the name of one of the episodes. But no, as much as I love that show, I did not name this blog after it.

I got the name as I was alone, having some quiet time with God. I was feeling really blue, I was feeling homesick. Homesick for Heaven. I thought how this life is just like a long, sometimes very long, road. And we are on our way home, home to Jesus and all the glory that awaits. So if you ever had a day or days like me, when you're so world weary and crying to God, asking Him, "are we almost there?", you know how hard it is. It's hard to wait for something you want so much, but I encourage you to do the next best thing besides being in Heaven with Him, which is spending time with Him. That's what helped me. And just let Jesus do the driving on this journey of life, and if you do, you'll eventually get to where you're going, you'll get to Heaven. There may be some road bumps along the way, some ups and downs and twists and turns, but as long as you hang tight to God, you'll make it.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24

So I guess this is my first post. I will try to make the next ones more interesting, but I thought I should explain why exactly I chose that name for the blog.

May God bless you all!