Procrastination

This little Nug turned 1 in November. I started working on a secret project for her birthday about a month prior to that.

My mom generously let me use her sewing machine for this project and even offered a helping hand when the going got tough! Thanks, mom!

My favorite part of sewing Molly's 1 year old dress was truthfully the smocking! Now, my fingers were curled up on themselves at the end, but it wasn't as hard as I anticipated (Maybe I chose easy stitches?).

And it looked so southern and vintage-y when it was finished.

I chose the fabric so it could be worn either in the fall (when I first anticipated giving it to her) or in the spring (when she finally got to wear it).

The dress was mostly done by her birthday, but lacked a few finishing touches (I needed to redo the sleeves because they were too tight for her chubby little arms). I'm not the best at revisiting a project that I have mentally finished and it made it's way to my to do list instead of actually sitting down and finishing it.

In the long run, it turned out great, for my first smocked dress. I hope there are more to come in the future. Maybe it won't take me 5 months to complete it next time.

"Her hands hold the spindle."

(Proverbs 31:19)

Happy birthday - Pinterest style

It was this lady's birthday recently

Daughter to this guy

And sister to this guy (<3)

I had a lot of fun picking out (and making) her presents.

Since she's moving into a new apartment she got very practical gifts this year. But just because they needed to be practical, doesn't mean boring. I loved how this project turned out so much that I wanted to keep it for myself. But don't worry... I didn't.

I bought these blank tags months ago and have found TONS of uses for them so far.

Including as actual gift tags.

I found the idea on pinterest and it was tons of fun to make (and easy too).

I used paper I already had and paint swatches (free from Lowes, people!) for the flower part and painted the canvas with brown acrylic paint.

The colors of her new bathroom are brown and blue and my hope was that by using several different shades of blue, I would match whatever color blue she chooses for her new space!

Happy 24th birthday, Aileen!

"She works with willing hands..."

(Proverbs 31:13)

Apple Dumplings

Wow! These little things were DElish! And super easy. I love to cook, and when a recipe calls for 10 or less ingredients, takes less than 20 minutes to make and then you top it with ice cream in the end are my favorites! I made them for Caleb's family last night and they were a hit!

Definitely a crowd pleaser!

No, I wasn't drinking mountain dew while I cooked. It's in the recipe! I promise, you can't leave this ingredient out!

They looked like this before the mountain dew.

Don't worry, they weren't soupy in the end.

And here they are! The finished product. Top with ice cream and plan for at least 2 dumplings per person.

Love.

"She rises while it is yet night

and provides food for her household..."

(Proverbs 31:15 ESV)

**All credit goes to: The Pioneer Woman

Silly Morgan

I read other blogs and feel so inspired to write something inspirational or clever or creative… and I got nothin’. Hah.
I’m not very clever, or inspirational, or even creative. I wish things in my life were so great – or I had some amazing spiritual revelation to speak of, but I don’t. I'm not saying poor me my life is horrible... It's just that I’m learning lessons on the basics. Nothing spectacular.
Since my last post I’ve had some major events transpire in my life. Some good, some not so good, and even some amazingly great! I got a job… and it was literally handed to me by God Himself. The timing and people and events were perfect… I prayed He would make it clear where I was supposed to be, and He did! So, now that I have a job I look back on the months that I didn’t. I was so worried. I see how much I didn’t trust God. I may have verbally said that I was trusting Him, but in my heart were constant thoughts of anxiety and discontentment. I wasn’t happy. I was stressed! I don’t know how to not have a plan!?! “How do You expect me not to have a plan, God?!?” All the while, His still small voice was encouraging me to just wait.
See, I’m not a patient person. I don’t like the wait answer… in fact, I’d almost rather be told no, than to be told to wait. I like immediate results... I like to make hasty decisions and see how things play out.
It’s funny to feel content now, and not worried about my job situation. I sort of laugh at the me of a month ago. How could I not trust God? How could I not believe HE had a plan for me?!?
How could I doubt Him?!? Silly Morgan.
I couldn’t quite figure out why the end of my college career was such a life altering event. Graduation was the goal, yes; and I achieved it… it came… and then it went… Why was that so traumatic? And only recently I had the ‘Aha!’ moment. I was putting my worth in my grades and my collegiate experience. And when it was over I had a little midlife (or early-life) crisis. It’s like a rug was yanked out from under me.
HELLO!!! It was just a phase! Granted it was a great phase, for sure. But I was never meant to live there… in that state… The state of being a college student!
I was meant to finish and MOVE ON. I wasn’t meant to find my spouse at school and I wasn’t meant to stay in Tampa and live there forever (like I thought). It was GOD’S PLAN for me to move back home and find a job on an Oncology Unit that I think I may just hate. It was His plan that I begin to mend and fix relationships that I’ve damaged in the past, since I'm back in Ocala anyway. It was His great plan that I rediscover just how great His thoughts and plans are for me. His plan was that I learn that His love for me is like none other and that He alone can satisfy my heart.
How could I ever doubt Him… Silly Morgan.

I go through phases. Different moods. Sometimes I'm willing to write down my ever so secret thoughts on the internet - and other times? I just want to ponder... I want to ponder what God's doing in my heart and ponder the trials that I'm facing. Ever since being home from China - I've been doing the latter.

China was by far the most purposeful and challenging thing I have done in a long time. All the preparation that was done on the front side of the trip in no way compared to the challenges that lay in wait on the other side of the world. I was faced with situations that challenged me mentally and physically. I was challenged to re-think so many of my own beliefs I held so dear. Now, I don't mean this to sound like I came home from China questioning my faith in God. Not at all! Specifically, I came home questioning how we, as the church, do things. How we evangelize. How we "worship". How we act, how we...

Because I realized while over there that most, if not all, of our "churchly practices" are based solely on our culture. And if the Chinese church does things differently than the American churches - who's right? I am so thankful God pointed out my unknown-to-me legalistic attitude. I didn't think China was going to show me that... weird.

Reflection over the past month has been really good for me. I struggle with what my purpose may be now that I'm home from China... home from college. I can't be a bum and live at home forever. I'm convinced God has great things for me, I just don't know what they are yet... and sometimes... I'm a little scared to ask.

China changed my life. But not in the way most people think. I don't want to move there. And really, I don't know if I'll ever go back as long as I live. But it challenged me to look to eternity. It challenged me to take every thought and moment captive to Christ... and gave me a real-life glimpse of what that practically looks like. It gave me a humbling and beautiful picture of what it means to serve... and to be served. It also showed me just how big God really is. He is so big. He's bigger than I ever thought or could've imagined. Not even the communist government of China can keep God out. (And believe me, they're trying!) He is moving... And we, as His church, get to participate in building His kingdom.

Maybe you're supposed to go to China... or Africa... or Ukraine... or across the street... Where is God calling you to go?

Battle Flu vs. Morgan

I'm one of those people (partially due to my nursely nature) that thinks whenever they get sick they are going to die. This time was no different and to make things worse I was a 14.5 hr flight away from the States. Oi.

I woke up Thursday with a sore throat and didn't make it through the entire day of camp. I went home after lunch and slept 6 hrs straight. I thought maybe I was just tired and my "nap" (most people consider that a nights sleep) had cured me... so I decided to hang tough and go to camp on Friday. I was NOT going to miss out on saying goodbye to my little kids! But, you better believe I woke up with a 102 fever Saturday morning and all the other flu symptoms to match. I'll spare you the details. I pretty much slept until Monday morning but was completely back to 100% Monday morning. I think it was grace that got me through Friday... and a good measure of strong will. In total 3.5 days down... not too bad. But, oh my! I was missing home. I told my daddy he needed to fly to Beijing and get me. He probably would have. :) Miss him.
This week's camp is so vastly different from last week. Last week the focus was on just getting the kids to behave so we could semi teach them anything! This week the kids know every grammar rule possible... on paper. But they can barely communicate with us, which makes sense. The Chinese are great at book work. Unfortunately, our curriculum is geared primarly toward the grammar rules and vocab. So, coming up with changes on the fly is the new norm. :) It's all about being Semper Gumby (always flexible). I'm learning that. I like the flexible version of myself.
I am truly having the best week. Joy. It's the only way I can describe it. That and a good measure of sleep! There's no more jet-lag and some newly found American food. It's wonderful.
I don't really have the freedom to write everything that's going on, but you can bet I'll be sharing stories once I'm home.
My cup truly runneth over.

Some things are universal

Like smiles, or ‘Simon Says’, or ‘Head and Shoulders, knees and toes’ or maybe a hello even, or just a high five. Some things span across borders and across oceans… things like goodbyes.

Today was our last day of the first camp. Just like a VBS in the states, the kids have a little performance for their parents on Friday night. VLS in China is no different and so we spent 13 hours with the kids today. It was… a ferociously long time. At the beginning of the week the kids are very shy and don’t test you at all. By the end of the week, when they’re comfortable, they realize that we aren’t like their Chinese teachers… we won’t beat them if they misbehave, and so they do… the entire day. But really, they’re just like American children. The boys beat on things with their chopsticks. And the girls stick their tongues out when they don’t like your corrections. Haha. Andy kept pulling my hair and spitting water on me today. By 4 o’clock (when the camp normally ends) I was thinking goodbye couldn’t come soon enough!

The American team met in our room for dinner and had a little meeting before going back to the chapel for the final closing ceremony. The place was packed! Honestly, it was packed with just the kids in it; then try adding all their parents and grandparents... packed! But somehow we all fit.

The entire event had to be translated, so it took twice as long as it would. Anything said in Chinese needed to be translated to English, and everything said in English needed to be said in Chinese. It was cool to hear some of our children’s testimonies in English, and then the interpreters translating it back into Chinese for their parents. :) Loved that.

Each group (blue, red, green, gold) performed a song. It gave me goose-bumps to hear these Chinese children singing praises to God. They sang “It Is Well” and “Blessed Assurance”… Wait?!? Are we still in China?? “My sin not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul!” Are we really in China? They asked the American team to sing too… “You are holy! Great and mighty! The moon and the stars – declare who You are!” We’re in China, right!? I truly felt His presence.

The service ended and gifts were given. At first it was a very exciting thing – the week was over! We had accomplished what we set out to do… then Snow came up to me, tears running down her face as she hugged me and buried her face in my shirt. And then Tony… Happy, An-Li, Amy, Gloria… I didn’t know until that very moment that maybe I had touched one of their lives. The entire week Sandy and I had stressed about how well we were communicating (English or otherwise) and it wasn’t clear until that moment. I only spent 5 short days with these kids, how could this be so hard? But, I know it was because of the reason we were brought here together. Months and months were spent on our knees, asking for hearts to be drawn. It was only tonight, that I got to put faces with my requests. I know seeds were planted this week. I know they saw Him. He was the reason we were brought together… and He’ll be the reason we meet again.

You see, goodbyes are universal…

But soon there will be a day when no more goodbyes are said… and maybe I’ll see An-Li and Snow again and together we’ll sing: “You are holy! Great and Mighty!”

french food for dinner!

Ok, so I'm in China.

It's crazy to think that a week ago we arrived in Beijing. It feels like I've been here forEVER.

Tomorrow is our last day of camp and I know it's going to be very sad. As a 'worker' you want to see immediate fruit, but here, we're more or less introducing G, which means the fruit of our labor will probably not be seen by us... and maybe we'll never know what happens to the message we're presenting. It's sad to know I won't see most of the kids ever again. They've become my buddies. And just as we're getting to know each other it's time to leave. :(

Tonight was the acrobat show and it totally lived up to it's reputation. My favorite was a girl standing on point on some man's head. She looked so young! Sure enough... she was 12. So sad.

I've been feeling under the weather for the past couple days and at the moment have no voice. It's probably from participating in my initiation: ABC gum. One piece of gum from the front of the bus is passed between each passenger and then back to the front... it ended up being grey with like 30 pieces of gum together. And Mr. Vince chewed it and blew a bubble! The gum tasted super good though... like a peppermint flavor with a hint of mango. Hahaha. It was peer pressure! Don't ask why I did it.

Back in the states I love chinese food. It's my favorite! I have yet to eat a meal here that I like. All this authentic stuff is yuck. Seriously, it's not good. Tonight Mike, Mom, Stuart and I settled for 711 food... I got a croissant and a diet coke. And I think my mom and stuart had pringles. It was a great dinner really! I loved it.

I'm getting pretty homesick... I think part of it is being sick and the other part not really liking it here. I mean, I LOVE the kids, and I truly believe in what we're doing... and I'm committed. But really, I miss home. And we have 2 more weeks! Oi.

PR:

1)EVERYONE is getting sick. Some have stomach bugs others of us have cold-like symptoms.

2)Tomorrow is our last day of camp and the kids will be performing for their parents... and singing songs about C. It's going to be amazing. P for receptive hearts

3)Preparation for next week: We have the older kids, which will be an entirely different camp... it will be like the first day all over again.

4) homesickness of all of us.

Love you all.
Morg

Katy Perry and the death cab

You know those days that are both the worst and best days? The days that start out horribly and then something happens, something shifts your perspective and things instantly get better?

That was today.

Today was the first day of VLS. This week we are teaching the younger of the students - the oldest being 12, I believe. I have an intermediate group, but still their actual levels of ability vary greatly. There is a huge stigma placed upon older students being put with younger students in hopes of helping them learn - they want to be with their friends and we don't want to cause them shame so they stay. Having to create and teach one lesson is hard enough - and then having to curtail it to each individual student is just VERY time consuming. So today was... challenging.

On top of the difficulties with the students, the curriculum is also... well, somewhat unorganized. In defense of the author, this is the original curriculum that had to be submitted to the Chinese government for approval. So, I'm unsure what parameters were in place at that time. We found out that we can change some of the activities to better suit the students and the grammar rules we are learning in hopes that tomorrow goes better than today! Onward and upward! :) Better tomorrow than today; better today than yesterday!

Another component of difficulty is speaking through translators that aren't super familiar with English themselves. It's just all-around challenging. So, you can imagine many of us were feeling very discouraged. I pretty much decided I wanted to come home today. Hah.

Then the smog lifted.

I went back to the Silk Market with David and Jessica to exchange shirts we needed for the camp. The taxi ride there took forever and we couldn't buckle up! There we were, on the interstate, and couldn't even wear seatbelts. Yikes! It was a death cab!

Exchanging the shirts ended up being yet another challenge for the day. It took 2 hours to get the order straightened out and waiting for some of the needed shirts to arrive from the warehouse. We waited in the booth with Jessica. She spoke very good English and was so sweet. I also met the girl across the way - Delia. She and I were the same age. These girls work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and only get 2-3 days off a year. They are so hard-working.

It was there, in the silk market, I truly realized G's reason for sending me to China. And I only hope He continues to reveal more things about Himself. The greatness of His mercy. His unending kindness. His jealousy for His people. His desire to redeem each of us and fill us with His peace.

It was a bad day... but it really was the best day.

PR:

1) the emotional/physical well-being of our team. Several teammates are having issues.

2) That even though we desire to teach English, that is only the umbrella under which we enter the country. Our purpose is far greater. P our focus is not shifted from that.

3) Rest. Today was challenging and the rest of the week promises the same.

-Morg

P.S. They play Katy Perry in china! *Happiness*

First Thoughts:

“Foggy”. Warm. Humid. A smell in the air of unidentifiable origin. A sea of faces. Hospitality. Kind greetings. Fashion similar to Europe. Crazy traffic… crazier drivers. Chopsticks. Bottled water ONLY. The smell of food in the air constantly. Starbucks :). Skyscrapers. Little green. Few patches of grass. Weird stares from the locals. NICE cars (everyone drives a BMW, Mercedes, or Audi). 4.5 million cars in Beijing. Bei: North. Jing: Capital. No clouds. No sun. No moon. No stars. Delicious food within the hotel. Interesting food outside. A great wall. No dogs or cats. No fb or blogger (for those without amazing apps ;). Weddings at the Crowne Plaza. A small world. A summit buddy. Kiosks inside restaurants and hotels. Jetlag. 4am mornings. Long runs in the fantastic gym. Sushi for breakfast. High heels. Love for people you just met. Different tongues prazing the same g. New friends. A chinese mom. :)

I love China!

Internet connections!

Yay! Finally a connection to Blogger! Fb and blogger aren't accessible here, but after downloading a hotspot shield, and consulting with my tech support here in Beijing, I can finally log on!

We're all having a great time and enjoying our trip so far. We've done the touristy things: The Great Wall and The Silk Market. Both were fun! I'll write more about those later and maybe post a few pictures! And we've also done plenty of team bonding and planning for the busy week ahead.

The jet-lag is pretty miserable. Try telling your body it's 12 hours later than it really is... it's a gross feeling. I woke up at 5am yesterday and 4am today. It's ridiculous! And by the time we get used to it it'll be time to come back home and get readjusted again!

There's been so much anticipation for this trip; I'm glad to finally be here! And all the stories I've heard about the people and the town - it's nice to put faces to names and see things that I've only heard about. *Cool fact: The Bird's Nest from the 2008 Olympics is across the street from our hotel. :)

I've learned a few Chinese words, but so far it's pretty hard to have ANY CLUE what they're talking about. Our translators have been great! And I'm sure they will come in even more handy as we get into camp mode!

Please continue to 'p' for cohesiveness as a team, better adjustment to the time so we can get the rest we need, and for zero nerves. :)

-Morg

Ordinary

I can't believe that I'll be flying to Beijing in 7 days!
7 days!
It's a 13 hour flight.
And unfortunately I get motion sickness rather easily.
I'm praying God miraculously heals me... at least for 13 hours.
I am just now getting into the heart of preparation (procrastination is not uncommon for me).
I feel so ordinary and weak... and perhaps underqualified.
But, then I guess, maybe I am. :)

"Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake;
for when I am weak, then I am strong."

China's in 7 days!

Bad Habits

I never would have said I was too motivated. I don't even think there is such a thing... or, at least, I didn't.

Sometimes I listen to sermons when I ride in my car (or parts anyway)and just happened to be listening to one about living an abundant life today. Now, people have many different pictures and ideas of what this looks like. But this sermon, suggested that maybe our ideas of an abundant life and our ideas of success are based on the world - and not what God defines as abundant and successful. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of being successful, but if it isn't God's definition of successful, is it really such?

There were three application points: 1) lower your expectations, 2) learn to say no, and 3) rid your life of hurry. Now, let's not go too extreme... We should have goals and expectations, we should not always say no... and being late is can be disruptive and disrespectful. But somewhere in the middle is where I want to be...

I'd be lying if I said I don't like to be busy. I like having places to go and deadlines to meet and even a boss to please. And sometimes I even excuse my poor choices with being busy.

Well, I only yelled at that person because I was in a hurry.
I was only sarcastic and rude because I was tired, because I got up early and worked all day.

Proverbs 27:1: "Don't boast about tomorrow, for you do not know..." How many mornings do I wake up and live my life in preparation for tomorrow? How many days do I put my faith in tomorrow?

Good thing I'm a work in progress. :)

Though probably an example of over-committing myself, I'm house-sitting this week. But having a quiet place to study is wonderful!

My constant shadow, Boone! He has SO MUCH energy!

Molly and I move at the same pace: slower than Boone!

Barney doesn't like me too much, but he makes me sneeze,
so that's ok he doesn't want to snuggle!

The view! I haven't made it out to the pool yet, but I will!

China supporters: Please pray God continues to provide the monetary resources for China. I'm barely 1/2 way on my support and I leave in 2 weeks! Yikes!

Blog Overhaul

Lately I’ve been too busy living life to blog about it. That's my excuse for not posting anyway...

My blog experienced an overhaul today. I’m still not quite happy with it, but it looks much better. Techy-type things stump me. What's an html code anyway? Maybe when I have 17 billion spare hours, I’ll try again (that's how long this setup took today... I'm not exaggerating!). :)

This last month has been full of transitions for me. Most people don't love the idea of moving back home after college graduation, but that's where I find myself. And really, I am ok with that. I love being home. But I don't like all the questions. People are constantly asking me what my next plans are, what my next move is, when I'll get a job, where I'll get a job... and plenty of people offer advice (and some of it's good), but to be completely honest: I just don't know. I don't know where I'm going to live. I don't know where or what my job will be. I don't know if I'll stay in my home-town or move elsewhere. I don't know what I want. I just don't know.

And I'm not sure those words have ever come out of my mouth before in regards to my future.

I've always had a plan. When I was in high school I was planning for college. (Minus that one year I wanted to be a broke musician. Nah.) During the first two years of college I was getting ready for nursing school and whilst in nursing school? I was getting ready to be a nurse. Makes sense.

So, now I'm a nurse... Yay, me. Haha.

But, it's not all bad! I leave for Beijing, China in 30 days! I have a temporary job until I find a nursing job. And I love being home.

But, I miss my roommates...

I love apartment 301!

Today is Monday

Today is Monday.
Today there are tons of tasks to be done.
Today I want to lay by the pool and do nothing. But...
Today I'm determined to be productive.

I'm going to get back into this blogging things eventually...

Trusting

So, it's my last semester in college... wait! Did I just say that?!?!

IT'S MY LAST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE!

Wow.

I've started my last semester at USF and it feels surreal. I'm definitely excited, but I'm also sad to leave this part of my life behind. College has been a BLAST! I've made so many friends and experienced the first tastes of adulthood and real responsibility here. I've climbed trees in the middle of the night and gotten breakfast at Andros at 2am here. This is where I developed a love for nursing and caring for people. This is where I cheered my own football team onto... well, just cheered! I learned how to listen for God's voice. I learned how to be a friend. I learned how to learn.

And now... I'm leaving it behind.
This semester, like each at the college of nursing, is overwhelming. Each time I come back to school I'm faced with a never-ending to-do list and only 16 short weeks to complete it. But unlike EVERY previous semester, I decided to try a new approach. I decided to try daily trusting God. Most of us trust God for big things, but not for the daily little things He so wants to bless us with and provide for us. I asked God for opportunities to help me trust Him... BIG mistake!
My life fell apart. Literally. And instead of trying to solve everything in my mind and trust in myself to get through it - I decided to trust God. Afterall, why does God work things together for good, for them that love Him and are called according to His purpose? To conform us to the image of His Son. Why are we to consider trials joy? Because the testing of our faith produces endurance. Why are we to trust in God with all our hearts? Because He alone can make our paths straight.
So, I decided to trust, though it hurt. I decided to thank and praise, though I was anything but thankful.

Once I decided that, and purposed myself to trust, I thought things would get better. And really, they haven't. But my perspective is different.

Only Trust Him
Come, every soul by sin oppressed,
there's mercy with the Lord;
and he will surely give you rest,
by trusting in his Word.
Refrain:
Only trust him, only trust him,
only trust him now.
He will save you, he will save you,
he will save you now.

2010: Done and done!

Every year, on this day, people make lists. They list the things that have happened over the past year. They list the things they hope to do in the coming one. Most lists include some amount of weight loss. Some include trips to be taken, places to be visited, and marathons to be run. And, alas, the first day of this new year, I am in the same place. (I, however, am not brave enough to post my resolutions on the world wide web for more accountability than I care to have!)

Instead, how about a synopsis of 2010?

Just like every year, it had 365 days, 8760 hours, 525600 minutes ,and 31536000 seconds, but it boasted unique qualities too...

In 2010:
Mistakes were made. Arguments had. Forgiveness sought. A blog started and updated… not so often. This country left - and returned to with the song "God bless America" sung loudly and proudly. Babies were delivered. Champagne was tried (Ew). 1000+ pictures were taken. Noses were pierced. Cycles proved themselves cyclical. Parents drove hours to pick up their sick college student. TONS of pool hours were logged. Alethia friends were made. Silly Halloween costumes constructed. Howls and screams present at Howl-O-Scream. Sunsets were watched. Clinical hours clocked. Classes skipped. Diet coke drank. Weddings attended and lovely purple dresses worn. Tests were studied for. New guitars received. Noses unpierced. Poems read, laughed at, and smiled about. I love you's spoken. Friends became close. Too many cookies were eaten. Feelings were hurt - worries were had. Love for the NICU was discovered. Spanish-speakers received the gospel. Blessings were received and prayers were answered. Relationships were damaged and restored. Wounds were healed, ripped open, and healed again. Truth was discovered. Fears were confirmed. Peace passed all understanding. Hottub trips taken. Volcanos climbed. Miles run. Lessons learned. Baby showers thrown. Entire families prayed for. Growth happened. Another year: complete.

2010: Done and done!

Hard Work

I work pretty hard. At least, I try to. I'm a motivated person and most days I get the job done. But if I've learned one thing about nursing school it's that good grades don't make a good person... or a good nurse.

I studied for finals. I studied hard. I worked hard. And... didn't do as well as I wanted. *sigh* Story of my life...

The sermon on Sunday was in Titus. Maybe I'm weird, but it's one of my favorite books. Yes, all of the commands can be overwhelming, but it's so encouraging also because God gives us specific instructions... no excuses. I wrote down in my journal a list of things God commands me, as a woman: be reverent, a teacher of good, an encourager, a lover of children, a respecter of men, sensible, pure, kind, submissive... Those were just a few that caught my attention. And, as I reflected on my past week, I was glad I hadn't made the desired grades on my finals. What?!?

Yes... I do mean that.

I spent hours studying. I spent hours in study groups, in the library, in my living room... hours! But, I didn't forget other things that were important too: spending time with my brother and sister, worshipping with God's people, a christmas party spent encouraging other believers, biblestudy, praying for a new baby that just arrived, time in God's word...

So what if i didn't make an A? Titus 2 must've gotten in the way.

All things girly

Tonight is one night I wish my camera weren't broken. I've missed so many photos it makes me sad. Tonight we (my Biblestudy) threw a baby shower for one lovely lady: Johanna! It was so fun to eat girly food, talk about girly things, and then shower this girl with fun things for her new girl! She has two boys - so girly things are newer to her.
It was so nice and refreshing to be able to talk about womanhood and motherhood in it's proper context. Ashlee did a sweet little devotional on the blessing of children and our responsibility to them. It related to those of us who don't have children yet as well. What a blessing!

I'm feeling encouraged and content.