The Weekend

I'm just now getting around to writing about last weekend due to a pretty crazy week, but it was so great that I couldn't just leave it unsaid!

First, let's start with Saturday.  It was mostly sunny and just plain beautiful. I love how the Lord has been blessing us with beautiful weekends. The morning started off with outreach and I had the privilege of partnering up with one of the teen girls. I love our teens so much and I am excited to get to know them even better as we prepare to go to Mexico together at the end of the summer.

In the afternoon I played wallyball with some friends. It's been so long! First, a little background. Bro. Benjamin Hall is here from Lehigh Valley Baptist Church to do some training in our church for the month of May.  We got a group together and headed off to the gym to play a game (or four) of wallyball and I hope we haven't scared him off! :-) But it was great fun. Wouldn't you know, at the start I was the only one who knew how to play but by the end I was the only one who hadn't won a game!! Haha.....I think round two is on the way so that can change. :-)

Sunday morning arrived, and with it, the ordination of a new pastor.  BBC Oak Harbor now has the privilege of calling two men "Pastor".  The Lord has blessed us tremendously with wise leaders who take their responsibility before God seriously.  Men who consult the Word above any of man's opinions and are not afraid to stand strong for its doctrines and teachings.  I hope we'll never take it for granted!  Even though we were exhausted by the end of the day, it was SUCH a joyous time for the entire church. One of those sink-into-the-chair-with-a-huge-smile-on-your-face moments. :-D  After the afternoon service we headed to Rebecca's recital.  Video coming soon......

(Pictures by Linnea Rawls)

The Gospel Message

Please take the time to watch this clear presentation of the gospel. It is WORTH your time, trust me. Take ten minutes and consider where you are spiritually. Ten minutes is a grain of sand in the sea of eternity!

LBF

Every month I look forward to the Ladies Bible Fellowship at church. It's a wonderful time spent encouraging each other with fellowship and God's word.  Oh, and of course, there's always delicious food. :-) 

I guess you could say, I go for the food.  But not the snacks, coffee, veggies, etc. The best part about the meeting is the spiritual food we gain from God's Word.  Every time I leave with a heart full and encouraged by what God gave the speaker.  Tonight Mrs. S continued speaking to us about a Life Well Lived.  The focus was on the church and the importance of it. What a huge blessing it is to me to have a church that I can call home.  A church that I can not only be fed the meat of the Word, but a place that I can go to have Christian fellowship with other believers.

God's Word says in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."  How can we be that source of encouragement and exhortation to one another in the faith if we are not faithful to God's house? And a thought that challenged me was this: How are we "provoking" one another? Is it to love and good works? That's my prayer.

Another blessing of the church is the opportunity we as women have to serve. God gives us SO many examples in the Bible of women who served faithfully in the ministry.  In Romans 16 Paul speaks of Phebe, a woman dedicated to serving the Lord in her church at Cenchrea.

Lastly, a blessing of the Ladies Bible Fellowship is the Secret Prayer Sister ministry, which I believe I've mentioned before.  It is sooo encouraging to know that I have a dedicated sister praying for me daily.  And on the other side of the coin, I enjoy so much lifting another sister to my Father who cares so much about our daily struggles and heartaches. And, of course, it's always fun to shower her with blessings anonymously throughout the month. :-)

For this, and many other reasons, I feel very blessed today.  It's amazing how the Lord gives you exactly what you need WHEN you need it. How have you been blessed so far this week?

Miniature Roses from my Secret Prayer Sister. :-)

Almost There!

It's really odd for me to go this long without posting something. To be honest, I have been so busy trying to finish up school that blogging has been pretty low on the priority list. Don't get me wrong, I have tons to write about! Since last time I wrote I've turned 21 (along with Josh, my twin). The day was pretty much like every other day (school, piano, print shop) but full of little blessings and birthday wishes. The Lord is so good to me in so many ways.

Three weeks from today I leave for Thailand. It has certainly come up fast! Today I received immunizations and I will be glad to not do that again!! Although, I will need to get another booster once I get to Thailand to finish off one of the vaccines. Fun stuff.

I am so close to finishing school I can smell it! (You know....the smell of coffee that keeps me goin. :-) Five papers to write, two chapters to read, one speech to give, and a recital to play. Whew! It may sound like a lot but comparitively it's very little. I am looking forward to this weekend going over the mountains to visit Maggie and Kali. YEAH! T'will be loads of fun. Kind of my last hoorah with them before I leave. Hopefully I can finish ALL of my work before then so I don't have school in the back of my mind making me feel guilty while I am there. :-)

To finish it off, I want to comment on the wonderful time of intercessory prayer we had at church tonight. It was SUCH a blessing! I love my little group and the discussions we have before prayer each month. I go away each month with not only a bigger burden for the people group but a joyous heart for the church the Lord has placed me in. I praise God for allowing me to live in a country that can freely worship. I praise the Lord for allowing me to HEAR the gospel! So many people are never even given the opportunity. Makes me want to ensure that I am sharing that life-changing gospel with those I come into contact with.

Have a blessed week!! :-D

What An Opportunity!

School has resumed and so far..well...it's been a tad stressful. I wasn't too concerned beforehand because usually the first week is pretty light. Generally they go over the syllabus, get to know everyone, etc. Not with these classes. Nope! Full blown in the first week. This has made it pretty tricky in trying to juggle "motherhood" with school. LOL! But it's working out. Anyway, speech class started yesterday. I was a little nervous but excited at the same time. I don't have a problem playing the piano or singing in front of people, but I am apprehensive to speak in front of people. I'm looking forward to gain the necessary skills in this area. My first speech for the class is next Wednesday. It has to be 1-3 minutes long and it has to be about an artifact that means something to me. I have to explain what it is (by showing it) and tell why it's important to me. My first thought was "My Bible!" What an opportunity! I can totally give my testimony in speech class! At first I thought, " Well.....hmm. It's a secular college and I don't know how that will blow over." Then Romans 1:16 came to my mind. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;..." There is NO way I am going to pass up this awesome opportunity that the Lord has just plopped in my lap! I am super stoked about it. :-D Please pray that the Lord will give me the exact words to say. I've already had a couple of opportunities to speak with people in the class which didn't happen in my previous classes. I am praying that I'll have opportunities to have spiritual conversations with these people. After all, the quarter has only just begun so who knows what the Lord will open up.

The Sweetheart's Banquet- 2011

Ok so I've tried writing this post several times and have given up each time due to photos failing to upload. But SOMEone...I won't mention any names (it just so happens to start with a "K" and end with an "Ali") was pestering me about posting. :-) So.....here you are- K.....Ali.

The theme this year was "Dinner Theatre". It had nothing at all to do with the church's theme (that's what we normally do) but we thought we would step out of the box and try to go different. And we did just that! While there are certainly some things I think we should change for next year, I thought the night was a huge success!! Everyone stayed on their toes and by the time the night arrived, we had more help than we knew what to do with! That's a good problem to have. We had folks plating the food, taking pictures, refilling drinks, and being temporary Baristas (baristos? They were guys.) as they pushed the coffee cart around the room. The entertainment was not only fun but it was spiritually encouraging.

For food we served Swedish Meatballs with rice, salad and rolls. Delicious!! Dessert included individual "table tortes". Tiramisu Toffee Tortes to be exact. Mmmm.......Ok it's too late at night to be this hungry! Moving on....the entertainment. Levi did a recitation from Song of Solomon, Isaiah and I did the skit, Nicki and Anna sang, and Joel and Josh quoted 1 Cor. 13. From what I've heard, the couples all greatly enjoyed themselves. That was the goal! I am SO glad that we could, once again, be used of the Lord to serve the couples in our church. Looking forward to being on the "couple" side of things, but for now I am having a great time spoiling them. :-) As usual, a LOT of work went on ahead of time with the planning, shopping and prep, but in the end it's always worth it. Looking forward to next year's banquet!

(I wanted to add more/better photos, but for some reason the photos from Deborah's camera won't upload and she was the photographer for the evening. That's a shame because they are great!)

Entrance

SPGs giving our hearts to God. :-)

SPGs 2011

Playing around with the props.

Josh and Joel reciting 1 Cor. 13

Lord, You're All I Need

Brittany and I have been working up a song from opposite sides of the country and this Sunday had the joy of singing together again. So fun! I hope the song's a blessing.

Give Your Heart to God

I don't have time to blog about the Sweetheart's Banquet tonight, but here's a little sneak peak. This is Isaiah and I rehearsing our "Silent Skit". I thought it went so much better during the actual performance but we didn't get a recording of that. More to come....

Much to look forward to...

This next week holds a lot for me. Monday is Valentine's Day. Normally I wouldn't be concerned with that day because, well, I don't have a valentine. However, the SPGs at church have been tasked with putting on a banquet for all the couples in our church. This is our fourth (my third) year doing this and each time it has been a blast! We've tried to change the theme every year to keep it from becoming boring. The first year we did it after I moved here, we did a wedding theme based on the church's theme for the year, Continuing the Commitment. The guys wore bowties and we ladies wore "bridesmaids" dresses. There was a wedding cake, dinner music provided by yours truly, and even a runner! It was very fun. Last year the church's theme was Cultivating the Commitment so we did a garden theme banquet. That was quite fun as well. This year....well....I won't tell you what we are doing. It's a surprise! No worries. I WILL do a post about it.....after it's over. Meanwhile, I shall be busily preparing as the day gets closer. There is still quite a bit to do. I always forget how much work it is to simply feed and entertain 50(ish) people. But I am sure it will be a smashing success!

SPGs (Singles Pleasing God) Sweetheart Banquet 2009
SPGs Sweetheart Banquet 2010 (Chris went with white hair so he could be more convincing as Alex Trebek. lol)

Before all this happens, I will be accompanying Christopher at his violin recital tomorrow night. We've been working on this song (Seitz's Student Concert0) for quite some time now so I am excited to finally perform it with him. We will be sure to record it and I will post it.

Let's see after that...Well...the Sweetheart's Banquet on Monday. Then Tuesday is: School in the morning, piano students come in the afternoon, then preparation for something else exciting, then going out to dessert with some friends. So a pretty normal day.

THEN (you know that other thing I was preparing for on Tuesday).........(Tada!!!) Wednesday our friends from Maine are coming to visit!!!! I am SOO excited to have them come out! It will be really nice to catch up with them and also share with them what the West Coast is like. To be sure, it's quite different from New England right now which is getting dumped with snow. Our cold 45 degrees will be a nice relief to them I am sure.

Well, I've finished school for the night and my caffeine supply is diminishing so I suppose I shall close this out. Till tomorrow...

A Love/Hate Relationship

When you were little, did you ever say, "I hate school!"  I don't know many kids who haven't said that at some point of their childhood during a frustrating piece of homework. After taking a couple of years off after I graduated I started to really miss school. I missed the structure, the feeling of accomplishment when you've just made an A on a paper or a test. 

Well, here I am.  Week 3 of college and it's a love/hate relationship.  Frustrations occur with certain subjects (ahem....Biology.  Diagramming a cell isn't exactly thrilling.) , but others I just love! I would categorize English somewhere in the middle. :-)  Yup...you guessed it.  The music classes I love!  Although, my choir teacher mentioned that tomorrow is "Fun Friday" and everyone groaned.  I guess I'll find out why tomorrow! It's been really fun to be on the singing end of the choir.  It's taken some time to get back in the swing of things, but now I'm swinging!  Piano lessons are beyond amazing.  Not easy.  Don't get me wrong.  It's no walk in the park.  Let's just say, I piano practiced for an hour and a half today and could have practiced for another hour!  I've learned so much in just three lessons!  Current projects are:  Sonata in G by Mozart, A Nocturne by Chopin and Maid With the Flaxen Hair by Debussy.  The first two I've been "working" on for about a year but she's helping me completely revamp them.  The third one is new-ish.  I knew it before but....well you know.  That all changes when you get a good teacher. LOL 

So that's what is new.  Between giving lessons, taking lessons, and practicing, music takes up a large part of my week.  But I absolutely love it and wouldn't trade it for anything!   I am looking forward to a new opportunity presented to me.  I will be working in the church's printing ministry and learning how to run the different printing machines and such.  It will be really neat to learn and I'm excited to be able to be useful!  Getting God's Word and solid doctrinal literature out is SO important!  That's one thing I've learned since being in this church. 

Until next time...

Cookie Exchange

Tonight was the Ladies Bible Fellowship for the month of December.  It was wonderful to be able to fellowship with other ladies, and even meet some new ladies!  Every December we do a cookie exchange, and there are usually so many goodies the plates are overflowing!  This year I tried a new recipe, Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.  MMMMM!!!!! They were so delicious!

Tonight, Mrs. S. brought the devotion, and it was just what I needed! Isn't it wonderful when the Lord gives you exactly what you need WHEN you need it?? The devotion was on Deborah (Judges 4-5) and her example as a judge in the Bible.  She was a woman, and most people misinterpret her life as one of usurping the man's authority.  However, she was NOT in a leadership position.  Her ministry was as an encourager to Barak.  She never scolded or criticized him, even though he was weak and timid.  However, she encouraged him to follow the Lord's leading and reminded him of the Lord's promises.  She is the perfect example of a woman's role in leadership! 

On another note, it feels so much later in the month!  Even though Christmas IS right around the corner, it feels like it should be this weekend. Maybe it's because Christmas comes so early at the Holly Farm.  I am hoping to take some pictures and videos of us singing this weekend in our caroling costumes. 

Still no news with my dad.  They were able to take off but after three hours had to return due to plane issues.  Please pray that there will be no more issues and that he'll be able to return home swiftly!

Another 7-Eleven Coffee

Yes, as I type this I am sipping a Pumpkin Spiced Latte from 7-Eleven. As you may have guessed, I now go in there with a purpose. :-) As much as I love the lattes, it's only an excuse to talk to Michelle. Last Monday I went in and didn't see her. After inquiring, I learned that the man was filling in for her. I was a bit dissapointed, but planned to go the next Monday. That would be today! I ran my usual errands, looking forward to my stop at 7-Eleven. I had the first study out of the E-life studies and a John & Romans all set to go.

As I was getting my coffee, Michelle came up to greet me. A good sign! I thought. I told her about the Bible study and asked her if she would be interested in doing one. She said, "Well my schedule here is really weird and busy so I don't know...." I assured her quickly that she could still do it! We could get together sometime over coffee or I could give it to her and she could do it whenever she gets some time. She brightened at that idea! I approached the counter and paid for my coffee, but didn't say anything else about the Bible Study yet. As I finished she said,"So you can just bring that Bible Study in to me." She seemed really excited and eager to have it! So I ran out to my car and brought it inside. I told her that this was only the first of many studies and she said, "Oh well write your phone number on the first page!" I made sure she knew that she could call me anytime if she had questions or just wanted to discuss it. I am so pleased to see that she is open to hearing more about the gospel. Please continue to pray for her.

This coffee just tastes better and better each time! :-)

Coffee and Witnessing

Getting coffee at 7-Eleven to people in this part of the country seems just plain weird. Why go for the cheap stuff when you could get Whidbey Coffee or Starbucks? You see, I have this thing for their Pumpkin Spiced Latte. YUM! Not to mention, the Lord has opened doors for me in that place!

About a month ago, I found myself craving a Pumpkin Spiced latte at 7-Eleven. Nothing abnormal. I look forward to the season where I can get it. This day was special. Pastor Sargent had been preaching a series on Soul Winning. He encouraged us each to pray for a person to witness to, and the Lord WILL give us a soul if we ask Him. That day I was very conscious of opportunities and seeking them. So I got my coffee and made my way to the counter. Now, if you give out tracts even every once and a while, you know that most people say "No Thank you" and reject the tract. That's just a fact of soul winning, something we have to be prepared for. That had been happening to me a lot, so as I approached the counter I prayed that this lady would accept the tract. After I paid, I handed her the tract and asked her to read it because it's something that has really changed my life. She looked me in the eyes and said a meaningful "thank you". I went away from there rejoicing because I could see something in her eyes that I didn't see in most people I give tracts to. She's been on my mind quite a bit since then.

Today, as I was getting gas at 7-Eleven I got that craving for a Pumpkin Spiced Latte (yes they still have it!). So I went inside, got my coffee, and went to pay. I looked at the lady behind the counter and thought "Is that her? I'm not entirely sure. But if I offer her a tract she'll tell me if I've already given her one." She did just that. Immediately I knew that it was her. So, I asked her if she read the tract. She said yes she had, and had even passed it on to someone else that needed it. She then began to cry and say that she has been going through a really hard time, a time where she just can't trust anyone. I told her that we cannot put our trust completely in men because they will let us down, but that the Lord is someone who will never let us down. Through the conversation she shared some of her burdens. I told her that the reason I wanted to share the tract with her and to speak with her was because I wanted her to experience the same peace that I have. She said, "What is that experience? I have never had that. In fact, I haven't had peace in SO long." By that time customers were making their way in and I knew the conversation was over for the time. I introduced myself, and she introduced herself as Michelle. Please pray for her. I plan to go back next Monday and invite her to the Ladies Bible Fellowship.
I would like to even do the e-life studies with her at some point if she wants to.

So if you ever get the urge to get some cheap coffee, go for it! You never know what doors the Lord will open. :-)

Who's Your Hero?

We live in a world of honored men and women. People who make their mark in history by doing things that others have only dreamed of accomplishing. Who are these people today? Are they the businessmen? The Politicians? The Sports Stars? While some of these have made some tremendous feats, they are not my heros.

Who are my heroes, you ask? One would be my Dad. Despite the demands of the NAVY, he chooses to put the Lord first. While overseas he continues to train for the ministry, during a time when most others would lay out worthy excuses. He's passionate about things, but firm when he knows it's best for you.

Another hero would be my mom. The life of a military wife is not an easy one. Frequent separations with four little rascals to take care of. :-) And all while serving our Lord and seeking to please Him.

My other heroes are put into a group. Those would be the missionaries and evangelists. I have just finished reading To The Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson. What an amazing book! I encourage every person to read it. Our world is full of men and women who have dedicated their lives and sacrificed that nations and people groups might hear the Good News. Adoniram Judson was bombarded with obstacles as he made his way to Burma. He made more sacrifices than any person would ever want to make. Because of his faithfulness, Burma has the Word of God in their language. This has opened the door for other missionaries to go in and work with the Burmese people. Even now, the Gaudets are working with Judson's translation. All of this because Judson and three others gave their entire lives, knowing they wouldn't return to America. What are we willing to give? These are the people who deserve to be called "Heroes". I know many of them do not desire the title, and no, we are not to put our trust in men. But these are the people who have made a lasting difference in the world!

Who's your hero?

The Master's Call

Missions Month here at Bible Baptist Church is officially coming to an end in a few days.  Our own Bro. Majors will be preaching for Faith Promise Sunday and I am really looking forward to it!  The Lord has shown me so many things over the past month, and really given me a burden for missions.  It made me begin to question myself: Am I really willing?  What if He asks me to do this? or that?

This evening after work I went to the church to piano practice.  It's one of my favorite things to do because I have the auditorium all to myself where I can play as long and as LOUD as I like! :-)  First thing on my agenda was to practice choir music and offertories.  I couldn't justify playing Mozart and Chopin until I had practiced the things that were really important!  One thing to note, when I practice choir music, I usually sing along....sometimes the accompaniment alone can be rather mundane, plus I just love to sing! :-)  With that said, I was singing along with one of the upcoming choir songs, "The Master's Call" by Steve Hall. As I was singing the words I realized, this is my prayer!  This is what I have been praying all month long.  I felt like it was worth sharing, so even though we have not finished the song in choir, I wanted to post the words here for you to read. I hope it's a blessing....

The Master's Call  by Steve Hall

Can you hear the plea? "Who will rise and go for me? Who will tell the ones I love, of the precious blood, full and free?"

Can you hear the call? "Who will rise and give me all?"  Will you be the one to stand? will you heed the Master's Call?

CHORUS  I will follow Him, surrenduring all!  I will give my life, I will sacrifice, for the Master's Call!
No mountain is too high, no valley too low.  My eyes are on the goal, my God is in control. I will give my all, for the Master's call!

"How shall they believe in Him of Whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear if we do not preach the Word?"

"How beautiful are the feet of them that go."  Father I have heard your voice, where You lead me, I will go!

CHORUS  I will follow Him, surrenduring all! I will give my life, I will sacrifice, for the Master's call! 
No mountain is too high, no valley too low.  My eyes are on the goal, my God is in control.  I will give my all, for the Master's Call.  I will give my all, for the Master's Call!



I wish there were some way for me to post the song on here for you to hear.  It's a great song!

Lord, Here Am I- Alyssa and Daisy

During the Evening Service Daisy and I sang "Lord, Here Am I" with Missions Month in mind.  I just love the words to this song! I was definitely singing straight from my heart.  I hope you enjoy it. 

Pardon the aura of light behind my head. :-) Lovely spotlight....

The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

While I have shared many joyous occasions with family and friends, what matters most to me is that I share with you the most joyous occassion with my Best Friend.  It truly is the best thing that ever happened to me...

I am, what you could call, a second generation Christian.  No, I am not saved because my parents are saved. But praise the Lord, they ARE saved.  And it's because they are saved that I was exposed to the gospel at such a young age.  MY story begins with their story.  I praise the Lord that my parents were saved sooner rather than later because immediately they began to search God's Word for how to raise their children, (my twin brother and I at the time).  We were exposed to what God's Word was and taught to read it and to obey it.  At the time I didn't understand just how important that was.  As I reached the age of understanding, I also reached the age of "knowing I am a good girl".  I was most certainly a people pleaser, thinking that I had all my bases covered by "talking the talk". I made several false professions, knowing in my heart that my reasoning was wrong.  I did all the "right" things: memorized scripture, obeyed my parents, read my Bible.  But what I was missing was the conviction that I WAS a sinner and that I needed to repent and trust the Lord as my Saviour.  My rejection was not for lack of teaching.  I was surrounded by Biblical teaching of salvation and even had all of the verses memorized!  This made it very easy when I came to the realization that I truly was lost and on my way to hell.

I was 12 years old when that day came for me.  The Lord had been working on my heart for some time and showing me constantly that I wasn't saved.  But did I listen?  My rebellious heart said "No. You are saved."  But I learned that I needed to stop listening to myself and listen to the Lord.  I realized that that day could be the LAST day that the Lord convicted me before he stopped forever.  I decided then and there, Sunday evening in the middle of the preaching, that I would not wait another second.  I bowed my head, and received Christ as my Lord and Saviour!  I did not need someone to show me scriptures, for they were all repeating in my head as I accepted Christ. Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Chris died for us."  Ok Lord. I'm a sinner and I KNOW you died for me! I know that you love me.   2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Repentance is more than just believing that God exists. It is repenting of your sins, which is a change of mind that results in a change of direction. 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Lord, you said you will forgive me!

Based on the promises of God, I knew immediately that I was then His child.  My heart rejoiced as I experienced a peace I had never felt before.  The knowledge that I could now have a relationship with the one who created me and gave his life for me.  What a privilege!  A privilege I don't deserve.  That just shows how much He loves me.  My relationship with Him did not stop at salvation. NO!  He is constantly showing me things through His Word: How I can be a better servant, how I can be more like him.  No, I am not perfect. Far from it!  But by God's grace I AM able to tell others what He has done for me, how he's changed my life.

If this is something you have yet to experience, I encourage you to search God's Word for answers to your questions.  http://www.elifestudies.org/ is also a good source.  Don't wait another day, for this could be your last chance. Don't wait...

Ladies Bible Fellowship

Yesterday resumed the Ladies Bible Fellowship. (We take the summer off.) It was SO refreshing to be around the ladies and to have a time of fellowship. For those who aren't familiar with it, every month we ladies get together for a time of devotions, food, and fellowship. Each month there is a theme with the decorations and food and last night's was "Back To School". YIKES! I still can't believe we are already into that. :-) The devotion was such an encouragement to my heart! She spoke about An Unchanging God in a Changing World. Oh how true it is that things in our lives are constantly changing and morphing. But the Lord still remains the same. And He wants to do a work in us through those changes in our lives. We just have to allow him to shape and mold us with His potter's hands as he shows us things in our lives.

Another part of the Ladies Bible Fellowship is the Secret Prayer Sister. Every month, those who wish to participate put their names in a basket and in turn pick another lady to pray for. The key is "secret". teehee. The three rules are 1: Make it a point to pray for that lady every single day. 2: Contact her throughout the month to let her know you are praying for her. (While keeping it a secret.) This can be done through gifts and/or a card. 3: Reveal yourself at the end of the month. Some of the ladies chose to do it over the summer, myself included. It was such a blessing to hear that the lady I had been praying for had her request answered that she had put on the little sheet! Praise the Lord! Also, the person who happened to be praying for me was my dear friend Carolyn. Boy, did she have her work cut out for her! :-) It is a wonderful thing to know that someone is fervently praying for you.

Carolyn really spoiled me this summer with her gifts! There is actually a funny story behind one. On the plane on the way to LTIA we were seated next to each other. I was looking through one of those magazines that they always have on planes and I saw this really cool pitcher! I though "hey I might get it one day." so I wrote down the website. Well....Carolyn gave it to me as an SPS gift! I was so surprised!! It's really neat! It has a tube down the middle that you can put fruit in to give your drink a fruity flavor. Nifty huh?! She also gave me a Pampered Chef cook book that I really wanted. I made a recipe today (Pumpkin Whoopie Pies) and they were fantastic! Thank you Carolyn not only for the wonderful gifts, but being such a great friend and praying for me. Love you!

Have you been with Jesus?

I am reading in Acts in my devotions right now and it's been really great to read about the first church. A couple of years ago, Pastor Bobby Mitchell (the pastor of MidCoast Baptist Church in Maine) preached through the entire book, taking 2-3 years! (Part of the time was after we moved away) A lot of it is coming back to me as I read Acts now and I am certainly appreciative of the verse-by-verse explanation.

Today in my devotions, one of the verses that stuck out to me was Ch. 4 vs 13. And it reads, "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled: and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." For a little context, Peter and John had been preaching in the temple, and as a result MANY were saved. Vs 4 says "Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." That's pretty amazing to me!

What struck me as interesting was that they realized Peter and John had been with Jesus after they saw their boldness. This verse really spoke to me. Am I being bold enough that people can tell I have been with Jesus? Just something to think about...

Camp Commitment II

After a week of recovery from all of the events I finally have time to write about camp.  And what an amazing camp it was!  I just hope I can remember all the details. :-)

This is the third year that Bible Baptist Church has done it's own camp.  This year we were hosted by Bibleway Camp, close to Mt. Baker.  The facilities were beautiful!  A lovely lodge for the ladies, a beautiful chapel and a quaint little pond with Mt. Baker in the background were just a few of the delights. 

This year I was asked to be a counselor over the Junior Girls (ages 9-12) and we had a blast!  Monday started off with arrival at camp.  We were given plenty of time to settle in then explore the grounds.  They were quite extensive so it was fun to see what was "over the hill and through the woods". :-)  After a game of softball we enjoyed a delicious dinner provided by the camp hosts.  The evening message was great.  He asked the question "Where Are You?" forcing each of us to examine ourselves in our walk with the Lord.  I was really blessed to see how the Lord was already working in hearts due to the tenderness in the campers. (The week's preaching was brought by Bro. Chris Gable.)

Tuesday was jam-packed full of activities from Capture the Flag, Cabin Games, and Relay Races.  Whew!  I got tired just watching the kids! :-p  The day started off with a Mountain Run....and I do mean MOUNTAIN!  At 7 am we all met at the bottom of the trail.....the trail that constantly went up!  It WAS a race...but I wasn't racing. lol  Christopher got first place out of all the campers with a fast 6 minutes and something seconds.  YAY!  Go team Honest! (I have to say that I was a ban-wagon team mate.  I had campers on both teams so I always cheered for the winning team.  Hey! Wouldn't you do the same?? hehe )

Wednesday was our second full day at camp.  After grabbing a hot Caramel Machiatto (graciously made available by the camp host) I took my campers off to chapel.  The Question for this morning message was "What's stopping you?"  The answer could be....Partial Commitment!  Great message!  After lunch we played more Cabin Games (which involved things such as Target Shooting, Ping Pong, Volleyball, Bolo Ball, and others) and had a pie eating contest.  In order to encourage my girls to get involved, I did participate in this contest.  To my shame, I came in second!

The Wednesday evening service was perhaps the most memorable.  The Question was "What's Your Problem?"  Bro. Gable brought out in the message that if you aren't saved it's not God's problem, it's yours.  Immediately, when the invitation started, campers were flocking to the altar.  I couldn't hold back the tears as I saw young people being taken out to be dealt with.  Even after the first three, I knew it wasn't over!  We dismissed and started to head back to our cabins and the Lord was STILL working!  That night, we had a total of 9 campers get saved!  Praise the Lord!  It was so obvious that the Lord was working, and it was by nothing we had done. One of the most encouraging things was to see campers standing all around in groups praying for those being dealt with. By about 10:30 we concluded that we should have another service.  It was during this service that a camper tugged on my arm and asked to talk to me.  She too accepted Christ!  Never have I seen the Lord work in such a wonderful way!  It was a major faith builder and I look forward to seeing how the Lord continues to change lives.  By 11:30 we officially headed to bed....well the campers....we counselors still had to tally up scores from the week's competitions....however, the scores didn't seem to matter anymore.  In fact, no one had even touched the campfire that had been started during the first service.  Everyone had a diffferent focus.

On Thursday morning we were all wiped out from the evening before, but very much alive by what the Lord had done!  Mr. K got up to announce the winning team....and no one even cheered.  A stark contrast from the last two years!  After announcing the scores, he said "and the winner is....the Lord."  Everyone said "AMEN!"

Praise the Lord for His mighty hand working in so many lives that week!  Please pray for these nine souls.  We have established a discipleship program for them, and it is my prayer that they will go on to do great things for the Lord!  All in all, Camp Commitment II was the best camp I have ever been to!

Camp Counselors

My girls checking out their reflections in the pond

All the Senior Campers

Linnea and I

My girls with spoons hanging off their noses....part of the picture scavenger hunt.

Me and my girls

All the girls

"I Can't Believe We Fit In Here!"

Silly Picture

Christopher and I