Preparing for Marriage: Speaking Words Of Life

"She does him good, and not evil ALL the days of her life."

Proverbs 31:12

I was meditating on these verses a few days ago and just asking the Lord, "What does this look like?" It means ALL day every day of her life. My life (if I want to be married). That means when single. young. working. at school. lots of friends. no friends. busy. spare time. all the time....

I wanted a deeper explanation....How do I do my future husband good? Not in sense that some lean towards when preparing to be married of "I NEED TO MAKE 452 DOILIES BEFORE I GET MARRIED TO MAKE A GOOD WIFE.!" OR, on the other side of things super strict boundaries between guys and girls where you shouldn't even look at guys. OR the idea of always looking good for him, wear lots of makeup, workout, etc... 

~ Lord,  how can I"do him good and not evil," in my heart, in a Godly way that's not too crazy or obsessive? ~

And this is what I felt He said...

Don't practice speaking ill of men. Practicing finding good things about them-- things you appreciate! As opposed to a "MEN! GAH!" attitude. 

Wow! So good! So true! 

It's so easy, too easy, to fall into an arrogant attitude against those of the opposite gender. We think, "Guys are messy, sloppy, unable to multi task, and can't find what they're looking for even if it's staring them in the face." (And Men do the same thing in thinking/speaking of women and their emotions, how long it always takes them to get ready, etc...) However, that doesn't make ME more Godly than them. It doesn't make me  better  than them. In fact, when I have an attitude like that towards anyone, I am the one in the wrong immediately. 

It does him no good and me no good (I'll only get a bitter attitude the more and more I scorn and use careless words with him.) So...How do I put this into every day practice?

1) Pray--a lot! Ask God to help you to speak well of others. 

2) Try to find good things about others that you can encourage them.

3) When others are speaking ill/criticizing/scorning, don't join in. 

4) Defend others when they are not being spoken well of. 

 I'm pretty sure any guy would rather come home to store bought cookies and a wife who doesn't scorn him/speaks well of and to him, than to a home with all the home goods and doilies a heart could want and a wife full of scorn and unpleasant words. 

Anyways, just wanted to share this thoughts with you...I hope they encourage you and challenge you like they did me. And, even if you never get married, there will always be people around. You can choose to speak well or to speak ill. 

:)

(Photo design by Anna Faith)

A Cabbage Patch Doll in A Barbie World

(I wrote this almost two months ago and just found it again. Just thought I would share it...)

"Charm is *deceitful* and beauty is vain, 

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

I've grown up with comments like:

 "You have so much going for you, if you could just lose some weight." 

"Just try not to gain anymore weight, okay?"

"You ARE a large lady."

"Well, guys do like slim girls..."

People constantly trying to give me "subtle" diet hints, exercise tips, fitness app ideas, calorie counting, and the list goes on...

I've been larger than most girls my age since I was 12, probably even younger. It's only been in the past few years that I have felt like people watch me and judge me based on my appearance. However true or untrue that may be, the side glances and sometimes biting remarks make it seem like everyone is watching. I'm not unaware that I've got a little more to love. The truth is--I eat less than my friends eat, I love fruits and vegetables, and I basically only drink water (ever).

t h e r e  m u s t  b e  s o m e t h i n g  w r o n g  w i t h  m e,  r i g h t ?

If I don't look like other girls, how can I fit in? How will anyone ever think I'm beautiful? How would any guy ever want to marry me? etc...

One dear lady that I respect greatly, after praying for me, and even praying with me for a husband (it was so sweet) then proceeded to give me a talk about dieting, special meal replacement shakes, etc... What I didn't realize was how much that affected me! Thus started a year of lots of exercising and even healthier eating. I took up running (who am I kidding? You don't just "take up" running. It was hard work.), started counting calories, and ate smoothies for breakfast. Yes, I became one of "those" people. haha. I felt great. I lost 18 pounds. Then, something unexpected happened.

I got pneumonia--badly--for a month.
Bye bye running. Bye bye eating regime. Hello just trying to get better.

One thing after another (sickness, Anna's injuries & surgeries, etc..) and I still wasn't back to running. It finally hit me one day this Spring, while taking a walk with a friend, "I've been trying to lose weight to gain the approval of others. In essence, so that someone will want to marry me." Was it beneficial to my health, yes! However,  in the midst of all that striving after what the world sees as beautiful, guess what was forgotten in my life: God and time in His Word.

Today I've been thinking about Proverbs 31:30. Another version says, "...Beauty is fleeting..."

Do I really want to lose ground in my relationship with the Lord in order to become "beautiful," find a man, and get married? I'm not saying that marriage is wrong--I want to get married one day. I'm not saying that exercise is wrong--God didn't give us these bodies with lots of muscles to just sit around all day!

My thought is this:
Are we letting the world's definition of beauty shape our thoughts, our habits, and our lives? Maybe even allowing it to come through as a "Christian" viewpoint? Many say we HAVE to be "good stewards of our temples..."

Yes, but what about our souls? If my outward body is in shape but my inward man is wasting away, what good is that doing anyone? It's not doing me any good, that's for sure (or my family either, for that matter). When I'm not spending time with the Lord or in His Word, I'm grumpy, easily irritated, discontented, and the list goes on.

I'm tired of being defined by the world's standard of beauty. There is so much more to life than what size pants I wear or how much (or how little) make up I put on.

Don't let beauty (that is for a moment) distract you from the higher things.

easy for me vs. good for me

"When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win we know

That pain reminds this heart

That this is not, This is not our home"

~Laura Story~

{Anna is up and "at 'em" again! She moved back into her room on Monday night!
You can see the crazed look in our eyes from...being our usual selves! :)}

I need more reminders in my life that THIS is not my home. This earth where sin abounds, where neighbors don't know each other, where everyone is concerned for themselves, and where many children grow up without parents, is only temporary. 

The trials our family went through last year of sickness and Anna's burn/surgery/healing process are truly nothing in comparison to things that so many others go through. Yet, the Lord knows exactly what we need to teach us, shape us, and form our hearts to trust Him and love Him more. 

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness" 

This earth is not my home. These trials are temporary. The things that we go through are so God can be glorified through our lives--so others will see Him and all His majesty. The past few weeks were NOT easy--sleepless nights, dying to self, changing plans, etc... {not exactly a thrilling thing for our flesh to go through!} Yet, God was in it. ALL of it. I only pray that His glory, grace, and love were displayed through all of it!

It may not be easy for me, but it is good for me. 

"For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers." 1 Timothy 4:10

overview

Update: Anna can officially sit and walk normally now! Yay. Thank you, Jesus! This is just wonderful news. We are rejoicing for her today. It's hard to believe that this is the beginning of the end of this trial.

The past few weeks have been crazy!

(they've been filled with...)

I made this with the Muzy app to remind myself of this grand adventure.
(lots of computer time while waiting for Anna to ask me for things)

a little much needed humor one night.
(loads of silliness with my temporary roommate)

(coffee dates with friends who would listen to me and pray for our family.)

Em & Aim made dinner for us one night. It was incredible.
(lots of sweet visits from friends. we are overwhelmed by the love and support we've had through all of this)

Char made this bow for Anna to use when she is better!
(lots of sister bonding time)

We got to celebrate this pretty gal's 21st birthday with shopping and lunch out.
(lots of visits and support from our family!)

Anna is awesome. She was tired of being in bed all the time so she made this cake for our cousin.
(lots of pudding, cornbread, and even a few cakes have been around. Anna's favorites)

I had a new experience and asked for milk at Starbucks.
(lots of pictures from starbucks)

on the way to see family!
(lots of crazy faces. laughter. intense struggles. prayer.)

FINALLY. cold weather.
(lots and lots of weather!)

Have a lovely Wednesday, y'all!

Anna's story

*Anna wrote this as a note on Facebook today! I thought I would just put it here instead of trying to write out the whole story myself. *

"Ok! So I know that a lot of you guys have seen random posts about surgery, skin grafts, hospitals and "thanks for praying"...but don't actually know what's been going on. So this is for those of you whom I have not had a chance to really talk about all the things that have been going on in the Dumaresq home. {AND for the record, I am obviously not a doctor, so some of this is my understanding of what has been going on with my burns.}

The last week of November, I had a toasty and unfriendly run-in with a heating pad. I was using it on the back part of my leg one night and I left it on for too long, therefore giving myself some interesting looking burns. They were not terrible in appearance, and so we decided to go and see my regular primary care physician. My doctor tried to get me in to see some burn specialists, but believe it or not, there was no place "burn related" that could see me immediatly (due to the specialty of my burn and because we were approaching Christmas). A week later found my burn infected, and after a lot more scrambling on my doctors part, I FINALLY got in to see a plastic surgeon at UVA. We found out that I actually had 3rd degree burns, requiring a skin graft (there wasn't really enough skin to grow back by itself, so it needed help from outside skin sources). I ended up having my first skin graft surgery on Dec. 24th, and fortunatly it was out patient care, so I was home for Christmas. The week following that surgery was one of the hardest weeks, and I know that the enemy was trying to discourage me by every means possible. Because of the location of the burn, I was only able to lay on my stomach or side for 2 weeks, and not able to bend my right leg at all. I was extremely limited in what I could do (even reading was/is hard) and I couldn't sit at all.   

The next week I had a doctors appointment, where I learned that I was going to have ANOTHER surgery, this time using my own skin as the "donor". Because my burn was over a week old, the first skin graft was necessary to get my burn to a place where it would accept my own skin. I had a week of "rest" before the next skin graft, but basically that meant another week on my stomach/side and not going anywhere. God really used this week to restore my strength, for I had not been sleeping well at all due to being uncomfortable or poor circulation in my legs. From the day that the doctor told me I needed another surgery until the day of the surgery, God filled me with strength and hope AND even a little craziness ;). It was actually such a blessing to me...:)On January 9th, I went in for my second surgery at UVA. The surgery went well, and I had some of the nicest nurses/doctors/residents taking care of me. Originally, I was expected to have to stay in the hospital for 4-5 days, but because God answers prayers, they allowed me to go home the day AFTER my surgery! I did have a bit of a rough night that night in the hospital, but overall God blessed me with minimal pain on my burns and the site where they took the skin from. Just for the record, it is possible to travel 30 minutes face down on the front seat...haha! I am currently home now, and am not in too much pain. I will be laying extremely still this week, on my stomach only this time with no sliding my leg at all. I go back to get a checkup next Tuesday, and then we will see what happens next! All I know is that I will not be doing anything that's considered "strenuous" for at least 3-4 more weeks. 

The last 3 weeks have been some of the hardest weeks of my life, yet I am even more confident of God's goodness to me and how much he wants me to believe that He IS good. God has sustained me on my completely worst days, through meltdowns, tears and some really bad pain. He has prompted people to send me encouragement at the perfect time. Every single time. He has sent verses at times where I was fed up, and refreshed my spirit in a way that only He can do.

 All I know is that God is good, and that He tenderly cares for us SO incredibly much! If you are going through a rough time right now, cling to what we know of God's character--He is faithful, he is good, and He is our savior--and Hold on tight! He will not let you down, but will uphold you "so that your youth is renewed like the eagles" (psalm 103:5). Praise God.

~"[...]These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7~

In His Care,

Anna"

"for whom did you carry the stone?"

I wrote this as an email today, but just had to share with others on here. 

I just finished reading a book called "These Strange Ashes" by Elisabeth Elliot. Ah! So good. I would definitely recommend it to all of you. It's about her first year as a missionary in Ecuador. (Before she and Jim got married). This excerpt at the end of the book really ministered to me, and I wanted to share it!!!!

 

"A story is told of Jesus and His disciples walk one day along a stony road. Jesus asked each of them to choose a stone to carry for Him. John, it is said, chose a large one while Peter chose the smallest. Jesus led them then to the top of a mountain and commanded that the stones be made bread. Each disciple, by this time tired and hungry, was allowed to eat the bread he held in his hand, but of course, Peter's was not sufficient to satisfy his hunger. John gave him some of his.

 

Some time later Jesus again asked the disciples to pick up a stone to carry. This time Peter chose the largest of all. Taking them to a river, Jesus told them to cast the stones into the water. They did so, but looked at one another in bewilderment. 'For whom,' asked Jesus, 'did you carry the stone?' (pg 148)

 

**Even though throwing the rocks into the river made absolutely NO sense to the disciples, they did it. Jesus asked them to simply carry a stone for Him--no other instructions. They had to follow Him, carrying their stones, whether big or small, until He gave the next command.

 

 If God has asked us to do something, to carry a "stone" for him and then throw it in the river, we must do it, if for no other reason than because of who He is. Because He has asked. Because He is God. Even though it seems weird. Even though it seems like people would think we are crazy. Even though, if I were Peter, I would have thought, "Are you kidding? I want some bread! I am hungry! Do you know how heavy that rock is that I carried? And now I have to throw it in a river? Why?"

 

I want to carry my stone for Jesus. To be willing to do whatever He asks, even if it is throwing it in the river. Even if the stone is actually something more valuable to me. To give it all for Him. My heart is so hard and I am so unwilling.... Oh Lord, help my unwillingness.**

 

 

Thankful.

Tonight I am overwhelmed. 

After a week of really struggling, being sick again, my ankle still recovering, thus not being able to run still, and several planned things falling through, God really showed Himself to me today in simple, ordinary things. 

Aimee and I drove into town together today so I could pick up my car from the shop and so she could go to a doctor's appointment. I dropped her off...

First stop: Starbucks--to see my friend, Emily. She works there ALL the time and when Aimee has appointments near there, I go and grab a drink, see Emily, and read my Bible for a bit. I wasn't planning on getting anything because I was going for coffee later in the day with a friend. Em asked if I wanted a   "sample of something"? In my mind sample=small cup. a little amount. way less than a normal beverage. WRONG. Em fixed me a tall peppermint mocha! It was delicious. She's such a dear.

Second stop: The car shop. *groan* Who knows how much it was going to cost me this time. Oil change. check engine light. recall repair. Ayi yie yie. The cashier hands me the receipt with all the repairs. I glance at the total and try not to wince, it's $50 more than my highest estimate. We talk about it a bit and then she says, "Let me check to see if your Owners Advantage program has anything on it still...." She, in shock, turns to me and says, "It is ALL covered. You don't have to pay anything today AND you still will have some left for future repairs!!" *inward sigh of relief*

Third stop: Target. Mom gave me some money and a little list of things we needed--then Charlotte needed a birthday present for dad and Anna wasn't feeling well and asked me to pick up stuff as well. It was a little overwhelming trying to remember everything. I hoped that mom had given me enough for her and Char's things, and then I had a bit of extra cash that could cover Anna's stuff  (and hopefully  the things I wanted to get for dad.) I got to the cash register and mom & charlotte's things were a little over what mom had given me. *uuhhhh* THEN, I opened my wallet and found a $5 that mom had randomly given me last week for something I did not end up getting! It was perfect! Plus, I had just enough for the things Anna and I BOTH needed! Yay!

Fourth stop:  Five Guys. I never get burgers. ever. But I was really craving one today, so I splurged! Because of the way God had provided earlier in the day, I was able to go to lunch with Aimee. We basically never get to go out together! :) *and God has provided the past two weeks for me to do that with her, as well! So cool!*

Fifth stop: Starbucks (on the complete opposite end of town as the other!) My friend, Grace, and I had planned to get coffee together around 2:00 so I could hear the story of her engagement! *yay* Little did we know when planning that it was BOGO drink free from 2-5 pm today! Booya. I was able to get a drink for only $2.00 (we split the price of one) and bring it home to Aimee! ALSO: It was such a peaceful, fun, happy, encouraging conversation that really lifted my spirits. Thanks so much, Grace! :)

**Although these things may seem small, "God is the God of the big and small!:** 

Then Hannah G. texted me the verse of the day:

Psalm 8:4
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that you take thought of him, and the soon of man that you visit him?"

What am I doing today...

Today I am:

• Still in my grunge comfy clothes.

• Feeling bad for not going running this morning, even thought it was a torrential downpour until about noon.

• Working on photo album and memory book stuff from last Fall. Finally! Yay!

• Baking with Char! (Yummy granola bars and chocolate chunk cookie bars!)

• Going to see my friend who is back from being in Peru all Summer. 

• Planning out how to finish rearranging my room.

• Writing lists of things to do before going to Connecticut next week. 

• Finding that days of "nothing" can often be more stressful for me because I don't have a million things to do. It is days like today that I have to rest in the Lord.

• Getting excited about Joel & Sarah's wedding on the 15th! (only 9 more days, y'all!)

• Thrilled that this upcoming wedding means seeing all my closest friends and favorite people!

• Looking forward to what plans God has stored up for me this Fall. **update coming soon**

• Meditating on God's constant goodness, even in the midst of horrible, or unsavory circumstances. :)

Joel & Sarah

These are two of my favorite people....in the WORLD. And, once again, two of my favorite people are getting married. I am totally excited because I get to be in the wedding. (Joel's brother Gabe got married to Tai Sophia last year-- two more of my favorite people--and I was in their wedding too!)

Their love story is amazing. Sarah is hoping to write it down soon, and I want to post it here. *sigh* God is good.

Here are some pictures I took while the SKY family was in the area a few weeks ago. (I still need to get the others off Aimee's camera.

AREN'T THEY SO CUTE?

What's been happening lately...

Lots and LOTS of things going on around here. I believe this week will be the busiest yet, if that's even possible!  hehe...From cleaning and shopping to a women's retreat with our church this weekend, every day is jam packed with activity!

Our family finished our "Experiencing God" Bible study last night. Wow. We thought that by the end of the study we would have more clear direction about what is the next step-- for each of us and as a family. Although there was no "AHA!" moment, per se, there has been opportunities coming at me like crazy. It's very exciting.

Through the past few weeks, we have begun doing weekly evangelism on our local university campus! We call it "GospelOnGrounds." hehehe...  It's very exciting and we have had some great conversations with many students. The only sad thing is that many are closed, even after open discussion and understanding the Gospel-- they don't want to change. Some days it is a battle not to be discouraged, but the Lord helps me to overcome and to remember Galatians 6:9.

Other than that, just praying right now through several opportunities for the Summer! :) I haven't been cooking that much lately as my schedule is so full...but we hope to remedy that sooooon!

Hope that you all are enjoying that beautiful (but very hot) day! Oh, and for those of you with a Kohr Bros. near you, it's 5 cent cone day. Just sayin. :)


Much love and hugs and blessings to all my readers.

How I Became a S.A.H.D.

Hello Everyone!

I am finally going to write about how the Lord brought me home. It wasn't easy. In fact, it was a very hard and painful situation because God had to show me how HIS will was different and better than my own.

To begin this story, I need to give a little background, so you can have some better understanding of this situation. The past two years, I have been working with a ministry based out of Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. A family, several years ago, gave up all to follow the Lord whole-heartedly. In the process, they began a music ministry where they present the Gospel through music, and through preaching, at concerts. They travel all across Canada and the US, playing concerts, leading Bible studies, and doing evangelism as well. It is SO neat. God has given them a very creative outlet to preach the Good news. A few years ago, they came and stayed with us, playing concerts in our area. They invited me to join them for a few weeks on PEI, and then to come be part of their Unashamed Ministries Bible Institute (UMBI). God has let UMBI remain small so that we can feel like family, hold each other accountable, and be more transparent when dealing with issues and sin. I grew so much during this time-- really developing an understanding of God, the Bible, the importance of Evangelism and prayer, and many other things.  Those years will always be a treasure in my heart.

This past Fall was my fourth and last semester at UMBI. Usually, during this time before graduation, the students are invited to join as Staff to lead ministry outreaches, Bible Studies, teach classes, pray, administrative duties, and many other things.  I was asked to join the ministry. At the time, I couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't. There seemed to be no opportunities for me back at my home town, and to be honest, I didn't want to come home...AT ALL.


When I came home for Christmas in December, God had already been on the move in my family, I just didn't know it yet. A few days after I arrived home, my mom sat down with me to talk about a few things. Through scriptures, and by confirmation from dad, the Lord had showed her that our family needed serious healing and reconciliation. [My dad had been a pastor for 17 years, and at the end, we had all been so hurt that we never fully recovered from it all.] In order to reconcile, that meant I needed to be home. It was a hard hit for me. "Lord, You want to do WHAT?" "Can't you see I'm working for YOU, Lord, and you want me to come home!?" 
As you can see, I was perfectly incredulous. The questions ran through my head, over and over again. I cried, I got angry, and I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. I just wanted to KNOW it was God's will for me to be home-- for HIM to speak to me about it. That time of wrestling was probably some of the most intense times of fighting, pleading, and praying I've ever experienced.

Finally, we decided to get a dear lady we know to pray with me. Mom and I drove to her house early one morning, and we ended up staying for almost 3 hours. During that time she talked with me, prayed with me, and helped mom and I to have some reconciliation. It was amazing. God gave me PEACE. The peace that passes ALL understanding. The peace that helped me to say, "Lord, I don't understand, but Your ways are better than my own. I will obey what you have said. I will stay. I will love my family. Forgive me for fighting against You." At that moment, I felt free and filled with joy. The joy that comes after a storm, after a time of wrestling, and after someone has surrendered to the Lord.

So, you may have questions like "What are you doing now?" or "What has God been doing in your family?" God is good, all the time. Our family is the closest it has been in a long time. We are doing the Bible study "Experiencing God" together every Sunday afternoon. After dinner, our dad reads a devotional to us, which has lead to good conversations. We are communicating better, and are able to talk through issues we are dealing with. IT'S AWESOME.

As for me, I am:Being discipled by a lady from our church. (it's such a blessing, as it also means I get time with her darling kiddos!)

• Participating in a Ladies Bible study from church on Wednesday nights. (Another blessing!) 
• Teaching my youngest sister Spanish. :)
• Helping with cooking and cleaning around the house.
• "Polite traditions"-- we meet with a friend each week to work on crafts, sewing, and other things.
• Doing babysitting when the opportunity arises.
• Each week I meet up with different friends for dinner or coffee. (It's a great time of encouraging each other!)
• Trying to walk each day with God--asking Him to show me who to talk to, write to, or call so that I can encourage/bless them.
• Working every day to try to love my family (in their particular love languages.)

I might not have a REAL job, but, let me tell you, I am SO busy.  From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, I am always doing something.  To the world, it may not make sense, but I know, this is where God wants me. 

{You might be wondering about the title "SAHD." That stands for "Stay At Home Daughter." I learned that term from another girl's blog, you should check it out. www.stayathomedaughter.com .She has been a real encouragement to me!}

Have a wonderful day! Remember, no matter what the circumstances, God is always working around you.

"Here I raise my Ebenezer..."

I. AM. IN. AWE. :)

God is so good and so faithful. I can't believe the way HE loves to take what is weak, and use them, and by so doing, proves Himself strong.

I am weak. He is strong.
My words are empty. His words bring forth life.

This past weekend was an amazing answer to prayer. To be honest, I was horribly nervous on Sunday morning. Suddenly all the doubts, worries, concerns, etc.. about talking in front of people, with a translator, came crashing down on me. All week people had asked, "So what are you going to talk about?". Ha. And, per usual, I replied, "I don't really know yet. I am praying, but the Lord normally shows me RIGHT before I speak." (It's something I can pretty much expect any time I speak.)

As the worship service was starting, I suddenly felt the Lord was prompting me to take a different perspective/angle then what I had originally planned. When I got on the platform, all nerves calmed and God showed me what to say.

I spoke of HIS faithfulness in providing every day little things, and his faithfulness in HUGE things (like when we were on tour and our tire popped off our trailer. We didn't have money to buy the one we needed. A few days later, we were telling our host family about it and he had the EXACT tire we needed, brand new, in his garage. Yes. God is AMAZING!)

The Lord just kept reminding me of little ways He had been faithful during my travel with the SKY family and their ministry. In the end,  I was able to encourage the people to pray, to spend time with the Lord. :)

God is good. All the time.



P.s. So, this week consists of meal planning, Bible study, babysitting, walks in the beautiful countryside and dwelling on God's goodness and faithfulness!

War with the bugs!

I miss this porch in Texas.

Two nights ago, as I was working through my "Experiencing God" Bible study, this statement stood out to me from page 40, "If you are not willing to be faithful in a  little, God cannot give you a larger assignment." It immediately convicted me of my restlessness, my need to go constantly, and how I am always unhappy with the smaller assignments (especially around the house, it seems).  I asked the Lord to make me willing to take whatever HE gives me a good attitude, making me someone HE can trust with larger assignments. Little did I know what I asking....

Last night, we were sitting around for a while after dinner, so my youngest sister decided to run up and take a quick shower. When she came back down, she asked me to wrap her hair up in a towel like she sees us do. :) I said, "Ok, flip your hair over." To my horror, shock and disgust, I say teensy little bugs in her hair. Of course, being the dramatic girl that I am, I let out a slightly horrified, "UGH! There's bugs in her hair!" and stepped away quickly. Suddenly all the memories of all the times different friends had had lice in their hair came running back to me. "Oh no! We're going to have to clean EVERYTHING. And throw all her stuffed animals away. And cut her beautiful long hair."  Yeah, I was running through all the worse case scenarios possible in my brain.  (Like I said, at some points I can be a bit dramatic. Praying about that too!)

Mom rushed over and confirmed it was, indeed, my horror, LICE. ewwwwwwww.


**At that moment, I declared war on those nasty little pests!!** 


NO WAY would they get the better of me. Nan took over combing through Boo's hair, and Aimzy and I went to work.  We ran upstairs and stripped all the beds, and grabbed anything she had touched, sat on, etc... we had bags of things to wash. Then, I grabbed the vacuum and ran that wonderful contraption over every bare floor space possible. Dad said, "It sounds like a tornado up there, is everything ok?"

The whole time I kept thinking, "Thank you Lord for giving me small tasks to be faithful in, so You can trust me with the bigger assignments."

As of right now, we can't find anymore lice in her hair. (Thankfully our friends have a special solution/remedy that we used on her hair.) *phew* I'm glad that's over, but I'm still on the lookout.

Now I am just trying to be prepared for whatever might be next. :)


Have a lovely Monday,

Great Joy!

God is doing some amazing things in our family! Restoring relationships, healing, helping bring about forgiveness... I'm so excited to see what else the Lord is going to do in 2012. At some point in the next week or so, I am going to write about how the Lord brought me home. It is actually a really neat, and really hard story, but I know it will speak of the Lord's MIGHTY, capable hand in our lives, and also testify of His faithfulness. 

For those of you looking for a good Bible study to do, whether alone, with a small group, or with your family, I highly recommend "Experiencing God," by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King. Our family is doing that study right now and it's SO good. My eyes have been opened to areas in my life where I was trying to MAKE things happen, instead of letting God us me to fulfill HIS purposes.

Also, Anna and I started going to a  Ladies community group from our church on Wednesday nights. All of the Comm.Groups are doing "The Gospel-Centered Life," by Bob Thune and Will Walker. This, likewise, is a GREAT study that I would suggest to any Believer. It really calls us to examine our hearts before the Lord and to see the areas where we are minimizing God's holiness and magnifying our own "goodness." I have been so blessed and encouraged AND convicted by this book. :)

Other than that, God is giving each of us little tasks and assignments to carry out for Him. Sometimes I feel so worthless and useless here. However, the Lord is showing me the things HE wishes to do through me. And, knowing I'm in the center of His will helps me to overcome fear and doubts. 

A little later today we are going to be visiting a nursing home to "adopt" someone as a grandparent! I think this will be a great opportunity to bring light into a place that is so sad. :)

**Be looking for the story of how I came home sometime in the next week!!**

Have a lovely, wonderful, happy, blessed day!!

Meal planning, laundry, and cleaning!

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This might seem random, but then, that's what blogs are for, right?!*ahem*
Anna and I are now each in charge of every other week cooking. (I get a week, she gets a week!) *scary!*This is to help mom out so she can get more things done around the house AND to help us with our cooking skills! Woot. :) Today was the start of my week, let me know what ya think!
Oh, and please feel free to leave links to recipes or recipe ideas in "comments"! I'm sure they will be used in the future!

**This may not be as interesting and abounding in variety as I would like, however, when you have someone with stomach issues and can only have things with NO seasoning, NO butter/oil, & No fat; along with someone who can only REALLY have lean meats and TONS of vegetables, along with someone else who cannot have bread, and, of course, trying to find things everyone would like...*whew* Menu planning can be a LOT more difficult than one might think! :) However, God seemed to lead me as I planned, and each night there are things each person can have. YAY!

Monday: Marinated & baked chicken strips (with Sesame ginger orange marinade), rice, steamed broccoli & fruit salad. CHECK. :)

Tuesday: Homemade Beef Vegetable soup, Homemade bread with butter and/or jam. (Anna is the official bread maker though!)

Wednesday: Meatloaf (I know, SO healthy, right? *sigh*), Mashed potatoes, lima beans, & corn. (AWESOME corn my aunt gave us from her garden that we've frozen!)

Thursday: Either Pesto Chicken or a non-breaded "Chicken Parmesan," Angel-hair pasta, Salad & Green Beans.

Friday: Homemade Pizza (with lots of veggies on it!), Fresh Salad & Sliced Veggies with dip. *our traditional Friday night meal!*

Saturday: Chicken stir-fry (loaded with veggies) & Rice. *Our Aunt L, Uncle E, & Cousin T are coming this weekend for birthday celebrations! Anna is going to make an awesome cake!*

The most important ingredient of all is PRAYER. Seriously, I pray over everything I make. It may seem weird, but then you can give God all the glory-- it definitely helps with that pride issue we all have, and need to be rid of. :)


Blessings Friends,