vbs (ish)

Well it appears it is now time to post. I currently am watching Skylar and Elijah, but they are in their play bubble bath. They love them so much...usually I play with them but tonight I think I will just blog.
So VBS this week has went well. It has been interesting to me to see the difference of children between ages 5-12..which i suppose is a significant age gap. I am happy to see that they all seem eager to learn about Jesus and what else VBS has to teach them. Jessica and I have a lesson on John 3:16, and we are teaching the children about forgiveness. I have found this incredibly challenging in a sense. I mean what we do is quite simple because we basically follow a plan..but trying to teach the children the importance of forgiveness is hard. I mean at the age of 18, im here still just beginning to understand the vast concept of what it is to forgive. Its so much easier to say than do, especially to children when we are telling them how they should be forgiving their brother and sister for fighting or whatever, because at that stage of their life that is mainly whats on their minds ya know? But to me, we are teaching them so much more than that...we are needing to teach them in the simplest form what is it to forgive, how we are forgiven, why we should forgive etc, and not just pertaining to present times, but also we are setting the foundation of their understanding for the rest of their lives, whether they stay interested in the Lord or not. My favorite activity that we are doing involves ripped up t-shirts (otherwise known as rags). I explain to the kids, that these rags are to use to write out a sin they feel the need to be forgiven for, and that I am giving them a washable marker to use...in order that at the end of the week Jessica (my sister in law) will wash them all, so the rags become clean, symbolizing how if we pray and ask for forgiveness of our sins God will cleanse us and purify us from our evil desires. I picked out 1 John 1:8-10 to read them to prepare their minds for the activity "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives"...So tomorrow is the last day, and I am going to fill out my own rag. There are so many things that I need to confess and just pray over. There is so much to forgiveness, I guess my prayer is that this lesson at VBS can prepare these children to continue to search and read through God's word all about forgiveness so they themselves can come to grasp the entirety of it all...and that I myself can continually learn the importance and grow in the Lord. One of the songs we sing has some awesome lyrics:
In the secret
In the quiet place
In the stillness
You are there
In the secret
In the quiet hour I wait
only for You
Cause, I want to know You more

Chorus:
I want to know You
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more
I want to touch You
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more

I am reaching
for the highest goal
That I might receive
the prize
Pressing onward
Pushing every hindrance aside
Out of my way
Cause, I want to know You more.
Chorus (3x)

The chorus is so awesome...to really actually speak those words and mean them..and in the second verse where it says "pushing every hindrance aside out of my way cause I want to know you more"...how I wish I were doing that. I find myself very caught up in my own thoughts. I find that lately I am just trying to look for resolutions to whats on my heart, which isn't necessairly a bad thing, but am I trying to manipulate God's ways? If i were to just push aside the hidrance of constant thinking and trying to understand why some things happen the way they do, then perhaps I would be able to be where God is and better yet continue to know Him more. Much easier said then done. In reality lol thoughts are evil. I am tired of thinking so much...its gotten so bad as tonight I was playing basketball, just shooting hoops..and saying something and if it went in, it was yes, and if it didnt it was no...Thats like a game i played when i was six...but it was fun I suppose..despite the fact i was using it as a determinant to my life..ha..even though I wouldnt change my thoughts anyways...guess that is what amounts when you are stubborn like myself ..
Anyways thats enough pointless rambling about thinking..
Well as I leave, I just want you guys to think of someone you love, who you know is hurting...say a prayer for them, and never give up on them...everyone needs somebody to believe in them......

Been forever

Well i have decided it has been a long while since I actually sat down and blogged...the truth is now I am so far behind and there are so many things I could rant about.
First off..im happy to see Ron and Andrew have also decided that blogging is fun..lol yay..
Anyways currently I am in the States. I have been here for a week now and its all going good. It feels like we left GL forever ago and its only been a week..interesting the way that works. Basically this week has consisted of me sitting outside with my niece and nephew and tanning..as they play in the kiddie pool. Its been great..i like that form of play. i tan, they play! and they love me for it..just because i set up the pool....little do they know i love them for it because me and the sun get to have daily meetings! The weather here in Ohio has been amazing all week..and apparently is suppose to be until Tuesday so I hope thats true. We are going to have a cookout next week at MeeMaws, im so excited..get in a good game of horseshoes..haha but i always through them way too far...ill just have to lay back on my huge muscles! lol..anyways moving on...
These last couple weeks have really challenged me actually. Well mainly since I have been here. Its awesome to be here with my brother and sister in law and the kids..it gives me a chance to reinforce what it is that I will want in my marriage..things i would change or like to have similar to.
Dynamics etc.
I have come discover I really crave for a deep relationship. I sit here waiting for someone to be able to discuss with me things that are interesting. I sit here wanting someone to challenge my thoughts and really want to talk. I am tired of the routine conversations..things that mean nothing really. I have over the past year realized that that is something extremely important to me...as is having fun. And i am thankful that I have such relationships with different people...like Kim..i mean obviously whenever we are together we have so much fun..but in a second flat we could be in deep discussion talking about the bible, or any sort of situation life deals you...and that is what I like. I dont know. i guess i have come to a state of bordem with the routine things..and I know that will no longer be, because there will be no school in September, and life will be changing. but i find myself searching for people to indulge in. I guess thats why it is so exciting to meet people and get to know them...because it is new..and different.. Anyways i dont really know where I am going with that....just something i desire i guess...i probably could go on explaining this forever so i will just move on now.
Actually i think i will just end now...I hope y'all are doing well..since summer has started and everyones getting busy in their summer plans. Hopefully i will be inspired to write something profound in the next day or two...i feel the Lord stirring me up..so we shall see..
Later

Soak Up the Sun!!!

wow so these last three days have been amazing!!! I am so happy, the sun has been shining, the weather is hot, and smuggy even. Its actually a feeling of summer time heat....ah and to just give off a good song title...summer of love! by 311. I am loving every minute of this blissful stickiness..its great! I strongly suggest everyone soaks up the sun!
School is almost done. I have to present my challenge and change project tomorrow, and then I just have to write the paper for monday. Hopefully i do it before Friday because I have a lot I want to do this weekend....like get a pedicure and manicure...either professionally or myself..both work for me. I am going to fix up my dresses...bring home lots of my stuff...embrace and love my mommy!! Yay...i cant even begin to describe how happy I am.
Summer definitely brings out the best of me.
This weekend past was an awesome one. I actually spent a lot of time with Gerry, which is nice its been a while. Got his cd which I absolutely love as he thought I would. Its such an awesome mix of ska, punk, hip hop and rock..i hope they do make it. I am planning on going to see one of their shows in the upcoming future.
There are so many things so fastly approaching. Three days of formal classes left. I hope I do well on my exams...ouuuuu which I also need to study hard for this weekend...boo that. Oh well, last two of highschool ever.
I feel the need to go summer shopping...i want to buy some new skirts...or something fun.
Kim and I had a sweet time this weekend too...we did an aerobic video called the Grind-Hip hop collection...so sweet lol...haha I laughed pretty hard at some of the moves...
We also read through all of 1 Peter...which took us from 11:30pm-1:00am with much discussion of the text in between. Like every book in the bible, its such a sweet one. We definitely took a lot of the text, and hopefully we are continually applying it to our lives daily.
Last night I had so much fun with Matt. We went to balls falls, and brought along his new camera...which is sweet. We took lots of fun pictures of the water, and different landscapes/ each other in the grass..ha i had a great time. I rolled down the huge hill once again...such a thrilling and discombobulating experience... Saw baby duckies....and walked in the creek..etc...was wicked fun...except I left my school bag in the suburban..boo.
Well anyways as I have rambled on now for like ten minutes..i think I will stop. Tonight we have our student council party...im hoping it goes well too...mmmm fruit kabobs...yummy.
Ciao guys...take a spoon, let the sun reflect in it, and quickly put it in your mouth....that way you can have a spponful of sunshine within you.

random pointlessness

It has been sometime since I have blogged. Last week I was just too busy trying to finish and hand in my family studies paper...but now that that is over I have a bit more time.

This week has been incredibly busy already, and long. But very fun. I guess in that sense it evens out. Last night we had the last adelphe/SOTC hike/bbq/devo event. It was a really good time. I will miss all these events so much. My plastic girls (kim, crystal, and I) hung out singing loudly, eating food and just enjoying our last few weeks of school related events together. Tonight Chorus performs for the last time at Tintern as per usual and then we are going to go to McBays for a campfire devo. This usually means tears. blah blah..i dont feel like writing about that anymore.

I dont really know what it is I feel like writing...I am kind of in a weird mood. hmm. well i will leave this as the weirdest post I have ever done..and perhaps write another one later.