FREEDOM!!

Praise the Lord, Ana's friend Joe that was kidnapped has been freed!!!
But what amazing faith of his family. I got a facebook message that said (my paraphrase) "This time God said 'yes.' But even if He had said 'no' we would still say 'BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. THE LORD GIVES AND TAKES AWAY.'"
Talk about amazing faith. Then the rest of the message is a gospel presentation with Scripture verses. Wow! May God give me such strong faith to be able to say that in that kind of circumstance. I've been learning a lot on the last couple years about praising God no matter what the circumstances, but never to such an extreme. If one of my loved ones got kidnapped or had something terrible like that happen I know my faith would be stretched like never before and only by God's grace would I maintain what sanity He has granted me. But, God doesn't give us more than we can handle. His grace is sufficient. He is in control and when it comes down to it, all we really CAN do is cling to Him and trust Him. He is good. And He is love. His ways and thoughts are far higher than ours and beyond our comprehension, but that's why He's God and we're not. I'm ok with resting in His arms and letting Him work out everything for His glory. That's what being His daughter is all about!
Glory to God! He has set us free!!

Tico Tuesday, May 25th

Guess what day it is!
Here I am hard at work at my desk. Yep, it's kinda cluttered. That's just kinda how it always ends up getting, no matter how often I clean it off. (Some of the junk is Brenda's though. She took this picture when she came to visit). Anyway, for those of you who wonder where I work, well, this corner is it. Well, the whole room is my office. And it's pretty much what you see. Creamy white with not much on the walls but the big map and some missionary prayer cards. This is where I study, write e-mails, chat via Skype with my coworkers (it's free and the phone is not), make phone calls and do whatever else I do in a day at work. I'm working on decorating my office, but that never really gets to be too high a priority. Maybe someday before my 3 years come to an end. Jijiji.
May God bless all of you in your work, studies, play and whatever else you do this week!
Carrie


Good news! The letter I've been waiting for for weeks was finally written today. Now I just need don Rolando to sign it and get it to the Ministerio de Salud ASAP!!!

I think I was going to comment one other thing. Oh yeah, Mommy and Daddy's 31st wedding anniversary is tomorrow! What a great couple and what a wonderful example they have set! I love them so much!
I'll confess, I've been finding myself feeling a little more homesick lately. I haven't seen Mommy since last June and Daddy since a year ago January! NEVER again do I want to go that long without seeing them! The other day I was frustrated by some things and took to my habit of looking at plane tickets. There was a round-trip flight to Tucson for $456! TALK ABOUT TEMPTATION!!!! I really almost did it. I could leave here on Saturday, come home Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning and spend Father's Day with my DADDY. Father's Day here will be a bit sad, but I know I'll Skype with my parents. And my trip in August is coming really fast. I have one month till the trip to Isla Venado, another month, then a trip to Mexico de Upala and then I fly out the next day! So, I'm going to be a busy bee in the meantime!
I think another thing that might contribute to missing my parents is the fact the the family is so much more the basis of society here. Yes, there are tons of broken families and it's tragic. And yes, it is getting more individualized as the US continues to invade and powerfully influence people here (with people moving here, TV, US owned/run restaurants and companies, call centers, etc). But, pretty much everybody has family nearby. People don't move out of the house they grew up in until they get married. People rarely move from one town or province to another. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, all live relatively close to each other. Oh man, the other day I was talking with a kid from youth group and he asked me about my family. He was shocked when I told him they were in the US. He was like "You moved here without your family?!?!?!" He couldn't fathom it. I, on the other hand, can't fathom moving to Costa Rica and bringing my parents along. Most people from the US just don't do that. My parents are welcome here and I sure hope Mommy comes to visit, but I haven't lived with them for some 6 years now. And there's the practical aspect that Daddy would not ever really be able to get out of the house because sidewalks are so scarce and the ones that do exist are lousy and almost NOWHERE is handicap accessible. (Daddy has muscular dystrophy for those of you who don't know).
So, that's the scoop for now. Thanks for reading!

Race Results are in!

I don't have to wonder forever how I actually did in the race I ran the other week with Albeiro and Jorgito!! Albeiro told me about a website that has all kinds of info on races (and not just running! They have cycling, triathlons, and other stuff on there too!) So I went there, looking for the other races we are thinking about doing this year and found the results from our race! Huzzah!

I'm not sure how accurate they really are. I think I actually came in a few seconds after my clocked time, but they say I came in at 51:52, which is 36th, among the 156 women in my category (20-39). Not too bad! Next year I'm hoping to finish in under 50 minutes, which would probably land me in the top 20.

Albeiro and I think there was a boo-boo for his result. He recalls finishing in 37min and 20something seconds, but the listing has him at like 42 minutes. That puts him in 86th place (out of the 400something men in his category). But him finishing in 37 minutes puts him more at 30th!! I tell you, this guy is really impressive!

Jorge just turned 18, so he actually still landed in the youth category. He also came in 34th place, but out of 44. So he didn't do that great. His time was 54:41. But still, not bad for not training!

I know this probably isn't that important to most of you, but in case you happened to be curious after reading my other entry....well here you have it. Thanks for reading!

Prayer update!

Thanks again for praying this past week. I don't have specific updates on everything, but here's what I've got.

-Overall I think sharing with the youth on Friday went well. I haven't gotten much feedback, so I don't really know, but there was one point where I stopped and asked if I making making sense and I got nods, smiles and “sí, sí” as responses. I feel like it was pretty good though.

-Still no further news on Ana's kidnapped friend. Please keep praying for that situation!

-Both of the guys I asked you to pray for (David and Alexander) made it to youth group on Friday and one of them even brought a friend (who I think might also be a Christian). Please continue to pray for their growth.

-Mommy and Zach both made it safely across the big puddle. Thus far all is well, but they could use a little less rain and a bit more sun. Please join me in praying for that and for safety for them.

-On Friday I got to clarify some things with don Rolando about the trip to Isla Venado. I am still waiting for someone to write a letter and that hasn't happened. Please pray for the letter to get written asap!

-Yesterday I had a good conversation with Tito. I don't get to see him very often, and getting to talk with him in a more pastoral sense than just another person sense was really nice. So please keep praying for the pastors, Tito, Ricardo, and Rolando. Rolando is the only full time pastor of this church of 400-500 people. Continue to pray especially for my relationship/interactions with him.

-I haven't heard anything directly from the LAM, but I know that continued prayer is necessary for provision. Last week I felt led to pray for joy and a positive attitude for everyone who works there. Please keep praying with me for the staff at the office in Miami as well as the other missionaries

-I didn't mention this last time, but as I mentioned in Tico Tuesday, I'm working on my final project for Perspectives. Please pray for me to do it well and steward time well so that my mind is clear and focused when I work on the project.

Thanks!

Tico Tuesday, May 18th

Tuesday greetings from Costa Rica!
This weekend I was whisked away to the beach with my friends David and Fernanda. Fer and I had been talking about cycling together again-she and I went almost every week in January and hadn't been again since! And so Friday night she texted me and said “We're leaving for Jacó (pronounced hah-CO) at 5am bring water and snacks!” Well, I didn't quite bike all the way to Jacó from home, but I did bike the last 38km (24mi), which overall was pretty easy. We ended up staying the night and getting to watch part of a cheering competition on the beach! I really enjoyed that since I used to be a cheerleader! More details of the story on the blog.
Lately I feel like I haven't told you much about things at church, but there really hasn't been much to tell. I really do more than bike and run and play. I'm currently formulating 375 questions for my final project for the Perspectives class!
May God bless you and fill you with joy this week!
Love,
Carrie

PS. Prayer request updates from last week will be on the blog too! Thanks so much for praying!

Hmm, ok for real this is a more concise version than the play by play my parents got. David biked the first leg from home to Orotina. Fer and I followed along in the car. Then in Orotina, I got on David's bike and Fer got on hers and off we went!
Well, pause. This was my first time using the shoes you clip into the pedals. We had me practice clipping in out and a couple times, but it's really hard for me to get my left leg out! They had me stop for some reason, the brakes were sensitive and I couldn't clip out fast enough and poom! Down I went! I broke my fall with my right hand though, so now my palm has a lovely bruise. Unfortunately I couldn't put any ice on my bonk (Mommy taught us bonk → ice when we were growing up), so I held out till I got ice at lunch. Anyway, since falling we decided to just have David catch me and help me stop and unclip, though I think I could probably do it now on my own and not fall.
Play. We decided to have me go first so I could set whatever pace was comfortable for me. I was fine with that, but after a few minutes I looked back and Fernanda was nowhere in sight! OOPS! It was already after 9 and starting to get hot out and Fer hasn't been exercising regularly, so she knew she wouldn't have a pleasant experience if she kept going. So, I got on her back and David got back on his and we set off again. It was a gorgeous ride and there was only one hard part-a big long hill they call “La Chanchera” (David told me it means pig-sty but an online source just told me it means pig slops. I'll let you decide). The rest was downhill or flat. And on a road bike...oh how glorious! We made it to Jacó in a little over and hour and a half. I guess David was pretty impressed at my physical (I wanted to spell it fisical) condition and speed! Sunday night at church he kept bragging about me.
We arrived at Jacó and I still had energy and was singing and everything. The only thing that hurt was my lower back. We were nasty sweaty though, so we decided to get a hotel room. And what would it be worth paying for a room if you don't spend the night? So we decided to crash there. It was nice to be able to shower and leave our stuff there and not worry carrying it around or leaving it in the car.
Then we headed over to the cheering competition. Fer's friend's daughter had already gone, but we did get to see some high school squads. That was fun, and I especially enjoyed it because I know what to look for. I tried explaining some things to Fer and David, but my cheering vocab is basically nil! I was able to explain enough though. It made me miss those (mostly) good ol' days of cheering. Oh the things I have experienced in life!
Then we finally found lunch. The rest of our time there was chill-napping, relaxing in a hammock, walking around town, enjoying the sunset, drinking yummy yummy smoothies and lots of water, and watching the championship futbol game. (Saprissa won...again!).
Sunday morning we had a yummy traditional breakfast with gallo pinto, eggs, toast and OJ, and lots of Salsa Lizano!!! Then we went to see some of the college squads do their practice run-throughs. That was even better than the high school groups! One squad really had it all together-good facials, great jumps with pointed toes, some fantastic tumbling, and really good stunts. They were all together and on time and sharp (not sloppy and with spaghetti arms). They were great to watch!
We headed back to the hotel room and were going to head out but we turned on ESPN and Nadal and Federer were playing in the final of the ATP Open in Madrid. So, we watched the first set and headed out at noon when we had to check out. (I knew Rafa was going to win. Federer couldn't get his first serve in to save his life and Rafa dominates on clay). And that was my adventure! Some other time I'll tell you more about cheering. Prayer update in the next post! Stay tuned!

Pray Without Ceasing!

Hey!

Thanks for making the click to come and note (and pray for) these prayer requests!

-I'm sharing with the youth on Friday at youth group. I think I'm going to talk about reconciliation. Please pray for God to give me His words and use me!

-Ana had a friend in Honduras named Joe get kidnapped. Please pray for him to be freed and safe from harm and for God to glorify himself in this situation!

- Two teenage boys were killed in a motorcycle accident (they are friends of my friend Felipe). Please pray for the families and for Felipe since he is really tenderhearted. Pray for God to work in Felipe and for him to turn to Him in this time.

- There are 2 new guys coming to church and youth activities. They have a lot of questions about their faith and are trying to learn how to live godly lives. Please pray for Alexander and David

-Pray for Mommy and my brother Zach as they fly to Germany later this week. Flight times are a mess because of the volcano in Iceland

-Please pray for another one of my friends who is having some difficulties at home and finding a job. May God provide for her and be her joy and strength!

-Please continue to pray for the trip in late June to Isla Venado. We are still working out details and trying to get gov't permissions

-Please also continue to keep the pastors of CCI (Ricardo, Tito, and especially don Rolando) in your prayers!

-Pray for the LAM missionaries and staff at the office in Miami, that God would provide abundantly and for all of us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. Please also pray for doors and hearts to open (for both money and the Gospel to flow where they are respectively needed).

Thanks so much!

Carrie

Tico Tuesday, May 11th

A happy Tuesday to you all!
If you follow me at all on facebook you might know that I ran a 9.5k race on Sunday with two of my best guyfriends. It was a great experience! More details on that on the blog, but I have a few important things to share with you
-Everyone, thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement and consistent financial support! I'm in the black while many LAM missionaries are currently seeing red. Please join me in praying for God's provision!
-I have quite a list of current prayer requests, please read them on my blog
-AOL users, I don't think you got my e-mail last week. I encourage you to head to my blog to catch up!!
-GRADUATING GROVERS PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR NEW E-MAIL (or any of the rest of you that has changing e-mail/contact info)

Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith... (Heb 12.1-2)

I got a new understanding of what it means to be surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. The start of the race was rough. There were people everywhere! (Almost 1200 people had signed up, I'm not sure how many actually showed up and ran though). It could have been better, had there been better technology. The Beach to Beacon 10k I ran with Mommy was great in that regard-everybody had a chip to tie on their shoe. To start our time all we have to do is step on the mat at the start line, and then step on the mat at the finish line and it read our chips and recorded our times. Much more accurate than the mad cattle-herd pushing start and the people talking into tape recorders at the end. It wasn't too bad for being low tech though. I just wish I could see the results somehow and see what place I came in. I know I finished in right about 52min flat. But it would be nice to know what place that was. I only saw the results for the top 5 women (and men). But, the woman that came in 5th had a time of 50:xx. If I had been 2 minutes faster I could have possibly won something!! (It would have been like $30 or so, not that like even really matters to me). That's some motivation to train well for next year! It would just be cool to place in the top 20. But maybe I did. I don't know!!!!!!

So originally only Albeiro and I were going to run the race. He and I have been running together once a week for several months now, and we upped it to twice a week about a month ago with future racing in mind. He used to run in races all the time in Colombia (and win them), but hadn't ever done a race in his 5 years here in Costa Rica. Friday night we were talking with Jorgito and telling him about the race. He showed genuine interest and so Albeiro told him (I'm not sure how seriously, I think he was pretty serious though) that he should run it. SO HE DID! Jorge plays futbol, so he is in pretty good shape, but playing futbol for an hour and running almost 10k are two very different things. So, he came in about 2 minutes after I did. Not bad for not having trained and signing up the day before the race!

The route was all downhill at first, and then pretty much all uphill the second half. Uf! That made it really hard to gauge my speed. I wanted to go fast on the way down, but I knew I had to save my energy for the big, loooooooong up.

I have fought a good fight I have finished the race, I have kept the faith! (2 Timothy 4.7)

Prayer Requests coming in the next entry!

Movie Review: The Book of Eli

Actually for me it was "El libro de los secretos." I saw this movie on Friday night with several young adults from church. It was the dubbed version-with Spain (peninsular) Spanish. They are the ones who lisp "ce," "ci," and "z" and the "s" is much thicker. This is not an accent I'm used to, and the way the movie is, I bet there are a lot of things I would strain my ear to understand in English. Oh yeah and the sound wasn't very good quality. I had to keep leaning over and asking my friend next to me, "What'd he say?" "What just happened?" Thankfully I'd done some homework, so I had a good idea of the plotline (thanks be to God, I would have been SO LOST if I hadn't!)
Basically, it's about a guy who lives in Post-Apocalyptic times (assumedly after the rapture and a lot else) and he is the only one who has a Bible. Now, this is clearly not realistic because we know that almost every hotel room in the world has a Gideon Bible in the bedside table drawer and it would be really hard to destroy all those Bibles. Just kidding, sort of. I doubt there are Gideon Bibles in every country, but I'm sure they're working on it!
So anyway, this guy (Eli) has a Bible and he is walking west across the US to a place where the Bible will be able to be printed again and the Word of God will be able to get into the hands of men once more. Not sure how relevant that is, but I'd rather not argue about whether or not there will be grace for those people, if that kind of situation could ever actually exist. But, anyway that's the setting. There is another guy who wants to get his hands on the Bible for some reason and so he is mean to Eli and tries to kill him. Eli manages to escape (because if he didn't the movie would end and it would suck). The guy had tried to use his daughter to seduce Eli, but that didn't really work. Well, kind of. The guy got what he wanted without his daughter being violated. And his daughter runs off after Eli because she knows he's different. She is very intrigued, but also very clueless. Eli won't let her touch the Bible though. He doesn't trust anyone. Well, pretty much no one trusts anyone. If there is a problem, all you have to do is kill the other person and everything is fine. In this sense, it's a total boy movie (as Mommy and I call them). Way too much blood and gore for my liking. I don't have a very high tolerance. It doesn't make me barf or anything, I just don't like it. Aren't you glad to know that?
So now I'm going to spoil the movie for you. The bad guy gets the Bible. He gets somebody to break its lock open and then writhes in anguish because, it's in Braille. I didn't realize Eli was blind until someone explained to me afterwards. I just thought he knew Braille. It's possible!
But, it doesn't really matter that the bad guy gets the book because Eli has the WHOLE BIBLE memorized. He dictates it to the guy at the printing place, they print it, Eli dies, I think the bad guy dies too. The end.

So, I didn't like the violence. But I realize the point. I just wish they didn't go through so much effort to make it. It was really hard to understand. Another they explained to me afterwards was that Eli says something about he got so caught up in protecting the Bible and getting it to the printer that he forgot to obey it and love others. (or something like that.) He killed a LOT of people over the course of the movie! Definitely had me questioning the validity of his faith! (because as the Bible says, "Faith without works is dead"). Oh and it was hard to see what was going on sometimes. The movie was basically all black and white/sepia ish with lousy lighting. I guess that was part of the point too of the setting (it was all deserty), but didn't make the movie any easier to follow.
But, the good thing that can be taken from this movie is the importance and value of the Bible, the Word of God. How many of us have a Bible and only take it to church on Sundays? How many of us have never made the effort to memorize a verse or a passage? I realize that memorizing isn't everyone's strength and that's ok. But I really encourage you to give it a try. I bet you can learn a verse in a week! How familiar are we with the Scriptures? The Bible itself says that it is "a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths." The Bible is the guidebook for life. We can't complain if we aren't reading the Word! God reveals Himself to us through it. If we claim to follow Christ, shouldn't we be interested in knowing Him? Along with praying, reading and really studying and soaking in the Bible is the best way to get to know Him. And I recommend that we do that now instead of trying to find out later... ;-)

Remember Rosie the Riveter and Victory Gardens?

So yeah, here we are. Same day, another blog post. This is something else I'm thinking about. I'm finally working on my last Perspectives lesson and it's talking about being a World Christian-someone who “has Christ's global cause as their integrating, overriding priority.” I pray that is what God is turning me into. This kind of Christian lives an intentional life and take initiative to find/start/participate in various ways to spread the Gospel. Everything is done for one purpose: Jesus. Ralph Winter (Mr. Perspectives-missiology guru of our day) wrote an article about living a “wartime” lifestyle. Most of us who are younger than him don't know exactly what that's like, but think about World War II movies, books (Molly the American Girl!), other forms of media and what older people have taught us about life during the war. Everyone was focused on the cause, willing to make sacrifices, pinched every penny and did everything they could to contribute.

What if all the Christians in the world did that regarding the support of our missionaries? We are at war against the devil. We know that Christ will not come again until His Gospel is preached to all nations (read people groups) (Mat 24.14). The world is wrought by wars, disasters and Yankee fans. What are we waiting for? The good news of Jesus Christ is TOO GOOD to keep to ourselves! Think outside the box what could you do to change your lifestyle in order to further promote the Kingdom of God? What about cutting your budget and living more simply? That's a really important question, but this is about going beyond the essentials of money and prayer!! What about stopping to help someone on the side of the street? What about smiling and treating the cashier at the grocery store like a human the Jesus loves and died for? What about using your professional, technological, people, kinesthetic or whatever skills you have to bless a missionary or educate others about the needs of the world? What about using your design projects to better a rural community in Rwanda? What about befriending the people in your community or workplace who are “from away” (from another state or country)? What about joining a Bible study in order to deepen your relationship with God and your understanding of the Bible and the Gospel? What about joining your church's missions committee or using your vacation time to go and encourage a missionary you know? What about selling Cards from Africa? Turn on your thinking cap and think about what you and your spouse, family, coworkers, roommates/housemates, neighbors, church can do to proclaim and glorify our King Jesus? You don't have to just pray, send or go.

God wants to use you in His plan to bring those who don't know Him to Him! Does it require time and sacrifice? You bet! But, this isn't about self-denial and forcing ourselves to do these things though. God isn't interested in us showing off and making sacrifices. It's not about “being holy” or a “good Christian.” this World Christian lifestyle should flow naturally out of our love for God. They should be the fruit of our response to Him. He is God and He is worthy or all worship and praise. It is ALL about Him. We say our lives are His. Why don't we submit to Him then and let His have His way in us and give us His heart? God wants everyone to come to Him. He is all about love and grace, holiness and justice, reconciliation and redemption. Shouldn't we be about that too, then?

This Thursday is the (Inter?)National Day of Prayer. The President of the Latin America Mission, Steve Johnson is asking us to pray and fast that day and keep the LAM especially in prayer. The LAM, along with many other missions organizations is in financial straits and needs divine provision. Please join us in prayer. Think how much support a missionary needs to raise a month. It seems like a lot. But think again about how much YOU receive each month. Think about how much you actually NEED each month. Think about it... Thanks for your prayers and support! And Thank You God for the work You are doing in me and those who read this!

Tico Tuesday, May 4th

It's Tuesday again!

This past Friday was the Noche de Disfraces at youth group! It looks like it's going to become an annual thing. This year's Costume Night was much more well-planned. I think my favorite part was dividing into 4 groups and having each one make up a skit using the characters/costumes of each member. Praise God with me that the youth are continuing to grow and take ownership of their activities! We now have a good group of musicians with a growing repertoire and a group of leaders participating in a training activity on how to be a good, creative leader and discipler. More info and stories on the blog, along with some other things I've been thinking about.

God's peace and joy be with you all,

Carrie

So yeah, Friday night was really fun. I'm going to try to get pictures on facebook as soon as I can. I think it was even more fun than last year, because I felt a lot more comfortable and knew a lot more people. I think costume parties/nights are a lot of fun. Maybe some people don't like to dress up. That's ok, but too bad, I think. Who doesn't like escaping reality or pretending to be someone else, even if it's just for fun for a couple hours? And it's fascinating to see who wears what, who spends money on their costume, who just throws a pretty princess dress or soccer uniform on, and contemplate perhaps why each person chose their costume (economic factors laid aside). Who you choose to be has to reflect something about you, right? Some impossible dream, someone or something you admire, something you think is cool or funny, something you can somehow identify with. (Who dresses like something they hate?).

This year I was Cinderella. Before the fairy godmother came along. Before she even puts on her Mom's old dress. Literally CINDERella. Not something easily identifiable (somebody thought I was a dirty (in the literal meaning of the word) housewife. But's that's ok. Every girl I have ever met has wanted to be a princess. I've always wanted to be one too. But, I don't know. I thought it would be neat to be Cinderella before the transformation. One who serves others in humility. I'll be the first to confess I'm not the most humble gal around. But, that's something that God has been working on in me. So that's my deep reason. But then there's also the funny reason. Calling me Cindercruella Scumbag is a family joke/nickname. It sounds awful, but wouldn't you have awful nicknames too if you were beating your older brother at mini-golf? And of course in mini-golf, like bowling, you have to have some kind of ridiculous name anyway. I thought that would be a little too hard to explain here, so I left out the black and white hair dye Cruella part (and the scumbag) and just stuck with plain, mussed up Cinderella.

You can't see it in any of the pictures, but I did sew on the ties of my apron. I was pretty proud of that. I hadn't touched a needle and thread in waaay too long!

I got to participate in the above-mentioned leadership training too. It was good stuff. They reminded us to know our audience (the people who come to youth group). We need to remember that not everybody is in the same place spiritually and so everyone needs to be “met where they're at.” We started by talking about discipling, which is something I've been thinking about lately. As I've been wanting to invest in friends here, I haven't just been thinking “I want friends.” But I want to have community with my friends and grow together in our relationships with God. Most of my friends here haven't had the same kind of opportunities I've had (have I ever told you how amazing InterVarsity is?), and I've been trying to figure out how I can pour into them and grow with them without being condescending (because I'm too good at being condescending, and not even on purpose). And part of me realizes maybe I am being a bit of an eager beaver, or am just trying too hard to repeat life the way it was in college. But, once anyone has tasted anything as good as homemade apply nobby cake, Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, or vanilla chai tea, how can you go back to store bought apple pie, lame novelties with too much dye or boring plain black tea? You can't go back, but if you have to, it's not satisfying. I would love to have you pray with me as I continue to seek to be a good friend and spiritual builder-upper of those around me. Maybe God wants me to start some more formal disciple-y type relationships. I'm not sure. Hopefully I'll learn in the next session about how to do that in more practical terms.

Oh and during the session we watched a fantastic short video by Rob Bell. Rain. It was really powerful-I was almost crying at the end. He talks about going for a walk around a lake, carrying his young son on his back. It starts to rain-and then it pours and the poor kid is getting drenched. So Rob, his Dad takes him off his back and holds him to his chest and says, “Dad knows the way. We're gonna make it. I love you!” over and over again. And that is exactly what God does to us in the storms of life. We're clueless kids screaming our heads off because we don't understand why we're getting soaked to the bone and we're cold and miserable. But, God knows what He's doing. He will hold us close and cover us with his love and bring us to a place where we can dry off and warm up. We don't understand His ways, but we can rest and trust in Him. (*happy sigh*)