Thursday, July 28, 2005

Today is the day!!!

Excited. Ready. Excited. Anxious. Excited. Pondering. Excited.

That is how I am feeling right now about the mission adventure to Cheyenne. Everything is falling into place. 4 hours left until departure.

Once we arrive in Cheyenne we will set up sleeping arrangements at my grandparent's home, have dinner and then go see the town. We will show the team where we will be for the pancake breakfast, parade and rodeo. While seeing the locations of ministry we will prayer walk.

Tomorrow will be full! We will awake early for the pancake breakfast served by the Cheyenne Boy Scouts to over 5,000 people each morning! We will eat and then begin our witnessing! Tomorrow afternoon we will do video evangelism and practice our clowning.

Saturday we clothe ourselves in clowning costumes and head to the parade! People usually arrive at the parade route an hour before it starts. They save seats on the street. They are a captive audience! So, we go into the middle of the street and share Jesus! I get nervous about being told that we cannot do it in the street... it is the best location! We will do more video evangelism in the afternoon and finish our night with the rodeo!

Please pray for:
* Safe travels
* Health
* Unity
* Boldness
* Openness for clowning in the street!
* Our team to grow in our faith

Thank you all for your support and prayers! I look forward to telling you what God has done through us and with us! May His name be praised and Jesus glorified!

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Crunch Time

There are about 52 hours left before we head to Cheyenne for our "little" mission adventure. So much to do and so little time! I have a feeling I will be getting less sleep than I have been... which means almost none.

I am glad that you all liked my picture frenzy. I will be silent on the blogging end for a few days so get used to looking at the pictures! I hope to have a bunch of them to upload when I return. Dawn has always wanted to see me as a clown... but maybe I am not ready for the WHOLE world to see that just yet.

To Do List:
* Letter to Parents
* Permission/ Medical Slips
* Vacuum
* Rip up caulking around bathtub and scrub so it can dry while we are gone
* Finish food shopping
* Meet with my financial planners
* Have one last prep meeting (tonight)

Alright, it does not look as bad on paper as it seemed in my brain.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Swahili lessons!

Ben, Stacey and I riding in the back of the little pickup truck with the Tanzanians! Hold on!

Samuel this winter


He LOVED sledding! He would giggle and laugh all the way down, even with snow flying in his face. Once we reached the bottom he would clap his hands and say, "Mo!" (More!)

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Pictures I have here...


Well, I brought three disks with me to work today in my quest to upload some pictures for the world to see. None of them work. I will definately have to use my dad's computer for this task!

Anyway, here is a picture of Timothy, myself and little Ginger puppy. This picture was taken the day we picked her up!

There, now all of you who do not know me, know what I look like!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

A glance into my world...

Last night we had a meeting at our house for our upcoming mission trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming for Cheyenne Frontier Days. Rodeos. Parades. Pancake Breakfast. We'll be there.

One of the mothers that stayed during the meeting has a 3 month old, Esther. The mother of another family that was represented there delivered this baby. Both mothers have 8 children.

This got me thinking. In 4 families represented we have 27 children. In many homeschool groups that is low! Factor my 10 children into that in 20 years and that ratio goes up!

I want my parents to be the ones that at their funeral it is said, "Survived by 5 children, 52 grandchildren, 85 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great grandchildren."

(If you are interested, I will be posting on our mission website, Worship Driven Missions, with details on the trip.)

I gave it a try...


One of my favorite pictures of the children in Africa... I have been home 6 months!

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Miracle

Yesterday a miracle was brought forth for all of us to see.

Sophie Linnae Amsler was born. Perfect. Tiny. Beautiful.

My mom was so cute as she retold her stories of being at the hospital with the laboring mom. It was fun to see my mom so giddy and excited. She has been on the delivery side many times and never there with a person in labor. I am the exact opposite. I have been with mom mom while she was in labor three times and never been on the laboring side! My day will come, I pray...

Praise God for the miracle of birth, life and mothers. What a wonderful Creator we have!

Monday, July 11, 2005

Of Knights and Fair Maidens

While touring the bookstore at the base of Mount Rushmore my brother and I discovered a little treasure. We did not purchase it, though, being too cheap. I discovered it online.

Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation
By George Washington at the age of 14 or 15

What ladies and gentlemen we would be if we followed these simple, proper rules! These are my favorite so far: (original spelling left unchanged)

3d Shew Nothing to your Friend that might affright him.

6th Sleep not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

12th Shake not the head, Feet, or Legs rowl not the Eys lift not one eyebrow higher than the other wry not the mouth, and bedew no mans face with your Spittle, by approaching too near him when you Speak.

13th Kil no Vermin as Fleas, lice ticks etc in the sight of Others, if you See any filth or thick Spittle put your foot Dexteriously upon it if it be upon the Cloths of your Companions, put it off privately, and if it be upon your own Cloths return Thanks to him who puts it off.

25th Superfluous Complements and all Affection of Ceremonie are to be avoided, yet where due they are not to be Neglected.

This is only 5 of 110! They are of great value and wonderful reminders! Read the whole book for yourself at: Colonial Williamsburg.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Momentary Trials and Glory Ahead

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
~Romans 8:17-18~

I do not know about you, but some days it is easier to see the mud on my shoe and not notice the wildflower field in front of me. I complain about the little things, the inconveniences and fuss when situations do not go my way. All the while I blind myself to the beauty of life around me.

It is true. We suffer. There is death. There is heartache. There is pain. Life gets hard some times. So do we sit there in the mud, whining about how dirty our shoe is? We can. No one can force us out of our pity party. We can remain there as long as we want.

Until we are face to face with Jesus Christ. Even then some choose to stay on the ground. As children of God, though, I think we must reconsider before we shove His offer of grace away. Are we His children? Then we are heirs of GOD and co-heirs with Christ. So, not only have we been rescued from darkness, but we have the inheritance of God. Then the verse puts in an "if". We are heirs IF we share in His suffering.

There is no access to glory without pain. YET, our pain is nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. Interesting. Not for us or to us... but in us. I do think we will be given glory and blessings in some form, but the most important glory is in us. This glory is manifested in a relationship with Jesus Christ and sharing in His suffering.

So, I guess I should consider that before throwing around a complaint or worrying about the future. Besides, my pain is nothing compared to what Jesus went through...

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Blessings to My Life Giver

Happy Birthday Mom! May you have many more wonderful years of laughter, joys and blessings! May you know God more deeply and more intimately in the years to come! I praise God for giving me a mother of character, patience, wisdom, godliness, energy and love. Your children are blessed and we arise and called you blessed!

For those of you that do not know my mother, here are some fun, fast (not as many as she is old or I would be here a while! Not that she is old, but I am not that creative today!) facts:

1. She was a track star in high school and could have proceeded to the Olympics.
2. She would pick a doughnut over a bagel.
3. She can be very silly sometimes.
4. She is addicted to taking pictures.
5. She is the youngest of four children.
6. She was named after two of the girls in Little Women : Amy Jo
7. She is an excellent wife.
8. and the best mother!

I love you, Mom!

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Safe Landing

My own bed felt so soft last night after sleeping in strange, hard beds for a week.

It is good to be home.

The president's look the same as they did the last time I saw them... Except I think the mountain has shrunk the last 14 years. Maybe I grew. Then again, the longer we were there they seemed to grow! The whole structure is fascinating and incredible!

Crazy Horse will be enormous! Mount Rushmore in its entirety will fit in the side of Carzy Horse's face and hair. Crazy Horse will be crazily large. The plans for the completed Crazy Horse are almost unbelievable. I cannot wait to see the progress in my lifetime. I seriously doubt the whole carving will be done in my lifetime...

Lastly, we traveled to Devil's Tower in Northern Wyoming. Utterly amazing, incredible, beautiful, unique and God-glorifying!!! I hate calling it Devil's Tower. I am going to sound like Anne Shirley now... it should be called "The Tower of God's Majesty". If EVER any of you have the opportunity to see it in person- DO!

After seeing so much of God's creation this week, I stand and say, "Praise Him!"