New Friends!

 Okay, so some of you may be wondering if I have fallen off planet earth, but I haven't. :D I have been spending time with new friends of like precious faith. :) The story is this: I met this sweet, wonderful girl at a cafe a few weeks ago and we clicked instantly because of shared faith etc... So, last week we made plans to get together and spend time. Except, her church was having camp meetings. She invited me and I spent Friday and Saturday there meeting SO many wonderful young people. Then, Monday started off a few days of staying at Silver Falls for mostly the young people, the main purpose to be relaxing and having fun fellowship. So I went to that too until yesterday. :) :) I HAD A BLAST, PEOPLE!!!! :D It was such a joy to see young people that really are serving God and desiring to be all He wants them to be. The services at the family camp were so meaningful to me. One service especially touched my life in a powerful way. I had a major deliverance and have been so filled with joy and peace ever since. Added to that the sweet fellowship around God this week...AMAZING! :)
 So I have some pictures. I will start with last week, in which I spent a lot of between service time with a girl named Valentina with horses pastured next to the grounds.

These are the three beebeees!

This was the sweetest one :)

Valentina! :) <3

Ashlyn

Me :P

Beautiful Scenery!

My favoritest picture!!!

The End
( of last week :P )

Driving to the Falls
Gallina and Lily ( and Nelly, but she dove out of the pic )
Look at all the stuff packed in the back!

People arriving and setting up.
I'm on the girl's side, boy's side is straight across.
Some families stayed in the middle to the left.
( they hung curtains later on for privacy. )

( blurry ) view of some of the girl's side.
My bunk is second to last on the left.
Nellie is in the blue, Gallina is going down the stairs.

Anna and Aleah
( not related )

I don't know the kid in the orange's name.
Zach is the one in the hat.

Elli
( I heart this girl! She is German turned Canadian, but wears cowgirl boots :D )

Anna, William, Kristen

Emily
( Aleah's older sister )
( she looks scarily like I did at that age )

Liza and Lily

Nellie and Liza
( Idk the boy's name )

Driving to the falls to hike.
( sitting in the trunk of a 15 [ 20, lol ] passenger van )
( and singing at the top of our lungs :P )

Kara, Jessica, Me
( Kara is awesome! She signed all the family camp services for a visiting deaf boy! )

( Almost ) all of us.
50 plus people went on the hike and were staying at the falls.

Gabey - so adorable!
( you can't see them, but he has tons of cute freckles :D )

Starting the hike.
I am zoomed in to some of the line...but there is more than this!
We stretched out a looooong way :P

Olissia
( oldest sister to Liza and Lily )
( they are Russian and there are 13 in their family! )

Waiting to decide who is going on the long or short hike
( I went on the looong one - 5+ miles )

Isn't this little guy SO SO adorable?
His name is Nathan and he is the youngest of the Russian family.
The other guy you see is Donny - he isn't related.

Daria! She had her sweet sixteen the day before. :)

A veeeery random sock on the bushes.

Aren't these roots so cool?!

One of the falls, second one we passed.

Huge tree that fell and slid and splintered.
LOTS of force!

A snail one of the boys found.

Cool stairs

And the last falls that I photographed.
At this point it had been drizzling.
After this point, it POURED.
We were all more or less drenched.

Vanessa and ??
SO SO SUPER CUTE!!!!
Liza and Lily made the daisy crowns.
The blondie is the second youngest in their family.

Can it even get cuter than this??!!!

Having fun photographing the rain

LOVE this shot!!!!

Drying out by the fire pit

It was like this all around the railings!
Jeans, skirts, shirts, towels...
Sopping wet!

LOL...it got even more crowded than this.
Unfortunately, my shoes got too hot and the gel inside melted.
hahahaha...time for new tennis shoes!

Jackie....
I heart heart heart her!!!
We are kindred spirits :)
( what am I saying...almost everyone was a kindred spirit!! )

 And thus ends the end of my wonderful four days of fellowship. I knew no one much, having just met Yuliya as well, but it was like family right away. So thankful to the Lord for giving new friends that are walking in all the light of the gospel that they have. Looking forward to more good times and the meetings next year. :)

You Deliver Me

Deep as the ocean,

White as rain,

This powerful emotion

Lifts me up above the plain.

It's taken me to places

I never thought I'd go,

Showing me Your grace

I never thought I'd know.

When I feel like

I can't go on,

You deliver me. 

When the road is winding

Way too long

You deliver me.

You deliver me.

I feel like a sinner

Who's sins have been washed clean

An absolute beginner

Who's heart has never seen.

I must be forgiven 

For sometimes asking why

I was chosen to be given

You in this life...

When I feel like

I can't go on,

You deliver me.

When the road is winding

Way too long,

You deliver me.

You deliver me.

When there's a distance

Oh, between

What I am

And who I want to be...

You deliver!

When I feel like

I can't go on,

You deliver.

When the road is winding

Way too long,

You deliver.

You deliver me.

Alphabets & Organization

 Well, I am going to give in. I have been following a friend of mine's blog ( Positively Ducky ) and she links to a blog ( She Learns As She Goes ) that has this thing with doing resolutions and all that good stuff. I have been resisting the urge to be a " copy cat ", but after Karen from Positively Ducky's last post...I couldn't resist any longer. :P So, before I go through and do the alphabet thing, I will tell you a few of my summer resolutions I am going to try for:

1. Read everything I have in my ' Currently Reading ' list on Goodreads. I mean, really...some of it's been there a whole year. Okay, maybe even longer for one or two titles. That is really pathetic! :D

2. Start going through and reading the titles I have saved in my Goodreads ' To Read ' list.

3. Lose -- pounds. :D Sorry, no numbers for all the world to see. :D

4. Actually tackle my mending pile and conquer!

~

A: Available or Married?

Hmm...well, I am NOT married. As for being available...that depends. ;P

B: Book?

Not sure if this means a favorite or something you are currently reading. 

I have too many favorites, The Bible at the tippy-top of my list. :)

Currently reading: The Essential Homebirth Guide

( Research purposes only! )

C: Cake or Pie?

Pie. 

Unless it is cheesecake. ;)

Or ice cream cake.

:D

D: Drink of Choice:

Anything coffee :D

I also love tea, milk, and smoothies.

E: Essential Item?

Wow. This one is HARD! 

I'd say Bible, but that is kind of a given.

Internet? Cell phone? Food?

F: Favorite Color?

Pretty much any shade of blue.

G: Game to Watch/Play?

Umm...football? Idk! I never watch any games!

I love playing Uno. :D 

H: Hometown?

Salem, Oregon!

I: Indulgence?

Something with real sugar and gluten. ;P 

Chocolate makes a daily appearance, too.

My little bit of bliss. :)

J: Job?

Big sister to all the little kids at church :)

Moms' right hand girl-of-all-housework.

K: Kids & Names?

Well, when I get married someday, hubby might disagree, but...

I want a lot of kids! Probably five. At least. 

I have lots of favorite names...just can't remember them!

LOL!

L: Life is incomplete without...

God, people I love, and a lot of paper and ink!

Oh, and music. :)

M: Music Group/Singer?

I have LOTS of favorites!

Brunners, Isaacs, Selah, CBW...

Just to name a few.

Some are church groups.

N: Number of Siblings?

One, a sister :) <3

O: Oranges or Apples?

Depends on my mood and what we have on hand :D

P: Phobias/Fears?

One word:

SPIDERS!

Q: Quotes?

I have TONS of favorites.

A funny one is:

" Anything to stupid to be said is sung "

LOL!

R: Reason to Smile:

Oh, wouldn't you like to know! :P

S: Season?

Summer and Fall. Perfect blend of sun and rain between them. :)

T: Tattoos?

Um? NO-O!!

Couldn't they have thought of a better T question than THAT?!

lol

U: Unknown Fact?

What kind of unknown fact? LOL! 

Here's a little known fact:

One of the U.S. Presidents could write

WITH BOTH HANDS

at the same time

IN TWO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES!!!

W: Worst Habit?

Kind of a personal question people.

I'd say being lazy and not thinking before I speak.

:/

X: X-Rays?

Only at the dentist 

:) :) :)

Y: Your Favorite Food?

Wait...I thought we covered that already!

Except...I guess coffee and chocolate don't count as food.

Bummer.

:D

Shepherd's Pie, Pizza, Hamburgers, and Meatloaf...

Just to name a FEW.

:D

Z: Zodiac:

Watch out! Scorpio! Hehehe. We do have our good sides.

No, really, we do.

LOL!

THE END

( Next time won't you link to me? )

LOL

Did anybody get that?

I hope so!

:D

Possessing Your Land

 I went out this morning to finally get around to pulling some weeds in the back that had been taking over for quite some time. Funny, isn't it, how easy it is to ignore those small sprouts of green that pop up here and there. It doesn't look like anything of consequence, then suddenly, you have ten times as many growing twice as tall. They take over more territory every time you blink or turn your head.
 So, I began my plan of attack. The small edges weren't so bad. But the dirt was hard. The bigger clumps of overgrown grass and weeds left roots behind. I had a brainstorm! I watered them. ;) Yup, I did! But watering the ground softened it. The weeds and grass came out easier. Sure, I got messier. Wet soul clung to my hands. But my work was more profitable. :) An hour later, I had filled a five-gallon bucket. I had a crick in my back, and my legs ached. But I had conquered a plot of land. Mind you, it was a small plot. The overgrowth was rather thick. But I had possessed some of what was mine.
 Why the two-paragraph-long monologue of my task of pulling weeds? It gave me time to think. Actually, for a space of time, I had very little go through my head. That, I find, is a great accomplishment. It is hard to just empty your head of business and let it rest! However, that rest from business then leads to the opening of the mind to much deeper, more satisfying thoughts.
 Take all I said on weed-pulling, for instance. There is a greater meaning to be found in just that menial chore. Weeds grow in our lives just as well as our garden. They overtake, strangle, and hide what is underneath. Weeds in our life can be any number of things. Sin, mistakes, regret, doing to much, not doing enough. We overlook the little signs that something is wrong and they become bigger. Our hearts, our minds become hard, like the soil, and we don't pay attention to the dire need arising within us. Then, maybe a certain sermon or song or word from a complete stranger even, and the water softens the hardness. The changes can be messy sometimes, like the dampened soil, but the knowing that change has begun makes it more bearable and we set to work, possessing the land that was ours all along. God's all along. Isn't that so wonderful? Wonderful how God can use something so simple as tending the yard to bring about ponderings and parallels. What an awesome, great, amazing God He is! I love You, Lord! <3

We Fall Down

We fall down,

We lay our crowns,

At the feet of Jesus.

The greatness of mercy and love

At the feet of Jesus. 

~

 That is a powerful song. Short, but meaningful.  Falling down to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. However, in our day-to-day lives, sometimes we fall down in a completely different way. We fall down in the muck, the mire. We sell out to temptation and the many distractions available in the age we live in. It brings us shame, regret, sorrow. A temporary separation from the Lord's presence until we bow down and lay it all at His feet. Once again, there will be memories we'll have to try to forget, and scars that will need to heal. But you know what? Though no one wants to make mistakes, we all do at some time or another. Those that follow Christ experience the greatest redemption. When we ask and accept forgiveness from the throne of God, we are renewed like the eagle. We can soar higher and stronger then ever before because of the greatness of mercy and love. We can sing:

Holy, holy, holy,

We cry holy, holy, holy,

Holy, holy, holy 

Is the Lamb!

~

Isn't this little guy ( or gal! ) such a fluffy, chubby cutie-pie?!
SO ADORABLE!!!!
:D

For A Purpose

Words don't mean a thing,

Not if actions stay the same.

That is true and plain.

You must believe what you say,

Until it's how you act always.

Be true to who you are!

Be true to who you are,

Who God made you from the start.

Don't turn away

From the life He made just for you.

No one else can live it like you can.

Rest in the Potter's hand!

Be still.

Be still.

Be what you are made to be!

' Cause you are...

A child of God, created for this.

He made you with love,

There is nothing He didn't miss!

You are perfect, just the way you are.

Believe.

Believe.

With all your heart.

You were made for a purpose.

A child of God you are.