Summer 2011

As I get ready to fly out with my pup Ace in just a few hours to start a new adventure with CURE International in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, these are some memories from these past few months.... my summer of 2011.

It's waking up and running around Bear Creek Lake and down the railroad bed. It's eating PureFit bars and drinking Crystal Light Pure Fitness.

Twice a week it's taking a bunch of energetic kids in The Ark's summer swim program to the Valley Tennis and Swim Club, Frances Slocum State Park, or Hickory Run State Park for the afternoon. It's having jumping competitions off the diving board. It's playing football, baseball, basketball, frisbee, bocce ball, and other made-up games with them. It's catching minnows and little catfish. It's chatting with them and learning about their families, their schools, their friends. It's eating watermelon and ice pops and swinging on the swings. It's taking advantage of "teachable moments" and trying to instill good behavior and respect in them, trying to pass on things that I'm learning. It's talking about how forgiveness is better than revenge. It's learning to take care of the earth and not litter. It's learning to take charge and be firm. It's also learning to be understanding and encouraging.

Every morning it's going to the Learning Center and tutoring underprivileged kids who need to be kept off the streets during the summer. It's being extra sympathetic towards them, knowing they don't have it easy. It's also being extra firm with them, showing them the importance of obedience and respect. Sometimes it's hard to find that balance. It's trying to reverse the mindset that they tell me they grew up learning; that's a tough one to change. It's learning that being lazy won't bring fulfillment. It's practicing Spanish with the Hispanic children and teaching them English. I'm so thankful for Sister Miriam and all the people who are so devoted to teaching these precious kids who have never been taught the truth. It's thinking often of all of their beautiful faces and crying over the destruction caused by sin. It's praying for them. Over and over again, knowing that they were meant for so much more than this.

It's driving back up the mountain in the afternoon. It's taking the horses out for a long ride on the trail. It's getting all my focus on riding and off of everything else for a couple hours. It's running up to the lake with Ace. It's jumping in the lake and swimming. Swimming to cool off, swimming to chill out, swimming to practice proper strokes and build a faster pace. Swimming to spend time with and be coached by my sister Sarah. It's going to the island to pick jumbo blueberries and going to the dike on the edge of the lake to pick the overabundance of wild blueberries, because I don't want to miss out on one of summer's best gifts. It's playing with my nieces and nephs and younger siblings and watching them enjoy nature and being kids. It's playing ping pong and sitting around the camp fire. It's missing my sis Emily, but it's building better relationships with the rest of my family and realizing that this is the best for all of us. It's enjoying the company of our many family and friends who come to enjoy the lake with us, so grateful for this beautiful place for all of us to gather. It's really super duper appreciating facebook for allowing us all to share our pictures.

It's going the Spanish service at Pocono Community Church and being so blessed by Pastor Emilio and the whole Body there. It's reading stellar, thought-provoking books like Francine River's Mark of the Lion series, Donald Miller's A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Josh Harris's Boy Meets Girl, John Piper's Life As A Vapor, Roy Hession's The Calvary Road, Fenelon's The Seeking Heart, Francis Chan's The Forgotten God, and realizing that I need to become a faster reader because my list of books to read by the authors listed here and many more only continues to grow.

It's remembering the importance of being kinder that necessary, because everyone around us is fighting some kind of battle. It's continuing to learn that as a child of Christ, I am called to continually step outside of myself and my self-consciousness and seek to serve others. My time is not my own. My money is not my own. My possessions are not my own. They are all a gift to me from God and His purpose for giving them to me is so that I can bring His kingdom to earth, to be a part of His redeeming plan.

It's realizing that there is opportunity to help and be helped is everywhere we turn. Wherever we are. Opportunity is everywhere.

It's coming to the realization that although some moments and hours seem to take eternity to pass by, the whole summer passes by in the blink of an eye. I don't get how that works, but in realizing how time passes so quickly, I find that as much as I'm looking forward to following the Lord into this next chapter of life, it's really, really hard to see this summer end. But hey, the best is yet to come.

epic fail, redeemed. and other happenings, like birthdays!

Last weekend I watched a video that a friend of mine sent me called "Depraved Indifference." It is very powerful on so many levels; for so many reasons it compelled me to take the next day to fast. The more I prayed and sought the Lord that day, the more things kept coming to my mind to lift up to Him. The verse in Matthew chapter 4 was playing through my mind the whole day: "Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" The Lord is really doing great work in my life, and one of the things that I asked the Lord for was to give me difficult situations so that I could really learn patience and learn to trust, to fully trust in peace, because I know that is one of the areas in my life that I need to work on. Well, you know it's been said to be careful what you pray for.

The very next day started out not how I had planned at all- it was just a bad start and I didn't take it well. From there it only got worse because every chance I got to have patience, I blew it. It ended with my four younger siblings be out of control and driving me up a wall- just exactly when my parents went out to dinner with some friends and left me home with my four younger siblings (and my bro Jon who always tries to help, but in this case I wanted nothing). I was so frustrated and wanted to get out of the house, so I packed sandwiches and snacks for the kids and we went to the Bear Creek Lake for dinner. The evening started to take a turn for the better as the we ate and the kids climbed a big tree and swung on the swings. When I was reviewing my day and wondering why in the world I acted so badly and gave my younger siblings a bad example, God so clearly spoke to my heart "Isn't this what you asked for? Didn't you want this so you could rely on MY strength and have joy even in frustrating situations?" Oh. Right. How easily I forget! I became very thankful for this "bad" day because if God didn't give it to me, I would've failed to see how much I really need to have patience, that by my own strength I am capable of nothing fruitful.

Just as it was getting dark, I told Abby, Mariah, Katie, and Nathan that we should take Ace for a little walk before we go home. My intention was that this would be a time of confession to them and to share with them the lesson I learned that day. WELL, does God have a sense of humor or what- literally as soon as we started walking, we saw rain coming pouring down in the distance over the lake, slowing (so we thought) moving it's way towards us. It was an amazing view, and I thought that we were good to keep walking, thinking we'd only get sprinkled at the worst. Well, not thirty seconds later, the rain came pouring in buckets down over us, and during the 10 seconds it took us to run to the car, we were all thoroughly soaked and dripping. The little walk didn't turn out as planned, but it turned out even better because we were laughing so hard at this whole situation...

So after that, I had four (well five including Ace and six including myself) very wet but happy kids full of laughs.

After we got dry in our PJs we were able to sit in our warm family room and I had my confession time that was previously rained out. It ended so beautifully because I was able to encourage them to also have patience and seek what the Lord is desiring that we learn during "bad" days. One of my favorite little books that I have is about the power of love, and I ended reading to them the following quotes:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.

-1 Corinthians 13:4 NCV

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

-John 13:35

"Love is not in getting, but in giving....

It is goodness and honor and peace and pure living. Yes, love is that and it is the best thing in the world and the thing that lives the longest."

-Henry Van Dyke

"Love isn't a pretty feeling that floats around the world. It's tough and practical and active. Love is washing the kitchen floor over and over and over. It's scrubbing the toilet and doing the laundry. Love is taking out the garbage and cleaning the refrigerator. It's smiling when you're tired and finding reasons to laugh even when you're angry. Love is taking the dirty job, lightening the other's load, lending a hand.

Love goes out of its way to be kind. Love takes a stand. Love works hard and makes the world a better place."

"Love... puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies.

-1 Corinthians 13:4, 7-8 MSG

Now, to make that a reality when the hard times hit! Remember they don't come for no reason or by accident; God has a purpose in them. Don't forget to look for that purpose.

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In other news, today was the last day of Swim Pals summer camp! We had a great day at Francis Slocum State Park, playing bocce ball, swimming, playing freeze tag, marco polo, shooting down the water slides, boating, eating hot dogs, watermelon, and freeze pops. It was a great way to end camp, I just can't believe how fast summer went by, and I can't believe that I won't be seeing these fun kids until next summer! :( I was so blessed to be a part of this program. Please continue to pray for these awesome kids, that they would see their potential, that they would choose to be good examples and to lead well, that they would see how great the love the Father has for them.

I came home from camp to join my sister Katie's 11th birthday celebration!

l-r: Tristan, Hallie, Cole, friend Erin, Maya, (behind her) Jess, friend Katie, (in front of her) birthday girl Katie, (behind her) Mariah, and Will

It was a great afternoon of fun at the lake celebrating our creative, sweet Katie whom God has so generously blessed us with!

Other summer birthdays include:

My nephew Will who turned 8 on July 5th! The firstborn of my nieces and nephews... what a blessing he's been from day one! I am so blessed by his sincere spirit and the friendship he has with his little "uncle" Nathan :)

On August 9th my brother Andrew turned twenty-...... seven! Wow, you can tell we're all getting older now that I'm having a harder time keeping track of everyone's ages! I'm so grateful to have Anj as my brother- what a godly example of a husband, dad, brother, and good friend to have in my life, who also happens to share my same taste in almost everything including clothes and music, so that's just a huge perk on top of it all!

I have so many oldies but goodies of me and Anj... love you bro, you're the best!

Support Our RUN!

Check out these two races that I am running this Saturday with some of my friends in support of His Resting Place, a pro-life maternity home!

Today

There's not a cloud in the sky and it's a full moon. Jon and I just got back from a cookout at the Seelye's house. We of course had a rousing game of volleyball, my favorite. And I of course played with all my sounds effects as usual.

Today was different than my typical summer day for several reasons. One, because today is the first time I've been to the Seelye's all summer! Second, I had the day off from tutoring today because all of our students went to the Philadelphia Zoo for a field trip.
Third, Everyone who currently lives in my house was gone today. Jon was working on the property (even with his arm in cast and in a sling!), Mom and Abby are in Cape May, Mariah and Katie are at camp, and Dad and Nathan are Maine visiting a friend of my dad's from college.
So I took this free day and had my own little triathlon, only not really, because rather than running, swimming, and biking, I ran, swam, and rode my horse. Although I rode bareback and it was a killer leg workout (I need to get back into bareback more often!) I don't think it was quite the challenge of a bike :) It is, however, way more fun!!!

4.5 mile run around Bear Creek Lake then up and around our lake

Nice swim across the lake and of course a little swim with Hallie and Tristan afterwards :)

And a ride down the railroad bed...

I love summer in Bear Creek.

Christian Womanhood

"A woman in Christ knows her Bible, knows her theology of a sovereign God who makes promises, knows His promises to be with her no matter what."

This Moment.

Back in the Spring when I spent some time with my friend and mentor Kerry, we were talking about an aspect of her personality that comes naturally to her but doesn't seem to come naturally to most people. It so revolutionized my way of thinking (yes, three months later I still think about it on a daily basis, so I thought it was time I share), because I wasn't even aware that this was a struggle of mine until she brought it to my attention. Kerry's natural personality is to live in the moment. Always. Wherever she is, she is there, 100% focused on who and what is in front of her. For me, my mind many times wonders to different people and different places, times of the past, time of the future, places I'd rather be right now. In talking with her about this, how it's a trait I so admire and desire to obtain, she shared with me that there are two reasons that cause her focus to be taken away from the present, and in acknowledging these two causes, I've been able to see them in my own life and learn how to work them out of who I am.

First, when there is an idol in our life, anything that we are holding onto more closely than Christ, we are distracted from the place that He has us at this moment and we miss out on the blessing of what He's given us right now. I find that when I refuse to allow myself to be elsewhere in my mind, that is when I find abundant joy and fulfillment. As John Piper said so accurately, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." When I am satisfied in Him and Him alone, I can be anyplace with anyone and it won't make a difference- He will be receiving equal glory because I am equally satisfied in Him in every situation.

The second reason for not living fully in the moment is when there is an unconfessed sin of the past that is stealing our joy for the present. As I contemplated this, I realized that when there is a situation that has not been dealt with, it indeed steals my peace. Not until confession and forgiveness have taken place am once again to move on and continue in the path of peace.

I want to really know what it's like to live in the light. THAT takes a whole lot of humility that can only be obtained by His grace.

The first step in defeating sin is acknowledging its presence. I want to continue living in the joy of the moment, being quick to ask for forgiveness for my wrongdoings, and not ever holding any earthly thing more dear to me than Christ himself.