Happiness Today

Today there is happiness because...
the product of a long prepared Bible study has been delivered. The two leaders who could not have a study session without busting into a fit of giggles only laughed one time during the actual study. Ahem

The sky was bright blue today and the clouds were pure white with lovely fluffy edges. The weather was warm like a spring day ought to be, so we dined for lunch on the picnic tables. We smacked our lips while quite barbarically eating BBQ ribs with our fingers. It was an most unladly like meal, but oh my was it ever good. I only used 4 napkins.

A paper needed written and books should have been read, but instead I went gallivanting about the town with my roommate and found it to be a much better pastime. We chattered about silly things and than our voices were low and we talked about the serious matters of the heart. And I wondered how I could be so blessed with such kindred spirit of a roommate?

Later it was time to put on dresses with flowing skirts and satin fabric to make sure the attire fit just right for banquet. I must admit I never stopped liking to play dress up. When I was small child I firmly believed ordinary days could be made extraordinary by putting on a terribly out of style prom dress just to do my chores in.

Why do I write these words? Because tonight I feel unhappy at life for no good reason. This is why I sit down and recount the little things that God gave, just to make my day happy.

I think though the very best thing about today was the study of the life Peter. He was a man who failed awfully, Peter was a man who God used in His grace, God even used the failures for His glory, and it is this that encourages me.

What a Picture could not say...

The long anticipated wedding is over and no I do not have pictures because my silly camera is giving up the ghost. Pictures are very necessary and wonderful but they could not capture the small moments that were only noticed if you were looking the right way at the right moment.

The little nieces and nephews were of course without question the cutest members of the wedding party. Several times before the wedding they hurried away from their gleeful play frightened they were missing the wedding. They were reassured to see the bride still waiting and of course the little children were smart enough to know the wedding would not start without the bride.

There is photographic proof of the bridesmaids and bride clasping hands moments before the wedding in prayer together. You cannot hear the bride praying personally for each of her bridesmaids or you cannot feel the hands held tight in nervousness.

Pictures we are grateful are not scratch and sniff for if they were they might smell of salty potato chips and turkey sandwiches hastily eaten between photo shoots.

Speaking of food there was the bossy little sister who attempted to stuff some food down the groom's throat because of his lack of breakfast. Of course though little sisters are never listened too. I'm not sure who would even try to make them listen. Ahem.

It is rumored that because girls bathroom was overflowing with girls doing hair and make up the men's bathroom was made use of. I'm afraid I'm not denying anything. I will say the female members of the wedding party and bride were a bit late getting ready, but well if you hurry a girl getting ready nobody is going to be happy...

We have yet to know if all 34 members of our family managed to hold their eyes open during the group photo. However the photographer did manage to capture forever the faces of two screaming nieces.

Did pictures capture the tears that slipped out of the bridesmaids' eyes at the sight of the radiant bride? It is rumored the groom himself had tear filled eyes as he saw his bride approaching.

The wedding was beautiful, the music was beautiful, the bride was beautiful, the groom was well... not beautiful, but very handsome.

There is one picture I have in my possession. The picture you see is tradition, my brother's and I have taken to posing very seriously for the camera whenever together. However in this picture the groom could not manage a frown and I of course was just trying to look sweet and innocent.

I wonder...

if one week today if I will be crying my eyes out...

if my brother will stop smiling for even 30 seconds...

if the ring bears will behave themselves or will they shamefully steal the show...

how many times I wonder will the bridesmaids burst into simultaneous giggles...

if the photographer will get all 34 members of our family to look at the camera as well as preferably be smiling ...

what will it be like to stand, to witness... two people with undeniable love for each other, enter into the covenant of marriage in the sight of a Holy God...

because this is all I know is all that what will matter not matter what sort of incidents impose upon THE wedding day...

Less than 7 days and I can tell you what happened...

The People I Miss...

There is so much school to do, but I can't seem to think about Theology or mission projects simply because I'm going home in just 9 days. Which means I will see my family of whom I never stop missing.

I see many siblings together here at school and I admit unashamedly that I'm jealous when I see brothers and sisters together. Just because there is something about sharing a laugh with a sibling, the people whose blood flows of the same genetics. The people who will tease you mercilessly just because they love you. The people who grew up in the same environment as yourself, thus you can laugh and remember the good old days together. The people who you laugh with about things that seem utterly ridiculous to the outsiders, i.e. those not related to you,.

Who knows what will happen as we marry off our last brother, but it will be things that only our family will do, because some things in life only happen when there are combination of common genetics which create a recipe for organized havoc only created by siblings.

Memories of March 31st

10 years ago...

There was a glowing girl and a slightly nervous young man. They pledged their love in the presence of God.

My big brother got married 10 years a go today. And I was beyond excited to be at his wedding and perfectly thrilled to sit at the witness book. It was the very first wedding I could remember in our family. At my sisters weddings I had been too busy crying or sucking my thumb to be aware that I was being gifted with brother in laws.
I sat all by myself during my brother's wedding awed at the beautiful ceremony of marriage. I even found myself crying discovering a emotional side I did not know I had. Was this really my big brother getting married?

Just a few weeks earlier my mom had woken me up and whispered to me “Jon is going to propose today” and that made me quite pleased. I respected his girl and was elated to think of her being my sister. My brother’s marriage made me discover how wonderful a sister in law could be. We baked cookies together and went shopping now we visit about life and find a wonderful camaraderie. We are much closer in age than even my own sisters, so it was only natural for me to find a friend in her.

Earlier in the day of the wedding my cousin and I had persuaded the groom into supervising us while we went swimming in the motel pool. Later we repaid his kindness by slipping shaving cream under his door handles before he departed for his honeymoon. That’s what good little sisters do you know. But I have gone off subject. My brother just seemed too serious that morning and now He had reason to be. Marriage is a grave task and my brother knew so. I watched my brother as he pursued his future wife and than I watched their marriage. I saw the love and respect. I say him open the car door for her years after their honeymoon. I babysat my nieces often just so my brother could take his wife on a date. My brother and I only lived under the same roof a few short years, so its really not odd at all that I have learned more from him as a married man than as a single.

10 years later and 6 children later I think its pretty obvious that my brother still adores his wife a great deal. And this makes me smile...very big:)

To Utah and Back

I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to go, but I wanted to go. My brother said go. My pastor said go.. I still wanted to go, so I did. And I'm so very glad I did.

I wondered how the trip would impact me and to be honest I didn't see it coming, the wave of compassion for the lost and the encouragement of God's work

Classes got out and we were free from school 12 hours later and lots of laughs and snow later we arrived in Utah. In 4 short days, we saw a lot, enough to change our outlook on Utah.

There were the two very lovely Mormon missionary girls and oh they seemed so happy, but it was sickening to see how blinded they really were.

650 Gospels of John were passed out in a Mormon community of 20,000 homes. The pastor excitedly spoke of maybe getting 10 responses. The little tiny Bible church boasted of 40 people, the number of people is less than the number of Mormon churches in Salt Lake. The pastor praised the Lord for goodness and we listened and learned from his testimony.

We scrubbed dishes and wipped up dust. The guys shoveled snow and counted green gurillas and candy bars. Than we slid down the mountain and threw snowballs, well the boys threw snowballs at the girls. There seemed so much to do to get the little Bible camp ready for the summer and we had done so very little. Still they thanked us, said they were so very encouraged.

The lights were too dim and the plush arm chairs and carpet were hopelessly out of style. A mortuary seemed a depressing for church, but oh the life and spirit of the people who were the congregation. They exclaimed over our group of 9 tremendously boosting the number of attendance. Music, all they wanted was a piano player every Sunday, they begged us to stay.

Pastors spoke, telling of discouragements and disappointments, but they spoke even more of God's work and faithfulness, and we listened.

We ate lots of food too and watched too much basketball. Everything seemed to be something to laugh about. I say though even if without the food and basketball the trip still would have been the bomb. Although this is a female perspective not a male one. I think they would concur though.

We drove miles across WY to back to school, but we did not want to go back to school. Even Starbucks was not enough of a consolation prize.

Now we are back at school and people ask how the trip was and we all say, "amazing"! Because hearing testimonies of God's work and seeing God's work just is.

1,000 Gifts

Today is one of those days...I want to go home and curl up on the old overstuffed couch and forget that I ever had anything pressing to do. I cannot do that...I'm not sure that would be a good idea for me anyway, because you think you can run from problems...here is a secret...no matter how hard I try or how fast I run my problems will never leave me.

So...

I choose joy, I choose to let Someone else carry my problems and work them all out, because in His timing they will be smoothed out.

31. Twittering birds, singing with the joy of the spring time.
32. Warm sunshine that makes the puddles shrink and shrink.
33. Less than 5 weeks till I see my family.
34. Teaching Sunday school...why is it that the teacher has the very most fun and learns the most?
35. Carpet beneath my feet...it makes my bare feet very happy.
36. Getting well for one of the most amazing Roman's classes ever.
37. Friends who willingly fetch jugs of water and packages of salty crackers for my lowly sick self.
38. Going to another state and seeing something in it besides the dingy bus station and the airport.
39. My verse for this year...

[3] You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
[4] Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
(Isaiah 26:3-4 ESV)