priorities, grace, and the Philippines

So, I'm learning very quickly that "going to the nations" isn't all about  "changing the world", but often about "the world changing me".  And everyday, my Savior uses this place to change me, to break me, to stretch me, and to mold me just a little more.  And He did the same thing in the Philippines.

PRIORITIES

Being a parent means sacrificing my minutes, my hours, my days, and my life for my daughter.  I very rarely think of it as "sacrifice" because I absolutely love being a mommy to my sweet Emily.  And though I often wonder "why", I am honored that my Father entrusted me, for the time being, to do this as a single...  which often means... more sacrifice.

Other than following and obeying my Creator, being Emily's mommy is my priority.  This means being home early on school nights, so Emily can get 8 hours of sleep.  Staying in when I'd rather go out.  Taking her to the park when I'd rather stay in.  Putting down the computer to play another game of Candy Land. Getting up extra early to make that lunch I forgot to make the night before.  Choosing to fix her hair instead of mine... because we only have time to do one today.  So many small things, that I often overlook as sacrifice, and just naturally do them because I am her mommy and because I love her.

But in the Philippines, I was challenged and stretched a lot in this area.  We had 10 days.  10 days to learn as much as we could, to experience as much as possible, to serve as hard as we could.  I wanted to soak up every minute because I knew those minutes would be gone in a heartbeat.  I also wanted Emily to learn and experience as much as she could.  I desired for her to learn to serve so much, that I was focusing so much on what I wanted her to do rather than what she really needed.

Day 3...  I will never forget Day 3.  Day 3 reminded me that above everyone else...  even the hungry, and the poor, and the broken...  that I am first called to serve Emily.  And I spent most of Day 3, doing only that.

GRACE

Our Philippines trip was pretty laid back in the sense that Emily and I had many options to serve everyday and we could choose to serve wherever we felt lead, whenever we wanted, most of the time.  Our days were usually pretty full and we were able to serve at 3-4 places a day.

However, on day 3, we went to a school first thing in the morning and met the kindergarten class and taught them some songs, and made new friends.  It was a lot of fun and I was really encouraged and motivated by the experience, and was excited for the rest of the days plans.

I had several things in mind and a couple of them were going to be our only opportunity to serve at these places while we were there.  But by mid-morning, Emily was already fading.  The heat, the culture, and the busyness of the first 2 days was catching up, and she was beginning to meltdown.  We ended up missing EVERYTHING I had planned and even ended up going to one of the places and leaving immediately after because of meltdowns.  We spent most of the day in our room with ants and no AC.  The entire day consisted of meltdowns, tears, sweat and frustration on both her end and mine.


I showed her very little grace that day.  I felt like it was a wasted day.  I laid in bed that night, feeling defeated and feeling guilty because I did not respond to her with grace and mercy, but with frustration and irritability.  As I laid there, beating myself up, my Savior reminded me that yes, Emily deserves grace, and that "His grace is sufficient for me", too. 

I was overwhelmed by His grace.  He gave me grace.  He allowed me to receive His grace.  And showed me how to give His grace to Emily the rest of the trip.  I am grateful that I learned that lesson that night, or it would have been a really long, miserable trip.

She was my priority the rest of the trip, lots of grace was given, and lots of grace was received.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

feeding the hungry

houses at the refugee camp

jeepney

*Hoping to post more pics, soon.  Having a hard time uploading tonight...


But these pics...  they're a reminder.  A reminder that, even here, in China...  where we have to walk a lot, depend on public transportation, bag our own groceries, pay for our grocery bags, and squat to pee (even had to pay to squat to pee the other day!)... even here, we have it good.  Very, very good.

from the Philippines...

We are currently on a service trip in a city on the outskirts of Manila.  I was planning on waiting until we get back to China next week to post a summary of our trip.  But tonight, my heart is overflowing with joy, overwhelmed with compassion, and consumed with an urgency, a hurt for these people, and just a whole mix of emotions.  I eventually plan to sit down and sum up our days, but tonight I just feel compelled to share what's on my heart.

If you would have asked me to describe this place in 2 words on our first day, I would have said humid and impoverished.  If you asked me today (5 days later), I would say impoverished and joyous.  The poverty is so apparent, that it's impossible to ignore.  What gets me though is the huge, happy, joyous smiles on such a suffering community.  The smiles have drowned out the humidity, and I completely forget how sticky and stinky and nasty I feel until I look at my hair in the mirror.

What I love most about being here is how accepting the culture is.  They all smile, say hello, and want to be our friends.  And they speak English!  Very fluently.  The majority of them are very open to hearing about Jesus, and it's so great to be able to talk so freely about our hearts without worrying who's going to hear us and what code word we are supposed to use.  I feel like the kids at the children's home, and the street kids I see on the way to the school, and girls we go swimming with,....I feel like they are family.  Like I've known them my entire life.  I am so enamored by their acceptance and their joy.

When I look back at how we got here... to the Philippines... it's such a blur.  It all is really.  5 months ago, I hopped on a plane to China and now I'm here.  Wow.  Incredible, challenging, amazing, yet so incredibly blurry.  I heard about the Philippines trip fairly soon after we arrived in China and it instantly sounded like an opportunity that I shouldn't pass up.  It was nothing like China, though.  I didn't have this burning desire to go...  just this lingering "think about it".  As I began thinking about it, I began questioning my motives.  Why was I going?  I wasn't really sure.  I knew we would be working with orphans, which definitely drew me in.  But there was also the fact that it was the Philippines.  I mean, who wouldn't want to go to the Philippines?  And then there was the weather....  hmm...  below freezing temps or hot sunny days?  As I confessed that I wasn't sure my motives were right, the Lord instantly paved the way.  Other than humbling myself before Him, nothing on my part was done.  Amidst the blurriness, and the questioning, and the uncertainty, He brought us here, and I'm so glad He did.  I've learned so much already, and I have so much to share.  Yet my words can't do it or this or Him justice.  But I will share the highlights of what I've learned in such a short time. 

THE HUNGRY
The day after we arrived, we went on a feeding to a refugee camp to feed numerous people who had lost their homes in a storm (2 years ago, I think).  Most of these people don't have jobs because they live too far away from the city and don't have any means of transportation.  They were malnourished, dirty, yet smiling and thrilled to see us.  We were there only a short time.  But that short time, maybe an hour, changed my life forever.  The people you see on TV, who don't have food and drinking water, I met them that day.  The kids your mom told you about...  when you wouldn't eat all your dinner...  you know... "there are kids starving on the other side of the world and you are wasting your food".... I met them that day.  They are hungry and thirsty...  and they are real.  The pictures on TV give you a glimpse, but fade away shortly after.  The words from your mom... gone after dessert.  But that short hour...  though it was just a glimpse into their lives... the images, the reality of it...  will remain real. 

THE ORPHAN
The orphan children...  man, they have my heart.  Have me wrapped around their little fingers.  I knew they would.  They are fun and loving and full of life.  They go to school and play and eat and sing.  They laugh and run and jump.  And these children...  are actually very well taken care of.  They get to see a glimpse of Jesus everyday.  People care about them.  There are teams like ours here all the time.  But beneath those laughs, smiles, and bright eyes, is pain.  They are hurting children.  They pray often.  People pray with them often.  They ask me to pray that they will get a family soon.  They ask me to pray for a sponsor.  They are so young, but they are not clueless.  They know their lives are different.  They know they have a hope for something greater.  The faces you see on TV, the ones that need sponsors for just $40 a month... I saw them today.  They are real.

HOSANNA (The God Who Saves)

In the song "Hosanna" are these lyrics, lyrics I have sang repeatedly over the past several years.  I pray these lyrics, I sing these lyrics and I mean these lyrics.  But it isn't until now, as I sit here, and take it all in, and be still, and reflect on this life in the Philippines...  that I experience these lyrics:

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."  Matthew 25:40

One of my favorite pics so far

To be continued...

Harbin--- was it worth it?

Below freezing temperatures.  "Close-call" train ride.  Big Crowds.  Lots of Attention.  Was it worth it?


Before venturing north to Harbin, the land of ice and snow, I was warned to "be prepared".  It's very cold, it's not so easy to get around, and very little English is spoken.  I've also heard it's a "must-do" trip at least once. 


I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for 2 years and never went to the Grand Canyon...  a regret of mine.  So to Harbin we went, no regrets.


Before I proceed to tell you about our time in Harbin, I think our adventure to the train station is a story worth telling:  There were 5 of us embarking on this journey and with all of our luggage, we had to catch 2 taxis to the train station.  Melanie and Hannah were on their way, but Liz, Emily and I had a hard time stopping a taxi.  When we finally got one, the morning traffic was busy enough to slow us down... way down.  When we arrived, we had very, very, very little time until our train left.  And the Shenyang train station is not exactly simple to maneuver around with luggage and a child.  Stairs, and stairs, and more stairs.  We ran, we sprinted.  With luggage, and layers among layers, and asthma...  I was miserable.  We sprinted our last stretch, made it up our last flight of stairs and had approximately ONE MINUTE until our train left.  We were at car 15 and our tickets were for car 5.  The train guy told us to just hop on, so we jumped on car 15, they shut the doors, and the train began to move.  Whew!  We were on our train, though very out of breath and on the wrong car.  We just stood there until we were able to breathe again...  then began to proceed to car 5...  but...  we could only go so far until we discovered there was no longer an opening to our car.  So we were instructed to sit down until the next stop.  When the train stopped, we had to grab all our luggage again, get out of the train, and sprint again to car 5!  We were finally in our seats.  It was only 9:30 a.m....  and we still had the entire day ahead of us!  It took me the entire 4 hour train ride to recuperate from this adventure.  Emily, on the other hand, gained much adrenaline from the experience and was super excited about our day ahead!


Once we got to Harbin, we checked into our hotel, grabbed lunch and were off to explore.


Below are some of the highlights of our trip (I took some of the descriptions off the China Highlights website:  http://www.chinahighlights.com/harbin:)


CENTRAL STREET


Central Street (中央大街Zhōngyāngdàjiē) is a pedestrian-only cobblestone street more than a kilometer (about a mile) long lined with stores, restaurants, old architecture dating from the Russian era, and malls. Central Street was part of the original town built by the Russians about 110 years ago. It was first called Chinese Street. You’ll find some shops with Russian products, international restaurants, and two megamarkets, Walmart and the French Carrefour, that are located at the end of Central Street. The street is said to be the prettiest street in Harbin, and during the winter you can enjoy a dog sled or a horse sled ride. It is an easy shopping and dining highlight in the area.

Ice-sculptured Living Room:  Emily and I sitting on the couch



Emily and Hannah with their cotton candy!



yummy Russian restaurant

ST. SOPHIA ORTHODOX CHURCH

St.Sofia Orthodox Church is the largest Orthodox Church building in the Far East. It was built early in the 20th century, for the Russians and other Orthodox people living around Harbin. View Jewish Heritage in China. It is 53.3 meters (175 feet) tall, and it occupies an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres). The style of the building is Neo-Byzantine. The main structure is laid out in the shape of a cross with the main hall topped with a huge green tipped dome. There are smaller steeples, and the domes and steeples are topped with gold colored crosses. It looks like the church building at the Red Square in Moscow. It is beautiful to look at, and the interior is beautifully designed and decorated. It is one of Harbin’s most magnificent buildings.

*We actually did not schedule this on our itinerary and just happened to come across it.  We really would have liked to see the inside, but it was already closed for the day.


HAMAMAS KOFI HAUS

This was a cozy, western cafe.  The food was great, the atmosphere was cozy and relaxed, and the Christmas music was an added bonus.  And just in case you are interested...  it had a western toilet (probably one of the only ones in Harbin).

Suggestions:  Hawaiian Luau Chicken Burger, any of the smoothies, cheesecake!

DELICIOUS!

SIBERIAN TIGER PARK

Siberian Tiger Park covers an area of more than a million square meters (more than 250 acres) in an area just to the north of Sun Island Park across a branch of the Songhua River. It was set up as a place to breed and house Siberian tigers. The Siberian tiger is the largest of the big cats. The breeding program has been very successful, and there are now about 800 Siberian tigers (about 100 can be viewed) there along with other large cats like lions and pumas. This is amazing, since in it is estimated that there are only about 500 Siberian tigers left in the wild. Almost all of these wild ones are in Russia, and maybe 12 are in China. It is China's 2nd largest Siberian tiger park. The site includes a museum, breeding areas, and pens for the other large cats. It is amazing to see a group of striped golden tigers walk and run together. Visitors to the park can view a few score Siberian tigers that are on exhibit up close through fences, see other large cats such as Bengal tigers, lions, pumas and several other kinds, ride in vans or small buses into a field where they run and may chase the vehicle or hop on it, and help to feed the animals.


*After reading some of the reviews, I decided not to take Emily on the bus ride into the field, which is the only way to see the tigers, so Emily and I actually did not see them.  But there was plenty to keep us occupied while our friends were on their safari-like ride.   

 POLAR MUSEUM


In Harbin, you are able to experience the real life of the polar region. Harbin Polar land is the first theme park of polar land scenes in China. Inside the sea-blue elegant building of Pole Aquarium, you will find pure penguin family of South Polar, the most active polar bear brothers in China. There are also the wild arctic wolves introduced for the first time in Asia and the arctic fox brothers who can run on the running machine.
The most thrill is the exciting polar land animal show - the performance presented by sea lions.


*I would describe this place as a medium between an Aquarium and Sea World.  It was a lot of fun!  Pics aren't very clear...  but here's what I have:

Polar Bear

Arctic Foxes

Penguins

*We watched a white whale show and a sea lion show that were both incredible!  This was one of my favorite places.  I have some videos, but am having trouble uploading them.  =/






ICE AND SNOW WORLD


The Grand World of Ice and Snow was built at the bank of the Songhua River at the end of 1999. It's held every year. It gathers the elite of the ice and snow arts of the world. It combines the ice and snow with recreation. It mixes the new creative ideas, artistic presentation, mass participation and recreation. The scene is majestic. It's reputed as "the Ice and Snow Epic Picture". Since the holding of the Grand World of Ice and Snow, the sites change regularly.


*The theme this year was Disney!  Perfect for Emily (and I must admit, I was really excited also!). 

One of many Ice Castles

Emily getting read to go down a giant ice slide
(These were so fun!  This is where we spent most of our time.)

Disney Snow Sculpture
If you look closely you can see Donald Duck, Goofy, Micky, and Minnie

Tips that helped make this trip a success:


*Be well prepared and know what you want to do.  Thanks Liz for all your planning!
*We had a local contact.  Alice helped us book our hotel rooms, plan our itinerary, and hire a driver.

Thanks Alice!

*Hire a driver!  This trip would not have been much fun if we were standing and waiting in below freezing temps waiting for a taxi.

Emily and I with our taxi driver.  He was the sweetest man.

*Hot hands!  Liz had some hand and foot warmers that played a huge part in keeping our extremities from falling off.
*Wigwam socks- Thanks Evans!
*Great friends, great attitudes! :)

Hannah, Melanie, Me, Emily, and Liz

Added bonus:  Emily was FREE at all places!

Emily and her white tiger on the train ride home

The smile on her face says it all...  it was well worth it! :)

He Loves Us More

As a mom, I have this desire to control everything that happens in front of, around, and to my daughter.  I have this desire to protect her from all fears, and hurts, and pains.  And then I have the tendency to find myself wallowing in frustration because I just can't do it all all of the time.

For one thing, I am not always with her.  But even when I am, I really have no control. 

When Emily went to a friend's house a couple of months ago, I had no idea that the mother would leave the 2 five years-olds home alone to walk down the street to pick up her other child.  I had no idea that the 2 girls would get into the baking soda and make a large mess, upsetting the mother.  I had no idea the friend would accidentally lock her and Emily into the bathroom where they couldn't get out without help.  And I had no idea that just a few short hours would instill so much fear and insecurity in my sweet daughter.  I had no control.

When the kids at school ask her again and again why she doesn't have a daddy, and I see the discouragement in her eyes, I have no control.

When the crowds of Chinese people surround her to take just one more picture or stroke her hair just one more time, I can ask them not to (if that's what Emily wants), but really...I have no control.

We just got back from a fantastic 2 day trip (blog post coming soon).  It was a wonderful trip, but there was one incident in particular that motivated me to write this blog.  We had been walking for a while down a street called Center Street.  It was blocked off for pedestrians and had many beautiful ice and snow sculptures to look at, plus lots of shopping and restaurants.  Emily was filled with excitement and had been running from one ice sculpture to the next.  She couldn't wait to figure out what the next one was!  We were at the end of the street and getting ready to go into our last shop for the evening.  Emily began running toward the doors to the store, and there was a car...  Apparently this part of the street had not been blocked off.  As soon as I spotted the car, I shouted for her to stop, but she couldn't hear me with her hood on.  I continued shouting and ran after her to stop her.

Thankfully, she was physically fine and it didnt make for a big scene.  But it was enough to shake us.  As tears streamed down her face, I hugged her and squeezed her as tight as I could.  Everything in me wanted to break.  I was overwhelmed with emotion, but when Emily finally had the strength to talk, she whispered, "Are you mad at me, Mommy?", I knew I had to pull myself together for Emily.  I said, "No baby, I'm not mad at you.  You didn't know there were cars.  Mommy didn't know there were cars.  I'm just glad you're okay.  Mommy loves. you."  She asked me several times that night if I was mad at her.  She told me she was "sorry" nuemrous times.  My poor baby was so scared and frightened and everything in me wanted to erase that moment, but I had no control.

I woke up during the early morning that morning and glanced over at Emily sleeping in the hotel bed, and tears streamed down my face.  I was so glad she was okay.  Everything in me wanted to wake her up and squeeze her, and never let go.  I experienced this indescribable, overwhelming love that I have for my daughter.  It's almot a love that hurts.  I wondered, how is it possible to love someone THIS much?  And He...  my Jesus... whispered to my soul... "I love you more than that."

I can't possibly begin to explain or comprehend how much I love my daugther.  So to grasp that HE LOVES ME MORE, I can hardly fathom that.  But He does.  And He loves her more.  And the mother with the baking soda, He loves her more.  And the kids at school that do have daddies, He loves them more.  And the Chinese crowd with their cameras, He loves them more.  He loves you more.

I love David Crowder's words in his song "How He Loves Us".

52 things keeds need from a mom

I just happened to be invited to an Angela Thomas conference a few years ago, so I went, having no idea who this lady was.  Emily was about 2 and my goal at the time was just to survive motherhood another day, the best I knew how.  At the time, Angela Thomas was a single mother of 4 children and she had all the words I needed to hear...  everything from the encouraging to the not so easy to hear stuff.  Through Angela's books My Single Mom Life and Beautiful Offering, I have been extremely inspired in my life as a mother and as a person in general.  She has several other books, but these are the only ones I've had the privilege of reading so far.

I have recently began reading her newest book:  52 Things Kids Need From A Mom:  What Mothers Can Do to Make a Lifelong Difference.  I love the book because it's a super easy read (3 page chapters) and suggests very practical ways to pour into your children.  Some of these things I already do, and may just need to emphasize them more, and others, I've never really thought about.

Being the start of the New Year, I'm always looking for ways to grow and improve...  especially as a mom.  I want to share the 52 things Angela suggests with you, and I'd highly suggest reading the book, as she expands on each thing individually.  Enjoy!

KIDS NEED THEIR MOM TO...

1.  pray in secret with the door open
2.  never stop touching them
3.  hang hearts of love over their lives
4.  watch them go out of sight
5.  keep a date night with dad
6.  make them sit around the table...and linger
7.  let her yes be yes and her no be no
8.  be delayed, rerouted, and canceled with poise
9.  make them wait to take a bite
10.  take Christmas to people who have nothing
11.  miss a few things they do wrong
12.  put down the phone
13.  learn their unique love language
14.  occasionally be a supermom
15.  turn their beds down at night
16.  ride a roller coaster...for the first time
17.  talk to them like they are fascinating
18.  treat their friends like family
19.  cheer wildly from the stands
20   give grace-filled consequences
21.  be a passionate, alive, spiritual love of God
22.  to indulge their silly
23.  have a hallelujah party
24.  keep a family blog
25.  become physically and emotionally healthy
26.  become spiritually healthy
27.  believe they will not grunt forever
28.  make a big deal out of God
29.  keep her promise
30.  wait on them hand and food...when they are sick 
31.  tell them to buy another token and keep swinging
32.  pray them home and for the will of God
33.  be a "groovy" mom
34.  teach them how to know the voice of God
35.  believe in their strengths and speak life into their gifts
36.  make a home where grace lives
37.  throw down the "MOM Card"
38.  tell them what she'd do differently
39.  make a big deal out of grandparents and extended family
40.  teach them how to keep their money straight, in order, facing the same direction
41.  be patient about things like thumb-sucking and pacifiers
42.  let them make really dumb mistakes without condemnation
43.  introduce them to her friend named Jesus
44.  set the tone for the family
45.  teach them to genuinely respect all people, cultures, denominations, and creeds
46.  teach the boys how to love a wife
47.  teach the girls how to love a husband
48.  identify the characteristics of a fool and tell them what to do when they meet one
49.  train them to listen to her
50.  teach them not to be easily offended
51.  live as single moms with amazing lives
52.  teach them a gracious and generous hospitality

re-capping and wrapping-up 2011

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
                                                                                                            -Robert Frost

I remember being introduced to this quote in a British Lit. class my freshman year in college (well over 8 years ago!), and I remember instantly wanting just that... to experience the road less traveled.  But I had no idea what it really meant or what it really looked like.  I came across this quote again yesterday in a book I am currently reading, and I think this quote sums up 2011 for me quite well.

I can look back at New Year's Eve 2010 and just sit here in awe at how much has happened, how much has changed, how much the Lord has shaped me and stretched me, how much I've grown, and how this road I'm on...  has made all the difference.  I am forever changed by this road I'm on.  I see life through different lenses, sometimes clearer, sometimes rather blurry, but different all the less.


IN 2011...

• I went from my 2nd year of teaching (1st grade in Texas) to my 3rd year of teaching (Preschool and Kindergarten in China)
• We went from slow paced country life to fast paced city life
• I've been in Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, New York, a step away from Canada, and China
• I became a student again (learning a new language, culture, and way of life)
• I lived out of a suitcase for 6 weeks
• We've mastered "squatting". (this should totally be a class at orientation by the way...)
• Skype has become my new best friend and a means of survival
• I went from enjoying text messages to hating them (because they are all in Chinese and I can't read them)
• We've made tons of new friends, learned tons of new things, eaten tons of new foods, and experienced tons of new places
• I've said goodbye to my shorts and flip flops and hello to the current -13 degrees C.  (just in case you'd like to know, the day I moved away from Phoenix, AZ it was 122 degrees F)  talk about complete ends of the spectrum!
• Though the coldest has yet to come, we have learned to endure Eskimo life quite well.
• I've learned to cook a meal or 2.
• My niece, Charlie, celebrated her 2nd birthday!
• My sister, Sarah, graduated with her masters in nursing and is in the process of buying her first home!
• My sister, Amy, completed another year as a Mommy and another semester of school, and is one semester away from getting her teaching certificate!
• My mom and dad and grandma have become tech savvy so we can keep in touch.  So proud of them!  :)
• We said "see you later" to many great friends, supporters, and encouragers.

IN 2011, EMILY...

• joined a tumbling class

• completed preschool
• celebrated 5 years of life!

• was a flower girl in a wedding

• started Kindergarten

• learned to share her Mommy with 15 other 4-6 year olds on a daily basis
• joined a ballet class

RECENT EMILYISMS...

• since moving to China, Emily has obtained a few fears such as riding in elevators, locking the bathroom door (or any door), going to friend's houses
• she has also began to face her fears and is very proud of herself when she does
• Emily is determined to pick out her outfit, get dressed all by herself, and fix her own hair!  (I have learned I don't have to give a disclaimer every time...  you can usually tell when it's an Emily day!  :))
• she has adapted a "big words" vocabulary and loves to use big words (especially out of context) :) 
• some of her favorite words are:  actually, random, lame, cooperate, possibility
• some recent new phrases she has adapted are: "yes, your majesty", "aye, aye captain!", "no harm, no foul", "it's a possibility", and "you look hot, mom!" *she thinks "hot" means "cool".
• she truly believes every girl is a princess.

*What a year it has been!  When I started this blog it was New Year's Eve...  due to slow pic uploads, we have now entered 2012!  The year of the dragon...  should be a "lucky" year!


NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS:

• Do NOT eat off of Emily's plate!
• Have an attitude of gratitude:
• "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, and with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."   (Philippians 4:6)

                    ****HAPPY 2012!!!****