word travels fast.

a year?

2011-08-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

i seriously haven't updated since last october? i guess i have been really busy... i went back to school last september, and my life has kind of been a blur since then.
i feel like i should do a summary/update of everything that's happened in the last year, but that seems terribly silly and impossible and besides that, over the last year i've realized that im not as interesting as i once thought i was. that seems so dumb to type out, but it's true.

there have obviously been a few life shaping events this year, but the one that shook me deepest was the tornado that hit joplin mo (where my husband and i went to college, where some of our dearest friends live, and where we first called home after we were married) we were so blessed to be able to take a van load of supplies from our church community here in iowa to our friends in joplin who had set up shelters and supply centers in the days following the disaster.

on the way down i was worried that i would be too emotional to be helpful, but the immense loss was so overwhelming that i couldn't even process it, when we arrived in joplin, the devastation was still pretty raw- people were still receiving medical treatment after being pulled from rubble, rubble was still in the roads and blocking traffic, search and rescue teams were still digging through homes, boards were sticking out of buildings... raw. and overwhelming.

i was so humbled by the service happening in Joplin. i saw people who had lost everything passing donations to other people who had lost everything. when we first arrived we heard a story of two of our friends who survived the tornado by hanging onto the underneath of a jeep as the F5 passed over and leveled everything around them-- a few hours after we heard this story, we saw them working in an outreach center in the church we had attended together. They were directing volunteers who were there to help organize donations. it was so surreal.

every single person we talked to had a story and we were thankful to be there in the days immediately following the storm to relieve even a tiny bit of the burden. timmy and i were only able to spend 3 days working at different relief centers around the city we love, it doesn't seem like much, especially considering how much the people who actually LIVE in joplin are coping with on a day to day basis even now, but my time there changed me.

it was so unsettling and humbling to see all the places that had been so familiar as rubble-- our first apartment as a married couple, our favorite restaurants, wal-mart, so many homes, all of the beautiful trees uprooted... all of it was the culmination of one of my biggest fears, and although i was spared witnessing that destruction firsthand, some of my dearest loved ones found themselves in the midst of the aftermath forced to spring into action, others were so devastated they couldn't do anything but wait for help, others documented what was happening with photos and twitter, or made phone calls to check on people from their church or work... we heard so many stories... my heart broke over and over.

if there's anything i've learned this year, it's that im not much without Jesus. im selfish. i'm foolish. im fickle. i'm temporary. God is constant and im thankful for that every inconsistent day i'm alive.
it's been a great year.
love.

yay! fall!

2010-10-12T19:08:00.001-07:00

gotta love this time of year. i've had a cold for like three weeks.

...

i've been thinking about finding someplace to sell some knit wear in the area, but with starting school and everything, i just haven't had time to. however, the other day at school, one of the girls asked me if i could make headbands because the shop she works at wants to sell some!

so exciting!!!!

so, tonight i worked on a sample to show them... i couldn't find a pattern like i needed, but this is what i came up with:

i like it! i think its super cozy and really cute. i can't wait to try to make it a little thinner, and with some different colors, but i'm really happy with this one too! it has little strings in the back that tie, so it can adjust in size.

love

ombre!!!

2010-09-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

so, at zoe institute, we get to have free haircuts whenever, and one free color. so for my first color i requested ombre. i wouldn't have probably ever known what ombre was if it weren't for my dear friend taylor who put it up on her blog (see the "taylor does my hair" link on the side over there)

anyway, taylor even sent me instructions for exactly how to get it and so i finally convinced some classmates to do it for me today and i LOVE it! i've NEVER colored my hair before!!! (well, once from a box kit at walmart, but it was just a little darker than my normal hair color, so im not really counting it..) anyway. it was fun :)

love.

YAAAAAY!!!!

2010-09-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

i love cosmetology school. i wish i had done this a LOONNNNNG time ago! it's a lot of long days and im having to be really patient with myself, but it's so fun and i'm learning SO much every day. i love it. did i say i love it?

our loan totally worked out, which is awesome. and being in cosmetology school, i get free hair cuts whenever (hence the reason every girl in cosmetology school has shorty short hair, which i will not have. i'm keeping mine long. just in case you were wondering.) and we also get one free color, all the rest we have to pay for. i've already gotten my hair cut (just trimmed from how i had it before) and i've decided i want ombre hair for my first color

annnyway. class is 7:30 to 4pm monday to friday. but i love it. and i love the girls im in school with, everyone is so funny and outgoing. it's so fun.

.......

we had our first girls small group meeting last wednesday. we're gonna go through the gospel of Mark together. i'm so excited to get to know our high school girls a little more this year. they're a blast!

timmy is gone this weekend with our junior high students at a conference. i miss him. this is the first time i've had to opt out on one of these trips. it's hard for me to not be with the group. i know it will only be one year (for school) that i miss out on these trips, but it's so hard. i just like to be at everything :)

LOVE

hold your breath!!!! or dont... whatever...

2010-08-31T09:02:00.000-07:00

so im trying not to get my hopes up, in light of all last week's broken dreams, but its looking like i get to start school NEXT wednesday! (MULTIPLE YESSES!!!)

we're still not sure how exactly it's getting paid for, but the cosmetology school owner said, "ehhh, come on in!" not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's SOMEthing! and im going for it.

meanwhile... i got my dress fitted for sarah and antionio's wedding and it rocks. its so beautiful! (thanks, sarah!!!) and i get to ride down to houston with my friend alexis from college and her boyfriend. and before that i get to hang out with my momma for a day or so in fayetteville.

i think it's the perfect way to go back to school. just sayin. it's gonna be a weird year. not that it's ever not weird... nevermind...

love.

uhh change of plans?

2010-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

my excitement last week was met with an abrupt reality check by the weekend. timmy and i crunched numbers after we looked at the house friday morning, but we couldn't get the numbers to work out in favor of renting or buying the house we looked at and loved. it was so sad!

THEN

we went to the bank to get our loan worked out friday afternoon, and they said they wouldn't loan us money for school because of some new iowa law and also because the school is still in the accreditation process (because it just opened in may of this year.)

needless to say, it was bummer. we took naps and watched t.v. then went to the Keokuk vs Central Lee football game (im sooooo glad its football season! love it!) and had a 5th quarter party at a sponsor's house. it was relaxing and so nice to get my mind off these frustrations for a minute!

saturday morning we tried with the number crunching again... i want to go back to school so bad, but maybe this just isn't the right time? we'll see. we're talking to a friend who is a loan officer at another bank this coming wednesday and i'm going to talk to the school again tomorrow and hope that she'll just give me grace to pay as i go through school, even though im not totally sure how im going to do that. and if it doesn't work out, ill just work for a while and save up.

in the meantime... this coming weekend i'm going to texas for the wedding of my dear friends antonio and sarah. im so so happy for them and im so honored to be a bridesmaid in their wedding!

and H O P E F U L L Y i'll come home and start school the next day.

love

what a day!!!!

2010-08-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

so it all started this morning... or maybe it really started last night, i drank a ton of tea and it kept me awake into the wee hours of the morning. so this morning when timmy left for work, i fell back asleep (i have no job, hence, nothing to really get up for right away.) when i woke up (around 10am) it was to the maintenance man in our bathroom fixing our toilet. i didn't have my contacts in, so i couldn't see past my hand, but i was pretty sure it wasn't timmy banging around in our bathroom cabinets.

i peeked out from under my blanket, because let's just say, i "wasn't decent" and he looked right at me and said, "do you know where this towel bar is?" (one of the towel bars in our bathroom is broken) i just shook my head "no" and pulled the covers over my head. it was really. REALLY. R E A L L Y awkward. then he left. then i bolted the deadbolt.

the day got more exciting when timmy came home for lunch. we had tuna sandwiches. that's our new lunch thing. then he left for work and i went to put in my application at cosmetology school in fort madison. i wasn't stoked when i timed the drive and it added up to aprox 35 minutes just to get there, but i figured it was just what i had to do. so i got there, toured the building, ignoring how it was kind of gross, paid my $50 application fee and walked back to my car through all the smoking cosmetology students in the alley.

on the 35 minute drive back to keokuk, i remembered that someone is buying all of java river's coffee stuff and i should see if they need some help (i need a part time job, and school doesn't start til october.) when i got there, the new coffee shop owner was setting things up. she regretfully informed me that they won't be opening til october (when i'll be in school) and she asked what i'd be doing. "cosmetology," i told her. and she was like, "you KNOW we have a cosmetology school here, dont you?" and i did know... but it's brand new and that made me nervous. but after i toured that school (which was very clean and pretty) and talked with their instructor (who also teaches zumba in the gym there) i was kind of sold on it.

i got my $50 back from the OTHER cosmetology school, and tomorrow ill be discussing finances with this pretty school (zoe institute) in my own town.

AND

i'll be saving $5,000 by going to this school

AND

i'll only have to drive aprox 8 minutes to and from school instead of 35.

win win win

And we're looking at a house on Friday.

my life is always chaos. great exciting chaos.

love.

as surely as the sun will rise...

2010-08-24T00:07:00.001-07:00

so much has been going on! the coffee shop i've been working at closed down the day before yesterday. im a little sad about that, but on the bright side it's really encouraged me to go back to school for real. so i've been getting applications out and debating about whether or not to work while im in school.

timmy and i also found a house we're really interested in. we get to talk with the owners on friday, and im really hoping that will work out! our apartment is so super nice, but we're just ready to be into a house! it will be so much better for hosting students and having our families over when they come to visit.

i love when school starts back up. there is so much excitement and newness in the air.

love.

cornerstone festival

2010-07-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

i wish i was there. i just wanna play at it one time. maybe more than one time. at least one time. ive had fun looking at everyone's pictures there this week. and i'll be saving my pennies to go next year, so if the "preforming there" thing falls through, at least i can attend. timmy even tried to get a deal from some guy (two tickets for $100) but the guy never emailed him back (saaaad face).

anyway. life is good. it goes on. i had a great week here in keokuk, even if every once in a while i was a little sad about missing ol' c stone.

love.

throw another iron in the fire

2010-05-26T20:23:00.001-07:00

im so excited about summer time.

this summer especially.

i've felt like God has been leading me to start a ministry to teenage girls in keokuk, and i think the timing is finally right on it. we're at least trying it this summer. i can't wait. lots of support for it, now its time to just build on the excitement of it and start meeting together. the idea is nothing new, i felt like such a dork explaining it to the women who were interested in helping because it is so basic. basically, we'd be trying to bring girls to mentors through weekly (bi weekly?) meetings created around the ideas of community, bible study and mentoring. so basic. so exciting.

this coming week i get to go to missouri/arkansas for some weddings, some family time and a little reTREAT before we try this girls ministry thang.

the book of ephesians has been coming to my heart and mind and refreshing my soul so much recently. on my last trip home, i visited my home youth group (Christian life cathedral) for their college age service. it was so encouraging and the Lord just completely restored me through ephesians 6 (put on the full armor of God). i walked out of the building and into a rain storm, CLC looks over fayetteville/springdale and it was just an awesome sight to see the lightning and rain clouds hovering over NWA. one of my most vivid memories includes the CLC parking lot in the pouring rain, but under much sadder circumstances, i remember standing by my car, getting drenched, getting broken up with, feeling completely helpless and even deserted by the Lord (i only felt that way, of course, he hadn't abandoned me)... but a few weeks ago, i stood under a storm in the same parking lot feeling totally lifted and empowered by His spirit.

our God is an awesome God.

love.

yesh.

2010-03-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

so i got to go visit joplin and arkansas last month. it was fabulous. in my last blog i talked about how i cut my own bangs, but in arkansas my friend taylor gave me a real haircut. in a few blogs ago i talked about my pastor being in haiti, he came back to the states safely and in joplin we saw him receive the ozark Christian college outstanding alumni award (i'd kind of equate that with a life time achievement award). our trip was so good, we got to catch up with so many people we miss and i got to shop with my momma and she also bought me a TON of new yarn from her super fancy yarn shop... which brings me to my next point, i made a new blog.

for anyone who knows me, a new blog is really nothing new for me. i think i've used every social networking dodad since aol 2.0

my latest venture is that im learning to knit and sew, so my new blog is dedicated to that.

http://thecraftystoner.tumblr.com/

TaHDAH!

i also changed my twitter name to thecraftystoner. its got a nice ring to it.

love.

up for air.

2010-02-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

i think too much. in the name of relaxation, sleep, showing love to people and not driving my husband crazy, im attempting to stop thinking so much (at least for a little while...)

why would i wanna stop thinking so much?

1. i have tension headaches all the time.

2. i wake up in the middle of the night almost every night.

3. i have almost zero stress in my life right now, yet feel stressed out a LOT.

day one.

im watching the olympics, reading maria's blog*, and debating what to knit tonight.

no more pity parties, just enjoying the snowy iowa days. soon enough the sun will come out and i won't have to try so hard to be light, but until then, a vanilla coke sounds good. also, i cut my bangs the other night out of boredom. i can't wait for spring time...

love.

*http://www.adelaideshomesewn.blogspot.com/

peace

2010-02-08T23:38:00.000-08:00

i miss my family. and i love keokuk.

it's been snowing all day. for me, snow just equals rest. when i was really young, i remember laying on the floor by the window and watching each snowflake land and then blend into the snow on the ground. it's still kind of mystifying to me, if i could i would watch it all day. i just love it.

i've felt so much peace lately. so much rest. its not that things have slowed down, we're still busy and things are just about to get busier, but its more that i'm focusing on just loving God and loving people and that has allowed my brain to be about a million times more clear and focused on whatever else comes up. its so good. God is so good.

love.

haiti 4

2010-01-18T12:56:00.001-08:00

a few days ago, the coast guard took supplies to the campus at Christianville. they said that since they had water and food they would come back for them, but first go to look for people with urgent need to leave. yesterday, one guy from the team and two women took a flight back to the states and this morning, our prayer chain email sent this out:

Good morning prayer partners,

Thank you for your continued prayers for Brother Bill and the crew at Christianville. The latest news is that they went to the Port-au-Prince airport this morning. Presumably they will have to wait an unspecified amount of time before they can catch a flight to the states. If you have seen on television, the situation at the airport in Port-au-Prince is described as chaotic.

The missionary plane that was supposed to fly into Haiti today and return with five passengers was canceled. So, as we understand it, Bill and the five others with him - including Stuart Kelly - are waiting at the airport until a space on a flight becomes available.

Of course, there are no commercial flights into or out of Port-au-Prince for now.

We ask that you would continue to pray for Bill and the others. Pray that they would remain healthy and safe. Pray that they will be able to catch a flight and safely return to the states in the next couple of days. Pray that Brother Bill will be back in Keokuk before next Sunday.

Thank you for your continued prayers and concerns for the situation in Haiti in general and for your continued prayers for Brother Bill and the other members of their group in particular.

Thank you for your generosity in sharing with the mission at Christianville. Our special offering yesterday resulted in over $4800 to be sent to the Christianville mission.

God bless you.

Your sister in Christ, Tina

just found out via facebook that bill is on a plane and should be back in the states around 4:30.

i'm so glad!

haiti 3

2010-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

an article from the Daily Gate City, Keokuk's newspaper.

Heart break

2 Tri-State Area men volunteering in Haiti among earthquake survivors

By Cindy Iutzi/Gate City Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, January 14, 2010 2:45 PM CST

A two-week mission trip to Christianville, Haiti, has turned into a grim, heartbreaking struggle for two Tri-State Area residents.

Stuart Kelly of Hamilton, Ill., and Bill Hauser of Keokuk flew to Haiti Tuesday morning as part of a mission team to conduct a conference for the native preachers there.

Hauser is pastor at New Testament Christian Church in Keokuk. Kelly is a long- time member of the Ferris Christian Church in Ferris, Ill.

Christianville is a Christian mission in Gressier, Haiti, located about 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The earthquake’s epicenter was halfway between the capital and Christianville.

Kelly and Hauser had been inside the Christianville orphanage about 10 minutes Tuesday before the 7.0 earthquake leveled the building, along with most of the structures in the area, according to Bill’s wife, Connie. Any buildings partially standing are not safe to occupy.

During a three-minute phone call at 5:30 a.m. today, Bill told Connie the orphanage housed 28 children.

“They have only been able to find two,” she said. “He didn’t say whether they were alive or dead.”

The phone call this morning is the first time Connie had heard Bill’s voice since the quake hit.

“He reassured me that everyone on the mission team is fine,” Connie said, relief evident in her voice. “There’s not a scratch on them. They’re sleeping outside because none of the buildings are safe. He said they’ve delivered four babies.”

Stuart’s wife, Barbara, is a veteran of Christianville missions and understands her husband’s strong ties to the Christian mission in Haiti. Stuart is a Christianville board member and has been making mission trips to Haiti for 25 years.

“One of the wives told me that they are safe, but that all of Christianville is destroyed,” Barbara said. “Even the clinic. They have dragged out some luggage to see what they have and what they need. I just hope they can find their passports.

“Their biggest concern is with the limited supply of drinking water.”

Christianville furnished drinking water for Haitians in a 20-mile radius before the earthquake. Now, the mission team is trying to repair an emergency generator – Stuart had brought parts for the generator with him on this trip – and must then see if there is enough infrastructure to carry the electricity, Barbara said.

Purifying water by boiling is not a good option.

“Firewood is as scarce as food,” she said.

Food supplies are always a concern in Haiti, so the mission team had brought food with them and may have to depend on that.

“They have eggs and they can butcher pigs, but they have to find a way to cook them,” Barbara said.

However, the U.S. State Department has contacted the folks at Christianville to let them know the department is aware of their presence in Haiti.

“They told them to stay put,” Barbara said. “They said they’d get them out when they can.”

Tuesday’s earthquake caused hillsides and mountainsides to crumble, covering the road to Christianville with boulders and rubble, making the route impassable.

While the mission team worries about day-to-day survival, water and food supplies, another worry involves a mission team that entered Haiti shortly before the quake.

“A team of four Americans coming into Haiti were on the tarmac and went into the airport terminal before the earthquake,” Barbara said. “We haven’t heard anything from them or about them. We don’t know if they’re living.”

This was Bill Hauser’s third trip to Haiti, Connie said.

Bill told her this morning that he’s not sure they’ll be home next Thursday, the scheduled day of their return. The airport at Port-au-Prince is being used to get people and supplies in, not people out, he said.

Bill and Connie’s daughter, Jenny Samuels of Sellersburg, Ind., is home with her mother. She has been in touch with her father by way of instant messaging and has shared information with friends and family via e-mail:

“Dad said that everyone is still ok ... just horrible devastation. He also said that if they could leave they would because they are becoming part of the problem. The problem is that they are eating and drinking food which is needed for real doctors, nurses and the Haitian people ... He said it is like they are playing doctor and not really knowing how to meet the needs of people medically.”

The team planned to try and move rubble from the medical clinic today and find medical supplies.

Clinics at Christianville see up to 130 patients a day and give free care to Christianville employees, missionaries, school children and poor from the area, according to the Web site.

In an e-mail Wednesday, Hauser told his daughter that there were 200 people at Christianville:

“Doctors and nurses worked all night. I was in charge of watching the gate to keep people from coming in. This morning (we’re) looking at damage control. I don’t know if you saw the pictures online, but it really is that bad.

“Pray ... We still have water. Food. But pray that people don’t panic and come and do stupid things ... We are cleaning, and preparing and trying to put this place together. Please pray for the next five days ... We are still having aftershocks. The main one was 7.3. Wow.

“Please call the church and pray for Haiti for our medical staff. They are wonderful.”

The main support for Christianville comes from non-denominational churches, mostly Christian Church/Church of Christ churches in the United States, according to the Christianville Web site.

haiti 2

2010-01-14T17:20:00.000-08:00

our pastor's wife connie is keeping us updated pretty regularly, the must have gotten communications figured out a little better at the orphanage bill is at. here are a couple of updates she sent out today...

just talked breifly with Billy again:

They are out of medical supplies so there isn't much left that they can really do to help.
They have seen more relief planes and coast guard. They have sent some people out to try to get some of those supplies.
The Americans are staying in or very close to Christianville to stay together.
They have dug down to the break in the water line. They believe they can fix the line. Then they will have to flush the lines but after that they will have clean water supply again - as long as the generators have enough fuel to run.
He says they still have plenty of food. The first day they were there they planned on feeding the Elderly people later in their trip. So they went out and bought $300 worth of rice and beans to start preparing for the meal.
They are still have a lot of rough aftershocks. They are trying to stay out of crushed buildings as much as possible, but have gone into a few to try to gather any more supplies they can.

Please continue to pray for clean water and fuel for them. Thank you!

text from Billy in Haiti: the water line is fixed, they have clean water again, there is a chopper bringing in more food to them, all Americans are still healthy

billy is another member of the team that our pastor is on in haiti. they are at an orphanage called Christianville, to see more about that, go to http://www.christianvillehaiti.org/

Christianville is an orphanage with housing, a pharmacy and a clinic for the community. everything was destroyed in the earth quake. it will take $500,000 (estimated) to rebuild.

love.

haiti

2010-01-13T15:57:00.000-08:00

our pastor, bill hauser, went with a team to haiti on monday, they were planning to do a preaching convention and help at an orphanage and im not sure what else they were planning to do. tuesday evening, an earthquake hit haiti, the epicenter of the earthquake is located between the orphanage bro.bill's team went to work with and port-au-prince. obviously this changed the focus of their trip. his daughter, jenny, gave a brief interview and shared this conversation she had with her dad (via yahoo messenger) with the local news. i just saw it on tv. here's the article they had on their website:

Bro. Bill Hauser (above) is leading a mission trip that is now helping relief efforts in Haiti. Hauser was able to get in touch with his daughter via the Internet Tuesday.

KEOKUK, Ia. (WGEM) -- What was to be a mission trip in Haiti for a group of tri-states residents has become what one of the men's daughter says is, "the worst thing he's ever seen," following a 7.0 earthquake that's rocked the island nation.

"This is one of the worst things he's ever experienced," Jenny Samuels, daughter of Brother Bill Hauser, said. "He's seen a lot of bad, but this is one of the worst. But God put him there for a reason."

Brother Bill Hauser, Pastor at Keokuk's New Testament Christian Church for over 35 years, and four other men left Monday from Miami for a mission trip at Christianville, a mission located in Gressier, Haiti, 15 miles from Port Au Prince.

Following the earthquake, the 61-year-old Hauser communicated with his daughter for a short time Tuesday via Yahoo! Instant Messenger. Jenny Samuels shared the transcript from the conversation with WGEM News.

"Doctors and Nurses worked all night. I was in charge of watching the gate to keep people from coming in. This morning looking at damage control. I don't know if you saw the pictures online but it is really that bad," Bill Hauser wrote online.

Tonight on WGEM News at 10, Mike Colombo will speak with a small prayer group to get an inside look at a few of the tri-states residents now involved in helping clean up after this tragic earthquake.

You can read the conversation between Bill Hauser and Jenny Samuels below, in its exact form. "twobuckeyesinhaiti" is Bill Hauser. "Me" is Jenny Samuels.

twobuckeyesinhaiti : good and i AM SO EXCITED TO BE WITH SOME WOWNDERFUL CHRISTIANS i ve been trying to get to Mom. O Listen Jenny. I need you since I can't get Mom. have her call my sister and let her know that we are alright. Call the rest of our family and let them know that people were trapped. We delivered a baby lst night, A baby died. A young student was brought in and left for dead. There were two hundred people at Christian Ville. Doctors and Nurses worked all night. I was in charge of watching the gate to keep people from coming in. This morning looking at damage control. I don't know if you saw the pictures online but it is really that bad.

Me: mom is trying to contact you she is so upset

twobuckeyesinhaiti : good Me: how can she? through phone?

twobuckeyesinhaiti : Hope you are doing fine. Thanks for praying. But pray for them all It is the worst thing I have ever experienced.... See More

twobuckeyesinhaiti : I am fine. Been up all night;. God is so good

Me: we are praying for strength for you what can we do? mom is trying to get online to talk to you at the school

twobuckeyesinhaiti : Pray. Andsend money. JUst kidding. But do pray. Doug's father has made the contacts to send help to us; We still have water. Food. But pray that people don't panic and come and do stupid things

Me: what are your plans for today

twobuckeyesinhaiti : one of the orphanages that we went to is completely destroyed. We are so upset. Please let 'Becky know that

Me: the orphanages that was completely destroyed what happened to the people and where will they go

twobuckeyesinhaiti : Bob is O.K.. We are cleaning, and preparing and trying to put this place together. Please pray for the next five days. We hope to be able to fly out, but we don't know yet. I can't stay on this much longer others need to communicate with their loved ones. Please know that I love you

Me: are you going to leave early...to come home to the states

twobuckeyesinhaiti : We don't know about the Orphange we know that it was completely destroyed and we haven't been able to check on the children. It is so shocking and I am not making sense. Jenny I do not know if the airport is open.; They will get others out first. We are not going to do the preachers conference, but will feed lots of people, and help some families get put back together. The answer is No about early. I have to wait from day to day. We are still having aftershocks. The main one was 7.3 Wow....Jenny I have to go now. Tell Mom I love here and miss her. Please call the church and pray for Haiti For our medical staff They are wonderful.

Me: we are praying and we love you...be JESUS to the people of Haiti

twobuckeyesinhaiti : Bye honey. Did don call lMoom yesterday?

The following is a text sent between the two Wednesday morning:

Me: mom tried to send you a text but it did not work...should she try again

twobuckeyesinhaiti : Love you, love youl,l love you. Thank God for His saving Grace... Yes, I do get scared. But He is still there. As long as we have internet we willl try to stay in touch. Bye

http://www.wgem.com/global/story.asp?s=11816258

we are praying that the Lord would be able to use bill and the team he is with while they are there during this crazy time and that they will come home safely. we're not sure when they'll be able to come back, they were supposed to be back monday, i think, but there are something like 40thousand US citizens in haiti, and there aren't very many flights leaving at this time. i heard on the news that there might be two flights leaving tomorrow, but each flight will only carry 100 people (who will most likely be the ones needing medical care quickly).

anyway, it's crazy. bill loves haiti though, he goes there like every year to help and teach and serve.

love.

O N E T H i N G

2010-01-10T23:08:00.001-08:00

a couple weeks ago, my friend ashton and i sat down to talk about breaking free (a book about Christian life by beth moore) and it was a chapter about God's peace and how we experience that by abiding in Him, staying deliberately connected to Him as our source of peace. beth talked about "peace like a river" and how a river isn't always calm, but it's always moving, it's always being fed by something, sometimes it's shallow, sometimes it's rapids, sometimes it's waterfalls over cliffs, but it's always moving towards the ocean. it was such a perfect image of our walk with Jesus, i thought about it a lot.

a few days after that, i couldn't sleep. so i decided to listen to a sermon by clint thomas, he was the youth pastor where i went to youth group in high school, he and his wife had a huge impact on my walk with Jesus. anyway, his talk was about having an intimate relationship with Jesus, where i give him my heart, and then he has it, so i draw near to Him, spend time with him, become like him. it was really encouraging.

that weekend i was getting my sunday school lesson together for the high school class. i opened up my curriculum and it was called "let your life be consumed by one thing." it was about a Jewish man, simeon, and how he waited his whole life to see the messiah, Jesus (the Holy spirit revealed to him that he would see the messiah in his lifetime) and then one morning the Spirit led him into the Jewish temple and mary handed him her baby and simeon held the messiah in his arms, it's in luke 2. and i thought about how devout simeon had been, and how long he waited, and how he was patient and trusting.

that day in church, i had my bible open to the text brother bill was preaching over (something in philippians). i have a "devotional bible" so every so often, a page or half page will have a short essay from someone about seeking God or living a Christian life. i looked at the devotional on the page opposite from bill's sermon text and the title was, "one-thing people." i laughed out loud, i was just like, "should i be paying attention to this? maybe i'm missing something... maybe im missing just one thing..."

a few days later, i was getting ready for a small group study led by donnie smith, a mentor and friend from church. this study was also called, "this one thing i do." this lesson focused on the apostle paul's words, "brothers i do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but this one thing i do; forgetting what lies behind and pressing on toward what lies ahead, i press onward for the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ." philippians 3.13-14

about the time i got done with my study of philippians, i was like, "okay, lord, seriously. what's going on?"

and basically, here's what he showed me...

i've been trying really hard to make things work since we've moved here to iowa. i've been trying really hard to hold things together and be organized and make a plan for my life and set goals. essentially, i've been trying to be some one im not. i'm really disorganized. i've never made a plan for anything in my whole life. and any goals i've ever set usually come and go before i even start working towards them. and i have so much peace just admitting that, even if it's only to myself.

donnie and i talked about this the other day. she shared a lot of wisdom with me, but what spoke to me the most was that i need to accept that this is how God made me. i'm fine. and God doesn't want me wrestling with some unattainable standard i set for myself, he wants me to rest with Him and be who he created me to be. i can have peace with myself because i have peace with Jesus.

now, i still want to strive for discipline, routine and responsibility (i cringe even just typing that) but before i even open my planner, i want to be turning my thoughts to the lord, seeking his kingdom first and waiting to see what happens next.

love.

all you need is love

2009-12-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

this is one of those times i feel like im back at square one, spiritually. it's not bad though. it's kind of comforting. to look out of a pit (to borrow a beth moore analogy) and see my savior reaching over to pull me out is a relief. being back in the pit has not been so cool, but knowing im on the way out is awesome.

i love you Jesus. i need you Jesus.

love.

an update!!!

2009-12-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

i haven't updated this thing in FOREVER!!! the last time i updated, i think it was around the time that i quit my job and then was promptly re-hired after someone quit. my hours have increased quite a bit and things have progressively gotten busier with youth group, therefore, no updates. my bad.

this week i had pretty much the whole week off work! my job (coffee shop barista) isn't hard. but it wears me out to be on my feet all day and waiting on customers. i come home kinda spent. maybe thats what every job is like though...

anyway. i've gotten to take some pretty good breaks lately. thanksgiving was wonderful,

here's our delicious snack table.

really good cupcakes! from bliss in fayetteville. so good.

my bday cake, i forgot which bakery it came from. it was cranberry and lemon and it had candied orange to put on top. it was great!

my dad gave timmy and me some mandolin lessons after thanksgiving dinner. it was wonderful. and hard to play!

then almost as soon as we got home to iowa, i went back to arkansas to surprise my mom for (what i understand to be) her first art show. she's been knitting since she was six, and i never leave a visit from home without some new goodie that she's knit for me. i have drawers full of her knitting.

any time i tell people im wearing something she made they say, "she MADE that?!" she creates some of the most amazing things ive ever seen. she orders yarn from all over the world. someone asked her to participate in an art show during the first thursday art walk in fayetteville. i was never so sad to live so far away! then, my work schedule cleared, and my dad said he'd help me pay for gas, and my friend lindsay said i could stay at her house, and my mimi said i could freshen up at her house and i was able to drive down and surprise my momma! she was really surprised! and her show went so great! i was so excited and thankful to be able to see it first hand!

this is a close up of a blanket she made. it's incredible. she gave one to timmy and me as a wedding gift, and it looks like the klimt painting, "the kiss" in real life.

these fingerless gloves, my mom sold out of them and took several orders for more pairs. it was so exciting!

it was a great visit. i got to spend some time with my mom and dad, and my mimi. we had a wonderful time together. but i missed my timmy and i was so glad to get home. during our short time between thanksgiving and my trip to ark, timmy and i put up our Christmas tree. it was so nice to get home with him and relax. im so excited about Christmas!

love.

go forward! move ahead!

2009-10-30T18:22:00.001-07:00

im trying real hard to set and achieve goals. like, really hard. overcoming laziness is hard. finding motivation is hard. sometimes i just get discouraged. i look too far ahead and think, "that's what i want." then i can't figure out how to get there. instead im trying real hard to think of what i might want to do, and then see where that leads, you know, taking it a step at a time instead of picking some random point in time and trying to work backwards from there...

here's to baby steps.

love.

what's my temprature?

2009-10-14T19:26:00.001-07:00

i got sick during church sunday. i just got so tired... and my head was pouuuunding.
then on monday, timmy got sick too.
so, we had a sick day together. it was crappy being sick, but kind of great being together.
we took turns getting food and medicine for each other.

love.

frankie says relax.

2009-10-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

since the school year started, life has been insane. things have been going well, we've taken a couple trips with students, cheered on some games and started youth groups and small groups for the year.

i'm still working at the coffee shop and helping with the youth group. i was thinking about going back to school, but i've decided to put it off until at least january to be sure it's what i want to do. i'm really really indecisive, and school is really expensive, so i'd like to make sure im going to spend my time and money on something i really want.

being in limbo about plans is never fun, but i'm trying to enjoy my limited responsibilities and maximize any free time i have. timmy and i only have limited time together each day, maximizing that time has become very important to me as well.

i've been reading "breaking free" by beth moore and "forgotten God" by francis chan. both are really enlightening. i've tried to read breaking free a couple times before, but this time im going through it with someone else, so it's making me get through it this time. forgotten God, i've only gotten into a little bit, but it's so good. francis chan is a very good communicator, very good at helping people look around, i think.

my heart has been aching lately for friends i'd love to be with. one is peter in taiwan who was in a scary accident a couple weeks ago, i've been reading his blog almost every day and just praying that he will have a full recovery (i'll link his blog at the bottom of the post, if you'd like to read about his incredible situation.) another dear friend, jassen, has a little daughter who passed away and my heart just breaks for him, i just pray that he will know that God is near to him in his trouble. a couple we know from occ and also keokuk just moved to azerbaijan for peace corps, i really feel for them as they have moved so far from their homes and are starting such an exciting new journey-- lots of emotion. i'll link their blog and also another friend kristin who also joined peace corps.

in a couple of weeks i get to visit my cousin and my dear friend in kentucky. i can't wait for this trip! it will be a quick visit, but i am really looking forward to it!

i also re-arranged our living room. it seemed really important to liven it up a little bit before winter comes. if last winter is any kind of indicator, the winters are tough up here, and so i'm trying to get a head start on things.

anyway. life is good. and its time for me to get a hair cut.

love.

peter in taiwan

http://prayingforpeter.blogspot.com/

derek and alicia in azerbaijan

http://johnsonsinazerbaijan.blogspot.com/

kristin in cambodia

http://kristinroseincambodia.blogspot.com/

constant

2009-09-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

my first year at occ, my friend rachel and i would hang out every night on the green couch on dennis 1st, drink chai tea and talk about our days then pray for each other. it rocked. i'm not sure how this came up, or what prompted it, but one day rachel just was really moved by the fact that God is the only thing constant in our lives.

after that, whenever one of us was having a rough day or whatever, we would remind each other that God is the only constant.

lately i've been reminded of that. and i kind of just wanted to write it on here to remind myself again. everything is going to change always, except for God. he will be the same always.

love.

keep asking keep seeking keep knocking

2009-08-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

timmy bought new curriculum for our sunday school classes and it rocks. it's by andy stanley (FAVORITE!) and it's really simple and really deep. i love it.

i was finishing up my lesson saturday night and thinking about how i could personalize it and grabbed my journal from 2005-2007. a lot happened over those years. the Lord did a deep work on my heart over that time. in that note book, there is a journal entry and prayer for almost every day from 2005 to 2007.

our lesson this sunday was about prayer, specifically being persistent in prayer. in luke 11, the disciples asked about how they should pray and Jesus told them a prayer similar to the one he tells them during the sermon on the mount in matt6, then he tells them a parable about a guy going to a friend's house to get bread in the middle of the night after the whole family has gone to bed.

the lesson talked about what motivated the man who got the bread. he didn't get it for his friend because he loved him, in that moment, he got up and got him the bread because his friend wouldn't stop knocking.

i thought about how God answers prayers; yes, no, wait. i thought about what i pray about. then i thought about what i have prayed persistently for... and i thought about the answers of those persistent prayers.

i was persistent in prayer, but people were overtaken by their illnesses and passed away, countries still starved, i was still uncertain. however there are other times, i was persistent and i saw people released from demonic oppression, i saw people over come addiction, i saw Christians work together, i saw people come to Christ, i heard about people's miraculous healing, i had confirmation that i was doing what i was supposed to be doing. and a lot of things, i'm still praying about and still waiting to see what He'll say.

so i was getting ready for sunday school... and i was flipping through 2005 to 2007 and i was looking at my prayers; some were flippant, some were desperate, some were persistent- but i realized that God's love and God's attitude about me was the same in spite of the inconsistency on those pages. i realized that no matter how He answered my prayers, He was drawing me closer to Him through every situation. and i saw how the persistent way i prayed was what brought me closer to Him. the things i was persistent about were the things He used to shape me. as andy stanley says, "the reward of prayer is the relationship with God." and i absolutely agree.

i like looking at that journal not only to see how God was answering my prayers, but to see how i grew in character and in my trust of Him.

im really humbled that my persistence about a person or a situation can move the heart of God. i believe that our prayers can do that because i've seen our prayers do that.

i remember praying (every tuesday, every thursday) together in joplin for things we weren't sure we would see; revival, deliverance, salvation, unity and then we were so blessed to see those things take shape. we saw shadows of God's movement all over our city. we saw so many things we never thought we would see, because we were persistent in prayer. i was encouraged to be persistent.

i hope i never stop asking. i hope i never stop seeking. i hope i never stop knocking.

love.

King of glory, have Your glory.

2009-08-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Your face outshines the brightest sun

Jesus, You're glorious, You are so glorious

With eyes that blaze like burning fire

Jesus, You're glorious, You are so glorious

King of Glory, have Your glory

Your voice like rushing waters sounds

Jesus, You're powerful, You are so powerful

And in Your hands You hold the stars

Jesus, You're powerful, You are so powerful

have your glory, God

we come to you tonight contrite in heart just to say