Blessed today!
Got to spend time today with my best friend-my mom-just the 2 of us! Our 3 boys were gone, 2 of them are in Uruguay on a mission trip and the other one was out with some friends. We were able to go to lunch at a restaurant where the main food sold wasn't either steak or hamburgers. Olive Garden was our restaurant of choice and we got to go shopping afterwards. Our conversations without our boys are totally different. It wasn't about cars or guns or the next project we have to work on at home. It was kind of nice, but I am already really missing my boys!
A few blessings happened at church today...Always so good to see the people that I love and who I know love me! Love the big smiles and hugs I get from "my kids" when they first see me! Why can't they always be little and so adorable when they see me and their first reaction is to run into my arms with that big smile of theirs and tell me how much they have missed me even though they have seen me just the day before! Love it!
I had a dear, dear friend of my family come up to me and hand me $100. He said "I know you graduated from high school a while back, but I didn't get you a gift. I know you are about to leave and go back to Dallas so I wanted to give you this gift." He then placed $100 in my hard. What?! Who does that? So awesome and so blessed!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Where we find fullness of Joy...
I was reading a blog this morning by an amazing girl who is my age and is living in Ethiopia raising 12 girls as her own children! What I read was such a good reminder of how we should be serving Christ-with all that we have.
“I bend to sweep crumbs and I bend to wipe vomit and I bend to pick up little ones and wipe away tears. I bend over a big pot of stew and I bend to fold endless laundry and I bend over math books and spelling sentences and history quiz corrections. And at the end of these days I bend next to the bed and I ask only that I could bend more, bend lower. Because I serve a Savior who came to be a servant. He lived bent low. And bent down here is where I see His face. He lived, only to die. Could I? Die to self and just break open for love. This Savior, His one purpose to spend Himself on behalf of messy us. Will I spend myself on behalf of those in front of me? And people say, 'Don’t you get tired?' and yes, I do. But I’m face to face with Jesus in the dirt, and the more I bend the harder and better and fuller this life gets. And sure, we are tired, but oh we are happy. Because bent down low is where we find fullness of Joy. We have been so loved. The only thing we know to do with that love is give it away."
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Summer 2011...What God has been doing...
Why is it that the two times God has told me I would be moving my first reaction is complaining? After I get over the "I don't want to" and move it turns into the biggest blessing! First time obedience is something my parents were very strict on when I was growing up! Why would it be any different with my heavenly father? When called or told to do something-do it right away with a happy heart. I didn't want to move to Dallas last August and then in May I wasn't too excited about moving back to Longview.
Moving back to Longview in May I knew I would be coming back to this small town where I grew up and I would be taking 2 summer classes at the community college, but that's all I knew would be going on. Below is the journey I have been on since returning home for the summer:
May 15-Left Dallas, Back to Longview! I no longer have a room at my parent’s house. The moment I walked out and moved to Dallas in August my brother, Josh, claimed my room as his own. So this begins the battle of siblings-a 21 year old girl and an 18 year old boy -sharing a room. We both have our stuff in the room, but we switch off who gets to sleep on the bed and who gets the couch out in the game room. Our room is funny to me, but we make it work! We have the weight bench, Josh's guns on the gun rack on the wall, my books on the shelves, my paintings with zebra print on the walls, his gun cleaning tools on the desk, and both of our clothes in the closet. Sharing! Great way to share with your little brother!
May 25-I had been home for 10 days. Not too much going on. I got to spend time with all my kids that I use to take care of! They are all growing up so fast! I also realized how much faster of a pace Dallas has than Longview. Everyone here is so laid-back.
We were getting ready to leave and be on our way to North Carolina for a wedding (let me just say here that I love our family road trips. We never fly anywhere-always drive. Never a dull moment on these trips, especially when you have 2 brothers and parents like mine!) We were loading the last of the bags in the van when my mom's phone rang. News that wasn't good was what she heard from the other end. A cousin of ours had overdosed and was in the hospital getting their stomach pumped with charcoal. I was scared! Someone I loved very much was hurting so bad. Questions like--What if it was too late? What if they didn't make it?--began to run through my head. I am pleased to announce that God, the great physician, saved the day and my cousin is doing better. Scars are still on their wrists and ankles from the cutting that also took place along with the overdose. As I sat in the car for those 13 hours, my cousin is who I thought about and prayed for for most of the trip. I now wear a bracelet that says "To Write Love On Her Arms." This bracelet reminds me of what happened to my cousin and to pray! Pray for all the people who think cutting is a way out of their current situation. I am very strongly considering also getting LOVE tattooed on my wrist so I will always have that reminder with me.
In June a friend of mine was deployed. We grew up together and he was my best friend for quite some time. Lots of prayers have been sent up for his protection as he is overseas fighting for our freedom.
Also in June I was introduced to an awesome, awesome ministry! Their mission is "to reach out to teens and young women in a crisis pregnancy situation; to provide an alternative to abortion such as adoption or parenting; to develop better decision-making, life, and parenting skills; to further education; to build stronger belief and understanding of the family; to glorify God and share His word and answers for today’s world." I love getting to go and hang out with these awesome girls. I love hearing their stories and their plans. I was introduced by my friend Kara. These girls are so strong and so brave! I go there once a week for a few hours with Kara and we just hang out with the girls. We do crafts or just hangout and talk. This week I went alone and got to spend time with a girl who just placed her baby. As we sat there doing our craft of making rag dolls to be sent to babies who had already been placed in their forever home, I saw the name of her baby she had just placed the day before sitting on a pile of clothe for the dolls to be made. She asked me, "Will you make the rag doll for my baby for me?" With tears building up in my eyes I said, "Yes." That was all I could get to come out of my mouth. Then she sat there watching me. I had to get up a few times to go and wipe my eyes before the tears could be seen. As we sat there she told me about her baby, the color of her hair and eyes, what she looked like. There was Joy in this mothers eyes and she talked about the sweet baby who just the day before she was holding. Through this experience with these girls it has been placed on my heart that someday I too will be able open up my home to girls who need a place to go. My heart is for these girls who have placed their babies and have nowhere else to go. My dream is to have a place to stay for at least one girl at a time! I want to help them, so there will be a less likelihood of them repeating. Most of these girls have aged out of the foster system. And that is another thing...I would really like to adopt a girl who is about to age out of the foster system. NO ONE deserves to have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas or someone to call when they are having a bad day! Once kids age out of the system, that is usually what happens. If I can save at least one kid from this, I would count that as a success.
I have been through many storms this summer with friends! Our world is hurting! They need to be encouraged and loved on more than ever! We need to step up!
This is the verse I am praying for my friends and family who are going through so much right now:
I am about to move back to Dallas in 22 days and I will be finishing my Junior/Starting Senior year of college. I’m excited about this new journey. I have spent some time this summer with some SLP friends who work in a hospital here and I am learning so much! It brings me so much joy watching what they do knowing that one day I too will be able to help these sick people who are in the hospital. With Christ by my side I may be able to help a few people tell their family members “I love you” once again and help them regain confidence in their speech and ability to take care of themselves.
Well…This is what I have been doing this summer. I thank God for all of it! Even the hard times! “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Love you all
--Becky
Moving back to Longview in May I knew I would be coming back to this small town where I grew up and I would be taking 2 summer classes at the community college, but that's all I knew would be going on. Below is the journey I have been on since returning home for the summer:
May 15-Left Dallas, Back to Longview! I no longer have a room at my parent’s house. The moment I walked out and moved to Dallas in August my brother, Josh, claimed my room as his own. So this begins the battle of siblings-a 21 year old girl and an 18 year old boy -sharing a room. We both have our stuff in the room, but we switch off who gets to sleep on the bed and who gets the couch out in the game room. Our room is funny to me, but we make it work! We have the weight bench, Josh's guns on the gun rack on the wall, my books on the shelves, my paintings with zebra print on the walls, his gun cleaning tools on the desk, and both of our clothes in the closet. Sharing! Great way to share with your little brother!
May 25-I had been home for 10 days. Not too much going on. I got to spend time with all my kids that I use to take care of! They are all growing up so fast! I also realized how much faster of a pace Dallas has than Longview. Everyone here is so laid-back.
We were getting ready to leave and be on our way to North Carolina for a wedding (let me just say here that I love our family road trips. We never fly anywhere-always drive. Never a dull moment on these trips, especially when you have 2 brothers and parents like mine!) We were loading the last of the bags in the van when my mom's phone rang. News that wasn't good was what she heard from the other end. A cousin of ours had overdosed and was in the hospital getting their stomach pumped with charcoal. I was scared! Someone I loved very much was hurting so bad. Questions like--What if it was too late? What if they didn't make it?--began to run through my head. I am pleased to announce that God, the great physician, saved the day and my cousin is doing better. Scars are still on their wrists and ankles from the cutting that also took place along with the overdose. As I sat in the car for those 13 hours, my cousin is who I thought about and prayed for for most of the trip. I now wear a bracelet that says "To Write Love On Her Arms." This bracelet reminds me of what happened to my cousin and to pray! Pray for all the people who think cutting is a way out of their current situation. I am very strongly considering also getting LOVE tattooed on my wrist so I will always have that reminder with me.
In June a friend of mine was deployed. We grew up together and he was my best friend for quite some time. Lots of prayers have been sent up for his protection as he is overseas fighting for our freedom.
Also in June I was introduced to an awesome, awesome ministry! Their mission is "to reach out to teens and young women in a crisis pregnancy situation; to provide an alternative to abortion such as adoption or parenting; to develop better decision-making, life, and parenting skills; to further education; to build stronger belief and understanding of the family; to glorify God and share His word and answers for today’s world." I love getting to go and hang out with these awesome girls. I love hearing their stories and their plans. I was introduced by my friend Kara. These girls are so strong and so brave! I go there once a week for a few hours with Kara and we just hang out with the girls. We do crafts or just hangout and talk. This week I went alone and got to spend time with a girl who just placed her baby. As we sat there doing our craft of making rag dolls to be sent to babies who had already been placed in their forever home, I saw the name of her baby she had just placed the day before sitting on a pile of clothe for the dolls to be made. She asked me, "Will you make the rag doll for my baby for me?" With tears building up in my eyes I said, "Yes." That was all I could get to come out of my mouth. Then she sat there watching me. I had to get up a few times to go and wipe my eyes before the tears could be seen. As we sat there she told me about her baby, the color of her hair and eyes, what she looked like. There was Joy in this mothers eyes and she talked about the sweet baby who just the day before she was holding. Through this experience with these girls it has been placed on my heart that someday I too will be able open up my home to girls who need a place to go. My heart is for these girls who have placed their babies and have nowhere else to go. My dream is to have a place to stay for at least one girl at a time! I want to help them, so there will be a less likelihood of them repeating. Most of these girls have aged out of the foster system. And that is another thing...I would really like to adopt a girl who is about to age out of the foster system. NO ONE deserves to have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas or someone to call when they are having a bad day! Once kids age out of the system, that is usually what happens. If I can save at least one kid from this, I would count that as a success.
I have been through many storms this summer with friends! Our world is hurting! They need to be encouraged and loved on more than ever! We need to step up!
This is the verse I am praying for my friends and family who are going through so much right now:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10… “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I am about to move back to Dallas in 22 days and I will be finishing my Junior/Starting Senior year of college. I’m excited about this new journey. I have spent some time this summer with some SLP friends who work in a hospital here and I am learning so much! It brings me so much joy watching what they do knowing that one day I too will be able to help these sick people who are in the hospital. With Christ by my side I may be able to help a few people tell their family members “I love you” once again and help them regain confidence in their speech and ability to take care of themselves.
Well…This is what I have been doing this summer. I thank God for all of it! Even the hard times! “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Love you all
--Becky
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