Winter to Summer!

Before heading to a land of sun and heat tomorrow, I thought I would share some photos of some ice sculptures we saw in Bethel, ME. It was fun. I'd never seen any before. It was fascinating to see all the details!












Hope you enjoyed them! I'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks.
J-ME

10 Days...

Lord willing, in 10 days, I will be flying to Orlando to meet all of the team I will be traveling with. In 11 days, I will be setting foot on a land that became part of my heart 9 years ago - Haiti. I am excited as I will be seeing a different part of the country and meeting new people, but I know some things will be the same. Poverty. Dust. Children yelling,"Blan! Blan!" ("White" or "Foreigner"). Dirt roads. Crowded vehicles. Mud and stick homes. A different language.

It probably doesn't sound too appealing to most of us. If I could, I would have every American high schooler take a trip to a third world county before graduating. It would be an eye-opening experience. Perhaps one that would help them realize how many blessings they have in the US.

Perhaps they would move beyond the generally held "me first" mentality and realize what an impact they could have on another life. Perhaps they would come to realize that it isn't material things than mean the most. Perhaps....

This is how you do your laundry where I went before - you go to the nearest river or steam, scrub your clothes, and then hang them to dry on cactus. It's hard to see, but the white is clothing hung over the cactus rows. Don't we take our washers and dryers for granted? Even clotheslines if that's what we use.

I wonder if I will see the same sight this time...

Out of Barrenness..... Hope

I never expected to have the opportunity before me, at least not right now. I am returning to Haiti in 3 weeks. I have been there twice before, flying into Port au Prince and then flying to Pignon. This time I will be going to northeast Haiti with His Hands for Haiti.
When I was first asked the end of December, I thought I wouldn't be able to go, but I made a list of all the reasons why I didn't think I could, and by this past Monday night, the Lord had cleared the way.... all except finances. I was not even listing that as a reason why because I have seen God provide in the past and I have no doubt that He will do it again.
The difference is that I need it in 2 weeks!

When I went before, one things really struck me. The hope that the Haitian Christians have. Their land is so poor. Their homes are sometimes only shacks They may not have enough food to eat or many clothes to wear. But, they have hope. Hope in Jesus and eternal life.

The picture above is a scrapbook page I made, with a photo of beautiful pink blossoms on a tree (hard to see since it is a photo of a photo) between 2 very poor homes. It spoke hope to me, and it was a lesson I brought home with me.

What is your hope in? Who is your hope in? My hope is in the Lord.

January Musings

Happy 2009. May you be blessed this year. When you think of being blessed, do you think of only good things coming your way? That would be nice, wouldn't it?

I will be teaching a ladies Bible study on James beginning this week.

As I was preparing for the first lesson, I thought, "I really don't have any trials in my life right now other than my mother and her health issues." Little did I know..... within days, I was being tested. Was it an attack of the enemy? Was it a physical/chemical imbalance/ emotional issue??? It doesn't really matter. The fact is, I was thrown into depression and tears. Frustrated with myself, I thought, "How can I be joyful when depressed????"

After visiting my doctor who has seen me for a couple of years, he said I am affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as other stressors in my life . I never would have believed it, but when I took a look at the symptoms, I had to agree. So, armed with God's Word and, as much as I hate to, with meds, I am now ready to face James!

Count it all joy. That's a hard one, isn't it? We want to ask, "Why? Why me? Why now?" But being a Christian doesn't give us an exemption from pain, suffering, trials, etc. If we didn't face challenges, our faith wouldn't grow. Our relationship with God wouldn't grow and change. We would remain baby Christians, having tantrums when faced with difficulties leading to anger and bitterness.

If we accept those challenges and trials, and allow God to develop patience and endurance in us, we will be better prepared to to face future difficulties. As a former pastor used to say, "It's good for your character!"

So, I hope you will be blessed as you face whatever this new year brings, by finding joy and growing in your walk with the Lord.

Although I have not felt like doing many of the things I generally enjoy, I have recently done some knitting and sewing. Check out my projects here: Stamp Stitch Scrap for JOY

Blessings 2 U ~ J-ME

What is Christmas?

I just heard this song tonight and thought I would share it with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyR0lwO-nXc

It puts Christmas into perspective....

May you be blessed.

Walking down Memory Lane

I thought I would post a link here to my other blog on the topic of paper dolls! I hope you will take a look and share your favorite childhood activity.

Blessings ~ J-ME

Voting - our right, our freedom

I am thankful that we have the right to vote in this country. We have had many freedoms. I wonder if because we take them for granted, we will be shocked when we begin to lose our freedom bit by bit.

Despite the thankfulness, I will be glad when tomorrow is over.... over the past few elections, I have not had complete trust and faith in any of the candidates. I know who I will vote for this time, even though I may not agree with all he represents. I will vote for what is right morally. How can I vote for someone who does not value human life? I don't understand how he can claim to be a Christian. How can I vote for someone who has attended and supported a racist church? Oh, yes, he has great speeches and great ideas, but that scares me. I see how easy it will be when the Antichrist comes and how people will be taken in by what sounds good rather than what is good and right.

I believe wholeheartedly that God is in control and that gives me peace. I know that He already knows who will be our next president. I also know that as God sent famines and other difficult times to the Israelites when they turned from Him. America is not exempt from chastisement. Perhaps this will be our time of "famine". I hope not. We already see spiritual famine throughout our land as morals drop lower and lower.... how far will we allow them to go?

One thing I just need to vent about as it has been going through my mind over and over. I hate how the media and many in our nation have been pointing fingers and blaming President Bush for all our economic woes..... have they forgotten September 11, 2001? Was that Bush's fault? Hardly. Our economy took a nosedive as a result of that dreadful day. And then in 2004, there was a change in Congress, so how can all the fault be laid at Bush's feet??

I have other thoughts that bother me: who is really funding one of our candidates? is there a connection between the events of 9-11 and contributions now? could it have been a ploy to make America more dependent upon foreign countries and products - forcing even more of our jobs overseas and causing Americans to lose jobs and become poorer (so they will be attracted to the Marxist theology that is being offered)?

Hmmmmmm...... just musing ......