Romans 14:10-13

This morning I read Romans 14, and I've been reading in an altrenate version because, at least for me, so often I read the verses that I've heard so many times, and they just plain don't say anything to me. But, if I read them in a different version, I can hear them again...So this really spoke to me. It's Romans 14:10-13 from the Weymouth New Testament...

"But you, why do you find fault with your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon your brother? We shall all stand before God to be judged; for it is written, "As I live,' says the Lord, 'to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall make confession to God." So we see that every one of us will give account of himself to God. Therefore let us no longer judge one another; but, instead of that, you should come to this judgment--that we must not put a stumbling-block in our brother's path, nor anything to trip him up."

This is such a hard thing for me, because i'm so quick to judge others, especially my siblings. But...I'm working on it.

The flip flop he spotted

This is what I hear from Ben as he wanders around talking to no one in particular... "There is a flip flop under the wardrobe, and I can’t get it. Can you help me? Its way, way, far under there. Its about two miles. I can’t reach it. It’s way right there. Oh, there’s some peat moss right there, there’s some peat moss…"
Then I see he is playing with a dust bunny…funny that he called it “peat moss”!

Our New Fridge!

The fridge came today...and it can be described in two words, BIG and BLACK. So big! And it makes our kitchen darker...But it is nice to have a big one! French doors on top for the fridge, and a drawer underneath for the freezer. A nice change from a 32 year old, cramped, side-by-side!

Dry, Dry, Dry!

That’s it. SOOO dry. And then…yesterday we got a sprinkle and all the plants woke up and turned green. Last night, After everyone was soundly asleep, the show began! The rain fell down…Now, probably around 12 hours later, our rain gage reports 6 1/2 inches of rain fall! Talk about torrents, we’ve seen ‘em! Especially since our backyard is part of the flood water run off for the two yards above us… We had a river going on…
Hopefully the ground will be able to soak up some of this and it won’t all run away!
OK...so its not dry anymore! Its thoroughly soggy!

Family here from Texas!

My cousin Mikela is here from Texas with her three year old little boy, Jack, and also my aunt from Florida. Its great. They are staying with my grandma in Anderson and came over here Monday and today. Ben and Jack are having a great time together! Especially since they have a big common interest: CARS!!! They both love to play cars, so the two have had some good play time together!

Mexico

I just realized how much I've not said about my trip to Mexico...So here's the thing. I'm leaving the 21st of July and getting back on the 30th. I am going with Bethany, Hannah, and Mr. Reeves. We'll be staying the weekend with a family down there, then we'll probably be able to help out at an orphanage for two days, then we'll have the COMMIT conference. It'll be great!

Ben's best friend

We've been telling Ben that he's gonna love David and that David is gonna be his best friend when he grows up, etc. Well, now we know he's programed well.
Today, we went to the DMV to get a picture ID for me, so that I'll have one to take to Mexico...Well, I stood in front of the blue background and they took my picture, then Ben went over there and stood in front of it...yah, the bottom of it is at his eye level...:)
The lady says, "What are you...about two?"
Ben says yes.
She says "Well, you come back in about 13 years and I'll take your picture."
Then she sees that Ben is pushing David in the stroller. She asks him if that is his baby brother or sister...
Ben looks at her and says, "He...He...he...he's my best fwiend."

-- -- --

Suzanna is playing on the floor with Ben, David and our cousin's little 3 year old, Jack. At one point I hear this...
Suzanna says kindly, "David, can you not play with that? why don't you go over there..."
Ben interjects protectively, "Ya'll be careful with my best fwiend."

My ticket is ordered!

Today the Reeves ordered 4 airline tickets. They leave from Atlanta, Georgia at 12:10 pm on Friday, July 21st. After changing planes in Houston, I'll be getting to Mexico at 3:51! Imagine my excitement! I, personally, don't know if I'll be able to contain myself. Recently, (like this month) I have twice been so excited that I could only bounce up and down and be excited. Once, I was so excited that I couldn't even trust my voice. When I find myself actually IN Mexico, I don't know what I'll be like! I SO cannot wait!

A Definite YES!

On Mexico, I AM going! Mr. Reeves is going to take Bethany, Hannah and me. Its gonna be so great, I totally can't wait!
Praise the Lord!

How many people does it take to open an Apple Juice bottle?

Ben asked for some Apple Juice, but the old one was empty so I went and got a new jar, but I cou;d not get it open for anything. I tried using my bare hands, I tried a towel, another towel, it wouldn't work.
"What should I do, Ben?"
"Um, I think you should get a knife."
"Why a knife?"
"Because you can't open it because the little things have to break, and you need a knife."
"No, I don't think that would help."
"You should ask Mama."
"But she's not here."
"You should call her and ask her."
"No...why don't you try it. And we could pray and ask God for us to be able to open it."
We did.
Ben tried, he couldn't open it.
I tried one last time and, actually was successful.
"Ben! It opened! God opened it for us!!"
"Did he come here and open it?"
"No, he just has to say that it can open, and it will do it all by itself."
"That's funny!! It opened by itself!"

I belive God did it.

Kid Comedy Carnival!

The Carnival of Kid Comedy is up, and so funny!! Check it out over at Kim C.'s Life in a Shoe.
I had a good laugh!

The Duggar Family

Everyone knows about the Duggar family, right? Well, did you know that all sixteen of the kids have names that start with a “J”? Pretty amazing! You’d think they would eventually have to start back through the list for lack of more names… I managed to find the names online, so here they are…
Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, and Johannah

Can you imagine both a Joy-Anna and a Johannah!?!

New Pole

So... lets see, how do you like your bananas? I set up a pole for it in my sidebar and right now I have no votes, so please tell me, how do you like your bananas. I've been wondering about this for a while...and then I saw that Kim C. made her own pole for her site, so I made this. I'll tell you, I like them yellow with a hint of green. I'm gonna vote, so that it counts, and then I'm gonna wait to see who comes by to tell me. Og ahead and vote even if you don't know me or this is your first time on here...It doesn't tell me who you are, I see just as much as you do.

Guess what?

The guys are having a nice "relaxing" time upstairs...doing something you don't do often... Tearing Up The Vinyl Floor In The Kitchen!!! We are officially re-doing the kitchen floor...We were gonna get some contracters to do it, but they said that the first 80% was easy to get up, and then the last 20% is torture, so they were gonna install the new right on top of the old. Well, my parents thought, "BAD IDEA!" SO, the guys dove in after supper and started ripping it up. Well, it turns out that there is another vinyl floor underneath it...and under that is an asbestos wooden-looking floor. So praise God! Asbestos is not that hard to get up, and so they able to rip it up reasonably easier than expected...since what they were expecting was something that contractors would get scared of! Praise God!

Good News!

Mrs. Webb's surgery went well, they were able to remove the cancer, and now she is home from the hospital. This is extremely good news! Thanks for praying!

Praise the Lord!!!

Now, Papa has pretty much said I can, but now he’s trying to figure out if Mama should go with me…That would be really awesome! Thanks so much for praying, and please keep praying! I still don’t know what all the Lord has for me in this.

What does he want to do when he grows up?

Me: Benjamin, I’m gonna go to Mexico!!
Ben: Yes, I’m gonna fly in a big, big airplane to get to Mexico.
Me: No, I’m going to go, and you’re going to stay here.
Ben: I am gonna go and I’m gonna ride in the big, big airplane to Mexico.
Me: Maybe When you’re bigger you can go to Mexico.
Ben: When I’m big up like the ceiling, I’m gonna go to Mexico and I’m gonna drive a big, big airplane.

Well, we’ll see if that ever happens!

Mexico update

Keep praying! Flight details are alot more of a hassle than I thought! I'm really crying out to God that He will allow me to go!!! To go to Mexico!! Okay, guys, this is a dream...that's about to come true!!! But at this point I really do feel like this is a dream...and in case my dad says no, it'll be like waking up from a really good dream and being bummed that you have to go on with normal life. I honestly can't believe it!
I just pray that his answer is yes, and that God will provide the funds and everything for me to be able to go!!

COMMIT Conference, Monterrey Mexico

July 27-29
???? Get the hint ?????

My dad has not fully consented yet, but he's positively considering it!
More Later *after* he's decided.

Ultimate Frisbee Once Again!

It has been forever since we've played frisbee, so it felt so good to play it once again yesterday. And a guy asked us if he could play with us...and he was good too! After a little, he said he had to go... and so Mr. Reeves asked him if he was a beliver and he smiled and said, "Not yet!"
Anyways, Mr. Reeves walked with him across the field to his car, and they talked for a long time, and Mr. Reeves shared the gospel with him, and Mr. Reeves said he was very receptive and very close to being ready to accept the Lord, so I've been thinking some about him, and praying for him!

The Full Moon

A long time ago, when we were driving home from something (I don't remember where) we were watching the full moon. It was close to the horizon and very large and it was a flaming orange. As it got closer to the trees, Ben suddenly exclaims, "Its gonna pop!"


Riding home from home fellowship at the Reeves last night….We were pointing out to Ben the full moon…when we got home, as Ben chattered along, he mentioned in his talk about a “pop-moon.” I guess it’s a new phrase… :)

Blessings, Blessings Everywhere!

I’m absolutely surrounded with blessings, and have been from birth. It makes it difficult to recognize and be grateful sometimes, because it never occurs to me that something would be otherwise…I’ve been raised in a Godly home, both my parents love the Lord and train and encourage us to love Him and each other, I’ve been home schooled all my life and been very sheltered and protected from a lot of the lies that many young people today are tortured with, I’m just very blessed!
Thus, it was eye-opening to me when the following incident happened on Tuesday night…We had Joel over along with one of his roommates, David Meyers. The guy had a lot of questions about home schooling and such…then after supper, I heard him tell Papa something. First he point toward me. I was feeding a bite of baby food to Davy in the highchair and then turning around and putting a bite of beans and rice in Ben’s mouth and then back to Davy, then Ben…and every so often taking a bite of my own… Then the guy points out my mom over at the counter serving ice cream for everyone… And then he asks Papa, “How did you do this? I would never think of serving my sisters…” Papa told him it was only by the grace of God. But for me, it was significant. I don’t even think about so many of the aspects of our family that really are, in reality an amazement to others! Honestly, it is true joy to me to serve Ben and David. Benjamin is the world to me, and I think I could do anything for him!

A prayer request....

One thing that has us concerned is our dear elderly neighbor across the street, Mrs. Webb. Back in February she moved down to Edisto Beach to be with her older daughter because her short term memory was failing…she couldn’t remember her own daughter’s phone number, she would keep asking the same questions just minutes apart…and she was living by herself…so as we watched it get worse, it really was best for her to move to live with her daughter…
My mom just talked to her daughter, and then we all got to talk to her, and its really sad to see the change in her from even six months ago! But she has some cancerous lump in her intestine that they just found…and she’s having it removed on Tuesday, so if you guys could pray, that would be appreciated! There are other lumps in her colon too, and they don’t know what they are, so when they do the surgery, we just need to pray for wisdom for the doctors to know how to identify and handle those as well…
Thanks for praying!

So..Daniel's gone...

He's in Big Sandy, Texas at ALERT...They're actually leaving for Mexico on Saturday...and, they'll be gone till Tuesday the 20th. Seems like a long time without Daniel to me, but at the same time I'm sitting here absolutely jealous that I can't go to Mexico!

My time will come, I'm sure...  :::sigh::: Until then, I guess I should get a passport...probably! They would probably want me to have one...I just wish I could go tomorrow  :D

Sorry I didn't post....

Blogger has been down...and now, finally they're back! I'm very glad!
But...that is a warning...I might disapear, that is, it might continue to have problems. But then, you guys probably wern't thinking anything since I "disapear" frequently... oh well!

Its fun to dress up!

I should be the last one to say that, and actually, I was very surprised at myself that I enjoyed it...I usually hate anything to do with clothes..trying on, shopping, anything...but I had fun with this...
Today we went to Katie Reeves's twelfth birthday party. She had a victorian theme and so we got to dress up...how do you like it? Its not a good picture, but that's what I was wearing...too bad the picture cut off the top of the hat...

And my adorable brother....

Isn't he adorable!!! Or is it just me...?

A New Family Picture!!!

Taken: 5/29/06

The day after the trip...

Today is like days always are the day after you get back from a trip…making bread and granola, lots of laundry, yard work, getting caught up on things…you know….but, I did mail three letters that I wrote on the trip…and would you believe that I only got one letter the whole time we were gone! I was really surprised, but its no big deal at all, in fact I was grateful since I do have 7 people that I have just met that I really want to write to…so I can write to them while I don’t have a full mailbox! For anyone who is reading this and doesn’t know, I have about 10 to 20 penpals….so I really was surprised that I only got one letter!
Anyways…I’m gonna run off to other things…like the fact that I did get more than one email… :)

We’re home...

…And what a week it has been! Tuesday, we left at very early in the morning and we got to Nashville at about noon...maybe a little later...
That night was the big "opening ceremonies" with the ALERT men and all...then Mr. Gothard got up there...and well he had just gotten back from a two-week trip to Mexico with about 50 ATI young people and they had seen God move in incredible ways. They called it the Great Expeditions Team 1.So he had all of them file up onto the stage and a bunch of them shared their testamonies and they sang two songs, and it was just incredible what God did...well Mr. Gothard was so excited about this Great Expeditions Team idea that he talked about it over and over throughout the conference... anyways... that is all to say that now I am drooling over when I can go to Mexico! ALERT is taking a team down there very soon and Daniel is going with them...(like...Thursday, June 9 to to maybe Tuesday June 14...really soon!!!) Anyways...I feel really jealous that he's going and that I don't get to go! :)
That is one thing that is new with me...another thing is how God has really placed in my heart a desire and a longing to love him and know him intamately. That has been the yearning of this week to be personal with Jesus. I have seen the countenances of those who love Him with all they are, and I want that for myself.
An answer to prayer: I have been praying for God to give me someone who I could write or email in Spanish to improve my spanish and to motivate me and encourage me to learn more. Well, he provided. Two of the Great Expeditions team members were chosen to work with the COMMIT girls and one of them was a missionary kid whose dad is from Guatamala and whose mom is from America and they were missionaries to Mexico...she grew up with both languages and was one the translators for the Great Expeditions trip. She is 21 and she said that she would write me in Spanish and help me learn the language. I am absolutely excited about the opportunity!!!
When the conference was over, Friday night, we went to Edgar Evins state park and spent the time there relaxing after the week...

My dad just came and told me that its after midnight....so off I go...
Its kinda tricky...I've been in a different time zone for a week...
God Bless...and hopefully I'll be back without too much silence!