guess who's back?

Back again...sorry I couldn't resist...anyways...PHIL is back! YEAH! Him and Holly were at IGA today and I talked with them! It took me a few seconds to realize that he was here but supposed to be there...ahh yes. The slow processing of my mind.

So things that I thought were taken care of...aren't after all. So once again, I need to muster up the courage to be honest instead of being polite...we'll see if I can actually follow through with it this time. But, I think my pizza is just about done now...oh there goes the timer. Until another time.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday and we went out for supper and then I took him mini golfing....After the humidity went down and it cooled off a bit! It was actually quite nice out there! (I even beat him by 5 points!! hee hee!)

Sometimes I wonder why I have a hard time being honest if I don't think that there's a polite way of doing it....but that's another story for another time....

So today I got a letter from the faculty of Sociology. They want me to be in their program...crazy people. Although Criminology would be very interesting...maybe I'll consider it once I land on the "Mid life Crisis: Start new Career" square in this reality game of life.

it always gets worse before it gets better

so the lady I was working with was telling me. We ended up having quite the theological discussion today while the residents were having 'madach-schlop'. She was saying how historically, before a nation has a revival, the things that they have come to depend on are stripped away from them. She said we are beginning to go down that road. In this area we rely heavily on agriculture, cattle, etc... With the border closed to our beef, and the last few years of poor weather for the crops. It's just the beginning. She said our job now is to pray that when people have no where else to turn, they will turn to God to heal our land (and our hearts). I had never really thought about that before and I was challenged by that.

Another thought...I was reading an article on the Newsboys site based on the story in 2 Samuel 5:17-26. This is the one where God commands David to defeat the Philistine army and says that "as soon as you hear the sound of marching in tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So anyways, the article had this to say about that story:

"many times we will not fully understand the plans of God for our lives. We do not understand them because we are blind to what God is doing on our behalf in the invisible realm. Even as God's angelic armies lead the host of Israel, so He is working in your life to bring about the tremendous victory you have been waiting for. This principle is important because many times when God is secretly at work in our lives, we have the tendency to feel abandoned by Him."

How true is that, eh? I think we underestimate the power and the reality of the spiritual realm. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. I could go on and on about this...but I'll spare you. Enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather we are finally getting!!

more family time

I just got back from a weekend retreat with my family to celebrate my grandparent's 60th anniversary, my grandpa's 85th birthday, and my grandma's 80th birthday. It's not all at the same time...but we figured we might as well have a big do and celebrate it all at once! It was actually alot of fun! It was good to hang out with my cousins that I rarely see. We had some good times in the loft/attic with our pokey-springed mattresses! But seriously...I learned how blessed I am to have such an amazing heritage. I'm not saying my family is perfect....we're far from it, but I've never had to question whether my family loves me. I've never had to worry about whether I'd be taken care of. I've never feared going home. So many blessings I take for granted. But now I'm tired and want to go to sleep...in my own soft bed.....Zzzzz

To make a long story short...

My family is great, but when we ALL get together, it gets pretty crazy! So, this weekend my cousin got married. It was a super beautiful wedding. She got her dress, the bridesmaid dresses, the (6!) flower girl dresses and my cousin (in-law)'s tux all made in Boliva when she was out there. They were all really nice and actually fit despite the lack of fittings. I was impressed! So during the ceremony I had my great aunt and uncle behind me....My great uncle just got a digital camera, so after every picture he took, he had to tap me on the shoulder and show me. Then my great aunt kept tapping my shoulder and asking me if I was next in planning a wedding. When I replied that I highly doubted it, she kept insisting that I must be hiding something and was determined to get the details out of me. On top of all of this, my mom's cousin, who was sitting beside me, kept on giving me tips on how to pick up guys at weddings.....It was quite the experience....Don't get me wrong...I love my family....but sometimes they can be quite overwhelming all at once! Then came the reception. It was really amazing! I was asked to serve food...It felt so good to be able to just show up and the food was all prepared and all I had to do was bring it out to people! Anyways...the food was amazing...Imagine this: Korean Kim Bab's (sorry about the spelling) for appetizers. Kjelke, and some sort of Korean pork dish, and mixed veggies the for main course. Then a huge table full of assorted squares and cakes for dessert! It was amazing!!!!....Did I mention that chop sticks were provided with the meal? It was a great combination of Mennonite and Korean food! It was a really fun wedding!

After cleaning up for many hours (or so it felt)....I went back to my place in the city where Jen was patiently waiting...well I guess Marce was already there too...We had a movie night and then slept (I think...)...many things occured and then we went to say goodbye to Annie. We sang her, her favorite song ;) ..."Meine Taushen sand yepackt, Ack sei ried tum fohren!" and off she went. And many hours later we were home. And that's the kind of weekend it was.

it's raining and i want to go to the beach.....

Maybe it'll clear up yet...I'm trying to think on the bright side.

Don't you love it when you hear people "gossiping" about how great your friends are? The other day I was with some people who can be quite critical about people (they just say what exactly what they think about people no matter who is listening) and they were going on and on about how great one of my friends was! I was impressed. It made me hope that when they gossip about me that it is only good things as well. Me and Kendra discussed this; is it gossip if you're saying good things about a person? I don't think so, because you probably wouldn't mind them hearing what you're saying...but then again, maybe it still is gossip, but just good gossip. I don't really know.

I read these verses yesterday and I liked them.

"Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since you were born. I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior." Isaiah 46:3-4

Listen to me, all of you in far-off lands: The Lord called me before my birth. From within the womb he called me by my name. . .He said to me: "You are my Servant, a Prince of Power with God, and you shall bring me glory." Isaiah 49:1+3