Recap

Hey All,

Everyone seems to be doing a 2010 recap so I figured why not do one as well :) This year has had its ups and downs. It started off kinda rough with my childhood friend's mom getting killed in a car accident in the first week of January. In the spring, we got a puppy named Tagg. He is adorable. We also met quite a few new people and a youth bible study was born. The Mexican bible study that my dad had been leading for 2 years ended abruptly which was incredibly hard for me. We gave our horses to some cowboys who are taking amazing care of them.

2 highlights of the year was my sister Katy started a relationship with an amazing young man, Jason. In fact, on Christmas day, Jason asked her to marry him and she said YES!!!!! So a wedding is being planned for the next year.

The other highlight was of course my trip to Chiapas. What an experience! I'm so thankful for the Lord giving me that opportunity. He is amazing!

Looking into a new year is always exciting but nerve wracking wondering what the year will bring. But the Lord is never changing. He is always in control and will not give us more than we can handle. What a promise to cling to!

I hope all of you, my blogger friends, will have a blessed and safe new year. Dios les bendiga!

Palenque

Hey All,

In keeping with the "theme" of posting random topics of Chiapas, this post's topic is Palenque. Palenque is a historic site in Chiapas. It was a Maya city state and dates back to 100 BC 'til its fall in 800 AD. (Information from Wikipedia).

I had never been to a place that was so old. Talk about history! That place is chock full of stories! I wish the rocks could tell all the things they saw over the years. Before we visited Palenque, the oldest place I'd been to probably was from the 1700s. That's cool but this was just amazing.

Our group in front of one of the pyramids. They are SO big!!!


Isn't there an unwritten rule that when you're at some ancient pyramids, you have to make a pyramid yourselves? Well, ours was an epic fail. A split second after this picture was taken, we all came tumbling down...


With Katie, Stephanie and Gabby on one of the pyramids.


Hannah taking her anger out on Pete. Watch out! :)


It is incredibly hot at Palenque and humid, too. The Mayans must have been in great shape for all the climbing up and down those stairs they did! Gabby and I raced each other up the stairs of the highest one and at the top I knew if I didn't sit down, I would pass out right there. I found a place in the shade and hugged my knees to my chest as waves of nausea and faintness passed over me. I was sure I was going to get sick but praise the Lord I didn't throw up or pass out. Word to the wise: ALWAYS bring water or gatorade with you to Palenque. Going a whole afternoon without liquid is a very dumb thing to do in the heat :)

All in all, our experience at Palenque was an enjoyable one. If only the rocks could talk! What stories we could hear from them! We enjoyed exploring the pyramids and just marveling at the whole site. Talk about history!!!!!

I am very much looking forward to heading back to Chiapas and maybe even returning to Palenque for a day. Please continue praying for me and the team that is headed down there in 3 short months. There is so much to do and so little time but the Lord is faithful. He is providing for me and will continue to. Of this, I am sure. Blessings to you all. I will keep you updated on any news concerning the trip!

Los Niños...

Hey All,

I've been thinking what topic to do next and I decided to do one on the kids in Mexico. Kids don't really change that much from country to country. They have different responsibilities and expectations but really, kids will be kids no matter if they live in the frozen tundras of Siberia or the steamy rainforests of Brazil.

I've heard it said eyes are the windows to the soul. You can tell so much about someone by looking in their eyes. I love latino kids because their eyes are so huge and dark. Enjoy the following pictures. They are just random kids of whom I don't know most of their names. But the neat thing is that the Lord knows and loves every one.













The Lord has given me a love for latino kids. Well, all kids actually, but especially little Mexicans. I have written in earlier posts about a Mexican migrant family that lives near our house. They have 4 little boys and I pick them up for Sunday School. What fun car rides! I also visit a lady, Rosa and her two little girls every other week. The 4 year old and I have such fun playing together.

I don't know how God will use this love in my future. Maybe a childrens' home or orphanage somewhere. These kids are the future. We need to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. So many are abandoned with no hope or future unless we do something. Be praying that the Lord will open your eyes and heart to the need and to possibilites of being used by Him for His glory and the furtherance of the Kingdom. Thanks for reading. Dios les bendiga!

My Family

Hey All,
I haven't posted a recent picture of me and my family so I decided this post would be dedicated to them. My family consists of my dad Dan, my mom Sydney, Katy, me, Jenny, and Danny We also have 2 dogs.

This was taken at the airport when I got home from Chiapas. Notice my hard core Mexican tshirt :) My amazing brother bought me roses. It was very nice to see them all.


These are my siblings. From left is me, Danny who is 16, Katy is 20, and Jenny is 17. We are all so different it is amazing.

Danny is the funny man. He has me laughing constantly, unless I'm in a bad mood. :) Katy is dating a godly guy, Jason and is preparing to be a wife and mom sometime in the future. She'll do great. Jenny loves music ministry. She plays the guitar really well. She has a heart for kids. And then there's me but you already know who I am :)

Things are changing in our family. It is no longer just us 6, but that's ok. People grow up which can be a hard transition but the Lord is so faithful. We can feed on His faithfulness. Blessings to you all today!

Hamacas

Hey All!

Today's post is on hammocks. I'm sure we all are familiar with them. They are what you see on someone's back porch or strung up in their yard. In America, we use them for relaxing naps on a nice summer afternoon. Or we curl up in one with a good book and a tall glass of lemonade under a nice shade tree.

In Chiapas, hammocks are used for alot of purposes. Couches, chairs, beds, and even cribs. They can run annywhere from 100 pesos to 800, which is the most expensive I saw at the market. Although everything is always more expensive when a "gringo" buys it because everyone knows that Americans=money so they automatically raise the price by alot.

Here are some hammocks at the market. Hammocks can hold one or two people comfortably depending on how big they are. Some could probably actually hold more but I only saw two people laying in a hammock at a time.


Pretty much the first thing the guys did when we got to a new village was hang up us girls' hammocks. They were our champions! Thanks guys :)



Hanging out in the girls' house between programs. It was nice to get down time in the afternoons instead of rushing around all the time. And it was especially nice if we had a hammock to relax in, which wasn't always the case :)


Hammocks are used as cribs for little babies. I was on water filter duty and we walked into a house and this is the sight we saw. It looks comfy for sure! You sure don't see new born babies in hammocks in the States...


Amy and Brennah relaxing in the hammock at the Terrell's house. Isn't that a cute picture? :)


And finally, this is me sleeping in my hammock. I really was sleeping and not posing at all. I know it doesn't look very comfortable but for me, that was "my" position for sleeping. Notice my flip flop tan :)


I hope you all are enjoying these posts on random memories of Chiapas. I sure am enjoying writing them. I wish all of you could experience sleeping in a hammock sometime in your life. If you have one, I challenge you to give it a whirl for a night. Who knows, you may like it so much, you'll never want to use a bed again :D May God richly bless you all.

Agua Azul

Hey All!

I am slowly posting more pictures of the trip and this post's story is about Agua Azul. Agua Azul is some gorgeous waterfalls in Chiapas. The water is stunningly blue. Our team got to visit it on our way back to San Cristobal from Ch'ol. We had just spent a week in the hot, sticky jungle with limited showers and no A/C. Needless to say, a resfrshing dip in the waters of Agua Azul was very looked forward to and appreciated.

Our team at Agua Azul. We took every opportunity to pose for team pictuers that we could :)


A waterfall. The water while we were there wasn't as blue as it usually is due to all the rain that came down for weeks. But it was still beautiful and very cool and refreshing.



Nathan taught us how to swim in the rapids and this is the team standing on "our" rock right in the middle of the river. I only swam it once then laid on the beach and tanned with my friend Gabby but everyone else had a blast swimming for awhile.



Apparently my team leader, Christopher and Nathan thought that Gabby and I should go back into the river so while we were laying out tanning, they came up from behind and threw us back in. I had just gotten all dried off, too! Stinkin' men :)



Here we are in the river. It was cold! We dried off quickly though 'cause it was very hot. Good times were had fo shizzle!



The whole team after our refreshing swim. Fue muy divertido! (It was very fun!)



There were so many aspects of our trip that makes me smile in remembering. I don't think I day goes by when I don't think of Chiapas and my team and my Mexican family in Llano Grande. It was a wonderful time and I'm just in awe that the Lord worked it all out. Lasting friendships were made for sure. Gloria a Dios!

The Hazards of Eating in the Jungle....

Hey All,

I wanted to post one other picture dealing with food. This is some sopa (soup) that some ladies made for us while staying in one of the villages. Although we as a team brought all our own food except tortillas, which we bought at the tortillerias (sp?) in town, the ladies usually gave us food or something to drink while we were there. At this particular village, the family we stayed with decided to make us a real treat, chicken soup. In Mexico, the chicken does not come prepackaged and nicely prepared. First, the women picked a chicken and stuffed her under a basket. Then when they were ready for her, they picked her up and broke her neck then plucked her. (I was not around for any of this because, while I LOVE meat, I do not revel in seeing animals die.) Then they chopped the chicken up and put the pieces in water with veggies from the jungle. The picture below is the end result:


One of my team mates even got the head in their portioin :D A few of us were feeling pretty sick that day and eating this soup did not help. It actually tasted ok but you just had to close your eyes. Portions in Mexico must be huge or something because I could never finish what was put before me! Although I'm not a huge eater anyway.

Ok, I just though you all would enjoy seeing that picture. That was the most interesting food I ate while abroad, hands down!

Food in Chiapas Part 2

Hey All,

For some reason, my computer only lets me post a few pictures at a time so the last post was cut short. Here are a few more pictures of food in Chiapas:



Apparently, being in Mexico was not enough cross-cultural foods for some of my dear team members. That is why we went to a Japanese restaraunt in downtown San Cris one night. We ate SUSHI. Now, it is time to teach you all a new Spanish word that is closely related to the word sushi: Huacala. This means 'yucky'. I was told it is used when referring to someone who vomits but I decided that it is totally appropriate to use that word when referring to sushi because I felt slightly green all night :)Actually it wasn't too bad, there was also rice but that is not my first or second or even tenth choice of a restaraunt.



After the sushi dinner, we went out for gelato. Although I am not sure what that was. It was ice cream and yummy but the Spanish sounded like gelato. It made up for the having to eat huacala comida :)



While in Chiapas, we visited a childrens' home run by a christian family who are from Mexico. These kids are so well behaved and loved by the parents. We spent the day at the home and built a swing set and just played with the kids. For lunch, we had hamburgers, Mexican style. They were good! And the kids were thrilled for this special treat.



This is standard food in the jungle. Meals consist of rice, beans, tortillas of course, and eggs. That's what people eat every day. The eggs are cooked in a big pan of oil so they literally are "fried eggs". More like deep fried :) This particular meal was our breakfast. It was not uncommon to eat beans and rice and tortillas for breakfast at all. No pancakes, bacon, waffles, or quiche in the jungle!



While our team was in the jungle, we cooked alot of our own meals and this is one of them. It was really yummy. It had noodles and corn and something else in it. One night, we opened more cans of corn and just scooped it into our bowls. Apparently there wasn't enough in the soup :)


What most of you probably don't know is that I was sick pretty much the whole time I was in Mexico. I apparently picked up a wiggly friend somewhere between eating a little sketchy food and swimming in Agua Azul. For about 2/3 of my time in Chiapas, I felt very sick whenever I ate. This is not normal and taking vitamins and probiotics didn't help so when I got home, I was sick for about 3 weeks. I would get light headed if I stood up fast, and was SO tired. I also had a fever alot. My missionary doctor friend sat me down and asked me a few questions then told me "Yep, you have giardia" and called in a prescription drug for me to take. I love having friends in high places. No blood tests or stool samples necessary! It's weird because none of my friends got really sick so I guess I was just the "lucky" one :)


The Lord was so gracious and faithful to me while in Chiapas. He always is even when things aren't going my way. He gave me the strength to eat what was set before me and to eat it without puking. It's not that the food was yucky, it's just I was sick all the time I was there but to refuse food is very offensive. So I was able to eat all that was set before me (usually). I hope you enjoy reading a little about the food experiences in Mexico. I'll just say this food is better than the food in Papua New Guinea :)

Food in Chiapas

Hey All,

I thought I'd do a post on the yummy food I ate in Chiapas. There was a wide variety and many different flavors, to be sure!


About half the time, we ate at the Terrells' house. Julie is a champion. She made all good American food and every meal was amazing. This is in the Terrell's kitchen. They have a very beautiful home.



When we were in San Cristobal, we ate out frequently and went to quite a few restaraunts. This one is called the Gardens. It cost 220 pesos for the buffet which is about $20 USD. It was the most expensive meal we ate in Chiapas.


This is a typical taco restaraunt downtown. The meat is pork and the guy making the quesadillas and other dishes would slice it all the way from the top which has cheese on it then serve it. The tortillas were made at the restaraunt to the right. It was good.

Oops...

Ok People,

How could I have not posted since August!?!? That's horrible. Sí, estoy viviendo (yes, I am living). I've been working ALOT at my job as a waitress and am enjoying it. I get to see many people a day and also make money which is always a plus.

Things have been happening since Chiapas. As alot of you will gather from reading my blog, I am very back and forth about mission opportunities. I came home from Chiapas fully expecting to go back for language school this January - March but the Lord had other plans. I was accepted on the team but did not feel a peace about going for 5 weeks. It's like the Lord told me to wait for a more long term opportunity. My family is going to Key West, FL this Christmas break for 2 weeks on an evangelistic outreach trip. It was either this trip or language school and I really felt I should go with my family.

When I got home from Chiapas, I contacted a mission board about the requirements for going with them. They said I need a year of bible training so right now I'm looking into options. I found a really cool school that's in England and me being who I am (a traveler/girl who wants to live her adventure) I thought "Wow! How cool would it be to spend a year in England!?!?" Then doing more research of other schools, I found Moody Bible Institute does online courses and they accept financial aid. So I've started the application process and we'll see where the Lord takes it from there. I committed to a year at my job and while I'm waiting, it'd be cool to get some bible classes out of the way.

This past week I said goodbye to a very dear amigo, Rudy who went home to Mexico. His leaving made me ache for Chiapas and all the friends and my Mexican family that I left there. I contacted the missionary, Nathan, who lives there about coming back for more language training and hopefully working at the children's home. My goal is to learn as much SPanish as possible. We'll see what the Lord does. I'm praying about returning next August. It seems like such a long way off! I hope and pray the Lord will bring me back to Chiapas one day.

Ok, some pictures because I haven't uploaded many...


Me with some kids on the street in one of the villages we did a kid's program in. I LOVE those kids!




My Mexican family. I love those people so much. They welcomed me and accepted me as a daughter.



On our way back to San Cris from the jungle, we took a boat ride through a canyon. Wow! It was breathtakingly gorgeous!



Our team got to do several sight seeing trips. The best one was to Palenque, some Mayan ruins. It was incredibly hot that day and I stupidly did not take any water. So that coupled with climbing rapidly to the top of one very high pyramid made me literally almost pass out. If you look closely in the picture, I look very peaked. I was sitting in that spot for about 20 minutes fighting nausea and dizziness. The team surrounded me for the picture. :D

Ok, there are a few more of the thousands of pictures our team took on our trip. I will try to post more at random intervals :D Thanks so much each of you for praying for me. Please pray that I will wait on the Lord and that I will be open to what He wants me to do, even if it's not what I want. Because His ways are so much higher than our ways. Dios les bendiga! (God bless you all.)

Estoy viviendo!!!

Ok People,

I AM alive despite what you may be thinking since I came home from Chiapas and seem to have dropped off the face of the earth :D Things have been pretty hectic around here since coming home. The main reason being I have been sick. Apparently the water filters didn't work so well in Chiapas because I got giardia or some wiggly thing in my intestines. Fun? No way! But I guess it kinda goes with the territory. I am on antibiotics and am almost 100% better, praise the Lord!

I know I promised pictures awhile ago so here are some of the team, and life in Chiapas in general:

San Cristobal



With some kids in the Jungle


Aurgh! My internet is acting up and won't let me post anymore pictures than this. But rest assured, more are on the way! God bless you all richly. Cuidate!

I'm Alive!

Hey All!
I am back in the good old USA now after 3 amazingly busy and challenging weeks in Chiapas, Mexico. I'm still trying to process everything that happened. Pictures will be uploaded soon.

God was so good to me while I was there. I was expecting to come home from Mexico like I did from PNG, very confused and unsure of what the next step is. But God showed me very clearly while I was there that He wants me back in Chiapas. For now, I'm making steps toward language school this winter for a month then hopefully go back there in the fall for more school. After that, who knows. Only God does. It's exciting to head down this road but scary as well because I can't really see ahead. I guess that's where trust and faith come in.

Right now, I am sick. I have been very weak, tired, and dizzy and cramping up since I got home. It's NOT fun. If you could be praying for me, I'd appreciate it. I don't start work for another week which is a blessing.

Thanks for supporting me with your prayers. God bless you all richly. Cuidate...

Greetings from Chiapas, Mexico!

Hey All!

I am here in San Cristobal, Chiapas. We've been here for a week now and just got back from the tribe yesterday. I am totally in love with the Mexican culture and the people in Llano Grande, where we stayed for the last 5 days. It's been an amazing week! God has been showing me many things while I'm here. Stay tuned for coming attractions :) Please continue praying for our team. We've done about 5 kids programs so far. God is blessing this trip! I will post pictures when I get home. Dios los bendiga mucho! Cuidate.

Tomorrow...

Hey All!
Ok, I have been horrible about keeping this poor blog updated. The most important thing is... I LEAVE FOR CHIAPAS TOMORROW!!!! How is it possible the trip I've been looking forward to for so many weeks is finally here? Me and my friend fly out of Buffalo airport tomorrow and connect with our team in Houston before flying onto Chiapas. Please keep our team in your prayers. NY is getting hit with thunder showers and I'm praying that doesn't affect out flight out tomorrow morning. God is in control though. I will post pictures of the trip when I return safely. Pray that I do please 'cause I just am unsettled about this trip for some reason. I know it's where God wants me but there's just a feeling I have. He holds me in His hands though. Have a great summer!
Abby

3 weeks!!!

Hey All!

I am sorry for dropping off the face of the earth these past weeks. Life has been crazy and I haven't made the time to write on here.

My team and I leave for Chiapas, Mexico 3 weeks from today! That's amazing! Time just flies by. God provided a girl to fly with me to meet the rest of the team in Houston. There are 11 of us going. 4 guys and 7 girls. I'm praying that the Lord will bless this trip and use each one of us for His glory.

As with the Papua New Guinea trip last summer, I am confused and antsy and wanting to leave but afraid to for fear of the unknown. Going into the PNG trip I had 3 fears: Getting lost in Atlanta airport, crashing and burning and dying, and snakes. Those fears all seem silly now (except the snakes) but I have new fears. What if God tells me I won't be going back to Mexico? What if I don't get along with my team and there's alot of tension? What if something horrible happens wile I'm gone at home like last summer when my grandma got cancer and died? What if I come home just as confused as I was when I came home last year? What if all my expectations are crashed? My God is bigger than any of these fears. But what if I don't trust Him like I should? AURGH!!! All these fears could overwhelm me so easily. God has been reminding me to cling to Him during this confusing time. I so easily take my eyes off my Savior like Peter did when he walked on water. He took his eyes off of Jesus onto the waves around him and began to sink. Help me not to do that, Lord!

Despite what this post sounds like, I am extremely excited going into this trip. Please pray for me and my team and the people we will come in contact with.

For this post's picture, here's one of me and my siblings at an amusement park near our house. We went a few weeks ago with a friend and had a blast. I even got a nice tan :P I will miss my sister Katy's 20 birthday so I'm trying to find out which phone works best in Chiapas. Any ideas? I hear AT&T works best so I'm thinking of getting a GO phone prepaid for the 3 weeks I'll be gone. Hopefully I'll be able to call her on her birthday. She'll have a great party, hopefully better than last year when my parents were in Colorado with my grandma and I was in Colorado. Praising my Savior for my family. I love them.

Ok, cuidate y Dios los bendiga!

Tickets are Booked!

Hey All!

My tickets are booked for Mexico! I fly out the 10th of July and come back August 1st. God has provided a girl who lives about an hour away to fly with me. That's a relief because I really didn't want to fly alone. Now I am starting to make contact with the other teammates. There are 9 people going. 3 guys and 6 girls. I am SO excited to see how God works. Please be praying for me and my team. I have been praying that the Lord will be glorified and that He will show me what the next step is.

I've been praying about applying to bible school. Actually, it's a missionary training school in TX. I'm not applying until after the trip though. God has provided a waitressing job for me as well when I get back so I can start saving money for school. We shall see what God has.

Tuesday, a friend graduated from high school so to celebrate, yesterday my sister Katy and I went with him to the park and took lots of crazy pictures and ate pizza and chicken wings. Yum! I'm so blessed to have the friends I have.


A gorgeous view of a very romantic spot. We all agree that it's the perfect marriage proposal spot :)


Me and my sister Katy Dee. She's the best older sister I have. Even though I don't always act like it, I love her dearly.



Andrew and me being goofy as usual :) I'm so thankful for a friend like him. He really challenges me in my walk with the Lord.


Katy and Andrew. Um guys, I think those are supposed to be used to look out at the gorge....


Me, Andrew, and Katy. We were at a place called Inspiration Point. Do we look inspired? :)

Apologies...

Hey All,
I want to start this post by apologizing profusely for the lack of attention I have been giving to this blog. Yipe! Summer weather has finally come to NY and I have been taking advantage of it.

Life has been pretty crazy these past few weeks. A dear 81 year old man from my church died. It's been an emotional roller coaster ride for sure! BUT God IS GOOD!!! All the time even in the hard times.

I've been looking into ticket prices for my trip. God is amazing and is taking care of my needs. Please continue to pray for me. God has put me in contact with a girl who is going to Chiapas. She is from NY too which is amazing!!

Here are some pictures of what's been happening lately. My brother Danny, friend Bethany and Rudiel went to the Lilac Festival which is near our house. We had alot of fun and Rudiel got to try many new things like fried dough. The evening ended with a nice dinner at Bugaboo Creek. *The last picture is PEPSI by the way*

Dios te bendiga mucho. Cuidate gentes!

More Happens...

Hey All,
I have neglected this blog for a bit and want to apologize. Many things have been happening these past couple weeks. The biggest being that I applied for a mission trip to Chiapas, Mexico a few weeks ago rather impulsively. I didn't pray about it first. A friend told me about the mission organization, Global Encounters after bible study one night so I got on the computer and looked up the mission, perused the statement of faith, and saw the trip to San Cristobal de las Casas which leaves in July. I quickly filled out the application online and hit send. There was no fee or anything. I did it without thinking or praying and really felt guilty after that.

I got accepted to the team that is going and after alot of prayer, my parents have decided to let me go. The trip is from July 10-31. We will be traveling to different jungle villages in Chiapas, working primarily with children. I am SO excited and can't wait to see what the Lord does. Even though I did this impulsively, I feel God is leading me to do this. I appreciate your prayers for me. I will post more details as I find them out.

No picture for this post but there will be next time. Cuidate gentes!

Conviction...

Hey All,
I came across a video from a friend's Facebook page and had to share it with all of you. This video is incredibly convicting for me. Last summer, I went on a trip to Papua New Guinea. During that time, I met people who's parents and grandparents died without ever hearing the Gospel. All my life I have sat through dozens of missionary presentations. I have heard dozens of stories about people dying without hearing the Gospel. But to look into the faces of people whose parents died before hearing the Gospel was heartbreaking. The reality of the need for laborers in God's harvest hit me. People are DYING without ever hearing the name of Jesus and here in our comfortable lives, we use His name as a swear word. How sick is that?

I firmly believe that it is not an option to be a missionary. If you do not believe you are "called" to the foreign field then you had better be working wherever God has you. I am not meaning to sound like I'm better than you because I am not. Just because I have gone on a missions trip does not make me holier than you at all. Coming home from PNG, I struggled with feelings of resentment towards the American church. We who have had the Gospel for hundreds of years yet there are still how many unreached people in the world? I am not resentful anymore, just sad for the lack of laborers for His harvest. People are dying EVERY DAY without ever hearing Jesus' wonderful name.

If you are not called to go to the foreign field, do everything you can to support those who are. Whether it be praying (the most important tool of all) or giving monetarily. I know this probably sounds like I am asking for money for me but I am not in any way meaning it to be that. As of now, there are no definite plans for trips anywhere. I'm just trying to point out the need for support of missionaries here at home.

This is a picture of me with 4 precious bible leaders. At least one of these said that their parents or grandparents died without ever hearing the Gospel. Heartbreaking for sure. Why have we not done something? Jesus commanded us to "Go into ALL the world and preach the Gospel to every kingdom." So far, we've reached not very far with the Gospel.

But we can be and are part of the solution! We are laborers in God's harvest. "Look unto the fields for they are WHITE UNTO HARVEST."

I might not be the most popular gal after this post and if I came across as proud, I truly am sorry. I don't mean to be. This topic is so close to my heart though. Listen to the Lord's leading in your life. Seek Him and don't pray for opportunities to share Him, pray for the courage to take the opportunities He sends our way. Dios te bendiga mucho hoy. Cuidate!

Pure In Heart Award

Hey All,
I thought I'd post this since it seems like a fun, get to know me better thing. My blogger friend Adria (aka Loca Chica) awarded me the Pure In Heart award. I'm honored but also slightly ashamed. If only you all could see what my heart really looks like, you'd be sick and shocked and horrified. BUT I am a sinner saved by grace! Praise the Lord for this.

Here are the rules: If you are tagged: 1) Post about the tag 2) Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award. 3) Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded.4) Answer the questions along with your post

1) Apples, Oranges or Bananas? I absolutely LOVE oranges. Bananas are amazing too. Especially when they're fresh off the banana tree. :)

2) How many siblings do you have? I have 3 siblings. They are amazing. I don't always like them but I LOVE them and would die for them in a heart beat. Katy is 19, Jenny is almost 17 and Danny is 15. We're all close in age too which is even more fun!

3) How old are you? 18

4) Do you live on a woodland, swamp, city, or other? Country!!! Western NY is amazing especially this time of year with all the different shades of green. I love where I live!

5) Scissors or glue? I guess scissors but why does it matter?

6) Describe your dream house: I would love to live somewhere like Mexico but I'm not gonna lie and say "Oh yeah, mud floors and tin roofs are what I dream of!" 'cause that's not true. But if that's what God calls me to then I will go willingly. I love colonial houses or a house like my Grandma Kelley's, big and homey.

7) Is your room clean? Well, I am in the midst of spring cleaning and rearranging furniture so it's not TECHNICALLY clean at the moment but it's getting there. It always gets messier before it gets cleaner! :)

8) If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Hmm, tough question. I'd have to say Susan from Narnia series.

9) Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? Can I put all 5? I so want to travel the world and see ALL these places!!!

10) What denomination are you? I am a follower of Jesus Christ who is my Savior. I don't put too much stock in denominations but my family happens to go to an Independent Baptist church.

11) Do you sleep with a stuffed toy (BE HONEST!!!!) Sometimes I sleep with a black lab stuffed dog. No, I don't need her to get to sleep or anything, I just like wrapping my arms around something whether it's a pillow or extra blanket. I haven't slept with her in about a year though :)

12) Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Sugarless gum. Especially Extra's. It's the best! I go through many packs a month.

13) What is your favorite book? Aside from the Bible I like reading Dee Henderson, Janette Oke, and Beverly Lewis books. Also, Francine Rivers Atonement Child and Last Sin Eater are amazing as well.

14) Favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. It's the best! That's one of the food items I missed the most while in PNG. Their ice cream just isn't the same...

15) If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? Salad. Not just with iceberg lettuce but with good lettuce and tomatoes, chicken, cheese, peppers, carrots, croutons, and lots of other yummy salad stuff.

16) What is your favorite Olympic sport? I LOVE watching ice skating. Especially couples. It's so beautiful to me.

17) If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do? Travel to some exotic place I guess. I'm not really sure...

18) Describe yourself in three words: Shy, stubborn, funny.

19) What do you hate? Sin. My sin to be precise. Also snakes are the worst thing ever invented!!!! And I hate it when people are mean to my family.

20) If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? Um, not really sure. Probably pinch myself to see if I was dreaming :)

I'm not sure I'll be able to give out 10 awards because I don't know that many people yet but here are some of the awards:

My big sister, Katy Dee at 110% Surrendered. I love you SO much even though I don't act like it alot of times.

Loca Chica (aka Adria) It's been a joy getting to know you. Praying for you!

My former PNG roomie, Jasmine at Beautiful Feet. Good times fo shizzle! Love and praying for you!

Amanda at Borders Aside. Your story inspires me so much. Thanks.

My new friend Sarah (aka Loquita) at Just One Girl. I'm looking forward to adventures with you my dear! :)

And last but not least to my friend Marie at Quiet Thoughts. Our friendship has grown since I've known you. I miss working with you and love you!

Here's the picture of the day: This is me and my darling boy, Dominic. He is 6 years old. I met him about a year and a half ago and he has me wrapped around his little finger. He's such a joy. This picture was taken last summer when his family came over for a picnic. He climbed up in my lap for pictures. I think I might have been tickling him :) Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely adore latino kids. They are SO adorable.

Anyhoo, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm and remember to wish your moms happy Mothers day. I'm so blessed to have my amazing mom. Love her!
Cuidate.