Saturday, June 12, 2010

Friends, PBC, and Blueprints! Thoughts and Plans of...me!

So I got this cool little font from Microsoft Word and copied and pasted it here! I love how the cursive looks. I hope it's not too hard to read. :)



Im so blessed at my congregation to have such faithful Christians around me all the time. To have faithful Christians my age as well as adults I can genuinely look up to as Chrtistians is something not everyone has. At the devo tonight, we sang some devotional songs and it gave me goose bumps. Just sitting there listening, looking around, it made me think how immensely blessed I am to have people here who are like that. They love the Lord and each other so much and desire to be together. <3 class="Apple-style-span" face="'Fiolex Girls'" size="x-large">Love them! I have talked to people from other congregations who wish they did activities like that. Apparently, there are Christians who don't realize how much it helps to be around brothers and sisters in Christ as often as possible. I don't know if they don't want to or don't have the time to set aside or what, but its so sad! Im so glad to be where I am. :)



What am I going to do at camp?? Were going up there next Saturday. Theres no internet and no cell phone service! Which means...I can't talk to people who are not at camp! Plus camp is hot (I hate hot) and cabin cleaning is no fun and we get no sleep, which makes me not feel well/up to par. But nevertheless, I am excited! Despite the downers, they are what make camp...well, camp! It will still be completely awesome...right? ;)



So Macy, Kierra, and I might be driving up to camp with me driving my car! :) Haha yay! Were super excited for that adventureIt would be the most fun ever for the three of us to drive up there! A good lesson in responsibility, right? Haha



Ill be back from camp between Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, and then Im going to Coker College in Hartsville, SC for the Blueprints pre-college program. My mom entered me to win a scholarship for the program, and I did! :) It lasts a week, and I can either do creative writing or business (ew, business, sikko). Im doing the creative writing one. Even though I kind of hate writing (not blog writing; that's different) and am not the best at it and am not creativebut I mean, itll look good on a college application and it might be fun to live in a college dorm on a campus for a week, eh? ;) Theyre taking a field trip to Charleston (cause Ive never been there before haha), but Im not going on it anyway because Im staying in Hartsville to go to church services. They were going to be travelling back up at the time of church so it was either skip the field trip or skip the whole program. And its not like Ive never seen Charleston before, lol. Well, I suppose thats all for now. Im 4:30 AM and I have to wake up at 8:30haha. :/



As always, thanks for reading!




~Bef

Sunday, June 6, 2010

A Woman Approved of God

There are hundreds of Bible characters, both good and bad, both prominent and minor. Sometimes, though, the ones mentioned the least teach the most important lessons. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, is only mentioned at a few brief moments throughout the New Testament. Mary was a woman who had her life the way it needed to be in the eyes of God. From her, I have learned several of the best life lessons: humility, how to keep my priorities in line, patience, and genuine love.



Imagine walking down dirt roads to go wherever you need to go. There are no cars, no bikes, and no paved paths. The shoes you wear are sandals; that is all you own. Just think what your feet would look and feel like after walking around all day in those conditions. This describes the normal scene of a day in Israel in Jesus’ time. The feet and shoes of every person were grimy and foul, which is why it is considered an insult in Israel, even today, to show the sole of a shoe to someone. That is the reason, also, why foot washing is a part of being hospitable and kind. In the town of Bethany, when Jesus ate with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, Mary was the one to wash His feet. Mary not only washed Jesus’ feet, but she used very valuable “oil of spikenard” (John 12:3) and then wiped them with her own hair! Mary of Bethany was a very humble woman; she knew her place in the presence of the Son of God. From Mary, I have learned that it is better to have humility than to be too proud. For this characteristic of Mary’s, Jesus spoke well of her. She never boasted about her own accomplishments or good works like the Pharisees. She never thought herself too good to wash the feet of her guest. I cannot picture a Pharisee getting down on their knees to wash Jesus’ feet, much less using expensive oil on them or letting their hair even touch the feet. Mary was a deeply obsequious woman, and I have attained the understanding that I should try to be the same.



Mary cared more about others than she ever could about herself; she was a selfless human being, and it would behoove any person to apply that lesson to their life. A person will have a miserable life if they cannot stop thinking about self. In Luke 10, when Mary and Martha invited Jesus into their home, Mary sat attentively at Jesus’ feet, listening, not trying to speak up for herself. When Martha complained that Mary was not helping her with the food, Jesus told Martha that “Mary ha[d] chosen the good part” (Luke 10: 42). Sometimes it is hard for me to just sit and listen without interrupting, but this story has shown me that sometimes, it is more important to just listen than to do anything. It also tells me that Mary had her priorities in the right order; Jesus was first in line. During the scene in which Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, using costly oil and her hair as a cloth, one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, reprimanded Mary for using such expensive oil when it could have been sold for money. On Judas’ list, money was obviously a higher priority than Jesus; that is a growing problem in today’s society, too. Jesus spoke up on Mary’s behalf because she had chosen the right path once again. Mary, through example, has informed me that my number one concern in life has to be getting to Heaven or I will not get there at all. No material items matter in the least to my eternal life. She has made me realize that it would be sinful to skip Church services for something like a party or a sports competition because that would be putting worldly concerns before God. After my physical body dies, it is not going to matter that I didn’t go to a friend’s 16th birthday party or didn’t win a fencing tournament. My goal in life is to go to Heaven and bring as many people with me as I can.



A third time Mary is mentioned is in Luke Chapter 11 at the death of her brother, Lazarus. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick and, after staying two more days in the town where he was, Jesus departed for Judea where they were. Jesus already knew that Lazarus had died before he got there, and when He arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha ran out to him before he got into the city, crying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). Mary, on the other hand, waited inside the house until she was called for by Jesus. She was patient until called, and then she arose and went to Him, saying the same as Martha. Both women displayed their faith that Jesus could have saved Lazarus, but Mary was more patient about approaching Jesus than her sister. Both, this story and the story in which Mary sat and listened to Jesus, show her patience and show me that patience is a needed virtue in life. Patience can be very valuable to my spiritual life and to my happiness. If I am always awaiting the next physical thing to come and do not appreciate or acknowledge what I already have, I will have a miserable life. If I do not understand and attain the virtue of patience, then I can never understand God either. Prayers are not always answered instantaneously. Sometimes, God tells us we must wait to get what we pray for; now is not the right time. I must be patient and wait for it to come without living in misery until that time. Patience is essential while on earth to gain eternal life in Heaven after this world.



Mary is a great example of genuine love. I Corinthians 13 explains love, and love is not just a feeling. The Greek language has several different words for different types of love, whereas there is only one in the English language. The one used here is agape, or God-like, love. I Corinthians 13:4 states that “love does not parade itself [and] is not puffed up,” and that is exactly what Mary displays through her behavior recorded in the Bible. It also says that “love…is kind,” and kindness is doing little things just because it will help someone or make them happy, such as washing their dirt-covered feet. According to the Bible, “love does not behave itself rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked” (I Corinthians 13:5). There is never a record of Mary acting rudely; she is always portrayed as a woman who is kind and carries herself well. She is never seeking her own, never looking out for her own interests only but, rather, the interests of others. Mary, also, does not seem to be easily provoked - she does not anger quickly and does not have a bad temper. When Martha complained that Mary was not helping her with the food, Mary could have come back with some hurtful, witty, surly comment, but she did not. Her temper was under control, which ties in to verse 7 – love “bears all things,…endures all things.” An example of genuine love is what I see in Mary – each thing in the I Corinthians 13 list of what love is or is not matches Mary of Bethany perfectly.



Mary, the sister of Martha has demonstrated to me humility, prioritizing, patience, and love, all of which are absolutely vital to attain a home in Heaven eternally. Even though Mary is not mentioned as often as characters like Moses, Joshua, and David, there are some very important lessons to be learned from her. Mary would have been a wonderful friend if I had been living in her time. I would have wanted and liked being around and with her. Mary was a Godly woman and spoken well of by Jesus on more than one occasion. It is my wish that I will be praised by the Lord as well.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Guyana 2009! :D

I am still raising support for my mission trip, so my mommy told me to write a letter about last year's campaign to some of my grandpa's kids. She said to write it like a blog entry, so that's exactly what I'm doing! Here goes.

Last July, I went to Linden, Guyana, South America and it was both the first time I had been out of the United States and the first time I had gone on a mission trip. I went with fifteen other Americans, five others from my congregation.

I didn't know what to expect, but it was much more than I could have imagined. We stayed at the house of the preacher, Nigel Milo, of the local church, Amelia Ward church of Christ. Guyana is very different compared to the US. Many houses are like one room on stilts; the shower we used was like a hose coming out of the wall; we had to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing our teeth, etc; there aren't seat belts and there can never be too many people in one van, and the Guyanese people have heavy accents that take a while to get used to. Time is irrelevant: they don't have one thing scheduled after another like I usually do here; things hardly ever start on time, but no one complains when they run over time either. The singing in Guyana was amazing! Every one of them sings from the heart for the Lord. Whether they get the notes right or not, the singing is beautiful, and I can really feel the words that are being sung. It's all so uplifting!


We got there late Friday night and, Saturday, we went to the church. The people were so nice and welcoming. All of them wanted to shake our hands and talk to us. Sunday we had church services with several different classes going for different groups of people: kids, teens, adults, men, women, etc. All the kids LOVED to get their picture taken and them see themselves on my digital camera. It was so adorable. :) I think they really enjoyed and learned from the classes, as well.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, in the earlier part of the day, some of us went to a little primitive town about an hour out of Linden and smack in the middle of the jungle called Dora. The tiny church building was on top of a hill that overlooked a gorgeous river surrounded by tropical trees. Pictures just cannot do it justice.



I and the three other teenagers in the group each taught our own VBS class in Dora. I taught eight and nine year olds. We taught them a specific Bible story and then did a few fun worksheets and a craft each day! It was the first time I had ever taught a Bible class, but it was a great experience! I loved it! We go there to help the Guyanese, but I think it helps us just as much if not more!


There were over twenty-five kids in all!

After VBS in Dora, we would boat across the river or walk through the jungle to set up Bible studies at peoples' houses. This was another first for me and very encouraging to take part in and learn from! When we were done there, we drove back to Linden and had another VBS in the evening, Monday through Friday, at Amelia Ward church of Christ. The teenagers assisted in these classes.


Thursday and Friday, during the day, we set up Bible studies around Linden. It was amazing how eager those we taught were to learn and how willing they were to welcome us into their homes. During the span of the week, about five individuals were baptized into Christ, and many other Christians' faith was strengthened!


At the end of each day, we would all sit around the dinner table and discuss the days' activities. This was a great way to fellowship and realize the great work we were all involved in there!

We were all very, very tired and Guyana was scorching hot and it was hard work, but it was all worth it. By the end, I wanted to stay longer and it was hard to leave. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I cannot wait to go back next month, Lord willing!

In Christian love,

~Bef

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Time on my hands

What am I supposed to do with myself?! It seems like when I have so much to do, there's always something else I'd rather be doing! Now that I have nothing to do, I don't know what to occupy myself with! I did the dishes...I need to put some clothes in the washer. Yeah, I'll do that now...

...5 minutes later...

Done. Now what? I could cook something, but what to cook? I could go somewhere, but where to go? I can't nap since I just woke up 3 and a half hours ago. Hmmm...I could do that schoolwork I still have to do, but I was giving myself a week off since I'm technically out of school. I guess I'll just clean my room.

Oh how I love having so much free time! I'll enjoy it while it lasts. :D

~Bef

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure its worth watching.

Today is wonderful! It's raining outside, I had coffee, and I have a kitty curled up in my lap!


This one! <3>

On another note, I didn't get the job at Black & Decker. I'm fine with that since I didn't really want to work there anyways. I have another job interview next Tuesday at Journey's. I hope the Fudgery calls me. I would love to work there.

Friday before last we had a teen devo at Gary and Christy's house. We hadn't had one in a long time, so it was nice. I attempted to make cupcakes from scratch...eh-hem...attempted. ;) The peanut butter frosting was good, anyways. I'll try again later.



They look harmless enough, right? ;)

At least they were pretty.

Last Sunday I went to a gas station to use the vacuum to clean out my car (why in the world does 'vacuum' have two u's??), and it astounded me. I didn't even get the whole car vacuumed before my time was up and it shut off. I took the floor rugs out and beat them on things to get the dirt out...every time a new cloud of dirt would fly off. I beat it on the curb, the telephone stand thing, and...well, the back of my car (silly me). So the back of my car was caked with dirt. The inside of my car is cleaner than it was (WOO!), but I bet I could still get clouds of dirt out of the rugs.

I played a whole game of Monopoly yesterday! Can you believe it! :O

Kierra and I both want to lose weight, so we're working on it together. We've been trying to eat healthier things, eat smaller portions, and drink more water. We have also been working out every day (except Sunday...that's our day off). I just recently got a treadmill and an exercise bike in my house. Yesterday I ran/walked on it for 45 minutes! That's 15 more than my previous record. I ran for 7 or 8 minutes straight once! I think my previous time for that was 4 minutes straight. I then proceeded to use the exercise bike for 30 minutes. Half the time I used the pedals and not the seat (like an elliptical) and the other half I just biked. I was very proud of my hour and 15 minutes. :) Current weight: 145 pounds. I'll let you know if that improves.

There are now 18 days till we leave for Bible Camp! I've been getting excited about being there and all the fun we have. There is one thing I'm dreading, though...the sun. I HATE hot weather. D: But I supposed it's worth it. After that, Guyana. There are now 43 days till I leave for South America. I can hardly contain myself! Every time I see a plane, I get more and more excited. I have raised over half of my money now, which is good. 80% is due by June 15. Even if I don't get it, some other people have gotten extra that can cover where I am lacking. I can't wait!! <3


Fare thee well,

~Bef










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