Story Time

The last post was the overview.. here are the stories. There are only 2 that I really want you to read.

Today, when I got back from Hangzhou, I was in McD's getting some lunch before catching my last bus. McD's is a place that you commonly see other foreigners. I didn't think much of it when a middle aged man walked in. I just continued my burger eating and drinking of fountain coke. Since I was eating alone, my eyes tend to linger around at the other people in the restaurant. I like to see what everyone else is eating and how they are interacting with their lunch dates. I also like to analyze the wardrobe choices of most people. You can tell a lot by a person's clothes. Well, I was lingering.. and my eyes caught the eye of the foreigner. He smiled and nodded. A common guesture between foreigners in China. Shows the bond of being a foreigner in a country so drastically different than your own. Well, when you've been in China for a while you start to get this attitude of "I don't want to meet every foreigner in China." I don't have this attitude, but when you've been on a train for 8 hours and busses for accumulation of about 4.. you don't really want to make polite small talk. So I looked down at my burger.

This is the point where it gets more interesting. The foreign man proceeds to sit at a table near me.. close enough to talk while we eat. I smile and speed up the consumption of my double cheeseburger so that he isn't tempted to make small talk. He does though. He asks where I'm from. I answer with a polite, but tight smile.. "America." His smile changes and he looks down. Intrigued, I ask his nationality. He replies, "I am an Iraqi.. I am sorry I spoke to you." My heart broke into a million pieces. I smiled more kindly and held the tears back.. "It's Ok. I don't mind. Are you here on business?" He looked up a little more hopeful, and responded with a polite "Yes."

At this point I am deciding just how much time I have till I crash over. I am exhausted and dirty. I decide a small conversation won't hurt. I move over to his table and visit with him. He tells me he had to leave his country because it is too dangerous to live there. His family could not get visas, so they are all still there fighting to stay alive everyday. He asked about my whereabouts in America and my life in China. We talked about how young of a teacher I am and compared Ningbo to Hangzhou. I didn't win him over to believe that Hangzhou is the best, but we agreed to disagree. He is here with a company and is the only foreigner. He doesn't have any friends or know anyone really. I told him he could come to dinner with us when we came downtown sometime. "Really? I could do that?" My heart broke again. I explained that all of my friends are not American, and in fact the reason I was outside America was because I loved other cultures and languages so much. I wanted to study them and share my "knowledge" with the people in other countries. We became friends in that short lunch.

I have never, in my life, had anyone respond to me in that way. Afraid he could not talk to me because I am from America. I have never, in my life, been ashamed to be from America. I know I have not always enjoyed America, but I was ashamed of the reputation I had just because of my nationality. I was ashamed of the reputation he felt he had just because of his. The reason his family can not get a visa is because of their nationality. It's because the World is afraid of them. His smile, when I said my goodbyes, made me hopeful that I had started to change one person's opinions of Americans. At least I planted that seed of not stereotyping.

Second story happend just after I left McD's.
Preface: I have been telling Americans that are paranoid about pickpocketers not to worry so much. I have never been pickpocketed in my time here. It's not everywhere.. be more trusting. All of those things have exited my mouth in the last 2 days.
Now:
I was on the bus headed out to school. I was sitting with my bag in my lap and the flap closed on it. This man is standing really close to my seat. I tend to choose the single seats along the side of the bus, so that no one has to sit by the "foreigner." So many people will move or not sit by foreigners.. so I save my feelings from being hurt by sitting in the singles. Well.. this man was standing so close to me, that his bottom was sitting on my shoulder basically. I was getting frustrated, but kept moving closer to the window. Finally, I felt something move under my arm. My automatic reaction was, "Give me my wallet back." Very soft spoken, but loud enough for the man to hear. He looked at me.. I pushed him a little and repeated my words at a normal voice volume. "Give me back my wallet." I am glaring. He moves and points to his "partner" and the partner opens his coat and hands me my wallet. I didn't get up out of my seat. I didn't yell.. I just kindly, but sternly told them to give me my wallet back. The girls that were standing by them start checking their pockets. Nothing is missing. Seems the foreigner was the only target.

The men proceed to run off of the bus at the next stop. I was shaking and trying not to cry. The adrenaline coursing through my viens. It took every ounce of self-control for me to not stand up and punch them both out. I don't know what would happen to me if I ever did beat up a Chinese man, but I didn't really want to find out. All I wanted to do was go to bed. I was so exhausted. There was a man that saw everything and he gave me a thumbs up. I gained face today on the bus. I stopped pick pocketers from stealing my wallet. The only important thing they would have gotten was my passport. That would have been upsetting, but other than that the only things in my wallet are a bunch of discount cards for stores around the school, and 5 yuan. That's it. They would have been sorely disappointed. In fact.. if they had looked in the wallet on the bus, they probably would have just handed it back to me.

This was my first experience in this situation. I thought I handled it well.. I should have drawn more attention to them, but I just couldn't. If I had started yelling or anything the self control would have been gone, and they would have been beat up. It's not hard to beat up a chinese man. I wasn't scared or anything. I don't "hate" China.. or anything. It happens more in America than here. It's everywhere. It's not a China thing. It's a life thing.. and I had my first life experience with this. I am still not going to be paranoid.. I am not going to walk around scared. I am thankful that I was raised with a sense of things around me.. and that I was smart enough to just know what had happened when I felt my arm drop a little. That intuition was a blessing today. I am constantly being taken care of. I am thankful for that.

Roller Coaster Time

Wow. This has been one long weekend FULL of events. I'll give the overview and then a couple stories for you.

First, this was Thanksgiving weekend. So it was spent in Wuhan with some other amazing family members teaching in China. A lot of Harding people teach out there, so it was really fun to catch up with them. Some of us have been online friends for a while, but met face to face for the first time on Saturday. It's pretty incredible how quickly you bond and get so close to people here.

Friday I left class and bussed to Hangzhou. I went and caught up with Beth and Erin for a bit in Xia Sha. It's always good to see them. I also ran into a couple students and saw Willis and Lily at Jack Hut. We took pictures together and talked and laughed. It was fun. Then I headed downtown and grabbed some dinner with Steve, Jackie, Cammie, and Hannah before catching the train to Wuhan. I am amazed at how easy it is to just fall back into old friendships, even with a whole year between talking. I love my friends in Hangzhou.

The train was fun.. it was 8 hours, but we had hard sleepers. They are plywood with a small blanket over it and you get a pillow and nice comforter. I love the comforters in hotels in China.. they are thick and heavy. So basically we got on and went to sleep and woke up and were in Wuhan. I like this mode of transportation best in China. There are 6 bunk bed style hard sleepers in a cabin.. which makes for interesting sleep. Snoring is common, talking in sleep, and also smoking throughout the ride. I am getting tired of the smoke.. everwhere. such is life.

When we got there, we chilled with Jeremy till Jesse arrived on his overnight train. Then we set out for food and then showered and got ready for the big Thanksgiving celebration! We went to this hotel and had dinner with the other Americans in the area. I saw my old Harding friends, and some others that I knew of, but had never really met. It was fun. First, it was kind of awkward because everyone was hugging and catching up. I didn't know anyone that well though.. so Tara and I sat over on the couch and talked about our Social Awkwardness and tried to figure out who people were. As the night progressed though.. we all became close close friends. Such a blessing in our Family here. We ate turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and green beans and apple pie and pumpkin Love. It was amazing. Then on to Cranium! Our girl team rocked the game.. and it went really quickly. The fellowship and singing was amazing. It's encouraging to be in a large group again and sing and spend time together.

Sunday morning was a complete blessing. The End. I didn't want to leave though.. it was just incredible to be with people that you really connected with. Sunday afternoon was spent at the local shopping center.. Theatre first for some imported goods.. like Dr. Pepper and Cheeze Its and Milanos. Happiness in a store.. Then we all went and commandeered the front corner of Dairy Queen. We sat and people watched.. or were a zoo exhibit rather. It was hilarious. We laughed so hard at people's reactions to so many foreigners in one place. I got winked at by an older man with a Chinese mustache and mullet. He looked Mexican.. haha. Creeper. We saw men and women in their pajamas.. a little boy rockin a purple sweater vest that was phenomenal. We watched a mother carry a screaming girl up the moving sidewalk.. after it took her ten minutes at the bottom to get the girl to go near the thing. She was terrified. It was one of the most entertaining afternoons I've had in a while.

Then we just hung out till it was time to go catch the train back. It was fun to talk about Harding and life there and friends. We all got to catch up and share stories of our lives here. It's amazing how we are all put in each other's lives for reasons. There are specific reasons for every person that has been put in our life, and it's cool to see how that's being used. All in all.. it was a fabulous weekend of Thanksgiving Fellowship with some amazing Family. What the holiday is all about.

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. China doesn't celebrate this holiday.. crazy. haha. We Americans are celebrating though with a meal.. as close as we can get to Thanksgiving. We even found a turkey at Metro. Then we will play some games and fellowship. We are going to spend some time talking together and studying and being Thankful.

The things I am most Thankful for are HIM and his work in my life. The places he has sent me to work. The life experiences he has given me. The most important thing though is the people he has put in my life.

My family is of course at the top of that list. The have raised me and taught me so many things. They are the biggest influences I have in my life. The love and support they have always given me, and encouragement is just amazing. My mom is at the top of the list. My cousins are amazing.. always there to make me laugh and share inside jokes. It's funny to watch when we all get together and just talk non-stop forever. Always laughing and joking like we see each other everyday. I miss that. I will miss Savage Christmas this year.. the older we get, the less we are all together. I am so thankful for ALL of my family though.

Then there is a whole other family I've been given. It's hard to put into words, but they are just as important to me as the aforementioned family. They are my very closest friends. They have been there with me through the thick and thin of my everchanging life in the last 3 1/2 years. The way that we started our friendship was through laughter. As many of you probably know.. that the way to my heart. Make me laugh and I'm yours. This alternative family I've been given is comprised of mostly guys and a couple girls. They are amazing men of DAD, and are always shining the light. They are kind and fun and happy and encouraging. All things that I need in my life. I am so thankful to have them in my life.. even when I'm so far away. They download Skype and we talk and they still work on that building relationship. It's amazing to see the hearts they have been given and how they share those hearts with the rest of the World daily.

Other extensions of my family are my Chinese family. The Americans here that i have grown to know and love. The Chinese here that are in my life daily. I am so thankful for their kindness. I am so thankful for the innocence of my friends here. My Chinese friends teach me so many amazing things everday about life and culture and adaptation. I am so thankful for those things that I get to see in that family everyday. The American family here teaches me patience and kindness. They laugh with me and support me and tease me. It's amazing to get to see the way relationships grow and change when you're in a new place and culture. You really bond over the American holidays and cultural things.

My time at Harding was not always amazing, but some amazing people came out of that deal. Every year it seemed that my friendships changed and relationships. Some of us grew apart.. some together.. and some apart and then together again. I find myself thinking about those friends that I haven't talked to in so long. Time gets away from us, and life gets busy. I am so thankful for each of those seasons of frienships.. and knowing that some of those people still try to keep in touch. I am thankful for those random friendships I made there too. The people I met on the sidewalk once or on the front lawn and we still chat every now and then. I am so thankful for those happy memories.

I'm also thankful for my supporting family at home. They are the reason I am able to be here and to work. The way that DAD answers those talks with him. He has used my amazing Alpine family and other families to support me in my work here. Emotionally and financially. It's a true blessing that I am ever so thankful for today.

There are so many other people in my life that I am thankful for. There are so many things in my life I'm thankful for. So many things I've been given and gotten to experience. I try to remember these things everyday, but this holiday always makes me think more in depth about it. I hope you are all safe and have a joyous day with your families. Love you all and am so thankful for each of you.

Open the Eyes of my Heart

Burnt offerings to their G-ds

Just waiting around

My random friends in Shanghai

QiXiaShan (mountain) and Americans

This month has been full of travels and teaching and exhaustion. Through all of these things, I have had the blessing of getting to see different places, people, and cultures. In my teaching I have gotten to know some of my students so much better recently. The things we have talked about in class have really opened my eyes to their lives and trials. I have learned the different backgrounds they have, and thought processes. It's wonderful to see when they have a different thought or experience.

Through my travels, I have met some new friends. I have seen more of China. I have gotten to experience so many new things. This weekend was no exception. We left on Friday afternoon for Nanjing. I was really excited for this trip because of the friends we got to catch up with, and because Nanjing is such a cool city. I hope to return very soon to go to the museums and historical things in this city. This is a city that many governments of China have started and died. It's a city that has been attacked countless times. It's a very historical city in China.

We climbed a mountain on Saturday. It was beautiful. The leaves were all changing, so it looked like fall at home. We climbed up, and from the top you could look out over the river. The river was large and hard to see from all the fog. Lots of barges on it. Then dinner at Burger King and coffee for a few hours with good friends. It was wonderful to catch up with people and just talk about our lives. I find that I appreciate fellowship much more now. It's wonderful to be around people of like mind.

Friendships in China are so different. With the Chinese, you can only get so deep. With foreigners.. especially other Americans, it seems that you get so deep so much more quickly. You bond on this "foreigner in China" status and share so many more intimate details more quickly about onesself. It's been amazing to see into these people's hearts and souls while I'm getting to know them. I am learning so much about others and about myself in the process. My eyes are being opened daily to see in a new way.

Then on Sunday.. I went to Shanghai to see Tara. She went to Harding with me for a bit, then taught here for 6 months (my first year), and is now back visiting for a couple weeks. She has been so busy.. so I just made a quick stopover in Shanghai to visit with her. It was wonderful to see her and catch up. We got to talk for a long time about life and where we are in it. How much we love China and the things we get to see. It was nice to be around someone who misses China as much as I missed it. It was a good reminder for me. I was starting to get a little bitter about things here, but she reminded me of the simplicity of life here. It was a nice refreshing visit.

When I got to Shanghai though.. I had some time to kill before she got back.. so I wandered out of the subway at People's Park and thought about going to sit and read at Starbucks. When I got out of the subway station, 4 students stared and said their "Hellos." I smiled and said Hello.. well, we ended up visiting and then they invited me to a tea showing. Where the woman told about all the different teas and how they are made and we get to sample them. We also learn the history and everything. It was so interesting. It was one of those random moments where you remember you aren't alone in this World. You remember to seize every opportunity given you. I was definitely given an opportunity and took advantage of it. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Monday in Shanghai... I literally fell of the Subway. I was trying to get off and people are all in the way.. Oh China. A guy picked up my leg and literally threw me out of the subway car and onto the ground. I had a swarm of people trying to help me and also yelling at the guy. It was crazy. I am bruised and a little sore, but such is life. Shanghai is busy and crowded. Not my favorite place on earth, but close. I did get Cold Stone Creamery, and Crocs. Found an amazing book store! Can't wait to go back to the book store. Other than that.. nothing. It was wonderful to see Tara.

Now I am back in Ningbo. I am exhausted. This week is really busy. Thanksgiving is Thursday. I will be cooking a lot for that and hosting it in my apartment. Today is Graham's birthday party.. so Burgers at the Irish place downtown and bowling. Tomorrow is Wednesday... so cleaning and cooking for Thursday. Friday I am leaving for Wuhan. Steve, Jesse, and I are going out to central China to visit some American friends. Harding people out there and others. We are having a big Thanksgiving on Saturday. I am really excited to see my friends. An overnight train on Friday and Sunday should be fun too. Then I'm done traveling until Christmas. I will go to ChongQing to visit my best Chinese friend, Angus. He will be home from England for a couple days. I am so excited about seeing him.

Needless to say.. my eyes are opened daily to new things and experiences. Life is different and fun all in one. I love what I'm doing and where I am. I just hope that I continue to look UP when I am faced with hard things like being thrown off a subway car.

Thoughts

My thoughts this week have been really focused on friends and family. I have been getting a little homesick with Thanksgiving nearing. Skype has helped this a lot. My friends now have skype.. so I get to video call them frequently and my parents now too. So it's helping. I still miss hugs a whole lot.

I have had friends requesting certain thought requests.. and this has been heavy on my heart. It pains me to hear the troubles that we endure in this life. The things that we are put through.. but I know it's all to make us stronger. It's all for a reason and that's comforting. I see situations and the good that came out of them and it cheers my heart, but then I see where it's all headed and it hurts again. I just wish I could hug and comfort and make it all better. I never have the right words or advice.. but I try. It just all sounds so cliche to me.

Today we went to a big sale downtown. I got a backpackers backpack for 30 US dollars. This will come in handy when I am traveling for 6 weeks in January. We are going to visit family in Thailand and Cambodia. It's going to be wonderful to be there to encourage them and see the work there. Then we will head north to Harbin (almost Russia) for the ice festival. I only want to stay an hour to take a picture.. i'm not looking forward to becoming an exhibit when I freeze into a block of ice. Then to Beijing or Shanghai for our winter retreat. We'll see.

I know I'm rambling a lot. I can't really keep a continuous thought. That's what China will do to you. It turns you ADD and unable to focus. I think it has to do with not speaking Chinese. In America you hear your language and focus on conversation. Here I don't have to focus. I don't know what you're talking about.. so I just space out until I'm motioned at to do something. Nice huh...

Other thoughts.. It's cold here. I'm wishing I had brought my pea coat.. really I just want to go home and get another suitcase. But I'm fine and I'm going to get a coat made probably. A warm one. Teaching is going well.. I've been a little sick so I'm exhausted. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with the Americans here and then some of us are going to Central China to visit a bunch of Americans for a big dinner. I will get to see all of my Harding peeps.. and I'm excited. Tomorrow we are going to Nanjing to visit some Harding peeps too. I'm happy to get a change of scenery and people. They have Burger King.. and H&M and Ikea.

I will blog about Nanjing when I get back. It's one of the most cultural cities in China.. read about it. It's amazing. Nanjing/Nanking.

Foreigners

Steve is Number 4

Harlequin's vs. China Men

In China when you meet a foreigner it's a new kind of friendship. You automatically bond over living in China and being a foreigner.. and outsider. You have something in common with people that you probably wouldn't if you weren't in this situation. It's refreshing to know that you can start a conversation with any foreigner in China and at least having something to talk about.

Life here is interesting and opening doors I never thought would be opened. In America you meet people with different backgrounds all the time, but here it's even more widespread. I am learning so much from foreigners I've met. I spent a long time talking to this one girl on Saturday night. We immediately got into some really deep issues. It's interesting just how quickly friendship moves along here. We were talking about things that not even my friends at home had ever asked about. I learned so much about this one girl in just that short time. I'm continually amazed at the way that Dad works in situations here.

Last time he brought me Molly. She was amazing and wonderful and kept me sane. This year.. he's brought me the most random friendships and people that I have come to rely on talking to and being around. It's not like I am losing my independence.. it's just that I miss talking to those people and seeing those people when I'm gone for even a weekend. Jessica and Bekah have really become some of my closest friends. We spend a lot of time together and laugh and really connect. It's amazing to watch each of us grow and help each other through each day.

I met a lot of foreigners this weekend at the Rugby match and dinner. It was wonderful to just sit and speak quickly. It was good fellowship. I also finally understand Cricket and still love Aussie accents. It was a great weekend in Hangzhou. I'm back in Ningbo now.. and exhausted. Another week of teaching and then Nanjing this weekend. Then Thanksgiving week and then Wuhan for the weekend. I'm taking a break from traveling after that till ChongQing for Christmas. Angus will be home for 2 weeks on holiday.. so I'm going to hang out for 4 days with him and a couple other friends. I am so excited about that weekend. It's hard to be in China and not be with Angus or the boys. I miss those friendships. I'm excited for 4 days with my Chinese best friend.

As for everything else.. I'm safe. I'm happy. I'm a little sick. I'm trying to improve my Chinese. I'm great at bargaining. I'm studying a lot. I'm reading more. I'm thinking of writing a book.. but not sure how to even start something like that. I'm also busy thinking about my future a lot. I have a lot of decisions to make soon.. and I know I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. I just want to be where my talents are being used. I'm finding what those talents are, and trying to follow that path.

Love

I have a passion for this country. Life here is so intersting. It's not always perfect or fun, but that comes with living in a new place. I do love learning something new everyday, and being challenged with new ideas and thoughts everyday.

I have to live a completely different life here, but I find myself relying more on my True Love in my heart. I rely on that Love more here because it's what I know will carry me through. That Love is what helps me grow everyday as a person. I see things in a completely different light. I am not a citizen of this World and that helps my culture shock a lot.

The Chinese people are amazing. They still believe in true love, Mr. Right, and Marriage for life. I love this about them. Most of their music still revolves around love and friendship. They are kind and caring. They are excited about foreigners and our lives. I just hope that we continue to teach them the good things.

Everyday life has it's moments. I've had a couple myself lately. Those are the moments that I retreat. Those are the days that I like to leave and spend time figuring things out. Yesterday was one of those days. So many emotions and things just came out yesterday. I had to deal with a lot. I turned to my True Love and he provided me comfort. His words were more than enough comfort and then he provided me with arms to hold me. He is truly amazing.

I was reading a letter from Paul. His second one to Corinth... the first part about lines 8-11 described my toils really well. It's amazing the history behind all of this. It's comforting and scary to know that the World has always been this way.

Weekend of Fellowship

The Ningbo girls

Some beautiful girls

The Whole Group

This weekend was a complete success. It was wonderful to spend time with our family here in China. The travelers all arrived on Friday evening and got all checked in and had some dinner. Then we spent some time together just visiting.. introducing the people who didn't know each other. It was nice. We also had dessert.

Hangzhou has a new donut shop.. Big Apple Donuts and Coffee. It's amazing!! I can't even put into words.. they are works of art, as are most things in China. They have tons of flavors and fillings and icings and sprinkles. Their coffee is even good.

Saturday we spent time Singing.. lots of time. It was amazing to have 4 part harmony and to be able to sing those songs that we just never get to sing anymore. The discussion time was great too.. we got into some deeper things.. and got to get out some frustrations. It was good fellowship.

The whole weekend as a whole was fabulously encouraging and fulfilling. We got fed, and learned a lot from each other. A complete success.

This was all made possible because of my wonderful family at home, Alpine, and the contributions they make to my work here in China. Thank you so much. It is amazing to be apart of a family that thinks the work in the rest of the world is so important. I appreciate the thougts and encouragement that I receive daily from my family.

Along with the foreigner time this weekend.. on Sunday night one of our students/friends went swimming. It was a Glorious Day made by our Father, and we rejoiced in it completely.. and still are.

This coming weekend we are going to have a retreat with our Chinese family/friends. Some of us are going to get together and spend the weekend in thought and fellowship together. Our family has asked a lot about fasting and the meaning.. so that is our focus. So from Thursday until Sunday night we are going to be fasting and teaching and learning. Please be keeping this in your talks with our Dad. It should be a true time of growth for all of us..

I want to clarify that the retreat was strictly foreigners, but that a couple of our Chinese friends fellowshipped with us for dinner and the like. It was all amazing.

Amazed by Perfection

Our Dad has a way of knowing exactly what we need and when we need. He has a way of touching lives with those around them.. when we are desperate for some hope. He has a way of showing us things and revealing things to us. It is always perfect timing.

I am not saying life is perfection.. because we are human and this is Earth. I am saying that our Dad and our lives with him are perfection. I am saying that even the tough times are used in a way to bring people together or to Glorify him. It is perfect. I have had an inspiring weekend of all of these things.

Weekends are hard for me. Sundays are emotional. Fridays are full.. Saturdays are busy.. Sundays are extremely busy along with extreme emotions for me. I sit in family meeting next to Morgan usually.. a seeker. I am brought to tears with his comments of belief and passion for our Dad. I am brought to tears during our thought time because I so desperately want him to become one of my brothers. I want him to take that last step.

I am brought to tears with the desire to hold the hand of the person next to me when we are talking to our Dad. I crave that personal touch.. that reassurance that I'm not alone. The comfort of a hand in mine praising HIM. I yearn for a hug from a brother/sister. A comfort that I'm not alone in this life.

This Saturday there was a lot on my mind. Saturday night when I got back to my apartment I desperately just wanted to talk to someone. I just wanted to be reminded that I wasn't forgotten about over here. My friend Jessica skyped me about then.. just randomly. She is living in France right now. I haven't talked to her in about 3 years. It was one of the best conversations ever. I love how you can just pick up with certain people .. just like you spoke yesterday. I find that in our Family this is often easy. We spent 2 1/2 hours on skype video call just talking. It was the most encouraging thing. It's hard to put into words, but it was just perfection.

I am continually driven to my knees with desire/passion/love. I am constantly thinking about the people here and my role in their lives. How I am being used to mold their lives. How they are molding me everyday into this new person. The timing in my life has always been perfect. The people brought into it.. and the things I have learned from them has always been perfect. The things I have been taught, and passed on to others in need has always been perfect. The hardest things in my life has turned out to be perfect. My life IN HIM is perfect.

Since he gives me this perfection everday.. I am doing all I can to give him perfection. I am not perfect, but everyday I strive for it. Everyday I try harder and harder to be like him and closer to him. Give him my full life. This week I am going to make a new committment and grow closer to him than I have in a long time. I am going to spend my week in "thought and study" completely. No TV or Movies this week. No internet this week. Complete devotion to HIS word and life. You'll hear from me next week after the retreat.

"We cry Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb.. We fall down and lay our Crowns at the feet of Je--s. The Greatness of mercy and Love at the feet of Je--s. And we cry Holy holy holy, and we cry Holy holy holy. and we cry holy holy holy is the lamb."