Canadian National Park - Kejimikujik

Today on our way across the Route 8 Scenic Drive through the middle of Nova Scotia we came to the Kejimikujik National Park. I still can't pronounce it - some of the locals call is Kedgee. It was much smaller than the Acadia National Park that we had been in earlier this week, but it was beautiful none the less. It was filled with streams and lakes, and beautiful scenic walkways. We spend a couple hours there and even enjoyed a picnic lunch.

The most interesting thing about the park was that the water was tea colored. Due to the water running over the rocks it turns it brown. I have attached a picture that explains it.

We also got to see a beautiful deer! So of course I took several pictures of that as well!

Ocean Hillside Bed & Breakfast

I picked a winner! That is what Joel said as we walked into our room at our bed and breakfast. We have a patio that overlooks the Bay of Fundy and a canopy bed, living room, and bathroom with a jacuzzi tub - which works great! While relaxing tonight I sampled a Blueberry Soda from Bar Harbor - it was like drinking a Blueberry Muffin - good stuff. Anyway - here are some pics of our lodging facility - please don't be jealous - it was cheaper than all of our hotel stays! I will let you know about breakfast tomorrow!

A few things I have noticed!

Number one - Canadian's must love Heinz ketchup as much as I do - check out the size of their ketchup packets. I took it next to a hotel card so you could see the size. They are amazing!!!

The second thing - is that most all the houses that I have seen in Maine and in Canada are made of Cedar siding - I wonder if there is a reason - maybe I should google it - or maybe you know the reason already and you just want to message it to me. Either way I still find it interesting.

And lastly - the signs here in Canada are funny! Do you really need a sign to tell you what to do with dog doo doo - isn't it obvious? I guess that we have obvious signs as well - I just found this one humorous!

Back Road Adventures

The quickest route from Bar Harbor to St. John New Brunswick was quite the secluded roadway. We took route 3 then 178 (I think) and then got on Route 9 to Canada. Along the way we had great conversation, much of the conversation included laughter about crazy things that we saw along the way. These sites were so funny to us that we actually stopped in the middle of the road, turned around and drove back just to take a picture. You may or may not find them funny, but just picture yourself driving and looking out your window to see these things.

These are the top four....

Seriously this is one of our favorites...there were no houses for miles, just a road with spruce trees on both sides, then this marsh area....with dead trees every where... there isn't even room to go "swimin" oh my! Seriously!

The second site was this mailbox. Joel found this hilarious! I found it even more funny when we looked at the road after the mailbox - again you must remember that there were no houses for miles.





The third sighting was an outhouse... in a field - with nothing around it - seriously nothing!














And our last sighting - a drilling truck...on a pole in someone's front yard... across the road there were four or five old tractors on poles. And I thought the pink flamingoes in our neighbor's yard were a bad lawn ornament!

















These were just a few of our favorites. Also last night upon arriving in St. John NB - we went to the Reversing Falls and had dinner overlooking this phenomanon where the water actually changes directions - while we were there the current was going in both directions creating whirlpools. Check out www.joelsnyder.net to read about that.

Acadia National Park

Majestic - that is the word that I would use to describe the sites that we saw yesterday. We decided to do an audio tour - it cost $12.95 and it was well worth it - if any of you are coming to Maine we would be happy to share it with you. It let us drive at our own pace and explore as we wished. It was an amazing day - it took us about 5 hours to go through the park. We took a couple little hikes and saw some amazing things that God created. I don't know how you can look at this park and not believe in a God that created this world! Wow - it was amazing. To get a slide show of our trip check out Joel's Blog www.joelsnyder.net It is a video slide show with music and everything. I will just include a couple of my favorite picks of the day. Also check later on facebook for all my pictures.

Vacation - 2010 Maine/Nova Scotia

We have arrived! I took us a bit longer than we anticipated...however, part of the reason is that I really wanted to take the Route 1 Coastal scenic route - at least for a little while.... the view of the ocean was well worth the added three to four hours of our trip. We finally got to Bar Harbor around 7:30 to find our hotel to be top notch! Our pool is on the Ocean - so cool! Can't wait to go for a swim tomorrow - and take a tour of Acadia National Park! Check back for more about our trip!

A tasty treat at Knoebels

Last Friday was WGRC day at Knoebels. It was a perfect day - a nice breeze, the rains held off, and we enjoyed countless hours of music to honor the Creator! During the day the girls that won the Get Real Talent Competition showed their skills, and boy were they awesome!!!

Well later in the day was my time in the spotlight or should I say moment of madness! Because of a little competition I had to get a pie in the face in front of hundreds of onlookers!

Check out the picture, especially if you weren't there to enjoy the fun!

Group Workcamp Variety Shows

Throughout the summer I was able to be a part of four different variety shows at workcamp - each one was drastically different, but utterly amazing! Check out this video of some dueling violins from Brighton TN workcamp.

Check out this other video of what happens when you don't have enough people sign up for the variety show at Scranton Workcamp

Lights out

These girls rock

Check out this sweet lights out video from my sweet crew this week.

MC - Suspect Reporter!

Camp is going well! From the camping standpoint - we seem nice and protected inside the walls of our school, but the outside world seems a little sketchy! I may in fact have a first as an MC. Sunday afternoons it is my job to welcome the campers by sitting at the end of the school by the road with a bright yellow welcome sign (as seen here) and as I was sitting there I was a little nervous I am going to be honest (we aren't in the best part of town) and I saw this guy who was hanging around and it seemed a little odd, but I wasn't going to leave my greeting post. He then left for a few minutes across a field came back and as I was greeting - he disappeared.... about 30 minutes later - the cops showed up at my post and asked me if I had seen a guy with a black hooded sweatshirt - I HAD!!!! Oh my - he just robbed the convient store about 150 yards from the school! And I was a witness - never in my life did I ever imagine such an experience at workcamp! We have also had some other fun times, which I won't mention at this time, but I would be happy to share the stories!

Rochester Workcamp - Work it like it's your job!

Having fun visiting the sites today - check out this cool video that our song leader Michael took while we were hanging out with our new friend Kevin.

Learning cool apps

This has been an apple iPhone filled day!

Brighton Workcamp - Day 2

So we made it through the terrible storms of yesterday and last night - the sun is peeking through the clouds and it looks as though tomorrow is going to be sunny! The down fall - it is supposed to be a heat index of 110 degrees - that is HOT!

We had a bit of fun this morning as we woke up to a power outage - but it did return just before I got to do Wakey Wakey for our workcamps - for those that don't know that is the fun intercom announcement and songs that I get to give each morning. I also include a fun fact about myself and one snapple fact as well as the weather! Fun times!

Yesterday we learned that the average person spends two years of their life on the phone! That is crazy!!!

Todays fact - Mosquitos have 47 teeth (but I think the ones here in Tennessee have at least 50)

You will have to wait and see the fact for the day will be tomorrow! Bring on the fun times!!!

My blogs may be scarce this week because we don't have internet at our school, however there i is a nice McDs about 10 minutes away that has free WiFi and some great greasy food - that is not a deli sandwich - fun times!

Another Week, Another Workcamp!

Jana is at it again!  This week she is emceeing her third Group Workcamp in four weeks.  In this latest installment, Jana flew to Memphis, TN, was picked up by a staff member and rode an hour or so to Brighton, TN.  Here is a little information from Group about this workcamp.  On Suday, Jana told me she didn't have internet at that time, so I will be updating the blog from texts, etc. that she sends my way.  Check back often to see what all they are up to. 

Group Workcamps In the News!

WBRE-TV did a news story about the Workcamp Jana is emceeing in Carbondale/Scranton! The reporter mistakenly called Group Workcamps "Camp works". But, it was nice to see a number of the campers being interviewed. Follow the link to see/watch the story.

http://pahomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=144455

Music Practice at Workcamp

Here are some of the music team practicing for the evening program. It has been a good week here in Scranton.

Hello Posh Workcamp!

So as I began thinking about spending another week at workcamp - there was a little part of me that was not looking forward to sleeping on the floor, being hot in a gym with no air conditioning, and eating another round of camp food.....however....God must have heard my prayers because, I am living first class this week!

My room has air conditioning, I have a real bed, with my own room, and my very own bathroom!

Program area - large room - pretty tight and not your typical room, we are going to have to be very creative as we go through the weekly programs. However - it has air conditioning! Praise the Lord!

And last but not least - the food is amazing!!! Lots of choices, hand dipped ice cream and real lettuce - that is actually green, dark green!

Farewell Clearfield, Hello Scranton!

As the week at Clearfield workcamp has come to a close, I am doing laundry, napping, and getting all the supplies ready for my next camp which starts tomorrow - that's right back to back camps! I can imagine right now you are saying - why on earth would you do that? You need to rest! You are right I do need to rest, however due to an injury this week of another MC (my beloved Stephanie) Group needed to find someone in two days that would be able to do a camp in Pennsylvania. So that's why I am off to do another camp!

A couple of good things - they let me sleep in my own bed tonight and show up early tomorrow morning - that is a praise! This next camp is on a college campus, so I get my own bed (instead of an air mattress!) And best of all the bedrooms have air conditioning! Praise God for that!

It is a bit of a whirlwind, but I have slept a lot today, and I am soon heading to bed, I am all packed, and ready I do believe! My hubby is off at a game with his students, we got to spend a couple hours together - that too was a blessing! He is so supportive of me and my ministry!

Now as I close this blog here are a few pictures from the week!

We collected 4017 cans of food to donate to the local food bank then made a huge chain of students to get it loaded! Super cool!

Doing my MC duties - speaking each morning and night - oh and song leading too - Jori had to leave early because she is a flex - it was a bit tiring, wish I had more energy!

One of the favorites of the week was our bus driver, is name is Ishmeal and he took several crews to their sites daily! When I was talking to him, he mentioned that someone from one of the little towns called Houtzdale - called his company in Chicago and reported that he must be lost because busses don't come to their town - it was so funny!

Checking in at Workcamp

Jana is the queen of giving out candy and I am sure the kids love it!  Jana says this pic was taken at check in today.  As crews return to the school, the staff interviews them to check their progress, find out about their crews' devotions, listen to "God Sightings", etc.  And, Jana always makes sure there is always something sweet to eat available. 

Workcamp Week Update

This week has been amazing, draining, but amazing! It has been great to see how God is working in the lives of our campers and also the residents! I have really enjoyed being here in a town that I used to live. It is fun to see familiar names and faces as I walk through the halls of the school. It brings back some really great memories! Things are going very smoothly for the most part, a few Opportunities (that is what our director calls challenging times - I love it!) but as a whole great times! It is hard to believe that it is Thursday already! Today is a big day as we focus on Faith today. So if you think of it and would like to pray for me as I present the message of Jesus tonight. I am so honored that I get to be part of God's big picture!


I am hoping to have some pictures up in the next few days! So keep checking back! And a big thank you to my wonderful husband who drove to see me on Tuesday - I am blessed. He is also taking care of the kids (Tucker and Boo), or at least I hope he is! He is taking care of the house and watering my flowers! Thanks so much Joel, your support is the backbone of my ministry! Keep checking back for updates!

Video Blog From Camp

Jana sent a video report about Group Workcamps' Clearfield week!

M&Ms and Tiger Lilies

The song from Sound of Music – favorite things just seems to be going through my head as I write this blog, except instead of raindrop on rose and whiskers on kittens.  It would be pretzels in candy & orange on lilies.

As I was driving to workcamp yesterday – I had a nice two hour drive to reflect and think and listen to music and stand in awe of God’s amazing handiwork (okay well I was sitting because I was driving but you know what I mean).  The two things that jump out at me on the trip here were – the new pretzel M & Ms and the tiger lilies. 

I have always loved Tiger Lilies – I had a patch in my back yard at my Lewisburg house.  They are so vibrant and colorful.  The first half of my trip was filled with Tiger Lilies – it is such a happy flower.

Now to the M & Ms – pretzel one – I didn’t even know there was such a thing!  And they are good.  They are in a blue bag and I got mine at Sheetz- you should check them out!

The Work Begins in Clearfield, PA

Here is a pic of one of the kids at Group Workcamp Foundations week at Clearfield, PA.  Things seem to be going good so far.  Keep praying for us!   

This is from a twitter Jana sent out.  Follow Jana on Twitter.  

Day One of Workcamp . . . With No Ethernet Cable!

Just got a call from Jana.  She doesn't have internet service without an Ethernet cord, which, she didn't take with her.  She might get one tomorrow or soon?  Until then, she won't be able to post here.  However, she wanted you all to know that things went pretty well today (Sunday) at Group Workcamp in Clearfield, PA.  With no A/C she didn't get a lot of relief from the heat, but she seems to be doing okay - tired, but okay.

She did send a twitter today with pic (below).  The caption was "This is my job today at Workcamp"  I was glad to see she had the opportunity to sit down!

 Look for more information later this week after Jana gets an Ethernet cable!

Joel for Jana

Church Camp

To say it mildly - Camp has changed my life! I am sure that I wouldn't be where I am today if it had not been for my Aunt Carol who invited my mom to bring all five of us crazy youngins to go to family camp at Mission Meadows on Chautauqua Lake in NY. Needless to say I fell in love with camp, but better yet I fell in love with Jesus thanks to hearing the good news while at camp. I continued to go all through elementary and high school until I was finally old enough to be on Staff! I worked at camp for three years and it was life changing - the friendships that I had made transformed me into a better person, and left me with some amazing memories!

After my time at Mission Meadows I spent a summer working at Messiah Pool which was fun and filled with memories, but definately not camp.

Then I was able to work at a camp in Massachusetts called Lakeside! Let the fun times begin! I am not sure I have ever laughed so hard or so often. I spent a lot of time in the mucky lake, with the occasional leech that got stuck between my toes. Although that was minor compared to all the amazing memories that I was able to be a part of that summer!

Then after I grew up or at least graduated and got a real job I got connected with a camp called Krislund - I would spend my summers there as I taught during the school year. The outdoor adventure setting was so cool to experience life in God's creation. My summer as program director was one of the hardest yet one of the most rewarding summers. I even ended up having red hair after that one!

I am remenising about my camp experience today because I got to go visit a hidden treasure right here in our own back yard - okay not our back yard but within 50 minutes and in our county. That was the Christian Retreat Center! Really cool to spend the day there with Brian Ford, having lunch, taking a tour, and sharing ministry moments.

If you live in this area - check out that camp, if you don't check out a camp near you - consider how you might get involved in supporting or using that camp to do ministry, or to be challenged in your faith! For me it changed my life - what will it do for you?

Back to Blogging

I'm back - watch out - with my new found time to focus on my ministry I am re-upping my commitment to blog on a regular or a semi-regular basis! As I looked back at my last blogs I realized that it has been a long time! So be on the watch for more blogs, updated on a weekly basis (I am starting out with small, reachable goals!)

Also I will be working to update my new Taraja Ministry Newsletter. My goal is to have it out by the first day of each month - however, sometimes I don't do well with that personal deadline. It is now the middle of June and I am hoping to publish my newsletter tomorrow - you need to check and keep me accountable for this!

If you haven't signed up to get my newsletter I would love to add you to the list - my goal is to have 100 subscribers by July issue - I am around 82 at this point, so won't you consider helping me to reach that goal? Click here to sign up.

Saying Goodbye

The post that follows is the entry that I wrote for my other blog today, I thought that I would share it here as well.

It was just two short weeks ago that we knew for sure that we were expecting. I can't tell you how excited we were....to think in December our world would change completely as we became parents. One week had passed and my body knew I was pregnant - I had morning sickness (or all day sickness) I didn't really want to eat, but the thoughts of the future helped me through. As people found out we were even more excited. So many people encouraged us as they told us what great parents we would be - that to me was such a huge compliment! Making me all the more excited! My family started offering me baby clothes, furniture, and all those other things that you need but don't realize.

Wednesday of last week, I was pretty sick - I was in bed all day not wanting to eat, just wanting to lay with my eyes closed, we prayed that night for the baby and for a better day the next day. Joel was so cute as he prayed for our little baby being formed inside me.

The next day I woke up and felt better, still nauseous but it was more tolerable than the day before which was good because I was beginning my first day of teaching at EJ (I am doing a long term sub in the Phys Ed department) As the day went on and I was learning the ropes I started to feel a little crampy, but still nothing strange. By lunch I was beginning to worry when I realized that I was bleeding. The doctor was called, I left school and began the longest four hours of my life!

After tests, blood work, ultrasounds they determined that I had a miscarriage. I was trying so hard to hold it together...since I had to sit in the waiting room for so long, but I just wanted to go home at that point....my heart was crushed. How could I have gotten so attached in one short week. Not only did I feel I lost the baby, but I felt as though I lost my dream - it was so overwhelming.

Now as I sit here and write, one week later, I can't hold back the tears....the hurt is still here, and I am guessing that it will be for a while. I know that time brings healing, I can feel it already, but I also know that I will not forget our little one, that I will one day meet him in one of the many rooms in God's Big House (you almost have to start singing Big House now! That always brings me a smile)

Last Thursday was Maundy Thursday - in some ways it was so symbolic of God's sadness - but in others it was just hard for additional reasons - three years ago on the same day I was diagnosed with MS. As I sat in the hospital I said to Joel - don't I have enough of a story to tell, do I really need more hardship as part of my testimony. To that he said, I know God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but I am so tired of handling things!

Just as we were blessed with an abundance of people who loved on us and congratulated us, we have been equally blessed by people who have loved us, prayed for us, called us, send cards to us, and even the family that I don't even know that sent us a single rose to remember our little one. We really are blessed and loved!

One of the biggest things I have learned this week - we all grieve differently! I have counseled so many through the grieving process, but it seems so different when it is yourself. I have learned I am a silent griever....I need time, I am not really one who wants to talk a lot about it. I like to keep myself busy, but then allow time for me to deal with my emotions. My friend said the night would be the hardest and she was right - it is the hardest! When I process things, I like to write, but it often takes me some time to actually be able to articulate what I am feeling and what I am thinking. I also like to have my space, tonight Joel is away and it is my first chance to be alone since the miscarriage, and so I made my playlist of reflective (or sad) music and have just thought and cried about life, loss, and where to go from here.

Another thing that I did that seemed to help was to get some tulips to plant in memory of our little one. I am guessing that orange would have been their favorite color since I felt drawn to get orange flowers, the flower that was sent to us was orange, and someone left a pot of orange tulips on our steps the other day. It may have been a coincidence, but I like to think it was a God incidence - God shining his love on us through our short time of pregnancy.

If you are still reading you must be brave, as I mentioned when I started this blog I was going to be raw and honest....boy I had no idea what I saying! Another thing I mentioned was that I was hoping that this would always point to God....I know God has a plan and purpose for all things....I am not sure what that is, but there is comfort in knowing that, but comfort doesn't remove the hurt, it just give security to know that the one who creates life is the one who walks through life with me. Although I am not yet at a place that I can feel God's peacefully, I know that it is promised to me, and God never breaks a promise. I am trusting that each day will get easier, and each day God will reveal his "unexpected Joy" I claim that promise as I write!!!

The last thing that I want to write before I close this epilogue (is that even the right word? well actually I don't care if it is or not, I am going to use it) I want to write about Joel in closing. From the moment that we found out we were expecting, my husband wanted to be sure people were praying for me and the baby because of the high risk. He prayed for us every night. After he shared our news at church Pastor Paul said he thought Joel would be one of the greatest Dads. I don't think that was just a nice thing to say, I think he meant it, and one thing I can say is that Joel was a great Dad, for one week he prayed for the baby, he cared for me - he even cleaned the litter box (so you know he was going above and beyond). On the way to the hospital he prayed, he made calls, he intersected my calls, he was selfless! He just kept saying, tell me what you need and I will do it, and he did! I can't think of any other person that I would want to walk through this with, he is a great husband, dad, and man of God!

I will close with the words of this song - that brings me joy in my sadness - "I will sing of your mercies that leads me through valleys of sorrow to rivers of Joy" - Jars of Clay, Valley Song

I will keep singing, I will keep trusting and I will keep hoping! Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer" Lord help me to be such things!

Glowy Unicorns and Complaining!

Tonight was the kickoff for our 8th grade girls Small Group - these girls have energy - wow! From the moment they walked in to the moment they left there was never a dull moment...they talked about everything - including but not limited to being "glowy", unicorns, baby names, complaining, denarius, the meaning of Noel, and so much more that I wish I could remember. However the best thought of the night was in the beginning when we were talking about the baby and the girls were asking how it felt to be pregnant - which was entertaining to say the least...one of my girls asked me after I squirted the dog because he is being trained to not whine when he is behind the gate, "Jana, are you going to spray your baby in the face when he cries, like you do when your dog cries?" Oh my goodness - I had to laugh at that one and insisted that I could not!

We did tonight talk about complaining - we looked at the Parable of the Workers in Matthew 20:1-16. Check it out and be challenged! Looking forward to more fun times with these girls!

MS, Baby, and Me

Hey Friends - as most of you know now, or have just found out, my husband and I are expecting our first child! We are thrilled, but nervous and excited all in one. I just wanted to let you know about a new blog that I have started...it is called MS, Baby, and Me. You can find it by going to msbabyandme.blogspot.com It will be our journey into parenthood, but it will be a bit of a different journey because of my health conditions. With that being said, it is our hope that our blog would be a prayer request for our child and for us as parents, that it would also be a place of humor and joy for those who follow us, but also that it would be an encouragement to others out there that might be struggling with MS or another disease but also find themselves on the path to parenthood.

One thing is for sure, since Joel and I are involved it will be humorous (Joel says he likes me when I laugh, (not that he doesn't when I don't - I have learned that)) and it will be honest, and sometimes a bit of raw emotion, but hopefully in all of that our story will be God honoring!

Thanks for your prayers! The next 244 days (I only know that from using my new Baby Bump App for my I Phone) are going to be a wild ride! Hope you will join us in the adventure!

Starfield and Mikeschair Interviews

Check out the videos of me interviewing "Starfield" and "Mikeschair" over at my website: www.tarajaministries.com. Both were a lot of fun!

Mike's Chair

This band is the real deal....they not only are great on stage, musically awesome, but they have great passion for Christ! They are men of integrity! I had the privilege of getting to know them backstage at Impact. I even will be soon posting a video interview with them. If you have not checked out their music - go to www.mikeschair.com Check out some of these great pictures!

Guest Blog

Hey Friends! Just wanted to pass along a hello to anyone that has just started following me here. This week I have the honor of being a guest post on www.morethandodgeball.com one of the most popular youth ministry blogs - Josh Griffin is a great guy and can take a little credit in helping Joel and I find love! (or at least he likes to think he helped in that process) Needless to say he is in Kenya right now and was looking for some guest bloggers - so go there and check out my blog on "The Sexy Truth" To get more information about the Sexy Truth - check out our site at www.thesexytruth.org

An MS Moment

As many of you know I live with a disease called MS. Today I am feeling my MS as I struggle with a sinus infection - it seems as though I can't get sick like "normal" people....when I get sick it always goes straight to a full fledge infection. Last night I was so sick I was delirous - I think Joel was a bit annoyed or ammused! Anyway - let me get to the point. There is five kinds of MS - I have the relapsing remitting form. Some forms are more serious some are less. Mine is considered moderate - for that I am thankful, however that could change anyday and for that I must be prepared.

I am writing this email not to let you know about my MS - but to help educate the people around me. I have another dear friend who is a few years younger than me and has been suffering with this disease for several years longer than I. She struggles at times to walk, she is not able to work, her life has been completely altered by this debilitating disease. Although with many people that have this disease - you can't tell by looking at her. She looks just like any other trendy 30 year old - hence why this disease is called the invisible disease.

Today my friend made a bumper sticker - that is pictured below. My friend has been given dirty looks, received rude comments, and finger pointing when she gets out of her car that she parked in the handicapped spot. If she had to park far away from the store - she wouldn't make it back to the car - you see if we can conserve our energy - we can last longer each day. It is not just fatigue - it is like your body is a sand bag. I hurt for my friend who has received such looks and comments from people who have no idea.

I guess my point is this - we need to stop judging people on their appearance - because by just judging on the outward appearance we are going to fall short every time. But the other thing that I am learning from this is that I need to educate people. So pass this on - tell other people - and next time you see someone pull into that handicapped parking spot - be slow to judge and quick to assist - you have no idea what that person may be struggling with day in and day out!

This my friends is one of the reasons that I dread the day I have to get my handicap placard - because I don't want to be judged - sad isn't it - so many people that could benefit from the closer parking will never take that step for fear of what people will say or assume!

Forty Days of Water

Lent is a time when we often talk about giving up things to consider the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. I often give things up, but over the past few years I have tried to be very intentional about making a commitment through lent to do something that will draw me closer to Christ. One year I gave up dating - to seek God's heart (and it got me an amazing husband, thanks God!) one year I did a prayer journal throughout lent, another read my Bible daily through lent.

Well this year, in conjuction with Blood Water Mission I am going to do Forty Days of Water. One of the things that Jesus asks of us as Christians is to reach out and share with the least of these....after spending a month in Africa - I found that the people there may be considered the least of these as far as their physical situation, but they showed me that Spiritually I may at times be the least of these....they were so grateful, so grounded on Christ, so dependant on Him...boy did I have so much to learn!

So this year, I am going to drink only water over Lent....and with each glass of water I choose over another type of drink, I will make a donation to Blood Water Mission - a mission founded by Jars of Clay to provide clean drinking water to countries all over the world. This year all funds raised over lent will go towards a project for the Ugandan people. To check out more about this ministry go to Blood Water Mission

If you would like to join me on this venture - drop me a line so we can help each other remain accountable. If you can't join us in the Forty Days of Water - consider making a donation to Blood Water Missions!

Thoughts on the Carb Free Diet

So it has been about a month and a half since Joel and I began our healthy living program! We started with the Atkins diet for the first four weeks. Joel is still doing the Atkins much more strickly than myself, however I have altered the diet a bit more. I am glad I did the Atkins to start because I really needed to detox my body from all the carbs and the sugars! It was so hard - I was having some strong cravings! I am so thankful that Joel was doing it with me - it not I am sure I would have cheated!

So what am I doing now? Well I am doing a little of this and a little of that! Actually I have been doing a lot of label reading on my last few trips to the grocery store - my last trip was not quite as long since I am starting to really know my foods. I have also done some research into the Belly Fat Diet - that diet focuses on cutting down on your sugars - and limiting your carbs to six servings which I am doing! The biggest challenge is that you are supposed to limit your sugar to 15 grams a day. Did you know a banana has 18 grams of sugar - yogurt has 32 grams of sugar - and those are considered diet friendly foods - wow!

I read that the average American Woman eats over 435 grams of sugar a day. While I think 15 is a bit extreme - I know I need to cut back. So now to what I am doing....I am being aware of my carb intake - I am not cutting them out completely but I am trying to stay under the 6 servings a day. I am eating food that is high in fiber - because to figure out net carbs you subtract your fiber from carbs to get your net. Reading labels was time consuming at first but now I know which foods are high in carbs and which are not.

The biggest surprise is how much sugar is in food! I am still doing some label reading in this area - but I think it is really making a difference. I have also found Truvia which is a natural sweetener from the Stevia plant - it is so much better for you than Aspertame or Splenda (and they sell it at the Village Merchants in Richfield). My goal is to stay under 50 grams of sugar a day.

You may be wondering the results - well I have lost about 12 pounds so far - if I was more strict I am sure that I would lose more, but I am happy so far with the results - if I could add a little exercise to my routine I would do even better. Joel has done really well also - about 20 -25 lbs lost!

So thanks for following me and thanks for your words of encouragment. My goal is to lose 20 more by June! I can do this without going crazy!

Praise you in the Storm

That song by Casting Crowns has all new meaning for me this week. As many of you know, I have been posting updates over the past few weeks about my dear friends Dave and Christie Hubner who have been working to adopt a little girl from Haiti for the last three years. It has been a long process! But they have been faithful to their commitment to this little girl despite all the delays with paperwork and other things outside of their control.

In the midst of the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti - they recieved word that their little girl might be arriving on a plane soon. Who knew that in the midst of the storm would come their opportunity to hold their little three year old Ila for the first time. God can make miracles out of messes and that is what hundreds of little orphans are experiencing for the first time.

Just as God has adopted us into his Kingdom and calls us his own. So many are doing the same for needy children all over the world! I am so blessed to have friends that have opened their home to a little girl and now call her their own. The other amazing thing that God does in life is he uses times of waiting to open other doors for us....You see there is more to this story! Last year while waiting for Ila's papers to go through, another little boy came up for adoption and needed a home. My friends listened and were faithful to also adopt a little boy named Jonas! Had they not been put on hold with Ila - they may have never known about Jonas - how great it is too look back and see God's faithfulness in the waiting, in the storms, and now in the Celebrations!

Pray for them as a family, their is going to be a lot of adjustments to be made, the house with be lively with young children under the age of 5, but I can't think of better parents for these children! It trully is a demonstration of God's goodness and grace! I hope that I can model that same kind of love one day!

The Carb Free Me

So I am back to doing my 90 day renewal - however it is being modified to also work with the Atkins Diet. This is the first time I have ever tried this diet - or healthy eating plan as I prefer to call it - let's just say it is really hard!!!! I am going through some major withdrawl - I never realized how many carbs foods had until this week. For the first two weeks you have to stay below 20 carbs a day - did you know a glass of unsweetened cranberry juice has 36 grams in one serving!!! Even carrots have carbs! Joel said that he would rather me not do this if I am going to be cranky - hmmm is he trying to tell me something. I have actually had to pray for the will power to not eat carbs! I feel like I am going through a drug withdrawl - which in essence is what is happening inside my body....no sugar either - so I thought I would be cool and get some sugar free gummy bears - yeah - they still have 36 grams of carbs per serving!

Tonight for dinner - I made tuna salad - and ate it with celery, cheese, and pickles - that was my dinner - for dessert I had some cashews. I just want pasta!!!! Rice!!!!! Sugar!!!! Pretzels!!!! Okay now that I got that out in the open I am going to get myself a nice tall glass of water and get some work done. If you think of it - say a prayer - I know that this is good for me and will hopefully give me more energy - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Our extended time in Charlotte with OCC

We had a great time in Charlotte! It was a mini vacation, little did we know how sick I would be the following week, which makes last week's time even more precious! I could spend lots of time writing a blog about each of the things we experienced, but I am a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words so here is a few thousand words to let you know what we did!

The Billy Graham Library was a very neat experience. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was very well done, very relevant, and a great reminder of how God can use just one willing person to change the lives of so many - I can only pray that God will use me in that same way!

That night we headed into the City to see a performance of "Sister's Christmas Catecism" - It was a one woman show - that was interactive. It was very well done, very funny - she did a great job...there were a few times that I was a little taken back by some of her comments and questioned whether it was appropriate to joke about God or Christmas the way she did, just my thoughts, but I am pretty analytical when it comes to that! All is all it was a fun date night!



The next day we had a couple firsts - we went to Sonic for the first time - Cherry Limeades - yummy! We went and sat in Starbucks to meet a friend - love their Shaken Ice Tea Lemonades - pricey but good! And lastly we got to go to a fancy chinese restaurant with Joel's cousin Fred - it think it was called PK Changs or something like that. Needless to say - it was wonderful! Thanks Fred.

And now for the highlight of the week... the press conference





Stay tuned for another upcoming blog with Joel's speech - he did such a great job! I am so proud of his servant's heart - he is such a humble Godly man - how did I get so blessed?