Broken and Out of Tune

Lately I have noticed that my piano needed some attention. That is, it was a little bit out of tune. So last week when I was complaining to Sarah about that, she recommended that her mom should tune my piano. That was great news since I really didn't want to pay some expensive company to come and tune it. So last night I had a fabulous time playing on my piano. It was so in tune that to me it sounded out of tune because I was so used to it being for real out of tune. Did you catch all of that?!

Another interesting event of the day happened to my mom. While at work, she got locked in the elevator between the 5th and 6th floors. Of course there were two other people in there and you know how it is in elevators... no one talks to anyone else. After 45 minutes they were finally rescued and my mom went back to make sure her patients hadn't died or anything.;) During experiences like these a good sense of humor is the name of the game, so they sang "If you're happy and you know it...." and then they were ringing the emergency bell to "Jingle Bells". And all the while, the security man was trying to keep in contact with them to make sure the oxygen levels were sufficient. Life is so interesting.

So as for tuneless pianos and broken elevators, well the lesson is going to be stretched but whether you're just a little out of tune or completely broken, you need help both ways. Spiritually speaking, there are many times the Bible talks about a broken and contrite heart. That is when we are able to be worked on, when we know our true condition, broken and out of tune.

Five Great Men

Just wanted to share a picture of five great men in my life. That would be Christian (Heidi's husband), Dallas and Tim (my cousins), my Dad and Grandpa. They are all super cool and lots of fun. Christian always has a funny trick, joke or a great idea to share. Dallas, well he is just easy going and treats you really well. Tim and his wife Heather have a new baby boy named Jackson. My Dad has a huge heart of tender loving care, and my Grandpa is just very sweet. When we were little, he would lift all the cousins up on this huge stool they had. That's a great memory. The neat part is that they each show me a little different part of God's heart.

Love Revisited

Happy Valentines Day! I think this day might have slipped by today if my co-workers wouldn't have reminded me that I wasn't wearing anything RED!!! "We're going to pinch you...". Wait, I thought pinching was for St. Patricks Day. What's with all these saint days anyway. Well, I can remember one Valentine's Day from 9th grade. That seems like forever ago, but that year I had a crush on this certain guy in my classroom of maybe 18 kids. It was also on that day that we were taking off for a weekend of Junior Academy Bible Camp. So right before we left, I received my first rose. Of course, I was super happy but really... I had no idea what love was all about, and I'm sure he didn't either. Anyways, it stayed there on my desk all weekend and by Monday it was shriveled up or at least it had lapped up all the water in the vase. One thing I know, the water in God's vase is never gone. There is plenty of love to be lapped up over and over again. He knows exactly how to love each person perfectly. So today, on Valentine's Day, I'm putting myself in His vase... I tried to tell those camels that the longer your "no big deal" list is before marriage, the shorter your "very special list" will be after marriage. Actually this is a great thought from Joshua Harris.

Alpenarctica

Surprise! Happy Birthday. Thursday night was so fun. On February 9, 1977, Heidi was born, so 29 years later I was hoping to make it to Alpena without her finding out. Throughout the day, Christian had called me several times with the big plan ( note: he suffered great chills out in the shed to not be found out) . I was to arrive at 10 p.m., park in the neighbors garage, find the garage door opener for Heidi's garage in the flower pot, then find the box in the family room and get inside. Meanwhile, Christian was supposed to take Heidi somewhere during this time. Luckily the box was big enough and the plan was executed perfectly. Oh course, Heidi was suspicious after noticing that the box was a slight 6 inches to the right of where it had been. opps! So quiet as a mouse , and trying not to breath too loud, I waited in the box with my video camera and finally Christian pulled off the box. That was so fun and she was really surprised. So today we went shopping at some yarn stores and then we went to Lake Huron to open the Sabbath. It looks like Antarctica minus the penguins. The beauty of the north is so pristine and it was so nice to spend time with my family. Then when we got home we had another surprise for Heidi. My dad and mom had parked their van in the garage where Heidi and Christian normally park . I think we really pulled the wool over Heidi's eyes this year. The most important part is that she know that we really care about her and love all 29 years of her. Praise God for His goodness. Happy Birthday Heidi!

Flowers Needed

It's a beautiful day! However, I think I am under the weather...sore throat, runny nose, sleepy, etc. So today before leaving for work I drank a huge amount of EmergenCy. I was pretty fizzed out after that. This is a vitamin C drink that gives you a double dose of C, so hopefully I can kill this cold sooner.

I think I have been burning the late hours too much. Saturday night was another 2 a.m. debut, and then Sunday I left my parents house in Lansing at 10p.m. and finally arrived in Berrien at 12. So I think I know why I am a little sniffly today. And besides all of this, I really can't wait for spring time. That is the reason for the flower picture. I was thinking that if it stayed warm too much longer that my tulips would start getting confused. There are about 50 bulbs that I planted last fall just waiting to spring up around my house.

Oh, something neat... when I arrived home last night my driveway was all shoveled. Someone was thinking of me. I'm blessed.

A Quiet Mind

Lord, give me a quiet mind,

That I might listen;

A gentle tone of voice,

That I might comfort others;

A sound and healthy body,

That I might share

In the joy of walking

And leaping and running;

And a good sense of direction

So I might know just where I'm going!

- Ruskin Bond

He is Perfect Peace

To Kill a Dodo Bird

Good Morning. We are sorry to have to bring this report about our dear friend Mauri the dodo bird from Mauritius. In May he was rescued from his island home to live in Berrien Springs,MI. The reason: the Dutch were out to eat him (yum yum). However, it was told that this actually happened many years ago and that no dodo bird remained. Well, Mauri made it safely on his long trip from Mauritius to Madagascar, then to United Arab Emirates, through London, and finally to the United States of America. wow!
We have to cut this report short to tell you that last night there was an attempted hanging of Mauri the dodo bird. Fortunately it is believed that he was only hanging from the venetian blinds for about 5 minutes. He did suffer minor neck and spinal injuries due to the strain of the string but seems to be recovering quite nicely. In fact, he hasn't said a word since it happened or since he arrived here for that matter. Investigations have shown that there may be some Dutch "wannabees" in Berrien Springs. For some reason the FBI doesn't want to get involved with this one. Oh well.

Fine Print: Reality statements have been released revealing that this nice little wooden souvenir from the Island of Mauritius is doing just fine. No harm rendered. He seems to hold together even after being vibrated off the piano several times, thus his relocation to the other side of the livingroom. We hesitate to mention the fact that he had to get restrung for the picture.

paddles

I love nature and being in it! And I especially like rivers. Last year a bunch of us went camping on the Pine River in northern Michigan. It wasn't exactly rustic. We still had outhouses (sniff...), and water pumps. So I left my shovel and water purifier at home. I would say that Elizabeth and I had the best living conditions. She even hung a Hello Kitty smell good thing from the tent roof, and we had a no shoe policy but there wasn't any room for them anyways. I think we brought deodorant....maybe not, but I am sure I had my toothbrush!

On Sunday we were heading down stream. The issue was that Pastor Dan was worried that Elizabeth might not make it alive if she was in my canoe. I assured him that after two summers of taking campers down the river every week that she would be fine. But this river had 'big rapids, logs covering most the river and trees hanging out everywhere.' GREAT! My confidence was fading fast and I actually started to get rather worried. Besides the fact that the water was sub-zero, not really, but it was extremely cold.( basing that information on the near death shower experience we had the day before) So I started to think that we would for sure tip and be soaked and freezing the rest of the day and hopefully we wouldn't get snagged up on some beautiful log while watching our canoe, paddles, water bottles and whatever else float down stream.

Well by the end of the day there was breaking news.......Melanie and Elizabeth are dry!!!... WHAT! No way! Melanie knew what she was doing... wow! I have to add that it was Elizabeth's first time canoeing and she was great. There were two on the trip who looked to be expert canoers but I lost count of the times that they were found flopping around the the ice cold waters. They even had gloves to help grip the paddles and the gear but sorely their skill was lacking ;) Too bad. Maybe next time.Anyways, this is not to say that we will not tip the next time, but I was thankful that day. I think Pastor Dan was too.

So last Sabbath Elizabeth got wet, really wet... she was baptized. She did say that the water was cold but not as cold as the Pine River. What a victory Sabbath! We were all so happy for that moment and God was glorified. Now we have more work to do. There are still friends to reach and hopefully this summer on our next camping trip they can come along. I want them to experience the joy of living for Jesus.

IKEA, Noodles and Birthdays

What a fun time Heidi and I had last weekend. On Friday we hit the road for Chicago. The good news is that there is a new IKEA store and it's closer to Berrien Springs. Plus in this new year the toll has almost doubled so we were glad to not have to go so far. I found some great things. I am sure that most of you will get to see my new buys as they are already complimenting the windows in my bedroom and also the shower in my bathroom. :)

The weather wasn't the best when we left IKEA but we were determined to make it to Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's. On our way we stopped to catch a bit to eat at Noodles & Company. WOW! I think that is one of my favorite new restaurants. We had some Bangkok Curry Noodles and also a Thai Peanut Sauce Salad. Now comes the quest to cook it myself. By the way, it was awesome to have Heidi with me for the weekend. I wish so much that we lived in the same town again. When Christian was in the seminary, we spent more time together. Heaven will be a great place!

On Sabbath we sang for special music and then went to PMC for church. Pastor Dwight preached his heart out...amazing... we are living in the most interesting times. It is our priveledge to watch the closing scenes.. Jesus is coming soon, however we have work to do before then. I know my heart longs for deeper devotion to Jesus.

Saturday night was filled with friends and fun again. Heidi and I had made all this authentic Mexican food so we invited a bunch of people over to eat it. After a while we played some great games. I don't think I have talked about Parliament yet. Well, this game is a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be. It's really a game of memory and I just decided that it would be too hard to explain right now but trust me, it's a blast. We were playing until about 1:30 a.m.


Today was Christine's birthday. She is a very special co-worker of mine. I really appreciate her constant smile and kindness. When I have questions about life she always points me back to Jesus as the only answer. So today we went out to celebrate her new year of life to come. Nancy also brought in these incredible sugar cookies with lemon frosting...so good! I will definitely be working out tonight. Unfortunately I will probably work off the salad I ate and not the cookies. :( So goes life!

Well, this is the week so far and I am praying for God's best for the rest. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Turtles

I collect little turtles. They are from all over the world! Heidi and Christian brought me turtles from Kenya and Korea. Most of the ones I have collected are from South America, however last year I found one in Madagascar and in Mauritius. One of the most interesting turtles I have was made by a dental patient of mine. He brought it in to show me and then ended up giving it to me. It's made out of a pop can. I must have told him that I collected mini turtles, so now I have a turtle from St. Joe. My favorite turtle hails from Mexico. He is so cool because his head moves and he is colorful. I had to bid a good price for him in the market. By the way, that is how I got most of my turtles. That is what makes it so much fun. So I don't know where life will take me next but I plan on aquiring a turtle wherever that may be. Well, I am done working for the day and so I'm out of here!!! Heidi is coming this weekend and I am so excited about that. Tomorrow we are IKEA bound... yes and Trader Joes too. De paso...speaking of turtles, they are kind of slow moving, and because of this maybe they enjoy life more. Maybe they see more, understand more, experience more, think more... just because they do things slowly. The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God". This takes time...being still. Happy Sabbath and take time to enjoy each moment!

Sister

Sisters are the greatest. That's why I am so glad to have a sister, Heidi. She is my closest friend and a great source of encouragement. During our childhood years we would argue sometimes, but most of time we were good friends. We took a lot of family vacations but I don't remember where this picture was taken. About every 5 years we moved since my dad was a pastor, so I think that made us closer. We had each other. Almost 6 years ago I studied in Argentina, and Heidi had been there two years before me. So she made a trip to see me there, and we had a fun time exploring the country after picking up my parents in Buenos Aires. It's nice to know a language together even though we speak to each other in english. I always thought it would be nice to have a brother but I have been more than blessed to just have a sister. Plus, Christian is now my brother!( Heidi's husband) Then came the day when I bought a car like Heidi's. By the way, I used to copy Heidi all the time when we were kids. That didn't go over too well, ;) but now it's different. We both love our Saturn Vue SUVs! So I thank God for a sister and especially Heidi. I'm glad I am not an only child, and this weekend when she comes to visit me, I will appreciate every moment. She is an example of Jesus to me. Thanks Heidi for being the best sister in the universe!

Meat Curry Masala

This is it. I am sure after this morning that I have made a great curry. I taste tested it for tonight's guests. Sure there are many ways to make curry but this one tastes awesome. Unfortunately it takes a little longer to make than my other recipe but oh well. There are a few keys... one being that you blend blanched almonds, the onions, garlic and ginger together until they are like a paste. This makes a smooth, but thick curry. There is also tomato paste, butternut squash and chickettes for added yumminess. I didn't think I would like the squash idea but it's a winner. So tonight when Tara and Ruan come, I think that they will really like it.... I hope! It will probably be much better than what they are eating in Bolivia as missionaries. They have told me some of their food stories...not so good. Anyways, the recipe is free for the asking. By the way, have you noticed that the sun is out today. I am so blessed already. My arm is feeling better everyday and I am looking forward to spending some time with old friends. May your day be filled with the sunshine of God's love!

Mafalda Pain Rugs and Faith

This is Mafalda. She is part of my favorite cartoon from Argentina. I remember my roommates putting her picture all over and me always trying to understand the cartoon. While I was visiting the Martin's in Tennesee, I was again trying to understand some Mafalda cartoons. They had a whole book of Mafalda at their house.
Today, and yesterday have been ouch days. I have really done something to my shoulder. The physical therapist said that I have a "rotator cuff strain". That means the muscles in my shoulder are either torn or stretched beyond normal. I have really no idea how this happened, but it is extremely painful. I am low on sleep and cleaning teeth....big ouch! So now I am supposed to go to physical therapy for a month, three times a week. Today, they hooked me up to these electrode deals and it was buzzing into my shoulder. Hopefully this all works. I don't prefer to take pain meds every 4 hours. Please pray that this pain goes away soon because it is hard to work.

I bought a new rug for my house last week. I am excited about it because it is soft, thick and hopefully better for everything that goes on at my house. My mom wanted to see what it looks like, so I have included a picture. I'm not sure about the contrast yet,because before I had this big red rug. Everyone has given me positive feedback so far.

Special Feature: What Faith is

Realizing that I am useful to God not in spite of my scars but because of them.
Living with the unexplained.
Letting my heart rest in the hand of God.

Blogging

Happy day! I just wanted to introduce my comment winner of the day. Besides my family, Joelle faithfully comments. That is what makes it so much fun. Maybe that's because I comment on her blog. Whatever it may be, I appreciate knowing who is looking at my blog and who is enjoying what they read. This may turn into an altar call for comments so I will not say anymore.

Joelle is also a close friend. We have even invented, with utmost care, a dialect. It's called Battlecrit. Maybe sometime after we process the rules, I will give some quality instructions on how to speak it.

Well, I am on lunch break that is fast coming to a close. Some of you might like to know that I gave three shots today. :) I bet you would have enjoyed receiving them too!!! Needless to say, the man said he felt like he had fat lip. BINGO! I hit the nerve. Okay, my patient is here. bye!

Sunshine

This morning I woke up to the sunshine coming through the window.... Thank you Lord! I was praying for some sun. After a while I went to my friend Katrina's house. I graduated with her from hygiene school. She made some killer curry and now I have the recipe for what I think is the real thing. It was absolutely fabulous, so tonight I am going to Apple Valley to get some ingredients. Then her sister, who is attending massage school, gave me a free massage. So today I received many blessings. I also decided to finally attack my christmas tree. It's been laying on the front porch for a week. So me and my orange cat friend spent some time together. What a nice day.

Sunset Needed

Today would have been a nice day to see a great sunset, especially

since Michigan is not exactly in it's most enjoyable season. I mean,

I like winter, but I don't normally put lots of rain and dark days

on my top ten list. Snow is a much better alternative, so hopefully

in the next few days the ground will be white and not brown. The

next thing is that on Monday evening I put my wonderful, dried up

christmas tree out on the front porch. I had great intentions to take

the lights off and all the popcorn, cranberry, and paper chains off too,

but I am lacking the modivation needed for this not so exciting task.

So tomorrow is another day

By the way, this morning I read in Revelation that the leaves on the tree

of life are for the healing of the nations. If anyone has any idea as to what

the leaves represent, let me know. Good night!

Blind and Deaf

Last night I stayed on Lake Michigan. But... it was to dog sit.

Good ole' Grady. I'm not sure if that is how you spell his

name but I didn't ask him either. Besides he wouldn't

have heard me anyways. He only hears loud clapping.

Another sad fact is that Grady can't see. So he has memorized the house.

He knows exactly where the stairs are and how many there are, but

there are some funny times when he bumps his nose. ouch...pobresito.

Blind and deaf....hummm... human nature. Sometimes I think I bump

my nose too, maybe God even has to clap really loud to get my

attention. Maybe I've even memorized my own routine in life making

me unable to recognize a change He wants to make. I really want to

see through God's eyes and clearly hear His voice speaking to me. This

I think takes decided effort and constant prayer to refocus my eyes.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look FULL in His wonderful face."

Whole Wheat and Ano Nuevo

Event: General Youth Conference

What a trip and a great experience. It all started at 7 a.m. Dec. 28, 2005. I knew that God was going to open up my heart in a new way, and He did. They like to say that the sessions and classes are 100% Organic Whole Wheat Bread. No puff puff, we have lots of time, sit back and relax stuff. I knew after opening night that I was in for a real heart change. Praise God! However, I must say that it all came in time. Our first moments upon arriving were a test of our patience. When Kari, Elizabeth and I arrived that the Choo Choo Holiday Inn, we dutifully unloaded our luggage and headed into the lobby to get our room assignments. Soon we had our keys and were looking for the elevators, stair?...hallways... something.... Well come to find out we needed to walk about "3/4 mile", through some trains, past some stores and restaurants and then finally to building #2. Great thanks.... so we started our trek, dragging our burdens behind us. Many other events happened and finally we were ready for the meeting. Oh, I forget to mention that I backed into a friend on mine, opps but then he backed into someone leaving too, so we were even. No dents:) The single most awesome moment at GYC was when my friend Elizabeth responded to a call by Mark Finley for baptism. Tears of joy were falling off my face and I was smiling so much. Jesus is so faithful and reaching every heart that is open. I praise God for the priveledge of knowing Him and being apart of this work. I must say that my comittment to follow Jesus was renewed and to better organize our church outreach team to get this work done. We have a lot to do but God is ready to empower us. Well, the trip home was fun. After not really sleeping a lot that week, I was crazy tired on the way home. After 7 hours of driving my contacts were blurred, I was eating corn nuts, drinking water and listening to Andrew Peterson sing about getting lost in Kalamazoo when I noticed we were going south instead of north. So after looking at the map 10 times, we were finally heading north again and laughing all the way about how crazy things can be. It was probably just pure sleepiness but oh well. Praise God for safe travels, time to connect and talk about all God had taught us at GYC.

I must say that new years was lots of fun. I spent it with Christian and Heidi at the Martin's house. Nolly prepared all these Argentinian snacks, which threw me back to many memories of Argentina. My favorite treat was alfajores. I remember my friend Holly and I would buy some and go into town, find a nice bench, and eat them. Yum! We also had some pan dulce for ano nuevo and just lots of fun watching old family videos. And then at around... oh 11:55... for some reason we got out the sparkling juice...oh HAPPY NEW YEAR. It cracks me up how crazy everyone goes in New York City when the ball drops. Hopefully Jesus comes this year. I know He wants to come back soon, so I will pledge to serve Him more this year. Will you?!

Turkmas

My mom had this great idea for Christmas, and it tasted so good that I think it may become a tradition. We made this turkey out of stuffing, Worthington dinner roast and pastry. I think we were stuffed after eating it too.

So the question for my viewers is.... Does it look like the real thing? Do take into consideration that it's not and then make a good judgement if it looks fairly close.

We even tied some mint flavored floss around the "legs" to keep them in place. Luckily it didn't taste like mints. So we enjoyed it throughly, and I don't think I will be waiting to make this great recipe until next Christmas.

Christian and Heidi were in Tennessee for Christmas and we really missed them. Gladly, General Youth Conference starts tomorrow so I will get to see them the rest of the week. We are all looking for a blessing that I know will be there.

To my new Christmas viewers, please remember to check out my "Christmas 2005" post. Oh, and make sure to leave a comment if you wish. God bless!

Christmas News 2005

Merry Christmas! This year has been so fun and a huge blessing. In May I went to Madagascar with Global Evangelism to preach a series of meetings. On the way my family and I traveled through London, United Arab Emirates, and the Island of Mauritius. We were able to spend some time in each place. Those were some great adventures together. Two days before we left I was diagnosed with mononucleosis, so I was extremely weak. However, I was not about to let this opportunity pass by. Each day I prayed that God would help me to feel better by the time we arrived in Madagascar.

Opening night was incredible, but I was even more amazed that God was using me to speak to 1000 people. Wow! I was nervous but what a joy to bring the hope of Jesus to so many hearts. I had a wonderful translator and family. They would often take me on little family trips with their two very cute boys. Elian and Elisha were my buddies. The meetings continued for 18 nights, and the mornings were given to sermon preparation and trips to the market. There were several students from SAU which allowed for around 20 campaign sites with over 700 baptisms on closing Sabbath. Praise God for so many souls won for Jesus!

In July I went to the General Conference Session to work at the General Youth Conference booth. Each day brought different people past the booth and of course many old friends. My family came on the last weekend, and we all enjoyed being together again. It is always neat to see how global our church is and how God is working in different areas of the world.

On August 26, after two years of looking, I bought a house. This is a lot of responsibility and a bigger bill but I love it. What a blessing it is to be in town. Each Wednesday night I have a Great Controversy study, Friday evening prayer group and then Saturday night fun. So I have dedicated my home to whatever God wants to use it for.

October brought a short vacation to the Upper Penisula to visit my parents. They had the priveledge of presenting an evangelistic series in Ironwood. While there, we saw some incredible sights on the Black River. There are so many water falls, and great hiking trails. It was a blessing to spend time with them.

December 22 brought our family together to celebrate with our friends Matt and Leah at their wedding. I remember being in pathfinders with Leah while my dad was pastoring in Holly, Michigan. Those were some of the greatest years of my life. So it was nice to be back there again, and it truly felt like home. Now we are moving into the new year. I don't know what to expect but I know that I can expect many wonderful things from God. Let's not forget how He has worked in the past and how much more He wants to do in our hearts this year. His coming is sooner today than yesterday and maybe tomorrow. I am thankful for that hope and it makes me want to ready my life more each day to see Jesus. I pray that you will feel and know the urgency to build bonds in your family and with friends that will help us get ready for His soon return. Praise God we will soon fly to meet Him in the air!