Hallelujah Chorus for the Hearing Impaired

Why Did He Come?

Down from His Glory
William E. Booth-Clibborn

Down from His glory, ever living story,
My God and Savior came, and Jesus was His name;
Born in a manger to His own a stranger,
A man of sorrows, tears and agony!

What condescension, bringing us redemption,
That in the dead of night, not one faint hope in sight,
God gracious, tender laid aside His splendor,
Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul!

Without reluctance, flesh and blood His substance,
He took the form of man, revealed the hidden plan;
O glorious myst'ry sacrifice of Calv'ry!
And now I know He is the great "I AM"!

Refrain:
Oh how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all!
The great Creator became my Savior,
And all God's fullness dwelleth in Him!

Who Am I?

Jr. Girls Update

We had such a wonderful time in class last night that I thought I would share. We have been doing one-on-ones with the girls and thought it would be fun for them to get to know us in the same way.

They all asked us several questions from our favorite food to why we go to Faith Baptist Church. The girls really loved that they had the chance to ask us questions.

Stacey and I each gave our testimonies as well. We wanted the girls to see that we also had to come to that point in our lives when we accepted that we were on our way to hell if we didn't accept Christ's free gift of salvation. We also talked about other areas where we surrendered to God - baptism, obedience, etc.

I love sharing with others what God has done in my life and hearing the stories of other people. Leave a comment to tell me what God has done for you!

Christmas Carol Mash

Cancelled

Because of a winter storm, we had to cancel our slumber party. We are disappointed, but God knows all about it. He has other plans in store for us. I know that my immediate plan is to clean my apartment. :)

Thanks for your prayers. Please keep praying for our girls. God has great plans for them.

Slumber Party

Hey Everybody!

Guess what we are doing this weekend? Stacey and I are having our Jr. Girls over to my place for a slumber party this weekend. We have 8-10 girls coming!!!!! We are so excited for this.

There are three girls that are not saved, so we would love to have you pray for opportunities for us. We are having the party on Saturday to Sunday so the girls that don't attend church can try it out.

I'll post some pictures after the party!

I've Been Tagged

What was I doing ten years ago?
I was a Junior at Northland Baptist Bible College. I had a pretty interesting roommate that semester, so I was probably either having to talk with her or avoiding her. (Remember, Kristi?) I was probably studying and having fun in the dorm.

What was I doing five years ago?
I was living in Eau Claire, WI, working at Ayres Associates as the Transportation Secretary. I was working with my parents in a church planting ministry.

What was I doing one year ago?
I was doing pretty much the exact same thing I am doing now: working at IRBC, attending Faith Baptist Church, teaching Jr. Girls, going to basketball games, etc.

What was I doing yesterday?
Working in the office. Then I went to Pamela Betz's concert, and the end of Tyler Betz's and Jared Callison's basketball game. Then I watched Dancing with the Stars when I got home (taped it). Went to bed late.

Five snacks I love:
Popcorn
Chex Mix
Anything Chocolate
String Cheese
Fruit

Five places I would run away to:
Savannah
Bahamas
Just home alone
A cabin in the woods
Ireland - just because I've never been and want to go

Five TV shows I like:
Dancing with the Stars
American Idol
CSI New York
NCIS
Anything on the Food Network

Five things I hate doing:
Dishes
Dusting
Talking on the phone
Crafts / Decorating for events
Anything last minute - I'm a planner

Five biggest joys of the moment:
Teaching Jr. Girls
Friendships
God's Word
Time spent with family
Basketball season

Okay, now it's time to tag people (thanks for the tag Kelly).

Bekah
Angie
Mary Ann - you need to do some serious blogging anyway
Kari
Janelle
Amy
Malissa

Giving Thanks

Here is my Thanksgiving list:

1. I am thankful for a loving, wonderful Heavenly Father. He gave His only Son. He chooses to use me in spite of my failures and weaknesses. His mercies are new every morning.
2. I am thankful for my family. God blessed me with the most wonderful parents. They are a godly example.
3. I am thankful for true friends. I have been blessed with many friends that point me to God and bring such joy to me.
4. I am thankful for the opportunity to teach Jr. Girls at church. They bring such joy to my life.
5. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of an incredible ministry at IRBC. It amazes me that God chooses to use me.
6. I am thankful for my church family. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful pastor and wife. My church family is home.
7. I am thankful for music. God has blessed us with this incredible gift that we can use to worship Him and bring Him glory.
8. I am thankful for laughter. I love to laugh and enjoy the humor that life brings.

What are you thankful for? This is a wonderful time of year to reflect on the blessings that God has brought to our lives.

Fun with Pictures

Check out this website: http://www.dumpr.net/

You can do some really neat things with pictures! This is one of our staff pictures from this summer.








Sketch your photos

Mmmm Good Recipe #3

Okay, this might not be an actual recipe, but it is a new twist on shakes. I had the camp ladies over and we decided to try to make Chai Shakes after talking about a place that makes Chai Ice Cream. We tried it and loved it!

Just put your ice cream and milk in a blender. Then add some chai syrup. The brand that I have is a little thicker and pretty strong, so I put in about 4 tablespoons for a full blender. It probably depends on what kind of syrup you have and how strong you want the shake.

Delicious! Hope you try it and love it!

Season of Prayer

Due to Halloween falling on a Wednesday night, we only had one girl come to class last night. At first, Stacey and I were very disappointed. We have been running 10-12 girls recently with all the visitors and it has really been exciting to see them learn. The one girl that did come joined another class for the evening.

Stacey and I decided to spend the time in prayer for our girls. Our goal is to first of all, see them all have a personal relationship with Christ. After that, we want them to be continuing to grow in that relationship. God doesn't make mistakes. Even though we very much missed the opportunity to open the Word with them, it was such a sweet time of fellowship with each other and with our Lord as we prayed for each one.

God is doing some great things in our class. Please continue to pray for them. Many come from unsaved homes, but that does not mean that they cannot grow to be young ladies that will serve the Lord with all their hearts.

~Savannah~

I'm finally posting about vacation. It was so much fun to spend some time with Bekah and meet Trina. We spent a couple days in Greenville, SC before heading to Savannah. In Greenville, we went hiking at Paris Mountain. It was absolutely beautiful.

Our favorite sites in Savannah were The Lady & Sons, Davenport House, Old Fort Jackson and a tour on Old Savannah Tours. I would recommend a trip to Savannah to anyone!!!

It rained almost the entire time in Savannah. Good thing I bought an umbrella while there.

Did I mention we got a free limo ride? It was the first time in a limo for all of us. Quite fun!

Back to the Real World

Well, I'm back from vacation and back to work! It was a great time and I'll post some pictures and blog about it in detail later.

I got back last night just before 6:00, which was about two hours later than it was supposed to be. My flight from Minneapolis to Mason City was cancelled and they wouldn't have been able to get me home until today. Well, that wasn't an option, so Michelle and Barb (staff wives) came and picked me up.

More to come later...

The Angels Are Singing

Luke 15:10 - "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

I just want to thank all of you for praying. One of the girls in my class, Hillary, got saved last night!!! She tends to be hyper and easily distracted, so I was praying all day that she would be calm and focused during our one-on-one time. I have never seen her so calm and focused. She was so ready. Praise God!!!!

Thank you for praying and please continue to pray for Haley.

Vacation!!!

Some of you have asked where I'm going. My best friend, Bekah, is on deputation in the south, so I 'm taking a week off to enjoy some time with her. I fly out of Mason City on Sunday and head to Greenville, SC.

We will spend a few days in that area and then we will head to Savannah, GA to spend a few days there as well. I think our highlight will be going to Paula Dean's place, Lady & Sons. If you watch the Food Network, you will know who she is. We also plan to see some historical sites as well.

If anyone has any other suggestions of what to do in Greenville or Savannah, let us know! I'll post some pictures when I get back.

Jr. Girls

Here are some pictures from our Wednesday night class. We had a visitor this last week and another girl that came last year, but hadn't yet come this year. We hope to continue to see our class grow. Pray for Stacey and I as we begin our one-on-one times with the girls this week.


This wall has all of our verses for the semester on it. Our theme is "Detecting God's Ways." Our theme verse is Ps. 119:11.

All the great decorations are courtesy of Stacey. She is amazingly creative.

Annuoncement

I just wanted to let you all know that Aaron Hart has accepted the Program Director position at IRBC. He and Anna are such a great addition to the ministry here. They are a perfect fit for the position and fit in perfectly with the rest of our staff.


I'm excited to see what the future brings for IRBC with this new direction.

Fall Walk

Fall is my favorite season and it is on it's way. The air is crisp...there is a nice breeze in the air. I love that you can wear a sweatshirt and short sleeves in the same day. I love the colors of fall.

Tonight I went for a walk to enjoy the fall evening. It was absolutely wonderful though a little too windy. It was great to clear my mind and relax.

My walk didn't look anything like this, but it was still nice. Hope you can enjoy a nice fall walk too.

Two Paths

I was teaching my Jr. Girls class on Wednesday night and the lesson was continuing on with Ahab and Jezebel. At the end, I asked the question if those two lived a life that pleased the Lord or not. The girls gave an emphatic, "No!"

One of my girls asked a very profound question, "How can someone love God when they are little and then turn out so bad?" This came from one of my girls that I'm sure is not saved. Our memory verse was Matthew 7:14, "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Wow! This was the perfect question to ask!!!! I was able to talk about the narrow way and the broad way. Just as Ahab and Jezebel chose the broad way, they had that same choice to make. Jesus is the only way that leads to Heaven.

Please pray for the two girls in my class that need Christ. Pray that they choose the narrow way.

Can't Wait

Well, many of you will be surprised that this is not another Birthday greeting. I'm actually going to write something. Now you can pick your jaw up off the floor and start reading.

Tonight begins our Wednesday night kids program at church. This will be my fourth year teaching the Junior Girls Class. Most of last year's class was promoted to youth group. I begged their parents to hold them back a year in school so I could have them one more year, but they didn't think that was a good idea. I will miss them very much. I pray that they have learned much and apply it to their teen years. We have about seven new girls joining us this year. I'm very excited to see what this year holds.

Stacey Ryal is my right hand helper. I'm so thankful for her. She has great ideas and is wonderful with decorating, crafts, etc. She does a great job teaching the verse and comes up with great game ideas as well. I am so thankful for all her help. Without her, our class would be a plain white room.

We are taking on a spy/detective theme this year. We want the girls to see the importance of digging into God's Word for answers. It was neat when Stacey discovered that every one of our memory verses has the word way in it. Isn't it neat how God brings things together so perfectly?

We have at least three girls that we know of that have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior. We are going to be doing some one-on-one times with them each week. Please pray that this gives us an opportunity to talk with them about their need for Christ. Pray for the girls that are saved as well. I know some of them need to also take some steps in their walk with God. Pray for Stacey and I as we lead them. We so desire for them to have a passion for God an His Word. This means that we must have that same passion.

I'll try to remember to take some pictures tonight to post. Thanks for praying!

Once Again...A Birthday Greeting

I know that my blog has turned into one big Birthday card, but there are just so many at once and I haven't had time to do any real blogging. So here is the latest...

Happy Birthday, Kari!!!!! I hope that you are having a great big celebration. Wish I was there to make you another cake. Thanks for your friendship and for being older than me.

Just to warn you all, my Mom's Birthday is next week, so my next posting will be yet another Birthday greeting. :)

Another B-Day Greeting

Happy Birthday Bekah!!!!!! You are such a wonderful blessing to my life! Thanks for all your encouragement, wisdom, fun and all the memories. I miss you and can't wait till Savannah! I also love that you will always be older than me. :)

Happy B-Day, Tyler!!!

Yesterday was Tyler Betz's B-Day. I can't believe that he is 17!!! He was a little 13 year old when I moved here. Happy B-Day, Tyler!




See Tyler...I told you I'd put it on my blog.

Happy B-Day

I want to say Happy Birthday to my niece, Autumn. She turned four on Sunday. She is such a sweetie pie.

I also want to wish Mary Ann a happy 30th. Don't worry Mary Ann, life is only beginning! I love you!

Dots in Africa

If you look at my previous post, "Comment Lover," you will see that I love getting new dots on my cluster map. You will notice that I now have not only one dot in Africa, but two!!!! A friend of a friend is a missionary in Africa and checked out my blog, so I would get a dot. I have no idea who the second dot is from though.

I love my dots. In fact, the Betz family gave me a place mat that has a world map on it, so I can see where all my dots are from.

Thanks for the dot, Amy!!!!

Camp Update #2

I thought I should post some pictures and update you on what has been happening at camp. It has been a fantastic summer and we only have three weeks left with our full-time summer staff here. We still have a pretty full schedule through September, but the summer is drawing to a close.


Junior High Camp was incredible with over 20 teens accepting Christ as their personal Savior. On Monday, we begin Senior High Camp. We have spent much time in prayer and anticipate that God is going to do incredible things.


Here are some pictures we have taken in the office. Let's just say a little comic relief helps us keep our sanity. Enjoy!!!


We didn't plan it, but we all wore pink on the same day!!!


We had a little fun with the lost and found stuff.

We help serve the banquet meal on Tuesday nights of Family Camp. We just wanted you all to know that we do work outside of the air conditioning sometimes.

Judy is our volunteer bookkeeper and brings us yummy treats each week. Last week was caramel cake. Mmmmm.

Sometimes I never know what pictures are going to show up on my camera.

Tired???

I think I'm tired, but I'll let you decide. I was getting ready to print the booklets for Junior High Camp next week and needed to decide how many to print. Here's what my thoughts were this afternoon. "We have 408 campers, plus 75 counselors and 75 staff. I'll subtract 150 for those in Springboard (program for 9th graders). Huh, I get 408." So I did the process all over again until I finally realized that 75 plus 75 is 150. So I think my brain is mush. Now math is not my forte, but really!

We are exactly half way through our summer after this camp is over. This weekend is our only long weekend and I'm headed to my parents for a much needed rest.

Well, I'll sign off for now and try to get to bed early.

Mmm Good Recipe #2

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza

12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 16 oz. Italian bread shell
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. sliced almonds

Rinse chicken and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. In a large mixing bowl combine 1/2 of the green onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tbsp. olive oil, red pepper and black pepper. Add chicken pieces, stir to coat. Let stand at room temp for 30 minutes. Drain reserving liquid.

In a large skillet, heat the 1 tbsp. oil, add chicken. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir corn starch into reserved liquid. Add to skillet, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Spoon evenly over bread shell on baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Top with remaining onions and almonds. Return to oven for 2 more minutes.

Erin's notes: I got this recipe from Mary Ann, who got it from our friend Sonia. It is my favorite to make when I have company over. It is so yummy!!!! Enjoy and make it your own. I like to add some black olives and I don't put as many onions in it since I don't like onions much. I don't add the onions to the top either.

I'm having the camp staff college girls over on Friday night during our short break. I'm making this. I'll have to take some pictures to post.

Blog Rating

Found this on a friend's blog and thought it was a good idea to let you all know that you are safe in reading my blog.

Whew!

Camp Update #1

I just wanted to post a few pictures from this summer so far and give a bit of an update. We just started our fourth full week of camp with staff here. We have already had many of our camper receive Christ as their personal Savior. It is so neat to know that I am a part of a ministry that impacts so many lives for Christ.

I have two great secretaries working with me in the office this summer. One of them worked last summer and the other is a new one. They are doing such a great job!!!

Here are some pictures!

We had side ponytail night at supper for Jr. Girls Camp one evening. (L to R - Joy Anna, Anna and Lynn)

This is our dining hall full of Jr. Girls. During every meal they have one of our staff members sing them a song while standing on a chair. Aaron just got finished singing his silly song with a mop on his head.

The AD/Secretary Wars continue. One point for the secretaries!!

The "Twins" - Jason and Aaron / Jason (last years' activities dir.) stopped in to say hi and caused quite a lot of mischief in the office. We miss you Jill and Jason!

Well, that's all I have time for. I'll have to update you all more later!

Tag - I'm It!

Okay, so I was tagged quite awhile ago, but haven't had the time to post for awhile. So here it goes. I'm supposed to list 8 things about me and tag eight other people, so here it goes.

1. When I'm tired, I scratch my head. It doesn't itch; I just find it relaxing. My mom does it too.

2. I don't like the food on my plate to touch and I eat one food at a time. Don't know why I do it, but I do. Those trays from lunch at school would be perfect for me.

3. I love old movies - especially musicals. Don't get me wrong; I like new ones too. But they just don't make them like they used to.

4. I'm an office manager at a camp, but have never taken any secretarial or computer classes. Now I wished I had. I'm sure I would be a better office manager if I had.

5. I like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. I grew up on them and don't eat them often much anymore, but sometimes I just crave one.

6. I love American Idol. And yes, I actually voted this year. I wanted Melinda to win and she didn't, so I didn't watch the final night.

7. I have never had a boyfriend or even dated. I have been asked out a couple times, but had to say no. Don't worry, I'm okay with this. If God wants this for me, He'll make it happen in His time.

8. I'm afraid of water and bees/wasps. Can you tell, that I'm really trying hard to think of something?

Okay, since I have been tagged by a couple people and I'm not really sure who all reads, I tag whoever reads and has not done it yet. You just have to leave me a comment and let me know you did it so I can read it.

Bliss

I was watching PBS a couple weeks ago and caught the tail end of a program. They were talking about finding your bliss. One of the highlighted people, had once led a busy life and wasn't happy, so he started spending more time on his art and made that his life. The list went on, but it was all about finding what makes you happy and chasing after it. Less stress, doing only what you love, etc. It actually sounded good. At that time I was headed into the camping season and a little overwhelmed. So I thought...what is my bliss? What would I love to center my world around?

Boy, was that ever the wrong thought. Then I started thinking, "What should be bliss for a Christian?" Scripture starting coming to mind. Here are a few:

I Corinthians 10:31 - "Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Colossians 3:17 - "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

I Peter 4:11 - "If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Psalm 1 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper..."

Psalm 34: 2, 3 - "My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."

Psalm 37:4, 5 - "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

Romans 12: 1, 2 - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

There are more, but that would make this post really, really long. My point...my "bliss" as a Christian is to bring glory to God and to live solely for Him. There are many things I enjoy on this earth, but nothing will compare to standing in front of my Heavenly Father and hearing Him say "Well done." My bliss is to live my life to reach that goal.

Oh, I'm going to fail. I'm going be overwhelmed again and want to find a life of less stress, but I just need to fill my mind with Scripture and continue to seek to please Him.

Beauty and the Bubba

I want to introduce you to Aaron and Anna Hart. They are going to be running the activities at camp this summer. We have had a blast getting to know each other, but it has been confusing having two Erin/Aarons in the office. So I have renamed him Bubba. I think it fits him perfectly. Jason and Jill Blunk did an excellent job last year, but we somehow started the AD (Activity Director) Secretary Wars. Since Jason and Aaron are such great friends this war has continued and we (secretaries)are going to win.

Twinkle, Twinkle

The Kids

I was able to go to Illinois to visit my brother and his family for a couple days last week. Here are some pictures of the best kids in the whole world. Can you tell I'm a proud aunt?

We had a blast at the park!

Such sweet times. I miss them so much!

My sister-in-law, her sister-in-law and I went to a tea room for lunch one day. We all had to pick a hat to wear while we were there. It was a beautiful setting and lots of fun as well.

I love vacation days!

Happy Mother's Day

This is a day late, but I just wanted to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day. I am so thankful for the mother that God gave me. She is such a strong, beautiful, godly woman, and I would be very fortunate to be like her. So when I grow up...I want to be just like my mom!


I love you, Mom!

Laughter

Our Camp Director, Pastor Phil, was reading some interesting tidbits today. There was one that he could hardly read because he was laughing so hard. Thought I would share it with you.

Bumper Sticker - I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

Then Pastor Dave added a funny as well.

Chelsea Clinton welcomed a new soldier home and asked him what three things he is afraid of. He responded, "Osama, Obama, and Yo' Mama."

Super Hero

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 55% Superman 50% Robin 50% Green Lantern 50% Supergirl 45% Wonder Woman 35% The Flash 35% Hulk 30% Catwoman 30% Iron Man 25% Batman 5%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Mmmm Good Recipe #1

I hope to start putting some recipes out here from time to time. This is one I make when I cook for volunteers here at camp or have company and don't have a lot of time. Let me know if you try it!

Italian Chicken Sandwiches
4 chicken breast halves (bone in/skin on)
4 chicken thighs (bone in/skin on)
1 packet onion soup mix
1/4 cup prepared Italian dressing
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder

Put the chicken in the crock pot. Put dry ingredients on first and then pour wet ingredients over the top. Cook on low until chicken is done. De bone the chicken and shred. Place shredded chicken back in the juices in the crock pot and reheat. Serves probably 10 people. Serve on french rolls or a harder bread (it will make a regular bun really soggy).

I have also made this with a pork roast, but you need to add more liquid. If you end up adding quite a bit more water, then add some more Italian dressing as well.

Administrative Professionals Day

Wednesday, April l 25th was Administrative Professionals Day. I never remember that it is coming up, so I'm always surprised.

Last year, when I went to get the mail Pastor Phil sent me to his house before I came back to the office. When I got there the kids had prepared a treasure hunt for me using Bible references. It was so much fun and the "treasure" was a 12 pack of Diet Coke that was in the bottom of their little pond (it was wrapped very well with duct tape). I didn't realize until the end of that whole search that is was Administrative Professionals Day. (I was wondering why they decided to do this for me; I'm slow sometimes.)

When I got back, I went through my apartment to go up to the office and found that the guys had hidden Diet Coke all over my apartment. It was over 100 cans. I think that there is still some hiding because I found a couple cans a few weeks ago. I deserve it after all the April Fool's jokes.

I was pleasantly surprised this year to find such a wonderful present.

Once again after I came back from getting the mail, I found this beautiful wind chime hanging from the ceiling fan. I love wind chimes and had just told my mom that I wanted to get a big one to hang outside my door and join my two little ones.

For now, it is still hanging in the office. Partly because I can't get it down, and I also think that everyone likes to walk by and make beautiful music.

Thanks guys!

Comment Lover

Okay, I admit it. I'm one of those people that gets excited about receiving comments. I log onto the internet, type in my blog address, and scroll down to that wonderful word...comments. My heart races; my palms are sweaty. "Does anyone read? Does anyone enjoy what I've written? Has anyone new discovered my blog?" Then I head over to my little map. "Are there any new dots? Has the number of hits gone up? Does Bekah have more dots than I do?" Then I head over to her blog to check out her dots and number of hits. Then I realize that by doing this, I'm giving her more hits! Uuugggghhhh!

So what is the point of this little story you may ask. Just to let you know how much I love comments, so please leave some.

Okay, so after reading this, I realize that I may need a support group.

Weekend Fun

This past weekend I had a great time with my two secretaries from this summer. They came up to visit and we played games, watched movies, ate burgers, went to Goodies, went to Applebees and had lots of fun. They did such a great job this summer and I'm excited to have Lynn working in the office again this coming summer.

Here are a couple pictures of our weekend.

Mmmmmm! Goodies is the best!
The three of us at Applebees - Annie, Lynn and Me

Working with the staff girls is one of my favorite parts about working at camp. I get to be boss, "mom" and friend. Some of those hats are more fun than others, but all are stretching for me. Because of the responsibility, I'm challenged to stay fresh in the Word because it needs to be my source for all of those responsibilities. I'm so thankful that when I feel inadequate, God says He will be my source of strength.

Happiness

While I'm not happy about the snow, there are many things that do make me happy. One of them is the pussywillows that my friend, Judy, gave me. She knows that I love them and brings me a bunch every spring. Here's a picture.

I asked the kids at church last night what their most treasured possession was that makes them happy. I heard everything from a 4-wheeler to pets. One little girl said, "God." I think she knew that was the right answer. (You know how kids sometimes always answer Jesus no matter what the question is.) We sang More Precious than Silver. The words are as follows:

Lord, you are more precious than silver;
Lord, you are more costly than gold;
Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds,
and nothing I desire compares with you.

I had to ask myself if that is true in my life. God has been challenging me to rejoice in Him no matter the circumstances, and I realize that in order to succeed in this God must be my focus. When I focus on me, it is easy to become discouraged, selfish, and have a complaining spirit. But when I focus on Him and desire only His delight and pleasure, I find that I can be happy (rejoice) even without the pussywillows.

Here's some scripture that has encouraged me in this areas:

Psalm 73:25, 26 (ESV) - "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (ESV) - "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength;he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places."

Psalm 34:1-3 (ESV) - "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!"

Philippians 4:4 (ESV) - "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice."

I could go on and on. I hope these verses encourage you to rejoice in Him because He is absolutely worthy! May your heart overflow in worship and praise!

Spring???

I thought you might like to see what spring looks like in northern Iowa right now. We have already had 70° weather and green grass and now.......this is what we have.

While is was snowing all day yesterday, I remembered a quote from my friend, Mary Ann, while we were students at Northland. "The trees look so tired." And I must say that I am also tired of the snow and ready for the real spring!

April Fool's Reactions

Many of you have asked how the guys reacted to my "gifts" to them. Pastor Phil never really reacts. I think that he believes if he doesn't react, I might stop one year.

Pastor Dave put about 50 cups of water around my chair. He also messed with the mouse settings on my computer. He told me to check out his office, but he had closed the door part way and I knew something was up. I thought maybe he had put some cups behind the door that would spill when I opened it, so I didn't touch the door. Come to find out, he had four cups on top of the door that he was hope would dump on my head.

Dan thought his daughter, Amanda, had wrapped the Gator, so he put packing peanuts all over her room. I guess I was able to kill two birds with one stone on that one. Amanda was the one to get me back though. She put those packing peanuts all over in my desk drawers.

So overall, it was a very happy holiday and I'm very happy with the "gifts" that were left for me as well. I do think I will give them a break next year though. I think I need an extra year to come up with another idea.

If anyone out there has an idea, I would love to hear them!

Happy Holidays!!!

Some of you may think that I'm confused, but I assure you I'm not. Tomorrow is my favorite holiday. Last year, some helpers and I wrapped the offices of the director and asst. director. I don't mean desk, but their entire offices (chair, computer, mouse, keyboard, bookshelves, in box, etc.) I actually didn't have a great idea of this year, so was just going to make some brownies and make them wonder what was wrong with them. But my best friend, Bekah, had a friend that had a great idea......so I stole it. Everyone was off the campground today except my partner in crime, so it really helped to get it all done.


Here it is!


All of these little cups are filled with water. We didn't do the entire floor....just enough to keep them from getting in.


We even put some around their chairs.

Our maintenance supervisor doesn't have an office, so I had to find something else to do. This will be the first year that I have included him in the fun. To be honest, I'm scared of him. He will probably actually retaliate and it will be bigger than what I did I'm sure. This might be the only year I include him.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and hope you are inspired to have your own fun as well!