Breaking Free - Week 6

The Beth Moore study I am doing has been so good for me concerning dealing with things from my past and has been so good as I am walking through different feelings, emotions, past struggles, current struggles, and relationships. She has experienced some of the same things I have which has been so nice to see how the Lord uses her in the lives of so many people. I pray that the Lord will be able to use me in the lives of others someday!

I did the audio part of week 6 (beauty instead of ashes) 2 nights ago and there were some real thought provoking things that I desire to meditate on that she mentioned. There was an illustration she gave about a child who wounds itself and is cut and bleeding and the natural instinct for the child is to cover it up and protect it even from the mom who is trying to clean it and help it start healing. We tend to do the same thing with Christ she was saying in that sometimes we cover our wounds and won’t let the Lord start healing it and ultimately the wound gets infected and that is when we develop strongholds. That rings so true for me only because I saw it happen in my life. I am so thankful to have a God who has helped me to overcome the strongholds that have entered into my life. At times it seemed like it would never get better but I am here to say that it did! Christ did it for me and in me. Isaiah 61:1-4 has been the focus of this study and in this particular week it is verse 3. I want to share these verses with you and though verse 3 seems so overwhelming for me I am so encouraged and feel so loved by the God I serve and desire to trust Him and the promises He has made through His word:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." ~Isaiah 61:1-4

Some of the points that she made which were good for me are:

“God never allows or appoints the fire unless He can bring beauty from the ashes”

“Whatever the reason, the purpose of refinement is always to make us objects/vessels of beauty”

“Sometimes our fiery trials are absolutely necessary to fulfill our callings”

“The ultimate goal of the Refiner is to see His reflection in the precious medal”

She had also mentioned how we can’t refuse what the Lord allows but we can refuse to be refined by it. Beauty comes out of the refining so if it is refused it can never fully be used for God’s glory and His good. I just don’t want to be one who refuses the Lord to work from the ashes yet it so hard to go through it. My prayer is that the Lord will bring beauty from my ashes and that He will do the same for all of you too.

Prayer Requests

I am not sure what you have heard about the ice storms but I received and email from Kathy in our office about a sister camp of ours that has been effected in difficult ways. A couple that use to work with us moved to Mt. Sequoyah and called and told her about what was going on. Here is the email I received from Kathy:

Terry Buckelew called from Mount Sequoyah Camp. They have had a terrible ice storm in Arkansas. They have no power or generators.
Buildings damaged, lots and lots of tree damage. They are in need of prayers, volunteers and chainsaws.
The cell number to Terry is 479-443-4531.

I also talked to my dear friend Christin yesterday and her and her family just recently moved to Kentucky so her husband BJ could go to seminary. They too have had the ice storm effect them. They have been out of power for a couple of days and aren't sure when it will be back up. It is so cold there and they will have to wait for the ice to melt off. Thankfully they have a fireplace but it is really hard having 3 little children and a Labrador running around in the dark. Her oldest is 5 and the youngest was born mid August. Classes have been canceled this week for BJ but he was so excited to get started.

Please keep these things in your prayers. I am sure there are a lot of people having the same problems these are just the 2 that I know specifically about so keep the whole situation in your prayers as the Lord places it on your mind. Thank you and may the Lord bless you!

Very Cold Day at Camp

This morning as I looked out my window there was snow on my car and ice all over camp. I walked to work because I wasn't sure how bad the ice really was going into camp. At the bottom of the hill is a creek and honestly I didn't feel like sliding into that creek so I took the cold route and walked. :)

Our time at the Wesley Foundation was great! We weren't sure if we would make it due to the weather. It is really hard getting out of camp on ice and we were in a 15 passenger van. Thankfully the maintenance guys helped us get ready to go. They were a blessing! We had a 30 minute late start because we didn't know what the decision was and that put us behind. The next blessing was that Jeff and Bronc came with us and helped us out. Bronc drove the van thank the Lord! I was not too happy about the idea of driving it in the weather. Jeff had a doctors appointment so he came with us and helped out and headed out for his appointment afterwards. The people at the Westley were so helpful! They helped us unload the van and helped us get set up. Sometimes it is so hard for me to tell people what they can do to help but they were so persistent and were so genuine about wanting to help! The Lord was so good concerning this meal!

After getting back to camp and getting all the dishes done, everything whipped down, leftovers put up, trash thrown, and food truck put up we got to go home. It was a bit early which was nice and while we were cleaning I had an idea to hike down to the waterfalls and see what they looked like. With it being so cold and freezing for the last 2 days I just knew the falls would be frozen. I asked Holly if she wanted to join me and she did so we were off on a hike.

The waterfalls were beautiful! Holly didn't think it would be a good idea to climb down to the lower part to look at it from the bottom of the falls but I really wanted to. After looking it over for a while it looked like it wasn't icy as far at the trail and rocks went so I told her I was going to go. She told me she would wait up top and I told her I would be sure to yell if I fell. :) She smiled and I started climbing down and all the sudden she said she was going with me. We made it down safe and yes there were a few icy spots down at the actually lower falls but the trail and rocks were as safe as could be. It was so neat to see! Holly and I both had a lot of fun she was sad she didn't bring her camera and so we may go back so she can take pictures.

Here are some pictures that I took. I hope that you enjoy them! I may have to go to the second falls tomorrow. I wonder what it looks like now.

Interesting Evening

Tonight has had some interesting events take place.

I was having supper with my friend/neighbor Nikki and while we were visiting after supper our electricity went out in camp. We pulled out the candles and finished visiting and I headed home to get my trailer up to speed too. While I was visiting with my Grandma to see if she would give me a wake up call Nikki came over and asked if we could hunt down Jeff to see about what to do to keep warm. Every home in camp has a form of heat except the trailers. I guess Jeff read our minds because when we got to where he was everyone said he was already out checking on everyone. We were almost back to the trailers and noticed he was already there.

After weighing out the options we decided to get the generator and hook it up to my trailer since I had a guestroom (for Nikki to stay in) and the 2 pups. This way I wouldn't have to pack all of us up and move us around and so that poor Nikki wouldn't have to be exposed to sleeping with the pups. Unfortunately I didn't realize how hard this project was going to be. I thought everything was prepared and it wasn't. When we finally got everything ready and Jeff was in the process of hooking everything up low and behold the electricity came back on. I felt horrible because he went to all that work for nothing. I apologized for all the work he put in and it was freezing cold and has been all day long. He said that it was not a problem that we were closer to having it ready than when it first went out.

Jeff is such a blessing to camp and such a patient person! I don't know how many times he has helped me out. He is a good example of a wonderful servant for the Lord and I am always giving thanks to the Lord for his servant's heart.

Prayer Requests:
-it is suppose to be icy tomorrow morning and possibly all day pray for safety for those who are driving in it
-for Nikki she has school in the morning and may have to be towed out of camp by Jeff because of ice (pray for her safety as she goes to school)
-Kaye, Holly, and I are going to be feeding in Canyon at the Wesley Foundation (it's a campus ministry at WT), pray for safety in driving, we would be vessels used for God's glory and be an encouragement to all we come into contact with
-Mark (Nikki's husband) is in Abilene doing recruiting for summer staff pray for his safety while traveling
-My bosses Michael and Mike while they are at a conference in California for camp - safe traveling, they would be encouraged and encourage others, for growing and learning, etc...
-that our electricity will stay on and not go out again

It is getting late so it is time for me and the pups to get to bed. May you have a good and restful night and I pray that it is uneventful! :)

Getting Started

This morning after rolling out of bed (which wasn't too long ago due to a rough night of sleep) and taking my shower. Daisy was sitting outside the bathroom door waiting for me to finish and wanted to go outside. I went to the backdoor to let her out and she sniffed and looked at me like she does when it rains like you have to be kidding me it is wet out there. It wasn't wet though. There is fog in the air and a snow like substance in their frozen water dish. For everyone in Texas it isn't snow or I wouldn't call it snow it is more like a frost. It actually feels like winter outside. Thankfully I am off today and not working. I hate working when it is cold but due to working Saturday because of the size of all the groups I got a 3 day weekend which is an answer from the Lord! I have been wanting one for a while now. I sort of wish it was snowing though. A bunch of us here at camp really want to go sledding! We have the perfect sledding hills we have been told but there was no snow (that is that stuck to the ground) since I have moved to camp. In 2006 they said they had a bad winter there was even 2 days of no electricity. People got snowed into camp. But they said it was so much fun sledding. We can hardly wait for the snow to come. I am not normally a cold weather person but I want to go sledding! :)

I am always reminded in the mornings of the newness of each day and living here at camp Genesis 1-2:3 are daily going through my mind. I am always more appreciative of God's creation with each new day. I hope that your day is blessed with many memories to take away from it. I better run for now I am about to spend some time in the Scriptures before my day gets away from me and I get consumed with the things that need to be accomplished and the distractions that can get in the way! Grace and peace with much love to all of you!

Wreckless and Daisy-Rose on the Attack

As I was getting ready this morning the pups came unglued. Their barks were not normal and I checked to see if maybe my neighbors were outside but they were barking in the wrong direction. I went out on the porch and low and behold a young buck was standing there staring at them. Wreckless and Daisy-Rose were not happy about him standing there and the deer was pretty funny it just stood there. It didn't run off or anything just kept eating. It was nearly like he was gloating that it was free and they weren't. It was like he knew they couldn't get him and I am sure if he could be smiling he would be laughing at them! The deer stayed outside the fence for a half an hour I think. It was pretty funny watching them!

Breaking Free

In my time with the Lord I have spent a lot of time doing a Beth Moore study called "Breaking Free". I have been so encouraged as I have made my way through it. I have looked at a lot of different things from 5 Benefits the Lord intends for us to experience to 5 obstacles that may need to be removed from our lives. We have looked at rebuilding the ruins in our lives, binding up the things that can cause brokenness in our lives and now I am working on the chapter on how the Lord can provide us with beauty for our ashes. With each chapter I am learning something new and I am growing in my own freedom from things I have experienced in my past and that have spilled over into my present. The Lord is so good and desires us to walk with Him and to find a satisfaction in Him that will bring glory to His name. I have never felt more closer to the Lord that I do now and am so thankful for a dear lady in my church for encouraging me to do this study. I will be sharing in more detail as the study goes on and I hope that if the opportunity is available that you would take out the time to do this study. I believe that anyone could benefit from it.

Hayden and Callie Lavo's Wedding

On January 4th I was bless by seeing a sweet couple take their vows! They both have such a heart for the Lord and I am so glad that I was able to make it. I have known both of them for a while now and have seen them grow in their love for each other. I pray that the Lord will bless them in their marriage. I love yall and am so happy for you!

Taking a Break from the Kitchen to Paint

Starting at the first of December after Holly and I waxed the staff dining room we started painting Ceta Lodge.

First we started by peeling wallpaper and for those of you who have had to take down wallpaper I am so sorry for you! I will never get a home with wallpaper after peeling these rooms. Some of it was easy and other rooms were horrid!

We have been working only as needed in the kitchen doing meals but for the most part we have been enjoying the break. We are now coming to the point of getting tired of the painting but we are almost finished. We have finally gotten to the back of the building and all we have left is 3 more rooms, the ceilings of all 20 rooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 meeting room, 1 kitchen, and the hallway. Not too much more to go but yet it still seems like a lot. I guess once all the rooms are finished then we will be 50% done with the work.

I am looking forward to not seeing another 5 gallon bucket of paint for a while! :)

Daisy-Rose is 1 year

On December 31st Daisy-Rose had her first Birthday. She is such a precious pup and it has been such a joy watching her grow up this year. She was so tiny when I got her and now she is so big and with such a sweet personality. Here are some pictures starting with the day I got her. I hope you enjoy them!

This is in the car right after I got her.

Our first family picture

Daisy-Rose showing no fear concerning Wreckless (this is her 2nd day with us)

Stretch Daisy-Rose :)

Yes she is on the table! I was doing dishes and turned around and she was walking around on it.

Daisy-Rose loves catching bugs her favorites are crickets and flies

Daisy-Rose was the first to claim the dog house (they pile in together so she is willing to share)

Daisy-Rose on her Birthday!

Christmas 2008 - Grandma's House

After Christmas at Lorita's house we piled into the cars and headed to Grandma's so we could have our Christmas there. When we got there she had snacks and homemade apple cider waiting for us. Her cider is the absolute best ever! The kids had so much fun and enjoyed playing with all their new toys.

(Kate - my niece)

(Kyle Posey - my cousin)

(Linda - my mom, Alanna - my sister, and Chris - my brother-in-law)

(Alanna helping Luke and Jacob put together a puzzle)

Here are a couple of pictures of Wreckless and Daisy-Rose helping my Grandma take down theChristmas tree a few days after Christmas. If anyone has pups we all know how much help they really are. My sweet Grandma was so patient and just laughed!

Christmas 2008 - Parent's House

The last stop for Christmas was at my Dad and Mom's house on the 26th. My sister and I grilled chicken and it was so good! I am by far a chicken person. My sister did a wonderful job cooking it!

(Alanna and Me)

Most of the family had already gone home but we still had a great one! Something that wasn't planned but was provided for me was a new Bible. My mom and I had gone to Lubbock for my mom's doctors appointment and I asked if we could make a stop at LifeWay while we were there because the day before I had found this Bible and wanted to look at it better. After looking it over and adding up the expense I decided to go ahead and get it. Later my mom told me that it would be part of my Christmas. My Bibles usually last a good 5 years and so it was getting time and there is no better gift. Thanks Dad and Mom!

(Daisy-Rose checking out the Christmas Tree)

(Keith and Joy)

(Grandma and Luke)

(Kate with her new baby doll)

(Luke with his new football)

(Grandma, Dad, Mom, Rachel, Luke, and Kate)

Wreckless spent this Christmas outside with my other dog Buddy (my parents inherited him 10 years ago when I moved to Texas).

While I was in Snyder for Christmas my mom, sister and I took out a day and went to Abilene to eat at Red Robin. My sister wanted to eat there and my mom had been wanting to see "Marley and Me" (me also) and so we went to see that while we were in town. If you haven't seen it go prepared to cry! Especially if you are a dog lover!

Something else I was able to do was go to a few Ira basketball games and they were great! If I had to choose a sport to watch I would pick gymnastics hands down but basketball is very close to it! These are the 2 sports I enjoy the most.

This is the last of my Christmas updates. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas 2008 - Aunt Lorita's House

Our first stop on Christmas day was my Aunt Lorita's house. For a long time tradition has been to have dinner there and then start opening up gifts at her house. This year we had a house full but it was a lot of fun!

After dinner the kids were so anxious to start opening their Christmas gifts and they sure did wait patiently.

(Julia Sims - 2nd cousin)

My sweet and helpful niece Rachel helped my aunt pass out the Christmas gifts.

This is a picture of the guys (Kyle - my cousin, Troy - my cousin, and Chris - my brother-in-law) with their new aprons that my aunt made for them.

Christmas 2008 - Wreckless & Daisy-Rose

On Christmas Day I got up and got the pups ready in their little shirts to wish Grandma a Merry Christmas and then I let the pups open up their Christmas from me.

Wreckless had no problems sniffing out his package! He was digging in but Daisy on the other hand was a bit nervous but then after a bit of coaxing she had no problems searching her package out.

Sadly though most of their Christmas was spent outside in the pin my Grandma has in her backyard.

New President Takes Office

Hello Everyone!

As today we have our new President take his place in office I have been thinking and praying for him, his family, and our nation. My prayer for him is that the Lord would provide him with godly wisdom as he leads our country. For his family I pray that the Lord would provide for their precious needs as running a country is a huge job and I am sure that time is a hard thing to have with his family. And for us as a nation that we would submit to our president and place our trust in the Lord that this is the man He has chosen to lead our nation and it is His good will.

Please keep President Obama and his family in your prayers as he leads our nation!

Wreckless & Daisy-Rose's time of Torture!

I finally gave in and bought Wreckless and Daisy-Rose little shirts for Christmas. I saw one for Wreckless that was perfect for him and then there was one in Daisy's size that was so cute (she is my little princess).

Wreckless first :)

Daisy-Rose's turn!

Here they are together! Aren't they so cute! :)

My neighbor Nikki came over and helped me out by taking pictures.