Saturday was our the first tournament I've been to this year for speech. I competed in Apologetics (questions about the Bible) and Impromptu (you have two minutes to prepare a five-minute speech on one of three words/quotes that you draw). For my dear friend Haley, this was her first tournament. We had so much fun together, and hanging out in between rounds with Liana, Jessica, Grace, Sophia, Hannah, and others. It was a huge blessing to be able to pray together, encourage each other, watch other speeches, and catch up with others and see what God has been doing in their lives. And of course, competing in Impromptu for the first time (excluding speech camp :) was a real adventure, too!
To start off the day, Jessica, Liana, Haley, and I all practiced speeches for each other. Then it was time for impromptu. The first round of impromptu I spoke on the quote "Where there is room in the heart, there is always room in the house." That was very fun! Then I watched Haley give her impromptu on "Two people cannot long be friends who cannot forgive each other's faults." She did a great job and you wouldn't be able to believe this was her first year of speech. Then we had apologetics... Haley spoke first on "The meaning and significance of Jesus' claim that He is the 'Son of Man.'" Then I spoke on "The meaning and significance of Jesus' claim that He was the 'Son of God.'" That, too, was fun!
Then we had lunch, talked with Liana, Jess, Hannah, and Gracie, and just had fun! Then, back to speaking... more impromptu. I spoke on the word "trust." This was not nearly as good. I didn't do a very good job, but, God had a plan, of course. Then Haley spoke on "Risks" and then another friend, Catherine, spoke on "Reputation." It was fun to watch them, too! Then, finally, it was time for our last speeches for apologetics. I spoke on "The meaning and significance of Jesus as the Lamb of God." Then, Haley spoke on the same topic in a different room, and our friend Grace spoke on "Provide evidence for the historical existence of Jesus." It was wonderful to watch them both, I can learn a lot from them!
That was the end of our speaking day, so Haley and I headed upstairs to watch Grace and Sophia's second duo round!!!!!!! It was AMAZING, just to let you know. Probably the best duo I've ever seen. Ever. It was so funny. Haley and I were laughing soooooooo hard. It was on the piece "Drama on the High Seas," and it was so good.
Then, Haley and I went back to the sanctuary for the awards ceremony. I ended up getting third in apologetics-- To God be the glory!-- and I had a number of friends who placed in different events. Grace go 2nd in Individual interp., and Grace and Sophia got 1st in their duo (of course!) Also, Sophia got 2nd in Apologetics, and placed in her Persuasive and I think in Individual interp, too!! She's amazing! All in all, it was an amazing day!
If you would like to hear about the tourny from my friend Hannah's point of view (plus see an absolutely ridiculous picture of me) here's the link: http://xian-na.blogspot.com/2009/11/tournament-pictures.html
If you want to hear Haley's experience, here's the link to her blog: http://bigsisteroffour.blogspot.com/2009/11/tournament.html
And if you'd like to know Sophia's opinion on wearing hose to the tournament: http://lereticentdragon.blogspot.com/2009/11/tournament-attire.html
Well, that's pretty much it! God gave everyone a wonderful day at the tournament, I think! And I'm so glad that there were so many people there desiring to share God's word with others.
Grace,
Rachel
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
On the balcony in Haiti!
So the story behind this picture... the Infimel vitamin company donated vitamins to us to give to GLA, so we were taking pictures of the kids with them. I love this one cause it looks like they're all under interrogation!
This little one is so skinny-- I'm sure you can see from the picture, but his legs were also very thin! He was adorable and had the cutest personality!
Sitting in the Bumbo seat
She was ticklish!
Oh, she was such a sweetheart.
Monday, October 26, 2009
One day after VBS this summer...
This summer my dear friend Haley and myself put on a VBS at my Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Ken's house. After one day of fun-filled VBS, I went back with Haley to her house and goofed around with her and her brother, Curtis. Anyway, we had a good time and I was laughing so hard looking at these pictures tonight. So for your enjoyment... here they are.
Oh my. I have but one pardon for my facial expression: no one is perfect. Yep, that's the best I can come up with...
I love the look on Curtis's face! AND... Haley, trying to wink and put up two fingers at the same time. She's so talented!
Oh my word. This is so my favorite. We're a mighty gloomy looking bunch, are we not?!?
Oh my. I have but one pardon for my facial expression: no one is perfect. Yep, that's the best I can come up with...
I love the look on Curtis's face! AND... Haley, trying to wink and put up two fingers at the same time. She's so talented!
Oh my word. This is so my favorite. We're a mighty gloomy looking bunch, are we not?!?Sunday, October 11, 2009
God's Perfect Plans
This post really has nothing to do with me or my family and it isn't even something that I've written. But, I was reading this today and God touched my heart with several things from this story. Please read it; it challenged me and I hope you can learn from it too.
Roger Simms had just left the military and was anxious to take his uniform off once and for all. He was hitchhiking home, and his heavy duffel bag made the trip even more arduous than normal. Flashing his thumb to an oncoming car, he had just about given up hope when he saw the taillights flash on a shiny, black, expensive car, so new that it had a temporary license in the back window... hardly the kind of car that would stop for a hitchhiker. But to his amazement, the car stopped and the passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, placed his duffel carefully in the back, and slid into the leather-covered front seat. He was greeted by the friendly smile of a handsome older gentleman with distinguished gray hair and a deep tan.
“Hello, son. Are you on leave or are you going home for good?”
“I just got out of the army, and I’m going home for the first time in several years,” answered Roger.
“Well, you’re in luck in if you’re going to Chicago.”
“Not quite that far,” said Roger, “but my home is on the way.
Do you live there, mister?”
“Yes, I have a business there.”
And with that, they were on their way. After giving each other brief life histories, and talking about everything under the sun, Roger (who was a Christian) felt a strong compulsion to witness to the gentleman about Christ. But witnessing to an older, wealthy businessman who obviously had everything he should ever want was a scary prospect indeed. Roger kept putting if off, but as he neared his destination, he realized that it was now or never.
“Mr. Hanover,” began Roger, “I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment, the high car pulled over to the side of the road; Roger thought for a moment that Mr. Hanover was about to throw him out. Then a strange and wonderful thing happened: the businessman began to cry while affirming that he did in fact want to accept Christ into his heart. He thanked Roger for talking to him, saying that “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.” He then dropped Roger at his house and traveled on toward Chicago.
Five years went by, and Roger Simms married, had a child, and started a business of his own. One day, while packing for a business trip to Chicago, he came across a small, gold-embossed business card which Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier.
When Roger arrived in Chicago, he looked up Hanover Enterprises, and found it downtown in a very tall and important-looking building. The receptionist told him that it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but that if he was on old friend, he should be able to see Mrs. Hanover. A little disappointed, he was led into a posh office where an elegant looking woman was sitting at a huge oak desk.
She extended her hand, “You knew my husband?”
Roger explained how Mr. Hanover had been kind enough to give him a ride home.
A look of interest passed across her face. “Can you tell what date that was?” “Sure,” said Roger, “It was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.”
Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Had it been a source of contention between the two, which resulted in a marital breakup or separation? But once again, he felt the prompting of the Lord. “Mrs. Hanover, I must tell you, your husband accepted the Lord into his heart that day. I explained the gospel message to him, and he pulled to the side of the road and wept, and then he prayed a prayer for salvation.”
Suddenly she began to sob uncontrollably. After several minutes, she regained enough control to explain what had happened: “I grew up in a Christian home, but my husband did not. I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for many years, and I believed God would save him. But just after he let you out of his car, on May 7th, he was killed in a horrible head-on collision. He never arrived home. I thought God had not kept His promise, and I stopped living for the Lord five years ago.”
The truth is, friends, Mrs. Hanover quit, but God didn’t! She failed to realize that as the great eternal God, He does ever watch over His Word to perform it.
I really want you to be able to draw your own conclusions from the story, and to let God speak to your heart. But I just wanted to write a couple things about what God placed on my heart from reading this: first of all, it reminded me how fleeting is this life. This life is so temporary; there are few guarantees. But there is one guarantee: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) The second thing that this story abruptly reminded me is the same thing that Mr. Simms realized right before Mr. Hanover dropped him off. He realized that if he wanted to share the gospel, it was "now or never." So often I forget this. So often I'm content to just to wait to share the gospel with people. But aren't we commanded to "go"? Aren't we commanded to try to reach people now, with the time God has given us? This is a big challenge and something I was thankful to be reminded of. The final thing that I learned from this story is how God's plans are perfect, because He is perfect. Mrs. Hanover quit on God, but God never failed to keep His promises. God is awesome!! I hope that this story touched you as much as it did me. God bless you, friends.
Roger Simms had just left the military and was anxious to take his uniform off once and for all. He was hitchhiking home, and his heavy duffel bag made the trip even more arduous than normal. Flashing his thumb to an oncoming car, he had just about given up hope when he saw the taillights flash on a shiny, black, expensive car, so new that it had a temporary license in the back window... hardly the kind of car that would stop for a hitchhiker. But to his amazement, the car stopped and the passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, placed his duffel carefully in the back, and slid into the leather-covered front seat. He was greeted by the friendly smile of a handsome older gentleman with distinguished gray hair and a deep tan.
“Hello, son. Are you on leave or are you going home for good?”
“I just got out of the army, and I’m going home for the first time in several years,” answered Roger.
“Well, you’re in luck in if you’re going to Chicago.”
“Not quite that far,” said Roger, “but my home is on the way.
Do you live there, mister?”
“Yes, I have a business there.”
And with that, they were on their way. After giving each other brief life histories, and talking about everything under the sun, Roger (who was a Christian) felt a strong compulsion to witness to the gentleman about Christ. But witnessing to an older, wealthy businessman who obviously had everything he should ever want was a scary prospect indeed. Roger kept putting if off, but as he neared his destination, he realized that it was now or never.
“Mr. Hanover,” began Roger, “I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment, the high car pulled over to the side of the road; Roger thought for a moment that Mr. Hanover was about to throw him out. Then a strange and wonderful thing happened: the businessman began to cry while affirming that he did in fact want to accept Christ into his heart. He thanked Roger for talking to him, saying that “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.” He then dropped Roger at his house and traveled on toward Chicago.
Five years went by, and Roger Simms married, had a child, and started a business of his own. One day, while packing for a business trip to Chicago, he came across a small, gold-embossed business card which Mr. Hanover had given him years earlier.
When Roger arrived in Chicago, he looked up Hanover Enterprises, and found it downtown in a very tall and important-looking building. The receptionist told him that it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but that if he was on old friend, he should be able to see Mrs. Hanover. A little disappointed, he was led into a posh office where an elegant looking woman was sitting at a huge oak desk.
She extended her hand, “You knew my husband?”
Roger explained how Mr. Hanover had been kind enough to give him a ride home.
A look of interest passed across her face. “Can you tell what date that was?” “Sure,” said Roger, “It was May 7th, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.”
Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Had it been a source of contention between the two, which resulted in a marital breakup or separation? But once again, he felt the prompting of the Lord. “Mrs. Hanover, I must tell you, your husband accepted the Lord into his heart that day. I explained the gospel message to him, and he pulled to the side of the road and wept, and then he prayed a prayer for salvation.”
Suddenly she began to sob uncontrollably. After several minutes, she regained enough control to explain what had happened: “I grew up in a Christian home, but my husband did not. I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for many years, and I believed God would save him. But just after he let you out of his car, on May 7th, he was killed in a horrible head-on collision. He never arrived home. I thought God had not kept His promise, and I stopped living for the Lord five years ago.”
The truth is, friends, Mrs. Hanover quit, but God didn’t! She failed to realize that as the great eternal God, He does ever watch over His Word to perform it.
I really want you to be able to draw your own conclusions from the story, and to let God speak to your heart. But I just wanted to write a couple things about what God placed on my heart from reading this: first of all, it reminded me how fleeting is this life. This life is so temporary; there are few guarantees. But there is one guarantee: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) The second thing that this story abruptly reminded me is the same thing that Mr. Simms realized right before Mr. Hanover dropped him off. He realized that if he wanted to share the gospel, it was "now or never." So often I forget this. So often I'm content to just to wait to share the gospel with people. But aren't we commanded to "go"? Aren't we commanded to try to reach people now, with the time God has given us? This is a big challenge and something I was thankful to be reminded of. The final thing that I learned from this story is how God's plans are perfect, because He is perfect. Mrs. Hanover quit on God, but God never failed to keep His promises. God is awesome!! I hope that this story touched you as much as it did me. God bless you, friends.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
September birthdays! (And everyone is soooo amazed!)
Hello, dear people. I have to tell you something that you are NEVER going to believe. I know like, sooooooooooo many people who were born in September. No joke. There are a ton of September birthdays out there!! Do you know how many people were born in September?? A lot more than in June, that is FOR SURE!!! (Yes, I was born in June and I have a somewhat difficult time locating other June-born people.) Anyway, there are so many beautiful, kind, wonderful people out there who were born in September that I just had to write this, since this is the last day of September 2009!
First of all, my beautiful sister Gracie!! She's wonderful! Happy birthday month, dear!!
Mom. Happy birthday to the best mother in the world!!!
Curtis Kovach. Yep, Curtis, you're really, really special! Hope you had a marvelous b-day!!
Rayni Frye... today is your birthday! Hope you had a great day. You're a special friend!
Jessie Cooper. Happy birthday girl!! Hope you had an awesome sweet sixteen.
Keziah Frye, same birthday as Gracie! Happy, happy birthday!
Kalahan Estoos, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope life in WA is treating you well!
Amanda Jackson! You're wonderful Amanda!! I don't know if you'll ever read this blog, but if you do, happy birthday month! I loved celebrating your birthday in Haiti with you.
I know that I could think of lots more people who have Sep. birthdays if I really put my mind to it. But, I was thinking of all those people recently and I wanted to make sure I included all of them. To all of my faithful September friends whom I neglected to mention in this post, I express my deepest apologies. Please let me know if I neglected to mention you and you have a September birthday!! I already feel bad.... ;)
Anyway, happy birthday to all those wonderful people and many more!! My love to you!! And, if you have a birthday in June or know anybody that I also know who has a birthday in June, please let me know!! So far, it's me, my cousin Lexie, my sweet friend Kailey, and one of my beautiful friends Jennine. Lame, I know. Anyway, happy birthday to half the population (aka everyone born in September)!
First of all, my beautiful sister Gracie!! She's wonderful! Happy birthday month, dear!!
Mom. Happy birthday to the best mother in the world!!!
Curtis Kovach. Yep, Curtis, you're really, really special! Hope you had a marvelous b-day!!
Rayni Frye... today is your birthday! Hope you had a great day. You're a special friend!
Jessie Cooper. Happy birthday girl!! Hope you had an awesome sweet sixteen.
Keziah Frye, same birthday as Gracie! Happy, happy birthday!
Kalahan Estoos, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope life in WA is treating you well!
Amanda Jackson! You're wonderful Amanda!! I don't know if you'll ever read this blog, but if you do, happy birthday month! I loved celebrating your birthday in Haiti with you.
I know that I could think of lots more people who have Sep. birthdays if I really put my mind to it. But, I was thinking of all those people recently and I wanted to make sure I included all of them. To all of my faithful September friends whom I neglected to mention in this post, I express my deepest apologies. Please let me know if I neglected to mention you and you have a September birthday!! I already feel bad.... ;)
Anyway, happy birthday to all those wonderful people and many more!! My love to you!! And, if you have a birthday in June or know anybody that I also know who has a birthday in June, please let me know!! So far, it's me, my cousin Lexie, my sweet friend Kailey, and one of my beautiful friends Jennine. Lame, I know. Anyway, happy birthday to half the population (aka everyone born in September)!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tricked into Giving Bibles away
“One day the teacher told us that we would play a special game. She whispered to us about a special book that our parents may have hidden in our homes. We were to wait until our parents went to sleep, search for this book, and secretly bring it to school the following day for a special surprise. I went home and immediately began searching for the book.
“The next day I was one of fourteen children who brought the black book, a Bible, to class. We were awarded bright red scarves, and the other students clapped as the teacher paraded us around the room.
“I ran home that afternoon because I was so excited to tell my mother how I had won the red scarf. She wasn’t in the house or the barn. I waited, but neither she nor my father came home, and I began to get scared. I was hungry and it was becoming dark. I began to feel sick inside, and I fell asleep in a chair.
“The next day police officers came and informed me that I was now in the care of the government. I never saw my parents again.”
An elderly woman from North Korea relayed this story. She never heard from her parents and is still struggling to find forgiveness. She is only one of many who have gone through such trials.
Let us be in prayer for the people like this lady in North Korea. It's so easy to fall into the trap of just believing that these people are just names or figures. It's easier still just not to think about it. Not to think about the pain and suffering that goes on around the world; not to think about how those who try to preserve the faith are brutally and heartlessly murdered and imprisoned around the world. It's easy to try to ignore it, or push away thoughts of it that arise in our minds.
But the people of North Korea who are suffering right now under the iron fist of a Communist dictator are real people. They are real people who are being deprived of the gospel. And they are real people who need the Lord. Because the heart of the problem lies in their need for a Savior. North Korea has robbed so many people of their Bibles, like in this story; they have done so much to deter the spread of the gospel. Yet the people still need the Lord. Still, even though darkness has filled North Korea like a plague, still, the people are hungry for the Lord. Still.
And they will continue to need the Lord. Forever.
Tomorrow, they will still need the Lord.
Still.
Forever they will need the Lord.
Still.
These people-- real people-- need the Lord. So please, join me in prayer for them. Pray continuously for the people of North Korea who are persecuted and not allowed to read the Bible. Pray that God would work a miracle so that they can know Him personally and experience His love. Pray, pray, pray. I challenge you to pray for them constantly. Do something that will remind you of them often, and pray whenever you're reminded. Pray with me for these people. Ask others to pray. These people need the Lord.
Still.
“The next day I was one of fourteen children who brought the black book, a Bible, to class. We were awarded bright red scarves, and the other students clapped as the teacher paraded us around the room.
“I ran home that afternoon because I was so excited to tell my mother how I had won the red scarf. She wasn’t in the house or the barn. I waited, but neither she nor my father came home, and I began to get scared. I was hungry and it was becoming dark. I began to feel sick inside, and I fell asleep in a chair.
“The next day police officers came and informed me that I was now in the care of the government. I never saw my parents again.”
An elderly woman from North Korea relayed this story. She never heard from her parents and is still struggling to find forgiveness. She is only one of many who have gone through such trials.
Let us be in prayer for the people like this lady in North Korea. It's so easy to fall into the trap of just believing that these people are just names or figures. It's easier still just not to think about it. Not to think about the pain and suffering that goes on around the world; not to think about how those who try to preserve the faith are brutally and heartlessly murdered and imprisoned around the world. It's easy to try to ignore it, or push away thoughts of it that arise in our minds.
But the people of North Korea who are suffering right now under the iron fist of a Communist dictator are real people. They are real people who are being deprived of the gospel. And they are real people who need the Lord. Because the heart of the problem lies in their need for a Savior. North Korea has robbed so many people of their Bibles, like in this story; they have done so much to deter the spread of the gospel. Yet the people still need the Lord. Still, even though darkness has filled North Korea like a plague, still, the people are hungry for the Lord. Still.
And they will continue to need the Lord. Forever.
Tomorrow, they will still need the Lord.
Still.
Forever they will need the Lord.
Still.
These people-- real people-- need the Lord. So please, join me in prayer for them. Pray continuously for the people of North Korea who are persecuted and not allowed to read the Bible. Pray that God would work a miracle so that they can know Him personally and experience His love. Pray, pray, pray. I challenge you to pray for them constantly. Do something that will remind you of them often, and pray whenever you're reminded. Pray with me for these people. Ask others to pray. These people need the Lord.
Still.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
It hurts when God makes you let go
Corrie ten Boom once said, "Hold everything in your fingers lightly... otherwise it hurts when God has to pry your fingers open, to make you let it go...." We should hold on to everything lightly. There is nothing in our lives that God is not more than worthy of. I have not yet read the book, "Crazy love" but I want to because I have read the title chapters. One of them is "Lukewarm and leftovers, God hates them both." We should not serve a holy God leftovers. He is awesome, more than worthy of our everything. We should hold everything loosely, because it hurts when God has to pry open our fingers to make us let go. Let's not give God the 'leftovers' in our lives. Let's not hold on to the pleasures of the world. Let's give God our everything, and not hold on to the things in this life. Isn't this the least that He deserves?
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