Today

• Today the second year students at TEPSE went to a local nursing home.
• We sang for/along with the residents; some of them singing their hearts out, others smiling, still others just watching. They love "In the garden" and "It is well with my soul."
  
• I watched a very proper elderly English gentleman, who had trusted Christ moments earlier, share the good news with one of the staff at the nursing home. Talk about a tear-jerker.
  
• I talked with a 89-year-old woman who told me about the time her 20-year-old son called home to say he was going to be late for dinner. That was the last time they talked. He was killed in a car accident.
  
• Today I got a post card from my grandma.
• Today I studied I Timothy for my research paper.
  
• Today I finally did laundry.
  
• Tonight we are going out for wings with friends. BWW has a nice deal on Tuesdays.
  
• Afterwards, we are having them over for dessert and just hanging out.
  
• Jeanie is spending the night.
• We are having a logic study section.
  
• I talked to my little brother, Andrew where he informed me that China was bigger than the USA according to Grandma's map and his map....so it must be true!
  

Just wanted y'all to see what my days are like. I would say that this is a "normal" day, but all the days vary so much. Tomorrow is going to be completely different. Praise the Lord for that.

Wedidng Shower/Family Fellowship

Tom Bell, a fellow student of mine at TEPSE, is getting married in just a few weeks. On Sunday, the chapel had a shower for them along with a family fellowship to introduce Mary-Beth to the chapel. The only picture I managed to get of the happy couple is the dark one of the group people. Oops. I'll try to do better next time.

I think they mis-named this thing

Friday night, Becca and I had the youth group girls to our apartment for a sleep over. Let me tell you, sleep was the last thing on any of these girls mind, well the next morning it was the only thing they wanted to do. Personally, I had a blast. We played games, (Apples-to Apples and Catch Phrase were the big hits) talked, ate, watched a movie, and slept a bit. Olivia, a girl who was in the youth group last year moved to Germany over the summer, but she was back for a visit and came. Great seeing her again. The cake was made by Dani and her mom and the last picture is of Jeanie, who was the first to drop. Great people, great memories, great time.

BLizzard Anyone?

Last week, the Boy Scouts (many of them go to the chapel) had a fund raiser at Cold Stone...it had to be one of the coldest nights yet. Snowing, ice on the roads, windy, and just downright cold, but the people came, including Becca, Christina, JC, who drove for us, and myself. It was fun and a nice break from the studies. To the right is Becca, her ice cream, and one of the boy scouts from the chapel, Tommy.

A couple of days later....

.....we got snow. Lots of snow.

People have been saying that the amount of snow we have gotten this year has been more than there has been for a long time. I must admit, I still get excited each time it snows and I wipe out quite a lot. If you thought I was "graceful" before, you should see on ice!!

We had a heat wave....

....meaning that it was in the 40's, so the second year students decided to go to the Michigan State University. Most of this semester we have been going personal evangelism in the mall because of weather. While personal evangelism is very stretching, I was thankful to be back in my comfort zone.

It was black Tuesday, so Tom preached on Lent, eventually getting around to its purpose, to please God. He explained the error in that philosophy and reasoned on how faith in Jesus Christ pleases the Father.

One the way home, we hit a pot hole, blew a tire, changed it, and on our way out of the gas station, the boys talked to the repair man who was filling in the pot hole, less than 20 minutes later. Quite humoring, looking back. :)

...and as we where poking along the interstate (we could not go any more than 50 mph) we happened a cross a lady who was in the dire straight we had been only a little while before. The guys changed her tire too, she kept thanking "the angels" and we were on our way again.

She's 17 today....

Ashlyn, my sister turned 17 today and she is planning on getting her drivers license in a few days. Crazy to think that my younger sister is so grown up. This past Christmas we went to St. Louis together and I loved getting to know the woman she has become. Some of my favorite things about her and memories I have with her....

• Becoming blood sisters by pressing cuts on our fingers together.I think I already had a cut and convinced her to cut herself so we could do it. This made us double blood sisters, a bond that no one could break.
  
• Her love and ability to relate to children
• Make forts or house in various parts of the house, especially my closet.
• Raising our "babies" together
• Pretending to be braving the wild fronter, playing in the tree house and picking vegetables from the garden.
• Her gullibleness
• The time she dug little pot holes all over the backyard to keep bad guys away from our house.
• Her love for the Lord and desire to serve Him.
  
• Teaching her to roller blade and her returning the favor.
  
• The way she makes any new person feel welcome.
• Sharing a room and the patience and understanding that both of us learned from it.
• Her ability to forgive
• The way she loves people for who they are, not caring what others may think.
• "Or find out who your real family is!"---a response she gave to Adam saying when he got married it was going to be at 2 in the morning to see who his real friends were.
• Her attempts, and failures, to be funny when she is trying and then hilarious when she is not thinking anything about it.
• Her optimistic view oflife
  
• Her creativity.
  
• Road trips.
  
• Being the worst of enemies and the best of friends within minutes of each other.
• How beautiful she is.....

and I am sure there are many more, just not coming to mind at the moment. :)

Happy Birthday, Ashlyn!

This one is for Sarah....

The other day my sister, Sarah, informed me that she checked my blog "like five times a day", and since I do not write near enough to satisfy that addiction, I decided to write one dedicated to her.
Some of my favorite memories with this great lady....
* The day she was born, I was five, but I remember the day clearly.
* Long chats at night when we were supposed to be sleeping, and then her telling my most treasured secrets....I think death threats were given. :)
* "Sarah Bug"
* Watching her as Peter Pan in the play.
* All of here other plays that I have seen.
* Going for walks while she was here in Michigan.
* Here love for people and her loving to make people laugh...when she was up here visiting, she would ask me the names of people from church, go up and hug them, and act like she had known them all her life. Needless to say, they were always so confused.
* Hot chocolate
* Her different art creations
* Her different stores, quite the sales lady....comparatively to Bill Gates.
* Santa Stop- emails, phone calls, college student discounts, deals, and the list roles on
* Sitting on the roof in the freezing cold
* Her great sayings like, "she justed used me like a tissue!!"
* and many many more, if you have any memories, please share.

Satisfactory, Sarah?