December: Christmas and The New Year

Well,
December has flown by so quickly. . . I can hardly believe we are almost to Christmas. Thinking of everyone at home and missing them. I've decided that goodbyes should never take place as many of my new friends have gone home for Christmas. Currently I am sitting in Switzerland. I was able to travel here to spend Christmas with a friend. It's beautiful and I love it already. Though in some ways it is surreal to be here. I've only got six days here before heading back to England for a busy New Year Outreach. There are many people coming just for the week from all over the world so it should be a good time. Then just three more week in England before heading off to Italy. I know it will fly by. Thank you for all your prayers!

Let's Put CHRIST back into CHRIST-mas!!!

Twas the month before Christmas,
when all through the land,
not a Christian was praying,
nor taking a stand.

See, the PC Police had taken away,
Reason For Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
about Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say.
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit,
pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CD's from Madonna, and X BOX, and I-Pod.
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa,
in hopes to sell books byFranken and Fonda.

As Target stores were hanging their trees upside down,
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears;
you wont hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty,
are words that were used tointimidate me.

Now Daschle, now Darden, now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen;
on Boxer, onRather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter...
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word,
as they took away our faith,
forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded.
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break",
under the "Dream Tree, SippingStarbucks," listen to me.

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY,
CHOOSE WHAT YOU SAY...
"SHOUT MERRY CHRISTMAS" not "Happy Holiday".
Please, all Christians join together and wish,
EVERYONE YOU MEET during
the holidays a "MERRY CHRISTMAS" .

Christ is the reason for the Christ-mas Season!

A bit of life. . .

A Day Exploring London - Far Too Short

“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." ~ Samuel Johnson 1709-1784

Made Me Smile so I had to share :)

Words Women Use and What They Really Mean:
littlemiss:
Fine - This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use “fine” to describe how a woman looks - this will cause you to have one of those arguments.
Five Minutes - This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the rubbish, so it’s an even trade.
Nothing - This means “something”, and you should be on your toes. “Nothing” is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. “Nothing” usually signifies an argument that will last “Five Minutes” and end with “Fine”.
Go Ahead - At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.
Go Ahead (With Raised Eyebrows) - This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over “Nothing” and will end with the word “Fine”.
Go Ahead (Neutral Expression) - This means “I give up” or “do what you want because I don’t care” You will get a “Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead” in just a few minutes, followed by “Nothing” and “Fine” and she will talk to you in about “Five Minutes” when she cools off.
Loud Sigh - This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A “Loud Sigh” means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over “Nothing”.
Soft Sigh - Again, not a word, but a non-verbal statement. “Soft Sighs” mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.
That’s Okay - This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. “That’s Okay” means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. “That’s Okay” is often used with the word “Fine” and in conjunction with a “Raised Eyebrow”.
Please Do - This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn’t get a “That’s Okay”.
Thanks - A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you’re welcome.
Thanks A Lot - This is much different from “Thanks.” A woman will say, “Thanks A Lot” when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her in some callous way, and will be followed by the “Loud Sigh.” Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the “Loud Sigh,” as she will only tell you “Nothing”.

Getting Lost in Birmingham

You gotta learn to step out in faith and walk on water.

Endurance Builds Character

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Why?

In my novels, the main characters face great conflict, turmoil, uncertainty, and suffering. Some die. So who am I to say God shouldn’t write such things into his story, including my part? God created all the characters in his story. He loves a great story, and he has made us to love it. Before we fault him for the plot twists we don’t like, we should remember that Jesus has written this story in his own blood. -Randy Alcorn

Alone

Defiance

The warm embrace of the world
Or the cold embrace of the lonely wind
Through which the still small Voice calls
Which will we choose?

The crowd swells laughter spilling over
Or the quiet path going into the desolate places
Where there is only One who will carry us?
Which will we choose?

How do I turn away these temptations?
Tearing me in two, I cry out
I know whom I want to follow
Where will I find the strength?

So torn, I want to run away from it all
Kneeling in the depths of the valley
My soul cries out in despair of ever
Finding true understanding

Can He be my supply and hope?
Shaking, I reach out, may it be so
Or will I be lost to this world
Trying to find Him in the wrong places?

I am choosing this day and every day
I will sing with the still Voice whilst
The cold wind howls in the dark
The path may be narrow but it is straight

Anguish may pour over me
Tears may stream down my face
But joy will reign in my heart
For I have chosen the truth

The raging storm comes in so quickly
I stumble and fall, I cry out in despair
He is there, bringing me to my knees
Against all logic, peace stands firm

I can’t get up, but there is no need
He is there, shielding me from the pain
When it becomes more than I can bear
He picks me up and wipes away my tear

All because I have chosen, I have called out
Even when it stands against reason
I have chosen to rest in His wisdom
For I have none on my own

Why you might ask?
This makes no sense
I must agree,

There’s no rhyme, nor reason
His love doesn’t make sense
Understanding will never come
But maybe- just maybe hope will.

He gave it all for me and in return
I scorned Him, I mocked Him
His love paid the ultimate price
His desire to be with me overruled reason

So maybe it does make sense
That I would abandon reason to be with Him
He turned away from it to be with me
Which will you choose?

Will you delight in a love that
Has withstood the test of sacrifice?
Or will you wander with the lost
Into the deadly hands of despair?

Will you stand firm against the storm
Dependent on His strength?
Or will you be shattered when the party
Ends with burning anguish?

He will wait for you
His arms are wide open
His desire to be with you
Has defied all reason

Will you defy reason for Him?

A Portion of Adventure Week

So Adventure week is too big for one post so here's a portion of it. . . Four days in North Wales hiking, geocaching, team building, and delighting in God's creation.

Some of the girls getting ready to head up the mountain in the pouring rain and wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour. So excited at this point

On the path up the mountain. . .check out that rain. . .

The path further up the mountain so pretty. Lots of waterfalls, stone ruins from buildings built by the miners etc etc. . . so neat!

Our map reading excercise. . . yes it's dark as in the wee hours of the morning dark. . .

Geocaching the day after getting only 4 hours of sleep. . . hiked a couple of kilometers. . . beautiful country to be in for sure. . .

One of many stone building/ruins

The team for the day. . . (Left to Right)

Luke, Alaina, Elizabeth, Nina, Stefan B, Gracie, HaEun, Stefan S, and Clemmens

Where They're all From (Left to Right)

England, US, Germany, US, Germany, US, Korea, Netherlands, Germany

Debrief

We had a great time and learned a lot about how we work in a team. . community is hard but rewarding. . I think :) So we are making it and working together to glorify God.

One of our morning devotions was in Psalms and this is what I read and wrote from that:

Psalm 135:5-7

For I know that the Lord is great; and that our Lord is above all gods.

Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did He in heaven and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

He causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh the lightenings for the rain; He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries.

~~~~~

Who stretched forth the sky?

Who brought forth the wind?

Who rolls the thunder in high places?

My Jehovah

Who can calm the storm that stirs my soul?

Who can still the fear that shakes my foundation?

Who can comfort the grief that troubles my spirit?

My Jehovah

Losing sight of His might, my heart trembles

Tears shadow my eyes as deception clouds my mind

When all seems lost, none other can restore

Excpet my Jehovah

O Whom shall I sing evermore?

In whom can I rejoice again and again?

For whom shall I lay down my life?

None other than my Jehovah

Birmingham

First Day as a Tourist in England

Dee dee do da day. . .. what is that horrible noise? My alarm!!! Oh no I'm late. . . wait?!?! It's our day off. . .oh it's Susan's alarm. Whew okay I can go back to sleep. . . Three hours later. 11:00 AM. . .Okay time to get up and actually do something on our glorious day off!

Pad down the insane yellow hallway to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for the day. . . Then to the dining room to rumage for some brunch. . . which ended up consisting of cereal, banana, and a scone with Nutella. Yum! Scramble to call Dad on his way to work. . . about 5:40 AM at home. . . (It's almost 1:00PM here) Then off to the bus station to spend the afternoon in Birmingham! Yah!

We arrive and find our stop. . .not easy when you have many people's opinion spouting out sporadically. But find it we did. And to our delight, we found ourselves on the upper deck of a double decker bus! Hooray! What a way to see the city right? It was so neat the brick building flying by, the ceilings of the tunnels just out of reach, and the trees cut so we could go under.

About a half an hour later we arrived in the city centre of Birmingham. .. Off to the shops we went, getting all our supplies that we were lacking for the upcoming adventure week plus a few extras! (what's a girl to do when there's all these great shops :) Walking up the way we saw a gorgeous church steeple rising in the distance. So we quickly cut into a coffee shop for some sustenance and meandered our way to see the beautiful moss covered building. (Pictured behind us at the top)

We then got distracted by a book store and more shopping. .. then it was time to meet the guys back at the bus stop. Sirens screamed and policemen were crowding the streets. What was going on? Were they doing a training excercise? Hmm anyway, we needed to find the bus stop. We only did one circle before finding which way we needed to go.

Met up with the guys, and then discovered that the stop we had got off at was the wrong stop to get us back to Halesowen. So off we went for a jaunt around the city centre to find the right stop. More police swarmed and we found out that there had been riots going on down the street. Anit facists and right wingers had gotten into it apparently.

So we continued on. Admiring the architecture and beauty. Finally we found the right bus stop ( or so we thought ). Tired and ready to be back in our yellow prison. . .sort of. We got on and settled in. Only to find out that we had the wrong bus and were on our way to Dudley not Halesowen. . .So going 25 minutes out of our way, we then were able to get on the right bus and make our way safely home!

And that was my first day as a tourist in England!

GO Conference and Arrival in England.

Geocaching in the English Country side

Model of a church in Delden Holland

Sprinkle bread for Breakfast!

Delden, Holland

Dani and Ha Eun goofing off at the center

Stefan, Clemmens, and Gracie after our scavenger hunt in Halesowen, England

Holland. . .ah glorious Holland. . .That is where the GO conference was and was insanely busy but amazing. We went to session after session on topics like the uniqueness of Chirst, the importance and impact of prayer, and Lie or Die? So I'd like to share some of my thoughts as we were challenged:



Lie or Die
For the last twenty four hours, controversy flooded the conversations. Lie or get through immigration? Lie or lose your Bible? Lie or die? Many compromised the truth justifying it by saying I’ll get through so that I can glorify God in that country. Others said, I need my Bible to minister so I will lie to keep it. Others said I need to live in order to bring the gospel of Christ to these unreached people. The night’s seminar was eagerly anticipated as the title was Lie or Die? Maybe someone could make sense of our arguments.
And make sense of it, Peter Mead did, with great conviction and insight to God’s Word. He gave us reference after reference that spoke of God’s inability and detestation for lies as well as His many commands not to lie. For you see, we were all overlooking the key to this. We only saw the small pictures in the heat of the moment. We didn’t look at our hearts attitude. We didn’t see that we had lost faith and trust in God and placed it back upon ourselves. Due to that we had bound ourselves up in a sticky situation.
Lie or die? Trust in me or trust in God? I personally held the conviction that I would never lie to save myself. I put myself in God’s hands, but could I put those I loved in His hands? A girl referred to those who so bravely hid the Jews in the Holocaust. Some had lied to protect the Jews. In my head, I knew I would have done the same thing. I wouldn’t have given up their lives just so I wouldn’t lie. This attitude was rocked when I heard Peter speak of whom I was putting my trust in.
Do I love those people more than God? Do I have the ability to save them better than He? The answer of course is a resounding no. God detests sin in a way that I cannot fathom. I know this because I still sin every day. I cannot grasp the full measure of hurt and pain that it has. But I know this, if it comes to lying or dying, I will die. I will trust in Him to take care of me as well as others. I will place my loved ones in His hands by choosing faith over fear, by using wisdom instead of acting foolishly, by thinking of eternity rather than the here and now, and by choosing His will over my own.
~Matthew 16:25~
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.



It was amazing couple of weeks filled with sprinkle bread(regular bread with some kind of spread on it like nutella or peanut butter and generally chocolate sprinkles), sandwiches(one with every meal I think), and chips (you might call them french fries). Learning words like Du bis Hoobsh (please if you can actually write German look down on me too much I have no clue if any of that is spelled correctly) Also Du bis mine bestest foid. Translation You are beautiful and You are my best friend. Heard hundreds of different accents and dozens of languages all praising and worshiping the One true God! It was truly indescribable. Lots of good friendships made and long walks in the countryside. Ah sweet Holland.


England, delightfully crisp cool England. This is where I will be for the next five months. We arrived and for the first time in 10 days we had cool dry weather (by dry I mean it wasn't humid) It rained shortly after, but wasn't sticky like in Holland(which felt very much like TN to me). We arrived at the center where will are training for three weeks and were finally able to unpack. . I didn't realize how much I dislike living out of duffle bags until I lived out of them for nearly a month. The next day we went geocaching but sadly didn't find what we were looking for. And then into classes. . .we've gone over things like using our testimony as an evangelism tool, starting conversations with strangers, What is the gospel, UK culture, and this afternoon we'll go over Islamic Culture because they're are many Islamic immagrants in the UK. So much to learn so little head space!



I am so tired with all the new information and a cold combined but I am loving it!
Miss you all back home!

Getting Ready to Take Off

So here is a few pictures of what I've been up too since I've gotten done with work before I take off to Europe. Enjoy!

For our family vacation we went up to Canada and saw some gorgeous country.

We went to five national parks. The above photo was taken in Banff after a fresh snow.

(yes snow in August :-) it was so fun!

A lot of the water was a milky color because it was fed from the glacier melt

and had rock flour in it. The above picture is of Mom and Dad in front of Lake Louise.

Crossing the border just above Eureka, Tara is a Canada fan so we had to get
a picture of her there :D

We're true Montanans what can I say? The above picture is Me with Belle,

Mom with Harley, and Tara with Sierra.

Belle, Amy and I enjoying a day on the trail.


So here I am getting ready to go off to Europe and can still hardly believe it’s actually going to happen. It’s already been an amazing journey and I haven’t even left home yet. God has shown me again and again that this is where He wants me and I am very excited to see what He will do in and through me. I fly out of Spokane Wednesday morning, go on to Denver, and then to Philadelphia before crossing the sea to Amsterdam ( I will arrive Thursday morning there) where I will meet the OM staff. Please pray for safe travels and that I will be able to get some sleep on the flights so I don’t arrive completely exhausted. J From there we will go to De Kroeze Danne (you can see pictures of it at the link http://picasaweb.google.com/OMBelgium/DeKroezeDanne) where the GO conference will be held. At the conference I will meet my team and be introduced to my ministry. The purpose of the conference is to orientate each new worker practically and spiritually into embracing OM by giving a panoramic view showing the wealth and diversity through the introduction to its people, values, and ministry around the world. It will open my eyes to the needs and opportunities in the world as well as improve my cross-cultural awareness. I would ask that you would pray that my heart and eyes will be opened to God in a way they never have been before and that I would learn and grow in Him so that I may reach out and touch others for Him to the utmost. Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayer. This would never have been possible without you. God is at work both here at home and abroad and I am excited to be a part of it.
The Lord bless you and keep you!
Alaina

I'm going to Europe!!! Plus some new photos

Hello All!

Well I've been incredibly busy raising support and figuring out trip details (it's extremely hard to find a plane ticket that flies into Amsterdam in August (has to be there before noon) and then fly home in April out of Turin, Italy). But God is good and He provided the perfect ticket as well enough funds and lots of prayer and encouragement!I can hardly believe it but I am indeed most likely going to Europe. . .for EIGHT months! It's a little mind boggling, but I'm very excited to have this oppurtunity. So thank you all so much for you prayer and support! It means the world to me!

Alright so on to normal life. . . or rather the fun things we've been up to in normal life :)

The Following photos are from Father's Day

We hiked up to a beautiful lake between St. Regis and Superier. This one if of Dad and Buddy balancing on a rock along the trail.

A pretty group of plants along the trail.

Here's the lake . . . So pretty!

Mom and Dad by the lake.

Family pic right before departure back to the truck. . . it was raining pretty good by this time. . .and yes I know the photo is blurry (dumb auto focus) but I like it anyway.

The following photos are on the 4th of July, we hiked up to Quartz Lake off of Cherry Creek.

Tara taking a sip from her camel pack.

Tara spoiling Bud Boy

View of Quartz Lake

View on the valley between Thompson and Plains

Me borrowing Tara's cowboy hat so I didn't sun burn. . I have such a great sis!

Quartz Lake

Dad and Buddy playing on a rock outcropping into the lake.

Some pretty little buds.

Amy curled up and ready for a nap along the shore.

Mom and Dad filling up water bottles for the hike out.

Some pretty foliage.

Amy being such a good girl.. . even though she was very tempted to chase poor Molly away from her food dish. :)

Well that's been my lastest news! Hope you all have a great day!