Charm and Charlie's house burned down this morning...a total loss. Charm was home with the kids...it started as a chimney fire, they all got out okay. They need clothes and stuff. If you can get any donations, I'm sure they'd be greatly appreciated.
> Charlie: Pants 32/34, shirt large, jacket XL, shoes 9 1/2
> Charm Pants: 34/32 or 16 womens, Shirt large or xl, jacket large or xl, shoes size 8
> Brad: Pants size 8, shirt 7/8, jacket 10/12, shoes 3 1/2, underwear 10
> Amber: Pants and shirt size 6, jacket 7/8, shoes 11 or 12, underwear 6
> Mia, pants, shirt, jacket size 6, shoes 10
> Jacob pants, shirt, jacket size 5T shoes 9 1/2 or 10
Pretty much all they got out with is the clothes on their backs...and were able to pull the 4 wheeler and snowmachine away in time. Brad was in his underwear (the fire was at 6:30 a.m. so the kids were all sleeping). I let Linda G. know and she got some clothes and toys for the kids and is sending them up. Harvey emailed the Ellen Degeneres show and asked them to donate...even something as simple as new bikes for the kids...we're praying he'll hear an answer from them. Brad was so sad showing me his burnt up snowmachine (his little one) and Amber can't stop saying "our house burn down" over and over....
A ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island.
The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island. The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship wrecked nearby, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Eventually the first man decided to pray for clothes and more food. The next day, all of these were given to him as the belongings from yet another shipwreck were washed ashore. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found that overnight a ship had anchored on his side of the island.
The first man was welcomed aboard the ship along with his wife and he decided to say nothing of the other man, but instead leave him on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings since obviously none of his prayers had been answered...
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a Voice booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are gravely mistaken!" the Voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, and I answered it. If it were not for his prayers, you would not have received any of MY blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers would be answered."
A few things of note that pertain to my trip over.
1. Don't think that just because the weather is good where you are your flight will lift off on time. Fog is a thief that makes you late for your flights even in the spring.
2. When gas prices are high everyone is more pissed off. Don't think your getting anything free, your not.
3. Family restrooms are great for letting a stressed out cat out of the travel bag and give it some quiet time when it is sending you the "I will get you for this" look
4. When attending shotgun weddings having a baby to hide behind (and enough alcohol) makes it all go smoooother
5. It's amazing how much you appreciate people who love you
6. O.k. I admit it.... Babies are fun! At least Indy is.. I think I may actually want one someday. Maybe...
7. When you are staring at a baby and trying to figure out why it's face is so familiar it's probably because her father is your brother. Duh...
8. I missed Charleston - but not the hotness....
9. I love my friends.
10. I am in Alaska for a reason... no one could ever get me to teach in SC again :P
11. When traveling there are certain items they let me on the plane with that shock my brother... even though there is more aluminum in my underwire bra than in those items... I mean a girl's gotta keep her hands busy when waiting for the blasted plane. (Get you mind out of the gutter I was knitting)
12. Airtran is ontime... Holy cannoli... And Spare seats for me to sleep on... Whoo hooo
13. The flirting curl thing works well even in the lower 48.
14. God speaks even in the midst of what seems like a haze of crazy.
15. Apparently I need to write a book.... Who knew..
16. Now that I have money to spend I've become a complete cheapskate.
17. It's gonna cost me 120 a night at the least for the friggin hotels in Anchorage when I get back.
18. Apparently my brother has the cure for every symptom.. just ask him he'll tell you... hee hee hee hee Remember Tim? "You know what's good for that__________" for two seconds I though he was serious.
19. Alcohol + high heels ... bad... bad... bad combo....
20. Never ever piss off the security checkpoint ppl. They'll frisk you the rude way.
--- and so it goes.... I will enjoy the vacation until it's end and I will shop until I drop!!!-----
I am so super stoked to be able to get out of the village and go shopping, see friends and family, but there is also a bittersweet happiness.
Three of my favorite people here in Shaktoolik will be leaving for their own pursuits. Next year will start out with new people and a new way of doing things. But my kids will pretty much stay the same thankfully. It will be interesting to be in Skk in the summer when things are above 60 degrees. Though it is funny... even 25 degrees feels tropical... Actually any temperature that is above 0 is great. If I can't see my breath it's hot. :) I'm probably going to die this summer under the heat of Charleston but I will love it. Maybe I can store some warmth.
Way to go for the little guy!!! Teach him to be more careful about what he eats.
With love I formed her in her mother's womb.
I fashioned her with great joy.
I remember with great pleasure the day I created her.
I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh
And the silly things she says and does.
She brings me great pleasure. This is how I made her.
I made her pretty and not beautiful.
I wanted her to search out her heart and learn that it would be Me in her that would make her beautiful...
And it would be Me that would draw others to her.
I made her in such a way that she would need me.
I made her a little more lonesome than she would like to be...
Only because I need for her to learn and depend on Me.
I know her heart. I know that if I had not made her like this,
She would go her own chosen way
And forget Me...her Creator.
Because I love her, I have seen her broken heart... and the tears she cried alone.
I have cried with her and had a broken heart too.
Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone...
Only because she would not hold my hand.
So many lessons she's learned the hard way because she would not listen to My voice.
So many times I have sat back and sadly watched her go her merry way alone...
Only to watch her return to my arms, sad and broken.
And now she is Mine again.
I made her, and I bought her...
Because I love her.
I have to reshape and remold her
To renew her to what I planned for her to be
It has not been easy for her or for Me.
I want her to be conformed to My image.
This high goal I have set for her...
Because I love her
God sent me here for a reason and this I know. He would not have sent me here if I could not handle it. I've done alright so far, but with the end of the school year not 16 days away and the end of year work piling up it has been overwhelming. So what am I trying to pray for?
Please pray for me to find fellowship here that helps me to grow and does not make me feel like such an outsider. My heart hurts with the pain of missing my good friends and my spiritual partners. I long for meaningful conversation about God and his grace, and his love for us.
Why is it only times like this that the other teachers actually tell me when the kids can’t do something I said they could do?
Why do I get aggravated when two teachers state that my kids can’t do what I know they can do.. I guess it is because they end up making me second guess what I know to be true. I know that I’ve been stretched this year and I know I’ve been expected to fulfill too many roles as a sped and reg ed teacher and I know I have done my best but I just feel like there is so much more I could have done and didn’t do because I didn’t have the time. Father God please help me to be stronger and wiser than I am. Please help me to deal with my failings as well as my triumphs.
So I will pray with abandon. For everyone and everything. Not second guessing the prayer but believing. Praying to get through feelings, praying to be better, praying for favor, praying for love.
| Why?? Why? |
| http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/vi Whether it is true or not Life imitates art. God please help us find our way in this fallen world... |
Is Joel Osteen really that bad
I was in a smallgroup (Online) last night (4:30 pm my time) and the leader took exception when I mentioned something I had heard Joel Osteen say.
He basically made Joel out to be the anti-christ who is leading people the wrong way. Now whatever is true or not, whatever is accurate I want to know. They urged me to see the Youtube thing about him on Larry King live telling people that all religions lead to God. I saw him on Larry King with his wife and I totally agreed with what he was saying that time so I'm not sure what the problem is. Is he really that bad?
You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’
- Marianne Williamson in Return to Love: Reflections on a Course in Miracles
There is nothing that "Inspires my spirit" more than a good looking man quoting scripture with emphasis and great knowledge (Only single men)
I was watching the X files, of all things, last night. There was a part where Mulder quotes and talks about some of the parts of scripture.... drooool.
Single men quoting scripture with authority and passion...... sigh.... sigh..... sigh.....
Spelling errors aside I kinda like it
But it is everywhere. I love the people up here but their personal concerns are not the best things for their enviorment. These people can save enough food during the summer to last them until the Ice breaks. But these are the same people who get a PFD (Alaska oil dividend) of over 1500 for each person in their household but blow it all in about two months if that. We're talking households of at least 5 or more most times. And they aren't spending it on neccessities. There are too many toys they can buy... Too many diversions that can be had in a dime bag or a bottle. Don't get me wrong I love these people. But it is everywhere. There are kids in this village who don't have heat in their homes outside of a wood stove. Think about that... Where we had at least 2 weeks this year of 40 below.. Only a wood stove. You can't keep a house warm in that. So in all this I ask the people who they'd vote for.. what they want. They don't care... People don't care.. So those of us who do care have an even greater responsibility.
It's as Anne Shirley said "Kindred spirits" And that's the truth.
So why do we always assign the other meaning to this kind of friendship? When a man and a woman share this kind of partnership we always assume. As a matter of fact most of the shows on tv use this type of ploy. The tension between two characters... are they in love aren't they in love and etc. I catch myself falling for it all the time.... All the time... It makes me angry that my feelings can be manipulated like that.
Then when I think of David and Johnathan or Jesus our lord and the men who followed him I have to face the fact that many of my ideas about love and it's expression are tied up in sex. But that's not love.
God feels the love for us of a father to his children. But in our fallen world a father's love doesn't seem to carry the right weight and respect. We live in a world of abusive fathers. Fathers who abandon their children. Fathers who neglect them. So many of the bad examples outweigh the good. How do we reconcile this vision of fatherhood. How do we know what it really feels to be the father of the world. If we are honest we have no idea about this and are just guessing based on our own experience.
My front door dug out from the snow dune. Have I mentioned that I have three steps and a railing?
The mound of snow that used to cover the front of our house. Patricia and I got frozen into our house the other day. It was interesting.
And I wondered why I was having trouble getting satellite service in... note the gigantic pile of snow.... snazzy.... My neighbor rocks though... he shoveled it out for me. I kinda like this picture you can see my silouette.
This gives a better idea about the depth of snow still there... scary..
My porch
My neighbors conspiring
Elementary ski team practicing
Shaktoolik on a beautiful spring day.. Much like today... I got to wear a skirt to school!
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