merely some pictures!

I just developed some photos from this fall, taste and see!

Ashley's Birthday. I forgot how wonderful that was.

When Jon and Claire came!

Saddle 'Em Up Cause We're in the Wild Wild West!

Hello my friends,

We have just returned to Colorado from the remote town of Thayne, Wyoming, where we did not have an internet connection. I don't want to overwhelm you with tales of the wild west because ,truthfully, words or pictures just can't describe what we have witnessed out here. This whole trip has been spiritually invigorating, just hiking through the mountains, through fields of wild flowers, meditating on God's glory beside glacier lakes with snowy mountain peaks looking down on us, and oh the wildlife... it makes me so joyful to know that all kinds of animals (moose, elk, bison, wolves, bears, big horn sheep) have such a vast area to roam free and wild in, a place where they can grow and multiply. We did not see many animals ourselves, but my favorite was the bison, or buffalo, which we had a close encounter with, listening to two buffalo communicate through a very funny noise! It was almost as if they were saying how sick they were of tourist/paparazzi following them around, trying to snap their picture. We also went white water rafting twice, and this was super fun!

Upon coming out here, I was not expecting much from the Lord, but seeing the majestic splendor of the mountains, together with the wide open valleys opened up a new side of God to me, but I cannot find the words to describe it. It was a revelation of God's sovereignty, but also His love, that He would create such beauty for undeserving me to enjoy.

However, I can explain how blessed I am to have such friends as you three. I was thinking about it in bed one night, how when I left the school in Spain I never thought I would find such good friends as I did at the school there. Before I took a gap year, I had never had a solid friendship with a fellow Christian, so it was a deep desire of mine to find that, and God gave me more than I asked or imagined, as is God's character:) The tea times, the movies, the sing-alongs, the thought-provoking discussions... these are things I actually hoped I could share with friends! We are so blessed to have each other to confide in and pray for. I hope that in this new school year, our praise to God will multiply and bear much fruit. I think you three will be amazing leaders and lights for Christ to Gordon students and the Lynn community, and I know God has much in store for you all and much love to pour into you still.

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and

clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to you and not

be silent.

~Psalm 30:11-12

Much, much love to you all,

Genny

off the skewer and into the bonfire

My dear friends,

It's eleven--the magical hour before midnight! I really should be tucked in bed by now, fast asleep. The cicadas outside are singing away along in the background of Tony Bennett's "the way you look tonight." The lighting is low--of course!--and George, my stuffed animal gorilla, is tucked closely by my side.

Around me my room is a mess, with boxes and bags and STUFF. Too much stuff. It's so incredible to me...I'm packing! I can't believe that I am already packing up for school. I can't adequately describe the feeling. It's sad. It's crazy! It's exciting. I'm sure you all understand. In a week, you see, we are driving out to Arizona and I shan't be back home until the night before I leave for Gordon. There is so much to do with work and friends.. tonight is my chance to get a proper start!

I don't feel as though I should be leaving. There is too much here that seems to be hanging off the edge of some precipice. I feel as though I need to be here to take care of things.. to be here for friends who are going through really rough times. This week has been so difficult for me in that regard--this whole summer has! Off of the skewer and into the bonfire. And yet God is gracious, and I know somewhere where I can't see He is working. But for now I just have to trust Him. And when I leave, I know I shall REALLY have to trust Him.

Oh my friends, I am quite weary. I try to spend a lot of time praying and spending time with God and drawing my strength from Him, but it seems only a matter of minutes before I feel exhausted again. Why can't I make it last? Why can't I feel His presence with me all the time? And why do so many things send me into a spiral of brooding. I believe I think too much. Instead of just enjoying His presence, I'm constantly worrying about things and thinking, thinking, THINKING. not praying. thinking. and grieving. My heart feels so full, so burdened. Perhaps it isn't my burden to bear, but perhaps God desires me to bare it. You must be confused, I fear I'm rambling. My dear friends are going through so, so much! From a foreclosure to parent issues, depression, unhealthy isolation, to my dear, dear Lucy. There are so many things I could say about Lucille! She is so much fun, beautiful, and beautifully selfless, and also, my closest friend here at home. I wish she was here right now and that I could keep her safe forever. She's in an awful lot of trouble and I can't do anything about it. I tried. But, I'm afraid I failed. Everyone around her is telling her different things and she is getting so confused. She tells me what they say and I don't know either. One person seems like they are telling the truth one time, and other another time. There is so much more I should like to tell, but I couldn't write it like this.. I would have to tell you in person. I would like to say however, that you three have been such an incredible encouragement to me and a wonderful gift from God! So thank you! And thank You dear LORD! I love you each so very much!

Sincerely,
Sarah

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma 'n Pa

Greetings, friends!

I am writing from a tuesday morning on a sort of cloudy day. There is classical music playing on the radio and my sister painting the trim up the dining room stairs and other family members around. Today is one of the days I have with no obligations: the sort of day that made me miserable just a month ago and now make me very thankful. I have learned so much about work this summer. How my idea of work was pretty narrow before, and that God's work is much bigger (and usually more invisible) than I had thought. This summer has been a lesson and hands-on application of this truth, and now, in the middle of it all, I find myself processing it. I think I have learned a lot this summer, friends. This is humbling to admit ("but what if I mess up and forget what God has taught me? what if nobody notices that I've grown up more? how will I communicate this to people and be a wise-older-RA-type-person? can I really pull that off?")- BUT I think the Lord really has used this summer to show me some things, and I'm super thankful. He is so faithful!

I've found myself very thankful these past weeks, actually. Thankful for:

-God's provision of work for me, and fun work too! like burrito-ing and babysitting and cleaning

-I am not feeling depressed

-My lovely family surrounding me, and all the surprising quality times with friends I'd longed to reconnect with

-My city. Lancaster has been so good to me this summer.

-The 3 cafes I've been going to. Often.

-The Cornerstone experience: getting closer with people, mainly, and playing music together

-You three: that we are all returning to the Great North and can continue the fellowship.

-The pianos around the city

-Summer weather. You never have to worry about taking a coat or sweater along with you! It's so easy. (I love sweaters, but... Summer just has this brilliant ease to it that I can't get over. It's so magical to me.)

-His Word. Wisdom in the New Testament letters & the Psalms.

-NO HOMEWORK. (can I get an amen?)

Sometimes I think about the last year of my life, and I am dumbfounded. That God has been with me this whole time. That I got through not just one, but two semesters of a college I was so freaked out about before I came. That I made friends, and good ones at that. Just...everything. Life is so huge and too much sometimes, and when I think about the path I've been on in the past few years it's crazy to think that it IS a path. I'm not just scrambling through hedges, however much it feels that way.

Girls, do you remember when Prof. Herman spoke at the LEAD conference? He said something in his talk about being in exile from our homeland- we are all expatriates from the Good Place where God is. And, this explains a lot. How there are feelings and musics and experiences and memories and ideas and poems that make our souls so miserable with the thought of them: we just can't contain how much it all is. I think it's because our souls were made for more. And it also explains the verses in Ephesians that say things like

"...I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

I mean, what a crazy passage! Unless you take it seriously. And then it's like "Oh my word, having Christ in me is quite a big deal..." And all this about the fullness of God is so real and ready and waiting for us. It's great! And God is so giving. And I can start to understand why music, and stories, and my friends' faces, and an evening breeze, and TS Eliot, wring my heart so much. I think it's because they reminds me of my real Home.

So... I think the Lord has been very good to me lately. I'm thinking now about what it will look like to go back up to Gordon. I will be sad to leave. Moving is so rough for me, friends, as it is for everyone. But, God is going with me. Praise the Lord!

I just realized that I haven't even updated you guys on what I've been doing. It's been a lot of hanging out with Eliza and Caleb, running alone and with my friend Lezlee, watching a few movies (like the Godfather series!!), getting coffee and reading or writing letters, sleeping soundly in my cozy basement room, cooking, and planning things for my year as an RA. (I thought of a fun event I want to do, where we read children's books, watch a disney film, eat animal crackers and and juice, and basically just pretend to be little kids. What do you think?) And last night we had a splendid party at my house. Our good friends the Bustards are taking a vacation to Scotland for a few weeks so my dad and mom threw together a drop-in at our house to celebrate them and wish them a good voyage. I came a bit late, and was blown away at how many people showed up! Our whole first floor, the back yard and the front porch were full of people, neighbors, friends, family... it was such a cool surprise that it went so well. And a student of my dad's came and played the bagpipes, which was just so Scottish and heart-warming. Later, when most of the people left, 5 of us went on a nighttime city bike ride.

Thank you for your prayers and friendships,

I love you three so much.

See you soon,

Hannah

xoxo

sometimes life is too big for words.

hannah, sarah, and genny, HELLO!

oh my dear sisters, I have just returned from the most wonderful of weeks. my heart is tired and worn...but not a bad and exhaustive kind of tired. a tiredness that has stemmed from a week filled with such perfect moments, such beautiful and lovely things -- the kind of tired that makes me feel that i could fall asleep simply drowned in contentment, and then wake up with eyes fresh and strength renewed.

before i talk about myself however, let me again tell each of you how i enjoy reading about your summer adventures! it fills me with such gladness to hear what God is teaching you, what bliss and fun he has blessed you with...but not only this, it is encouraging to me to see a blog filled with such authenticity and raw emotion. thank you for continuing to share both struggles and triumphs. it is really so beautiful and i am so so thankful to be a tiny part of each of your lives! and how incredibly wonderful it is to hear of lessons learned and new insights! oh friends sometimes life is so delightful it does not seem fair. thank you for being such blessings to me. thank you for revealing the heart of God to me more clearly.

(sometimes i do not like to use proper capitalization, please bear with me. haha) so about 2 hours ago i returned from a week at fenwick island delaware, a true vacation if i have ever had one. God's timing is so wonderful. typically i do not take off a whole week in the summer because of the need to earn money and also the hassle it is to ask off repeatedly. this summer however the sweet family i am nannying for planned a trip to mexico for almost all of the very same days that i would need off for our family vacation! thus, i did not feel bad at all leaving (for i don't mind asking off at rita's --- haha, i'm planning on quitting there at the end of July, HURRAH!) so last saturday we set off for the beach on a rainy day. i like being a passenger in the rain.

in the past (specifically when i was a bit younger) a whole week at the beach has felt like a long time to me. i would quickly grow weary of sitting in the sun all day and often times i felt rather lazy. although to some extent this is still true... this week was more wonderful than i could have hoped. (i think when i grow up, a whole week at the beach will not be my first choice for a family vacation, but rather camping or hiking or canoeing or road-tripping or something haha but for now i am trying to enjoy it as much as possible for i know that someday i will miss these family vacations and time spent on the beach..) anyway, this week was exactly what i needed. a rest, a break, a time of renewal. mmmmmmm.

my friend Ashley (so many name sisters i have! haha) came along with us and a few other families from our church were also visiting the same beach so it was a splendid time of really fun community.

every morning save two, ashley and i rode the tandem bike to the beach! it was about 4 miles one way so it was a really nice ride and a decent work out. (unfortunately i have been slacking in the running 3-4 times a week goal...) i loved riding the bike to the beach. it made me wish my home/lifestyle was more conducive for bike riding. (i think i may bring the tandem up to school, in which case we can go on so many adventures!!!) one day on the ride home we got caught in the most glorious summer rain. we were as wet as dogs when we got home but i loved every second of it.

our days at the beach were filled with wave jumping, sea shell finding, paddle ball, ultimate frisbee, corn hole (is that a lancaster game? or do you guys know what that is? haha), more paddle ball, lots of reading, people watching, etc. one day on the beach a friend of ours taught me some more knitting techniques! i am now in the process of knitting a dish cloth with a butterfly on it. it is quite time consuming but i figure it will help me to be more patient. haha (but seriously...) in the evenings it was just so wonderful to hang out with my family. one night we had a campfire on the beach and played a game of football. my other favorite night consisted of flying my brother's stunt kite on the beach at night! we lined it with glow sticks and it was simply magical. unfortunately our cameras could not capture the event, but believe me it was a marvelous sight. the sky was clear, the stars bright, the wind brisk enough for sweatshirts! ( sweatshirts in the summer are one of my favorite things.) ... etc.

one of the things i was most thankful for on the trip was the time to read, to write, to think, to pray, to learn, to sit, to be. it was so refreshing (and convicting) to spend time in God's precious word and be reminded of my need for him, my need for humility, for gentleness, for words of kindness rather than careless talk seasoned with sarcasm. i was reminded that "the only good that is in me, is Jesus," reminded that i come before God with nothing but a heart full of longing and need for him to make me whole... i am nothing on my own. (this my friends is a humbling realization!) standing on the edge of the ocean, watching the waves tumble and stumble over one another time and time again also reminded me of both God's faithfulness and his power. it reminded me again how tiny and insignificant i am. how powerful God is and howinsane it is that he sees me, cares for me, knows my thoughts and wants to know what wonders in the hallways of my mind...

(sigh) i suppose i should wrap this up. i wish i could invite you all over for dinner right now and talk with you so much more. soon enough though, soon enough we will be sharing in fellowship once again. and so for now i will leave you with two passages, one a beautiful reminder of God's faithfulness, and another the prayer of my heart as of late...

"Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;

then i will meditate on your wonders.

My soul is weary with sorrow;

strengthen me according to your word.

Keep me from deceitful ways;

be gracious to me through your law...

Turn my heart toward your statutes,

and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things (!) "

Pslams 119: 27-29, 36-37

"In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain;

they will wear out like a garment.

You will roll them up like a robe;

like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same,

and your years will never end."

Psalms 102: 25-27

if you would, pray that i would have a deep desire for God, so deep that i would not even consider going one day without hanging out with him and listening to his thoughts and desires for me. pray also that i will be patient, humble, dependent on God 100%, and self-disciplined (i too am struggling with this! although it is a struggle, it is comforting knowing that i can relate to you girls even far away!) and one more thing, although this is long and involved and deserves a lot more than the few sentences i will give it. haha please pray for my relationship with my friend jeremy. i think i have at least mentioned this to each of you. we have been hanging out a ton this summer and i am really thankful for the friendship that has developed. at times it really seems like something more is desired and i want so badly to be wise with my actions and decisions. with going back to school in less than a month i do not know that anything more than a friend is what i am looking for right now, but sometimes i just don't know. so you could pray for wisdom and guidance, a clear head and a patient heart :) thanks dear ones.

Oh!

Post Script: At the beach I was finally able to finish reading East of Eden, have you read it girls? It is packed oh so full of goodness and thought provoking characters. It's long, but so very worthwhile. And after I finally turned the last page in that delicious novel, I read Fantastic Mr. Fox! What hilarious brilliance! I want to see the movie now. I finally can check off some books from my summer reading list, hurrah!

----> and just for kicks, here are 4 photos that sum up my summer a bit. sparklers, a ferris wheel, petting zoo and water melon :) haha this first photo with the llama is of two of the kids i babysit daily: grayson and kelsea, the other little girl in the photos is my cousin, or perhaps a cousin once removed, or some sort of relative of mine :) her name is riley and she is the CUTEST. enjoy!

Bonjour mes amies!

I just came in from playing outside with some little friends that live next door. I don't really know them that well, but I was reminded of last weeks sermon on being a good neighbor; I had forgotten how delightful children can be.

Last weekend, I went on my first backpacking trip (many years ago my dad would carry our stuff, so it didn't really count) on none other than the Appalachian Trail with my pastor's wife and a very good friend I've grown up with. I was amazed at the diversity of the trail; we went through fern-laden forest, over grass-covered balds, and through eastern hardwood rain forest. The wildflowers put forth their best for us along the trail, and God blessed us with perfect timing in reaching the shelter just before the rain poured. We stayed in the loft of an old barn, and I look back at that night as just raw community... There were a lot of people staying in this shelter on this particular night, more than the shelter was made to hold! However, we enjoyed cooking our camp food alongside the other backpackers and their little jet stoves full of Ramen noodles:) We chatted about our lives and such. One girl's name was Laura Lou! She was from Miami, with lots of joy in the Lord, really passionate. There was also a guy from Germany.. some of the guys were joking about teaching him how to be a redneck ha ha. I promise I wasn't hanging out with any rednecks though:) We played ERS and a new card game called Golf by the light of a flashlight. We definitely roughed it sleeping on the bare barn floor with the wind howling and rain pouring, but I guess it's good practice for la vida. Well, anyway, I hope one day the four of us can backpack on the AT together after gaining all the experience from la vida:)

After looking at the pattern of my daily routine in the last few weeks, I have finally learned the value of having a devotion in the morning, and so I started regularly this week. I see a difference in my attitude throughout the day and also my mind is more focused on the right things. Sarah, I have struggled this summer with laziness too; I will be praying for you in that. I think this week I found my joyful self again after struggling with procrastination and not knowing how to fill my free time.

My parents were out of town for about a week and a half, so I did have the opportunity to cook more than the usual. I had a dessert/movie night with some friends, and we watched Steele Magnolias! It seems to be a quintessential southern film+ it centers on the camaraderie between a group of ladies, so I really want to bring it up to school. Just about every other line is hilarious!

My family is leaving for Colorado this Saturday to rough it and have fun in the mountains and lakes of the majestic Rocky Mountains! I'm going to try to still keep up with the blog.

Well, I feel like I just wrote such boring news, but it is what it is.

Even though I really don't want to return to school, I'm really looking forward to seeing the three of you=)

Much love,
Genny

Hello dear ones,

This week I am determined to put into practice something which I have been trying and trying to do; and that is to live a lifestyle that is more disciplined, with an extra dose of self-control. I know this is something that I can only really do successfully with God's constant support. I'm afraid I have fallen into something of a slump of laziness; waking up as late as I can before work, rushing through my quite time with God, bad eating, and lack of real exercise. Through these last summer months I have constantly chided myself about this, and prayed quite a bit about it. While I feel my heart is in the right place--I really, really desire to have the kind of lifestyle that is full, responsible, and most importantly, honoring to God, but when it boils down to the present decision at hand, "something" always seems to come up.. At cornerstone Claire (who just got engaged!) was talking to us about the importance of living with self restraint and that even little things such as waking up early and eating right spillover and impact other places in our lives. Her words have been playing over in my mind since then and I know this is not coincidence.

Speaking of Cornerstone.. OH what joy! What pleasure! And how incredible it was to meet Hannah's family and dear friends! Words cannot express how blessed I was those 2-3 days, how accepted I felt and how easy it was to trust and open up to people who I had only known for a day or two. And HANNAH! oh Hannah, it was SO SO wonderful see you and spend such precious time with you and learn more about you and the people you love. So thank you for sharing such memories that I will dearly cherish! I just wish both you Genny and Ashley could have been there.. we missed you!

Well, since Cornerstone, I have had a wonderful visit with not just one of my brothers, but two! (A wonderful surprise!) We went out to dinner with almost the entire family (minus one), which was such a blessing since we haven't been together like that since last Summer. We had Spanish tapas! YUMMMMMM. And played many games. :) For the 4th, we visited with some family friends and cooked s'mores over an open fire. It was there that I had the opportunity to speak to one of the daughters who is older and married and had been, for the last eight years (i believe) living and working in Thailand and Cambodia. She is pregnant now, and is planning to wait until the baby is born before going back with her family and soon, her parents also. Our friends are quite concerned for this country (Cambodia) and while we were there her father, who was unable to make it to the cookout, skyped with us all the way from Cambodia!

It is such a sad country, still recovering from the effects of the killing fields, many of those who were responsible are still in government positions and have never been held accountable for their crimes. There is a terrible problem with the sex trade there. It is this area where our friends feel particularly called. As I was speaking to the mother of the family, she told me that there probably isn't a single boy in Cambodia who hasn't been raped. And the girls are in terrible danger as well--though there is more recognition of their misfortune, while boys struggling with this have been neglected and are, therefore, more susceptible. All this has greatly affected the way that I look at ESL tutoring for Cambodian refugees in the fall. I feel this overwhelming passion to raise them up, to love them, to heal them, but I haven't the slightest inclination of what it must be like to go through something like that, to come from such a poverty stricken place. How can I, some privileged little suburbanite, connect with people who have gone through so much? I want to, I dearly want to! And I know that the best way is just to trust in God.. If anything, I know that they will teach me so much more about Cambodia and what it is like to really trust God so much more than I could for them.

I hope your Sunday evening are restful and filled with peace.
I love you all so very dearly!

Sincerely,
Sarah

lake water and regular coffee

Dear Friends,

I have loved reading every word of every post you have written, and become more thankful for this blog daily. Thank you all for being so faithful with this. I have been very blessed.

Last time I wrote was nearly 3 weeks ago! Madness. I have a bit more to add to my ongoing saga of transitioning back home. I was feeling more encouraged when I last wrote, but yet a little unsettled and unsure of why the Lord has given me a summer like this (not working much, etc.) That next week was really encouraging in this regard; I received a lot of good words from people- from some Gordon friends, some people here, and from the Lord's Word- that helped me be content in the place I am in. I even began rejoicing that I have such a great amount of free time, and really taking a hold of that. God also provided a lot of babysitting, which was uplifting. I feel more OK being home, more certain of His plans and less depressed as time goes on. He has been faithful in so many ways, girls.

The night before we left for Cornerstone, I watched some kids and then had several hours to hang out in their kitchen after they went to bed. I had tea and read Madeleine L'Engle and journaled. It was so rich. I also had a good time talking to the Lord, later, at home, in my cozy basement room. I knew that the next week would be very full, and very peopled. I was right. It was such a good week, though, friends. All of the people from PA who are dear to my heart came on this trip: it was my whole family plus 9 friends. (The only people missing were Katie and Ben.) It was a long week, but a good one. There were some unexpected events that taught me a little about leadership and trust in God, which I usually don't expect on vacation for some reason.

I was honestly most excited to see our own Sarah Bradley, and so when she came out to the festival for 3 days I was so pumped! Sarah, I am so glad you came. It was a huge blessing in MANY ways to have you there, not the least of which was your getting to meet all my nearest 'n dearest. I loved that time when I came back to the campsite and found Sarah with my friends Julie, Morgan, Chloe and our camping neighbors Stephen and Peyton all sitting in the Vanagon with pillows and blankets listening to the Tallest Man on Earth. It was so cozy, and I was so overwhelmed at this extraordinary gathering of people who had such love for one another though most had just met. (The aforementioned neighbors were these very sweet guys from Virginia who fit in, with amazing rapidity, to our clan and hung out with us most of the time. New friends!)

At Cornerstone we would get up when the tent retained enough heat to wake us, rummage for breakfast and coffee in the "kitchen" (back of the van), and spend the morning enjoying our homelike and functional campsite. There was a lot of singing that went on, nearly all of the time. And in the afternoon people would go and return to the lake, or seminars, or to see bands. In the evenings we would all, 16 of us, eat a meal together and then to see various bands play late into the night. It was a lovely routine. The weather was so stunning, also: breezy, sunny, in the 80s during the day and sweater-weather at night. Some of my favorite shows were: Eisley, mewithoutYou, Over the Rhine, Listener, Timbre, Brooke Waggoner and, surprisingly, Switchfoot! I had forgotten that they were going to be there, and also how fun of a show they put on. It was a good week of spending time with people I love a lot, and the Lord showing his mercies to me.

A bit of wonderful news is that my dear friends Claire and Jonathan got engaged, the first day we were there. (!!!)

I thought I'd share some poetry that I've been reading a lot. Ever since La Vida I've been stuck on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. This is a little portion of it. And then some photos and then I'll sign off. I love you, four ladies in the summer, and you are all still in my daily thoughts and prayers.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

xo,

hannah

And so it was that July came without a sound or warning. . .

Friends so dear to my heart!
i miss you all.

I apologize that it has taken me so very long to update this blog . . . I have no valid excuse. Life has been busy busy busy and it's just so easy to get wrapped up in the happenings of Lancaster and forget to keep tabs on my friends in other places, so I apologize. I am realizing this summer how awful I am at following through on things when it comes to "keeping in touch" ... but I will try harder.

ANYWAY. It is hard to say how long this post will be as right now I am babysitting and the children are down for a nap. As soon as I hear a cry I will have to run ....I was having quite a difficult time with the 10 month old not too long ago..crying, crying, crying with no signal as to what she wanted. I finally laid a hand on her in her crib and prayed that God would fill her eyes with sleep and... he did. How faithful and good God is! I have been praying a lot during my babysitting days as my patience is wearing thin and often times my strength is non existent. This week has been a somewhat rough one of babysitting but God is helping me through. (Last night I had the most horrid incident with an 11 month old who I thought was choking! It was the most frightening thing I think I have ever experienced and I am so thankful that God cleared her air ways...oh my friends it was awful. I do not even wish to remember it right now to tell you more in detail.) Thankfully tomorrow I finally have a whole entire day off! A whole DAY! You cannot even imagine how excited I am! haha I think we are going boating/water skiing/ tubing, etc. so that should be lovely. I am worn out and so ready for a day of rest. Next week (leaving on the 10th) we are going on vacation so that will be wonderful as well! A whole week of family, friends, and the beach with nothing to do but read and knit, make good food, sleep, write, etc. Hurray!

I am trying to think what all has happened since the last time I wrote. My time continues to consist of babysitting Monday-Friday, working at Rita's a few evenings a week, helping my dad mow grass, and then hanging out with friends as much as possible when I have free time.

The most exciting thing that happened recently was my trip to Philadelphia with the "young adults" from my church. (young adults sounds so official to me haha it was a group of college kids with one "young adult dad" thrown in the mix :) ) It was an incredible trip and God taught me a lot about humility and living intentionally. I cannot explain to you properly all that we did so hopefully I will remember to tell you in the fall or something but... the trip was focused on "displaced people" (esp. refugees) and we focused a lot on God as "the one who rescued us from Egypt." Leading up to the trip we read "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" by Rob Bell, a really intriguing and good book with thoughtful perspectives. So while in Philly we spent a lot of time learning about refugees and doing experiential learning to know what it would be like to live like a refugee (we could only pack in a grocery bag, one night some people had to sleep outside on the concrete, we cooked foods from the international aisle that we had never heard of, etc.). Our sister church is in Philly so we also spent time with some people from there learning about how they are impacting their communities and what God is doing in their church. That was probably one of the most encouraging things to me --- meeting people whose lives really revolve around building the kingdom of God, whose time is spent primarily on God's kingdom and his people rather than a job...I do not know quite how to explain it to you but it was so incredible to see and hear how these people are living for Jesus. God also reminded me of my need to step outside of my comfort zone (a lesson I also learned on La Vida...) anyway, my thoughts are not really collected, part of me feels like they have not been collected all summer long and I keep thinking one of these days they will all line up in a nice little row... haha! Basically the trip was really great and I am so thankful that I was able to go and build new relationships. Oh! We also watched this super interesting documentary called "With God on our side" (it made me think of you, Genny.) - it was all about the crisis in Palestine and the "zionist movement" and all kinds of interesting, provocative things. It made me quite sad to see how Christians are supporting such violent behaviors. . .

I should probably wrap this up, Lindsey (the mom :) ) said I should wake Sam up by 4 if he's not up by then and it is quickly nearing that time. I am so thankful however, for this brief time of peace and quiet, time to rest and finally write to you lovely ladies a little bit. I am sorry if this is jumbled and confusing, but I guess that's the most honest update I can give you right now.


I am weary and tired but also content. I know God is good and I know that it is his faithfulness that has provided these jobs for me to work so that I can pay for school. The more drained I feel the more I must rely on Christ to fill me up. ( that is one thing I realized i must do more-- I feel as though I keep pouring myself out, saying yes to a million things and then I forget to allow myself to be filled up again by our Savior.) But oh God is so good and I cannot complain. My weariness just causes me to be more dependent on him which is what I wanted to do ever since the summer began and La Vida ended.

I cannot believe that it is July already! (Happy 4th of July! I keep forgetting that's today haha) I do so love being home and being with the wonderful people here that I can already tell it is going to be difficult to leave next month. I have been so blessed by friendships at home this summer ...but anyway, La Vida taught us to "be here now" so I am trying not to fret the future. (and I know the fall will be great in all kinds of different ways! I just sometimes (and by sometimes I mean most if not all of the times haha) struggle with transitions.)

For real now, I will go. Thanks for updating this blog! You all write so eloquently and I absolutely love hearing about your lives! Hannah and Sarah I hope Cornerstone was AWESOME! I thought of you much and wished I could be there with you : ) Genny, hurray for honey!

Back to babysitting I go,

much much MUCH love,
ashley

Bees Bees Buzzing Everywhere

Dear Hannah, Sarah and Ashley,
I can finally say we have honey in the bee hive! This news signaled the scrambling of my parents to order all kinds of tools we need like one of those funny white bee suits and a machine for extracting the honey. However, it will be another month before we can actually extract the honey. On that note, I thought I would share some...

Honeybee Fun Facts:
* life expectancy of 38 days
* the queen bee must lay two to three thousand eggs each day
* worker bees go through 6 stages of development and responsibility: cleaner, nurse, storer, repairer, guard and finally scout
* each bee contributes a distinct glandular secretion to the honey according to the function it performs
* each new job a bee performs is signaled by a change in its body chemistry
* bees have milk glands in the front of their brain which they use to feed the larvae
* the guard bee has 1,200 scent organs on its antennae which it uses to pick out any intruders among the thousands that belong to its hive

Pretty cool, right! God really put in a lot of thought about each animal and their function!

Well, Independence Day is approaching and I don't know what I'm going to do because my parents are going out of town, so it will just be my brother and I:( I will just cook some patriotic, scrumptious food if nothing else:D My go-to solution! Last weekend we finally put our boat out on the lake, and it was magnificent to behold the beautiful mountains all around us and feel the wind in my face again. Also, my brother got his wisdom teeth removed, and I had fun watching soup dribble down his chin like a baby because it was still numb.. ha ha:)

I was at the home of the lawyer I'm working for, staining some shelving units of his, and this song came to mind that I learned during my gap year:

Come, let us worship the King of Kings
The creator of all things
Let your song arise to Him
Come and bless the Lord our King

Lord, my heart and voice I raise
To praise your wondrous name
And with confidence I come
To approach your heavenly throne

Come and fill this place with your glory
Come and captivate our gaze
Come and fill us with your fire
That the world might know your Name

For you are God
And you're worthy to be praised
And you are good
For your love will never end
The great I Am
You are faithful in all of your ways

My challenge this summer has been managing all of my free time. All of the projects I may have previously mentioned, or the books I said I was reading are creeping along at a snail's pace because of this frustrating habit:(

Love,
Geneva:)

We licked our plates clean..

Hello my friends,
I hope very much that you are all well, that your summers are full of peace and rest, and God's abundant blessings!

This week has been full of so many delightful pleasures! I was only needed two days this week at work, so I was given a lot of free time. Oh how marvelous it was! My sister and I started the week off by gallivanting off the paths of the arboretum near our house. We had decided to go tree climbing and made for ourselves a goal which turned out to be a tree that was beyond our skill. After scrambling through thicket bushes to the base of the tree, we realized that the nearest branches were actually much further in reality than what we could see from a distance. We each took turns standing on the others' shoulders in an effort to scramble up the tree, but all attempts failed, usually with both of us collapsing on the bushes which so closely surrounded us. No matter. We hiked on through the woods, spirits only temporarily dampened, read some poetry, sprawled on low tree branches, and ran through wild-flower covered fields.

Yet the greater adventure of the week was on Wednesday night. It was the night of the wildest storm Chicagoland has seen in many a long year. Tornado sirens were buzzing, the wind roaring, the rain and hail pounding. But the lightening! The Lightening was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen!! This was also the night of Mucca Pazza. MUCCA PAZZA. A circus punk marching band which we had planned to drive into the city to see. We waited out the worst of the storm, and with my dad's agreement that truly, "when your young, sometimes you have to do foolish things," we pulled out of the driveway headed for Lincoln Hall.

Flash flooding made the traffic horrendously slow, and at one point everyone was forced off of the main drag to find alternate routes into the city. What should have taken 45-50 minutes ended up taking 2 and 1/2 hours! But, we made it just as Mucca Pazza'a opener was finishing up and the drive was one of the most memorable I think I shall ever have. I wish dearly I had a camera with me that could have captured some of what we saw! Don't worry--nothing frightening! (though the lightening was at times so). The tornado warnings had just been cleared as we set off on our adventure, so there was no danger of that. I can't adequately describe what we saw.. there was lightening that flashed in gnarled knots across the entire sky in one flash. There were black walls of clouds and to the west, the setting sun covered the sky with brilliant, glowing gold. There was a rainbow and rain that looked like silver. Pockets of the city was out of power, but damage, thankfully, was at a very low minimum.

The concert was incredible!!! There was about thirty of them, with three cheerleaders who took turns spurring the audience on to dance. The whole group started out by come through the side and into the crowd marching and blowing away. At some points it was just chaotic! But amazingly so! I was quite speechless with wonder and excitement. The entire thing was brilliant! I should like very much to see them again.

As for the rest of the week, there was an incredible bonfire with friends, my brother visiting from Arizona! and many hours hunkered over my drafting table. And NOW, this next week I am eagerly awaiting.. CORNERSTONE!! Hurrahh! Hurray!

Well, I think now I need to get to bed! Goooood-night dear friends, sleep tight! May the LORD shine upon you and bless you!

Love, love, love
Sarah

P.s.
It was my brother's birthday cake--that was what we licked from our plates.. :)

But Oh, I know my Guide

Hello You Three,

Right now I am in my living room, on a Saturday afternoon, and the windows are open. It is 78 degrees in here, and 88 degrees out there. I am listening to the Beatles. Ten minutes ago I drove back on the scooter from a babysitting job in a nearby neighborhood, where I hung out with a baby for 6 hours. It was a good way to start my weekend, for sure.

I must say, I had such a grand time with Ashley the other night. We met up at Square One (how awesome that we have ALL been there!) and had iced coffees and it was so good. We were sitting outside and eventually all these crazy teenagers accumulated in front of the cafe in the gathering dusk. It was a bit loud and smoky, but I liked that there were SO many people out that night. Lancaster has really been surprising me lately, with its liveliness. So Ashley, thank you for hanging out, because it was so encouraging, and to Sarah and Genny, I wish you could have joined us! Soon enough.

Last time I wrote was quite a bit before my sister's wedding and we were all getting ready for that... and now it has been a week since the grand event, and we are just getting over it. It was so tiring because of the magnitude of this event, and how much fun we all had. I don't think anybody expected it to go quite so well as it did. We were, and are, so thankful to Jesus. Katie and Ben couldn't have asked for a better wedding day. I think it was especially fun for the obvious reason that everyone involved was family and friends of mine, since I was sister-of-the-bride. So there were all these lovely people in town, and we had a very celebratory weekend with them.

Last Friday night was the wedding rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. We had delicious food at our friend's house in the countryside. After that party I thought "ah, well, too bad the weekend's over..." and then realized that this was just the beginning! The actual wedding day was very, very long (up at 6:30, to the church at 8 to start getting ready with the other bridesmaids and Katie!) but I had a really fun time. Being in the wedding party is so good. We got special clothes, people cheered for us, we got to eat dinner first... and being right there with the bride and groom all day is very special, too. I think that was the best part. The wedding had really amazing music in it, and when we were all up front, and then the doors opened and Katie walked out on my dad's arm, it was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. The music swelled and everyone stood up and we all started crying in happiness. (I have tears in my eyes now, just writing about it.) The reception was really relaxed, and we had very tasty Vietnamese food. The best part of the day was the walk through the city to the second reception (yes, a second reception!) We all trailed behind Ben and Katie, and as we walked people honked their horns and yelled and waved from their front porches at us, and we all cheered back. It was awesome to share our joy with the neighborhood. At the second place we danced for 3 hours. What a triumph! Praise the Lord.

So that was a very good day, and a huge blessing to my whole family. We have sort of been recuperating since then, but I have ben getting some things done and starting to settle into this summer. I've had a hard time being content with not working this summer, for a few reasons. But I really think that the Lord is teaching me a lot through this: about learning to trust in Him for what I fill my days with, an learning to just BE, and appreciating and enjoying the ample time I have right now to do what I like to do. And I am really starting to get it, I think. (Talking to Ashley helped me- thanks, dear!) I am not always super happy, but I think this summer more than any other I have my eyes fixed on Jesus. There is a hymn that I like a lot, and this verse tells how I am doing:

I do not ask to see the way
My feet will have to tread;
But only that my soul may feed
Upon the living Bread.
'Tis better far that I should walk
By faith close to His side;
I may not know the way I go, But oh, I know my Guide.

So that, my girls, is what's up with me... I am thinking of you all so often. Sarah, my heart really hurts for your situation with friends and not knowing what to say to them. I am praying for you. And I can't wait to see you in Illinois! Genny, I am so glad you are doing well and I am thinking of you because we have sort of similar summers, I think! I'll be praying for your time at home and all the things you are learning and accomplishing. Ashley, you and your nannying, trampolining, Philly-ing are in my prayers too! It's awesome to live near you and I can't wait till the day we go to bouncefunplex or just hang out again anywhere, really.

LOVE to you all, my good good friends!!

These are some pictures from the wedding.

1) the bridesmaids & katie

2) the sidewalk saunter to the dance party

3) me eliza claire & jon being silly

Hot HOt hOt

When I look back over this week, I picture myself driving around in the heat of the day with no AC, but enough rosy cheeks and sweaty pits lol. We are having unusually hot weather considering it is not even summer yet! With the humidity it easily gets into the 90's now. I haven't been up to much, just getting in a few work hours every day doing this and that. The Honey Do Service came to my boss's house to give an estimate for a bunch of projects, from plumbing for a clawfoot tub to a kitchen backsplash to a new roof! This lawyer is associated with nursing home abuse cases, and it is truly heartbreaking to hear about the helpless victims who are being taken advantage of. A high school friend organized a girls summer bible study, which began yesterday. It's an interesting mix of girls that I don't normally hang out with, but I think it will be good. We will be studying the Beth Moore study called "Breaking Free." Beth Moore is quite the firecracker if I may say. In my free time I'm starting my second sewing project of the summer, another dress. I made a dress for a wedding a few weeks ago, and had I known how frustrating the construction was going to be I probably would not have gone through with it (I only had four days to complete it). I have a lot to learn but I think sewing is a hobby that I can see myself being dedicated to, which is refreshing. Now I've found a really beautiful green linen that I just have to make something with! In my other spare time I'm reading two books, "From Beirut to Jerusalem," about the history relation between Israel and Lebanon and the horrific tragedies I didn't know about, and "Come Be My Light," which is a compilation of personal writings of Mother Teresa. Both have been very thought-provoking, especially considering the prospects of war in the Middle East. I am just realizing how much we need to be on our knees praying for God's people--apparently there is a lot of fear in Israel because of threats from Iran and all that's going on. Of course I'm still struggling to have a prayer life. I love you girls:)

My dear friends,

How I have enjoyed reading all of your posts! I am so thrilled for all of you, and miss you dearly especially now as I am finding the adjustment from Gordon back to IL a rockier one than I had expected. Being so immersed in the honest Christian community of Gordon and coming back to the dark lack of God in most of my friendships home have made me realize how naive I can be. This morning, I'm afraid was terribly discouraging, and yet, I know that God is keeping me close in His hand--despite my failings. I met with a dear childhood friend today and watched as she laughingly told me of her walk down an ever darkening path. What could I do? What could I say?? She was so desperate for affirmation, for respect and love from me. I sat there, nodding and smiling while feeling a horrible gloom fall over our conversation. Should I have rebuked her? Should I have put my foot down and told her all that she was doing to herself? I didn't know. I still don't know. Right now I just want to wrap her in my arms and cry my heart out. But, I know that God is good and that in the midst of the darkness He was there and working in some mysterious way. Oh how truly great He is! I couldn't imagine life without His presence. How empty. How purposeless. Perhaps that is the reason I am finding it so difficult to spend time with my friends. There is so much I want to say to them, I want to ease their pain so very much, but they don't seem to care and I don't know what to do.

Despite this, being home and with my family has really been encouraging and delightful. My sister and I took a bike ride at sunset last evening. We played we were on motorboats instead of bicycles like we did when we were little. We refueled by riding through puddles, and stopped by a nearby park to swing. It was one of those delicious summer evenings--the air saturated with water and warm, but not hot.
At night, when I get back home from work, I like to turn on some music and paint or work on some little project. I'm just finishing up a painting that's new and I'm excited because I've never done anything like it before. It was inspired by my dad and a conversation we had about community. He reminded me of a beautiful verse in Acts about people meeting together with purpose and heart.
My brother Michael will be visiting in about a week! We are all eagerly awaiting his arrival and are planning a day at the beach in New Buffalo. We have our usual rituals of Oink's ice cream and Frisbee in the water. Also, I'm hoping to drive down to cornerstone for a day or possibly two! It isn't for sure yet since I still have to sort some things out with my boss. I would LOVE to see MeWithoutYou, but more than that, I would really love to see YOU Hannah Jeane! :)

Well, dear dear ones, thank you so very much for your precious friendship. I love you so!

You are all in my prayers,
Sarah

Groundhog in the Grass

There is a groundhog right outside of my door, chewing on the grass. A minute ago it scampered across our patio and now it is having a nice afternoon snack right before my eyes. That information is not important at all, except maybe it explains the fact that today is a day for sitting, noticing, listening, and catching up on things that I have not had the time to do all week long. .Today is Friday and I am so thankful for the weekend's activities.

It is the most beautiful of days. The weather is perfect: 78 degrees, no humidity, a bit of cloud coverage and the most wonderful breeze. (not too much of a breeze though, enough that you feel it, but not so much that you couldn't play ultimate frisbee. :) ) We turned off the air conditioning and opened up the windows; (and the doors!) I love it.

...As you can maybe tell already I do not have that much to share, haha! I just thought that it has been about a week since the last post and since I was the first one to post, I thought maybe it was my turn again. So here goes, a random report on what I have been up to in no particular order.

This summer has been wonderful my friends. Already it has been filled with such marvelous times with friends both new and old, good conversation, lots of laughter, time spent outside, delicious food, and glorious weather. Last Saturday Hannah and I both ran in a 5 mile race through Lancaster City and it was spectacular. (I didn't know she was running it and it was such a wonderful surprise to see her!) I was a little worried because I thought the race was only a 5K and only found out it was 5 miles only when I returned from La Vida. haha Fortunately La Vida prepared me well and the race was not nearly as hard as I thought it might be. In fact, it was such a joy to run it! What a friendly and encouraging time as all of the little Lancaster people stood on their porches waving and cheering you on as though they knew you personally. It was really quite beautiful. It made me want to run in more road races. Maybe we should look for some road races up at Gordon to run in! That would be swell!

So this week has been filled to the brim with so many random activities. My older sister Leah and I have been doing some "landscaping" this week which has been going fairly well. We do it every morning from 8-12 for these people who are such a mystery to me. (The wife was vacationing in Africa, the husband is a lawyer, they have a "playhouse" for their children that has furniture inside of it and Claude Monet paintings on the wall! AND a loft! they have a pool that they aren't opening because no one swims in it.. they have a daughter at Harvard, a few beach houses, one with an elevator, etc.) My brother found them on craigslist (they were searching for someone to mow their grass) so we have been mowing their grass for a while now but never have we done anything else. This summer they were looking for some people to help out with some basic landscaping so my dad volunteered my sister and I which I am actually quite thankful for even if sometimes it feels long and tiring. Their yard alone is HUGE and takes about 12 hours to mow so you can only imagine how many flower beds they have! They said we could easily weed 20-30 hours a week, craziness! It's a really bizarre setting to me; somedays I feel like a little servant girl. haha (but then I remember how much they are paying me to weed and I no longer feel like one.) There is another older couple there who weed with us and their names are Fred and Ethel; they are 75 and 78 and SO dear. It is a pleasure talking with them; they have been working on this property for 20 years! It's actually a really nice blessing to work there and get to be outside. After La Vida all I wanted to do was be outside and now I get paid to be outside! Hurray!

So I weed in the mornings :) and then the rest of my days have been spent picking strawberries, catching up with friends, baking, hanging out in Lancaster, playing outside, etc. This was my last week before my babysitting job officially begins so I have been trying to soak up the afternoons as much as possible! Beginning Monday I will be babysitting until 4 everyday.

One of my favorite "events" (haha) that happened this week was GAME NIGHT on Monday. My friend Laura had a bunch of people over and we played whiffle ball! (as well as ping pong when it got dark) It was quite hilarious because Laura and I ended up being the only girls for a while so I was feeling rather intimidated knowing how bad my hand eye coordination is and all of that. BUT IT WAS SO FUN! And guess what my friends? I was dubbed MVP hahahaha I do not really know how that happened or how I was able to hit and catch the ball, but it sure made for a delightful evening. The weather was perfect and the sunset was breath-taking, such a sweet summer night.

Tonight we are meeting to play kickball and tomorrow I am going to the bouncefunplex with some people so it should be a good weekend! I start working at Rita's tomorrow morning and then babysitting begins Monday. If you think of it, you can pray that I would balance my time well, friends. Summer has been filled to the brim with many lovely activities and people but I keep forgetting to make time for just me and God, forgetting to make time for listening and noticing and being- all things that I need to do. I fear that things will only get busier as my other jobs begin and I have to make wise decisions as far as how I will use my time. I do not want to miss anything that God might have for me this summer; I want to be fully in tune with the Holy Spirit.

OH MY GOODNESS I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS!

----> This past weekend Zach came home to visit (he is working in New York for the summer) and guess what he brought home for me??

A BICYCLE-BUILT-FOR-TWO!!!!!!

I could not even believe it. Overjoyed, that is how I felt. I have wanted one for quite some time now but never really thought I would have one. The first time riding it was so fun I could not stop laughing. Zach and I rode it to church on Sunday which was quite the experience. (I was really proud of us for riding there and back... although we did have to stop and walk it up large hills once on the way there and once on the way back for it doesn't have any gears so hills are KILLER. When we got home my mom said "I think those bikes are only for boardwalks and flat roads" haha) I have it at least for the summer, Zach might take it back to New York with him in the fall but I guess he hasn't decided yet.. if he doesn't take it back, I am going to do my best to get it to Gordon and we can go on the best of adventures! Oh my goodness you girls would love it. It's red and lovely and has the COOLEST horn :) (AND a bell!) Maybe if I feel like taking the time later I will post a picture or something.

Ok.. this has gone on long enough. I need to go shower. I'm still pretty dirty from crawling around in the weeds today.

You all remain in my thoughts and prayers.

Much much love,

ashley

p.s. i'm glad we're doing this blog!