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