a break..

laughter.. smiles..sleep ..no school.. family.. friends.. snow.. peppermint stick mocha's.. gifts.. thoughts.. shopping..mmm this break from school has been wonderful. being able to just relax and have nothing i feel the need to worry about has been so amazing. i've been able to spend time with  both sets of grandparents. i've been able to both give and receive. when asked what my favorite gift has been i've been responding with a not so normal one. on Christmas day my family and i were apart of a group that served Christmas dinner to a group of about 200 people in the Archbold community. some were there simply for the fellowship and some were there simply for the food. my heart reaches out to those who are less fortunate than i. yes, i am so happy for all the many different gifts i received from my family. but being able to give others what i was able to give was  truly joy giving for me. Jesus calls us to reach out to others who are less fortunate. He calls us to humble ourselves before Him, and in doing that we realize we are not on this earth for the well-being of ourselves. we are called to be the hands and feet of Him. i am so grateful for the many opportunities i have had in my life so far to reach out. i believe it has made a huge impact in how i view my life and the struggles i encounter by putting them into perspective. well those are my thoughts for right now..i hope to post again soon.take care. 

time..

I feel a little guilty. My last post was November 19th and its already December 10th. I was telling a friend the other day how crazy it is for me to think that I am almost half way through my Junior year. And in 5 days I will be 17 years old. Wow. And on December 22nd it will mark 2 whole years that my family has been here in Northwest Ohio. Wow, where does the time go? A quote by Alan Lakein, "Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life." In so many ways I waste my life away by spending too much time on things in my life that do not deserve my utmost attention. I worry, preoccupy, tire, and waste my energy on the future and the past when really I need to focus my energy one day at a time. The next 2 weeks are ones that will require me to focus my energy on mostly school work. With Christmas break approaching and exams next week there is a lot to get done. I have studying to do, finishing projects, and preparing for leading worship this Sunday. I tend to get pretty stressed about these kind of things. But this time around I'm trying to take a different approach. This upcoming Sunday's theme is Peace. Peace is freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. I find my peace in God, and only Him. These upcoming weeks will test my brain, and my strength but I will choose to find peace a midst the struggle. May you find peace as you face the challenges in your week to come. As we look forward to Christmas let us find joy a midst the hustle and bustle and be reminded of the true reason for the season. 

take care. 

a dream of mine..

in English class we have been learning about Transcendentalism. in case you might be wondering the top five signs that you might be a transcendentalist are: 

you believe that nature demands the most serious reverence. 

you believe that intuition is more important than logic. 

you believe that ALL knowledge comes from inside-- one does not need the past, the family, or society to act as guides to behavior. 

you believe strongly in a philosophy of individualism and self-reliance. 

you insist that we should follow our instincts wherever they may lead no matter what rules or convention might demand. 

in the process of learning about this we read some pieces from the famous transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. the one we read today in class titled Walden written by Thoreau made me think more than the others. in the book Thoreau describes his experience of living as simple as simple can get. Thoreau spent a time during his life living in a little one room cabin in the woods. he built it on his friend Emerson's land and lived right near a pond. Thoreau lived off the land and wrote much about his experience there. as i was reading this i begin to dream. i began to dream of a time where i could do just as Thoreau did. finding a little cabin in the woods somewhere and living in solitude for a couple months. spending time listening to the birds, writing, watching the sunsets and sunrises, and living as much as i could off the land. taking time to separate myself from the society that adds so much stress to our lives. i wonder how would that experience change me? i am so curious to know. because i believe the more we are in tune with nature the more we will be in awe of God. i envision that time to be a time where God would be my only source of survival. now even though i wouldn't call myself a transcendentalist i do believe taking care and being aware of God's creation is very important. now i ask you what are some of your dreams? do you even take time to dream? 

ill leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein and some pictures....

"look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

Here is a picture of the pond Thoreau lived by. 

This is the one room cabin Thoreau lived in. 

one of Thoreau's quotes....

take care.

inspiration...i have been inspired by these quotes below...i hope you can be too..

i love to ponder this quote. how would our lives be differently if we chose to take a moment  and think of something else besides ourselves and all earthly things? 

i think i fully grasped this quote after my experience at Chrysalis. i cried a lot during that weekend. not always because i was sad but because of how amazed i was at God. 

i struggle with this A LOT. i think we all do. loneliness makes us do things we wouldnt normally do. ive learned and i am still learning to gain my confidence from HIM instead of him. its a hard thing to do. and i havent fully mastered this one yet.  

this quote doesnt really need explaining. its one of my favorites though. 

i try to do this with every person God brings into my life. because we are all hurting and we all need to know someone cares. 

i love my friends. 

amen. 

 i need to do this more often. 

i love music so very much. it always seems to calm me and put things into perspective. 

this quote puts exactly how i feel in words. its one of those things that inspires me in life. 

i surrender to you Lord. own me . i am willing to be changed.


i hope you have been inspired by these quotes. i know i have. take care. 

beautiful BELOVED b r u n e t t e...

my name is emily kauffman northwest chrysalis flight #28 table of B cubed which stands for beautiful BELOVED brunettes (this is how we had to introduce ourselves during the flight) and wow..wow..wow..wow..i could go on forever..for me right now "wow" is the only word that can kind of begin to describe how my weekend was. like i said in the previous post i went on a chrysalis flight this past weekend. i dont think i will be able to describe my experience in just one post so this post will just be a summary of what it was like for me. there isnt one word to even begin to describe how it went! i have never felt that loved or inspired in awhile. the most important thing that i came away with was the confirmation that Ohio is truly where God wants our family to be. there was a group of 7 girls from pettisville that went on the flight. we grew so close thoughout the retreat and think of eachother as sisters now :) we shed so many tears together, laughs together, smiles together, and prayers together.  it was so awesome! all the feelings of loneliness and fear were wiped away for me. i am loved. i am accepted. i am so grateful i had the opportunity to experience something like this. during the weekend i also got to know my table group. i was so inspired and challenged by their own journeys. it was truly amazing to be placed in such a mature group of believers. i was so grateful. there were 15 talks during the 3 days. that may seem like a lot but they were all so so good. i went into the weekend thinking i had it pretty much all together. but i quickly learned that i dont. God is so good! thank you to all of you who wrote letters to me. i shed many tears while reading your sincere words to me. you all mean the world to me. and i thank God for the role you each have played and continue to play in my journey. there will be more to come, dont worry. take care. 

anticipating becoming a butterfly...

tomorrow morning at 8AM i will be embarking on a new adventure. i will be traveling to Maumee, Ohio and spending a weekend of what is called a Chrysalis Flight. to explain it simply it is like a spiritual retreat. i do not know much about what all i will be doing but i have heard nothing but positiveness from previous attenders. i am really looking forward to seeing how God works through me and the others there. i know of 8 other girls from my school that will also be going on the flight. i cant wait to connect more with them throughout the weekend as well. through all the excitement i also have some concerns as well. my prayer for the weekend goes like this:

jesus... 

i come to you with some burdens i want to hand over to you. i'm kind of anxious about this weekend. not really knowing what to expect. i want so badly to go in with an open mind and heart. im excited to see what you want to teach me. help me to step out of my comfort zone and meet some new people. i have no doubts it will be a great experience. but i dont want to go in with high expectations. i want to participate and not anticipate. work through me jesus. help me to break free from my chrysalis and become a butterfly that in turn will fly to you someday. i love you. 

amen. 

i would appreciate your prayers this weekend. i will definitely let you know when i get back how things went. 

take care. 

inspiration..

we all have our own role models or people we look up to in each of our lives. i have several but one id like to share with you today is a Christian singer by the name of Kari Jobe. i had the absolute pleasure to go to one of her concerts this past summer in Grand Rapids, MI with my mom and sisters. the concert was one of the most powerful experiences i have ever had. Kari's presence on stage was one that you dont see to often when it comes to Christian artists. it was obvious that she was in love with Jesus Christ. her passion was evident not only in her presence but also in her songs. i havent found a song yet that she sings where i havent been able to relate to or find inspiration from. i dont have a particular favorite but one that ive listened to lately is called "One Desire" the lyrics go like this:

Here I am
Just for You, only You
Here I stand
Wanting You, only You

In Your presence Lord
I will find my strength
You're the breath in me
You're my everything

With my heart bowed low
And my hands held high
All consuming fire
You're my one desire

You're name, oh You're name
Let it stay on my lips
I will seek Your face
God, it's You, only You

In Your presence Lord
I will find my strength
You're the breath in me
You're my everything

With my heart bowed low
And my hands held high
All consuming fire
You're my one desire

In Your presence Lord
I will find my strength
You're the breath in me
You're my everything

With my heart bowed low
And my hands held high
All consuming fire
You're my one desire

It's You, God
It's You
It's You, only You

My heart will always sing
I love You, I love You
My heart will always sing
I love You, I love You
My heart will always sing
I love You, I love You
My heart will always sing
I love You, I love You

In Your presence Lord
I will find my strength
You're the breath in me
You're my everything

With my heart bowed low
And my hands held high
All consuming fire
You're my one desire

In Your presence Lord
I will find my strength
You're the breath in me
You're my everything

With my heart bowed low
And my hands held high
All consuming fire
You're my one desire

It's You, God
It's You
It's You, only You
Lord, it's You, God
It's You
It's You, only You
Yeah, it is You

My heart will always sing
I love you, I love you
My heart will always sing
I love you, I love
My heart will always sing
I love you

arent the lyrics are so beautiful? so i'd definitely recommend that you look Kari up and listen to some of her songs. they always seem to give me hope no matter where im at in life. take care. 

talking to Him...

my day started out on a really refreshing note. a group of about 20 of us students gathered at 7:30AM at our school. we split up into small groups and went throughout the school praying. we began by praying as a large group over our principle and superintendent's offices. my group then went off and prayed through the elementary wing. it was such a powerful experience for me. knowing that God's presence is so evident through the Pettisville community and school. we also took time to pray for a family in our school that is grieving the tragic loss of a loved one. i realized that even though i go to a public school God is still real. i have a unique experience. coming from a private Mennonite school to a public school it has given me a new perspective on things. i can think of both positives and negatives about  both my experiences at two different schools. to end the day i met with a beloved friend. we met to gather our thoughts and plans for leading FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) on Wednesday of this week. our focus throughout this month in FCA has been prayer. so our idea  for this week is to talk about different ways of being in communication with God. sometimes, at least i know for myself i overlook the power and importance of prayer. but then i realize how much i am in communication with so many people on a daily basis (talking, texting, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) just think if we would talk or "tweet" God as often as we do with others? how would our relationship with Him be different? God wants to know us but more importantly He wants us to know Him. the more we seek Him the more we will find Him. the more we find Him the more we will fall in love with Him. a love so deep. a peace so overwhelming. prayer is about getting to know God...anyways all that to say i was reminded as we were planning our talk togehter of how special this friend has been and is to me. i was feeling a little depressed coming home from VA. realizing how much i had missed my beloved friends in VA. but today as i was talking to her i realized that God has blessed me with a really good friend. not only someone i can trust but someone who has been such an inspiration and motivator in my walk with Christ. a midst the hard stuff God always provides. so a good day overall. it always helps me to look back on it and realize the many different ways God is at work :) take care. 

rekindling the words

its kind of been awhile since i've wrote on my blog. so much has happened since january 2nd, 2012. so many memories. so many learning experiences. i have grown so much in the past year. i have grown in my relationship with God, with my family, with my friends. i have begun to realize more of who i am and what God is calling me to in NW Ohio. it hasnt always been easy. it hasnt always been fun. but i am stronger because of it. i came home yesterday after a short trip home to VA. i was able to surprise my friends in their musical The Sound of Music. so many emotions consumed me as i was able to be in the place i once called my literal home although i still think of it as home. feelings of anger were present as i realized how much i have missed home and how much i wish i could move back. and feelings of pure happiness as i reminisced with my friends i realized how no matter how far apart we are nothing will change. they still love me for who i am. all to say as i was experiencing these multiple emotions i was reminded of my blog. i wrote in it quite often when in VA. and now that volleyball is over and all that my life consists of as of now is school, i thought to myself "emily, start writing again." so i pledge from here till i find its impossible i will keep you updated with my journey. my journey with my friends, with my family, but ultimately the one who holds my everything--JESUS.  take care.

A Recap..

Wow, what a year it has been. One full of ups and downs transitions and huge changes. Life's not easy but one things for sure through everything God has been a constant source of strength and courage without Him I dont know what I would do. These past few weeks have been quite weird for me. Why? The memories and feelings of this time last year haunt me. I can't help but think and feel the memories and emotions. 

Some of the memories that come to mind as I think back are...

*I got a Facebook!! And wow, do I love it or what?! haha. With my bad memory this is how I am remembering these memories :)

* Went to my first homecoming dance at Pettisville High School 

*Saw NEVER SAY NEVER (The Beibs movie) with friends from school

*Enjoyed a fun filled weekend celebrating my Grandma and Grandpa Helmuth's 50th Wedding Anniversary with family

*Began Softball at Pville

*The dreaded experience of having our basement flood with all the rain :(

*Went to my first Detriot Tigers game to celebrate my dad's birthday

*Rode the Top Thrill Dragster (5th tallest roller coaster in the world) at Cedar Point

 *MENNONITE YOUTH CONVENTION!!! 

*Visited home (Kiara's house for a sleepover, Taste of Thai, visits with friends, and Ridgeway for church)

*Started volleyball at Pville!

*Began school after having a super long summer with the building of our new school

*Welcomed Monika into our home and then had to say goodbye after 3 months. Still miss her!

*Ended the volleyball season as tied 1st place champions 

*Celebrated my 16th birthday by going to Ann Arbor, Michigan where I was born. I took gifts that my close friends and family donated to the Ronald McDonald house where mom and dad stayed when I was in the hospital 

*Enjoyed the Holidays in Goshen and North Carolina with family

Amid the joys of this year I would be lying if I said it was all good. This year also had its share of downs. It was and still is a struggle to adjust to the many new surroundings and people. But one things for sure I am so blessed. With a family that deeply cares for me and loves me, and for people I would have never met if we hadn't have moved that I know call friends, and for a God who loves me unconditionally and cares for me so much. I look forward to a new year :) 

Take Care,