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.