Check it out!

Cards, cards, cards...I love making them because they combine the joy of creativity and the joy of blessing others with a little note to let them know someone is thinking of them. My favorite blog for card making inspiration is that of Kristina Werner. She does a color challenge each week and I enjoy checking out the winning cards. This week is her 50th color challenge so I decided to play along. Here's the card I came up with using these colors. Happy 50th!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

All girls weekend this past weekend! My friends Chellaine and Michelle came all the way from Toronto to visit me and they brought Michelle's friend Monique along too. We slept in Saturday and then headed out to Quebec City. Can you believe it - this was my fourth time this year! But I did see some new things so here's a run down.

New: Seeing this very old street filled with little shops and restaurants with my friends Chellaine and Michelle.

New: This little sign for the "toilettes" - love it!

New: Finding this mast from a ship - great place to pose.

New: Staying the night...here we are trying to find a hotel...it almost turned out to be a real sketchy one too with colored florescent lights around the outside. Good thing we checked it out before committing.
New: Eating at the Cosmos Cafe...you must go should you find yourself in Quebec City because it is yummy!
New: Seeing the city at night. Beautiful!

A Documentary

Back in the summer of 2005, I was in the middle of my 2 year short term in Niger when Niger became the focus of the world's attention because of reported famine. Esther Garvi posted the links to this documentary that was done revealing the way that the media and aid organizations manipulated the story. They were living and working in the Zinder area where the famine was reportedly the worst. If you have a little bit of time, it's really worth watching. I especially like Part 6 if you don't have time to watch it all.



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

The Prescription

Last Friday, I had the privilege of talking to the Bible School Girls about being single and some of the things that God has taught me during this time in my life. I shared in French - always a challenge - so I'm glad for a teacher like Kathleen, willing to correct things at the last minute. But anyway, there was another woman there who was a former Bible School student who is now a pharmacist. She was amazing! I appreciated her honesty with the girls...very "franche" as they say in French. (frank) Plus, she had her own little pharmacist spin to it. At the end, she gave them all a little pill bottle with their name on it, as though they were receiving a prescription. It was filled with Jelly Bellies...but she included a little sheet just like you do with any prescription and here's what it said....

Mr/Miss
Order: 0235977: Blessed years of singleness
__________________________________________
WHY:

• That you may benefit from this blessed time (1 Tim 6:6)
• To allow you more time to serve the Lord (1 Cor 7:34)
• Because God loves you and knows what's best for you (Rom 8:28, Jer 29:11, 1 Thess 5:18)

HOW:

• Take with a smile (Phil 4:4, 1 Thess 5:16), one day at a time, one year after the other, for God's glory
• Take at the same time each day
• If this medication upsets your stomach, take it with a quiet time with the Lord in the morning

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Important!! Do not awaken love until it pleases (Song of Solomon 2:7 and 3:5)
• Seek the company of people who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim 2:22, 1 Tim 6:11)
• Avoid idealizing marriage (major interaction with this medication!!)

IF YOU FORGET:

• If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible
• If it is almost time for a the next dose, you can take both doses, this medication is not dangerous when a double dose is taken

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS:

• Most people experience few or no side effects with this medication, but the following effects have been reported: nostalgia, anxiety (if so, read Ps 94:19, Jer 29:11), eagerness to date or get married (if so, read 1 Cor 7:8)
• You may also feel blue as you see all your friends get married
• If you feel that your soul is cast down then read these verses(Ps 42:5, 42:11, 43:5)

PRECAUTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• Do not let your thoughts wander (Phil 4:8)
• Inform your doctor (God!!) if you think that you have been taking this medication long enough (or for too long!)

The great Pharmacist, in Heaven...always open, always available
tel: Just pray
Wow! Great advice and creative to boot...I walked away from the time, thankful for all the things that God has taught me and continues to teach me during this time in my life!

Translation as per my loyal reader's request!

Once upon a time in a castle not far from here a little prince grew up. It was an exciting life with lots of dungeons and moats to explore. But there was a big problem with the little prince. He was very small - smaller than all of his friends...

and all of the princesses in the land. No princess wanted to marry him because everyone knew that a king needed to be tall and impressive. The little prince was depressed. Life without a princess was no life at all. What should he do?
One day he received "The Parchment." It was a newspaper from a country far away from his castle. In a corner of "The Parchment" there was a little wanted ad: "Wanted - a little prince to lead a little people. We will give you a little castle and a little princess." Without hesitation, the little prince decided to leave his land in search of the kingdom of the little people.

His family gave him their blessing. Before his leaving, his father gave him a gift.

It was a compass, a useful gift for someone who was going to find his destiny - the kingdom of the little people.
It was a difficult journey where he encountered wild and ferocious animals like Vinnie the vulture, who was hunted him looking for an occasion to make the Little Prince his dinner. If his friend, Three Feathers, hadn't helped him he would not have survived. Each time that Vinnie was close, Three Feathers would warn the Little Prince.
Finally, he arrived in the kingdom of the Little People. Everyone was happy. They ate fruit to celebrate the arrival of their new king who was tall and impressive in his new kingdom. Right away he married the princess and they lived happily ever after and had many children who were tall and impressive.

The End

Story Hour brought to you by Beth

This week our teacher gave us a set of pics and we had to write a children's story in French using the pictures...so just for fun, I thought I would share mine with you.

Il était une fois dans un château pas loin d'ici qu'un petit prince grandit. C'était une vie excitante avec beaucoup de cachots et de douves à explorer. Mais il y avait un grand problème avec le petit prince. Il était trop petit, plus petit que tous ses amis...

et que toutes les princesses dans le pays. Aucune princesse ne voulait l'épouser parce que tout le monde savait qu'un roi devait être grand et impressionnant. Le petit prince avait le cafard. La vie sans princesse ce n'était pas du tout possible. Qu'est-ce qu'il devait faire?

Un jour il reçut "Le Parchemin". C'était le journal d'un pays trop loin de son château. Dans un coin de "Le Parchemin" il y avait une petite annonce: Vouloir un petit prince pour diriger un petit peuple. On va vous donner un petit château avec une petite princesse. Sans hésitation le petit prince décida de quitta son pays pour allait chercher les royaume des petits gens.

Sa famille lui donna sa bénédiction. Avant de quitter, son père lui donna un cadeau. C'était une boussole, un cadeau très utile pour quelqu'un qui allait chercher son destin, le royaume des petits gens.

C'étatit un voyage dur où il rencontrait des animaux féroces et sauvages comme Vinnie le vatour qui le chassait pour trouver une occasion de le tuer. Si son ami, Trois Plume ne l'avait pas aidé il náurait pas survécu. Chaque fois que Vinnie était proche, Trois Plume le prévenait. Finalement, il arriva dans le royaume des petits gens. Tout le monde était content. Ils mangèrent des fruits pour célébrer l'arrivée de leur nouveau roi qui était grand et impressionant dans son nouveau royaume. Toute de suite il épousa la princesse et ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants grands et impressionants.

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to

But who could have after such a day of celebration!

It started with a 7:30 knock at the door where I was treated to breakfast served à la carte by my wonderful neighbors. This is a Marsh family tradition...birthday breakfast. Later I was treated to the birthday song by all the missionary ladies. Emily Schellhase celebrated her Sweet Sixteenth yesterday with a cookie cake. Debbie had made me my own little cookie cake so I got to be part of another little family tradition. Then my classmates had tried to surprise me with a cake by going to the classroom and setting up early before our Bible Workshop. But being the forgetful one that I am, I went to class instead of the Bible Workshop where I happened upon them preparing my surprise. Oops! Oh well, tis the thought that counts. :) This evening the Marshes had me for dinner. Steak, mushrooms and onions, broccoli, mashed potatoes and of course, CHOCOLATE CAKE! Yummy. There is a verse in Psalm 68:5 that says, "God sets the lonely in families." It's a verse I love because it reminds me of all the wonderful people God has put into my life who have accepted me and loved me as one of their own when I have been far from home. I'm so thankful for you wherever you are! Thanks for making my day extra special!

And just as an aside...here's a pic of the birthday presents I bought for myself. Word to the wise...never buy yourself Buckley's for your birthday! It has to be the most disgusting medicine ever invented.