One Step At A Time...

    This week has been a bit busier for me. I babysit everyday except tomorrow and then my kids and I will be helping a friend all day (which I'm looking forward to!).  So yea, it's been busy. But it hasn't been without it's rewards and joys. I have been doing more things with Arielle, even though I have extra kids in my house! I'm very amazed that I've been able to find the extra time. It' s good for me and her to strengthen our relationship. One of my many faults as a mother is that I often tell her "I'm busy, we'll do it later", and that's not right. Now when she's young is when I need to build a strong bond with her so that when she's older, she will want to talk with me and share her feelings. 'I' also need to enjoy her childhood as much as she needs to. It is so much fun to just sit with her and not think about my chores. It's great to talk with her and walk with her and teach her as much as I can. I love listening to her talk, whether it's about Jesus or something else that she has learned from me or Sunday school or something she's curious about (which is almost everything!). I love reading my Bible to her too. I know she's too young to understand some of the words, but at least she's hearing the message.

We've also had a beautiful week where weather is concerned. It's been warm and not too windy most days. So, we've been outside a lot.

Gabriel had a great time in the cooler! He spent a lot of time in there!!

            Arielle has a blast rolling on the grass!










So this week has been a really good one. Except for the fact that my son and my niece are both teething and have not been sleeping as good as their mommies (and daddies) want them too!! But this too shall pass. I'm very thankful for things that come in stages, especially short ones!!

I hope you have a great day!
May God continue to bless you!

* Andrea *

Changing me...

  Lately, I've been feeling changes in my heart. I've been feeling as if God is preparing me for something. I don't know what he has in mind, but I'm trying to be open to any and all ideas. That's difficult for me to do because I'm a person who doesn't do all that well with big changes (I guess that's probably most of us!), but I have to remember that as a child of God, he asks some pretty big stuff from us sometimes. Remember when God asked Abraham to offer his son Issac (Genesis 22)? That is a serious request. Can you imagine laying your son down on the altar and getting ready to kill him? How did Issac respond? What did Abraham say to him? I can't imagine it. But look at what the Lord says to him when he rewards him: "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Genesis 22: 17-18)
So, reading that it gives me a bit more courage and strength to be able to say " OK God, I'm ready and willing." Then let him show me what he wants from me. Maybe it's nothing right now but just to start preparations in my heart for the future, maybe it's something that to me is small but to him is big. All I can do is pray and wait. I'm really not good at the waiting part. He sure is teaching me how to though!!
   So, as I continue to pray and wait, I'm trying to get my body into shape. Those of you who know me well, know that I don't like to exercise. I have always wanted to be a 'fit' woman. Not a person who exercises constantly but does enough just to keep in shape. Now that I have a daughter, that's even more important to me. I want her to grow up enjoying things that help keep her in shape and healthy. But in order for her to want to do it, she has to see her mom work out (I guess I should learn to like exercising!).  It's just like anything else, the more you do it, the more you enjoy it. Right? Oh I hope so!

If you have any tips on how I can enjoy working out, I'd love to hear them!

God Bless!!

* Andrea *

He is Risen!

    I hope you all had a great weekend celebrating the resurrection of Christ. I sure did! I love the fresh feelings that come with holidays. I love the feeling like it's happening all over again for the first time and allowing my mind to imagine it all and letting my heart really feel.
On Good Friday, I thought a lot about how that was the day that Jesus was crucified so many years ago. I tried to picture it all in my head and imagine what he must have felt the best I could. The grief and despair but also the hope and the faith that he had in God his father. The feeling that if he didn't do this, none of us would ever be able to join him in paradise. 
Then on Easter Sunday, I tried to put myself in Mary Magdalene's shoes and imagine the sorrow when she found the empty tomb. Oh the grief that must have been in her heart! I also tried to imagine her incredible joy when she saw that Jesus was very much alive, and he called her by name! Can you picture it? You looking for Jesus' body because you want to prepare it for burial and it's not there! So you ask the gardener where he has put your Lord's body. Instead of it being the gardener, Jesus calls your name. What kind of feelings would run through you? Fear, relief, joy, unbelief? I could go on. It's just so awesome for me to remember why we have Easter. It's totally NOT about the Easter bunny, that's for sure! 
Have you ever tried to prove the real meaning of Easter without using any Biblical references? Our speaker in church on Sunday said that a man in university was doing a paper and he wanted to do it on Jesus' death and resurrection. His professor told him that he could only do the paper if he didn't use anything from the Bible. Apparently, he had so much information that he had to leave lots of it out! I just love that!! Even the unbelievers can't deny the truth!
  I sometimes get a bit carried away when I feel really strongly about something :)
We also had a bunch of family gatherings this weekend and I was able to get letters and stuff ready for our sponsor boys. I really love taking the time to write them. I am able to completely shift my focus so that when I write their letters, I'm only thinking about the boy that I'm writing to at that moment. It's almost as if I'm having a conversation with him face-to-face. I have found that with writing every two weeks, it's something that I look forward to. It's routine for me now, kinda like when you have Bible study every week. You get into routine and you look forward to going! Did you write to your sponsor child this weekend? What did you tell them? If you haven't, why don't you talk to them about Easter and how you celebrate?

Sorry for the long post. I just had so many thoughts today! Amazing!

Have a great day!!



Luke 24:6 "He is not here; He has Risen!..."

* Andrea *

This Week...

   What a great week it's been! Monday was nothing special, just an ordinary day in my household. Tuesday we took advantage of the great weather and spent some time outside.

I was also able to get a lot of baking done on Tuesday, even with babysitting my niece! I made 2 kinds of cookies, 2 loaves of lemon loaf and rice krispie squares. It sure is nice having some goodies in the house again! It's been a while since I did any major baking.

   On Wednesday, Arielle and I went on a girls morning out. We just went into town to do some shopping. We spent an hour and a half and the local thrift store! I really enjoy shopping there because it's amazing what you can find there for very little money. I bought a pair of Calvin Klein cord pants that look brand new for $2.00! That is not a typo. I was very excited! I also found some other things for me and Arielle found a couple shirts. She was hoping to find a dress, but they didn't have a good selection for any kids stuff yesterday. That's OK, better luck next time. After our thrift store shopping we went to the discount book store in town. I was very excited to find an activity book with a thin Spanish insert in the back! It was great! It's a thin book with Jesus stories all in Spanish! Alejandro is gonna love it! I looked for things for Niyomugabo and Nsengimana but all I found were bookmarks. I'll keep checking though, hopefully next time I'll find something.  

    Today I have a houseful of kids again, so it's gonna be a busy one. I have to get to the grocery store yet today (prob  this evening) and get the groceries that I'll need for this wonderful Easter weekend. But now, I have babies waking up from their morning naps and broccoli & cheese muffins to make, so I should probably go for now.

Romans 5:8 " But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Happy Easter!

* Andrea *

1 can equal 64,000

     Yesterday morning we had a guest speaker in church. He is a missionary that currently attends our church.  He had a really good message about discipleship. He said that if you were to disciple 1 unbeliever a year and that person was to also disciple 1 person a year and if the trend continued, after 16 years 64,000 people would know about Christ. Isn't that amazing? That is one crazy (but awesome) stat if you ask me.
He also went on to share a story about a man in Africa. I can't remember all the details that well so I'll just tell you what I do remember. This man, his wife and child were looking for a place to stay. All that they were able to get was a 10x12' room. But they had faith and he wanted to do more to get the word of God out so he prayed for god to send him someone to disciple. The next day there was a knock on the door,and standing there was a man who said " I don't know why I'm here, I just am". From that one disciple, 70,000 lives have been changed so far. I don't know when this story begins but that's a really big number! 1 person can have that kind of an impact!
   If your ready to have that kind of an impact and change lives, just tell God that your ready and willing and ask him to send you someone to disciple. It's really that simple. It takes a lot of courage, but if you have faith, Christ will help you.

Are you ready to be the 1 that can equal 64,000?



* Andrea *

Changes...

        Yup, I'm still not sure what colors I want for my blog. I keep trying different things to see what I like. I'm just so undecided!! There are too many choices! Please bear with me

 I will hopefully be done soon.....

* Andrea *

Anticipation

  OK, so It's been almost three months since we started sponsoring little Alejandro. I'm eagerly (if not impatiently) awaiting his first letter to me. I check my mail almost every day in hopes that I will find that special envelope that will make this all more real for me. I see his picture on my fridge countless times every day and I just feel so much love for him, my 'son' in Honduras. I really hope that one day I'll be able to see him face to face and tell him just how much I love him. What a wonderful day that will be! 
  I often wonder what life is like for him and I can't wait for that first letter to give me a small glimpse. I wonder if he lives in the "really bad" part of town, over run by gangs, or the parts that aren't as bad. What kinds of things does he play with? What kind of imagination does he have? My thoughts are endless.
When I look at his picture, I'm often overcome with the feeling to just pull him into my arms. I know that's impossible seeing as how were countries apart, but I hope that it does happen one day.
In just this short time, being a sponsor has changed my life. I am educating myself on the conditions of the world and not just turning a 'blind eye'. I'm learning how I can make a difference and change even one persons life. I want to help little Alejandro and his family to grow in their faith and to encourage them. I want to have works and faith, because faith without works is nothing.  James 2:14 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"

So I encourage everyone, to have works and faith. We need to have both if we want to live for Christ.


* Andrea *

Music & Beans

   Last night was the science fair at the local school. I had the opportunity to go and check it out. It was really neat to see what kinds of ideas these kids had. There was something of everything, and yes, even the classic volcano. I didn't have a chance to see everything but there are two that stand out for me.
   The first one is beans. The experiment was to grow beans in soil using 4 different types of liquids. There was water (of course), peach juice, 7-up and coke. They were testing to see what liquid would make the beans grow the fastest. The end result was: water makes the beans grow the fastest.
Then I got to thinking. We can very easily use this experiment in our own lives. We can all be the beans,our soil is the world in which we live, and our liquids are a variety of things. What do we fill our lives with to help us grow? God, Wealth, Relationships, Success? There can be many different scenarios depending on where you are in your own life. The truth is, that only with God will you grow the best. It really doesn't matter what you have, how much money you make, how important you are. All that matters is the God that you serve.

   The second experiment was mice and music. The students tested to see who was calmer, the mice who didn't have music or the mice who had music. The conclusion was that the mice who didn't have music were more antsy and restless, while the mice who had music were more calm and relaxed.
We could apply that to our own lives and how we praise and worship God. I find for myself, when I listen to Christian music I'm more in tune with God and I feel his presence stronger. I just want to sing my heart out just for him and dance around my kitchen like a rock star (it's a sight to behold!). My mood is also greatly improved when I do this. When there's no music, my mind comes up with some pretty crazy stuff. That doesn't always happen, but sometimes when there is something on my mind that's been bugging me, it really comes on full force when It's quiet. There are other times, that I can just sit and focus on God and all he has done for me and feel so blessed.

What about you, do you do better with or without music?



* Andrea *

Laundry. Fun?

   I never totally understood why my mom always had a table in the laundry room.
Like really, what is the point?
Your down there all by yourself folding laundry. How fun is that?

Very Very Fun!!

And SOOOOO Quiet!!!
   
     Growing up I did not enjoy folding laundry because it usually meant being in the cold, damp basement by yourself with just you and a table full of laundry. It was not exciting at all. I would have much rather brought the laundry upstairs and folded it in the living room instead of in the 'dungeon'. Our basement wasn't that bad, it was just very cold, and eerily quiet when you were down there alone and for a girl (with a very active imagination) that's a scary place to be. I mean who knows what goes on down there when nobody's around, right? Or so, I thought.
Now that I'm older however, I totally get it.
Yesterday, I put a table in my laundry room.

I...


                 LOVE...


                                             IT!

It's so quiet and peaceful down there I look forward to doing laundry! Would you believe I did 6 loads yesterday just because I have the table? I have another 2 on the go! I know how crazy this sounds! Especially from me cause I do NOT enjoy doing laundry. Just ask my husband. Almost every time I do laundry, I don't end up folding it all, or I don't hang it all. It rarely all gets done the same day. So, yesterday when he got home and I told him that I had done 6 loads and they were all folded and almost all put away, he was amazed to say the least.
So maybe, this was just what I needed to enjoy doing laundry.

Huh! Who knew?


Any Ideas on how I can enjoy washing dishes??



* Andrea *

Amazing Grace?

       What exactly is grace? That is something that I have struggled with for a while now. I hear a lot of talk about it: how God shows us grace, how we should show grace to others, how we should parent with grace, and on and on. So to understand more about grace, I've decided to read the book "The Grace Awakening" by Charles Swindoll. I've just started it but I wanted to share a bit with you.
    One of the definitions he gave about grace is: " To show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it". That is very clear for me. That's exactly what God does for us. He freely gives us the gift of salvation and we don't deserve it and we can't do anything EVER to earn it. But yet, in his grace he just gives it to us because he loves us. That is so awesome to me. When you really think about it, none of us can or will, ever deserve to be with him in heaven. There is nothing that we can do that will get us there. It bothers me to think that some people believe that the only way they'll get there, is if they work hard enough or are nice enough to others.We can only go if we accept his grace and his Gift of salvation. That's all we need to do. It's a free gift. No strings attached.  Ephesians 2:8 "For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Isn't that a wonderful gift? Have you chosen to receive it?

So yes, Grace is amazing, because of who extended grace to us first. 

* Andrea *

Friendships

    Friends are great! I really enjoy having women in my life that I can talk to and who really care about what I say. I like knowing that I can trust them with my secrets and my troubles. My favourite thing about my friends is "GIRL TIME"! You know what I'm talking about. The "Lets get together and be silly" times or the "I really need a shoulder to cry on" times or the times in between where you just want to hang out and not even talk that much. Girl time is so great cause It's time that you share with other "Girls" who deep down inside probably have the same insecurities and fears as you do. To some It's one of the few times in life where you can really be yourself. It's really awesome when you have a bunch of ladies who can all get together and who blend well together. Women who encourage you and who you can learn from and they from you. It's also really great when you have the same faith and you can grow together. It's very important that you have trusting relationships with people of the same gender. People that are there for you, to talk to, to pray for you, and who are just a phone call away if ever you need something.

Friendships are one of the special gifts in life.  


Have you talked to a friend lately?



  * Andrea *

Perspectives

   Last night when I was reading the bible verse in my day planner, it really made me think. Again? I know! This happens way too often!
The verse was 1 Peter 1:3 "All praise to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation."

The write up that went with the verse was: " Life is hard; then you die. That's one perspective. Here's another: Life is membership in a forever family." I don't know about you, but I prefer the second perspective. How often in our lives have we been told the first one though? Why do we focus on how hard life is when we could be focusing on how much fun and freedom we can have living for God? If we are doing it all for him, life has meaning. If were just doing it for ourselves, it's worthless. As long as I live for him, I can have great expectations for my life and my future.

My perspective from now on will be " Life is membership in a forever family."

Are you part of the family? If not, I would love for you to join.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at:  candle_andrea@hotmail.com

* Andrea *

Happy Birthday!

    Well, the birthday parties are over for my daughter for now. However, they are just beginning for my niece! She turned 1 today! Happy Birthday Sophia! We love you!

Isn't she sweet?

She had a great time playing with her cupcake! She made a nice mess too!!

 Psalm 139:13-14 " For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."



Have a great day!

* Andrea *

It's Party Time!

    Wow, what a weekend! It was a really great one, but very busy! We had friends from B.C. come out so we were able to spend some time with them and we had a couple of birthday celebrations for my daughter. On Saturday, Tim and I took Arielle to Build-A-Bear Workshop for her birthday gift from us. She had a really good time and chose a very cute lamb. Afterward, we took her out for lunch and then we came home. On Sunday, I took her and 2 friends to the movie theatre to see the movie "Tangled" in 3D. That was a lot of fun! After the movie, we went to Mc Donald's for supper.

 The girls had a lot of fun and it was great for me because I didn't have to do it all in my house! Until now, all of her friend parties have been in my house, which is fine but last year we had 10 girls! That is a few too many to try to keep busy and to clean up after. So I thought this year we would do something different. We all really enjoyed it.

 The parties are not over yet! We have my family coming over tonite and my husbands over tomorrow nite. I really enjoy celebrating her birthday, but I am also glad when the parties are over.

I wonder how Alejandro will celebrate his birthday? What kinds of things do they do? I know he will have a party because Compassion has a birthday party for each sponsored child. That's a thought that brings me joy, because every child deserves a birthday party.

How does your sponsored child celebrate his/her birthday?

* Andrea *