Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Fast Day 36

Saturday; February 18 

Ephesians 6:11-18 
(11) Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (12) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (13) Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you maybe able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (14) Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, (15) and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. (16) In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (17) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 
(18) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. 
This Saturday, we were at camp. When writing this out I was thinking of how crazy important out armor is, even if we are in a place like camp. The devil is still there. And we still need to be on guard. I was majorly attacked this year in a few ways AT camp. Not before. Not after. But AT camp. (Well, yes I was attacked before and after too but..you know what I mean.) At camp I was emotionally drained, and there was a time when I just wanted to be left alone. I lost my appetite, and just felt like I was going to be sick. Luckily I have friends who can tell somethings wrong, and I got it all out and I felt better. All that being said- YOU NEED YOUR ARMOR no matter where you are! Just because you are at church, or surrounded by 'church people' does not by any means mean that you can let your guard down even a little bit. The stronger you are, the more the devil wants to destroy you. He will take your weakest points and target you there! 

So Lord I pray we will remember to keep you with us every day! I pray that we will remember to put on our armor daily, so that we will be strong in you and be able to handle attacks that come our way. Lord I ask for protection over our lives. Help us be strong men and women of God!

We love you. 
xoxo


Bible man reminds us to always put on our armor. ;)
xoxo

Fast Day 35

February 17; Friday

Churches

I thank God every day for my churches. I attend two, Redeemer and The Rock. My family attends Redeemer, and as an individual I attend the Rock. Both churches are equally amazing!

Lord I pray you come in and encounter us as at church! I pray that Your presence will be visible in every service, and people would be drawn to the people of the church to find out what is different, and then they will start coming to church! Help our church make Your church grow! Jesus we love you and we cannot wait until your return!

Help us Jesus!
xoxo

Fast Day 34

Thursday; February 16


Influences


I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for other people. Everyone is influenced by other people in one way or another. Growing up, grown ups tell you "Don't let other people influence you on how you live your life." Well, are they not influencing you by saying that?


Well I'm proud to say that yes, i have indeed been influenced by people. Teachers, Leaders, Parents.


So God, I just thank you for my teachers. I thank you for the knowledge and life skills they have given me through my school years. I thank you that I have been lucky to have good teachers and such. 


Thank you oh so much for the leaders I have been given; 202, PB, and their wives. Pastors at my two churches. And the leaders I have had through the years. 
202 and his wife have been there for me since day 1 when I was the new girl to the youth group. I am so beyond appreciative of them, for they has been one of the very few constants for the last 7 years. Thank you Jesus for the amazing leadership abilities you have put in them. Thank you for putting them in my life. Thank you Jesus for their family. And I pray that you continue to bless their cute little family. 
I have been at the youth group longer than PB (and his wife), but things changed when they showed up. Youth kids are more on fire for God now than ever, and it is most definitely due to the fact that PB knows how to get the word across and bring heaven down! Ha. They both are such an inspiration, and have helped mold me into who I am today, maybe not directly, but they are definitely a part of it! Thank you Lord for an amazing youth pastor like PB and for his wife. Thank you for the affect they have had on my life. Bless their family!
Thank you Lord for the leaders you have put in my life! I couldn't have asked for better leaders. They are absolutely amazing.
Thank you Jesus! 



My parents also have had a huge influence on my life. They have both always been there for me. They have both taught me life lessons. And most importantly they have both influenced my walk with Christ. They have done nothing but encourage a relationship with God. I am beyond thankful for them.





Bless these people... 
xoxo


Friday, February 24, 2012

Imperfection.


I wrote this about a year ago. I reread it, made some slight changes, and decided to post it here...
(I will get back to the 40 days, I promise!) 


I'm not a good writer but bear with me here... 
Rereading this after I have written it out, I am very scatter-brained, but please try and stick with me. 


God really put this on my heart tonight, and I felt like I need to share. 

IMPERFECTION 

IM-PERFECT-ION 
When I saw this word, those were the first three words that popped in my head. 

IM
PERFECT 
ION


Thinking about this hits me hard because I struggled with my looks for a while, and all the imperfections I saw in my body. 
My hair is too thick, I was too skinny, My nose is pointed...

I'm gonna start this with a verse.. 

John 3:16 
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son. That whoever believed in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. 

God cared so much for everyone, no matter what you look like, have done, etc., that He gave His ONE son for all of us. I don't know about you, but that's kinda crazy! Do you realize how much he cares for you? No matter what you've done or look like? No matter how many times you have failed or done wrong? Through everything, God loves you the same, which is still more love than you can recieve from any number of humans on this earth can give you. 

No the definition of an 'ion'....
"An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons." 

An ion is an imperfect atom. 

God even made these little tiny ions imperfect. On purpose. Let's go a little bit farther? An atom is part of a while. All these tiny atoms make up one big thing.
People are just like atoms. We all work together to make the whole [universe] work. Even those ions work with the whole! These ions are imperfect, but work perfectly, just as any other atom would. 

Matthew 7:3 
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye, but pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

People these days look at someone and see all the imperfections and things they have fone wrong, but they don't bother to turn around and look inside themselves.. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Sporot, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 

God made YOU. God thinks you are PERFECT. YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE! So why does everyone thing it is necessary for plastic surgery, loads and loads of make up, etc.? 

YOU DON'T NEED IT. 

God made you, you. He loves that freckle on your cheek bone. He loves the way your hair is big and frizzy! He loves that you only have a dimple on the right side of your face!
He sees you as perfect. 

I get asked often why I don't wear make up everyday, and why I don't do my hair all the time.. If yo uknow me well, you'd know I'm a no make up/hair in a messy bun type of girl for the most part.. (Yes, I like getting all dolled up, it's fun, but not all the time.)

Does God not see you every night?
When you take your make up off and let your hair down? 


God sees you. 
God thinks you are beautiful.
God thinks you are to die for. 

And because he thought that, God sent his one and only sone to die for YOU

Anyways..
Take out the 'ion'. 

What's left?
IMPERFECT. 


Don't look at this as imperfect... Add an apostrophe and a space and what do you get?

I'm perfect.

There's not really anything else to say about it.

I'm perfect. 


I'm perfect. 
I'm perfect. 

In God's eyes, YOU ARE PERFECT.

1 Peter 3:3-4 

Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.

Proverbs 3:15 
She is more precious than jewels, and you desire can compare with her. 

People let the opinion of man affect them too much. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM. 
For two reasons: 
~He is NOT God. 

~Every mand out there is different . Odds are one will appreciate you for what you look like. If he doesn't, that's shallow and he is NOT the one for you. 

To end this out- If a man really cares about you, it will not matter what you look like. He will look at your insides. Your heart. Your soul. Your mind. If he is worth it, he will define your beauty from what he sees in your heart, not your outward appearances.

1 Samuel 16:7 

People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 

Last thing- 
Someone once told me this: 
Most of the time; you only notice flaws on yourself! Because you know what you look like when your skin is perfectly clean, and your hair all done. Which is why when there is one little blemish people freak out! And other people only notice because you either a) are too insecure about it or b) try too hard to cover it up, only making it more noticeable. 

JESUS LOVES YOU FOR YOU. 

For what you look like. For what you have done. 

Don't listen to mans opinions.

So Lord, I pray over everyone struggling with their beauty. Help them see themselves exactly how you see them. Help them know they are loved, despite everything that has gone on. Show them an appreciation for themselves. Help them know who they are in You. You have designed us perfectly. Help us all believe that. Thank you Daddy! We love you! 



If anyone needs to talk about this, find a trusted adult. There are people in this world who wil help you, who think you are beautiful, and who love you through everything. 


You are loved by our Creator! The man who made our universe took special time to mold and create you! 



Thursday, February 16, 2012

Fast Day 33

Wednesday; February 15

Lord I pray for everyone with an uncertain future. I pray for each and every person who is out of work. I pray that they will be able to provide for their family in some way. I pray for people who are sick, in the hospital. Those who have been told you have 'x' amount of time left...I rebuke that in the name of Jesus! We ask for healing in these bodies! We know you can do all! I pray for healing of the heartbroken. I pray for healing of all hearts all over the world. I pray for healing of bones. I pray for healing of spirit, soul, and mind. 

You can do all! 
xoxo

Fast Day 32


Tuesday; February 14 

Today's prayer challenge was to pray for the two girls I'm fasting with. 

Allison and Kait. 



Allison: 
I haven't known Allison that long, less than a year. She's three years younger than me. But that dosen't matter. It definitely gets hard at times. I want someone who's been through what I have, or something close to what I have, but her being a freshmen in high school, it gets tough. But everything works together for our good. Our friendship is great. She's always there, for any little thing I need. She brings me yummy food on Fridays, and what girl doesn't love food. ;) I love the girl to death. 

Lord, I thank you for Allison. I thank you for our friendship. I pray for our friendship. I pray it won't fail like a lot of friendships have. I pray it will blossom, and only continue to get better. I pray anything we have between each other will be solved, and we can start fresh. 
I pray you show her your heart. Show her that who she is is exactly who you want her to be. Show her the love you have for her. Lord I ask that you begin to show Allison her true identity. Erase the false identity the world has put on her, and show her the identity YOU have for her. Protect her heart from the lies of this world. Use her Jesus in ways that promote your Kingdom. 


Kait:
I met Kait 3 and a half years ago. We were instant friends, after we got over the new girl/drama queen boy drama..no surprise. ;) We grew into the best of friends. We have had SO many fights. It's ridiculous. But neither of us can stay mad for more than a few days at the most. She has always been there for me! Through thick and thin. We don't hang out often, but when we do, we have the absolute best of times! We seriously go through about the same problems at the same times through life.. Family problems, guy problems.. We've both been through about the same stuff. It's pretty crazy! I can talk to her about anything and know that my secrets are safe with her. We are basically the same person split into two bodies. She's the best you could ask for. I love her oh so much! :)

Father God, I thank you for the friend you have given me in Kait. I thank you for our friendship. I thank you that we have a 3 year strong friendship. I pray that our friendship won't end, and that it will only get better! 
I pray for Kait, as she is going into a new stage in life. I pray you will bless her college years. I pray for favor for getting into classes. I pray that through everything she will not lose sight in you! Lord, I thank you for the amazing heart for you she has. I pray you will show her your love more and more! Use her Jesus in ways that promote your Kingdom. 

(Classic Kait, Allison, and Emma..
Cheesy. Gorgeous. Not paying Attention.
They sure know how to make me look great. -_-)


Thank you Jesus for putting these girls in my life! 
xoxo

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fast Day 31

Monday; February 13

Sadness.


Look into the eyes of the people of the world. 
Look deep into their eyes. 
What do you see? 

A lot of the time people on the outside seem all bubbly and happy! But you look a little farther, and get to know some people, and you see depression, sadness, and fear. People have gotten really good at hiding their feelings. People put on masks and pretend to be perfectly happy when they aren't. It makes me really sad just seeing it all. 

Lord I pray you will bless everyone who has sadness in their hearts for any reason. I pray people dealing with a death of a family member, or close friend, will be find that filling that hole in their heart with You is the only way to go about things. I pray for the heartbroken. I pray for those who just had an abortion. I pray everyone with any sadness in their hearts would just be delivered from the sadness, and filled with joy and happiness. I ask that the Holy Spirit fills these people from the inside out. Lord visit them. And help them to be truly happy. 


We know you can do all. 
xoxo

Fast Day 30

Sunday; February 12 

Today was a friend's 18th birthday. 

Along with his sister and mom, we put on a surprise party for him. 

It actually worked out super well. 


I am beyond thankful for friends. 
Seeing all the people that came to support my friend, it made me grateful for all of my friends. 

I got to relax a little bit during the party. 
I got to talk to my friends, and we took lots of pictures, and I just had a blast. 
We played the piano and sang songs. 
For a while we sat around and worshipped. Worshipping with friends is the absolute best. 



Thank you God for good friends. I thank you for your love. I thank you for the freedom to worship you. I pray you will continue to let these friendships grow. And I pray that everyone in our youth group will grow a stronger relationship with you. Open peoples eyes in this week before winter camp. Prepare our hearts Lord, for radical change this weekend. Prepare us for a crazy encounter with the Holy Spirit! 

We miss you Jesus, and we want you to return! 

xoxo

Monday, February 13, 2012

Fast Day 24-29

The Lord's Prayer

For these 6 days, we dissected the Lord's prayer, and prayed it over our lives. 

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be they Name. 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Each day we took one of these statements, meditated on it, and prayed it over our lives. 
(I figured one longerish blog post all about the same topic would be better than 6 different ones..)



Monday; February 6
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be they Name.

I want nothing but to make your name known. I want to be able to make your name holy. Spreading the gospel is all I want done through my life. Shine through me! Use me to spread your name! 


Tuesday; February 7 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord do what you please with my life. I want to show your light all whee I go. Thank you for giving us the freedom. I want your will to be done with my life. Here I am Lord. I give my life to you. Do as you please! 


Wednesday; February 8
Give us this day our daily bread.

Thank you Lord for everything you have given me. Thank you for supplying my family with food, shelter, and clothing. Thank you for all you have given me. 


Thursday; February 9
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

Thank you Jesus for forgiveness. And help us forgive others. We don't want to live through life with our sins. We don't want to have anger and hatred in our hearts. Help us forgive, and give us the courage to seek forgiveness from others. Help us forgive others.


Friday; February 10
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

Temptation is a huge part of our daily lives. And it absolutely sucks. Lord, help us not fall into temptation. Help us be strong enough to walk away from our temptations. Help us avoid all that we can.


Saturday; February 11
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

I ONLY want to bring you glory, God! When people see me, I only want your name to be praised! Take out everything in our lives that we put before you! Fill every gap in our lives with You!  



USE US LORD. 
xoxo






Fast Day 23

Monday, February 5

I want to be an overseas missionary. 

But until I can be, I will support missionaries with prayer, and be a light here in my hometown. 

There are two oversea missionary families I pray for all the time. 

Both are stationed in Ethiopia, (where the twins are from!) 
Both are working to help with the long term problem of orphans and widows, (where my heart is!)

These families have given up everything they had here. They uprooted their lives. Sold everything they owned ad moved half way across the globe. 

These two families all have the biggest hears of anyone I have ever met. 
Their hearts are fully open to hearing the voice of God.
I respect these families and look up to them. 

Lord, I pray you will bless these families beyond what they could imagine. I pray they will get everything they need. I pray finances will come in above and beyond expected. I pray that as a family you will bless them with a closer family relationship. I thank you for their willingness to do anything you ask them to do. I pray that from following blog posts, and facebook, you will open the eyes of people reading to see the truth in Your word. Thank you Lord for putting people like them on this earth. This would be a crazy place without them. 


God bless. 
xoxo

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Fast Day 22

Saturday, February 4.


Just Another Day

Today (well, Saturday) was a tough day. 

But to do so, I have to give an overview of my past, and yesterday mostly.


I had a boyfriend a while ago. We were together for a long time. And it didn't necessarily end well. I never fully let him go, and I had such a hard time just getting through life the last 2 years with the guilt of everything and knowing I wasn't good enough.


This majorly affected my walk with Christ.


I felt like I wasn't good enough. Like Christ couldn't love me as much as anyone else.

I felt like an outsider.
And I hated it.

I was scared to tell people my story. I was scared to trust people, and I didn't want to let anyone in except the people who already knew. Those were the only people I trusted with anything. There was a slight opening for some girls whose attitudes and personalities were similar to mine. But even then, it was hard.

Last night, (Friday, the third of February) Pastor Jim Anderson came to the Rock. 



He talked about women (girls) being an Esther.
My goals in life are now to be an Esther and a Proverbs 31 woman.

Anyways,
Long story short,

My life was changed Friday, February 3, 2012.
I will no longer let my past affect me.
I will no longer be scared to trust people.
(I won't trust everyone, but I will let trustable people in my life.)
I will no longer let jealousy creep into my heart.
I will no longer let myself be used. 

I will no longer hold onto memories.


I am a NEW person.


Thank the Lord.

((Just FYI, when the Lord majorly impacts your life, you are usually attacked by the devil in the next few days...))

So back to 'today'...

Today I had a CPR class all day.
8-4:30.
Long day!
I had to do the Heimlich maneuver on a 400 pound guy.
Yeah.
That's just awesome for a 113 pound girl.

Anyways, I had to write the date “February 4, 2012” over and over again on the different pages we had.

Today would have marked 2 years with my ex-boyfriend. We had plans for this day. And the first time I had to write the date, every memory from the whole relationship came flooding back. I started to let it get to me. My heart started to sink. I was about to cry.

At that moment, when I felt myself sinking into a slight 'depression', I heard a little whisper.
It wasn't loud and audible.
It was quiet. 
It was like any other thought I would have normally had.
Like a conscience.

I am with you”

Instantly I looked back and remembered I could trust Christ, and that he will never leave me nor forsake me. I don't have to ever worry about being alone, which means I will never have to worry about running to a guy ever again. I don't need a guy to make me feel good about myself. I have Jesus Christ in my heart who will help me in any time of need. 

My day went on as every other Saturday, church and a Dwyer date. But this moment went through my head all day long...

The eyes of a renewed person.

“I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” 
Isaish 41:9-10

“Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7

“For freedom Christ has set us freel stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galations 5:1


God bless. 
xoxo

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fast Day 21

Thursday; February 3

Have you ever felt like your just stuck?

I have before.
But not as bad as some people.

Some people are beyond stuck in situations.
They are stuck in relationships. Dangerous relationships, that take away their self-worth in the end. These girls (maybe guys? I don't know if it happens to them too..) get stuck in these abusive relationships, and if they leave the guy hunts them down, abuses her more, and threatens her even more if she ever leaves again.

This is just plain SCARY to me.

My heart aches for these girls.

I pray that these girls will find the strength in our God to help them leave. I pray God will show himself to them, allowing them to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Bring the right people to these girls sides, to help them through this huge step in their life.

I also pray for these pigs our society calls 'men'. I pray God will be shown to them, and they will be able to break these horrible habits. I pray they will be accepting towards anyone who approaches them with Jesus in their heart.

I don't know about you guys, but it's hard to pray for the 'predators' of this society. These people don't deserve second chances. They don't deserve what we have. I very badly want to just say something along the lines of "Go to hell." but I know that's not the right response.
But then I think, 'Wow. What if God didn't give me a second chance? Where would I be right now?"

God is a God of second chances! None of us deserve them. None of us do. But God gives them anyways.

Matthew 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck of saw dust in your brothers eye, abd pay no attention the plank in your own eye?"

Romans 3:23 "For we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.."

We aren't any better than these people. We all sin. We all have our own problems.

So Lord, I pray that you will help all of us. We all need you. Thank you for taking our sins on the cross. We didn't deserve it, yet you suffered through all the pain for us. You would have done it for just one of us. We thank you, Jesus, for dying for us.

We love you..
xoxo

Monday, February 6, 2012

Fast Day 20


Wednesday; February 2

We're LUCKY.

We all have the opportunity to own a bible. 
We all have the freedom to attend church. 
We all have the freedom to speak to others about Christ.

The first amendment gives us the freedom of religion.


Lord I pray for placed like China who don't have the freedom of religion. I pray you will move in the government there, allowing them to have the freedom to own a bible, and worship publicly. 
I pray for the Christians in places like this. I pray that you will give them the strength to get through day after day. 

Show them Your amazing love! 
xoxo







Fast Day 19

Tuesday; Febraury 1

Boldness in Proclamation

Lord, we all know how hard it is to share your word. We are all worried about getting rejected, being shot down, and getting out feelings hurt. Help us all be able to have the strength and mind set that you are with us and will give us the words to say and that we should not feel anything that would make us scared. We trust in you Lord Jesus to help us through any situation.  

Help us Lord to know who to talk to. Show us who you want us to talk to. 

Thank you Lord for giving us the strength and positive mind set to share Your word. 

Mark 16:15 "Go into the world and preach the good news to all creation!"
Luke 21:15 "For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to oppose or prove wrong."

Help us not be scared to be a "Jesus Freak." Let us not be afraid to show that we love Jesus. Take away the fear of being judged! Lord we thank you for everything you do for us!

From here on out, I give the rest of my life to the Lord. I want to follow him without shame all the rest of the days of my life. I don't want to live on my own anymore. Jesus come and be the ruler of my life. Do with it as you please! Thank you for the amazing friends I have, who love and support me through every high time and trouble.


Thank you Lord for your love. 
xoxo

Fast Day 18

Tuesday; January 31

"And lead us not into temptation.."

Temptation is the absolute worst thing Satan came up with.

Temptation sucks. A lot. 

He uses it in so many ways. 

It's not even fair.

For me, my biggest temptation is gossip and guys.

I find myself tempted (and a lot of the time giving into temptation) to gossip about people in my life. If anyone does any little thing to me, my first thought it to go and run and tell someone else just to get it off my chest. 

Guys is the other biggest temptation in my life. I find myself looking for the 'love' and attention from a guy. I get tempted to do things I know I shouldn't. And I have given in in the past. But not anymore. I still struggle a lot. But I have God on my side, and I can overcome any and all temptations. 

Leviticus 19:16 
Song of Solomon 8:4
xoxo

Fast Day 17

Monday; January 30

Orphans

As we all know.. Orphans hold a huge spot in my heart. 
I told my parents for years that they should adopt! Years and years later they finally did, and we gave these two 'orphans' a forever family! Two less orphans. :)

Just because these two came to be in our family, does not mean that my heart has stopped feeling the pain for orphans. 
Every time I hear about an orphanage, a missions trip to an orphanage, or adoptions, my heart breaks for all the orphans out there who aren't able to get adopted, or who haven't been placed into a forever family yet. Every child deserves a family. And unfortunately there are millions of children who don't have homes. 

I pray daily for children who don't have forever families. 

I hope you will join me in praying for these children. 
xoxo












Fast Day 16.

This is from last Sunday..Dang. I'm way behind. 


Extended Family 


I have the biggest extended family. 
On just my moms side, there are 16 cousins, 7 aunts/uncles, and the grandparents. That is just the immediate extended family. 


 (missing three cousins! Alex, Molly, and Sydni!)

 We are a very silly family. 


I would have to say out of all of them, I am closest to Stacy or Emily. 



I spent a month last summer in Santa Barbara going between their houses. It was an absolute blast! 
I went to the movies and had Disney movie marathons with Emily.
I spent a little more time with Stacy. We hung out with her friends, and went to the drive ins, and had all-nighters with Pam and Alyssa (two friends I had known previously!)
It had to have been a highlight of my summer. Two of my favorite cousins. SPending a whole bunch of time with them. I loved every moment of it. :)

Dad's side of the family is completely different. 
Us 6 kids are the only grandchildren. I have no cousins on his side. 
My dad's brother's are twins. 
I have one Aunt, (married into the family.) 
I don't have a granddad. (He passed away before I was born.)


So compared to my moms side, this side of my family is a lot smaller. 
BUT. I see them a whole lot more. 
My dad has a huge extended family. And we see them about the same if not more than my mom's family. 
(Not that we love either side more, were just a lot closer to Dad's side!)

Uncle Don has always been in a wheelchair. 
We pray for him all the time. He believes he will be healed one day. He carries a pair of converse on the back of his chair for the day when God heals him so he can put them on and walk! We all are believing for him, and will continue praying until our prayers are answered. 
Uncle Wayne has been sick for years. 
I still don't know what exactly is going on. It's a lot to take in. I don't remember him not being sick really.. It's been so long. He is on dialysis 3-4 times a week. He has had more surgeries than anyone should ever have. He has the best attitude about it all though. He jokes about not having all his fingers, and almost always has a smile on his face. He is an inspiration to all of us! We will continue to pray for him until something happens!

Now you know just a little more about my family.
xoxo