Missions Or Not?

As you may recall, in my last post I somewhat complained about people assuming that my trip to Korea is missions oriented. I don't know why this "bothers" me, but it does a little.

I've been praying to God, telling Him about my concerns and thoughts. I've told Him that should He want me to do some kind of missions work while I'm there, then I would - even if I'm not overly keen on it. Does that make me a bad Christian? Jesus tells us to go into the world and make disciples of all men, yet I don't want to do that. I'm 100% certain that is because of a little 4-letter word that starts with "f" -- fear.

Now, keep in mind that Christianity is very popular over in Korea, and I think the top two religions are Christianity and Buddhism. It's not like the Korean people have never heard of Jesus, but still there are those who need to know Jesus and see His love in action, and receive His love. It's just the same in North America. Missions is not limited to the jungles of Africa or other third-world countries. Missions can be done in our own backyards!

So, to get to my point, this past Sunday the pastor was preaching about doing missions because a group of youth and young adults is going to Toronto for a week on a missions trip. It was a very good sermon, and at the end he said that if we felt the Lord nudging us about doing mission work (he strongly believes that all Christians should go on at least one mission trip in their lifetime), to stand so he could pray for us. Well, guess who felt the nudge. Yeah, me.

I have no clue what kind of mission work I'd even do over in Korea, but I suppose any little bit is fine. I will, as I have mentioned before, do my knitting over there to donate to charities or underprivledged kids who might need a hat or socks or mittens or something, and I'll likely help out at the church I end up attending in Korea - providing they have areas of ministry that are done in English so communication would be easy. Whatever it is, I'm praying that the Lord will direct my steps and let me know what it is He wants me to do.

But first, I need to get myself into His Word more often and pray better than I've been doing. I need to be able to hear Him when He speaks to me and tells me in what direction I need to go. I will be honest and say that I've fallen behind in these areas (though the praying is getting better) and definately need improvement. I need the power of God to keep Satan from preventing me from doing the Lord's work, because I can't stop him (Satan) with my own power.

So, it just may be that one reason the door has been opened for me to go to Korea is to do some missionary work. To me that is scary. It shouldn't be, but in all honesty it is. It's something I'll have to work out with God.

A Little Closer To Lift-Off

This is the last day of June, and in a little over a month and a half I will be heading to South Korea. Slowly, I have been getting things together - though nothing is packed yet. What I have been gathering is what I've needed for documentation.

I've gotten a another diploma (we had to pay for it, but it was worth it so that we wouldn't have to send our originals - especially since I got mine framed rather nicely) - it's not a copy per se, but is official and signed by the registrar and president of the university. I also got two copies of my TESL certificate and sent one to Korea. I had to get two passport sized photos (probably for the visa and/or Ministry of Education records), two reference/recommendation letters, sealed transcripts, copy of the picture page of my passport, a criminal record check (sealed, and a medical report. I've yet to get the medical report as I can only get into the doctor for July 24. I received an email from the Ministry asking for me to fax a copy of the signed report when I get that; I'll also take the original with me in case they would like that over the faxed copy.

Within the next couple of weeks I should be getting the contract an official letter of acceptance and the documents for the working visa. We are to go to the nearest Korean Consulate and get those documents signed. The only problem is the nearest Korean Consulate is in Montreal! Neither my two friends nor I can afford to take a weekend trip up to Montreal to do this, so one of the girls contacted the woman from Vancouver that we've been in contact with throughout this process. She's been the middle person, so to speak, between applicants from Canada and the Ministry of Education in South Korea. She told us to mail the documents and our passport (which is needed for this) to the consulate. That bothers me somewhat.

You see, information that was included with the passport says not to let your passport out of your possession. Now, you don't have to keep it on your person at all times, but you shouldn't give it away or lend it to someone or anything of the sort. However, the only option we have is to mail it to the Consulate...I'll definately be using Registered Mail or something of the sort which means they'll have to sign for the envelope (and thus I'll know they received it), and I think I am going to request that they send it back in a similar way. I will be praying that my passport doesn't get lost or stolen in that process - otherwise I could be in trouble (not for sending it to them, but for not having it when I need it to go to Korea). I'm sure that things will be fine in this area, though.

Also, something I've been running into a lot lately is that a lot of people are assuming that my trip to Korea is for missions. That is not the case. Yes, God can use me over there should He so choose; but my reasons for going to Korea are not mission oriented. I'm simply going over there to teach English and hopefully earn enough money to pay off a significant chunk (if not the whole thing, which would be nice) of my student loan.

Yes, I will be looking for a church when I get there, and I plan on using my God-given talent of knitting to make items for homeless/less-fortunate/orphans, etc. as I do here. I don't know if I will get involved in the church I attend as I've been involved here at my own church (such as teaching Sunday school and helping with the mid-week program), or if I will take a "break" and rest and replenish myself from such things for the year, so that I don't get burnt out. That way, when I come back I will be rested up and can start fresh in at my own church again. I know I'll be busy with the teaching, and if I volunteer at a church there (doing Sunday school or some other program or whatnot), I know I will run myself ragged and get burnt out - and I don't want that to happen while I'm in Korea. But, I shall have to wait and see what the direction that God will lead me in while I'm in Korea.

So comes the end of another updated post on my journey to South Korea. God bless, and have a Christ-filled day!

A Couple of Fun Quizzes!

Your Eyes Should Be Brown

Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Another Step Towards Korea

I still haven't gotten everything together to send to Korea to get the visa. I do have most of the required documents/information, however.

I was able to take one day off a little over a week ago. I was able to go to the police station and submit the form to get a police check done. I also included a self-addressed stamped envelope so they could send it to me. I got that back last Wednesday - less than a week later. We have to submit that in a sealed envelope, so naturally I did not open it. I will send it as is when I send out my documents.

I've also been able to get my two reference letters, one from my TESL teacher, and one from my employer. Those, too, have to be sealed. My TESL teacher is sending his letter directly to Korea, but my employer gave me her reference in a sealed envelope and I'll send it as is.

One of the girls who is going to South Korea with me stopped into the university last week and she and the third girl (who happens to work at the university) spoke with the registrar about our diplomas and TESL certificates. You see, we are supposed to submit our originals but we don't want to do that in case they get lost or ripped or damaged in some other way. The school's policy is that you can't get a replacement unless you submit the original first. However, since our situation is somewhat unique, they told the girls that they will get us copies of the diplomas and certificates. The only thing is, we have to pay - which I suppose is fair.

I emailed the woman in the registrar's office who is responsible for getting these documents for us. She said that they were waiting for the paper to print them on, as well the president of the university had to sign them. We should get them at the beginning of this week (I checked my email tonight and there was no word on them yet). I also inquired about my transcripts and those are ready, but this same woman in the registrar's office said she thought maybe I'd want to get everything at the same time, and save a trip into the school. That is fine with me. I just need these documents very soon.

As for the passport, Sarah and I drove up to the provincial capital to the passport office there. We went on a Tuesday morning and submitted our applications. We were told it would take three weeks for us to get our passports. Two weeks and a couple of days later, we got them. Had we sent them to Ottawa (actually I think the passport office is in Gatineau, Quebec which is just across the border from Ottawa I think), we would have had a minimum of 10 weeks to wait before getting the passports. The reason is because very soon (unless it is required now), Canadians will need passports to enter the US via air. As well, in the not too distant future, you will be required to have a passport the enter the US via car as well (right now you only need a birth certificate). I think people are preparing for that, especially with the summer season upon us and many people will be travelling.

Anyway, if you are a Canadian citizen and wish to avoid the long wait when sending your passport application into Ottawa/Gatineau, take it to your provincial office if it is at all possible. You'll have a shorter wait.

So, I am mostly waiting on the diploma and TESL certificates and then I can get those and what I've gathered so far, documentation wise, to send to Korea so they can work on getting the visa. Once I send in, at least, the three important items (diploma, transcripts, and two passport size photos), they can begin the process. I think the rest of the documents are for the Ministry of Education's (in Korea) office files, though to be honest, I am not totally sure about that.

The days and weeks are passing by quickly; June is half over already. I don't know exactly when we'll leave yet, but the orientation starts August 24. I would expect we will leave Canada no later than August 22 (it takes about 24 hours to get there, including stops/layovers or whatnot from what I read).

Two months (approximately) from now, and I head to Korea. I don't think it has really hit me yet. I have a lot to do before then, and I know the time is going to fly by. I'll keep you updated on how things are going prior to leaving. I'll be taking my laptop with me, and we are told that we will have internet access at the schools, and we can have it set up in our apartments; I will be able to blog from there and update on what is going on with me in Korea.

Until then, I'll try to come up with other things to post about as well so I won't be too boring...

Have a Christ-filled day!

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane

Well, not for a little while yet. A couple of friends (from my TESL class) and I had applied for jobs teaching English in South Korea. We had to send in our resumes, photos, a medical form (a simple general self-evaluation type), then if we got through that we would have to take part in an interview via phone from South Korea. Thursday night we had our interviews (mine was at 11pm my time, one girl was before me but I don't know what time hers was, and the other one didn't have her interview until 1am our time). We waited all weekend to find out whether or not we passed the interview.

This evening we found out. I haven't talked to the other girls yet, but I passed the interview!

Now I have to gather together two reference letters, a medical report from the doctor, a police check, my diploma, copy of my TESL certificate, transcripts of my marks, and some other items. All of this is needed to optain the visa. We need to get this done this month. In July we'll receive an official acceptance letter, our contracts, and something else that I forget at this moment...oh, probably the visa.

Next comes the airline ticket (though I wonder if that can be obtained prior to getting the visa), and flying to South Korea to take part in an orientation, after which we will begin teaching.

Whew! That's a lot to get done between now and then. I'm going to have to take a day or two off work so I can do the running around I need in order to get my transcripts, police check, etc., because all of these places will be closed by the time I get off work (which is typically 4:30). Taking the time from work doesn't bother me. I even have to ask my boss for a reference letter, and I'm sure she'll give me a good reference; that doesn't bother me.

I'm excited but at the same time, I'm scared. I've never been out of the country (except to visit in Maine a couple of times several years ago), and have never been that far away from my family and friends before. That will take getting used to, and I'm sure I'll suffer home sickness some as well.

Anyway, just wanted to update the blog and let you know what's been going on. I can definately use prayer for this - getting all the documentation done up, and on time; saving money; safe travel and safety in South Korea...and so much more. I'll keep you all updated on how things are progressing, so until then, have a Christ-filled day!

Wisdom Hairs

Well, I guess it's been a little while since I've posted here. Things are going well, and I've started back to work at my summer job (the same one I've been going to since starting school). I've been there for two weeks now, and I still don't think I've gotten used to the early hours.

For school, my earliest class was close to noon, and I was usually up no later than 10:00. For work, I am up about 6:45. I've been going to bed earlier than usual, but it still takes me awhile to wake up...definately need the coffee; and even then sometimes it takes two cups before I feel awake. By evening, I'm back to feeling somewhat tired.

I am busy looking into finding work in the TESL field, because I don't want my course to go to waste, and also, I don't want to go back to my old job (the one I do in the summer) because I didn't quit to go to university and get in debt just to go back and do data entry. Also, I don't want the carpal tunnel to affect me again like it was. As it is, I have to cut back on my knitting so that my wrists won't become aggrivated from typing all day and knitting in the evenings.

Now, you may be wondering about the title of this post. Well, the other day I got my hair cut, and the lady at the salon told me that I am too young to have all this "wisdom hair". She was, of course, referring to the grey hair that I have been getting since I started school - well, ok, it started before that but seems like the stress I had caused it to turn grey faster. However, she did tell me that I am lucky because it can pass for blonde somewhat. Yeah, she was basically hinting that I should dye my hair...which I want/need to do and just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've been wanting to do it since at least Christmas, but just never did it. That's the procrastinator in me. Anyway, I told her that I'm a lot older than she thought I was, and that everyone (who doesn't know my true age) thinks I'm at least 10 years younger than I am.

Anyway, there really isn't much in the way of news. I haven't been working at my writing for awhile because of school. I'm hoping that now school is over, I'll sit down and do some more writing again. I've been thinking about changing a situation in one of the novels I'm working on (I have two in progress) because I think it would add more conflict to the story, and conflict in a story is always good.

I've been posting some book reviews (not all are my own reviews, but just reviews posted by others through the CFBA). The last couple have some of my own reviews tagged onto the end of the post, and I always note which is my opinion. If you want to check those out, head on over to my writing blog, Ink Scrawls, and see if there are any new books you'd like to read. They are Christian books, just to let you know.

I've been doing some knitting, though the last couple of weeks since starting back to work I've slackened off (as I said before). If you want to check out the things I've been working on, or see the gifts I've received from my Secret Pal, head on over to my knitting blog, Kitten Knits Yarn.

Not too much going on, so I'll sign off for now and wish you all a Christ-filled day!

Whew...Time For A Little Breather!

Well, finally a day to relax...well I'll be relaxing the whole weekend mind you, but none the less, I will be relaxing!

Exams are finally over, yay! I don't know how I have done; we haven't received our marks yet. The only one I really care about is the TESL course, and I know I did pretty good because the prof told me. I think I messed up on the history exam, but I'm not overly concerned about it. As for the Post Exilic Writings class, I think I did not too badly in it. But, we'll see when I get the marks - not sure when that is though; probably in the next week or two I think.

I finished up my TESL practicum this week - the actual teaching part of it. Monday morning I taught in the low beginner/beginner class and it went not too badly. I was VERY nervous, not just in teaching, but because my prof was there the entire time to observe. He was good about it though and gave some positive feedback, things that I should work at, etc. He said a lot of the mistakes I was making was just because I was new to teaching ESL, and that all new teachers of ESL fall into the same "traps". These are things that would come with time, though. As well, he knew I was nervous and that would contribute to some of it.

There were about 8 in the class that morning, and it was a little harder because of having just come off the weekend when the students hadn't spoken English since their class on Friday - it is hard to get them back into the swing of things. Actually, even their teacher said that is the worst possible day for a student teacher to teach the class, and my prof agreed and said that in the future they would probably not have a student teacher teach on mondays (at least in the mornings). The students were good though, and I didn't run into any real problems.

On Tuesday afternoon I taught the low intermediate level, and it was a LOT easier to teach them. With this level you can at least talk and they understand you. With the beginner class you are limited to what you can say because of the lack of understanding. The low intermediate class had about 7 students that day, and they were all friendly, understanding of me being new, etc. We had a lot of laughs as well, and that is always nice...it helps you relax some (or at least I found it did).

Wednesday morning I was back in the beginner class and it was, once again, a little difficult to adjust back to being limited. It wasn't so bad though, and this time there were 9 in the class. We reviewed more of what we had done in Monday's class, and started a new topic after that. We ran short of time, though, so I mentioned to their teacher what we had done and that it might be a good idea to go over it with them again because I don't think they had really grasped it yet. Also, I gave them a little handout and they hadn't finished that. I mentioned that to their teacher and said she might want to go over it with them as well.

Yesterday, Thursday, afternoon I was back to the low intermediate class and there were 10 - the biggest class I had taught to that point. It was a lot of fun again, and lots of laughs. They seemed to grasp what I was teaching, and that's always good. Their regular teacher said she thought I was doing an excellent job, and asked them what they thought...they agreed. That felt good.

Over the summer, I may be going to the same place (the multicultural association) to do some one on one teaching for an hour or so. The woman (actually the one who teaches the beginner class) I talked to said that would be a great welcome because there are some students who could really benefit from the extra help. She mentioned one of the ladies in her class and that they were going to get someone to translate to Spanish (this woman's mother tongue) and ask her if she would be willing to come in for some extra help. It's totally up to her, though. I'm just waiting for an email back about it. I'm not sure when I'd start - probably as early as next week. I figured that not only could the association use the extra help (they really need more people there but they don't have the funds to pay for additional staff), but also I could get some practice in teaching as well.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm off to catch up on a few blogs and do some knitting. Have a Christ filled day!

Been Awhile...

It's definately been awhile since I've posted here. School has now finished - well, all except for exams and the rest of my TESL practicum.

I had the TESL exam this evening, and I think I did ok on it. I have one more class of observation for the TESL practicum, then I can start the teaching part of it. We have to do 10 hours of observation and 10 hours of teaching, and where we go to do the practicum, the classes are 2 1/2 hours in total (they are there for 3 hours, but there is a 1/2 hour break which isn't counted in the hours we have to do).

I've enjoyed the observation part of the practicum, and have been in the beginner class and the high intermediate class. The students are from all over the world, but it seems like the bulk of them are from South Korea (at least from what I've seen so far). Most of the students seem to be anxious and desire to learn English, which is nice. The levels of learning are varried with ones who know no English (or very, very little) to ones who have a great grasp of the language. Of course, they are divided into their appropriate classes.

My next exam is in Post Exilic Writings, and that is this coming Monday. The exam will have one major essay question and about 30-odd short answer questions. He has already given us these questions, we just have to study the answers (for the short answer, which are pretty easy anyway), and prepare the answer for the essay question. I'm not overly worried for this exam, but I do still need to prepare the essay question (which I'll just cut and paste from my notes to form my answer and study that).

The last exam I have, on Tuesday, is for Maritime History. Now that one there is a TON of notes to study. We have class notes, articles we've had to read for discussion classes, and the text book. Most of the exam is going to come from the text book, which I need to go over and highlight. I haven't read all of it so that is freaking me out some. The good thing, though, is that our notes contain a good deal of what is from the text book, so that helps.

Other than school, there hasn't been a whole lot going on. I did improve somewhat on my spiritual life, but still feel stagnant. I've been doing more prayer, though they aren't all that great, and usually just little ones tossed up here and there. My Bible reading has been coming along nicely; I've been reading every morning. I haven't been doing indepth or meditative studying from it, but I have been reading. I know that I need to improve in this area of my life - I've been lazy in my walk. Prayer for me in this area is always welcome :o).

Anyway, I'm feeling quite tired tonight, so I'm going to go do a little knitting before bed. Have to get up and do more studying tomorrow (tonight I'm taking a little break from it) - I'm sick of studying...but it needs to be done. I'll be glad when it's all said and done with Tuesday afternoon!

Have a Christ filled day!

The Cross

"At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match."~ John Wenham ~

The cross was a form of Roman torture. So bad was this style of punishment, that it eventually became eradicated. The one who was nailed to the cross did not die of pain nor loss of blood. The means of death was suffocation. Gravity pulled the body downward, but with no means of supporting ones self, the pressure on the lungs would cause the person to suffocate because of the lack of air reaching the lungs.

This is the form of torture and punishment our Lord suffered. So many people pin this crime on the Jews. In reality, it wasn't just the Jews - it was us. Each and every single person, past, present and future, is responsible for putting Jesus on the cross. We drove those nails in His hands. We drove those nails in His feet.

Thankfully, Jesus was willing to suffer all of that, and more, for us. He wanted us to have freedom. He wanted us to have eternal life. He wanted us to have forgiveness of sins. And He still wants that for everyone today. Over 2000 years later, Jesus longs to have a relationship with each and every person walking the face of the earth. That means you; that means me.

I have to disagree with John Wenham when he states in the above quote, "...where evil did its worst...". I don't think evil did its worst with sending Jesus to the cross. Yes, the whole act was painful and tortureous, but it wasn't the worst thing evil (Satan) could have done. No, the worst think that evil could have done, was to prevent Jesus from dying. The worst thing would have been for Jesus to have not become the sacrifice needed for forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Am I happy that Jesus suffered the way He did? Of course not. I am not happy He had to suffer such pain, humiliation, mocking, etc. But, I am happy that He was willing to give up His life for me; I am happy that He loved me so much that He chose death so that I could have life.

And you know what? He did that for you too! Come to Him; accept His offer of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. He loves you, and longs to have a relationship with you.

Observation

Just a quick post. This past week I had two of the four days of observation for my TESL course. Whe have to have 10 hours of observation and 10 hours of teaching to get the certificate.

I've attended an intermediate to advanced intermediate class, as well as a beginner class. I really enjoyed both classes. The intermediate/adv. inter. class is easier to teach because they have a better grasp on the language. And even though the beginner class is a lot harder (most of them are doing well, but one of them is just learning and doesn't know very much at all yet and another one is a little further ahead of her), it was a lot more fun because the students were very interested in learning and were making jokes and what not...a lot of laughter in the class.

I'm going to the local multicultural center for the practicum, and they have a wide variety of countries represented. There were people from Costa Rica, Columbia, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Russia (or one of the former Russian states), Congo, Ethiopia...interesting to see how well they get along and how much they want to learn the language (though some had more enthusiasm than others, which is normal).

I have my last two days of observation this coming week, and then move on to the teaching aspect of it...that is scary! I'll be observed some by my teacher, and that is what makes me the most nervous. I'm not sure off hand when that starts...it might start the week after next, and it might not. Exams come up starting April 19th so I won't be doing any teaching during that time.

Anyway, just wanted to post a little update since it's been awhile. I am hoping to get something written for CWO's In Other Words this week as I haven't for the last couple of them for one reason or another. But, until then, have a Christ filled day!

Oh, and if any of you are knitters, I am having a little contest over on my knitting blog, Kitten Knits Yarn - come on over and enter!

Being Fed

At our house, we have a couple of bird feeders. We've been feeding the birds for several years now, and plan to continue as long as possible. It's relaxing to be able to sit and watch the birds eating, and listen to them sing their songs. Typically, we see blue jays, sparrows, golden finches, chickadees, junkos (I think that is what they are called) and mourning doves around the feeders. In the past, there has even been a cardinal visit. Mind you, we get robins too, but they don't come to the feeders.

Often, I've noticed that when there is only one or two birds at the feeders, they will look up often, turning their head this way and that as they search for possible approaching enemies, then turn back for another seed or two before repeating the process. When there are several of our feathered friends feasting, they get to eat more because they don't have to look up as often for enemies (they can take turns watching, I suppose).

I remember my dad saying one time that he had been talking with one of the men he worked with (my dad is since retired), and they were discussing feeding the birds (I have no idea how or why they got onto this topic). This man said that he felt it was a waste of time and money to feed the birds - why should he waste his hard earned money on buying bird seed. My dad said that it didn't really cost too much, and besides, he was helping to take care of some of God's little creatures.

Obviously birds also get their food from other sources, other than bird feeders set up by people. There are flowers, bugs, and worms (and who knows what else they will eat)...things that people can't provide; however, God cares enough for the birds of the air that He makes sure they have something to eat.

And just like the birds, God provides food for us. I'm not talking about the food we need to eat for our physical self; I'm talking about the food we need for our spiritual self. Yes, God does meet our needs (and one of our needs is food to nourish our bodies) physically; but, God also meets our needs spiritually. Our spiritual nourishment is the Bible - the Word of God.

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matthew 6:26, NASB)

If we don't eat often enough, or if we don't eat right, we will get sick. Our bodies depend on food for vitamins, minerals and nourishment. Our spiritual body is the same way - it needs to be fed or it, too, will get sick. Staying away from daily readings and meditations from the Bible will cause our spirits to grow weak and sick. Have you ever spent a great deal of time away from reading the Bible, only to find that you felt miserable and/or out of touch with God? That is because your spirit was feeling sick. I know I've been guilty of this myself, and it is not a very pleasant feeling.

Jesus tells us, in the above verse, that we are worth more than the birds to God. When we have something of worth, we take care of it. Therefore, since we are worth so much to God, we need to take care of us - physically and spiritually. The next time you sit down to breakfast, why not pull out your Bible and read while you eat your cereal and toast, or drink your coffee. The next time you have a snack in the evening, pull out your Bible and meditate on a verse or two at the same time. So, just as God provides nourishment for the birds, He also provides nourishment for us.

Read your Bible - your spirit's health depends on it :o)

The Source of Joy

"One of the secrets to a happy marriage is remembering the source of our joy, which is not one another. The source of our joy is the Lord. Yes, we share tons of joyous moments, but we don't expect, let alone demand, endless joy-filled moments from each other. "~ Liz Curtis Higgs ~from the devotional: Rise and Shine

When I first saw this quote over the weekend, over at CWO (click the pic above), I thought "Great, it's dealting with marriage. I can't take part in IOW this week, wonderful." And yes, at the time there was lots of eye rolling and such associated with my thoughts. That is because I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read the quote.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I'm not married (and I have no kids). Sometimes I struggle and/or have problems with this issue. I also find that there are so many resources available for married women, and even mothers, but, try to find something for single women and you won't find much...or at least I don't see much in the Christian bookstores in my area. Oh sure, there might be the odd devotional or something, but a lot of the books/articles are geared towards single teens or women in their twenties - or they aren't Christian books and give worldly advice. That really needs to change. Anyway, enough rambling and onto my thoughts on this quote:

Yes, Jesus is the source of joy in a marriage, but He is also the source of joy in the life of a single woman (and men also). Do I always find joy as a single person? No. Plain and simple, I turn my eyes inward - to myself - and focus on me. I want to be married. I want to have children. And when I focus on this, I can become depressed and angry because at my age I have neither of these.

See, I don't feel called to be a single person forever. I do have the strongest desire for being married and having children (as I said above), but I don't want just "any" husband. I want the husband that God has picked out for me - my "perfect" mate; the one He wants me to be with. I know my husband wouldn't be perfect, for none of us is. What I mean by perfect, is simply the man that God wants me to marry, the one He has matched up for me. I don't want to rush into a marriage (or even relationship) with someone just because I am lonely, or just because I want to be married. But in all honesty, there are days when I just don't want to be single anymore and am somewhat willing to settle for someone just because I want to be married.

Every day isn't like that, though. Most days I am "sane" enough to know that things could be much worse than being single - like being in an abusive relationship. I don't want that. And, in all honesty, it isn't that I can't be alone or that I'm afraid to be alone. No, I have been single all my life and know that I can be alone. In fact, there are times when I want to be alone! I also know that I don't need a man to be happy or complete.

But, as a single woman, Jesus is the only one we need to be complete. Face it, without Him (whether we are single, married, widowed, or divorced), Jesus is the only one we need, the only piece of the puzzle that completes us. Jesus is the one true source of joy in the lives of mankind, and we won't find that joy anywhere else - not in a relationship, not in a bottle, not in a job, and not in any possession we could ever (or hope to ever) own.

So, I suppose, the secret to the single woman's life is, as Liz Curtis Higgs says about marriage, is also in remembering our source of joy - Jesus.

Recall Notice...

Well, the party is in full swing! Thanks to all the newcomers who've left comments. I've goten around to several new blogs I have never been to before, and it's fun getting to know new people.

This week I'm on March Break from school and plan on doing some major relaxing and getting (hopefully) tons of knitting done. I just finished a pair of kids socks this morning and will be posting about it (with a picture) on my knitting blog, Kitten Knits Yarn, as soon as I finish this post. If you're interested, please drop by and leave a comment there as well.

I've also got to do some work this week on my Maritime History paper, so I'll also be doing some reading for that. I'll probably have to get to the school library as well to get some other books for it...but I'm not worrying about that today.

Anyway, before I head off, I thought I'd share this email I received this morning, with everyone:

IMPORTANT- RECALL NOTICE

The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to the serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype unit’s code name Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed, "Sub-sequential Internal Non-morality" - or more commonly known as SIN, as it is primarily expressed. Some other symptoms are as follows:

Loss of direction
Foul vocal emissions
Amnesia of origin
Lack of peace and joy
Selfish, or violent behavior
Depression or confusion in the mental component
Fearfulness
Idolatry
Rebellion

The Manufacturer, Who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required. The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R. Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component. No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, the Jesus will replace it with:
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control

Please see the operating manual, HOLY BIBLE, for further details on the use of these fixes. As an added upgrade, the Manufacturer has made available to all repaired; units a facility enabling direct monitoring and assistance from a resident Maintenance technician, the Holy Ghost. Repaired units need only make Him welcome and He will take up permanent residence on the premises!

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids the Manufacturer's warranty, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded; For free emergency service, call on JESUS.

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.

Thank you for your attention. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice.

P.S. The Blog Party is still going strong. See my post below to find out about me.

It's Party Time!

Over at 5 Minutes for Mom they are having a party - the link is on my sidebar.

I thought I'd just tell a bit about myself for those who venture this way via Party Central. First of all, welcome to Confirm the Work of Our Hands! My name is Shelley and I live on the east coast of Canada. I'm not a mom - shoot, I'm not even married! I'm a single gal in my late 30's (gasp!), but the party hosts said you don't have to be married, a mom, or even a woman to take part in this event; so, I signed up.

I'm currently going to university, although I graduated with my BA in Biblical Studies last April. This past year I've been taking a few "extra" courses as I concentrate on getting a certificate in the TESL program (which stands for Teaching English as a Second Language). I'm really enjoying it so far, but I know it won't be a piece of cake when I actually get out and teach! There will most definately be work involved - especially early on. My friend and I are thinking of going overseas somewhere (we haven't decided just where exactly yet) to teach. We thought it would be a good idea to go together because that way we'd know someone, and we wouldn't be totally alone in a foreign country.

I am a Christian, and rededicated my life to the Lord in 2000 (possibly the end of 1999). I say 'rededicated' because I honestly don't know if I had truely asked Jesus into my heart as a child or not. Anyway, since I didn't know for sure, I asked Jesus into my life after reading the Left Behind Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Ok, it was as I was reading the third book that I did this - I just didn't want to be left behind if such a scenerio were to happen. Oh, I do believe that Jesus is coming back again, but I (and everyone else) don't know just what is going to happen, other than it's not going to be so nice at that time...

I have two other blogs: Ink Scrawls, which is my writing blog, and Kitten Knits Yarn, which is my knitting blog. Feel free to check them out and leave a note there as well!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I look forward to meeting some new bloggers via this party (and reacquaint myself with others). Thanks for stopping by, and God bless!

If I'd Abandon...

"If I'd abandon all that seeks to make my faith informed and chic, could You, would You, show Yourself to me?"~ Nichole Nordeman~

If I abandon all that seeks to make my faith informed...I will definately end up off the path. Prayer, Bible reading, fellowship with other believers are vital parts in helping my faith to grow, as well as strengthening my walk with Jesus Christ - these are my life lines in this journey called life, and God has placed them as helps along the way.

To abandon something is to give up on it. If I give up on our life lines, my support is cut off and I will soon wither and fade - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly; but regardless, my faith will fade. It is far too easy to walk in the ways of the world; the Bible tells us that bad company corrupts good character, and it will definatley do that. When good character is corrupted, it is usually because we are not in communion with God and we have abandoned those things which are important in our walk.

When I do abandon all that seeks to make my faith informed, it is a choice that I make, and usually the result of caving into temptation. I am faced with a choice - do I stick to the right thing, or do I give in and sin. Even in the midst of temptation, God offers help in overcoming what I am faced with. He does not want me to let go of my life lines.

But, even when that does happen - when I abandon all that seeks to make my faith informed - God still loves me. He loves all His children and wants to show Himself to us. In the midst of turmoil, pain and suffering, God will reveal Himself. He doesn't want us to give up on our faith, He doesn't want us to give in to the temptations, He doesn't want us to lose our faith.

In the midst of such a sinful world, God revealed Himself to mankind. He came as a man, as Jesus, to willingly go to the cross and die for our sins, to offer forgiveness. He conquored death so that we can have eternal life with Him.

Yes, when we abandon the things that seek to make our faith informed, God will still reveal Himself to us - but the choice is ours to make in whether or not we once again take up all that seeks to make our faith informed, or whether we continue to abandon these life lines.

For more takes on the above quote, visit Christine's blog, Fruit in Season.

They're At It Again...

Yeah...sounds to me like "they" are at it again. I was just checking my email, and it is on a news site - Canada.com. Anyway, in one of the news blurbs I saw this. Go read it. Briefly, a Canadian archaeologist (I think he's the guy who has the show on Vision TV called Naked Archaeologist; no he isn't actually naked - haven't figured out the title yet) who claims to have "rediscovered" the tomb that holds the family of Jesus - including his wife Mary Magdelene, His mother, possibly her brother, and Jesus' and Mary M's son, Judah!

Yeah...riding on the coattails of Da Vinci Code maybe? I'm just waiting for them to drag that FICTICIOUS story into this as proof that Mr. Brown's book really is true. No. It's not true. Neither is this claim.

I want someone to prove to me, with scripture, that Jesus and Mary Magdelene got married. I want them to prove to me, with scripture, that they had a son (or any children for that matter). I'll wait. Go on....prove it. What's that? You can't prove it? Well, I could have told you that - in fact I did (read back a few paragraphs). It can't be proven, because IT DID NOT HAPPEN!

Jesus did not get married. Yes, Jesus died - crucified on a cross - and yes, He was buried. Here's the thing. There would be no ossuary (a bone box). See, in those days the people would put the body in a tomb and cover it will lots of spices - about 75 pounds worth. Then, after a year, the family would go back to the tomb and collect the bones that were left and put them in an ossuary.

Here's the thing - Jesus was placed in a tomb with the spices, but when the women went back to finish preparing His body, it wasn't there. Jesus had risen from the dead! There would be absolutely no ossuary needed - ever. Jesus is alive in Heaven, and He has promised to come back again. Be ready. We don't know when He'll return, but He will.

Sure, those bone boxes are real. In fact, they could have held bones belonging to Mary, Mary Magdelen, and even other family members. But there's no way there is an ossuary that contained the bones of Jesus Christ - ever! I don't care what any archaeologist says.

People have been trying to disprove the Christian faith since it began. They can't do it. No matter how hard they try, they can not prove that Jesus' bones remained in the tomb, they can not prove that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene (I'd like to know how that rumour got started...), or anyone for that matter, they can not prove that Christianity is based on a myth. They can try all they want to create an illusion that Christianity is not true, but they'll be wrong. The truth will be revealed, and as the scriptures say, "one day every knee will bow and one day every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
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TGIW

Thank Goodness it's the weekend! I've been a little busy the last week or so, doing some studying and working towards finishing a book review. This past Thursday I had my midterm for Maritime History, and let me tell you, there was waaaayyyyy too many notes to have to study for this. I had 24 typed pages of class notes, 3 handwritten pages of class notes, 4 articles, nearly 150 pages of reading from the text book, plus info on 15 Fathers of Confederation - all of this to study for a midterm worth 15%.

I really don't think I did all that well on it, but I wrote for the entire time (70 minutes) and had about 6 pages. The last question I was running out of time so I didn't fare so well on that one. The other two I know I could have done much better on. I had the info in my head, but it was getting jumbled up and know I forgot to include things I should have. Oh well, can't do anything about that now.

This Tuesday I have to have my book review on the History of Prince Edward Island done. We were supposed to have it done for last Thursday, but we mentioned to the prof that it was the same day as the midterm and was rather hard to have to study AND work on a book review; thankfully, he was nice enough to change the due date. We also have to do a 5 minute presentation on the book in front of the class, and I have no idea how to do this - I mean, the stuff in this book I'm reading is basically what we have had in our class notes with a little more detail given. And let me tell ya, these details are none too exciting (insert sounds of loud snoring here)! Oh well, I'm sure I'll get through that too.

I haven't mentioned my flute practicing lately have I? Well, that is going pretty good. I'm learning the song Hungry, as well as a couple of other worship songs. Two of them are very easy and I can play those pretty well. For one of them (the name is escaping me at the moment), the teacher played the accoustic guitar while I played the flute, and it sounded great! I'm also learning I Love You, Lord and that is sounding good, but needs some practice. I got a music book with some hymns (not a hymnal) and chose to try Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee first. I've pretty much got that, but there is a CD with it that you can play while you do the flute solo part - I need to practice that. If there were some others that could play a little ensemble (for woodwind instruments) they could do the part from the CD instead of having to play the CD. But, for now I'll stick to learning to play with the CD. The song is a little fast, so I also need to work on that (at least when it's played on the CD). All in all, I am really enjoying the flute. I'm glad I started taking lessons!

Tomorrow at church we are having a missionary family in to speak. They have gone to our church in the past, but then changed to another one (I have no idea why, and it doesn't matter - there was nothing bad that caused them to change.) - this was before I started attending back in 2000. Anyway, they have been down in Indonesia for about 3 years I believe, and are now home for a bit. We've also got them booked to come to our midweek kids program to talk to the kids. That night we've also got games, crafts and snacks that are popular in Indonesia for the kids to do - it's a mission night. I hope the kids will enjoy this (most of the kids that come to the midweek program aren't churched kids)!

Anyway, not much to report at this time. I hope all your days are Christ filled!

"Those who read fast reap no more advantage than a bee would by only skimming over the surface of the flower, instead of waiting to penetrate into it, and extract its sweets."~ Madame Jeanne Guyon ~

"Those who read fast reap no more advantage..." Isn't that so true? When we read the Bible qickly without looking for meaning, do we really get anything from it? Probably not.

To understand the Bible and its passages, we need to dig deep to the treasure that is "buried" in and among the pages. The Bible is God's Word - full of wisdom, grace, peace, forgiveness, eternal life, and truth; this book is about our Salvation and the only one who can give it to us - Jesus the Christ! John 1:1 tells us "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (NASB). Isn't it amazing? The Bible is about Jesus from the very first words in Genesis, to the very last in Revelation.

Studying the Bible is a must for every Christian. Simply skimming over the top, letting the words flow by us will not help us to grow in our walk with Christ. It is so easy (and often tempting) to just sit and read just to say that we got our Bible reading done for the day. It takes more than a casual glance for God to reveal something He may want us to learn or remember. In all honesty, reading without searching for life application doesn't do much for us. We need to grow in our walk with the Lord, and part of that growth comes from a deeper reading of Scripture.

Part of deeper reading involves meditation. Now, the meditation I am referring to is not the meditation practiced in some cultures where one relaxes with closed eyes and has some sort of mantra to repeat. The meditation I refer to is in reference to a deeper thinking. When we meditate on Scripture, we think about it, mull it over, think how we can apply it to our daily life. This is what we do to help us grow in our walk.

I know I'm not perfect - I have been known to just skim and glance over the Bible. And to be honest, that does absolutely nothing for me. It almost leaves me feeling - empty. I walk away with nothing from that "reading". When I sit and read, digging deep, praying before I start (asking God to reveal something He wants me to know or be reminded of, etc.), meditating on the Word and how I can apply it to my life; when I live the Word, then I come away feeling more fulfilled. The struggle or temptation so many of us face is thinking that it's ok to just skim over what we are reading and count it as our time spent with God. I need to stop that - I need to take the time to get into the Bible, to really dig deep, and learn and grow with the Lord.

I am not only interested in the life application of the Bible. I'm interested in the who's, the why's, the how's, the when's, the where's...I like learning about the archealogy, the geography, the people and their customs, etc. I know that stuff isn't necessary to grow in my walk, but I enjoy that sort of thing none the less - and sometimes it can make the stories, etc. a little more interesting.

So, my prayer is that I will take the time I need to dig deeper into the Word, to not skim over the top, and use what I learn (what God reveals to me) to help my growth and walk as a Christian.

In Other Words...

I've been meaning to take part in CWO's "In Other Words" but I keep forgetting about it. I read one blogger's on the following quote, and it reminded me that I wanted to take part in IOW as well. I'm not even entirely sure that what I've said makes sense, or fits in with the quote, but here goes:

"We are urgent about the body; He is about the soul. We call for present comforts; He considers our everlasting rest. And therefore when He sends not the very things we ask, He hears us by sending greater than we can ask or think."~ Richard Cecil ~

So often we are concerned, as a society, with having the perfect body. But really, when you stop to think about it, the perfect body doesn't exist. If we had the perfect body, we wouldn't be concerned with losing "just 5 more" pounds; we wouldn't be concerned with having grey hair and needing to dye it; we wouldn't be concerned about our blemishes, the big feet, the small breasts, that bit (or lot) of cellulite that shows up on our thighs or our butts. If the perfect body image existed, there would be no need for airbrushing to be done on magazine photos.

Media has played into our fears of becoming old and/or ugly, and we devour it like that last piece of birthday cake. "Have the hair colour you've always wanted!", "Lose 10 pounds overnight!", "Get the man of your dreams by following our advice!"...the list goes on and on and on and on and...well, you get the picture. We will spend money on the latest issue of a woman's magazine that gives step by step advice on how to "improve" your body and your self-image, how to become "perfect". When we see the models and actresses who are rail thin and wear size zero clothes we think that is the image we need to be, that that is the image men desire.

Granted, it is one thing to desire to lose weight through diet and exercise in order to become healthy, but it is an entirely different ball game when it is done simply to look like the latest fashion model who, if she turns sideways, would probably disappear. I'm not trying to knock these women; but when the women who do not look like those on magazine covers are told they aren't "good enough, thin enough or pretty enough" (or made to feel this way) because they might be a little overweight or too short or too plain, then something is wrong.

God gave us each a temple to take care of - our bodies. By all means, lose the weight, start exercising, eat healthier - but do it for your health; do it for the right reasons. Don't deny yourself food - don't overboard and end up dangerously thin in order to fit society's standards. No, we are not of the world and we are not to live as the world lives.

Find it hard to lose weight? Is it difficult not to compare your looks with others? Feel like you just can't do it, you just can't take care of yourself? Does it seem impossible not to give into society's standards? There is One who can help you through it all, no matter what trouble you face. There is One who loves you so much and desires for you to be healthy, who loves you and your imperfect body - God.

God understands our desire to fit in, our desire to look good. But in the larger scheme of things, this really is not important. He has far better for us than a life of striving for perfection according to the world's standards. I think that He wants us to be healthy, but I also think He wants us to be satisfied with what we look like - I mean, afterall, He is the one who created us. Granted He didn't create us to be overweight (I fit this category myself) or under weight, because neither is healthy. I think if we focus on Jesus, and ask for His help in our struggles to become healthier, He will help us. I also believe that we need to be doing this for the right reasons - for health benefits, to please the Lord and NOT to please the world and those who think that size zero is perfection.

So do what you can (with God's help) to take care of the body He gave you; afterall, it's the only one you've got - at least here on earth.

Dreams

Yesterday evening, just after supper, I was a little tired and decided I needed a nap. I also had a dream...a weird dream; but I can't remember what it was about really, just a few little pieces.

In my dream, I was rebuking "demons" like has happened before in my dreams, and as usual I don't see anything. I just start yelling (or trying to yell), "I rebuke you in Jesus name!" and "At the name of Jesus you must leave!" So, in my dream I start doing this tentatively. My voice is a little weak and shakey, but I continue to rebuke. Then I "wake up".

It feels so real - I sense a "presence" of some sort, something not right, something bad, and I start rebuking. This time it's a little stronger, but my voice is still shakey, This time I also look to see what is "there"...nothing. But still, I feel like there is something there, so I continue rebuking...I then "wake up" again...it wasn't real that time, but also a dream.

Then, as I am waking up, I feel my blankets being pulled off me towards the bottom of the bed - nothing is there though, but I feel this presence and start rebuking. I'm looking right at the area where there should have been something or someone standing to pull off my blankets, but nothing. I tug on the blankets and it feels like wahtever is there is still pulling them in that direction. My voice is stronger this time and I yell out "I rebuke you in the name of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! You must leave because the Bible tells us that at His name you must leave! I rebuke you in Jesus name!" and said this several times.

Then, I wake up for real this time. What is weird is that in my dream, I was dreaming that I was dreaming that I was dreaming. I woke up from one dream but was still dreaming; then woke up but was still in the same dream, etc. until I finally woke up for real. This has never happened to me before. Weird.

I used to have lots of dreams that I was rebuking demons or something, but never saw them. I never wanted to see them (in dreams or in real life), nor do I want to now. I haven't had these rebuking dreams for a long time now - this is the first in at least a year I think (give or take a couple of months).

I have no idea what this means, if anything. As you might know from reading here, I have been faltering a little in my walk - not praying, not reading the bible...but since the new year, I've been reading the bible everyday (though I may have missed one day, but to my knowledge, I have read it everyday), and have been trying to improve in my prayer life again. It's still not up to where I have been in the past, on the same level; it's hard to get back to it when you've left it behind for awhile.

Anyway, maybe this dream is showing me that what I have been fearing (or might have been fearing) is really nothing to fear. In the dream it is like I stood up to the "demons" and faced them, only to find what I thought I was afraid of wasn't there and by calling on Jesus, I got through it. I don't know - I don't know how to interpret dreams, so it's just a thought.

I'm feeling a little better lately in my walk. I'm not where I want to be, not where I used to be, and I still feel so - inadequate I guess. I know I'll never be "good enough", but I know I can be better than I am right now...I'm probably not making sense. I do know that I need to work on my relationship with God and build it up. It's hard, and if it's important to me (it is) then I should be working on it - doing what I can with God's help to improve it. And I will; I'm working on it - slowly but surely.