Count Your Blessings

With all of the disasters taking place around the globe, I think it is important to sit back and appreciate all of the little blessings in our lives.

A few things I am thankful for?

* That my family and the people I love are healthy and safe.
* That I live in a country where I am free to openly believe and worship God.
* That I have a job.
* That I have a wonderful, fun, caring, involved family that looks out for me and supports and encourages me in all that I do.
* That I have Adam in my life. He has taught me how to trust, encourage, love, and have more faith.
* That I have a great church that speaks to my heart.
* That I have THE MOST fun, thoughtful friends in the whole world. An answered prayer.
* That I have a place to call home and a puppy to come home to.
* That I live in such a beautiful state and that I often have the chance to explore and vacation in other areas.
* That I have had the opportunity to pursue my education and have the ability to continue to do so throughout the rest of my life.

Happy Wednesday All. Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Churches Helping Churches

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith."
Galatians 6:10



This is yet another great place to donate your time and money. The church I attend, Mars Hill, has actually visited Haiti to figure out exactly where and to whom we should give our money and aid from the church in order to be most effective. Mars Hill has teamed up with several other churches to create an organization called Churches Helping Churches whose mission is to help rebuild churches and hope in Haiti (many churches that have land are being used as safe refuge from the dangerous chaos and riots that have been spurred by desperation for survival needs).

Visit www.churcheshelpingchurches.com

How to help....

I know it has been ages since I have blogged, but I wanted to let people know that after the incredible devastation in Haiti, following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, so many children are orphaned and so many people are homeless, missing, hurting and in desperate, desperate need of water, fuel, first aid and food. We take so many of these basic needs in life for granted here in the United States when we have access to all of that and so much more at the drop of a hat, but in Haiti people are simply looking for clean water and a place to sleep or some help to locate the loved ones that they have lost. A great, safe place to donate is at: www.WorldVision.org/Haiti anything helps. Even $10 can go so far in such a poor country in such need. Also, I know that King 5 news is collecting camping gear to send to Haiti.... I will double check and get you more info on how you can do this. If you have extra tents, sleeping bags etc... now is not the time to toss but to donate. My prayers are with these families and individuals who can not escape the reality of what has been done to their world.

My new found face saver

This is my new favorite product. POM juice is loaded with antioxidents and has made my skin look more clear then it ever has before. I haven't had a single blemish sine I started drinking it. Any pomagranite juice will do, but make sure to look for the ones that are made with pure pom juice because many claim to have pomagranite in it, but really it just has pom flavoring but is made with apple juice and high frutose corn syrups. This POM juice is my favorite brand ... you just need about half a bottle a day and it will not disappoint! :)

Earthquakes in Indonesia

Most of this video was shot in Padang, The West Sumatran Capitol, which is very near the epicenter of the quakes. Padang is home to about 1 million residents and it has been said by the city's officials that most of the city's population, an estimated 90 percent, are still buried underneath the rubble.

There are so many countries dealing with the aftermath of these earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons right now that it makes my heart hurt for them. I pray for the people living through these natural disasters that God gives their hearts strength to get through such despair of loss of life, family and entire cities; and also that they would be able to rebuild and find joy and perseverance through the helping hands of those reaching out to them. I just pray that God would show these survivors love in their time of need.

Again, we are so fortunate to live in the country that we do.

Zimbabwe Schools

As I am watching this I can not imagine a). Having to share a text book with 13 students b). Not having enough pencils for the entire classroom (I just threw some out the other day when cleaning out my desk.... how wasteful am I) c). Not having a desk or chair d). Not having $24, $8 or even just $2 to attend school e). having to WALK MILES just to get to school f). paying for school with chickens or livestock because my family doesn't have the money..... the list goes on. Yet another example of just how fortunate we really are to live in America. Doesn't this make you want to somehow give or help?! It is my firm belief that education is a HUGE key component, quite possibly the single most important element in helping to pull people like those living in Zimbabwe out of SUCH poverty. It is crazy to think of what we consider "living in poverty" in the US to mean vs what "living in poverty" means in such struggling, war torn countries.

Philippines: Typhoon Ketsana

PHILIPPINES HAS HAD LOSS OF LIVES AND HOMES DUE TO KILLER TYPHOON KETSANA.  This poor woman lost her home and managed to salvage some of her clothing according to CNN.  She is seen here washing her clothing in water that is dirty and muddy.  How sad and tragic for these people.  I hope and pray things will have a speedy recovery.

A woman washes her clothes recovered from her house that was destroyed from the floods brought on by the continuous rains of Typhoon Ketsana, locally known as Ondoy, in the town of Pilila Rizal, east of Manila, September 28, 2009. The Philippines appealed for international aid to help tens of thousands marooned by flashfloods, and apologised for the delays in rescue efforts to avoid potential political fallout from the crisis. Apparently so far there are a reported 140 dead and over 300,000 people displaced from their homes. It is so sad when impoverished places like these face disaster when they already have so little to begin with. It makes me really appreciate everything that I have and every opportunity that I have been given the chance to pursue. I hope and pray that all of us are able to help those less fortunate than ourselves at some point in our lives, as we have all been undeservingly given SO MUCH MORE than most just by being born in the US.

Praying for the people in the Philippines and a speedy recovery.