Pictures from COMMIT

I know I've taken forever in posting this, but finally, here are some pictures from the conference I went to in Nashville a few weeks ago! Just to give you a little glimpse of my week:






These are the wonderful girls in my group: Nasia, me, Caitlin, and Hannah. There were also two other girls, who aren't in the picture, Emily and Christina. We had a great time together!!






Our group presentation--not the best picture of us, but...we did it for God's glory! :-)


Girls listening attentively during one of the sessions




Elisabeth and Jocelyn, sharing what they've learned about getting along with brothers and sister! Yes!






The student choir and orchestra singing "It Will Be Worth It All!" the last night of the conference. It was really awesome to be able to sing with all of the other young people!!

Irritations

It started out as a simple overview of the life of Joseph. Pastor Wayne began his sermon, "An Introduction to Joseph" by going over the main events of Joseph's life. After about fifteen minutes of introduction, he finally went back to Genesis 37, and began his sermon. :-)

The main theme of the message was "irritations" and reasons for why they arise. One point that Pr. Wayne brought out and emphasised several times is the fact that irritations don't cause division; rather, it is my response to irritations that cause division. Pastor then continued to list three reasons for irritations, using the life of Joseph to demonstrate them:

I. Rebuke or correction in my life. (Joseph's brothers were doing wrong, and Joseph told on them--Gen. 37:2)
II. An injustice is done to me. (Joseph's brothers keenly felt the favoritism that Jacob showed to Joseph--Gen. 37:3-4)
III. God's sovereign blessing in the life of others. (God chose to bless Joseph with the dreams--Gen 37:5-11.)

I guess the reason I'm writing all this is because I was challenged through this message, and felt like it was just for me! How often haven't I justified my reactions and responses by saying (or thinking!) that it was simply normal that I responded that way as a result of the way he or she acted! But in reality, I am the one responsible to determine whether I am going to allow a little irritation result in rifts and divisions between me and those around me. It is in my hands, or as often said, the ball is in my court. I have two choices: I can choose to respond negatively and simply make matters worse, or I can determine to react in a Christ-like manner, resulting in character that is more like Christ. While at the time the irritation may not be pleasant, I can cling to the promise of Romans 8:28, saying that "all things work together for good...." My prayer is that from now on, with God's strength, I will respond to those many irritations in life as Joseph did--allowing them to make me more like Christ.

How have you responded to the irritations that God allows in your life?

From Medora, Kansas

To say the least, the last few weeks have been very busy. At the time of my last post, I was headed to Nashville for a Bible conference. That week has come and gone, along with many other things. However, let me share a little of what the last few weeks have been like for me!

Although the conference only began on Tuesday night, the 27th, I had to attend a leadership meeting for the girls' sessions that I would be helping with. There were about 15-20 (I'm not sure how many!) other girls who were also leaders. It was very touching to go around the room and have each one share a "high" or a "low" in her life, with the other responding to that specific situation. This time of sharing helped to give a feeling of unity and oneness amongst the group.

Probably one of the best sessions of the entire week was on Wednesday afternoon, a session for just the teens/college-age students. Several young people got up and gave a testimony of how God had been working in their lives. While it would take too much time and room to write all about each of them, it was very challenging to hear these young people share how God had transformed their lives, and challenged them in specific area of their lives. I was especially challenged with the testimony of one guy, David, who shared how God had called his family to the missionfield, then allowed David's brother to die while they were there. David then ended with a phrase that is true for everyone one of us: "A passion worth dying for is the only passion worth living for." How true! If you really stop to think about it, if your life passion and goals aren't worth dying for, then they probably aren't worth even living for!

So where are we living? Well, one of our churches, Medora Community Bible Church, has provided a house for us! My family and I are sooo thankful for their generosity and kindness! I am especially excited as this is the first time that I have had my own room! To make it even better, the curtains are green--my favorite color! yay!! It has been interesting though, as the house is hardly more than a few yards away from a busy highway AND a train track! In fact, it is so close, that when trains pass by, you can practically feel it pass, not to mention hear it! :-)

By the way, here is a link for some pictures from before we left Brazil, that I added to my facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3705&l=8bc40&id=1206606263
I want to add some pictures from the last few weeks sometime too.

Finally....

Well, it is about time that I wrote something again. :) As many of you already know, the last few days/weeks have been very busy for my family and I. Two weeks ago, we started packing up our house in Brazil. Amazingly, in that one week, I sorted though and gave away or packed all of my personal belongings! It is kind of strange to know that everything that I own is now in two suitcases!
Last Tuesday, my family and I boarded the plane headed for Miami. After a day of flying and being in airports, we finally arrived in Miami, only to wait more than an hour for the shuttle to take us to our hotel for the night! Even though the wait tested our patience, once we finally did arrive at our hotel room, we were able to order Papa John's pizza--fabulous pizza, by the way!!! We spent the night in Miami, and left for Kansas City the next morning. We did almost miss our flight, but...God was good, and we were still able to get on, even though the door had already been closed! We arrived in Kansas City right around noon, and it was great to be with my aunt and uncle, and cousins once again!
Since then, we have gone camping, eaten Mexican food, and gone shopping at Wal-mart and Target! Yay! Although all of the these things are fun and we miss being able to do them when in Brazil, I miss all of the people I left behind in Brazil. I still can't believe that I am actually in the U.S., thousands of miles away from everyone in Brazil. But I guess the cold weather is trying to make to wake up to reality and realize that this really is the U.S.! :)
Tomorrow we are heading out to Nashville for a conference. Pray for me, as I will be helping with sessions for 12-15 year-old girls by leading a small group. This is the first time that I am doing anything like this, so I really appreciate your prayers! I'll try to get some pictures throughout the week and post a few.

In Christ alone,
Angie

Yummy Brazilian Torta (Impossible Pie)

This recipie is a family favorite! It is quick and easy to put together. For some reason, my family calls this "Angie's torta" :) ( I guess because I like to make it!)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk


• 1/3 cup oil


• 2 eggs


• 3/4 cup flour


• 1 tablespoon baking power


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 cup mozerella cheese

Filling: My family likes just tomatoes, onions, and green oinions suteéd with a little salt and olive oil, but you can add whatever sounds good to you (like ham and cheese, sausage, etc)

Directions:
Mix the milk, oil and eggs in a blender and add the dry ingredients. Put
half in a greased 9x9 pan, then half of the filling. Add the rest of batter and the rest of the filling, topping it with the cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Although the pie may look "soft"and not done, a knife should come out clean when it is done. Serve over rice.

Serves: 6

His Way is Perfect

Here are the lyrics for a song that I love. It encourages me soo much when I feel down and discouraged, wondering if God really does have a plan for my life, and if so, why did He allow ______ to happen? This song reminds me that He DOES have a perfect plan for each one of us!!

His Way is perfect
by Betsy Kistler

When my way seems dark and drear and the future I don’t know.
My heart feels so empty as the tears unending flow.
When my heart breaks with sorrow and a tempest fills my soul,
This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

His way is perfect, His way is perfect.
Though I don’t understand, His
wise and loving plan,
His way is perfect. His way is perfect.
Take my life and make a vessel purified.
God makes no mistakes, His way is best.

When the toils of life are come and my heart is worn with care,
I faint ‘neath the burden of a cross I cannot bear.
When the joy has departed from my sorrow stricken soul,
This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

A Full Moon and God's Enduring Love

It was Sunday night. The back of our truck was full of people. The cool breeze of the night blew full-force into my upturned face as I sat in the back of the truck. It was then that I noticed something beautiful: the full moon. The sky was cloudy, yet even then, the moon shone bright and clear; it was perfectly round--a glowing ball of light. Several stars twinkled between patches of clouds. It was so breathtaking!

This display of God's handiwork gave me such a sense of peace and contentment. As I continued to gaze at the moon, I realized something: God is in control. He has made the sun and moon to keep their courses day after day, month after month, and year after year since the beginning of time. If He controls the sun and moon, isn't He also in control of my life? Like the many clouds on Sunday night, my life, also, seems to be somewhat "cloudy" right now--full unanswered questions and countless decisions to be made. But God loves me and cares for me. I can trust in Him to work everything out, to give answers for my many questions, and to guide me in the many choices I have to yet make. He keeps the universe in order; He can keep me in His care! What a wonderful peace to know that! Just think: the great God of the universe is so personal that He used a full moon, on a cloudy, breezy night, to show me that He cares for me and is in control!