This Week at Holy Experience, Ann wrote a BEAUTIFUL post on Love letters, and her husband. Then she asks for us to link up with our own stories of Marriage and Love Letters. YAY! Two of my favorite things!!! :)
Way back in our Bible college days, Chase and I were starting to become an "item" and the summer break was quickly approaching. My parents were not thrilled with the whole "item" thing and my dad told me we should use the summer as an opportunity to take a break and not speak to each other-ALL SUMMER. At that point we believed that my parents had my best interests in mind and so we obeyed. (I will admit that this particular excercise was very good for us.) We said goodbye and I drove off campus and back to Palm Springs. We both agreed to keep a notebook journal for the other and we would exchange notebooks when we got back to school in the fall. What was one of the hardest summers in my life (I was disowned and shunned by my parents that same summer) is one that now has some of the fondest memories because of the notebook of treasures I now have from my Husband.
Riding in a hot, windy, crowded bus to a Dodgers Game= Good times!
He gets embarrassed when I bring the old notebook out and read him all the cute things he told me, but it is one of the finest treasures my home holds.
He shared what he was learning from God's Word, his dreams for the future, how his ministries were going, how much he missed me and random details from every day. No kidding...every day! Even I (the "writer") didn't write in the notebook every day! But he did. Also, I am thinking not many people have love letters that include so many uses of the word "spiffy." ;)
Here are just a few of my favorite lines:
"My Bible reading goal this summer is to read Romans once every four days, James every three, the Timothy's every 5 and 2-3 chapters a day in the Major Prophets..." Goodness the ambition! Pretty sure he met his goal too!
"Well, it's time for me to go my pretty lady. I miss you and I love you. I will see you when I see you and I will think of you 'til then. Bye. ~Chase"
"Also I Timothy 6:6-8 encouraged me. It hit me in a way that is not expected though, especially vs. 8 about 'having food and raiment let us therewith be content.' It just helped me for some reason about this summer. So yeah. And then James 5:16, but that one always gets me."
"...So I love you, goodnight. And I will see you in like 91 days (at the max, and that is only if I don't come back early.) Bye my pretty lady. Chase p.s. I'm thinkin about you always, remember that, ok? Good stuff then. Bye." LOL! Isn't he so cute?!?!
"And now it is time for Daily Devotions with Chase Ward..."
"...It's like-come on, I'm 19! I can't drink and I don't want to drink. What? Do I look like an early boozer?!? So that was interesting, but dinner was great. (And don't worry, I had tea to drink.)" ROFLOL!!!
"Well, I will tell you about my day in my Gina Journal (as my mom calls it.) So here goes..."
"My Mom said that we can be your family..."
" I miss you so much, you have no idea. I wish you were right here, but you aren't and you won't be for awhile. But it is worth the wait..."
"I love you, you have no idea how much I love you. I have never said that to anyone but you...I love you Gina." There is so much to be said for being a man of integrity and purity. There are those kind of men out there! Who knew?
I can't read the notebook without smiling from ear to ear. Such beautiful silliness. After my parents stopped talking to me, Chase's family got wind of it and his parents had him call me and make sure I was OK. I have never been more thankful for support as I was at that moment. Oh the drama. :) In then end, it all worked out and we are on our way to living Happily Ever After...
These days neither of us make time to write love letters back and forth very often. But I know more than ever how much he loves me.
It is amazing to look back on our history as a couple of kids who were friends, then best friends, then a couple, then a married couple, then parents! This fall marks six years of marriage. I know, 6 years seems like nothing compared to so many marriage veterans out there, but it has been quite the ride so far! I look forward (with excitement and fear-ha ha!) to what the future holds for us kids. Still no one actively shows me the love of Christ like my Husband. He is an amazing Leader, Teacher, Counselor, Worker, Servant, Student of the Word, Daddy and Bestest Friend.
Jesus provided the best man I never imagined possible. Chase is my favorite.
Wow, it has been so long since I participated in I Heart Faces! Sad! Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. :)
Anywho, I decided I had to make time for it this week because the theme is Celebrating Teenagers! :) I LOVE to celebrate teenagers and I have some pictures of my teen girls from last year's Young Ladies Retreat that I love.
Here is just one:
Caitlin listening to a lesson...what a beautiful young lady!!
For more pictures celebrating teenagers, click on the I Heart Faces box above...
So my brother informed me (without ever reading my blog. I am not sure he even knows it exists...) that it is weird, lame and creepy to just post random things about your life online. So here we go...I will try to hit all the categories for you. :)
This week at our church is N.B.T. (Neighborhood Bible Time.) Basically it is VBS from the 1950s. I enjoy NBT, don't get me wrong. I am just not sure why we are doing VBS from the 50s. I am assuming there is a good reason and I just don't know what it is. ;)
Anyhow...I am teaching the Missionary Story to the Kindergarten class this year. SO FUN! I am having a lot of fun with the Kindergarteners-one of whom is my own Pink Princess!
Also some missionary friends of ours were up in our area, teaching in this class with me. SO FUN to talk to them, ask them endless annoying questions, attempt witty answers, and get to know them better. I am totally excited about their church plant. Hopefully we will go help them soon!
Every year there is a coloring contest in NBT and Chastity entered, being the budding artist that she is...she was chosen as a finalist for her grade and went up on stage for her coloring to be judged with the other finalists, grades K-3rd!!! I was sad because her picture was pretty good, and I knew she would just LOVE to win, but she was going up against 3rd graders! They had the kids turn around and hold their pictures up so we could vote by raising our hands and the kids wouldn't know who did or didn't vote for them. Now if it were left to the artistry itself, Chastity would probably come in third....but would the audience agree??? They asked for votes for my Chastity last and I was shocked that he counted so many votes! Apparently...there is a good possibility that Chas will win based on popularity!!! LOL!!! We will find out tomorrow for sure but either way, I am sooo proud of her!
One thing that has become tradition around here during NBT is that my house fills with teen-aged girls. I ask them to come to my house every night during the week because the Teen NBT is in the evening and they get up early to help with the Children's NBT during the day. Plus...it is fun to see how exhausted they get when they don't sleep for a week, play crazy athletic games and chase kids that whole time! Ahhhh....bliss! ;) It really is fun to spend time with them and visit a bit. Now if only they had a better grasp of the words "Straighten up the living room before you leave." We would be set!
I am thinking we should have a Carey Grant marathon tonight...An Affair to Remember, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Father Goose... We will see how much they get through before giving in to the sleepiness! :)
On a gross note: (men beware) I thought it was funny that most the girls have been asking for chocolate the last few nights (with desperate pleading voices and when I didn't have any went to great lengths to acquire some candy bars) and then this morning were asking for "feminine products." Those "scientists" that claim that our cycles don't align when we all hang out together are full of bologna. Have they ever lived in a girl's dormitory??? Or been to my house during NBT??? Because if they would experience it they would be singing a different tune!
Speaking of a house full of girls that are needing chocolate and feminine products, maybe should pray for us.
One of the bad things about NBT is how little we see my husband this week. A couple of years ago, the girls and I were pulling into the driveway at church for the Teen Rally when Chastity exclaimed, "Look! We came to see Daddy at Daddy's house!!!" It was sad. Chase really felt badly and made a concerted effort to spend more time at home.
Last year wasn't so bad but this year has been rough on my little man Evan. Evan is getting to where he ADORES his Daddy and needs extra "guy time" with Chase. So he has cried himself to sleep the last two nights asking for Daddy to come home. :( Just rip my heart out... Seriously rough. If just for this reason, I am so glad NBT is only once a year!
The award ceremony for NBT is tomorrow afternoon. It is always fun to sit and clap for the kids. I hope all my Kindergarteners get lots of prizes! I had such a fun class! Despite everything, I always enjoy this trip back to the 50's at what we call Neighborhood Bible Time.
1. Last week we went to Utah and had a blast! We spent time on quads riding up the mountain and through streams and small ponds...even mud pits! So fun!!!!!
2. So yesterday was the most amazing day ever! Let me back up-I have been getting discouraged about my love of taking pictures. A couple of months ago I took a babysitting job watching nine month old twins and a four year old girl. So I was watching 6 kids 4 and under. Not as difficult as I was expecting, but I was totally ending the day completely exhausted. But it was ok, because I had a goal: a dslr camera. And I knew I was totally helping out their foster mom so it was a win-win situation. Until summer came and I only watch them half as often so it is taking longer to raise money for my new camera. And to boot, my current camera is getting more and more difficult to use. The screen broke last fall at Young Ladies Retreat and a couple of months ago my stupid, ornery super cute Basset Hound Halpert got on my desk and knocked my camera off which broke the door that holds the batteries in. Yeah. So to take pictures I have to hold my batteries in while looking through the little eye-hole. (Yeah, I am high tech and know all the lingo.) It is a good thing he is cute.
Anyhow I haven't been taking pictures much and it was taking FOREVER to get my new camera. Plus, I have lots of things coming up quickly. I am supposed to be doing a couple more practice infant photo shoots, my brother's senior pictures and pictures of our family adventures this summer. So anyway, I was getting discouraged. I only had a little over half of what I needed to buy one of the cameras I was looking at. Sad.
BUT THEN....I have this friend and somehow the topic of camera buying came up. Then she said, "You know, I have these lenses that are in the pile of stuff to throw away in the garage. Could you use them maybe?"
I responded very sweetly with sincere gratitude, and said "THROW AWAY PILE?!?!?! YOU ARE GOING TO THROW AWAY CAMERA LENSES???? DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THEY ARE?????"
She got them out for me and wow. She gave me two lenses that I looked up on Amazon and it would have cost me around $600 for those same lenses. CRAZY. It is a good thing she is cute.
But now that I have lenses, not only do I have enough money to buy a dslr body, but it picked out the brand for me since I couldn't decide between and Olympus and a Nikon. The lenses are Nikon so there you go! Really helps when you can't make a decision to save your life! SO last night, I spent my blood, sweat and tears and ordered my camera! Isn't it just amazing how God provides, even for the little stuff that in the grand scheme of things is sooooo not a big deal? But He knows my heart and He loves me and He cares about what I care about. Even though He created the universe and keeps it all running. Who am I??? Nobody. Crazy.
So now I am saving for this super cute camera bag/purse that should keep things like the screen incident of Retreat 2009 from happening again. http://www.epiphaniebags.com/#/details-green/ I love that it doesn't look like I am carrying around very expensive equipment but I can have it on hand when needed.
Then I am going to buy a replacement point and shoot camera for the everyday stuff. :) I am excited.
Also, until I find a better place, my lenses are being stored on top of the refrigerator...away from doggy paws and kid fingers...where do you guys keep your camera stuff???
Wow, that was a really long number two. Sorry! It has been so long since I blogged!!! :)
So yesterday would have been a perfect day except...(I know, there is always something and watch out...here comes a little drama.)
Last night as I was screaming and jumping up and down about my new camera. Apparently a spider saw me and he was intrigued by the whole thing. That creepy, yucky, scary, big nasty spider really wanted to come visit even though I kept trying to squish him with stuff. Smack! Missed. Smack! Got a leg! Smack! Missed. Smack! Another leg! This spider was moving incredibly fast despite the fact that he was severely wounded and missing two legs. Smack! Got him! He was smooshed on my desk and I couldn't decide if I should rejoice or call my husband and tell him about the traumatic incident.
I decided I would clean the dead spider up in just a minute...and I went back to doing the happy dance. Until....I looked over and he was gone. Gone. Couldn't find him anywhere.
Now it is getting scary. I have always believed that angry mostly dead spiders gather up their family members and come at you while you are sleeping. Since I tend to only be good at maiming them, it is only because of the grace of God that I am still alive today. I always have visions of spiders with their big ugly fangs coming at me while I sleep in bed completely oblivious that these mean spiders are growing rapidly and are looking to devour me.
Ok, I need to stop talking about it now.
I did survive the night, because I am hear to talk about it with you today, but maybe that just means they are waiting until I have forgotten about the whole thing and want to catch me unawares.
Anyway, I always thought I was the only one who thought this way until I saw this from my favorite show Gilmore Girls....
So strange...today's theme (at least in my head) seems to be all about life. I was already thinking about it. How unexpectedly life changes, how sometimes it ends without warning, things like that. A man I knew unexpectedly died a few weeks ago, leaving a wife and three kids. Thankfully he had accepted Christ a month before he passed which was just amazing. Such a picture of God's mercy. His wife had been praying for his salvation for years and the Lord waited until he accepted Him before taking him. So very sad for the family, but amazing for him.
Then a couple of weeks ago, an old friend was in a horrible accident. He has always been kinda crazy and loves the outdoors. He fell over 800 feet in a snow-slide and sustained multiple injuries. He was flown to a hospital and no one was sure how it was going to end. It wasn't looking good...but God is amazing and gave him a will-power for a reason. Go read about it over here: http://navanpowers.com/
This morning, my aunt posted on facebook how her daughter Renee's best friend had been hit by a drunk driver last night. This hit especially close to home since Renee was killed by a drunk driver last August at the age of 25. Her friend is fine but banged up and not feeling well. They even caught the drunk who drove off and he is in jail.
Life. I have often wondered why God takes home the people He does. I know He has a reason and He is God so He doesn't make mistakes, but it doesn't keep me from wondering what the big picture is. Why do some of these things happen at all?
I emailed Navan's sister about Colloidal Silver to help with the healing and reduce the scarring. I told her briefly about how my mother in love used it on my father in love when he was in a horrible motorcycle accident. Dad also, medically speaking should have died. It was only because of God that he is still here today. But it got me to thinking about how different life would be without him. I would never have even met him.
I get upset that the kids don't get to see him as much as we all would like...but instead I should be glad that they know him at all. I am so thankful that I know him. He is wonderful-which is why I get upset when we don't see him. I hate the distance between us and family. Grrrrr....
Anyway, back to life...so to go with the theme of life, today I read chapter two in the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It is entitled, "you might not finish this chapter" and of course....is talking about life.
Here are some quotes: (just a small, small does-not-do-the-book-justice glimpse)
"On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don't consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor."
"Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or living enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.
Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.
Basically these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed.
Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we think we are?"
"From start to finish, this movie (about life and the universe, all of history and the history of what is to come) is obviously about God. He is the main character. How is it possible that we live as though it is about us?...We have only two-fifths-os-a-second-long scene to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to be about my making much of God. First Corinthians says, 'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' That is what each of our two-fifths of a second is about...
It is easy to become disillusioned with the circumstances of our lives compared to others'. But in the presence of God He gives us a deeper peace and joy that transcends it all."
"The point of your life is to point to Him."
"As the author of Ecclesiastes wrote, 'It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart."
"Friends, we need to stop living selfish lives, forgetful of our God. Our lives here are short, often unexpectedly so, and we can all stand to be reminded of it from time to time. That's why I wrote this chapter to help us remember that in the movie of life, nothing matters except our King and God.
Don't let yourself forget. Soak it in and keep remembering that it is true. He is everything."
Colossians 1:16
For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
Life is happy. Life is sad. Life is short. Life may or may not be how I think it should be for me or the people around me. But life is His. It all belongs to Him. Please be praying for Navan and Renee's friend Tonya for healing and peace. And then thank God for whatever life you have right now. Pray that it points to Him and make some needed adjustments in your life along with me. I would love to say with Paul "I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content."
