Another baby from Casa de Amor has left this world to be with Jesus. Oh, my heart hurts so, so much right now!
Please pray for all those who are grieving his loss.
Go here to read what Jennifer wrote about beautiful Joel's passing.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
"I love my sins too much"
I've been wanting to post for a while about an experience I had a few weeks ago. My sister and I just moved back in with our parents, and I had gone up to our on-campus apartment after work to pack up some boxes. A international student friend came by and offered his help, and since some of the boxes where pretty heavy and I was by myself, I let him give me a hand. He ended up staying for almost 3 hours, and we had some really good conversations. I love learning about new cultures and comparing them to my own (I guess my clinical teachers would call it becoming "culturally competent"), so we talked for a long time about school here, his family and home country, transition to the US, and learning English.
Finally, the Lord led me to ask him about his faith. I expected him to give me a quick answer and leave it at that, but (I think partly through our previous conversation) God opened up a door for me to witness to him for nearly an hour! He described himself as being an agnostic who thought of Christianity as "too simple of an answer for a complex problem" and he was seeking for the answers. I was encouraged to hear that he was seeking, and explained to him that Scripture says those who seek Christ with their whole hearts will find him. But it really saddened me when he said, "I just love my sins too much" to follow Christ.
He has just moved back to his country. I pray that the Christians he saw here will have left a lasting impact on his life, and he really will seek after Christ. There were several people here who were witnessing to him. I've been praying for him a whole lot the past few weeks. Maybe God will place other Christians in his life back home that will continue to witness to him.
Finally, the Lord led me to ask him about his faith. I expected him to give me a quick answer and leave it at that, but (I think partly through our previous conversation) God opened up a door for me to witness to him for nearly an hour! He described himself as being an agnostic who thought of Christianity as "too simple of an answer for a complex problem" and he was seeking for the answers. I was encouraged to hear that he was seeking, and explained to him that Scripture says those who seek Christ with their whole hearts will find him. But it really saddened me when he said, "I just love my sins too much" to follow Christ.
He has just moved back to his country. I pray that the Christians he saw here will have left a lasting impact on his life, and he really will seek after Christ. There were several people here who were witnessing to him. I've been praying for him a whole lot the past few weeks. Maybe God will place other Christians in his life back home that will continue to witness to him.
Babies and such...
Wow, it's been awhile since I've been able to post on here. I haven't even been on my computer in over a week. Summer school has been keeping me really busy since we have been having our OB class from 8-5 every day. But I'm loving it! I can't wait to actually get to the hospital next week and start delivering babies!! I didn't expect to like OB this much, but I have a great teacher, and the class is so fascinating. I think my teacher is a Christian, and having a decidedly pro-life OB teacher is very refreshing. She is has said several times that the beginning of life definitely points to the Creator. At a secular school, it is so wonderful to study about pregnancy and birth from that perspective!! And just in case no one has realized it yet, I love babies. I'm sitting in class most of the day trying not to smile because I'm having so much fun!!
I'm partnered with one of the guys in our class for a presentation project, and we choose topic of how pregnancy and birth affects fathers. Sounds pretty fun to me!! :)
[Haha I was thinking I should try to get my partner to wear one of those father "empathy suits" but somehow I don't think he would like it too much....]
I'm partnered with one of the guys in our class for a presentation project, and we choose topic of how pregnancy and birth affects fathers. Sounds pretty fun to me!! :)
[Haha I was thinking I should try to get my partner to wear one of those father "empathy suits" but somehow I don't think he would like it too much....]
Friday, May 15, 2009
Finished with finals.... :)
So I don't have much time but I wanted to say how happy I am to be finished with finals!! I didn't do as well in my main nursing class as I expected. I had a really high B the whole semester but the final was a killer and I made an 84.2 (I needed an 85 to get a B). So I basically had the highest C possible. :( However in Nursing 440 (Nursing Research) I was expecting a B, but got an A instead!! I did much better on the final than I expected. :) So that was encouraging!
But I'm tired--my sister and I just finished packing up our apartment we lived in for the past year. We are going to be moving back home with our parents. It's been convenient to not have to drive an hour every day, but the way things are working out now it will be a lot better to live at home. Plus, I've missed my family a whole lot. Just being able to see them on the weekends has been a big adjustment for our close family. I will be glad to be around for my little brothers and sister.
Now I'm finished with the apartment but I'm at home packing my suitcase for an impromptu trip to Austin to visit our grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. :D I'm so excited! Because of nursing school I haven't gotten to go to Texas for almost 2 years!! So it will be wonderful to see my extended family again. :) Gotta go pack and then get some sleep--hopefully I'll post more soon!
But I'm tired--my sister and I just finished packing up our apartment we lived in for the past year. We are going to be moving back home with our parents. It's been convenient to not have to drive an hour every day, but the way things are working out now it will be a lot better to live at home. Plus, I've missed my family a whole lot. Just being able to see them on the weekends has been a big adjustment for our close family. I will be glad to be around for my little brothers and sister.
Now I'm finished with the apartment but I'm at home packing my suitcase for an impromptu trip to Austin to visit our grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. :D I'm so excited! Because of nursing school I haven't gotten to go to Texas for almost 2 years!! So it will be wonderful to see my extended family again. :) Gotta go pack and then get some sleep--hopefully I'll post more soon!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Twin Things
Since I come from a "twin" family, I thought I would answer the "twin" questions out there for anyone who wants to ask. We have two sets of twins in my family--my sister Emily and I, and my younger brother and sister, Steven and Laura, who are almost 14. We also have a little brother, Ryan, who will soon be 7 [he's a poor, lonely, singleton. haha].
I have heard a lot of stupid questions over the years. So if you are thinking of talking to a twin about what it is like to be a twin, then you might want to read this first. ;)
1. "What is it like to be a twin?"
How in the world do I answer that? It's not like I have anything to compare it to. Maybe I should ask you how you like being a singleton. Of course I like it, but I've never experienced anything else!
2. "Do you hurt when your twin hurts?"
No!! We are just like anyone else. Like my dad says, we are just "womb mates"!
3. "Do you think the same thoughts at the same time?"
Of course not.... Sometimes we finish each other's sentences, but I also do that with my little sister. That just comes from knowing someone very, very well.
4. "Are you identical?"
This one is my absolute favorite. Me: blond haired, light blue (almost gray) eyes, and a round face. My twin sister: dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a more oval face. We are obviously not identical.
The one that really takes the cake though is when people ask this question about my twin brother and sister. No they are not identical. Do you need a biology lesson??!
5. "How could y'all have different majors/hobbies/tastes? Aren't you twins?"
Once again, we are each very different people, with definitely different callings in life.
6. "Since you're twins, y'all must share everything."
Once upon a time, when we were 2 years old, yes we had all the same things. But we each have our own very distinct styles and tastes. And there are things that we each have apart from the other one.
7. "Why don't y'all dress alike?"
When we were little, we were almost thought of as one person, "Katie-'n-Emily." We wanted desperately to be known for the individuals we were--and we didn't want to confuse that any more by dressing alike.
8. "Why don't your names rhyme?"
Because my parents didn't want them to. (What else should I say?)
9. "Don't you get tired of being a twin?"
Nope. You don't get tired of having the family that you have, do you?
10. "Do you have a 'twin language'?"
I really can't say that we have ever spoken to each other in a different language. I don't remember ever even trying to create our own language or anything. I do know that the worst punishment Mom ever gave us for fighting was our being banned from speaking for the day. (We never had bad fights, just sibling squabbles.) But we couldn't stand to not speak to each other for an entire day! We wrote notes on those days and passed them under the table to each other during our homeschool classes. :) Another creative punishment for arguing was her tying our arms together with a cloth and making us clean the kitchen together (forcing us to cooperate and stop fighting). It worked, too! ;)
There are a whole lot more things I could say about being a twin. But definitely, the biggest blessing is just being able to say that all my life I've been able to grow up with my best friend right beside me the whole way!! :)
P.S. As this is Mother's Day, I add a huge thank you to my wonderful mother--for giving birth to 5 children in only 3 pregnancies, raising us to fear the LORD, and being the most beautiful Proverbs 31 woman I can think of. I love you Mama!
I have heard a lot of stupid questions over the years. So if you are thinking of talking to a twin about what it is like to be a twin, then you might want to read this first. ;)
1. "What is it like to be a twin?"
How in the world do I answer that? It's not like I have anything to compare it to. Maybe I should ask you how you like being a singleton. Of course I like it, but I've never experienced anything else!
2. "Do you hurt when your twin hurts?"
No!! We are just like anyone else. Like my dad says, we are just "womb mates"!
3. "Do you think the same thoughts at the same time?"
Of course not.... Sometimes we finish each other's sentences, but I also do that with my little sister. That just comes from knowing someone very, very well.
4. "Are you identical?"
This one is my absolute favorite. Me: blond haired, light blue (almost gray) eyes, and a round face. My twin sister: dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a more oval face. We are obviously not identical.
The one that really takes the cake though is when people ask this question about my twin brother and sister. No they are not identical. Do you need a biology lesson??!
5. "How could y'all have different majors/hobbies/tastes? Aren't you twins?"
Once again, we are each very different people, with definitely different callings in life.
6. "Since you're twins, y'all must share everything."
Once upon a time, when we were 2 years old, yes we had all the same things. But we each have our own very distinct styles and tastes. And there are things that we each have apart from the other one.
7. "Why don't y'all dress alike?"
When we were little, we were almost thought of as one person, "Katie-'n-Emily." We wanted desperately to be known for the individuals we were--and we didn't want to confuse that any more by dressing alike.
8. "Why don't your names rhyme?"
Because my parents didn't want them to. (What else should I say?)
9. "Don't you get tired of being a twin?"
Nope. You don't get tired of having the family that you have, do you?
10. "Do you have a 'twin language'?"
I really can't say that we have ever spoken to each other in a different language. I don't remember ever even trying to create our own language or anything. I do know that the worst punishment Mom ever gave us for fighting was our being banned from speaking for the day. (We never had bad fights, just sibling squabbles.) But we couldn't stand to not speak to each other for an entire day! We wrote notes on those days and passed them under the table to each other during our homeschool classes. :) Another creative punishment for arguing was her tying our arms together with a cloth and making us clean the kitchen together (forcing us to cooperate and stop fighting). It worked, too! ;)
There are a whole lot more things I could say about being a twin. But definitely, the biggest blessing is just being able to say that all my life I've been able to grow up with my best friend right beside me the whole way!! :)
P.S. As this is Mother's Day, I add a huge thank you to my wonderful mother--for giving birth to 5 children in only 3 pregnancies, raising us to fear the LORD, and being the most beautiful Proverbs 31 woman I can think of. I love you Mama!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Dream Wedding
Yesterday, my sweet friend Leah married her best friend. I have loved watching them over the years, growing in love and together in Christ. Their wedding was a testimony of love, and it is a day I will probably remember for the rest of my life.
It was a beautiful Southern wedding, at her aunt's huge plantation with oak trees covered in Spanish moss. (I love being a Southern gal. ;) )
But more than anything else, it was the love and absolute joy they felt that made it such a perfect day!
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