{joyeux noël}

"and mary said, 'behold, i am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' and the angel departed from her."
-luke 1:38

let us have the courage and faith that mary had.
do not faint, or grow weary, "for nothing will be impossible with God."

{cannot be contained}

"but will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that i have built!"
-1 kings 8:27

our God cannot be contained in this universe. He is so much more than any human mind will ever comprehend.

so, if He lives in our hearts, what does that tell us? how could we, selfish humans, possibly not be continually pouring Him out unto others? if you truly have the joy of the Lord within you, how could you dare to contain it? we should be exploding with His love, and shinning as bright lights to all. at all times.

{rejoice, rejoice}

oh come, oh come, Emmanuel, 

and ransom captive israel, 

that mourns in lonely exile here 

until the Son of God appear. 

rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel 

shall come to you, o israel!

{mer}

this girl is dear to my heart. 

mer is my friend from eagle lake. 

she lives in texas.

she is funny and i love her laugh.

she gives me hugs and reads me scripture when i'm down. 

she is a beautiful friend, and  

i am blessed to know her.

see you in {14 days.}

"two are better than one, because they have a good 

reward for their toil. for if they fall, one will lift his fellow up."

ecclesiastes 4:9

{the falls}

today, some friends and i hiked out to benton falls.
it was beautiful.

beautifully arranged. my God likes to give me gifts everyday. this was just one of the little things. 

{all is love}

where the wild things are.

{this day and onward}

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

-hebrews 13:8 

He never changes, but gives us the chance to do so every day.
no one knows how many more days they have here on earth.
that doesn't matter though.
all that matters is that we use every second of the time that we do have to glorify His name.
the past is gone, it's dust.
whatever it held is no more.
today is a new day, so live it in a way pleasing to the Lord.

{frost}

looks like jack paid us a visit. 
when i saw the frost and the sun 
shining down in it, i couldn't 
help but to run and get my camera 
and take some photos.

"the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath."
psalm 94:11

{when i grow up}

when i was a little girl, i wanted to be a nurse. 

God shut that door when i started fainting at the sight of blood. 

when i was a little girl, i wanted to be an artist. 

to paint beautiful pictures of flowers and trees. 

to draw and to be creative. 

when i was a little girl, i wanted to be a mommy.

 i would cradle my dolls with upmost care and gentleness. 

and when they were sick, i was sure to have the doctor {mom} fix them up in a jiffy. 

when i was a little older, i began to have the desire to be a missionary. 

i did fundraisers for belarus and haiti. 

i eventually got to go to belarus. 

my heart is still heavy for those who have so little. 

and i still hope to help them in some way. 

there are so many things that this girl wants to do with the life that God has given her.

 but with the help of a friend, i've decided what i want to be. 

when i grow up, i want to be a girl who leaves it all up to God. 

and the best part is, i don't have to wait to be that.

i can start right now.

i'm glad with that decision. 

i'm glad He knows exactly what i should do, when i need to do it. 

He's good to me. 

{all the time.}

{be thankful}

today, {and every day,} be thankful for your family.
these are the people that God knows you'll need most in your life.
He knows us well, and gave us people that would
be here to always love us and to encourage us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

{boucles d'orreilles}

need some Christmas gifts? 

tis' the season to be crafty. 

hehe.

i'm selling these {handmade} earrings for 3-5$ a pair.

 my ultimate frisbee team needs some support in order for us to be able to travel around next semester. 

let me know if you're interested. 

{these days}

yep. 

these days are the days we live

that will impact eternity.

every minute of every day.

sound a bit overwhelming?

it does to me.

it's also quite intimidating.

but that's a good thing.

if living every minute of every day in a

way that will bring glory to God

didn't seem daunting,

if it was an easy task,

how would we be motivated to do so?

well, God is very overwhelming,

extremely intimidating,

and uncontrollably daunting.

yet, He is also very comforting,

extremely humble,

and uncontrollably worthy.

so He is our motivation to live our lives for Him.

do so by living as if every word, thought, action

were like a prayer.

if you'd say it in God's presence

with honor,

it is worthy of being spoken.

{1 thessalonians 5:17} "pray without ceasing."

{philippians 4:8} "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

on another note, this has been my past week. 

er' day i'm studyin! 

..................................

tea?

.................................

or coffee?

.........................

passion sent me stickers.

so exciting. 

.......................................

............................................................

{this is just so beautiful}

look at the world around you.
there is such {beauty} in simplicity.
it is our choice to either appreciate the little things,
or to pass by them without a care.

how would you feel if God passed
by us without a care?
well if He didn't care,
none of us would be here.
yet He does.
God sees so much {beauty} in us.
He sees our hearts.
and He is jealous for them.

even though i know that humans aren't
simple in the least, we are definitely simple
compared to God.

so enjoy the {beauty of simplicity.}

a few things i find {beautiful.}

city night lights.

apple cider and bagel breakfast. 

the first thing i've seen every morning this week. 

"be still, and know that I am God."
psalm 46:10

{mugs}

i really like mugs. 

one of my favorite things to do is to cozy up in a big sweater with comfy socks

 {when it is raining} 

with a mug filled with something hot. 

tea is my favorite.

 but hot chocolate and coffee aren't bad choices either. :) 

so here are some of my favorite mugs. 

bought this one at the apple festival for my mom. :)

chipped paint. still loved.

50 cent steal at goodwill. 

this one has just been in the cabinet for years. 

pelican. most used when i was little. 

places mugs: belarus, eagle lake, poland.

hope you all have a wonderful day. 

oh and check out this website:

{www.rainymood.com}
it is so happy. :)

{we will praise him}

it's been a while, but here's a little post of some 

things that have been on my heart recently. 

what we do in secret, 

{in our minds}

will be apparent in our lives. 

so let your mind praise Him, so that 

your Spirit will shine. 

"i will sing praise with my spirit, but i will sing with my mind also."

1 corinthians 14:15

always, in everything we do in: word, mind, or deed,

 we are to praise His Holy name. in times of joy, 

in times of loss, in times of suffering.

because of the hope

 that He has given us, we

"rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame." 

romans 5:3

so praise Him when 

life is calm and seemingly secure, 

not just in times of 

tremendous need. because we 

{need Him at all times, good and bad.}

happy fall. :) go enjoy the brilliant colors today! 

aubree.

i have a friend. her name is aubree: {noble, bright, and strong one.}

from aubree, i've learned what it means to be noble. her bravery and courage amaze me.
from aubree, i've seen how hard it is to be strong, but through giving your life {fully} to God, you can overcome any circumstance or struggle. "i can do all things, through Him who {strengthens} me."
from aubree, i see how with the {love} of Christ, you can be a bright light to all who surround you.

i love her sweet heart and her playful spirit.
aubree, i love you. you are a beautiful child of promise, lovely in the sight of the Lord. i am so {thankful} for our friendship.

happy birthday. :)

d'attente {waiting}.

{waiting} is a part of life. 


we wait for our sixteenth birthday so that we can drive. 
we wait until we're 18 so we can be considered adults. 
we wait to graduate college and find a job.
we wait to get married. 
to have children. 
we wait for money to pay off our houses and cars. 
sometimes we just wait for {life}. 
life is full of {waiting}. 


learning to be patient in our waiting and sometimes not getting a clear result is the hard part. 
we must put our full trust in God for all of the things we wait for. trying to rush into things without waiting on Him is useless. {His} timing is perfect, and your waiting patiently on Him will pay off. 


"I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from 
the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, 
making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. 
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3

love.

{psalm 100:5}
"for the Lord is good; His love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations."

there is this thing, this unfathomable thing. it's called love.  
it is so powerful.
we, as humans, can't grasp the richness and fullness of it.
true love is something that we, though unworthy, get to experience.
Christ pours His everlasting, unending, love into us. it is overwhelming.
He shows His love to us in different ways. one of which is people.
beautiful people.
sons and daughters of promise, of light.
ambassadors of Christ.
His love bearing vessels.
it is such an amazing thing to experience, when there is a bond between people that can't be broken, because the love of Christ holds it together.
two spirits as one in Him.
the love that He pours into us so that we can pour it into others.
unbreakable, perfect love.
He is love, and he pours Himself into us.
how amazing is that?
that's pretty amazing. 

{His love is amazing.}
and is the only, true love.  

{significance}

if you haven't ever failed at something in life, you haven't lived.

we were reminded of this in class this morning. every person has a special {significance} in this world no matter what they may have failed at. don't compare yourself and your failures to anyone else/'s. you were molded to {uniquely} fill the life God has given to you. you are {you} for a reason. :) don't forget it!


well, this picture is quite random, but i love it. someone i babysit. a very {precious} little girl.

elc {God's timing and plan}

just got home from spending 5 weeks in a place that i didn't want to leave. rather, with people that i love and miss. leaving those people was so hard. over the 5 weeks that we worked together, we grew in the Spirit with one another, and the bonds that were made in between us were strong. God brought us together like a family, united by His Love. we became as close as brothers and sisters. 

even though i didn't want to leave them, i knew in my heart that God had put us together for that amount of time for a reason, and that His timing is perfect. i am extremely thankful for the impact that was left on my life by them. and i hope, that someday i will see them again. i love them. 

here are a few photos {out of many} that i snapped while at camp. enjoy. :)

"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

philipians 4:7

playing with sunshine

yesterday's weather was so gorgeous. vivid blue sky, a light breeze, and so much sunshine. :) took a few photos when we were headed out to camp last night. 

this just makes me smile. :)

biggest seeded dandelion i've ever seen. 

the trees caught on fire! 

every time i see even the tiniest thing in nature and all of it's beauty i'm reminded of what an awesome God we serve. if you're ever doubting, just check out a sunset, a thunder storm, or even something as small as an insect. you shouldn't be in doubt after that. 

"truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him." 

-Mark 11:23