What's in a name....

In keeping with the theme of Elul I want to share something with you....

A few years ago I went through a very trying time. I even stopped blogging for a bit. I spent a lot of time searching and crying out to Hashem. So much changed in me and yet everything around me stayed the same. During that time I was comforted by stories of those who had to "wrestle" with HaShem or who were called according to His purpose. 

Often times after going through something with HaShem the person became different. Their faith was changed, their lives were changed. But not only that, their names were changed as well. There was a complete dying of the "old man". This is what I experienced. My heart was knit to HaShem's in a whole new way.

During this time I took on a Hebrew name. I only shared it with some, though I toyed with the idea of changing it legally. I still may some day.

It's something deeply personal and yet something that if I want to use it I need to be open about. I've used my Hebrew name in certain settings and have come to the place where I would like to use it more frequently.

My Hebrew name is Chana Elisheva. Chana means compassionate or graceful, which I desperately needed from Hashem at the time. His compassion and grace is all that got me through that time, and still what gets me through every day. Elisheva is two things; Eli means my God and sheva/sheba means oath.

I serve an Elohim that is compassionate and full of grace, He is my oath.

This all comes full circle, sort of, with the birth of our son. We had a first name picked put for him long before he was conceived. Our children's names follow an abc pattern, which started out accidentally, so we knew his name would start with a C. His middle name we had decided would be Zephaniah. We were settled. Then one day I was reading in 1 Samuel and as I read I came to the name Shemuel {heard of God/asked of God}. I knew then that was to be our son's middle name. He was after all an answer to prayer.

A while after we had settled on his middle name being Shemuel, I realized the deeper significance in his name. As the biblical Channah prayed for a son and was given a Shemuel. I knew this when we picked it but it didn't deeply affect me until later on. After all the struggle, after all the searching, this was my gift. This was an answer to my prayers.

It's about more than a child though. So much changed with the birth of our son. Our family is different. Our goals are different. We are even more committed to serving Hashem, to learning His ways, to proclaiming His goodness. It is only because of Him that we are where we are.

Therefore if any man be in Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

-2 Cor 5:17

Life right now....

Shalom friends! These last few months have been a whirlwind of excitement and changes for us. There have been so many times I wanted to sit down and update you all but then something else tugs at me. I realized that in not sharing I was not proclaiming all the blessings that Hashem is bestowing on our family. So here I go....

I mentioned back in March that we had a great congregation that we were enjoying and that things were going well. Together we had an amazing Purim with lots of delicious food, fellowship, and the reading of the megillah Esther.

After the excitement of Purim we move into the season of Pesach! We were very excited about Pesach and had been hoping that we could go to HaYovel's Family Week. But it was looking impossible. Not only would my husband need to get a week off from work, but we also needed to be able to fund the trip. The closer it got the more disappointed I got, because it seemed impossible. Some friends suggested that we contact HaYovel and let them know our situation and see if they could help us get there. I figured it was a long shot but I contacted them anyway. Well guess what?!?! They said they could help! So a week before it was time to leave we started packing up with no clue where we were going to sleep, but being willing to just sleep in the car! We continued in prayer and packed up everything we thought we would need. Then dear friends of ours offered to buy us a tent! And not just any tent a really nice 10 person tent!!!! It was just so amazing! Baruch Hashem!!!

So after everything was packed we hit the road for our 15 hour drive to Hardin, Kentucky. 

It was a looooong trip but the time we spent there was so amazing. It would take me months to write about all the amazing things that happened and the MANY blessing we received. We made life long friends and got to finally meet friends that we've known for awhile via the internet! Like Stephanie Brumlow from Our Wholehearted Family, Andi from By The Eastern Gate, and Susan Brendemuhl from Quiverfull of Kids, just to name a few! It was a life changing event to say the least!

our lodging for the week

We were able to have our Pesach seder with the Waller family from Betrothed, as well as my very dear friend that I have known for 5 years, but never met in person! There were also several other families that were in attendance. 

Pesach seder

The whole week was full of sweet fellowship and Divine appointments. We came home and felt like we didn't belong here anymore. And thus began our prayers for the Father to move us closer to the amazing people that we met and love so very dearly. We're not 100% sure when or how, but we know where we are called to be and are looking forward to getting there in HIS timing and by His grace!

I have so much more I want to share with you all, so be on the look out for more frequent posting!

Taste, and see that Hashem is good. How blessed are those who take refuge in him!  -Psalm 34:8

Serving a Faithful Elohim

photo credit

It wasn't that long ago that I was on my knees begging Abba for fellowship and friends. When we left our church it was scary and hard, but we did it by faith. The same is true of our prayers for a son, our home, and a plethora of other things. By faith we made the necessary steps to prove that we trusted and would accept what ever came our way. 

Now our lives are in a place that I honestly never could have imagined. We've joined a great congregation and are able to dig into the Word, as well as fellowship with like-minded believers every Shabbat.  We are happily raising 3 children to love YHVH and to serve Him with their lives. I see my 2 oldest children thinking of others and trying to be helpful and loving. One of my biggest concerns has always been that my children would be close to each other and it's just so amazing for me to watch how they try to take care of each other. Not that they're perfect but they love each other, and really what more could I ask for?

This past month we've had so many answers to prayer it's been mind blowing. It's just kind of been one thing after another and it's times like this that strengthen us all the more for times when things are really hard. 

After the birth of our son we had to make some decisions about circumcision. Not whether to do it, but who to have do it and how to afford it. Since it had to be done on the 8th day that made things slightly more complicated. Thankfully our midwives recommend a wonderful mohelet to us. This whole process has given me a whole new understanding of Tzipporah's struggle with circumcision {Exodus 4:24-26}. 

Once we called the mohelet and got everything set up the realization of what was going to happen set it. I told my husband "my inner momma bear came out". Because that's truly the only way I could describe it. I did a lot of praying and seeking in those few days before the brit and then on the day of I felt at peace. I knew we were obeying and so Abba would take care of us, which He did! From everything down to the financials we were taken care of in a way that only a loving Abba could. It was amazing. 

our son after his brit milah

We are just so happy and blessed and I truly believe that it is the fully undeserved chesed {loving-kindness}that a merciful and loving Abba pours out on us. We do our best to reciprocate that love by obeying but in all honesty we fall short SOOOO many times. But nevertheless HE IS STILL FAITHFUL! He has never forsaken us, even though truly we have deserved it! 

So that is what is going on around here. We are so thankful for the way Abba manifests Himself to us and we are forever indebted to Him. He is our all in all! 

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of Elohim: I trust in the mercy of Elohim for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. Psalm 52:8-9

Life and all that comes with it...

Painting by Carol Marine

Well I have just been an awful blogger lately! Sorry about that. Life just seems to be a little crazy. Between pregnancy brain, low iron, and training up two young ladies, life can kind of get a little hectic.

Seems like try as we might we just haven't been able to get our acts together since the move. I don't know if it's the pregnancy, or just a normal readjustment period, because this is our first move as a family. But I'm looking forward to getting it all figured out as we move forward. 

We've started homeschooling which has been going well. I'm using Easy Peasy Homeschool because it's a free curriculum. Yay free! But with all the excitement from the fall feasts we haven't been very consistent. I think as they girls get older that I'll start after the Holy Days, or something. We'll see.

Along with struggling to just get back into a routine I've been struggling to get back into having my own quiet time with the Lord. Which is MUCH needed. I've been reading but it's not the same as that consistent uninterrupted time with Him. As a mom (really just as a Christian in general) that time is so important. This life is SO hard to do on your own. I remember seeing a tweet once that said:
"note to self, don't try to do life with out God." How true it that! We just absolutely need Him. 

So my goal is to have two quiet times a day! At first I thought that was aiming too high, but then I thought about it. I spend far too much time on facebook, reading blogs, and watching netflix. If I go to bed earlier I can get in some Bible time at night. Then if I'm going to bed earlier, I will be able to get up earlier and I'll have Bible time then as well! Hopefully this works, but if not, I'll be happy to at least get in one of those times. I'm hoping to make this a new part of my life, not just something I do for this season. Two Bible times just sounds so amazing, and the more we are in the Word the more we get to know Him! I want to be so close to my Abba that you can't meet me, with out meeting Him! 

This is the heart of our family, and what we want for our home. So we're FINALLY getting around to putting up some Bible verses! Having scripture on the wall just reminds us through the day of why we do what we do, and Who we serve. 

As of now the only one that is up is in our bedroom. We figured that's the best place to start, since it all starts with us. So now when we wake up the first thing we see in the morning is: "Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee." This is from 1 chronicles 22:16b, it has to do with getting the Temple built, but it spoke to us. We have so much to "be doing" and this is a constant reminder to do it, and to make sure we keep the right focus. We're planning to put more up in every room, but since my hubby is hand paining them it's going to take some time. I'll share once it's all done. 

I think that about covers everything for right now, so I'll leave you with a little bit of exciting news. I had an ultrasound and we know the baby's gender. We're having a... BOY! My hubby is over the moon, and we're all just so excited to meet the newest addition to our family! 

Until next time, be strong in the Lord!

A few updates!

image via google

There were a couple of projects that I mentioned before I disappeared on ya'll, and I just wanted to give some updates.

First is the Bible in 90 days challenge. It went well and the ladies that joined in the facebook group were awesome. I did not finish the plan, as my life kind of got derailed :o) but I did finish the Tanak (Old Testament) so that was pretty exciting. I have now actually read the entire Bible (I have read the NT previously). Not that I plan to stop reading but I think it is an accomplishment to have read the whole Bible. Too many people that profess some type of faith, have not read their whole Bible.

The other thing is my plan to do Trim Healthy Mama. Well obviously since I'm pregnant (YAY!!!) I'm not aiming to loose weight. But I do plan to still implement some of the principles from the book to not gain too much weight. Obviously there won't be any weight loss pictures, but I may give you a few belly shots :o)

Since we're on the topic of pregnancy I might as well share a bit of our plans with you. I am 13 weeks along and this time around we're hoping for a home birth. I'm still in the process of trying to find a midwife, but I have spoken to a few who I think would be good. I'm also planning to approach this pregnancy as natural as possible. In the past when I suffered from hypermesis gravidarum {aka extreme "morning" sickness}, I've taken prescription medication. But this time I have been treating it as naturally as possible. The only unnatural thing I've taken in Benadryl. But even that was limited.

I've been drinking red raspberry leaf tea, using peppermint essential oil, and some homeopathic medications to deal with the nausea and vomiting. Some days have been worse than others but thankfully I should be getting better soon, if my previous pregnancies are any indicator.

I also plan to use herbs to get my iron up. I tend to be anemic in my pregnancies (probably when not pregnant too) so I plan to use the herb Yellow Dock to get in my iron. I'm still trying to figure out all the herbs I want to use for my prenatal tincture, so when I figure that out I will share it. 

Since being nauseous I've had an aversion to reading paper books. I think it's the concentration or something, I don't know. But I LOVE books and reading! So that's been rough. I have a few books I'm planning to read this pregnancy once I can. They are:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth {re-reading}
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books
The Birth Partner {plan to read with my hubby}
The Nursing Mother's Companion

wish list:
Spiritual Midwifery
Naturally Healthy Pregnancy
Husband-Coached Childbirth

So now you're all caught up :o) I'm really excited about this season of life, and I'm looking forward to sharing about it with you all! 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... Ecclesiastes 3:1

Big Changes {Part 2}

If you haven't read part 1 go check that out and then com back to this one :o) 


We started attending our new fellowship full time in February. But then we had to stop because of the car situation. Thankfully though we were still able to listen in and keep up with the studies. It felt like forever that we were with out a car. But really it was like a month and half. 

Once we got a new car, my hubby got a new job, and things started getting back to normal. Then all of a sudden we were presented with an opportunity to move! We had been praying for a long time about moving. We needed more space and our neighborhood was terrible. So when we saw that we could we were so excited. But it had to happen quickly. Which is not always an easy thing, especially when you're pregnant!

SURPRISE! That's change number 3. We're expecting! So not only did we need more space for our family of 4, now we really needed more space since we're adding a fifth member to our family. Isn't it just so amazing how YHVH always answers at the exact right time. 

We are loving our new place. But I'm still not done getting everything set up, as I've been really sick. I'm one of the lucky few who get Hypermesis Gravidarum (aka extreme morning sickness). So I've been kind of out of commission. Which is also part of why I haven't been blogging. But thankfully I am starting to feel better. 

This year has been so full of changes and growth. We've had some set backs, some times of utter confusion, we've lost friends, and we've gained friends. But all in all we have seen YHVH's hand and we have been so blessed! 

I'm looking forward to having people over and being able to open up our home to others. Maybe even host a dinner for one of the feasts! We'll have to see what YHVH allows, but I'm praying that our home will be a blessing to others as well as to us. 

Now you're all caught up on what has been going on and I'm more convinced than ever that when we decide to follow after YHVH and seek His will in our lives, that He will direct our paths! 

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Matthew 6:33

Big Changes {part 1}

Wow, I've been guilty of disappearing for awhile, but this time around was a little excessive! Sorry ya'll! We've had SO much going on that blogging just took a back seat.

This year has been full of ups, downs, twists and turns! Which shouldn't be a shocker since my family and I started the year with this declaration. I mean when you say that you're going to follow YHVH blindly and just go where He leads, you might as well expect some changes.

I've blogged about a bunch of the things that have gone on this year, but there are three big things I haven't shared yet.

The first is that we left our church. This one was HARD. But we sat in service, after service, and listened to our pastor preach on Truth or Tradition. Over, and over, he asked will we stand for God's truth or for our own traditions... Talk about conviction. Now he wasn't talking about Hebrew Roots, but none the less Abba used that to work in our hearts. It was amazing. This same topic was preached on for what felt like forever, and at pretty much every service! I think I felt the itch before my hubby but I just kept quiet and prayed. When I finally asked my hubby if he was making the same connections as I was he said he was. But just wasn't sure what to do. So again I was just quiet and in prayer.

Then one night I was chatting with a dear friend, and telling her how I was feeling. I told her about the messages, how there was no where for us to go, and how lonely I felt. She encouraged me to just wait and pray so I did. Only I didn't have to wait that long. The next day someone sent me a facebook friend request. But I didn't know them. Turns out  she was another believer that was local to me! But she didn't know that because my location isn't on FB. We started chatting about fellowship and when I told her that we didn't go anywhere for our Shabbat fellowship, she invited us to join her family!

My husband is usually VERY hesitant about going to new places, and especially in this situation of going to someone's house, that we had never met. So when I mentioned it to him I was figuring he'd say no. Well surprise, surprise! He said yes! That next Shabbat we head over to meet with her family, and really enjoyed the teaching and fellowship. We then went to church as normal on Sunday. But Sunday night, after the evening service, my hubby was washing dishes and I was sitting in the living room with the girls. All of a sudden he came into the living room and said "we're not going back to the church." I said "ok, like on Wednesday we're not going back?" "No, we're not going back ever."

That was it, no explanation. I didn't know what to think or say. So I didn't say anything. When we discussed it later that evening he told me that he felt YHVH was telling him not to go back. He said he stood there questioning it for a second, and then was just like if this is what I believe YHVH is telling me why am I fighting it. So I said ok, and we agreed to just continue going to our new found Shabbat fellowship.

I don't want to make this post too long, so stay tuned for part 2 :o)

My how time flies...

Wow time as really zoomed by! Chag haMatzot (feast of unleavened bread) is over, and we're already on day 5 of counting the omer. These last few weeks have been pretty exciting. Our family has been enjoying fellowship with some new friends that have become very dear to us, and just getting to experience all that YHVH has in store for us. The next feast is Shavuot/Pentecost which will be at the end of the Omer count. But until then it's back to business as usual.

This last year has been a bit odd since my hubby has been home with us. But he has started back working again! HalleluYah!!! We are very excited and I'm getting readjusted to being home alone with the girls. The first day was a bit crazy but we're getting used to it slowly but surely.

Lately I have been in serious prayer about being a mom. This job is SO important and I really don't want to mess it up. So I've been spending lot's of time on my knees. With that YHVH has been showing me some things that have been a HUGE help.

One of the things that I'm working on is secular TV. We don't have cable but we use services like Netflix, and Hulu, so the girls have been able to watch different children's shows. But I've seen weeds that are sprouting up in them from these things so we are totally removing it with the exception of Shalom Sesame which we have on DVD so we get to avoid commercials. This isn't the first time we've done something like this but I think this is the most drastic change we've undergone.

Initially I tried to just keep the tv off but I noticed that it was a real struggle for us all. So now the plan is to just replace the "bad" with "good". We watch documentaries about families, or nature, as well as shows like 19 Kids and Counting. That's pretty much it, unless hubby decides to get a movie or something. It's been working for right now, and the ultimate goal is to cut down to practically no tv at all.

The other area that I'm working on is homeschooling. I am so guilty of expecting too much and then getting discouraged when it doesn't happen. If you remember at the start of the "school year" I had a great plan of action, but then when reading wasn't working out I got frustrated and then started trying other curricula. I didn't stick to my convictions and the plans that I had laid out.

That's not a cycle I'd like to continue, so I've been asking Elohim to show me the best way to teach the girls, so that my expectations don't hinder them. He has been leading me towards the Charlotte Masson approach, which is summed up in this quote: “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.”

With using this approach there is A LOT of reading. Instead of texts books and worksheets, we read and learn through "living books" which are books that are usually a first hand account of some thing. Also we will be working on character traits (called habits by CM). I posted once before about our training Bible, and that will be our main text for all character lessons, copy work, and reading lessons. In addition we will be reading other books that reinforce what we are attempting to learn. Math skills will be taught using manipulatives.

I'm really excited about trying this new approach and I'm seeing that it really is very compatible with Deuteronomy 6:7 which is our personal education approach.

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. -Deut 6:7

Life Update

There really hasn't been too much going on, which is why the blog has been kind of quiet. But I thought I'd update you all on what has been going on. 

~We found out what's wrong with our truck. The engine is blown! So now we're on the hunt for a new vehicle. Hopefully YHVH will lead us to the right one soon. 

~I've learned A LOT lately about herbs/oils and I  feel confident in treating issues that come up in my family. I'm looking forward to making a purchase from bulkherbstore.com very soon. 

~My new bible came! I'm super excited about this, and it actually came in time for Shabbat. The 90 day plan has been going well. I'm actually a few days ahead because I just couldn't stop reading! Adonai has revived my hunger for His Word and even reading 10-15 chapters doesn't seem enough. I am thoroughly enjoying this time. There's also a great group of ladies reading together on facebook. Having accountability helps a lot, if you're interested in joining the FB group let me know. 

~We're trying to cut out tv again. We noticed the girls have been watching WAY too much tv lately so I'm trying to come up with more things for them to do during the day so that they won't be asking for tv.  It's kind of crazy how addicted they get to it! 

~I've decided to start preparing to be a doula (again). After I had our first daughter I began training to be a doula. Shortly after I realized I wasn't in a position to drop everything and attend births, so I stopped learning. But lately that passion has been rekindled and with my husband's blessing I'm going to be studying again. I haven't decided if I'm going to get certified or not, but if I do I'll be going through a different program than the one I originally started with. Right now I'm aiming to just be a consultant for both birth and postpartum. But in the future I'd like to attend births. I'm also hoping to include herbal advice in my services. I know this won't be happening for awhile but I'm just happy to be pursuing something I love. Pregnancy and birth are two things that get me very excited. I look at it as being used by Elohim for creation! Everyday during pregnancy and birth a woman's body is preforming a miracle, it's really such a blessing! If you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant and want to help me practice, I'd love to chat :o) you can email me at hereinislove {at} gmail {dot} com, or by just clicking the envelope button on the upper right side of the blog.  

Well that's all that's happening around here. It's not much but everyday is truly a blessing. 

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. -Lamentations 3:22-23

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Hurricane Sandy Update

I hope everyone has recovered from the effects of hurricane Sandy. We are also on the East Coast but thankfully all we personally had to deal with was two days and two nights of no power. 

Going with out power made me really appreciate the things that I usually take for granted. Like being able to turn on the lights, or hot water! I hope that you are all safe, and please know that we've been praying for you all and will continue to do so. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Children and Ministry

I can remember back to not that long ago when I so desperately wanted to be serving the Lord with my family. Then it's like I woke up one day and realized I was! After we became members at our church my husband decided he wanted to help with the youth ministry (specifically teens). It has been so amazing to interact with the teens at our church and now I find myself trying to figure out how to balance family life with our ministry.  

The conclusion we came to was to just bring our kids along with us! Being that I mostly work with the teen girls it actually works out really well. The older girls love to play with our girls and our girls love them. Plus when we do fun things, like the corn maze we went to, then it gets to be family time as well as a time of service. 

In the future I would love to have the opportunity to serve the Lord full time (in addition to being wife and momma). But this is what the Lord has us doing right now and I want to teach my girls that it is a pleasure and a privilege to serve the Lord. My prayer for them is that they would boldly go anywhere and do anything for Christ. To me the best way to teach that is to be an example. 

When we go out soul-winning we take our children with us (unless only one of are going). It is not uncommon to see our three year old handing out tracts, or hanging John & Romans, and we like it that way. Not only are they seeing us give of our time, they are also getting to spend time around others who are committed to serving the Lord. Our prayer is that we will set the example and that they would follow the right path. 

That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. -Proverbs 2:20

I'm linking up with Women Living Well

Update and Praise Report

It's been awhile since I posted, hope ya'll didn't miss me too much :o)

These last few weeks have been very interesting. I didn't blog about it, but my husband lost his job a few months ago. So we've been spending lots of family time together. We've probably prayed more during these last few months than ever. All that has kept us going is God's AMAZING GRACE. We've seen the Lord provide for us time, and time again, and it's been amazing. We had the random money experience a few times and were just totally overwhelmed with His provision. When we thought the well must of surely run dry, He would do something to show us just how much He's in control. 

After we came back from the conference money was tight and I just knew we had exhausted all of our financial resources. Well that night, after I kind of broke down a little, my husband went and checked the mail. To our surprise there was a check in their from a totally unexpected source! God had come through again. All that's been left for us to say is PRAISE YHVH!!! 

Now you would think I was done right? Nope. The Lord has come through yet again and provided my husband with a job! He starts this week, and we are sooooo thankful for what God has done! He get's ALL THE GLORY in this story! 

The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. -Psalm 126:3

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. -Psalm 118:23

An Update With Pictures!

These last two weeks have been very busy and exciting. Of course the week of the 4th of July we were busy with family at cookouts and fireworks. We had a fun week, although our oldest came down with a nasty stomach bug that had me pretty worried about her. But God is good and she's doing just fine.


Here are some photos from our time at the beach on the 3rd of July. It was so much fun! We generally don't go to the beach because of modesty issues but my dad has a friend who has private access to a local beach pretty much in his backyard! So every year we look forward to going over there so we can hang out at the beach for a little. Unfortunately it was kind of cool and low tide so we didn't go swimming. 

I made that cover up for my munchkin and she loved it!

  

awwww lol

Our 3 year old took this picture!
Future photographer maybe?? :o)

Happy Independence Day!

After all the celebrating and fun festivities were over it was time to get busy. My husband and I recently volunteered to help out with the teen nights at our church. It was an awesome experience the first time, I just fell in love with the girls, and decided this was something I definitely wanted to be a part of. They are so sweet and a lot of fun to hang out with. We meet with them once a month and were asked to speak with them this month. It was such a blessing and I spoke with the girls about how God loves us. :o)

The following week we jumped right in to help out with Neighborhood Vacation Bible Time. Usually we have Vacation Bible School at the church but this year it was decided to take Bible time to the kids! So we went to local parks and set up shop! It was AWESOME. We had two different sessions one in the morning in one town., and then another in a different town in the afternoon. We had a total of 86 kids between both sessions and we had 21 kids accept Jesus as their Savior! It was really a great experience, God really showed up. There was a school camp starting at the same time and we were nervous because we thought they might want us to leave. But instead they brought kids over to us! All of the days we were there different kids stopped by. Even if they didn't stay to participate in the program they were at least able to hear the Gospel! 

Arts and Crafts

Bible Time

Closing assembly

Nothing beats serving God! We were tired at the end of the day but the joy we had from serving others and doing the Lord's work is indescribable. 

Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. -Matthew 9:37-38

I'm linking up with Women Living Well

Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I've been working with my hubby on a ministry he is starting up. I'm very excited about this project and I can't wait to tell you all about it! In the mean time here is a sneak peek...

In other news we had a great service this morning. We had a guest preacher and he spoke on how justification, sanctification, and glorification are all done by God. But many times we try to do the sanctification part on our own. We try to live the "good Christian" life and make sure our clothes are right or that we're hitting all the right marks. But that can only lead to failure. Because just like we can't get saved on our own, we can't walk out our Christian life with out God. "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." -Galatians 2:21

Because It Is My Life

The Prodigal Daughter by Charlie Macksey

I'm back! When I started my break I didn't know how long I would be gone. I didn't know what would become of me. I even started another blog that was private just to sort out my thought and even with that I couldn't keep it up. I've been in a place where I was trying to get to the Meat when what I really needed (and still need) was the Milk. {1 Corinthians 3:2}

HaShem has opened my eyes to so many things and with each new discovery I found myself wanting to know everything. I would stay up late and be digging and searching. My husband said several times that I was acting like I had to have all the answers right then and there. I wasn't letting the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) guide me. I was guiding me. But then one day something changed. I don't know what it was, all I can do is say that it was God, because it makes no sense. It's like one day I just woke up. I realized I can't have ANY ANSWERS until HaShem is ready for me to. I can look and look all I want but I'll only go around in circles. I realized I had lost my joy, my hope, even my faith. I was looking ahead to emptiness. And that's when out of my darkness and frustration I was called back home.

I was up one night and I decided I need to open up my Bible. I don't know why or what it was but some how I came across 2 John. Well the whole chapter just spoke to me, I was practically in tears as I felt my Abba calling me home, but what stood out to me the most was this: Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. -2 John 1:8


"That we lose not those things which we have wrought"... That pierced me like a sword. I had been on FIRE for YHVH, speaking His word every chance I got. But something squelched that fire in me, my desire to know facts and live by the law left me with out the Spirit. I was in jeopardy of loosing the things that I had wrought! But MY Abba (yes, I know He's yours too but I'm having a moment) called me home!

I was once again reminded that I needed spirit and truth and that this walk does not fit into a little box of facts. There is no little box to check off that says I am a Torah Observant follower of Yeshua HaMoshiach (Jesus Christ) and I live a set apart life. There's either Christian or Jewish and by many standards I fit neither box. I tried to make the box fit, I tried hard, and finally I am ok with not having a neat little box to place myself in. I'm leaning on the Word, walking in the Spirit, facing the world, and shouting from the roof tops: IT IS MY LIFE!

...Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life... -Deut 32:46-47

Hello Mornings!

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? 

when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep  

-Proverbs 6:9

I am finally saying Hello to Mornings! I am so far from being a morning person. My idea of getting up early is 9:30/10 am. I recently started trying to get up at 9 but that still hasn't been enough time to get anything done before the girls get up.

So I've decided to take the plunge and get up really early. I'm talking 6am early! I plan to do so with the help of Kat from Inspired to Action. I've filled out her Maximizing Your Mornings workbook and I'm ready to start! With this new plan in action I hoping to spend more time in the word, and get in shape. Any suggestions for how to get out of bed in the morning when all you really want to do is hit snooze?? What time do you all get up?

Been away...

Well it's sure been a while! Life has just been a little busy for me right now. I usually find time to blog in the mists of it all but this past week I've just been really focused on a few different things, including spring cleaning. I'm not so good at this homemaker thing and I've really been trying hard which resulted in less computer time. I'm just extremely thankful for a patient and loving husband. 

I've also been working on taking care of myself. I've really found that I invest everything into the rest of my family and not enough time in to myself. I'm not talking about for Bible time or for studying but just for relaxing, or making myself feel pretty. So my new thing is... my nails :o) I have to be the world's biggest nail biter lol. But not anymore I'm turning over a new leaf. I find that when my nails are done I don't bite as much. So I got myself a nice little nail kit and some fun spring colors. Hubs is thrilled because he prefers me with my nails longer, or at least there lol.

I've also taken on a new hobby to help my family save money. Couponing. But not your grandma's couponing  I'm talking EXTREME COUPONING! And I am oh so excited. Since some of you may not be familiar with the idea of extreme couponing I'm including a video :o). Since I've been doing this every grocery trip has resulted in us saving 50% or more on our entire grocery bill. I'm hoping to cut it down even more. 

The funny thing is I was praying for YHVH to send me a job opportunity that wouldn't take me out of the home. I was praying that He would open up my eyes and present me with an opportunity that would really help us financially. Then I found out that its possible to get the things we need for our home close to free and that is was entirely possible for me to learn how. I'm constantly amazed at the faithfulness of HaShem and how much He helps. And how often that help comes in the most unexpected ways. I though it would be best if I brought in extra money but He thinks it best if I save us money. Interesting. I'm glad He knows better than I do! Hope all is well with all of you out there!