Thankful Thoughts...

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I wanted to take some time to count my blessings:

~My dad is doing better and had his first day of work today!
~God provided a new, exciting, and stretching job for me!
~God has protected, watched, and provided for my family and I over the last few months in some amazing ways! (money, food, encouragement, support, peace, washing machine...just to name a few)
~Cell phones! I am so thankful that I can talk to my family at any time!
~Legs that work...because I have to walk everywhere! :-)
~A heart that is willing to go where God wants me.
~Supportive and encouraging family and friends!
~And most of all, a wonderful Savior who has watched over me since before I was born, and without Him, I would not be doing what I am doing today!

Sometimes it takes moving several states away to fully appreciate your family. I look at these girls' lives and their families, and I realize how truely blessed I have been. I have a supportive and loving family who have helped me through thick and thin, and have brought me up in the way of the Lord. I look at these girls and I see their hopelessness. I was listening to a couple of them talk about Christmas, and they were missing the whole reason for Christmas. It is going to be harder than I thought to reach out to these girls. I've grown up knowing how important it is to be a servant and to follow Christ's example. But when you're surround by people who have grown up seeing Christians as hypocritical, judgemental, and uncaring--how do you contradict that? The church I went to yesterday talked about the church being salt and light to the community, but it was all about good works. The message of salvation didn't have any part, and following Christ had nothing to do with it. It made me sad to think that so many were missing out on this part of the Gospel and what Christianity is about. There's been several times lately that I've wanted to say I'm a "Christ-follower" and not use the word "Christian" because for so many people it has a bad conotation. I am so thankful that I have hope in Christ, and that He has taken my punishment for my sins so that I might know Him for eternity!Please be praying that I will be a light to the girls that I'm around, not because of my "good works" but because of who I am in Christ. I want them to know who Christ is, and the best way to do that is by example...and it won't be easy.
I'll get off my soap box now. :-)
Anyway, I hope you will count your blessings not only this week but throughout your life. Yes, many of us have hard times/sufferings/trials, but God works through those as well as the good times. I'm sad that I won't be able to be at home for Thanksgiving. I give thanks to God that I have such a wonderful family!

Today is my last day before I go off duty...and I am so ready for a break. This shift has dragged. One of the girls in the cottage was suspended on Friday for three days. Then on Saturday, one of the girl's mom said she was missing some stuff from her purse. So my coworker and I had to search every room...thoroughly...as well as the rest of the cottage. Because nothing turned up and no one confessed to stealing anything, the girls aren't able to do anything fun or go anywhere until we figure things out. Which meant they missed out on the bowling Saturday night and going out to lunch on Sunday. I got 4 1/2 hours of sleep Saturday night because I stayed up late to make sure none of the girls snuck out, and one of the girls had a visit Sunday and she was getting picked up at 6:30 in the morning. I feel like I'm getting a cold, and I'm so tired that I keep forgetting things I need to do today.
I've been presented with the opportunity to go to 2 free workshops tomorrow in Lincoln. It has to do with running a non-profit organization...which I would like to do eventually. Lincoln is an hour away, and I would have to be there no later than 8:30 in the morning. I want to go, but I'm so tired I would like to get a good nights rest. I would also be going by myself. I haven't driven to Lincoln by myself, so I'm a little wary of doing it. I'll let you know if I go.
It's still cold here....no snow yet. We had a really good speaker yesterday at church, and I really enjoyed the music. Please keep praying. Pray that we will find the truth behind the stealing (if there really was any stealing) and that God will give me a discerning heart. Pray that I will discipline myself to spend time with God daily. It's hard to do sometimes, but I want to do it. The speaker on Sunday said that he can scientifically prove that when a person spends 4 days in God's Word, there is a noticable change in their attitude/life. That's what I want...but spend more than 4 days. Thanks for the encouragement and prayers!

P.S. Pictures to come soon!

Dad is back home and doing well. Praise God!

I have to say, that being away from home when things are tough is hard. This last weekend I got really frustrated and overwhelmed. It's a lot harder to adjust and learn then I thought. I had a really good talk with my mom Saturday night that helped a lot with my frustration. I'm so glad that I can still talk to my family! Anyway, if you all would be praying that I would have the discipline to spend time with the Lord every day. I know that that will make a difference when I feel lonely, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Pray that I will find a good friend that doesn't necessarily work at Grace.
This last weekend went pretty smooth, except that our 15 passenger van broke. Each cottage has a van. We use it to take them to school on really cold or rainy days, and if we go somewhere as a group. Well, since ours is broken we can't do that. Pray that the Lord will provide a van for us or the money to fix ours. Brian thinks it might be the axel that broke. There's a big metal piece that is sticking out under the van.
I had Monday and Tuesday off. I started making my Christmas presents since I have to mail everything out this year. It's been in the 30's and rainy for the last couple days. No snow yet, but I'm sure that will come soon enough.
A couple of the girls in my cottage are looking at going back home for good at the end of this semester. A couple of the girls are in complete denial about going home. They think they'll be going home before Christmas, but they aren't doing well enough yet. I'm realizing that a lot of these girls are manipulative. They also don't want to really face their problems and think they are doing so well. Please pray for these girls...that they will open their eyes to what's really going on and they will see Christ in the staffs' lives. A couple of the girls believe in God and a few don't. It's kind of weird. I've worked in a "Christian" environment most of my life, and here I am at a Christian organization, but I'm working with kids that have some really skewed views of God and life. Pray that God will use me to be a light in the darkness, that I will rely on God for wisdom, and that I will love and see these girls as God loves and sees them.

Prayer Request

My dad is back in the hospital. Mom took him to the ER in Salem last night because he was feeling weird. His heart was beating irregularly. Mom said they would see the cardiologist today. Please pray for strength for my mom as she has to go through this again, and that my dad will not be stressed. Pray for wisdom for the doctors so they will know what is wrong and what to do. Pray for me, as I can't be there with my family is this rough time. Thank you!

I'm off today, so I thought I would take some time to write about this week. The last couple days my coworker, Niki, has been sick so I have been walking the girls to school by myself. Yesterday, I took one of the girls to a dentist appointment. It was the first time I drove here. The speed limit is 75 on the highway, so everything is moving faster than I'm use to. Thankfully, everything went fine. :-) I think some of the girls are starting to warm up to me, especially now that I have been more involved. Tomorrow will be the first day I haven't worked with Niki. She is the one that has been training me.
There is a cafe here in town that people like to go to for lunch. On every Thursday they make verenika (sp?). It has cottage cheese in a breading that looks like pot stickers, and you can have them fried or boiled. It comes with a white sauce, ham, home made bread, and sometimes green beans. Today was the second time I've had it. It's different but good.
Apparently the staff have a tradition of going to Applebees on Thursday night because you can get buffalo wings really cheap. I don't know if I'm going to go tonight, but I'm sure I'll eventually see what it's all about.
We've been having really nice warm weather for the past week, and then today is bitterly cold with a blistering wind. Someone said there could be snow....but we heard that last week too.
My coworker, Niki, got a puppy yesterday....for free. He's a lab/bordercollie mix, and he's black and white...so cute! I miss my dog so much. So the girls had fun holding him last night. I think he's only 6 weeks old.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff from this week. I go back on duty tonight. Please keep praying for me. Pray that I won't get sick, and that I will be confident with the girls.

Ok, so my mom said I need to give more details about what I'm doing and stuff. I'm currently working in a house with seven teenage girls. This last Friday was Halloween. We had several girls go home for visits. My coworker, Niki, and I planned some things for us to do with the girls since there was no school that day. We bobbed for apples. I got my second apple in under 3 seconds. We all got quite wet. We made cookies in different shapes then iced them. Niki and I peeled grapes for an hour and a half. Then we blindfolded the girls and had them feel different gross things. We freaked them out a bit. I made potato salad for dinner, and a couple of the girls dressed up for the trick or treaters. It was a fun day, and Niki and I were very tired by the end of the day. I go back on duty tonight at 9:30pm for another 6 day shift.
There are only three churches here in town and I have been to all three. They're different then what I'm use to. To of them are more formal. It is weird going to church and not knowing anyone. That's probably the thing I dislike the most...being the "new" person.....especially in a small town.
There's a small lake with a path that goes all the way around it...about a mile long. It's been really nice weather, so I like to take walks around the lake when I have time off. There are more crickets, grasshoppers, ladybugs, and beetles here then I have ever seen anywhere else. The temperature is different every day....so it keeps throwing me off. Over all things have been good so far. Please continue to pray for me. Thank you all for your support and prayers.