Girls weekend: Friday night
The DoK Girls weekend went great! We had a wonderful time getting to know some new friends, doing fun stuff and talking about God in our lives.
Friday night we started off with some get-to-know you games:
Here the girls had to build a contraption that would keep an egg from breaking when it was dropped from a second story window.
The girls enjoyed the beautiful scenery: especially the frogs!!
We had a bonfire and ate hot dogs and marshmallows... and s'mores!! Delicious.
The sleepover was great fun, although I heard there was some snoring going on... :)
Girls weekend: Saturday
We started off Saturday with a talk about why should we follow Christ? The girls had some alone time to meditate on Luke 9:23-25 and to think about what does it mean for me to follow Christ?
Then, as a group, we learned a little about how to worship by serving and helped out Dayspring by cleaning windows! The girls did a great job.
After cleaning the windows we went for a much-deserved swim! Although the sun wasn't out, and the water was a little chilly, we still had a blast.
Lunch was delicious subs, fruit, rice crispies and notice the home-made salsa on the table!
In the afternoon we did manicures, more swimming and lots of just hanging out.
Marie brought some beads and taught us to make prayer chains: each bead represents someone to pray for.
For supper we were treated to a delicious banquet and served by two handsome, dashing young men! (Jamie and Nat) we had veggies and dip, caesar salad with homemade croutons and real bacon, then followed by delicious spaghetti and meatballs with rhubarb cake and ice cream for dessert. Oh and rhubarb punch. The girls said it was their favorite part of the weekend. It's nice to get pampered :)
A huge THANK YOU to Naomi, Marie, Deja and our cook Rhonda who helped out during the weekend. It couldn't have happened without you! Thanks for a great weekend. Let's do it again!
Girls' weekend
GIRLS WEEKEND!!Where? Dayspring Ministry Center
When? June 15th between 6-7 pm to June 16th at 9 pm.
Who? All girls 13 and over interested in getting to know God and other girls!
What? Girl time, fun, worship, praying, talks, friends, sleepover... (think DoK session from Camp Medley!)
Email me for the list of what-to-bring.
See you there!
Marie-Hélène
Corrie Ten Boom was about 50 years old when WWII hit Holland. With her father and sister, she began to secretly hide Jews in their house to help them escape extermination by the Nazis.They were reported by a 'friend' and carted off to jail. Corrie and her sister Betsie were transferred 3 times to different concentration camps, and finally to the notorious women's extermination camp, Ravensbruck. 96,000 women died at this camp during the war, one of which was Corrie's sister Betsie.Corrie and Betsie went through living hell at the concentration camp, working long hours of hard labour, living in filth and lice with little food. But despite the awful conditions, their spirits rose above their physical circumstances and they constantly looked for opportunities to share God's love from their mini Bible that they had smuggled in. God used these two powerfully to bring light into one of the darkest places in history. She tells the story of these times in her book "The Hiding Place".Corrie was released by 'fluke' only a week before all the other women in her unit were murdered. She then opened several homes and camps for survivors of the war to go and find healing and peace. God then called her to travel and tell the story of the power of love and forgiveness for our enemies. This part of her story is in "Tramp for the Lord".Corrie Ten Boom was a normal human being who lived in a very difficult time. She was not perfect, and had many struggles, but God used her powerfully to bring healing to many. Her message of forgiveness, which she lived in forgiving her Nazi captors, was a powerful one that brought freedom to many people who were bound by unforgiveness. We can learn much from her experiences. Her books are very inspiring and I highly recommend them! :)
Examples of the faith: Hudson Taylor
'The Biography of James Hudson Taylor'
Late 1800s.
The story of how one young man, burdened by the lost millions of China, obeyed the Great Commission and went to China. Despite the fact that he didn't have a financial support base back home, he relied on God daily to provide for his every need. The book is filled with his journal entries and letters he wrote home that describe his years of pioneering missions work in China. The harrowing, lonely first years, the years of plowing the ground, and the years of sending the workers and reaping the harvest. Hudson Taylor founded the "China Inland Mission", later renamed the "Overseas Missions Fellowship", which is now a world-wide missions organization, busy making disciples in many nations.
Hudson Taylor's appeal to the Christians in England:
“I want you to pray daily that God will direct us as to which provinces we should attempt, and how. We have the almighty God with us; the all-wise Counsellor to guide; the indwelling Spirit to give efficacy to the preached Word. Ask for me more simple trust in Him, and boldness to attempt great things. Try to get friends to promise and seriously endeavour to pray daily about the opening up of new provinces to the Gospel. Christ must speedily be proclaimed in them: how and by whom we must ask Him. “ pg 332 Bio.
What struck me was this man's insatiable thirst for closeness with Christ. It was his intense prayer life and quiet, faithful persistence to obey the call of God that enabled thousands to hear the good news for the first time. An amazing testimony to the power of God.
Reading this book has made me desire a new closeness with God that can only be found through earnest prayer and study of the Word. Somehow I feel that there are things I've never experienced, but only talked about...
www.ca.omf.org
Examples of the faith: Richard Wurmbrand
Reading about great men and women of God in history has become a new passion for me. My faith and lifestyle have been continually challenged as I read their stories filled with hardships, but balanced with rock-solid faith. God has kept their stories alive to keep us unsatisfied with our own walk, and to attest to the power we have in Christ
"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so to fear death. " Rev. 12:11
'Tortured for Christ'.
1960s
Written by Richard Wurmbrand, a pastor who spent 14 years in prison in Communist Romania. He has written several books describing these horrifying years: 'If Prison Walls could Speak', 'God's Underground Church'. They are extrememly sobering to read, as we have no concept of any kind of persecution. Christians in Communist countries were systematically beaten, tortured, brainwashed, while living in dirty, cold cells with watery soup to eat, and no hope for release.
Would you still stand for Jesus in these conditions?
Read about men who have, and let God work in your heart.
What a privilege we have to worship our God openly in our Western countries! How can we as the Free church help our persecuted brothers and sisters? You will probably be surprised as to how many countries still actively persecute christians.
Wurmbrand's sole goal since his release has been to wake up the free Western churches to the atrocities happening to the church in anti-christian countries. He started the world-wide organization Voice of the Martyrs. VOM's ministry is geared to bring the believers in the West to their knees in prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters. This organization also provides many opportunities to support these persecuted christians and their families. Check out their website, and read some of the stories firsthand. You can receive their quarterly newsletter for free.
www.persecution.net
His dream
Nov. 21st 2005
I dream myself too close to the goal
Closer I dare not go
For fear that I would chase it
Further than my dream would stay
Dream may you stay as such
Pure, mysterious, untouched
That I may see you from afar
Big, beautiful, sweet spot of my heart
Oh that someday I would stop
and look! With no warning
Nor any work of mine
Here I stand amidst this dream
Bigger, more beautiful than seemed it
from afar, before me, around me
And while I did not know it
behind me did my dream unfold
in all its fullness
I am whole, now having seen
a glimpse of the heavenly plan
My dream was not just once
but was always, through my life
pieces, by my Creator wrought
for His glory alone did I walk
in and through my Dream
His Dream
Getting married is definitely a part of this dream. I see only pieces of it from far away: music, dance, arts, people, friends, discipleship... it's all vague but becoming clearer. One day I will look around and find myself inside this dream and find that I've always been there, being prepared or just living it. Ultimately the dream is the will of God, and if I'm in it there is no beginning or end, it's a continuation of a dream that never ends.
Ladies-in-waiting
12 days from now I will Mrs. James Morell. Oh man.
When I was 13 years old I prayed, "God please help me find my man and get married young." And here I am, not even 20 and half and getting married to the most wonderful man I could imagine. God is so good.
If you haven't all read Karen's blog about waiting for her guy, go read it now.
I was inspired by the beautiful way that she described in such detail this nameless guy that she's waiting for. Yeah Karen! We all have lists of every quality that we'd like in our dream guy. I made my first one when I was about 15 and have added to it ever since. Here it is, unedited. By the way, in my journals I referred to my future husband as my 'FH'.
Things I would like my FH to be
1. On fire for God 2. Loving towards his family3. Same general direction as me for the future
4. A servant, humble heart
5. Handsome enough for me to be physically attracted6. Open for new things/Adventurous
7. SENSITIVE 8. French speaking
9. A good communicator, especially of his own thoughts and feelings.
10. A musician of some kind
11. Our families must be close/my parents must know him well
12. Not afraid to DANCE for God
13. Work for me like Jacob worked for Rachel, treat me like that.
14. A gentleman
15. connected somehow to gymnastics
Honestly, when I wrote that, I was like 'Ok God, there's a challenge for you!' I had second thoughts and almost took some of the things off because I thought it was too picky. After I wrote that, as I met guys in whom I appreciated different qualities, I would add to the list. Things like leadership, an evangelistic heart, someone who will invest into other's lives... Picky as it was, (you all know what I'm going to say...) Jamie is all of those things. His mom was even a national level gymnastics judge for years! He had every quality, and in these past 3 years he's grown into so many more that I never though of but appreciate so much.
He was definitely worth waiting for.
My handsome hunk and I at Nat and Naomi's wedding
Hands up for whoever wants to get married one day. Ok hands up for those who are willing to wait until the right time and the right man come along. YEAH big cheer!!!! It's really difficult, but I know a lot of you girls that read this are commited to waiting (in more ways than just keeping sex for marriage) for your future husband.I encourage you to set yourself apart, wait. Make yourself a list, and add to it as you go. And don't settle for anything less!! Take all that time and thought and energy that would go into a relationship with a guy and invest it into people around you, your family, your girlfriends, people who have needs... actively seek to invest into your community. That's when you'll find, when you're not even looking, a guy who is also outward focused, and you'll have all kinds of other healthy, wholesome relationships!
Above all, we girls need to be wholely dependent on Jesus for ALL our emotional needs. That is a huge key because no human, not even the most amazing guy in the world (not even Jamie!) can fulfill all of those needs. Jesus wants to be first in our hearts.
Wait, dear ladies, and don't just sit there but "hussle while you wait" and be useful to God's kingdom in this season of singleness so you can serve Him in greater fullness when He brings you your Prince Charming. :)
PS Allow me to re-recommend the book 'Authentic Beauty' (see link on the side) it's really a great book.
The sleepover was great fun, although I heard there was some snoring going on... :)
