Camelot and Kissing

Last night, some of us went to Bemidji High School's production of Camelot (Amy is sick and Dad didn't feel like going). I (Julie) thought it was very well done, and especially the three main actors were spot-on. I do think that story is interesting--that whole part of history intrigues me. Ok, any part of history intrigues me. The part that bothered me though, was the scene were Guenevere and Lancelot are found kissing in her bedroom (Guenevere is married to King Arthur). Besides the fact that they weren't supposed to be married and that you feel bad for Arthur and fear the consequences for those two, I felt bad for the girl who played Guenevere, because she really had to kiss Lancelot and make it look real. Now, I have no idea how she felt; maybe they really like each other, and maybe she has kissed many other guys. For me, though, that first kiss, and especially one that passionate (they really did make it look real--no fear of cooties in those two), is reserved for one man, and one man only. I know, I know, it's only theater and it's not for real, but even if my greatest desire in life was to be an actress and this was the play that was going to launch my career, I don't think I would go through with that. Once that first kiss is gone, it's gone. If it pleases God to bring me a husband someday, I am not going to cheat him out of that first kiss. Call me a romantic, but it just makes sense that you can only have one first kiss, just as a person can have only one first birthday. I'm not saying it is a sin to kiss someone if that someone doesn't end up being the one you marry (I'll leave that up to God), but it would take some of the magic (metaphorically, I don't believe in abracadabra) out of it, don't you think? **Disclaimer: I don't think about kissing all day, and there are many other things that I think are more important in a marriage relationship, but I think I'll just tackle this one for today, and leave the rest until I actually have a little experience. Oh, and I am not ignoring the part of Lancelot in this, he had to kiss just as much as she did, but I can't pretend to know the guy's part.

Not-So-Wuthering Heights

I (Julie) have been reading "Wuthering Heights" recently, as it is also one of the books on my list to read someday. So far, I'm not impressed. As with "The Scarlet Letter," which, by the way, I did like a little bit better by the time I finished, but not much, I'm not done with it yet, but I'm not foreseeing it getting much better. For anyone that has not read it, basically it's the story of this man, Heathcliff, who is so in love with this girl, Catherine, but he's beneath her socially, he leaves for a few years, she marries someone else, and then he comes back determined to win her back and destroy everyone else who is close to her. Then she dies, and he is more obsessed than ever. He is just a mean, depressed person, and he wants to make everyone else's life miserable. What a sad life! Now, contrary to how it might sound, I do love to read, and most of the books I read, I really like. Here are some that are on my list that I have thoroughly enjoyed:

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Emmuska Orczy "Wives and Daughters" by Elizabeth Gaskell "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

I'm sure there are more that I will remember as soon as I post this, but as I am not at home, I don't have my list in front of me. I am getting so excited for my trip to Poland! Please be praying that there would be more Americans coming forward to serve on this team; especially needed is an adult (over 21) who would be able to act as a guardian for another girl from our church who wants to go, but is only 17. Under the policy of International Messengers, she needs an adult guardian, and as I am only 19, I don't qualify. It is also looking like I will get to spend about 5-6 days with Marie in Belgium! I praise God that He has opened these doors!

Doodles

Kyle loves pasta. And he loves looking at it. One of his favorite activities is to look through the cookbook their family gave me (Julie) for my birthday and find all the pasta dishes. He hasn't totally developed the "n" sound, so when he sees some noodles, he says, "doodles!" Notice the exclamation mark - he always says is like he's been waiting his whole life to see that one picture. Here are some pictures of them enjoying their "doodles."

New Boots

Kyle was thrilled with Dad's new boots...he could finally see in the drawer!

Girls Night

On Friday night, our mom got together with some of the other moms from our parents' Bible Study, and so some of us girls decided to get together too. What a fun night! Kayla made the main dish for our potluck: macaroni and cheese!

We also enjoyed apple slices dipped in caramel. L-R: Anna, Kayla, me (Julie), and Katie.

No, I did not eat the whole pan of brownies! They were delicious, and I was tempted, but I restrained myself. Thanks for the yummy treat, Roberta!

After supper, we played Pick One. It is played with Scrabble letters, and everyone draws 7 letters to begin with. The first one to use all their letters (in real words) says, "Pick one." And then everyone draws one more letter, and tries to use that one, and you keep going until you can't draw any more letters. Then you count up your points like in Scrabble. A very fun game, but be sure to keep the dictionary handy! L-R: Roberta, Kayla, Katie, me, Anna (Amy was taking the picture)

Amy's Pick One words. I think she won. She always does.

After Pick One, some of the girls went in the hot tub. Kayla's mom had gotten all these gourds and paints so we could decorate them. I started on mine when everyone else got in the hot tub, and I was still working on it when everyone got out. Since the other girls didn't start theirs until the got out of the hot tub, I didn't get pictures of any other ones because they were still drying.

I had a lot of fun decorating it, but it was just like when I sit down to decorate Christmas cookies. I start thinking that I will just do something simple, and there I am, hours later, still working on it. Oh well. Snowmen just make me smile!

Burning Ropes

As mentioned before, my mom and I (Julie) are doing a Beth Moore Bible Study on the book of Daniel. A few weeks ago, we studied the story of the fiery furnace. While I was working on my packet of Bible Studies for my Poland trip, I came across Isaiah 43:2:

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

What a comfort to know that we don't have to fear anything, be it actual raging rivers and fiery furnaces or situations that are just as menacing. Beth talks about how God can choose to deliver us from trials in three ways: Option 1-He can deliver us from the fire, and we will be thankful that we don't have to go through that trial. Option 2-He can deliver us through the fire, and our faith will be strengthened and refined as we trust in Him more. Option 3-He can deliver us by the fire into His arms for eternity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered through the fire, but they were unharmed. In fact, the Bible tells us "...there was no smell of fire on them." (Daniel 3:27) Even more than that, the ropes that bound them were gone. Doesn't God sometimes use trials to not only strengthen our faith, but to burn the ropes of the enemy that hold us captive? Ropes of self-righteousness, doubt, fear, insecurity, and many others can be burned away, leaving us free to live for Him. That lesson really got me thinking about the ropes that are holding me captive. I pray that I will be able to come through my trials without my ropes and not smelling of smoke.

Operation Christmas Child

Yes, it is time to for shoeboxes again! For those of you that don't know, Operation Christmas Child is a program that distributes shoeboxes of Christmas gifts to children around the world who are in need. Check out the website for more information:

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/

When we look at how much we have, we are so blessed to be able to give to these children. The best thing about the shoeboxes is that all the children who receive one are given a book about Jesus being God's greatest Gift (in their own language usually), and they are told about the love Jesus has for them.

The shoeboxes can be filled with lots of different things. There is a more detailed list on the website, but here are some ideas:

-school supplies

-little stuffed animals and other toys

-hygeine items like soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste

-hard candy (nothing that will melt)

You can designate on each box whether it is for a boy or a girl, and what age range. They ask that you include at least $7 to cover shipping costs. Also, Samaritan's Purse encourages you to include your picture and address, so that the child could write to you if he or she wanted, and so they can put a face on the person who wanted to share the love of Jesus with them. I would love to hear what you put in your boxes!