twelve hours

In a little less than 12 hours, I will be headed out my door to start our journey to Brazil. I can't wait to see what God has planned! Thank you for all your prayers and support! This is going to be a trip of a lifetime. Can't wait -- but I doubt there'll be much sleep tonight. ;)


Love in Christ,

   Sierra

Five More Days...

Five more days, five more days, five more days, five more days…

You know those computer screensavers where you choose words that will float across the screen like a banner whenever your computer hasn’t been used for a few minutes?  You can choose the color, font, font size, words, etc.  Well, my mind is that idle computer and Five more days is that banner.  My mind is not idle, but that banner blocks everything else out.  It’s a huge, fun and bold, black against white font: Five more days, five more days, five more days, five more days…

It seems so weird to think that all there is left to do is pack.  I have little lists floating around: Do not forget! (Bible, journal, pens, etc.), Need to buy! (travel shampoo bottles, money bag, water bottle, etc.), Do before Sunday! (empty SD card, run to St. Cloud, pack, etc.).  No more flurried searches for papers needed to apply for a visa; no more planning fundraising events; no more discussion of travel details; no more team meetings.  Five more days, five more days, five more days,  five more days…

We know where we’re sitting on the plane.  We have names and ages of the children who are presently at Reame.  We know what time we have to be at church Sunday morning.  We know what we’re wearing while traveling.  We know how much money we’re taking with to be exchanged into reais.  We should know what we’re going to pack. ;)  It’s all set!  Most of the team members will most likely spend this week packing.  Saturday, the lot of us will get together once more and pack the team supply bags.  Sunday, we get to the church at 9:30, pack the trailer, at 10am we get commissioned in the service, and hopefully will hit the road by 10:20-10:30.  Five more days, five more days, five more days, five more days…

We’ve found out several projects that we’ll be doing down there:

·         Painting the trim of the girl’s house

·         Gardening

·         Cementing the sidewalk outside of Reame

·         Putting together a mosaic in the said cement

·         Organizing a storage closet (for which they are actually renting a dumpster) :)

·         Painting and decorating Lynda’s new office

·         Cleaning leather sofas

Most of the Reame children go to school from 1-5pm, so that will be when the majority of the projects will be getting accomplished.  I’m very excited to do some of this!  I think we’ll be able to bond as a team a bit more during these times and perhaps get to know some of the Reame staff a little better.  Five more days, five more days, five more days, five more days…

The Brazilian government has changed their laws: on weekends, now, children must go home to their families – if they have one.  So on Saturday, we will be doing a bit of touring.  Seeing the “Christ the Redeemer” statue and Sugarloaf Mountain are on our lists for Saturday.  We also get to experience a Brazilian pizza/pasta buffet and an authentic Brazilian steakhouse (think Fogo de Chao, if you’ve ever been there).  Five more days, five more days, five more days, five more days…

Well, I better stop typing, now, because I could go on forever.  Can you tell I’m just a tad excited? :)

God bless and thank you so much for your prayers and support!  We can’t wait to tell you about it and show some pictures when we get home!   

In Christ,
  Sierra

To My Dad...

 As I was with Mother's Day, I'm a day late with my Father's Day post.  *sigh*  This is for you, Dad! :)

For supporting our family -- thank you.  For first suggesting homeschooling -- thank you.  For supporting me and encouraging me in my college -- thank you.  For giving me a job -- thank you.  For supporting LIVE and praying for it -- thank you.  For giving me your love for music -- thank you.  For helping me study as much as you can -- thank you.  For taking me to concerts -- thank you.  For taking me camping all those years -- thank you.  For being the best dad ever -- thank you.

For all you've done for me --

Thank you, Daddy!  I love you very much!

Love,

   Sierra

Brazil update

 I am a little behind on posting, I know.  I am taking another CLEP test, Natural Sciences, on Thursday and there is only one way I'm going to pass this test, and that is with God's help.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."   ~Philippians 4:13

I haven't really been keeping you updated on my Brazil trip, either!  Below is our most latest email update that was sent out.

Hi everyone! 

  The time is creeping up on us.  Four weeks!  It feels like yesterday that we got the email detailing our first meeting.  Now, we are choosing the date of our last team meeting.  For me, the list of things to do before June 24^th keeps getting longer and longer and I wonder if I’ll get everything done.  Graduation parties to attend, VBS, clothes shopping, hair cut, not to mention work and finishing school.  At times, I am grateful that I have things to make the time to faster, and other times, I’m overwhelmed wishing time would go slower. 

  I am very excited about this trip.  The team has been great getting to know – we’ve had a lot of fun together!  Planning seems to be going really well, too.  God has definitely had His hand on everything regarding this trip.  On Thursday, we found out that 11 out of 16 of the team members’ Brazilian visas had been approved – only two days after submission!  The standard for this is 12-15 days.  What a blessing!  The other five are for us minors which were submitted on Thursday morning. 

  Friday night, we had a party for the team members and our families.  It was a fun time had by all, playing Frisbee, and the name game, and just talking.  Praise God for bonding time for everyone on the team!

  “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”    ~Philippians 4:19

~Sierra

 We are getting SO close to leaving.  When you think "four weeks" you may think, "Oh, that is still a month away."  But then if you think, "Wait, next week, it'll be three weeks!", it seems extremely close!

 In Christ's love,
    Sierra

The Avengers vs. Jesus

 Last weekend, I went to see The Avengers with some friends.  I wasn't really expecting to like the movie since I'm not really into superheroes and I knew nothing about any of these heroes.  Of course, I'd heard my brother talk about them, but besides their names, I couldn't have cared less. :)

 So when I saw The Avengers, I was very surprised that I liked it!  I didn't just like it as in "oh, it was okay for a superhero movie".  I liked it as in, "Woah!  That was awesome, let's quote the movie all the way home!". :)  But that night, as I was doing my devotions, my verse of the day was Psalm 33:20 which says, "...He is our help and our shield".  I thought it was funny how God put that verse there for me to see that night.  He was reminding me that He is THE superhero!  There are six main Avengers, which, put all together are a forced to be reckoned with (by humans).  However, Jesus is one -- just one -- whose qualities and abilities surpass these six superheroes all together.

 Steve Rogers, once a puny, soldier-wanna-be, became Captain America in the 1940's when Mr. Stark (Iron Man's father) did an experiment on him, which resulted in him becoming super strong.  Captain America's weapon is not only his strength, but his shield which is made of the remaining of a rare element.  As seen in the movie Captain America, he sacrifices his life to save New York City.  He crashes an aircraft and supposedly dies, yet, when the aircraft is discovered in 2011, he is found frozen -- but he's still alive.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield..."   ~Psalm 28:7

Romanoff: they're basically gods. [describing Loki & Thor]

Captain A: Ma'am, there's only one God and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.

 One part of the Captain America movie that stood out to me was when Steve Rogers was still the weakling.  He had enlisted in the Army and was in training when a sergeant, who didn't believe Rogers was good enough to be in the Army, threw an object and shouted grenade.  The other soldiers in training all ran and hid, but Rogers jumped on top of the "grenade" to protect everyone else.  That shows what kind of man Steve Rogers is.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."   ~Romans 5:8

 Thor, the Norse god of thunder, also has out-of-this-world strength.  He has some back-story, but since I haven't seen Thor, the movie, I don't know what it is. ;)  His weapon is a hammer which, I think, has some magnetic pull to Thor, so whenever he reaches for it, no matter where it is, it flies at him.

Banner: I don't think we should be focusing on Loki.  That 

guy's brain is a bag full of cats.  You can smell crazy on him.

Thor: Have a care how you speak....He is my brother.

Romanoff: he killed eighty people in two days.

Thor: He's adopted.

"Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"  ~Jeremiah 23:29

 Bruce Banner is a regular man who becomes Hulk -- an ugly green giant.  Although Banner can work hard to control himself from becoming Hulk, when he transforms into the monster, he is no longer in control of himself and ends up hurting those he cares about.  Hulk's strength is just as great as his size.

Loki: I have an army.

Stark: We have a Hulk.

I liked Banner a lot better than Hulk.  Plus, I thought Hulk was scary.  Hence this photo.

"...And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear..."                          ~1 Corinthians 10:13

"my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior -- from violent people you save me."                                         ~2 Samuel 22:3

 Iron Man was created by multi-billionaire, genius, and head of Stark Industries, Tony Stark.  Stark has designed an iron outfit that can make him fly, can endure tons of strength, and is embedded with the latest technology.

Rogers: Stark, we need a plan of attack!

Stark: I have a plan: attack!

"...your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."   ~Matthew 6:8

"...He is their stronghold in time of trouble."   ~Psalm 37:39

 Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, is a main character in this movie, however I don't think she's very "superhero-y".  She can certainly fight, and aim guns, but I don't know if she's actually a superhero.  

Stark: Guys, I'm bringing the party to you!

[Iron Man leads bad guys to rest of The Avengers]

Romanoff: I don't see how that's a party.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."   ~Proverbs 31:30

 Hawkeye.  I'd never heard of him before.  He started as a bad guy, but then he converted. :)  He could shoot his bow and arrow like a pro and he's scaling a building in the photo below! 

Romanoff: This is just like Budapest all over again!

Hawkeye: You and I remember Budapest very differently.

"But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down."    ~Psalm 64:7

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."    ~John 10:28

 Now, that verse was God talking!  No earthly, man-made superhero.  A heavenly, Creator of earth, out-of-this-world superhero.  One who didn't get His strength from being an experiment's guinea pig, or from lightning or from inventing his own iron suit complete with advanced technology.  God isn't superficial.  He's not "too good to be true".  He's as real as the air we are breathing.  He's "the way, the truth, and the life".  

 The Avengers was a good movie.  I can see why little boys like pretending to be superheroes -- they get to save the day!  But no Superman, Iron Man, Captain America can compare to my superhero.

Jesus.  He's my superhero.

Love in Christ,
   Sierra

To My Mom...

I tried writing this last night, too, but I couldn't seem to find the right words.  Any words that would properly describe my gratitude to you, Mom, just seemed very inadequate.  This past year, you've become my best friend, and I'm so thankful for that.

For always being there for me -- thank you.  For patiently reading and discussing my blog posts before I post them and my LIVE for Christ lessons before I teach them -- thank you.  For loving me unconditionally -- thank you.  For listening to me when I'm happy and when I'm upset -- thank you.  For not only being a friend to me, but letting me be a friend to you -- thank you.  For going shopping with me -- thank you.  For homeschooling me for 11 years -- thank you.  For being a godly example to me of a wife and mother -- thank you.  For your daily sacrifices you make for our family -- thank you.  For supporting me in my calling of leadership -- thank you.  For reading me those awesome books when I was little (as discussed earlier today) -- thank you.  For letting me be your walking buddy -- thank you.  For watching movies with me -- thank you.  For being my motivator -- thank you.

For everything you've ever done for me --

 Thank you, Mom!  I love you so much!

Love,

Sierra

"Stand Firm"

 Last night, as I was doing my devotions, I came across this verse:

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 

~1 Corinthians 15:58

 Stand firm.

     ~ You can't stand firm if you don't know where you stand, though.

 Let nothing move you.

     ~ Plant your beliefs in concrete and don't let anything push you or pull you away.

 Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.

     ~ No more living for yourself.  Give your WHOLE self to the Lord. 

 Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

     ~ When you give yourself to the work of the Lord, He will bless you.  He will reward you.  Not necessarily on earth.  But He will in heaven.  And you will feel blessed, privileged, to be working for Him.

 Sometimes, well, a LOT of times, we read the part that says, "Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord", and think, yeah, I'm doing that.  But are we really?  Are we giving ourselves to the work of the Lord?  Or are we giving ourselves fully to the work of the Lord?  Not just part of our life, not just the "majority" of our life, but our WHOLE life.  Our whole life set apart for HIS glory.  For HIS kingdom.  For HIM.  

 Too often, we take a little bit of our lives and keep it for ourselves while the rest we give willingly to God.  But that isn't what He asks us to do. 

"Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

~Matthew 22:37

 We can't love God with all our heart if we take a little piece of our hearts to keep for ourselves.  Same as our souls and our minds.  If we take even the tiniest piece for us, we are not obeying THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT.  

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

~Matthew 6:21

This week I'm thankful for:
251. emails and texts from friends on days that haven't gone well
252. an awesome Brazil team meeting
253. talking to friends who I haven't talked to in a while
254. encouragement
255. this post from Kaleigh
256. making progress in Natural Sciences
257. Khan Academy's science videos
258. movie soundtracks
259. runs with my mom
260. thunderstorms (sometimes) ;)

Love in Christ,

   Sierra