Big Stuff Happening Lately

Last week was our vacation with the Skrabacz's to Pigeon Forge, TN.
It was a lot of fun, but if was definitely one of those "need a vacation from the vacation" type things.

We hiked and biked and did all kinds of fun stuff. Their family amazes me at how they can go go go all day and then stay up LATE! I mean until 11-12PM. No sir, not me. I was promptly in bed at least by 10PM.

We biked around Cade's Cove, 11miles. Very cool. We saw a bear in a tree and her whelps over in a very sparse bush. We decided that they are not very good hiders to our advantage.

Candace, a friend of Katie's from school went with us. I say friend of Katie's, but she is now also a very good friend of mine too! Candace is a wonderful photographer and artist. She is currently finishing her Master's Degree at PCC in art. To see one of Candace's oil paintings is amazing, she really inspires me :)
Once the pics get forwarded to me, I will put some on the blog.

Tomorrow Shauna, Jeremy and Jakob come, very excited about that. Lots to talk about sister-e-sista.
On the trip I totally had a flash back moment! We were bike riding and we saw this deer running through the tall grass and I said "Frolic! Frolic with me Otis!" (from childhood movie, Milo & Otis) and Candace piped in and said "here comes the dog, strong and brave!" and I instantly remembered the days of Shauna, Amber and me watching that movie in all of its corniness and loving it.

Coming home is the only bad part of vacation. Well....not necessarily coming home (we were glad to sleep in our bed), but going back to work (double double frownie face). All this week I have had somewhat of the back-to-work-blues. Can't wait for Sunday when I can see my bus kids again. I have missed them.

Sunday we were at church but we had just got in the evening before so we asked Kevin Clark to pick them up for us. Zoe saw me in church (she likes to sit with Olivia Fuller in big church) and ran up and gave me a big hug and said "are you guys taking me home?" to which the answer was no, but I made sure she knew we'd be there for them this coming Sunday. Can't wait to see each of them. especially cute little Abi whose every "S" is a "TH" lol.

So, Dan and I have some big prayer requests if everyone reading here would pray with us. Job opportunities, life changes. We just want EXACTLY what God wants for us. Please join us in prayer.
As Kip said to Napoleon "Peace Out!" -double chest bump, represent. 

VBS fun

So, last night we had a quest preacher from North Carolina. His name??? uuuuum, I am reeeally bad with names, but he kept calling Pastor "Brother Levi." It was really funny!

After the message, we all went back into the fellowship hall to hear the kids sing and do a skit for VBS. ALL of our bus kids have rode the bus ALL week! I am so excited because even siblings that we have been trying to coax into coming have come totaling 15 riders!

As they sang their songs, they were so sweet. Once they saw me, they hardly could stay focused, as they waved and showed me all the stuff they had won. Brianna gave me the "I love you" sign in sign language that I taught her. Keira turned towards me as she crossed her arms over her chest then pointed her fingers at me singing "Cast your burdens upon Jesus, He cares for you." I love those kids. They are learning so much and soaking up everything we teach them. They are the sweetest group that we have ever had, for sure.

Tomorrow night is the last night, please keep all the workers in your prayers as they minister to the little ones and please pray that someone will get saved.

THE Book

So apparently there is an even NEWER version of the Bible out to "help people get into the story."
Well, I started researching the KJV version because on Yahoo, all the liberal commentators seem to think that our version is corrupt. I am very excited to have ordered (for only $10 including shipping) "Let's Weigh the Evidence" by Barry Burton on ChickPublications website. I am excited to read historical facts supporting our Bible.
All I know for sure is that I have trusted in the King James Version for all my life and the Lord has always answered my prayers, met my needs, and blessed me over and abundant. Every promise made in it to me has been kept, and God shows forth Himself to me in such real ways all the time.

I was not there for its writing, but then again, neither were any of the "historians" that try to prove it is false. I would like to hear this from the perspective of the Christian historian.

In these times when even the basis of our faith is being questioned, we must remember all that God has done for us. We must realize and call to our memory all the times that He has worked in only ways that God could work and remember that they match perfectly with His word. They are ever learning and never able to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Stand strong, and keep yourself educated. People WILL question you.

Tired zzzzzzzzzz

I am super sleepy today.
Dan and I had to get up at 4AM this morning...4AM is not a pretty time of day. I don't think any time before 5:45 is a nice time of day. In fact, I don't think they should call any hour morning until 5AM.

I have been under somewhat of pressure lately at work. The funny thing? No one really knows they are pressuring me :\
I work with some really nice people. They are funny, professional (if you don't consider the cursing), and very progressive as far as business goes. The problem is, they like me enough to start inviting me to do stuff with them. One of which is to come over for dinner, go out to brunch etc...I know that doesn't sound so bad, but they are wine drinkers. I have told them a couple of times that I don't drink. They know I am a Christian and wear modest clothing, don't curse, have been pure and go to church faithfully. But sometimes I don't think worldly people realize that I also cannot continuously surround myself with people who do those things...
I don't see an issue with being polite and going over for dinner, but brunch? That means either giving up bus visitation or church. That I won't do.
With stuff like this, there is no question that I will do the right thing, but it feels so awkward sometimes. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but my convictions are stronger than any social qualms I may have. It is one of those "suffering shame for his name" things. I don't think it is wrong to feel a little bit awkward when I work with these people all the time, but I definitely will keep my testimony no matter what. I have had the opportunity to talk about the Bible and my beliefs with several of my coworkers so far, and I know that hanging around them when they are drinking, etc...will only seem as though I am OK with it.

This is one of my spiritual battles. One that I could find my way out of by saying "oh, I can't make it due to a prior commitment", but then miss out on being a good testimony by saying something like, "sorry, I go to church every Sunday morning and wouldn't compromise that for anything"

In school (when I was going to the college), I found it easy to stand up for what I believed, I would never see those people again. Now, its hard. I am with these people 8hrs a day for 5 days a week, I have to be very tactful in the way I come across, yet not back down at the same time.
I crave your prayers as I try to be the witness I am called to be.

Please God, give me wisdom.

Wooh, I barely made it through that one alive....

Last night I had every intention of going home, doing Pilates, cleaning my house, and eating a wholesome meal after a long hard day..........
Yeah, well, I got through laundry and general pick up, a couple of sit-ups, then ate two bowls of strawberry ice cream with cool-whip and chocolate sauce. That's almost the same right?

I felt much better after that...that, and a little bit of "the Importance of Being Earnest" (the old 1930's version) who wouldn't??

Praise the Lord, today is a much better day.

I got a ton of work done, I felt less stressed, and only had pleasant phone conversations.

Tonight is what I call mid-week life saver. Church. Even though I am always really tired on Wednesday nights, I love going to be refreshed in God's word.
All week I hear curse word after curse word and have to deal with the talk of drinking and liberal secular ideas. It is so nice to come to the Sanctuary filled with people (whatever their quirks may be) who are of the same spiritual mind, clean and right.

Ok, I found a new recipe and it sounds DEATHLY delicious. You cut up a french loaf of bread into cubes, then in a separate bowl mix eggs, cream cheese, cinnamon, real maple syrup (and some other stuff, if you want the recipe I can get it for you).
Mix with the bread and it soaks over night. Then the next morning you bake for 50mins and serve with more of the maple syrup and confectioners sugar snowy on top.

It sounds divine. I believe the Lord lead me to it ;D

Hit by a bus

OK.....so who knew that the day I started posting to a blog would be the day I needed to use it.
I have had some kind of run in with people lately....today, I have dealt with a very stressful day, people who are not even clients calling and phone harassing me. My boss has had an equally bad day and I told him that I blame him ;)

We both are ready to go home, go to bed, and end today. Some days are like that, one bad thing happens, it leads to another. Then, next thing you know, you decide you will burn dinner if you try, so you resort to making a sandwich and end up squirting mustard all over yourself.....

I would love to be one of those people who so easily let things just roll off.....I am not. I am a mull-it-over type by nature. I know, that's wrong, but I am not about to pretend that some days it just really gets to me.....

I am coming to the realization that, it is very likely that strawberry ice cream will be a big part of my life tonight and a nice long Bible read will help me immensely.  Last night I read Ruth. Tonight I very well may read Ecclesiastes......

Intro....

OK...I haven't done this in a while, and there's no guarantee that I will keep it up for long, but I am sick and tired of not being able to comment on other people's blogs and get stuff off my chest sometimes.
That being said, Hi, I'm back.

The new title of my blog is "The Buss Mom" because of our bus route at church. Recently we have grown to 9 regulars. A modest number, but very exciting considering how long it took us to get even one (2 years). I love our kids and am very excited to start seeing things happen in their lives. They already have learned so much and retain all of it too!

Bus Story:The other day Daniel and I had junior church together and we were playing "Bible 20 questions." The kids were allowed to ask us questions to figure out the Bible character we had in mind. The 11yr old, Destinee, began asking questions like "is it a man?" "was he a fisherman?" to which the answer was yes. Then her next question, "is he in Matthew 4:19?" Daniel (the leader and conductor of this game) stopped and looked at me with his mouth open, then looked at Destinee and said "um.....I, I don't know, let me check", pulled out his Bible and sure enough, it was Jesus on the ship when he calmed the sea.

We were so happy that she had remembered the Sunday School lesson so well that she was able to use that knowledge to help her in the game. That moment sparked a fire in us. If they are learning this quickly and thoroughly, we are going to fill their cup with as much biblical knowledge as possible.

So, now the goal is, to learn the books of the Bible song, make a calendar for their fridge with things like "bring-a-friend-get-a-prize day" and "parent's day"

Please pray as we try to reach out to these kids that they and their families will be saved.