"Joy, what are you doing?" asked a voice outside the door
       "I'm praying mom. I just asked Jesus in my hart."
       "What?" a shocked voice asked. "You know we don't do that."
       Joy suddenly knew that the journey of faith wasn't going to be easy.

       Violet and Rose were best friends. They both loved to read, learn more about their Lord, and both there names were flowers. Violet was also friends with Melody, but Rose didn't like the tomboyish brown haired girl. It seemed no one did, exept Violet, and even she acted diffrent when she was around Rose. Like that one Autam day after math class:
       "Hey Mel!" Violet called as Melody hurried up with her friend.
       "Hi Violet, what's up?"
       "Oh nothing...I just wanted to tell you something God told me today."
       "Oh really, what is it?" asked Melody, wanting to know the answer.
       "It's that you should tressure God's friendship. You never know when your friend will dump you, so..." Violet cut off. There was Rose!
       "What? So what, Vi?"
       "Oh nothing, I shouldn't be telling you anyway. See ya!" said Violet and ran off to Rose. Melody could here them talk in hushed voices, and as she inched closer she could here the whole thing.
       "Why are you talking to...to...her?" asked Rose.
       "Rose, I needed someone to talk to."
       "So you would rather talk to her than come find me?"
       "No! Of course not Rose" said Violet, Rose's fake tears touching her "Rosie, your better than Melo..."
       RING!!! School was out. Melody ran home as quickly as she could and tried to forget about Violet. But her words kept coming back "...you should tressure God's friendship..." Melody quickly bent her head and folded her hands "God, thank you that you gave me a friendship in you. Your the best friend I can ask for--please help me see that."
      
      

       When Kelly got back to school she found Julia waiting for her. "So, you didn't get your smile fixed. You still have time to win for us, but we have a new team captain. We have Trina, Kelly."
       "What?" Kelly asked. How could her best friend pick a new team captain?
       "She's good, and she goes to church so she knows the gym. I'm sorry we hurt your feelings, but you hurt mine."
       "I'm sorry Julia, how was I supposed to know? I'm sorry!"
       "Sorry isn't good enouph."
       "Neither is Trina" said Kelly.
       "Now your vain? Really, Kelly, I'm discusted at you."
       Kelly struggled through school the rest of the day and couldn't sleep at night. The next day she made a quick buzz to the girls locker room, where the scores always were. She looked for vollyball and when she found it read "Snow Angles, that's us, 21. Spirits, 27." Oh man! Julia would be so dissopointed. Kelly ran to find the dark haired girl but instead ran into Trina. "We lost" Trina said.
       "I know, how's Jules?"
       "You mean Julia? Let's just say she's been crying all day."
       "Really? Oh man, I need to go find her!"
       "She wont talk to you. She wont even talk to me and I'm not the one who went to 'Ultra Smile Reapers.'"
       "She'll talk to me if I have pretzzles, do you have a quarter?" Kelly asked.
       "Yes, I'll get pretzzles, witch type?"
       "The extra salt."
       Kelly ran into the bathroom and saw a pair of blue sneakers...Julia. She called out "Julia, I'm sorry that I went to 'Ultra Smile Reapares', and I want you to forgive me. I have pretzzles, but I really want you to forgive me."
       "Pretzzles?" a weak voice said.
       "Yes but Julia I want..." Trina gave Kelly a look "I need you to really forgive me. It's the best thing for friendships."
       "Kelly, I'm not sure..."
       "Do you want to loose a friendship?" said a voice that wasn't Kelly's. It was Trina's rouph, hard, yet chocolate voice.
       "Not you Kelly, I can't loose you!" said Julia, bursting from the stall and giving Kelly a hug.
       "Thanks Juels. I forgive you too."

       "Kelly wait up!" A girl said running after Kelly. "Don't forget this" she said shoving a volly-ball poster into Kelly's hands. The big game was today at the church gym.
       "Oh I'm sorry Julia, but I can't go."
       "Why not" groaned the dark haired girl named Julia.
       Kelly bent over "because I'm getting my braces off."
       "Really?"
       "Well, not be a dentist or anything, but by these people. They'll put something in my mouth to make it just right."
       "Can't you do it any other time? We need you, Kelly."
       "There are more people that just me on that team."
       "But your the leader" Julia made sure it sounded like everyone wanted Kelly for the big game.
       "Sorry, bye Jules."
       "No Kelly! Come back, we'll loose!"
       But Kelly didn't care. She also didn't care that it was math time and that the bell just rang. She just kept on walking untill she found...was this the right place?...yes, Henrietta's Hangout, a drug store down the street from school. She walked in and found the "Ultra Smile Repares" in the back of the store. She got in a big line.
       "Hi" the boy said in front of her, "I've been here for about on hour and I'm still waiting! So I just need to talk to someone, so I'll talk to you. What's your name? I'm Rob."
       Nice kid. He looked just like everyone else in line but there was something diffrent. Then... "where are your braces?" If Kelly had just seen a shark come out of the line she wouldn't be less surprised. "I'm...I'm Kelly."
       "Why are you here, Kelly? Didn't you listen? On the radio it said 'do not come if you have braces, we can not get those out', that's why my sister didn't come."
       "Oh, well, I guess..." oh no! There was Kelly's mom.
       After a long car ride back to school and a talk mom sighed and said "Kelly, do you rember when you use to watch Veggie Tales? And do you rember, at the end it would always say 'God made you speciall, and he loves you verry much?' Well, God did make you speciall, and he loves you even though you have braces."
       "O.K. mom, I get it, now."
       "Good, now off to school and no sneaking back for 'Ultra Smile Repares', O.K.?"
       "O.K. mom, I promiss."

       Kelly looked at the picture of the smile taped on her miorr. Oh how she wanted a smile like that!  She opend her mouth and saw nothing but braces. "Oh man! I wish they would disapear" Kelly wished for the 60th  time this day.  But of course they didn't so she went downstairs and turned on the T.V.  After her favorite show she saw  a comoceral.
       "Want a smile like this?" said the T.V. as a beutiful smile poped on to screen. "But don't want go through the hassle of braces? Come on down to..." Kelly quickly got a pen poised on paper. After the comoceral she had an adress down along wiht a phone number. She would skip school tomorow and have a wonderful smile, without braces!

      Katrina had made a promiss to herself that she would live a healthier lifestyle. It was hard, and within two weeks she had lost one pound, but grown three. Now it was time for her to make another promiss.
       "K-- just make this promiss and your in on a lifetime..." Mrs. Gamme was saying.
       "Mrs. Smith looked up "weekly, Mrs. Game."
       "For a weekly supply of fun at Camp wilderness."
       "Yahoo!" the class shouted. Going to Camp Wilderness for free, just if you promissed to read ten books in one month! But Katrina sat back. Her last promiss had been a failure, and the one before that had made her loose a friend because she didn't keep it.
       "Katrina, schools out" Mrs. Smith said. "What's wrong?"
       "Noting" Katrina said. But something was telling her to talk to her history teacher, Mrs. Smith. "Well, it's the promisses. My last two promisses were faliures, and I'm not sure I can make this promiss."
       "Sure you can! You know what? I'll help you!"
       "You mean extra time at school?"
       "No, you could read history books during my math class. And I can give you a list of books you might like to read on your own. Ten books will be easy!"
       And so after a few weeks Katrina had finished ten books, five history books, four fiction, and a non-ficgtion. She went to Camp Wildernes and never forgot the lesson Mrs. Smith had taught her--it's O.K. to ask for help with your promisses

    "Trudy, what are you doing?" Rachel said, coming up from the basement
    "Nothing, Rachel" Trudy said.
    "You have the bowl in your hand. Your going to lick the brownie batter."
    "Maybe" Trudy sighed. Why did Rachel have to catch her?
    "Sit down Trudy" Rachel said, taking her own place on top of the counter. Trudy sat down in a chair next to the table. "You know when you asked me why ladybugs scatter when Bobby Pen is going to run over them? Well, I've been thinking and I'm pretty sure it's because God gave them a conscience."
    "What dose that big word mean?"
    "Conscience, it's a little voice that tells us whats wrong and what's right. Us Christans call it the Holy Spirit, and God gave it to us."
    "Oh! That's who Skye is!"
    "What?" Now it was Rachel's turn to ask questions.
    "Skye's my con...con...Holy Spirit."
    "Oh, and was she talking to you when you were going to lick the bowl."
    "Yes, Rachel, she was. And I'll start listening to Skye, and taking lessons from ladybugs!"

   

    Rachel and her little sister Trudy loved the outdoors. In summer they loved the hot air in their face, fall the feel of the light jacket on their skin, winter building snowmen, and in spring they liked to watch all the bugs around the yard. One day they were looking at a lady bug on a leaf, it's black spots shining in the sun.
    "Rachel, why do ladybugs scatter?" asked Trudy suddenly.
    "What do you mean?"
    "Like when Bobby Pen is being mean and trying to squish them with his bike."
    "Oh, I don't know, maybe because they have a conscience, you wouldn't want to be squished, right?"
    "Oh no, I wouldn't!"
    After lunch Trudy was watching her mom bake the family brownies. They looked so good, she wanted to lick the bowl! Finally the phone rang "you take over, Trudy" mom laphed, Trudy was only 5! Trudy went over to the counter and took down the bowl, just waiting for the right time to lick it...
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
   
   

    Jessie looked at the beutiful roses. She bent over to smell one and pick it up. "Jess! Phone for you!"
    "O.K. mom!" Jessie said as she looked at the roses one last time and decided to pick the big one in the middle. The next thing she knew she was crying "OUCH" and looking at a big, fat, thorn in her finger.
    "Come on Jessie" said the voice from inside the house.
    As Jess went and took the phone from her mom she said "Hello?"
    "Hey Jess, it's me, Betty!" said the voice on the other end.
    "Oh hi Betty. What are you up to?"
    "Oh nothing. I'm wondering if you can go to the mall with me? There's a sale at Betty Lou!"
    Jessie wanted to say yes, but what if Anne was coming? No way could Jessie enjoy herself if Anne was coming to steal all of Betty's attention! "Um...is anyone else coming?"
    "Anne is. Her favorite store is Puzzle World, maybe we could stop there. She's been saving up for this 'Make Your Own Fairy Kit'".
    No! Jessie was saving up for the last "Make Your Own Fairy Kit" in Puzzle World! "I've got a lot of homework."
    "It's summer" said Betty on the other end.
    "Who said school homework? I've got to help plant the garden."
    "Oh, maybe next time then?"
    "Sure" Jessie said and hung up. She ran to her room. NO! Just a month ago she had Betty all to herself. Then Anne comes along as the new girl and Betty has to make friends with her. Plus she was going to get the last thing that Jess had been saving up for! How could this get any worse?
    The next day Jessie's finger swelled and hurt with every beat. She remberd the rose bush and called for her mom. While she was carfully looking at the thorn Jessie pored out the story of Betty and Anne to her mom.
    "You know, this thorn reminds me of Anne coming in to your friendship with Betty."
    "You mean how aful it is?" Jessie asked, rolling her big blue eyes.
    "No, how your letting bitterness come into your life. You could clean it out like that" mom snaped her fingers "just like how you could have come to me when this thorn got in. But your not. Your letting bitterness take over. You need to forgive Anne. You could have a new friend with this girl, but your not cleaning out your bitterness."
    "Your right mom. Sorry" Jess looked at her finger, the thorn was out. "I think I'm going to call Betty, see if she can go to the mall."
    "Hmm..." mom said, waiting for her words to sink in.
    "I'm getting there, I'm getting there, and I'll see if Anne can come, too!"