guess I didn't realize that it had been a year since I started blogging here and then I visited "sk8cate's" page and her blogaversary was one day before mine.

So today I celebrate.  Though I am not sure I should but I will anyway just because I made it through a year.  I think it has been a harder year for me than recent others because of school and all the things we as a family piled on our plates.  We have school of course with one high schooler (7 hard classes) and a middle schooler with not enough hard classes.  Also, on our plate was church activities- every week, Pathfinder Club, drum corp and drill team, bible bowl, Sabbath School teaching, volunteer work, tutoring and life. 

Check out "Lanafalana" on Youtube and you will see our stuff.  Nothing scary there just us being silly upon ocassion and a new video about our Pathfinder Club winning the State Bible Bowl Championship and the other special teams we had. 

I hope that this coming year I will blog more even when I don't feel like it or motivated.  I may say something that will help to see more clearly that God indeeed brought me through some trying times and in better shape that I was before.  Life just bogged me down a bit this past year.  I wasn't ready for it, but how do you plan for the unknown.  I will say that I realize I must keep God ever before me and keep my hand in his if I want to make it.

So here is to last year gone by and to a better year to come!

blast from the past after a FAITH ON FIRE PATHFINDER CAMPOREE look it up on the net...

See the blog "Angels Singing"

IT'S GONNA RAIN CHILLUN, IT'S GONNA RAIN!

When that first rain drop hits your head, you are caught off guard and a bit surprised.  You might think its getting ready to rain.  It rained on me several times this week.  It was such a refresing rain too.  I have been tutoring and my student couldn't make it to our first session but he called to tell me what was going on and I said I would pray for him.  He called back and said, "you must have prayed for me because everything worked out okay".  I did pray but I did not expect that response from him but I am glad that I was able to help.  More importantly that God answers prayers.

Later in the week on my scheduled day to go back to the library to tutor I sat quitely reading a book when I felt a tap.  I looked up and was pleasantly surprised by the young lady that I had helped the month prior.  She stood over me with a smile that lit the room and I invited her to sit and chat.  I asked how she was doing and she was still studying just as hard as before.  She offered me her phone number after I told her I had thought of her and wondered how she was getting along.  For her to come over to me and re-accquaint herself was a blessing. 

Later in the day I went chicken hunting. I want chickens( another story).  The chickens run wild on the streets a few blocks over and I went to see if I could get some.  The people I did talk to said that if I could catch them, take them.  When I turned around to leave after talking to a gentleman.  There stood my daughters and a Hispanic girl.  She looked as out of place as we did looking for chickens.  It seemed quite strange because it was like she just appeared out of no where.  She looked  scared and unsure.  She just wanted to use my phone to text one of there friends she had traveled her way here to see.  I found out she was from a town to the west of us and had come down here on the bus to find a friend.  She did not have the address and could only text them and blah, blah blah.  She had a fast talk going and she was going to find his house anyway.  Parent alert/ Mom radar!  I did not  wait 5 mins before I was reading her her rights.  "Does your mom know where you are, what are you doing here, do you think its a good idea to be out here and not know where you are going something could happen to you, how old are you?"  I asked her a lot of questions and before it was over I said you are not going to walk the streets, get in the car you are going to my house.  It wasnt long before I understood that she was a troubled child-- not rude or disrespectful but quietly disobedient. Street smart and dumb.   She apparently has been kicked out of several schools and is in an alternative school but every thing that has happened to her was someone elses fault.   We sat and talked for a while and she called her mom and I told her I wanted to talk to her mother.  I questioned the mother as well who said she knew her daughter  was going to go see a friend but didn't know where.  I gave her directions to a nearby gas station so I could drop her daughter off.  Her daughter asked me what her mother said and I told her that I would take her to her mom later.  She got a funny look on her face but didn't say anything.

When I got another phone call she made her move.  I just do not have enough experience with this type of coniving.  I was telling the person I was talking to I needed to get off the phone because I had a young lady at my house and before I could get the words out good my daughter came in the room and said the young girl left.  What, why didn't you stop her.  Dumb question cause my daughters are not used to people talking out of the side of their mouths either.  Slick sisters-cute as can be but slick all the same.  I called her mom and  told her she took off and that I would see if I could find her.  To no avail but it wasn't cause I did not try.  I drove up and down streets burning like this child was mine.  Lots of people saw her but she had just enough time to elude me.  I spoke again to her mother and was told she is having a hard time raising her daughter and she gives her trouble all the time.   I had no problem telling her to tell her daughter that I was disappointed with her like the daughter would care. This 15 year old girl had no fear or worry about being out of her element.  She just was deteremined to do what she came to do.  I just had to let it go and pray that she found the house she was looking for or called her mom and made it home safe.  God had taken care of her and allowed us to met and perhaps something we said and did will have an effect on her and she will change the way she is behaving.

Lastly, tonight at worship one of neighbor kids was over.  He comes over from time to time and spends times with us.  He has gone to church with us.  The background for this kid is people call him trouble.  I have been told just to"leave him be" ,by the neighbors.  Well I listened but I felt that I needed to find out for myself.  Like most children and adults too we tend to be sweet as can be when we first meet  and later on their true self just comes out.  When he has given me trouble, I just send him home.  He feels bad enough that I don't have to say stay away- he just does and then he comes back after his cooling off period.  After worship we prayed.  My husband said when its your turn you can just say a little prayer.  He began "Dear heavenly father . . . he said thank you for this day and thank you for the Sabbath and  something else then he paused and we thought he was done so my husband said "good job" .  We all were shocked and opened our eyes when he burst out laughing but it wasn't a disrespectful laugh but more like a nervous laugh and he said he wasn't done.  He began again and he thanked God for his grandmother providing a clean room with clean sheets and pillowcases.  He thanked God for my husband for offering him help with his home work and for helping him to be a good boy.  My eyes were wide open as I listened with intent and surprise and my daughter was squinting through slightly open eyes and then opened them and gave me a knowing glance.  He continued and thanked God that my girls had been good friends with him and played with him.  Whoa that is the creme dela-creme.  God has been working on this young mans heart.  Right before our very eyes, amazing.

I just love it when it rains!

This is the Coz commenting

'They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be...