Operation Christmas Child

Hey Friends - have you packed a shoebox yet? If not - you still have two weeks to do so. If you don't know what I am talking about - check out samaritanspurse.org and you can find out how you can pack a shoebox gift for a child around the world. Each year over 2.5 million shoeboxes are packed for children in over 100 countries around the world. Several years ago I had the privilege to go to Jamaica and hand out shoeboxes with an amazing team of OCC staff and friends from around the US.

The children that received these boxes were so filled with joy....if only we could learn to be more joyful in plenty and in want. We have so much to learn from children - especially children in other countries. I have had an opportunity to work with children in Jamaica, Guatemala, and Kenya and all these children - despite having so little - were some of the joyfilled people I have ever worked with. I think Jesus was trying to make a point when he mentioned having child like faith.

Tonight and last week some of our students got to participate in making shoeboxes for other children. It was mass chaos - starting with the shopping trip with middle school girls (fun times!), setting up the room, high schoolers doing boxes, then a room full of middle school students. It was not a big room and it was hot - but they were great and packed over 70 shoeboxes! It is our prayer that lives would be changed because of the message of Jesus Christ that is sent with these shoeboxes.

Day 26 but who is counting!

So if you took a few minutes and you actually decided to count (which I am imagining that most of you would not wait your time to do, since I am not even going to waste my time to count) it has been way more than 26 days since I started my renewal program. It has in fact been much longer than 26 days however the great news is that despite that fact - I have not given up! I refuse to give up until I have completed the renewal even if it takes 150 days to complete.

My rule is that if I don't take the time to start my day off with my daily requirements I can't count it as a day. As many of you remember I started the first couple weeks off with lemon water - I actually even did that on some days that I didn't complete the day - but now I am starting the day with what they call a cranberry tonic - cranberry juice, water, and psyllum husk - you are supposed to add it as a powder but that sounded gross so I am taking a supplemental vitamin of psyllum husk. I also last week added an essential oils vitamin (it is like omega 3, plus all the other good fats) - I am still taking my multi-vitamin as well as my ester C.

I am doing pretty well as far as eating healthy - I am eating more balanced meals and trying to eat more salads and eat less food after 7pm (which is hard when you have a busy day). Now the exercise part - well I am not doing as well with that - I have taken some walks but not as many as I would like. Today I did get my tampaline out for the first time in weeks.

The spiritual section has been very good - good verses to focus on as well as prayers to read - I have not done well with the memorizing like I had hoped, but I will try my best to do better - I just need to take the time to write them out and post them.

Today I was asked to read the labels of some of my favorite food and list those that have good nutritional value and those that don't - I have not yet done that - but I am afraid of what I might find! That is what I plan to do tomorrow.

All in all I am doing well with drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day - I know because I visit the bathroom often.

Now - you may be wondering - am I feeling any results - actually for as much as I am not following the hard core daily exercising regimen - I have seen some great results...first - my MS has been very calm over the last two months, yes I still have a few hard days, but my good days seem better and my bad days seem to be more tolerable. Next - energy! I have more of that! Praise God! Next - I have lost 5-8 pounds - depending on the day - and lastly and most excitingly - I can fit into some of my clothes from the beginning of summer (which means I am finally losing some of my steroid weight (30 pounds I gained, yuck!).

I am feeling really good! Very satisfied with the progress I am making and hope to continue to make! Keep asking how I am doing - that is a great motivation to keep pressing on!

Day 17 continued....

Well there are a couple reason that I have spent a couple days on day 17. The first reason was because I went through the day and followed the regular diet of lemon water, two eggs, salad and so on, then that night when I got to my devotional time I realized it was a free day, and I had thought the free day wasn't until the weekend. So I decided that I would stay on day 17 the next day in order to really enjoy my free day of eating whatever I wanted. The next reason was because the mental health part of the day was about thinking - what consumes your thoughts, you were to write down what you thought consumed your thoughts and then at the end of the day write what actually consumes your thoughts - since I didn't do that days thought until the evening I had to think about it the next day. Well I am going to be honest that was back on Thursday and I am still on day 17. The last reason is because my partner in crime (or with this renewal) had a rough week with her grandma passing away and has gotten behind on her plan. So I have decided to start again tomorrow on day 18 and I will repeat it for several days until she is able to catch up that way we can be doing the same day together - have conversations about what we are being challenged by and what we are doing well at. Also this will give me a little time to start the exercising again since I have not walked or bounced for 2 weeks now - not good!!! I guess that is what happens when you get sick. So there you have the update for the week.

Happy 200th Post - Renewal Day number I don't even know.

I can't even remember when I updated last - I do know it was earlier this week, but I am not sure what day - I guess I could go look but I don't feel like it. This week has been overhwhelmingly busy - I saw several clients this week, taught health and special ed for a day each, went to a bike night, youth group, a football game in Lewisburg where I got to see a ton of old friends and students (I miss you guys!), and today I went to the radio station, had lunch with Braedon - welcome home from your World Race, and then put fabric on the sound panels for the Family life center. Oh my!!! I am tired.

Because of my schedule this week, I have not done well with the exercise part of my renewal. I am so tired and it is usually dark by the time that I get home that I just not able to go. I am also sick - yuck!!!

Anyway - now to my successes and unsuccesses for the week. Along with not exercising I also didn't do well with the vitamins this week - I just didn't take them. (I will do better tomorrow) As far as the eggs go....this week you are supposed to have two eggs a day - I did that one day this week - but I really am not a fan of eggs so I need to do better on that as well. This week I was supposed to start with my lemon water which I did all week - today was rough - our water is so bad in the last two days - I feel like I am drinking a swimming pool. I also was to drink 64 oz of water each day - I think I am doing pretty well with that. So at least there are two successes. As far as the spiritual side of the renewal - I have journaled and done my prayer time every day but one this week. I was also supposed to come up with some weight loss goals this week - my hope is to lose 20 pounds by Christmas. My goal for exercise - 3-4 times a week and my goals for scripture memory - 3 verses a month. Quiet time - 3-4 times a week. I wish I had bigger goals but I really want to focus on being realistic!

So there you have it friends! I am doing okay with my renewal - I am hoping for a good weekend of refreshment and renewal! Planning a walk tomorrow - hoping I am feeling up to it.

A Funny Sign!!!

Okay so I am taking a one night hyatis from my 90 renewal series to bring you this important message from the Wesley Forest camp staff. This is an actual sign that is posted in the women's restroom. I am not even kidding.....

Now all I have to say is .... how do they go about finding the original owner???

Day 7 - One week down!

It has officially been one week since I started my 90 day renewal. I am so excited that I got a great spiritual boost this weekend to add to my life changes that I would like to continue to make. This weekend was the Richfield Mennonite Women's retreat called Unexpected Joy. We looked at different character's of the bible and how God used both their trials and their triumphs to teach them profound life lessons about Himself, about each other, and about ourselves.

I must say I have never laughed so hard in my life - I actually cried because I was laughing so hard, the game boxers and briefs is hysterically funny when playing with a group of 20 women! All I have to say to that is polla - gomy and Apples. We laughed a lot, cried alot, and shared some great memories with each other - what a blessing to make new friends and grow closer to current friends. Remember ladies - we can't have our destinies without our histories - and we are in this place for such a time as this - bring on the JOY!!!!

As I look back over my week there were some things I did very well at - Lemon water, vitamins - I did well with those. I journaled daily which is a huge step for me. I spent time in prayer and reflecting on scriptures. I did not do well memorizing the first verse, but the second verse started yesterday and I almost have that one down.

Yesterday as part of the retreat we had 30 minutes of quiet time. It was interested to hear later how many woman were worried they wouldn't have enough to talk to God about - yet later how many said that they wished there was more time. I need to do that more often. Maybe I should have a goal for once a month to start with in hopes that I will do it at least once a week.

Today our focus was on needing other people, which I just read tonight as I was closing my day...the coolest part about that is that was exactly what I spoke about today at the retreat and it was the same exact scripture! God is so cool like that - not a coinsidence but a God insidence. It also talked about finding a partner in this 90 day commitment...the great news is that I already have someone - Jess! I am so thankful that she is doing this along with me, I do so much better when I have someone to share the journey with me.

Another thing that I did very well with last week that it actually didn't even mention and to be honest it wasn't actually something that I did intentionally it just kinda happened this way. This whole week - all I drank was water, I only had one can of Pepsi on Saturday night as a treat. It actually really does make a difference.

What I didn't do well at....two things which I would like to do better on this week....I would like to eat more green veggies (which means shopping tomorrow!) and doing better with my fifteen minutes of exercise. Although yesterday I was able to go for a hike/walk with some of the women and it was so refreshing! I did it!!! It was so freeing to be able to walk for a little bit - I hope my body keeps responding well!! It was great to have a least a little glimpse of the old me...and don't worry I am not going overboard (I thought Joel was a bit worried about my little excersion, but I promise I rested along the way and exercise is good for me as long as I don't overdo it).

Now it is off to bed to rest and recover from my weekend! God is so good!

Day Three of Renewal

It has been a rough day - I was sick last night so I was up on and off most of the night....so I slept in - then got up and started working right away.... I made my hot lemon water and took it with me to the office. I was so busy and stressed throughout the day I didn't finish my water until 2:30 - let's just say that it wasn't hot anymore!

I didn't even get to read my book until getting home tonight. So at 8pm tonight I finally got to take my vitamins and eat my dinner. I did drink water all day so that is good. Then much to the fact that I am exhausted I did get on my mini trampoline for 3 minutes. I am officially exhausted - I was supposed to walk for 15 minutes today but with all the yard sale work which I was doing for hours so that is better than walking...but I am going to pay for it tomorrow - I am hurting to say the least.

The last thing I have to do today is to type up my top five lists and post it on the refridgerator. So today was not as good as I would like in any way - I was stressed, crabby, tired, and in pain, and I didn't start my day with my reading as I should - let's just say tomorrow I will do my best to read my book before starting my day not ending my day!