CHRISTmas

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
(NKJV)


That is IT in a nutshell...I love simple things. God is the Author of the most complex sciences & maths, yet the Author of the most simple things too.

Have a fun!!!! yet Christ reflecting Christmas..... =)

Merry Christmas from NE Ohio...(& from the Florida panhandle since that's where I'll spend Christmas w\ family Lord willing)

GO MILITARY ! ! !

The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my
assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a
good book to read Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and
filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to
start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier
seated nearest to me.

' Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for
special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack
lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours
before we reached Chicago , and I quickly decided a lunch would help
pass the time.

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he
planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a
sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we
get to Chicago '

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I
walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a
fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed
my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked
me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it
for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers
were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like
best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to
the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from
first class. 'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I
want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five
dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down
the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was
not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on
my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held
out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military
pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I
never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of
the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs.
A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his
hand, wanting to shake
mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to
deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped
me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without
saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their
trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five
dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be
about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'

Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their
fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer
for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our
country. I could only give them a couple of meals.

It seemed so little...

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank
check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of
up to and including
my life.'

That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who
no longer understand it.'

(I received this in an e mail from a retired Master Sargent in the US Air force)

These pictures were taken at Paris Island, & although they are Marine in nature, they represent the Military as a whole. We are so VERY priviledged to have such a great Nation STILL...let's not take it for granted.

The Believer's Present Mission

I like this photo & as shy or fearful as some of we Believers in Jesus may be, we have to do as the posted verse (Eze. 22:30) says now days more firmly than ever. Yeah, that's kinda scary, I won't deny that, but the fact remains that I need to & if you have been born again into God's family than you need to as well...or the last part of the verse will be true.

Will we stand in the gap?

History Made

(Reuster photo)

Though I voted for the McCain\Palin ticket...I have no hard feelings towards this incoming ticket. God is still God. Let's ride 4 truth.

GRACIOUS LOSERS

(AP photo)

In between 11 and 11:15 PM EST, Sen. Obama's electoral votes reached 270. We can still wait & see the final numbers, but I just finished listening to Sen. McCain's conceding speech. It was done graciously & with honor. It's a disapointing time for a lot of people right now. But as these votes were coming in, I had an easiness about the entire thing from God...I know He is in control & He's "got it covered". He can deliver WAY better than ANY political figure ever could.

History Photos

Gov. Sarah Palin & Sen. John McCain (AP photo)



Palin Family pledges Alligance to our American Flag (AP photo)



Sen. McCain & Gov. Palin (AP photo)



Victory in Ohio Lord willing! (AP photo)




I voted today....did you?

ELECTION DAY !

See latest stories on Yahoo! News

(more photos coming...)

Election Time....

GOP Ohio, Lord willing



Our next Leaders, Lord willing too



American Ohio!

Summer Adventure Update

There were some who weren't "on my supporting list" but may have prayed & have been interested in what I'm up to, so that's the reason for this posting of my summer update. Once I'm finished w\ the computer presentation, the plan is to post it on here as well, Lord willing.

Hey Everybody -

I want to apologize for being so late in getting this out to you. Being a team leader didn’t cure my procrastination, as you can tell! But here is my update at last.

HI & THANK YOU ! ! !
Muli bwangi ?(moo-lee bwungee)
Hello, how are you?
&
Zikomo kwambiri ! (zi-co-mo kwam-beer –y)
Thank you very much!

Thank you for standing behind me in prayers, in notes\letters of encouragement, in donating things to & buying from my yard sale, in supporting me financially, in filling out any kind of papers leading to the processing of being a Team Leader, in giving me odd jobs to do, & in any other way that I missed. I could not have done this trip with out you behind me & I ZIKOMO KWAMBIRI !!

ARIZONA TO AFRICA ?
I started thinking about a summer mission trip last winter because I wanted to grow, invest in others, be held accountable & be in a leadership position - thus helping me to stay on track spiritually. And, to be honest, I wanted a change of pace & scenery because I didn’t like my present situations; so I saw a missions trip as a great way to escape them. (The escape part didn’t work though. . . I’ll learn someday!)
I began to look into being a Summer Camp Counselor with World Gospel Mission to the American Indian kids in Peoria, Arizona. At the same time I was in correspondence with the Lytle’s, a missionary couple who are friends of mine. It was through their advice & counsel that I checked out Teen Missions International (TMI) headquartered in Merritt Island, Florida, as well. The team I originally looked into was headed to Suriname, South America; only 45 min. [across the river] from my friends. (That team ended up being canceled later on, showing God didn’t want me there.) Through a series of e mails with TMI ’s Team Leader department; a need for team leaders and a list of a few countries to choose from was presented to me.
I liked the looks of the Malawi (Ma-law-we) team because it was a choir team (I love singing), & we would live in tents & bathe with buckets. I’ve always enjoyed camping - so I thought this would be great! Also, I figured that I needed more exposure to evangelizing with the Gospel of Jesus - even though it’s not an easy thing for me to do.


HUGE, HUGE SUMMER MOUNTAIN !
Then reality started to hit me. . .
I didn’t see how I was going to help take teens across the Atlantic as well as raise around $ 5,000 (travel meds & shots included) in about 3 months. It seemed far too huge for me to handle. But despite my weak faith, God handled it for me as I just trusted Him & went forward.
Psalms 2:8 fit the bill, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” That’s a lot. . . so, I asked, & boy . . . I got!
But about a month after being registered as a Team Leader, seeing NO support come in even after sending out letters, praying & waiting; I was ready to tell TMI that I may have made a mistake about starting down this trail. I did a heart check & saw that some of my motives were selfish & was ready to say, ‘sorry, I can’t come’ & do whatever else God wanted. But God totally changed things around in ONE day. Different doors were opened & shut & my support money started to come in ALL ON THE SAME DAY. . . what an amazing God I have.
He provided the strength I needed to be in a position of leadership, often on my own, since our Head Leader had staff responsibilities & physical problems which limited her involment with the team. He also provide the help that we needed during Boot Camp through other part time monitors & a great male leader on TMI staff once we got to Africa.

BOOT CAMP !
Boot Camp is a two week training period for all of the summer teams at TMI. We ware leather boots the ENTIRE summer - thus giving it the name ‘Boot Camp’. We are also trained specifically in the areas we need according to what kind of team we are. There are ‘work teams’, ‘EV [evangelistic] teams’ and ‘work\ev teams’.
The Malawi Choir Team was an EV team so the team was trained in doing puppets, drama, giving of testimonies & of course, singing as a means to share the Gospel of Jesus. God put the Malawi Choir team together as one that learned quickly, got along well & for the most part had beautifully great voices. It was really neat to see how it all came together even before we left for Africa.
My role basically was to get them to OC [the obstacle course - which were challenging, team building events each morning around 6AM], classes, meals & rallies on time. Also, to keep them in line, answer questions & just fulfill TMI Leadership responsibilities. I also attended some cooking classes - designed for mainly the first year leaders – to help us in feeding our team overseas. We brought most of our food with us, but were able to purchase some food items overseas as well. God knew that I would need some experience in cooking for a larger group on this trip so He provided that at Miracle Mountain Ranch (MMR) in PA. & at the Ironwood Institute of Ministry (I I M) in California.
Yes, this time was very challenging ! But God was good. Some verses that stood out to me at that time were Psalm 18:29, “For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” & II Timothy 1:7, “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”


KWYAH’S GOING TO SING IN MALAWI . . . . . . OOO-RAH AFRICA !
(that was part of our team cheer. . . . . . . . & yes, I contributed the OOO-RAH)

Upon arriving in Malawi, we traveled every 3-4 days to 6 different Aid’s Orphan Rescue Units (R .U.) as our mission project.
A Rescue Unit is similar to an orphanage in ways, but actually does more for the kids than a traditional orphanage may.
The orphans, (referred to as “children” there), do not live at the RU. Instead they live with other relatives in the village. The RU provides them with:
-garden helps for their own food
-medical helps for malaria, diarrhea &other tropical diseases which are serious conditions w\o attention
-clothing\blankets through used donations & sewing teams
-school fees\uniforms [w\o education & knowledge of only their tribal language, they have little hope of getting a job]
-week end camps where they can have fun, fellowship & spiritual training about Jesus
-protection from predators
-With out the RU. . . the kids beg, steal or are exploited.
-if you are interested in more info on the RU’s, go to www.teenmissions.org

There was a total of 15 teens. . . 13 girls & 2 guys that made up our team. They came from all over the US & one from Canada with different reasons for being on the Choir Team. But it was cool to see a lot of them change & grow in the Lord over the course of the summer. Some of them came from difficult home situations, or a difficult past . . some had to go back into that & most, if not all wanted to remain strong in what they had learned during the summer.
During our stay in Africa, communication with the out side world – which, of course, included our family & friends - wasn’t nearly as fluent as in the US. We received mail 2 or 3 times while overseas, & some times not all of us got mail each time, which was rough. But in a letter I received from my dad & mom while in Malawi, my dad encouraged me to read Psalms. 139. I did one day and was encouraged by God’s personal words to me as His kid. I kept the mail I received in one place & would read certain pieces over & over as a reminder of those who where thinking of & praying for me.
As a result of the Lord’s working in hearts through the team’s EV presentations; many, many people prayed to receive Christ as Saviour. Only God knows the true number & the sincerity of their hearts, but a lot of seeds were planted in those Malawi villages. I was able to go with the team on one EV trip & saw how neat a presentation time was! I was also encouraged just to watch them present the things they had been taught at Boot Camp! I also saw Satan throw some distractions in exactly at key times of the Gospel being presented, but he didn’t succeed very well that day because a good amount of folks prayed to receive Christ as Saviour after the presentation.
We attended a local church three Sundays while in Malawi. I was able to go 2 out of the 3 times; the other Sunday I played head cook for the midday meal. Though it was rather difficult to participate entirely in the services due to the language barrier when Misheck, our male leader didn’t interpret for ok reasons; it was neat still to worship the same God & Father though we, and our African brothers & sisters, were different in many ways sitting there together as a church in a building. It was neat as well, to see how they did a service & to be welcomed into their time of worship to & learning more of God. The team sang for them a good handful of songs, some in Chichewa, some in English & were well received by the Malawians at the services. One service had the kids in the Sunday School do their memory verse review that day & at the end of their recitation, different ones in the church came up to the kid, as every one sang & some danced, to give them money as a reward. I thought was very interesting, and quite out of the ordinary for me to witness. =)

R & R TIMES !!
It was really great to take some R & R throughout our project time. We were able to go to a pottery shop\restaurant, go on an African Safari ! & have a meal at Lake Malawi as well as buy souvenirs by bartering at a different local after our meal at the Lake.
We enjoyed the food, gifts & “modern” bathrooms at the pottery shop\restaurant; eating great food & seeing hippos, elephants, monkeys and a few other African animals on the safari; & enjoyed another good meal after strolling the beach of Lake Malawi [the Lake at which David Livingston became the first white viewer]. . . then buying little African reminders in Sanga Bay. These weren’t all on the same day of course, but came at different times throughout the trip, making it nice.
More R & R came once we reached Ethiopia. But it was technically called “Debrief”; a time to unwind from the summer before going home, take a few more Bible classes to help us adjust to life away from the team, our schedule & the project. . . and just have some fun with another team.
On our first attempt to shop at the market for more souvenirs, we entered a section of the city that I believe had satanic oppression. Goats & people lay in the middle of the road on the burm or off to the side & you could see on their faces different looks that I hadn’t seen earlier. Some of fierceness, some of depression & some were just blank. Also the closer we got to the market, the more uneasy & fearful I became. God gave us a sensitive guide (from the hotel we were staying at) who didn’t feel that it was safe for us to stay there & took us away before we got out of the busses. I thanked him later for his decision & he told me that even he didn’t feel safe there & those were his people. We did return after lunch to a place a little further down the street where it was a much safer atmosphere & enjoyed the shopping.

SO THIS IS WHAT'S IT'S LIKE-
For me through this whole process, I saw the other side of the overseas missionary that I had only heard about for so long. I saw some of what it took to raise support, to ask for prayer, fill out paper work, go through training, fly thousands of miles overseas, work in a unfamiliar land with unfamiliar peoples & their language, do with out modern conveniences, have very little communication with those dear to your heart & have much, much more in possessions & spiritual life than those to whom you have gone to help reach. I saw what prayer did, I saw how satan is still alive & well & I saw how God is bigger than anything, anybody at anytime. My God is amazing!

SOOO...WHAT'S NEXT?
Great question.
Keep praying for me as I am in need to seek God & daily work on being consistent in making good choices as I live a totally different life in ways from this summer. My surroundings are not the same as they were from June 15 – August 9, but my God is & I really have a need in the areas of determination to do right & dedication to Him. . . .regardless.
That’s were I need your prayers. I’ll be looking into others possibilities for the future & that’s were I’m at right now. I believe God wants me involved in some kind of mission work using the talents & abilities & interests He has given me. The specifics aren’t known yet & I think I’ll have to swallow my dislikes about certain steps to get to the more enjoyable times. But that’s the life of a soldier. . . . . .even this one here.

Thanks again!!

Because of Him,
Bethany Grace

Greetings

Just saying Hi today folks, no pics right now.........

HI!

Fall Time in NE Ohio

The covered bridge pictured above is located in Ashtabula County & is the longest in the US & 4th longest in the world.

...and the pics keep coming...

1) Deanna with Jeff's cover

2) Deanna with a rose from her friend

3) PFC Jeff

Guess Who?

These two people are our next President & Vice President, Lord willing. I know many Believers want God to find enough righteous in America to give us at least 4 more years of grace.

We shall see what He wills.

PFC Marine escorts College Senior

More sib pics folks....these are the most recent. Taken on 10\4\08 at PCC's Fine Arts Brass Concert.

THIS is MY President

I received the following in an e mail....this is SO worth the read!
I wish President Bush could be President longer!

The Value of Service
Commentary by Lt. Col. Mark Murphy
354th Maintenance Group deputy commander

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug.
4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a
refueling stop as he traveled to Asia .

It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and
Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps
even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into
presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol,
etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on
time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours
later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.

That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few
people know why it happened. Here's why.

On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the
outskirts of Baghdad . He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but
when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on
a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret
gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other
soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.

I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience
listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the
up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the
edge of the stage as a static display.

When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I
felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member.
She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted
to meet us.

Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back
into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy
hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly
alone in a quiet room.

The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed
that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We
didn't answer.

A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President
Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went
through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled
her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in
your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons.
Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."

A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed
doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service
agent in sight.

He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the
side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired
from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from
leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He
slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no
longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around
talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.

For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq ,
his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing
the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they
wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their
convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy.

He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a
lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say
that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he
teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will
be his role as Commander in Chief.

One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to
meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died
because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth,
and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.

We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be
in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit
and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then
said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and
the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President
again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his
coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a
few more hugs, and he was gone.

The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to
see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick
handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put
everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the
family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his
country.

What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United
States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a
family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another
person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with
dignity and respect.

We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone
in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving
someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership
capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and
remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every
day.



I realize that President Bush has his faults & shortcomings in the way he has operated in the Presidency the past 8 years....but could YOU do a perfect job if YOU were in his shoes? Nobody but God could.

In my book President Bush is an AWESOME guy & it's great that God allowed him to be our President these last 8 years.

Thank you, Mr. President, Sir.

Me & My Sibs

this first one was taken @ PCC when Jeff was working on his pilot's licences in Ft. Pierce, FL last summer & drove up to see Deanna @ college.

this crazy one of us three was taken last Christmas before Jeff entered Boot Camp & during Deanna's break from college.

this was taken in April '07 at Peak 'n Peak in Clymer, NY for our school's "prom" aka Grand Splendor. About the only time (except for a wedding) you'll catch me dressed like this. What do you think of the sharp Marine beside me?

this was taken during Deanna's Christmas Break last winter...

this cool shot was was grabbed @ Paris Island, SC the day Jeff graduated from Boot Camp. We are sitting @ the Backyard Burger restaurant on base.

My Sister...the college SENIOR

This is Deanna, my little sister...no she's taller than me too, but I've got 3 years on her.
As you can see she likes taking pictures, but though she's very photogentic...she's not in front of the camera very often.

She's an amazing girl to work & do studies at the same time!

Presently she's in a program where her classes are at a minimum & she works 30 some hours\wk., but she's still amazing from the little girl who went to college a few years back & now to the young woman she's become.

My Brother...the Marine

This is Jeff, my little brother; a PFC (Private First Class) in the USMC (United States Marine Corps).
I can say "little" now because he is stationed @ Pensacola & I'm in Ohio. *wink* Though I have five years on him, he's got me in speed & strength...but I'd go down FIGHTING!

He is currently waiting to qualify (this coming week, Lord willing) in the next phase of training in becoming a Maintenance Crew Chief in the Corps.

I'm really proud of his awesome spiritual decision made last Monday! That deserves an AMEN & an OOO-RAH!

Remember to pray for him & our other men & women in uniform as they serve our Country.

Blame it on the Dog!

On Wednesday I was trimming around the yard with the push mower.
I had only mowed for a short time & was near one of our dogs (Annie) when I noticed that the gas cap was missing!
GREAT!
I retraced my steps a few times then text my Dad for help since I was unable to find it. We both retraced where I had mowed & STILL could not spot the cap. I jokingly told the dog to fess up, because she must have eaten it....a few minutes after I said that Dad found the gas cap on the OTHER side of the mower deck!
Jeepers!
I then playfully scolded Annie for taking & hiding the gas cap from us when we weren't looking!

Hey, I didn't feel as stupid then & she had no idea what I was talking about....aren't dogs great?!

(yes, there is snow on the ground...that means you are observant & it was taken last winter. Hope you take sarcasim well!)

Welcome 2 my Summer !

This is the product of what Windows Movie Maker can do!!! Very EXCITING!!!.....Bill Brown (someone from my church) is good enough to coach me through doing this, so thanks very much Bill!

I also thank God for helping us in getting this put together & posted on my blog. Thanks Father!

The majority of my summer pictures were taken in MALAWI & you will see why that country is called "the warm heart of Africa".

This is only part of my summer though...a.k.a. a demo presentation.......

So with that....enjoy the show folks!!

Greetings ya'll!

Hey there! This entry is to inform you guys of the purpose of my blog site:

* I wanted a place where my pictures of the summer mission trip could be viewd.
* Also, after that ginormus task is completed, I wanted to post more of my many, many, many, snap shots!! Don't every one cheer at once now!

Anyways....I'll get a few pictures posted now & we'll go from there!

Later gators..........