I am really enjoying my time at home. I have done lots of things since being home, which include:
1. Celebrating Christmas with Jonathan. I took him to see the Christmas lights at the Opryland Hotel. If you have never been, you really should go. IT's free to look at the lights, and it is MAGNIFICENT (I am so glad girls can use such words without being looked on as "gay"...I would hate being a guy! Lol). We also went to this thing called "ICE!" It is hard to explain. But, it is this building which tells the story of Dr.Seuss' "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" with ice sculptures. It was six degress in the rooms and they past out parkas. They had ice slides and cute little Suess characters. I really loved it, though we couldn't stay in there for long because of the freezing temperatures!
2. I opened presents with my immediate family in Ringgold. It was great to spend time with my ENTIRE family together. It doesn't happen often. It is one of the reasons I love Christmas so much. I just get to enjoy my family's presence.
3. We made a weeklong trip to Mississippi. I honestly can't remember the last time we stayed in Mississippi for an entire week. I really enjoyed it though because I get to see my Aunts/Uncles, grandparents and cousins about twice a year. I have three new adorable cousins I got to spend time with. I ate way too much of my Gran's amazing milkshakes, cookies, biscuits, steaks, etc...I was fed way too much. It wouldn't be Christmas in our family without tons of yummy food around for us to devour. I feel I am growing up a bit. Because, as we were headed to the back room this year to open presents I realized I wasn't in a rush to rip through my presents. I honestly enjoyed to watching everyone open and enjoy their own presents. I love all of us being in the same room and just talking. I guess that makes me a boring adult, doesn't it? God blessed me more than I deserved this Christmas. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. I didn't need even one more present. I loved everything I got. I feel so incredibly blessed with all I recieved and all I have. I completely content. And, I want to learn how to be more content inw hatever circumstances, no matter what i have in my possession. I feel really lucky to have a God that brought me "peace on earth" in the midst of this crazy world. ANd, I look around often and wonder where I would be without Him. I would have no hope!
I love traditions and my family has lots of them! I love singing around the piano on Christmas Eve and taking our family portrait. It is a lot of fun. I love sleeping in the den with all the kids and being so hyper we can't get to sleep. I know, I am a really cheesy person.
This Christmas I experienced a little bit of a delayed culture shock. Or maybe that isn't what they call it. But, as I opened my presents my mind kept going back to each little precious face I saw in the Philippines. And, it was hard for me at times. I felt so seflish. I have so much. THey have so little. And, it was hard for me at times. Today I have missed the Philippines a whole lot! It doesn't hit me as much as it used to. But, every once in a while I will have one of those days, where I just want to cry. I just really want to hold MJ again. And see that little girl smile. And, I would love to go sit at that table with all those precious little girls and eat a meal with their mismatched plates and cups. I wonder sometimes when they won't be so close in my heart that it hurts sometimes.
This Christmas went by so fast. It was definitely running on American clocks. It was rushed. And, I felt like it zoomed past me before I could truly enjoy it. Not to mention the weather was so hot it didn't even feel like December. I really am waiting for that White Christmas.
God has taught me a lot in this past year. And, I hope I continue to let Him in 2009. He spoke to me a lot this past week and today. I have gotten a chance to do some fun reading over the break. So far I have only read two books, both fiction. I have missed good fiction novels. And, I had two goals over the break: to read at least give good fiction novels and to apply for seminary. I have two books down, three to go. And I still have to apply to seminary!
My first realization (I won't really call it a lesson) came this past week. From a silly fiction novel. lol. Go figure. But, it was written by a christian man and there were a lot of Christian elements in the novel. In the book there is a girl who is a missionary. And she writes this poem (and it took me the entire 300 pages to figure out what she meant) about her roots growing deep in the jungles of Ecuador (where she was a missionary). And, finally at the end of the book it dawned on me, and suddenly I could relate very well. We, as christians, can be compared to a tree. We are somewhat like trees, and as we grow our roots get deeper and deeper into God's soil. And we get watered by God's word and we seek Him we grow. Our roots grow deep and they make us into a stronger tree. It's kind of cheesy. But, I realize I have had very weak roots here in America. And, I thought to my time in the Philippines and how I feel like I grew more in my three months there than I had at any one single time in my life. I believe it is because when I am out of my comfort zone I do more for Christ. I have to depend on him more, I seek Him more furiously, and take Him more seriously. It's a good thing I am going to be a missionary. BEcause I believe my roots grow deeply overseas. In America I am full of complacency and I am just comfortable in my surrounding. I honestly feel like Christians are more useable for Christ when they are out of their circle of knowledge and familiarity. I know that is true in my life. I am not very useful for Christ on American soil. My roots are very shallow. I get into the American mind and I am so "on the clock" and in a rush that I fail miserably at keeping my priorities in line. I also get comfortable and complacent. I want my roots to grow deep for Christ.
The second and last thing God showed me this morning. The sermond was being preached out of Philippians 3. It is the chapter you always hear about running the race with perseverence. I've heard it so many times it is hard for me to feel like I can learn something new. And, today was the typical end of the year sermon about setting goals for 2009. However, God did use a typical sermon to speak to me. He also showed me Philippians 3:16 more closely, which says: "Only let us live up to what we have already attained." It was in this that God spoke to me about how I have a tendency to become so close with HIm. At times I seek Christ with incredible fierceness, as if there is no tomorrow. Sometimes I am willing to give up so much for Him. ANd other times I let things choke him out of my life almost completely. And, I realized there have been times in my life when I have been super close to Christ. ANd, other times when I will regress and not be as close to Him. I have a tendency sometimes to not live up to what I hve already attained in Christ. What a shame. it is God's desire that we not only consistently live up to the maturity we have already attained in him, but to keep growing. I allow myself all too often to live below what I have once attained. I Hope that makes sense. I want to live by this verse in 2009. I not only want to maintain what I have already attained, but soar past it! I wish you the same!
This week I have the wedding of a friend to attend. IT is a three day thing. So, I will be gone most of the week. I feel too young to have friends getting married!
HEre are some pictures from the last few weeks since this post is getting WAY TOO LONG! I am sure everyone is skimming at this point.
