HE IS RISEN ! ! !

This is a list that Pastor Schuurmans gave us in church of a few of the many Scripture prophecies that Christ fulfilled with his death and resurrection.

1. How all Christ's disciples would respond
"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." (Zechariah 13:7)

2. Who would betray Him
"Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me." (Psalm 41:9)

3. The betrayal price
"And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD." (Zechariah 11:12-13)

4. The mode of execution
"His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)" (Deuteronomy 21:23)
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die." (John 12:32-33)

5. His fellowship in execution
"He was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:12)

6. What He would be offered while being executed
"They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalm 69:21)

7. What would be done with His possessions
"They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." (Psalm 22:18)

8. The condition of His body
"They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zechariah 12:10)

"He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken." (Psalm 34:20)

"I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." (Psalm 22:14)

"As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:" (Isaiah 52:14)

9. The response of onlookers
"All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that we would deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." (Psalm 22:7-8)

10. His response
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)

11. His burial
"And he made is grave... with the rich in his death." (Isaiah 53:9)

12. His afterlife
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10)

He is not here:
for he is risen,
as he said.
Come,
see the place where the LORD lay.
(Matthew 28:6)

I'm still here!

Good morning everyone. You probably thought I'd given up on blogging. Well, thats pretty close to the truth. I never have the time to write, or for that matter Think of something to write. So, I am sorry.

I have some VERY exciting news....... Grandma is HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! She'd been at the nursing home for over a month, and was finally given the go ahead to go home. Mom has been working very hard to get the house safer for Grandma to move around in, and be independent again. (IE, going to bed, or the bathroom, etc)

March came in like a lamb, and I hope it goes out like one too. I am a BIG fan of early springs, especially when I have to do a lot of driving.

Oh, OH OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How could I forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got my braces off on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOT WOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just 7 days shy of 2 years, and I am DONE!!!! SO Excited!
And even more excited to plan a photo shoot with my budding proffesional photographer expert friend, Amy. (don't know whose more excited about it. probably her. :)

Heres a chapter to ponder. Think of it as a plan to grow in the Lord. How can you give?

Ecclesiastes 11

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight;
for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
If the clouds be full of rain, they empty [themselves] upon the earth:
and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north,
in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
He that observeth the wind shall not sow;
and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit,
[nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child:
even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand:
for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that,
or whether they both [shall be] alike good.
Truly the light [is] sweet, and a pleasant [thing it is] for the eyes to behold the sun:
But if a man live many years, [and] rejoice in them all;
yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many.
All that cometh [is] vanity
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth;
and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth,
and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes:
but know thou, that for all these [things] God will bring thee into judgment.
Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh:
for childhood and youth [are] vanity.

Life

Hello very tired of waiting for new post friends. I have returned from the land of the internet unknown. (Where ever that is.)
It is now 7 days until Christmas, and much has happened in the last almost 2 months.
Way back on November 9th I turned 21 years old. I was really excited, like I always get, but I was once again reminded that it doesn't really matter once you are past age 12. *sigh* Dad and Mom gave me some really nice Thomas Kinkade light thingys. They're pictures turned into statue decor, with lights inside. So far I have 8 different pieces. Katrina made me a cake with Butterfinger candy on it. It was good. My friend Paula and her boys gave me a bag of hot drinks(cocoa, tea, cider mix) and a Purple Mustang with Flames!!!!!!!!!!! (It was a matchbox car. None-the-less, it is a car.)
The following Sunday was the Thanksgiving Banquet at church, and it was wonderful as always. My dear friend Melissa was home from IN for a week or so, and she sang "Amazing Grace" with her grandma. It sounded so sweet and precious.
We had Thanksgiving in a very different way this year. Rather than the usual turkey, potatoes, lefse, etc, we had Duck Stir-Fry! Nathaniel had gone hunting during youth season and shot 6 duck, which our game warden neighbor marinated for him. It was awesome!

December 2nd was an incredibly awesome day, because I got my top row of braces off!!!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The orthodontist said the bottom row might have to stay on til February, or even March. :(
With my braces off, my smile was much more confident, and I was able to get my drivers license renewed before it expired. So I am now a legal adult!

AND the most recent of all excitement................................(drum roll please!)
I bought my first car! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Its a Green 1999 Grand Am SE and its AWESOME!!!!!!! It was a really good deal, and the only thing negative about it, is a dent right behind the driver side door. But thats not a big problem. I am so happy to FINALLY have my very own car. Now I don't have to drive the van to Sioux Falls every day. WOOT WOOT!
(OR according to Nathaniel I should write, Honk Honk, because trains say "Woot woot". )

Christmas is coming up soon, and the plan is to go to Grandpas house in MN. All 3 of us girls have to work Christmas Eve, so we will drive up Christmas Day. And then Anika and I will come back the 26th, cause she works that evening, and I work that night.




God is good, even when I don't deserve it. The only reason I can think of for why is that He has a plan, and somehow I fit in.

First Year Anniversary!

Well people, today was my one year anniversary with this blog. YAY!!! I have discovered that I'm not the best blogger in the world, but I can still do it.

My goal with this blog was to be a witness, and just like in life, I have slacked off. :( But I am still here, and not quitting just because of that.

Anyways, not much to say, except 'yay me.' Good night everyone. :)

My Daycare Made The News!!!!

http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=100109preschool

Since April I have worked at Apple Tree Children's Center in Sioux Falls. And several weeks ago Apple Tree had an all center contest to get the word out about H1N1 flu prevention. We were to do as much as possible to provide visual aids to educate people about H1N1. We literally went hog wild. (Well, I did) And, our center won!!!! As part of the prize we got to be interviewed by KELO.
AND we get a pizza and ice cream party. (Be jealous).
Anyways, in the video it shows a very short clip of my very own, Dr Pork. :) (Yes, I am a little proud.)

Here Comes the Bride.........

So, most of my readers may not know them, but my friends Dusty and Kaytie were married on October 2nd, in Mitchell SD. *tear*

If anyone was a perfect match, it was them. These 2 wonderful people have been good friends since The Flood. (Well, not quite, just for like 12 or so years.)
From the story Kaytie told me, Dusty has planned to marry her since she was 16 (8 years ago), and was waiting til she was 21 to date her. They began dating then very shortly after her birthday last year, and then on July 11th he asked her to marry him.

Now, I must tell you a few things about this adorable couple. First off they were 8 or so when they met at Bible Camp-the same one my siblings and I go too every year. Pastor Neil, the camp director has been teasing poor Kaytie about Dusty ever since before I met them many years ago. Dusty was very careful never to let on that Pastor Neil was right about them. LOL!!!!!!
But, it wasn't only Pastor Neil that teased her, it was pretty much EVERYBODY at camp that knew them. Except me, I just let them be friends. Obviously, Kaytie was in the dark, so stop bothering her. Go tease the daylights out of Dusty for once!
Well, once they actually DID start dating, people stopped asking! Ironic. And hilarious. Course, being her friend, she told me the whole story. :)

AND I called it that Dusty would propose when he did. If you don't believe me, ask Katrina.
When Jonathan was home, and I learned of His proposal plans, I said to Katrina, "wouldn't it be so awesome and adorable if Dusty proposed this weekend too?" Never thinking he would. But then on Monday I get a voicemail on my phone from Kaytie. "Hi I was just calling to tell you that Dusty asked me to marry him this weekend, and I said yes." Let me tell you, I squealed and laughed the whole way home from work. WOOT WOOT!!!!!

When I talked to her on the phone shortly there after, she asked if I would be the photographer. Cause they had both liked the pictures I had taken for Anika's graduation. AHHHHH!!!! Me a wedding photographer?!?!?!?!?!? HELP!!!!

Several weeks later, Pastor Neil's church hosted a youth hiking trip in the Black Hills, and of course we (my family, Kaytie, Dusty, etc) were invited. And I was so afraid I'd spill the beans about them being engaged, cause they were going to tell Pastor Neil in person.
Well they finally did, and he was so happy. Some of the older gals that were also there, about killed us trying to get out of the van and over to Kaytie.
During the hiking trip they asked Pastor Neil to officiate, and then they began their "premarital counselling". :) lol.

So, finally the day before the wedding came, and I was there at the rehearsal. Which was a WHOLE bunch of fun!!! (If you knew Pastor Neil you would know what fun really is, then add Dusty and his brother Jason, and its even better.) Afterward, when they were giving their gifts to the wedding party, etc, Kaytie said she had learned a few things today. ...."and the next time we get married, Nehemiah[Torberson] is not allowed to be in the wedding." That was because he had made them late for the rehearsal.

I survived being the photographer, so maybe I'll make a business venture out of it. Thats a really big maybe, just so ya know.

Anika got mentioned during Pastor Neil's "personal remarks". It was because she had had to cover up that Dusty and Kaytie were dating, so they could tell him themselves, by pretending to not know anything. Like they were "just friends, nothing more." Pastor said "and up til a couple months ago, Anika Larson didn't believe it." Go Anika!

Anyways, that is my early October news. Maybe I will share some photos of them, if I can find some good ones. (I've been stealing photos of them since I got my camera, so I should have a bunch. :) )

edit: here is my absolute favorite one. (Pre Mrs Schuurmans' help on photo shop)

Pray Request

I feel I can now logically write about something that has been on my heart, and mind, (not to mention prayer list) for over a month.
You'll remember I went on a 2 week missions trip to Bogota' Colombia last February. The place I was at was Children's Vision International, Inc.
Well, early in July I was told about a need they have there for long term missionaries, not just short term teams. Specifically they need staff members to care for the children, and an assistant for their English teacher. This would be a commitment of one year.
It was suggested to me that I go and assist the English teacher(that appears to be the more urgent need). So I talked about it with my parents, and prayed. Then I began writing a pros and cons list. What is happening that would prevent me from going? What would prompt me to go? The list was rather lengthy. There are many factors that would have to fall into place before I could make a commitment to go.
The main one is, "Is this God's will for me?" That is the biggest thing I've been praying about each day. To know that what I'm doing is within God's plan for my life. I don't want to say yes, and then go and be completely miserable because I'm outside of God's will. But I also do not want to say no and miss out on God's blessings.
I do know that I could not commit to an entire year, and have asked if 6 months is okay. Which they said was fine. This would have me there for one school semester. If I went it would be sometime in January to late June/early July.
So what I would ask from you my friends is your prayers concerning this topic. Pray that God would show his will to me. Pray for a peace of mind, no matter which way I decide. Also pray that things would happen that would prepare me for the future, no matter what.

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