Standing On The Promises

I did not take as many pictures while we were in the valley..I really wish I had!  The first day we were there we went to my very favorite ocean park: Shore Acres. There are beautiful gardens and a secluded beach area.  I love the Oregon Coast!! Gorgeous!  These are just the roots of a giant tree that fell down!  Myles thought he had arrived in tree climbing heaven!  Me, Myles, Grandma and Grandpa B. in the garden!  I love this one of Grandpa B! Grandma B. and me We went bowling with some friends one evening. Unfortunately the folks at the bowling alley could not figure out how to work my camera so the pictures turned out blurry!  Here are some shots from an early morning hike!  After our hike we celebrated my cousin Landon's birthday! He loved the rescue toys I gave him....removal of batteries was probably necessary for the sanity of the parents though! My friend Lauren an...

I feel kind of like a hypocrite writing this post, but I just wanted to share what is on my heart.  You have probably sung the song Amazing Grace a lot of times. I don't know about you, but almost every time I play or sing it, I am moved by the simplicity of God's amazing grace. God forgave me, a vile sinner that slapped him in the face, spit on him, then nailed him to a cross. That is amazing grace. God loved me, the person that sentenced him to die, that turned his back on him, that mocked and scorned him. That is true love.  I am so thankful for his grace towards me, and I tell him that all the time. But, when it comes time to show someone else some grace, I find it very, very difficult. Thoughts like, they don't deserve my forgiveness, look how they hurt me, they were so rude! In fact, I think that was an outright lie. I can not forgive them. Can you imagine what this world would be like if Jesus had given in to those thoughts? I don't even want to think...

Have you ever heard, thought, or said the statement, "This is just way too far out of my comfort zone and I don't want to do it"? I have. I've said it, I've thought it, and I've heard it.  What is a comfort zone? According to my dictionary it is  a   place  or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress.  It includes  your friends or anything yours that you are familiar with.   For me, my comfort zone is my home,  my family,  my friends, my work, my stuff, which is basically my world. It's pretty-much all about me.  Now, what is stepping outside of your comfort zone? It's when you need to do something, or are placed in a situation where you must do something that is awkward, uncomfortable, not used to, and perhaps embarrassing.   Unfortunately things that are outside our comfort zone are things like telling your sibling that you love them, or telling somebody about Jesus, or using your tale...

Disclaimer: This post is about the reality of living "like a fish out of water". So don't judge me too harshly when you read it. :)  Have you ever felt like you would give anything to go somewhere? That's how I felt last Saturday as my Aunt very sweetly held up an iPad, while Skyping with us so we could see a little bit of the Annual Booher Family Concert. I went upstairs and cried. I really wanted to be there; to sing with my family, to play my ukulele, to listen to and admire all of my talented Uncles and Aunts. I'll admit, I was not content. It can be so hard! Sometimes I miss the things I know and love so much!  Homesickness is real. It happens. It's no fun. And believe me, I've had my share! It's hard to live in a big city, where you can actually see the pollution that dust and two million people can create. Living in a culture that is different from our own can be challenging. We get stared and yelled at almost every time we go out in the...

Preface I've been teaching at Carachipampa, the International Christian school here in Cochabamba. They rather reluctantly gave me the key that opens all of the classrooms, so I could teach in one of them. Unfortunately, I lost it about 3 weeks ago. Now I  have to teach out of my home which stresses everybody out. Last time I saw it, it was on the kitchen counter where everybody leaves their keys. Why is mine the only one that disappears? I've stressed, prayed, let it go, picked it back up, and still the elusive key has yet to be found.     Sleep Evades Promise: Proverbs 3:5,6   “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct thy paths.”                                                                     ...

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, an was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Philippians 2:5-8 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah 53:3-5 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the wo...

Cochabamba Bolivia, South America, is a city of about 2 million people. It is spread out in a valley that is almost completely surrounded on one side by the beautiful Andes mountains. In the winter it never rains, so the dust and pollution all hovers over the city, creating a horrible and health damaging atmosphere. Don't get me wrong, I like Cochabamba (okay, I’ll admit to this much, I like it sometimes. We have a love-hate relationship, you see), but it just gets less lovable in the wintertime!  So last Tuesday, my family and some friends decided to go for a drive to see some of these mountains, and to get up out of the dusty city. We look at them from afar every day, but it’s not the same as getting up close and really enjoying God’s marvelous creation! As we rode, we sang lots of songs and choruses in Spanish and English!  We stopped for a few minutes and hiked around at a waterfall. It was beautiful.  Up and up we went until we came to...