Happy New Years!!!!!

2008 was a good year for us. Michael and I didn't send a Christmas letter this year (we just sent the photo) so I thought I'd do a blog letter thing about our 2008. Maybe it'll give me some incentive to get a letter out next year before the Holidays. I certainly enjoy reading everyone else's letter that comes in the mail. 

We started out 2008 by heading to the mountain every other weekend. Michael helped on several calls with the ski patrol and Stacey kept trying (over and over again) to learn to ski. In the end, I had improved greatly - I could get my ski boots on, pick up my skis, hike them up to the path, and ski down about 200 yards without ending up in the patrol room. It was quite the accomplishment. 

After ski season ended, we started preparing for our trip in April to New York and Italy. I had never been in New York City so I was super excited. We divided up responsibilities for the trip - I had the food, packing, and daily agenda and Michael had the transportation. It was a great learning experience for us. New York City was busy and expensive but we still had a fantastic time- we saw the Lion King, strolled thru Central Park, shopped China Town, toured the United Nations, and were on the TODAY Show- OK not really, but if you DVRed the episode we were there for, and paused while the camera turned, you can almost see my shoulder. We then headed to Italy and spent a very relaxed time in Florence and a very busy time in Rome. Once again, shopping, sight seeing and playing. We toured the Vatican and saw the pope. 

Once summer began we were busy every weekend from June - August. We went to Seattle, we saw family, we worked up at Sea Fair, we, well, we did many things and I can't remember the rest of them. Crazy!!!

For our one year we went to Sakura Lodge at Hood River. It was beautiful and we ate the best food. We plan to continue to go back next June and pick strawberry's and then back again in September for the apples and peaches. I made the best peach pie I've ever had - really- it was the fresh peaches, not me. 

Our Fall started with refreshers for ski patrol and then we had 16 inches or so of snow over Christmas. 

2009 will be an interesting year. I can't wait to see what happens with it. 

i lost my tiffany's bracelet

I lost my tiffany's bracelet a few weeks ago but I thought I would find it at Michael's parents house. We just got back from their house and I didn't find it. It's still missing. I don't want to buy a new one because I feel like I'll find it once I buy a new one and then that will be annoying. I hate that I lost it. I just want to find it. I wore that bracelet everyday. Michael is letting me pick out a new piece of tiffany's jewelry for christmas so I don't know what I want to do now. I might just get a new bracelet because I really miss it, but I hate to do that. O well. I hope that I find it. 

we got it!!!!

We got six inches exactly and then it stopped snowing. I am so excited about it. I love being home bound and just hanging out with a good excuse for not going out. Our house is covered in the snow. We're just hanging out today, keeping warm and trying to figure out what to do for the work day tomorrow. 

Here's the house. We took this picture without the flash. Also, we took it at 10:30 pm, so I don't know why the sky looks so bright. Maybe the snow is reflecting or something?

Here's the house with snow in front of it. We took this picture with a flash. This picture was taken at the same time- 10:30 pm, it shows it a lot darker which is more accurate. 

Here's me and my ruler. Michael didn't think we would get 6 inches, so I had to go measure and see if that was what we really ended up getting!! It was! We couldn't believe it. 

i'm hoping for 6 inches

I LOVE the snow!! I think it is so beautiful and I love looking at it from inside my warm house. I am quilting today by a fire, with the snow falling outside. Kinda cheesy, but man, I love it!! We finally have 2 inches of snow and I am hoping for at least another 4 inches. Our house is stocked with food and our video store comes in handy on days like this. We took Hester out in the snow for a walk. She lasted about 2 minutes and went running inside the house. What fun!!

recipes

I love to eat and I lately have been trying new recipes. I found a few good ones and wanted to share. This one I made tonight and we loved it. I didn't think of taking a photo until after we eat half of it but yum, it was so good. 

TATER TOT CASSEROLE
2 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
3 2lb bags tater tots 
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken
Brown meat & place in large cass. dish.
Cover with tater tots. Mix soup & milk together.
Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.
(One of Daddy’s Favorites!) Makes 2- 9”X13” pans

I got this one from the Duggar recipe on their home page www.duggarfamily.com 

Winter Smores' 

Another recipe I found that was super easy was baking a box of brownies and pulling them out 5 minutes before they are done. Crumble 6 chocolate bars, lots of mini marshmallows, and 8 graham crackers on top and place it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve Warm.  

Other Recipes

I found a website with wonderful vegan recipes, I think I might even order their cookbook. 

http://www.thetwosisters.com/home.asp

I love the Wild Rice Soup recipe. I was a little hesitant because it sounded so vegan but it was awesome! Try these and let me know what you think. 

Our Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving Turkey - delicious!! I got to cook it. I had to cook it longer than normal because I accidently had it cooked upside down at first. 

Here I am before I realized that I had cooked it upside down. It was beautiful. 

My bird- darn- I can't believe I cooked it upside down. 

Our Thanksgiving table for mom, Kyle, Jenny, Michael and I, Dale, Judy and Heather. 

i don't know what to call this entry, so here it is

I think part of being a Christian means surrendering your will.

Last Friday night Michael and I went to see the Batman movie – The Dark Knight. (It was playing at a second run theatre.) I was so impressed with Heath Ledgers ability to act. I think he should get the Oscar. But anyway his character the Joker was a fantastic portrayal of a villain. The Joker is chaotic, without a plan, out to just cause chaos (kind of like most middle school students- just kidding). I’m about to give away the movie, so please stop reading if you don’t want to know… One of the main things the Joker tries to do is to expose people. There is a new District Attorney who is loved by all and is a great public servant proving that he can bring down all of the city scum. The Joker then kills his girlfriend which turns the district attorney into a monster trying to track down anyone who assisted in her killing. The Joker seems to be able to expose anyone, showing that the best people can be still be scum.  

God’s light has always been something that scares me a little bit. God’s light will eventually expose us all which I don’t particularly like because it means that it will expose me to. I guess this movie showed me the difference between the Joker (Satan is referred to the angel of light in the Bible) and God. They both expose people but God does it for good and Satan does it for evil which takes me back to the surrender your will thing. Our will is going to be exposed one day and whether our will is saving sex traffic victims, building our own business, being a CEO of a Fortune 500 country, raising a lot of money or whatever it is (and however good it may sound), it is still our will.

Bono the lead singer in U2 tried to leave the band several years ago. He wanted to follow what he felt was his calling to do- become a pastor. His will became stronger and stronger and he just wanted to leave the band so he could become a pastor. Then one of his mentors said ‘Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing and start doing what God has already blessed.’ I think Bono is one of the most incredible Christians I have ever seen and he is still in the band. His work with red campaign and African orphans is incredible. His will, even though it sounded like a good will, was exposed and when he surrendered it, it was as if he was born again.

I used to figure out a plan and try to executive it, often by suggestive force in my voice. It never worked, not even when my plan was to share Jesus with students or provide service projects for others. Not that these things are bad, there just things like everything else- they must not be forced. A few years ago I surrendered my will in my occupation and I am so much happier today. God has given me a wonderful job, a loving husband, and good friends. I still have to surrender my will – it’s kind of a daily thing, but I no longer feel the pressure to get my will done. I have freedom to surf life and just live. It feels really good and shows me continually how good God is. 

blessed weekend

When I look back at this weekend, I can only think of one word- blessed! Michael and I had been talking for months about this weekend. He had a Saturday work party up at the mountain (on Snoqualmie Pass) and then he trained a chair evac on Sunday. There was also the are ski patrol party on Saturday evening. A big weekend for Michael but I didn’t know if I wanted to go up to the mountain with so much to do at home and not much to do there.

A while ago Michael and I made a decision to do everything that we could together. We grocery shop together, we clean together, we both go the pass when Michael patrols, etc. This past weekend it took some managing to make it come together, but in the end we are very glad that it did and we were both glad that I made it up with him.

On Friday night we grabbed a quick dinner and then drove to Mercer Island where Michael’s parent’s live. We watched two episodes of the Unit that Mike’s dad had recorded for us and hit the bed. Saturday morning Michael woke up early and headed to the mountain. I stayed in bed, slowly got up and then met Kyle and Jenny for lunch in Seattle (it was fun that we were all there for different reasons this weekend). We walked thru Pike Place Market. It was wonderful to be with them. Then I drove up to the mountain and Michael and I went to the ski patrol party. Ski patrollers are fun people. We watched the new reality tv series on ski patrol at Crystal and laughed at how un-real it was. Sunday morning we got up (we had slept overnight at the mountain) and Michael went to train and learn and I hand wrote our Christmas cards. They’re done. YEA!!!!

Both on the way up and on the way down from the pass (it takes about 7 hours round trip) Michael and I had great conversations. We talked about everything the entire ride. It is such a blessing to have a companion, I would recommend marriage to anyone. I love it. The only bummer was that I lost my Tiffany’s bracelet this weekend.

Anyway, our weekend was very blessed with each other and new fun memories and energy to make it thru the new season of continually driving between Vancouver and Snoqualmie Pass. I feel very blessed to have Michael in my life.

Security

I don’t think the government should bailout the auto industry. First of all, a bailout would ignore basic economic supply and demand consequences. People are not buying new cars today because they either cannot afford them or cannot get the financing, either why the demand is down. A bailout would allow the auto industry to continue making hundreds of thousands of more cars, but the demand is down. We are already saturated with lots of new cars. This ignores basic economics. Second, bailing out the auto industry might suggest the government will bailout anyone and many companies could demand a bailout and sue the government for discrimination if they don’t get one. The bailout needs to stop so that we can continue to live in a free market.

I am concerned for our financial future as a nation. Right now our country is running out of credit and low on cash. The banks have white knuckled their grasp on credit and the average consumer stopped, well, being a consumer during the month of October. The government has tried to step in to help, but in a free market there’s only so much government can do (and there’s only so much that we want the government to do because we want the market to remain free). We are in a global recession of some sorts. With DHL announcing its closing all domestic operations and ending 9,500 jobs, and the 3 main United Sates auto industry manufactures crawling around begging for money, it makes one wonder what lies ahead. I heard today an estimation that 500,000 more jobs will be lost in the United States in the next 6 months.

I have often found security in deposits. It seems like having money in the bank and cash on hand would make me feel secure. As if with money, I feel like I can do anything; without money, I feel very limited and occasionally a little anxious. However, and this is really weird part, the times that I have had more money I have been more concerned that I would lose it and the times when I have had less money, I feel that it is only an opportunity to make more money. So when I have less money and I can’t find my security in money because there is no money, I gain wisdom and rely on God and the provisions he has already given me. I stop spending and I start looking for ways to make money and save money. Having less money is always an exciting time in my life because it forces me to survive and when I have to survive, I thrive. I hope that our nation thrives after this difficult financial year ahead. 

This is one of the most fascinating times to live in, in our history. I thank God I am a part of this time in our history and for being my ultimate security.

the president and the president elect

I thought this was a cool picture. I'm interested in Obama, although I didn't vote for him and am very hesitant to give him control of anything let alone everything. I hope the guy can do the job and doesn't have any other agenda than serving the American people. Only time will tell.

OMSI and DoveLewis

Yesterday Michael and I spent the day at OMSI. We saw 3 documentaries (Mummies, Wild Ocean, Cosmic Collisions) and saw the U2 full dome experience. My favorite was the mummies and Michael's favorite was U2. We also loved seeing the LIFE Science Hall. It talks about keeping healthy and how the body is formed throughout life and inside the womb. There's actually real human fetus' throughout the stages of a woman's pregnancy displayed for you to see. It really shows how life starts at conception and the miracle of it all. 

Last night we went to the DoveLewis Soiree. Michael looked great in his new suit (it was just cocktail attire, not black tie) and I dressed up in a black and white dress with red high highs and a large red pearl like neckless. DoveLewis is a critical care animal clinic in NW Portland. They do an amazing job helping animals 24 hours a day. Last night they raised a bucket load of cash, so I am really happy for them. A lot of the animals are strays or owners can't afford the services, so money goes a long ways there. 

the judge

I haven’t heard the words ‘accept Christ’ for years. I thought that that terminology was dead. It’s not part of the language of the world we live in today and it’s not post Christianity which is where most people live these days. 

Last night I heard someone say that they wished so and so would accept Christ.  I’ve used those words myself a long time ago and I assume they meant that they want someone to say Jesus’ name with their lips.

I’ve been thinking about this all day. Here are my thoughts about speaking Jesus’ name with ones lips. It comes from the Bible verse in Romans - “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” I don’t think we can judge others and their hearts. How the heck can I say that this person or that person knows Jesus? How can I say that? And then add in the element of time, and maybe they do or don’t confess His name today but maybe it switches tomorrow? So, although I personally like this verse, I don’t think it was intended for us to make mental lists of who does and doesn’t do this. We cannot read other people’s heart or their heads, only God can and when we try to do that, we are trying to be like God. I don’t know who around me truly seeks a living and moving omnipresence. I am not the judge (especially after reading the Shack); I don’t want to be and well, am just not the judge for others when it comes to who has and who has not accepted Jesus.

the gala

Last night Michael and I went to the Doernbecher Gala. We had a lot of fun and came home with a few auction items that we purchased. I got a ceramic gift certificate, a pampered chef basket and a pear bowl. 

Here's the table. There were about 500+ people there with tables for 10 all around the room. They did a dynamite job with the decoration. It hardly looked like a convention center. 

Here's Michael and I in front of the Corvette that was auctioned off. Michael ended up wearing his suit which turned out to be kind of a mistake. Every other man there was in a tux. O well, we'll have him in a tux next time. I still thought he was the most handsome guy there. 

Here's our table. We had steak for dinner and really enjoyed ourselves. Only, next time Michael will be in a tux. I still love you though babe!!!

This is a black-tie event.

Michael and I are going to the Doernbecher Gala on Saturday. The Gala is at the Oregon Convention Center and is raising funds for their pediatric emergency department. Currently, they have a doctor who specializes in pediatrics available from 11:00 am – 11:00 pm. Their goal is have one 24 hours a day. They also are hoping to make some improvements to their pediatric wing at OHSU.  

The invitations states that this is a black- tie event. Michael and I were going to donate $150 to the cause. A tiny sliver in their bucket of need for 5 million dollars, but every cent counts right? Well, it’ll cost us $150 to rent Michael a tux for evening and so we’re faced with the obvious – Do we rent Michael a tux and forgo the tiny donation or do we dress him up in a nice suit (that we already have) and give the $150 to Doernbecher?

I normally would just give the money to Doernbecher. Of all the Gala's Michael and I have been to, we've never rented him a tux before, no matter what the dress code was but this time it feels like we need to just because we're sitting with some major players and they will be in tuxes. Not everyone will be in a tux and my boss won't, but it's kinda stressing me out a little bit. I didn’t think it would be as big of a deal. I do not want to offend anyone by our dress but I feel the money should go to the children and not to Men’s Warehouse. Make sense?

Investors, Brokers, God, and the Regular Person

Investors like results. They want the market to go up. They understand that a healthy market goes up and down but they expect in the long run for it to go up. Ever since the market starting to tank, investors have been nervous and now they just want out.

Brokers understand that there must be money in the market for the market to get more money. When investors pull their money out, it’s bad news for the market, so a broker is going to tell an investor to keep their money in the market. 

Investors have ultimate control over their money and since most of them have type A personalities, they want to do things the way that they want to do them. If they want out, they’re gonna get out.

The rest of us don’t really want to have anything to do with wall street. It is frustrating enough to witness the greed and to watch a ton of people dressed to the hilt throw money around as if it weren’t real money.

In the middle of this sinking ship, witnessing panic on people’s faces, reading about some people take their own lives instead of face whatever is next, hearing reports of uncertainty, knowing friends who have lost jobs, and knowing that there is no guarantee in this life, what is the regular person supposed to do?

We trust God. We trust that He is faithful and will deliver on His promises of eternal life and no need of worry. I think sometimes we trust God with yellow caution tape strapped around our trust but I think this is a good thing. A lot of people thought that God was blessing them when they were approved a few years ago by a bank for a home loan. A home that eventually would foreclose on them and would foreclose on their faith as well. A lot of people thought that God was blessing them with income that they spent on items they didn’t need only to lose their job this week and not have any savings. I think the caution around trusting God is good, because well, this might sound a little weird but, I think that a great goal of the evil beast or Satan is to shade our perspective so that we either think we’re right in our faith or we think we’re trusting in God when we’re not. I think the caution around trust in God is wisdom.

When investors don’t have money or aren’t making money, money stops circulating. When money stops circulating, everything slows down. I’m not a Christian who thinks God wants us to slow down. I think that God has no problem keeping up with a fast pace. It’s just how the economy works.

I work best when I put my trust in God. I think for me that my biggest trust in God is when I am obedient to authority that I disagree with. I'm not talking about being a door mat, I'm talking about trying new things, learning that my personal experience isn't sufficient to guide me to all of the right answers. I must rely on others and I must rely on God and I want to. I enjoy life when I accept and am content with where I am, so that's what I, as just a regular person, am hoping to do at this point in our history when things are looking bleak and looking like they are only going to get bleaker. 

The Shack by William Young

I got to read the Shack on Saturday. Michael was in training all day for ski patrol and I was on the mountain with him so I had about 8 hours to occupy myself with. I had heard that the book was good enough to read in one sitting so I had been waiting to start it until I knew I had the time to finish it. 

The book was really interesting to me. I definitely liked it, but I feel like I need to read it again to understand more of what it was talking about. I would say that the main drift of it was for the reader to have a broader, non Christian understanding of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and it really does deliver. The book also talks about something that it calls 'the great sadness.' The great sadness has come over this one man who lost his young daughter to a horrible murder in a shack 4 years before returning to it to meet God. I could really relate to 'the great sadness.' There's so much hurt in the world and this man had every right to be living in a great sadness after what happened to his daughter. His journey thru knowledge, understanding, and eventually peace was an incredible read. I also liked the way God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit interacted with him and with each other. I feel like I learned a lot which is probably why I want to read it again. 

The Bailout Dilemma

I am against the bailout.

I’m not against giving money to high profile businesses, nor am I against having ideas like this on the congress floor, nor am I against keeping our economy booming.

I am against giving money away that we don’t have to begin with; I’m against the debt. If we had this amount cash sitting in our treasury, I would be all for this bill. I like the bill itself, if we could afford it.  

 

Once this bill passes (and it will eventually) we will have a short future of economic growth. The stock market may be dramatic for a while, but over a few years, it will slowly creep up. Business will go on as usual and some profits will be made. People will start spending money; life will move along steadily.

 

And then a black day will come. The day when China (or whichever nation is lending to us at the time) wants their money back from us, at a high interest rate and we will not be able to give it to them. And if we aren't borrowing the money but just take $700 billion from our own dollar, than our nation's inflation will be outrageous. The great depression seemed dramatic? Try the great reversal. We will be the developing nation. It will happen overnight with high profile people and then slowly trickle down to everyone else.

 

So, what do we do with the bill? There will be some major economic consequences if this bill does not pass. Major. I am not arguing that. But this is part of a free market. Regardless of the causes that got us into the situation that we are in today, we’re here. We (us who caused it and us who did not) need to pay the consequences of where we are at.

We need banks and loans. I do get this. We have to have the option of borrowing for economic growth; without a bank, a country will not prosper. TIME did a recent article on why India has seen some economic success, compared with African nations and why they have not seen success. The answer in the article was simple- India set up a banking system and Africa has depended on Foreign Aid. (Which BEGS the question of how much good foreign aid actually does.) Banks are what we must have and I do believe this bill will help the banks, but there has to come a point in time where we stop depreciating the value of the dollar with enormous debt and start being real with money again and start to ask what can we really afford? 

I still don't know how I am going to vote but...

this is why I LOVE Sarah Palin

Cause she is from Alaska
Cause she has remained female in a male world
Cause she sold the jet on ebay
Cause she lives out consequences of her faith, without regret
Cause she is soft enough to tenderly care for her infant son and yet
tough enough to kill a moose
Cause she stopped the bridge to nowhere
Cause her son is in active duty
Cause her parents worked in local jobs

Our 1 year anniversary

For our 1 year, Michael and I scooted out to Hood River & stayed at the Sakura Lodge and did the fruit loop. Here are some pics of our time-

Our first fruit stand stop. We tasted the pears & they were amazing. 

The Sakura Lodge. It's awesome, completely worth the drive to Hood River. They serve breakfast with all their own fruits and veggies. It was amazing. 

Sakura means Cherry Blossom in Japanese. Here is Michael and I in front of the cherry orchard on the Sakura property. 

Here I am at the lodge. Michael and I sat in these rocking chairs and just looked out at Mt. Hood. It was very peaceful.  

 Here I am touching a sun flower on their lower fruit and veggie garden. 

The view of Mt. Hood from the lodge backyard, deck and kitchen window. 

Saturday Plans

Today Michael and I went to the farmers market - love those fresh, local fruit and veggies. We're headed out again this afternoon to downtown Portland. We're going to the Children's Cancer Association festival. We're also going to head to Powell's and try to exchange a couple of books. I love to read and always need a new book, so we're trying to get books used and someday I hope we'll use the library too. Tonight is a party at my bosses house for the DoveLewis. It should be a good time, I just hope it doesn't rain. Tomorrow I hope to sleep in and have lunch with my friend Christy and go to church. 

Dialog

I've got this dialog going with God. I'm not talking about some weird conversation I have in my head, I'm talking about reading the Bible and then having an experience happen in my life where the Bible becomes truth and the words that I read make sense out of life.  

I'm a very logical, literal, realist person. I have difficulty believing things against reason, physics, experience, and judgment. Therefore, a couple of years ago I had decided to have 1 or 2 children at specific times due to various reasons. Michael and I got married September 2007, therefore I had planed that we would start to try to get pregnant in September 2008 and then again in exactly 3 years. I started to plan other things about this situation - such as how many bedrooms we would need in our house, how to set up an account for a child's education, etc. I knew the cost estimate of raising a child today was $250,000 from birth - 18 and determined that we could possible afford 2 children and even that would be hard. 

And then I watched a tv show called "The Duggars" about a family with 17 children (and #18 on the way) on discovery health.  It was just an hour long tv show about a family and the reality of choosing not to use birth control. I couldn't believe my eyes. Not only did these children seem happy (despite their lack of name brand clothing) but they were a strong family that loves God. I started to read books about large families and used google to do some small scale research. I couldn't believe the end result. I found that I didn't want to use birth control but just wanted to let whatever happens happen and then Michael and I had several long talks about it. 

That was 10 months ago and now it is September 2008, the month that I had originally planned to start trying for a baby. I don't know why we haven't gotten pregnant yet. I don't know what will happen if all of a sudden we start conceiving easily and rapidly. As a realist, I must admit that at any moment I might feel the need to go back on birth control. 

So this leads me back to the bunk bed blessing-what I talked about on my last blog. Once I started realizing that we could have a big family, I had several reality checks. What about college tuition? What about the looks of others in the grocery store? How will I be able to feed them? Where in the heck would more than 2 children sleep, if we only have 2 children bedrooms in our house? 

A large family isn't going to be complete fulfillment in life, but having dialog open with my husband and reading the Bible does fulfill me. Although I gave up birth control a while ago and did assume I'd have a baby by now, it hasn't been the emotional roller coaster that one might assume. I feel content with whatever happens, happens. I'm happy with my life the way that it is and at the same time, feel that it would be a blessing to fill our bunk beds up with kids. Either way is cool. We just keep praying that God would stitch together our family, be it thru biological or adoption, that it would just be done at his time. 

The bunk bed blessing

I moved into my husband's office. I've been using my computer upstairs and doing all the paper work stuff up there in an extra bedroom, but this weekend we moved me downstairs. He built me a work area and it's directly over the heater- perfect for me. We now both work and do the family paper work in a shared space. I love it. I can hear the clicking of the keyboard behind me when he types. It's fun, I love sharing the office with him. 

Since I cleaned out one of the extra bedrooms upstairs (by moving my office stuff) I had been thinking about what I was going to do with that room. I've been waiting to move almost all summer, so I've been thinking during that time that I want to put some bunk beds in there but we were in no hurry to get them. I kept my ears open and if we found a good deal, we were going to get them. I was cleaning out my bosses storage unit and found three beautiful bunk beds from his old house. He told me to get rid of them and I offered to buy them at which he gave them to me. So, next week we'll have 4 sets of bunk beds for our house (we already had one set)!! Can you believe it? I feel that God heard this request and just blasted us with a larger answer than we dreamed. I am totally stoked to have both of our extra bedrooms have 2 sets of bunk beds that can sleep 8, and with the guest room bed, that gives us 10 beds besides our own.  

The night that turned out different than expected but good all the same.

Serving others is super important to me. Serving with my new husband is equally important, which is why Michael and I signed up (actually I signed us up and hoped he would oblige) for serving at cityfest. Which in all honestly wasn't why I signed up. I really wanted the free t-shirt and was willing to serve to get it. 

I had signed us up for serving at the Merchandise Counter. Yes, I now realize that Chris Tomlin wouldn't actually be at the counter selling his own merchandise which I was really hopeful about, but none the less, I wanted to sell some cool stuff and maybe, just maybe, out of my great duty I would get to meet the artist, or at least a free t-shirt, hopefully, maybe, probably signed by them. 

So my mom and Michael met me at my office today around 4:30. Somehow I had managed to talk my co-worker Kami to go with us to the cityfest. My mom wasn't registered to serve and she needed a friend and her & Kami were buddies. So Kami went; continually shouting "Praise Jesus" (a phrase I had never heard her say before in the two years I have worked with her) about every 10 minutes. She started to debate whether or not we could ride the streetcar without paying for a ticket because if we were approached by an authority, she would simply shout "Praise Jesus" and jump off of the car. We ended up deciding against that and set off on foot the mile down the Willamette River to the cityfest. 

At some point we decided we needed to eat dinner and although all of us were thinking Chinese and we were in China Town, we ended up at Old Town Pizza. Now if you have not been to Old Town Pizza it is an experience in itself. The writing on the bathroom wall is absurd and can cause a smile out of the grumpiest person just by the craziness of the sayings. But our pizza was tasty and our antipasti was yummy. After finishing our gossip about everything we each knew, we started toward the festival again. 

When we got to the festival, Michael and I went to the volunteer check-in counter where we went to the E-I list and let them know Graves was here. The woman behind the list was in her mid forty's, had short hair, and small frames around her eyes that looked like glasses but not quite big enough that they would actually be effective. She looked up at us and saw that we were in merchandise and promptly said, "They're overstaffed but you can stay and take care of the garage at the end of the festival." I smiled and started to comment about how well the place was staffed because there were no lines anywhere and everything seemed to be running smoothly at which she must have been offended because she said, "It'll get busier later." Michael and I took our t-shirts and knew immediately that neither one of us wanted to stick around for 4 hours to take out garbage just because they didn't have anything else for us to do. 

So, after saying a brief prayer that we wouldn't immediately go to hell for signing up to serve at a Luis Palau event and then taking the free shirt and not serving, we decided to hear Luis talk about salvation. Luis got on the stage and gave a message to the crowd on God being a father to the fatherless. It was a good message and had a lot of truth to it. Even though at this time I don't feel like I have an earthly father, I have never felt fatherless. God has always been my father and it was nice to hear Luis talk about that. 

Michael and I walked around and his phone rang. It was my mom. Apparently her and kami had skipped out on the message and were baskin and robins when kami realized that neither of us had the access code to get into our office building after hours where our purses were. So, we headed back. We eventually got into the building and got our purses. Kami was especially relieved because her purse contained her car and house key which would have made a long weekend if she couldn't get into either of those. 

After kami and my mom left, Michael and I drove around downtown with the top of the mustang down, enjoying the late night. We stopped at Alotto Gelato on 23rd. We each got some gelato and remembered our time spent in Italy a few months ago. As I was sitting there I realized how happy I was to be with my husband on a beautiful night, enjoying ice cream, and imagining our future together.

Our night had turned out so differently than it's original plan to serve at a festival and ended up with the two of us sitting at a table serving each other in life. It was an awesome night. 

Old Friends

I've been catching up with old friends. It fun and with things like myspace, people find you from all walks of life. Here's two old friends that I have loved getting to know again.

Jodi Davis. This picture is from Mexico '95. We had gone down with our church to work on a second story of a building in Obregon Mexico. I think this picture is from the back of the 15 passenger van that we were driving down it. We were 17. O- that was sooo fun. I loved those trips. Jodi and I had lunch today. We both work in Portland and I saw a picture of her in a magazine at work and got her email. She is getting married next summer and doing great.

Rhiannon Anderson (now Gullickson). Rhiannon and were in dance together and did several duets. This particular picture is from a dance we did to 'O, Yea' - remember the chick, chickachicka? It was in awesome movies like the secret of my success and ferris bueller. Rhiannon and I spent most of our years when we were between the ages of 9-13 beating super mario brothers and reciting lines from beetle juice. Now Rhiannon has 3 kids of he own! They awesome kids and she is a great mom. Her and I had dinner a couple of weeks ago and talked about everything. 

I love getting together with friends I had when I was younger. It seems really important. Talking about things that you both remember and remembering new things is great. I've so enjoyed hanging out with these girls and becoming new friends with them again. 

The why question.

Since Monday, I’ve been thinking about the plane crash at Gearhart. Maybe because the house is three blocks from my bosses. Maybe because I’ve been to Gearhart so many times for an enjoyable, relaxing weekend. Maybe it’s because I can’t understand why this happened. 

A small plane crashed into a home with two families staying in it. The plane seemed to be having trouble and crashed around 6:30 am Monday morning. It exploded shortly after it crashed. A mother with 5 children were inside the house. 3 children died along with the pilot and passenger of the plane. The mother and 2 of the children were sent to Emanuel Burn Center. 

Last October someone accidently rear ended my beautiful Focus and totaled it. I had just a few weeks before that told Michael I was going to keep the car for 10 more years. The accident really shocked me and I couldn’t believe I didn’t have my car anymore. The man who hit me felt horrible. He had a daughter my age and just couldn’t believe that he had hit me. He offered me anything on the scene and called me several times since the accident to check up on me. He was wonderful and I am grateful to have met him. The insurance claimed the accident was his fault and he admitted that in the beginning. He wasn’t an evil man. He was the opposite. It was just one of those things that happened.

My story ends well because I lost something that I could replace. But the people at the beach weren’t as lucky and I am sad for them.

In my wonderings around the why question I have found hope and permission. Hope that there is a good God in this world of chaos and suffering. Permission to grieve and be sad for this family and other families who go thru such incredible sufferings. The Bible talks about a man being born blind not because of any sin but so that the Kingdom of God will be revealed in him. I must admit that if God is taking volunteers for the display of His glory through incidents like this, I am not raising my hand. However, it is the stories that are so tragic that touch us the most. Steven Curtis Chapman is going to be on Good Morning American Wednesday morning. He’s going to be on Larry King on Thursday, August 7^th. He is on the PEOPLE magazine coming to Newstands on August 13^th. I am recording both his interviews. I know they’ll  touch my faith at the core of who I am.

I don’t want these awful things to happen ever again.  The touching stories behind tragedy doesn’t justify the pain that people go thru that are in the middle of it. This is where my thoughts stop (or circle back to the beginning). I just don’t want these things to happen to families, but it just does. I don’t have any conclusion to my thoughts and when I try to find conclusion my mind goes straight to ‘why?’ We have few things in our lives that we’re in control over. Our attitudes. Our faith. Our hope. Our love. But beyond that, it’s complete chaos mixed with so much suffering in the world. So instead of trying to conclude my thoughts, I'm just going to be grateful for today, love my husband, enjoy each moment, and live. 

My Month of Grace

We have a major busy month this August. I had to schedule out everything because if I hadn't I knew I'd end up frustrated. Our church is serving this month, so we're signed up for a few activities there. My boss' housekeeper is on vacation this month, so I am helping out there too. (There's a Wedding next weekend I am working.) Our church also has evening activities for a whole week, so we're going to try to go to that too. I take jazzercise 3 times a week. Michael and I do our devotional three times a week. I like to keep the house clean and I prepare all the meals. We're serving with Luis Palau at Cityfest. We're going to see the opening of the Vancouver bridge that the Confluence Project is doing. I hope that we get to have lunch with David this month. We try to make the Saturday evenings young adult group at our church. We go to church on Sunday evening. We have my family reunion one of the weekends in there. We both have full time jobs and I drive 2 hours a day in traffic. 

So this is my month of grace. I am going to do what I can and rely on grace from myself for everything else that I miss. I am going to give grace to Michael and others who can't possible get everything they need to get done, done. It hasn't started out too bad. I already have found time to blog, so hopefully working together we can have a fantastic month, busy, but full of grace. 

MIRROR CONFESSIONAL

I mirror people. I’ve done it my whole life. And I think it’s really weird and now that I am starting to realize how often I do it, it’s kind of freaking me out.

 

For those of you who don’t mirror people, let me explain. I mirror your attitude, actions, word choice, anything I can. If you act insecure, I will act insecure. If you act kind, I will act kind. If you like me, I will like you. If you are rude to me, I will be rude to you. However, it’s not immediate and it’s not as obvious as it might sound.

 

It’s not that I don’t think for myself. I am just apprehensive about sharing my thoughts.

 

This has become a theological issue for me. Jesus addressed this particular issue specifically. Matthew 5:38-42: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

 

Here’s my confessional: I resist evil people. I would slap someone back if they slapped me. I would not be happy if someone sued me and I would resist giving them what they asked for, let alone something more. It’s rare that someone can force me to do anything and when they do, I go unhappily and make it difficult on them. I can come up with a number of good reasons why I don’t (or can’t) give you what you are asking of me. And I don’t like it when people borrow from me, especially if they have any reason to be untrustworthy.

So there you have it. I am a good person and care of the people in my life. I love my friends and family, I just have been thinking about this and wanted to confess. 

 

 

Mustang Sally

My husband bought me a new car!!!!!! I love it so much. I really didn't like my last car and was starting to complain a lot about it, so we went looking for a new one. I love it. I had no idea when I went looking that I would end up with my dream car. We went to Ford, Mazda and then to Toyota. We wanted to test drive a Corolla and they were sold out, so we browsed the used car section and found this Mustang. We thought about it for three days and finally purchased it tonight. I love it. It was ac and heated seats. I was honestly thinking we were going to buy the family practical sedan type car, so to bring home such a fun car is really cool. It'll be nice to be in such a sweet car the two hours a day I am on the road. 

Sisters Quilt Show

Sisters Oregon annually hosts a Quilt Show. There are thousands of quilts hung over the whole city and people come to buy them, judge them, and look at them. This year, I entered my first one!! It was really exciting. Here I am standing in front of it. 

The quilts there were amazing, I felt really lucky to have mine entered with so many beautiful ones. I love quilting. I know it sounds a little 18th century, but it is really fun for me.

Fixin the Roof at St. Johns

Michael walking up the ladder to fix the big hole that he tore out of it because it was falling part. He's awesome.  

We decided to make a skylight so that there would be a little bit of natural light coming in for whoever wants to rent it out. Know anyone who is interested? We're hoping to rent it out for someone to store a boat or RV.

My brother came to help us!! Yea for Kyle. 

Kyle and Stacey on the roof.

I finally made it all the way to the roof. I have a fear of heights so it was an accomplishment. 

My car doesn't have a/c

It gets hot in my car. Somehow I didn't think to look to see if it came with a/c when I bought and now I live with out it. It's just the way it is. Honestly, I didn't realize that there were new cars that were made without a/c. Who knew? I just feel bad for my friends and coworkers who have to suffer thru it but they have all been nice.

the vine, the branches, the gardner

John 15:1-4 NIV
The Vine and the Branches

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

A couple years back I wasn’t connected to the vine. Lately I have been reflecting on that time and what happened as a result of that. It pretty much happened exactly as Jesus said it would in the above verses. I wasn’t connected, so a part of me eventually died. I'm not saying that today I have arrived at some state of Christianity where I can claim certainty of my faith, it’s just that I have been thinking about a specific time in my life where I wasn’t connected.

It all started back in 1993 when I was taken on my first mission trip and loved it. I loved the people, I loved the experience, I loved the team and became somewhat of a leader when I returned with a new group of kids two years later in 1995. From 1993-1996 I felt my best when I was in youth group and friends encouraged me that I was my best when I was leading Bible Studies and mission trips. I decided to go to Bible College and pursue a degree in Youth Ministries. While in college, I felt very frustrated. I longed for the times when I has been on mission trips and thought that once I was done with school, and was leading mission teams, my life would have the mystery, excitement, and joy that it seemed to be lacking.

So I dove into youth ministry. I started with Young Life and moved into a youth director’s position at a small church in Portland. Although I did like it and had many great memories and met awesome people, it didn’t satisfy me. I had started sponsoring a little girl thru Compassion in Tanzania and had the opportunity to go on a mission trip and visit her. In Tanzania, having lunch with Judith was the most satisfying thing in my life up to that point. I loved every minute of it. I was part of a mission team again and felt great about it. I knew that this was something I had to continue to pursue at all costs. I was also encouraged by others at how good I was at leading mission teams. Then came an opportunity to take a job at a large church. The job was leading all of the mission teams and service projects for the student ministry department. It looked perfect to me and I couldn’t think of anything else I would rather be doing.

I had everything that I thought was going to give me fulfillment in life. I had this job at church teaching students about Jesus and his call to missions and service. I was taking students on trips all over the world. And, well, it was just about the most unfulfilling thing I have ever done. I had everything I had ever wanted professionally and since the things that I wanted were Christian, I thought I would find fulfillment and I found the opposite. And that made me react in really strange ways. After a few months into the job, I started not to trust the other staff members. And then I started becoming openly frustrated with things that weren’t going my way. And then I started dressy sexy (which is just weird since I was in more of a pastoral role and because I usually dress so modestly). And the list could go on and on. I don’t know exactly how all this happened or why it did, I just know that it did.

One day my boss called me into her office and I went in and sat down. She started listing things off one by one that I was doing wrong professionally and personally. This had been going on for several months and so it wasn’t anything that new for me to hear but there was something different about this time. This time she looked me straight in the eyes and said that I was not a servant and then there was this silence for some time. I got up (I can’t remember if I started crying in her office or when I walked out but once I started crying, I didn’t stop for about 12 hours). I resigned 3 hours later.

For a long time after this incident I couldn’t figure out why this had happened to me or why I had contributed to it what I had but recently I have come to peace with the fact that it did happen. I don’t know if there is some greater reason for why this happened and I don’t even know if I would want to know if I could. I just know that there was a time when I wasn’t connected to the vine and that after a part of me died Jesus brought more life into me that I had ever known. I guess one could say that I was pruned during this time. I don’t know if that is the case, but I lately have had peace about it. I tend to listen more to others now and I really, honestly, believe that having a good team is the best way to do business. I am not a lone ranger at all and I have even started to like correction form others (please don’t test me on this).

So I guess, in some weird way, my Christian dream of leading mission trip died and God gave me a new dream with an amazing husband and a wonderful job and therefore, I’m kinda glad everything happened the way it did. I certainly learned a lot and grew more than I even wanted to. What to know something kinda funny? One of our business associates asked me two weeks ago to help him with his talk on his sons mission trip to Mexico. O, and my bosses son just left for a mission in Calcutta. His mother asked me to say the blessing at his house with all of his family around last week. And I had lunch with a Luis Palau last week who I got a chance to share my experience about not putting faith into ministry but into Jesus and how only Jesus can fulfill. Mr. Palau was somehow moved at some small level about what I said which was astounding to me given his experience. God doesn’t forget our dreams and hopes; he is just the Great Gardner.

St. John's

We have a huge hole in the ceiling of our roof of our garage at St. John's. Huge. It was rotting so Michael pulled it back a little and then realized that a lot of it had to come down, so he is taking it down right now. It's probably about 10 feet by 20 feet wide. I think Michael is going to come home really dirty. Tomorrow we go to Home Depot to buy new wood for the roof and put it up. I always say that I want to build my own house, so this is just showing me what that is really like. I still want to build my own house although I am really grateful that we don't live at St. John's. I love our nice, pretty house.

There's nothing much going on

I've thought about what to post but lately there just isn't much going on. Michael and I spend a lot of time just doing the everyday things together. We like to be together almost every second that we are not at work, so in the evenings we walk, do our devotion, eat dinner together, hang out, and just talk about day.

Tonight is Wednesday which is the night we usually go shopping, so we went to Home Depot (bought a lawn mower), then to Safeway (where we had dinner) bought groceries and then make a stop at Costco for a gas fill up and some large ticket times- cat food, chicken to freeze, pizza, etc.

Tonight I was working in my office while listening to the fish. Michael W. Smith's love song to his wife came on. That was Michael and I's wedding song, so I took the stereo downstairs and played it outside of Michael's office. He heard it and came out and danced with me! I love moments like that. It was great.

Windex

I use windex on everything to clean my house. I always have. Michael and I were joking one night how something common in American households is probably causing cancer, something like windex. But I started to think about it and that kinda freaked me out. So, I then used a lot less windex. I didn't take it to the extreme and stop using it completely, I just used a lot less. And then we got ants in the kitchen and now I use windex again and no more ants.

Quick Summer Movie Update

Last night Michael and I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. I loved it. I grew up watching the original 3 movies over and over and over again. I knew them all perfectly line by line so it was really fun to go see a new one as an adult.

Tonight Carrie and Christy and I are going to see Sex and the City. I can't wait! Although we have tickets for the 7:30 showing at Pioneer Place and it's Rose Festival with the night parade tonight, it'll be crazy, but I can't wait. Carrie and I use to watch Sex and the City all the time and it'll be fun to see where the story plot goes now that the girls, well most of them, are married and getting married.

Michael and I also have a date for the new Angelina movie- Wanted. It looks like the Matrix meets the Fast and the Furious meets Joe versus the Volcano. Pretty typical plot but with cool gun scenes and crazy car scenes. Can't wait.

Slavery Still Exists

Last night Michael and Sarah and I went to see Holly- a movie about a 12 year old girl stuck in the world of sex trafficking in Cambodia. I have known about sex trafficking for a while now but this movie really put it in a new light. The movie itself wasn't that dramatic and there weren't any heros, it was just raw and real and really gave you the impression that sex trafficking is hotter than ever and there doesn't look like there is really any solution to it other than taking the demand away. The girl, Holly, was eventually bought out of the brothels by a humanitarian and placed in a home for girls trying to escape the brothels. Since she was only 12 years old, and had been raped and then prostituting herself (she was forced to this) several hundred times a day the new safe home scared her and she ran around from it. The movie ends with her still on the streets, unknown as to what will happen next.

What are we going to do about this issue? Children are being sold by their parents and smuggled into the brothels to be sold for sex, mainly with wealthy business men. I feel like we've got to stop this but I just have no idea how to stop it and it seems like a lot of the leaders who are trying to stop it don't really know how to stop it either except to just bring awareness to it.

Children

I’ve never given much thought to having children. I’ve been so preoccupied (over 30 years) with whether or not I’d ever get married that I didn’t put much thought into anything else. Now that I am married to my best friend (especially after our late night talk last night), I think about children a lot.

 

I have come full circle in my thoughts on children. I knew I always wanted children but have been scared at having them and scared of all the other things that come with them, things like the cost of them, my ability (or inability) to be a good parent, how messy they are etc. etc. I think differently now. About a year ago I started watching shows on TV about large families. I was amazed at families like John and Kate + 8 and the Duggar family. Watching those shows has really taught me what joy a child and children can be.

 

Michael and I got married on September 15, 2007. We used natural birth control for about 2 months and as I started thinking about it, the more and more concerned I became with the reasoning of why we considered ourselves not ready for children. Not only that, but I realized how much I wanted them. We started talking about it a lot and decided that we didn’t want to prevent a pregnancy if that so happened.  It’s been about 6 months now and we’re not pregnant.

 

Lately, I’ve been giving more and more thought to adoption. I could see us adopting at some point, even if/when we have our biological children. Also, I feel really comfortable with not having our own children (if that so happens) and then we would definitely adopt. There are children who need a home. Our home is in need of children. Anyway, I really think about children a lot now.

Family at the Beach

For my 30th Birthday party I went to the beach with family and friends. We'd stayed in a cabin for the weekend and had a really good time. It was raining most of the weekend so we watch a lot of TV (especially since the Indiana Jones Marathon was on). We walked on the beach and cooked marshmallows in the microwave for our smores. For Saturday lunch we had 11 people around the table! I loved it!! It was a blast.

Obedience

I used to think of myself as a fairly obedient person. I have an easier time following rules than other people. Then in one of the books I am reading it said that obedience is only true obedience if it is done thoroughly, immediately, and joyfully. I usually follow rules but not by doing it any of these three ways, let alone all of them. This isn't that deep but something I have been thinking about for the past couple of weeks.

Italy Pics

We saw the pope at the Vatican.

NY Pics

Our Visit to Florence

Michael and I went on our first vacation (well, second if you count the honeymoon). We spent 5 days in New York, 3 days in Rome and 6 days in Florence, Italy. We saw the Colosseum in Rome, and ate gellato at Cafe Giolitti. We ate ourselves sick of meat, mozzarella, and pizza. We bought leather and cashmere. We loved it!!!

Florence is so beautiful with its bridges and old churches. The Duamo was amazing and we climbed to the top of the Dome. We estimated that it was about 50 stories. It has winding stair cases all the way to the top and such amazing views.

Our hotel was beautiful and so modern. It was a split level with the bedroom on one floor and the bathroom and balcony on the other. We looked over the Arno River. We slept in until 10:30 every morning and then strode the streets for shops, food and tourist stuff.

We loved Florence and had such a wonderful vacation.

i heart ny

Michael and I have had so much fun in New York. It has been one of the best vacations I have ever had. We both have fallen in love with the city even though we are excited to go home.

We drove out to China Town and I got to pick up some purses which I love. We also went on a tour of the United Nations building. I loved that. It was intersting to learn about the United Nations and to see the General Assembly room. We also went to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was the best performance. It was very amazing!!

That's it for now. The vacation has been awesome.

Thoughts on Dating

I dated on and off until I married at 29 years old. I struggled with it way more than I enjoyed it. My friend Sarah is still in the dating world and I told her that I would blog my thoughts on dating now that I am married. So, Sarah, here is some advice from a girl who often wondered if she would ever get married and wound up with the love of her life.



Have a simple purpose. Honestly, why are you dating? I often dated because it seemed like it was something I was supposed to. Someone was interested in me, he was a nice guy and so we dated. I eventually got tired of dating and gave up dating for about four years. After the four years were over, I started becoming friends with several guys, which led me to becoming friends with Michael whom I ended up marrying. I started to just hang out with guys and developed some friendships, which had nothing to do with trying to discover if they were ‘the one.’ They were just my friends and that’s how I met Michael.



Ride the Wave. Try new things. Go on eHarmony. Read a book on dating (I suggest ‘How to Get a Date Worth Keeping’). Look people (especially hot guys) in the eyes when you talk to them. Don’t be afraid to let someone think that you like him (he might reject you but if he does, move one, there’s someone better). Walk up to guys in public places and start a conversation with them. Get someone’s phone number. Give your phone number out.

Think. Continually use your brain in dating. What looks right maybe wrong. What looks wrong maybe right for only a time period and later will be wrong (what you initially thought). It’s easy to sit back when you are single and make a list of what is right and wrong but when you’re out in the dating world, you need your brain. Think through things and listen to yourself. Here’s an example. I dated this guy in high school for about a year. I didn’t love him. I liked him as a person a lot, but my gut said this is not the right person for you. I stayed with him for a year because my parents loved him, my friends all wanted to date him, he was successful, good looking, from a fantastic family, went to my church, etc. From all accounts, even I thought he was the perfect guy. But I wasn’t into him. It took me almost the whole year to have the courage to do what I knew was right. Nobody agreed with why I broke up with him. It looked so right for us to be together but inside me it was so wrong.

Pray. I don’t know what to specifically suggest in prayer except just to do it. Pray for yourself, those you date and the one you’ll marry.



Read the Bible. The Bible is full of interesting stories about men and women and their relationships. Bathsheba slept with David who then killed her husband and she lost her baby and ended up being his queen. Ruth lost her husband so she laid at the end of the bed of another man, uncovered his feet and he woke up and married her. Mary and Joseph were engaged, then she got pregnant, told her fiancé she was still a virgin, he had a visit by an angel, she gave birth in a barn and then they got married. The Bible is raw, full of life and tells us about God which gives us hope. Rich Mullins said that one doesn’t read the Bible to know how to live, one reads the Bible to know God. I’ve always liked that saying.



Good luck Sarah! I loved having lunch with you. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.

Religious freedom vs. child welfare

A 15 month old Clackamas County girl died on March 2 from bacterial bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. Her parents made every attempt through prayer to heal her but no attempts medically. Both the pneumonia and the infection are treatable with antibiotics. A grand jury has brought two charges against the parents for the death of their daughter: second degree manslaughter and second degree criminal mistreatment.


This is a complicated case for me. I understand a families desire to surrender to God, to rely on his power, and to have peace with whatever the answer is to any specific prayer. But this is at the cost of their daughter and that’s where it gets complicated for me. Michael and I discussed this situation over dinner last night and well, there wasn’t much to discuss because we’re giving our kids antibiotics, if they need them and especially if their lives depend on them. It’s a no brainer for us.


I do understand the value and need for prayer. A few years ago while I was in Tanzania, our van broke down on our way back from a tribal visit out in the middle of nowhere. It was almost night and not a good time for us to be outside with no protection. We needed a 14” wrench to fix the van. After three hours of prayer, a man showed up with a 14” wrench (the only tool he had), fixed our bus and we were on our way. I believe that prayer saved us that night.


Although I was not testing God in Tanzania, I have tested Him other times in my life with prayer. Hoping that by some miracle he would produce something that seemed virtually impossible by human standards. I have justified these tests by thinking that the miracle would prove to others his existence and ability; and, in my quiet thoughts, the miracle would show to others how much faith I had to believe when no one else did.


If I were a judge in this case and presented with this information, I would convict the parents guilty with pain and sorrow. It’s complicated but the evidence is right there. They had the ability to save their daughter and they choose not to. I hate to go down the road of religious persecution, but in this case, the child could have been saved from death. I see it similar to a family in a house fire, and the parents rushing outside to pray that they children make it outside. Would not any sane parent stick out their arm to pick up and save their child from the fire before they came out of the house? Even though my answer seems clear in this verdict, it’s still complicated for me.