PhotoBlog #2

PhotoBlog #2 - A day in Aburi (a town in the "mountains" where there is a botanical garden) and Boti Falls (beautiful waterfall "near" Aburi... near meaning an hour and a half away)

I love my roomates :) Amanda, Evie and I under a really cool hollow tree (no, we didn't plan to all wear blue)

Standing inside the tree looking up into its hollowness...

A beautiful view down into a valley below the gardens

A beautiful flower in the gardens!!!

Traffic on the way to Boti Falls... ohhh what a sight :)

Climbing down the stairs to the falls... it was a looongggg way!!


Standing down by the water (it has rained so much lately that we couldn't go any further than the stairs!!)

Daniel and Jonathan ventured over into the bush a ways and got quite close to the falls

My favorite picture I've ever taken :) so beautiful!!!

Amy and Evie trying Coco... it was really yummy!!

and Amanda and I... wrong camera Amanda!!!!!! :)

We had so much fun, and even though we spent hours (quite literally... about 5 in all) in a trotro (a rickety old van that you shove as many people as possible into, up to 15 or 16), were sweaty, tired, and maybe even a little cranky, it was so totally worth it!!! If you are ever in Ghana, I would totally reccomend going :)

(to view the rest of the pictures from the day, click this link to see the Facebook album!!)
http://cedarville.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032697&l=44fdf&id=141300005

Reason, Season, Life...

This week I am writing about youth group again… I guess I must like it!! Julianne (my housemate from Canada) spoke this weekend and gave her testimony. Several times, she said something that has really, really been weighing on my mind. IN college she had a friend who was a Missionary Kid (MK) in Italy growing up. He must have been very wise because he said these words to her, and they impacted her greatly, and have now impacted me as well.
Some people are in our life for a reason. We may never even realize what that reason was, but sometimes God only allows us the chance to know someone for a short time, and a certain specific reason.

Some people are in our lives for seasons. The season may be short or long, good or bad, but they are seasons. For example, college was definitely a season for most people, and there were close friends there that are lost after. Seasons come and go throughout the year, and some people come and go in the same way. God has placed them in our lives for more than just a simple reason, but for a season full of them.

Some people are with us for life. You just can’t get rid of em! Of course family falls into this category, but there are a very small handful of others… God allows a bond to be created that comes from above and just can’t seem to be broken.

After hearing these things, I have mixed emotions. I am excited to think about those that are with me for life. I know that this includes my family and I am so blessed to have a family that loves me. I also think about the small handful of friends that have been with me for most of my life already, and I am sitting here welling up with tears thinking about how blessed I am to have them in my life. It is so hard to be so far away, and to feel like I am missing things and almost like I am not being a good friend… but I know that I am right where God wants me to be… and I know that they are some of the few who understand that, and love me just the same whether I’m the next town over, or thousands of miles over the ocean.

It is hard to think about those who are here for just a season also… some of these people become so dear to us and it feels unfair for them to not be a part of our lives forever. I have to remind myself that God has a purpose in this, and His intent is for good. I think about those who have been in my life in the past for a season, and smile upon the things that God used them for in my life, the lessons learned and the blessings.

All of these things being said, I want to say thank you. Thank you for being in my life, whether it is for a reason, a season, or for life. Thank you for blessing me, whether it be simply by reading this blog, even if I have never met you, by supporting my in prayer or financially, or being my friend. I am so grateful that you are allowing God to use you in my life, and that He is blessing me through it.

It is the end of rainy season here in Ghana!

Be Blessed

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" ~Matthew 5:8

This weekend I attended the church's youth group, and Mr. Ike, the man who leads along with his wife, spoke about Jesus and the beatitudes. We talked about what it means to really be poor in spirit, merciful, peacemakers, and persecuted. We got the chance to break up into small groups, and I joined a group that mostly had girls of the junior high age. Mariah, one of my housemates, was in charge of that group, and had us all pick one that we wanted to strive to take personally and make it our own. At first, nothing jumped out at me, and I was getting a little nervous that I would not have anything to say when it came my turn going around the circle. I read through all of them again, and BAM, verse 8 jumped out like you wouldn't believe. All of the sudden I remembered all kinds of things that went with this verse, and I actually got a little bit emotional. In school, I remember one professor talking about how we have a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with others on the earth. If our relationship with God is out of line, those relationships with humans will therefore be thrown off. I think that these two things go hand in hand. If there are things that we are harbouring in our hearts (any sin, whether anger or resentment toward another person, some idol we are clinging onto, a plan that is not God's, etc...), we will not see God clearly. It's like these things are smoke, and when they are inside us, we can't see God through them... not that He isn't there anymore or left us, but that we have clouded our own vision. I think a lot of times we turn it around and blame Him, thinking that it is Him who is "hiding" from us, or not sharing His will with us. This is SO far from the truth! When we keep this "smoke" inside, and don't give it over to Him, of course we can't see through it, but if we breath it out and lay it down at His feet (which never went anywhere), we can then truly and clearly see Him for what He is, our Creator, Master, Provider, Father, and Friend...
That has just been on my heart, and we all made a commitment to really focus on our chosen beatitude this week... I would challenge you to read through the beatitudes in Matthew 5 and choose one for yourself to personalize and strive for!!