Busy Weekend...

This past Shabbat was our congregational gathering. We have gone to meeting twice a month, so this was our second meeting of the month. We had a very good gathering and study on the Salt Covenant. We finished our series on covenants in preparation for Passover. We had done the blood and threshold covenants the previous months. We have gotten a lot of our RSVPs for Passover and are busy planning logistics.

Then on Sunday, we had Mark and Adrianne join us for lunch. They were here in Ohio observing Passover off the full moon with another group, and we were so glad to get to see them! We also had my Aunt Daria, her grandkids, and my grandfather join us for the day. We all enjoyed playing games, eating, going for a walk, and fellowshipping!

I have gotten a lot done so far this week and am looking forward to a good rest of the week too!

New Moon...so Passover Soon!

Well, the New Moon was sighted in Israel last night (Friday night), and the barley is Abib. So we have began the first month of the year, and Passovere is only 14 days away! Our Passover meal will be on Friday night, April 6th, and our congregation will be hosting our annual Seder. I cannot wait to celebrate this special time with my spiritual family!

Feathers, Flying, and Family

This morning, we started our day off by butchering 8 of our chickens. This was the hardest group do to that we have ever done as they were our original laying hens, but they had gotten to the point where they were only laying an egg or two a day. So we now have some nice meat in the fridge. I also got all my pictures backed up to three DVDs...these are all the pictures since I have had a digital camera...so this is for the last 6 1/2 years...hard to believe I could condense them that much. I wanted to do that and put them in a fireproof box I got for safety. Memories are so precious, and pictures are part of that which I would hate to lose.

I got my Camp Yeshua registration off in today's mail. I cannot wait for Camp. This will be my third year going back as a Senior Counselor. I love working with the teens. It is easy to relate to them as I was their age not but a few short years ago, and I love being able to make myself available as an older sister to each one there. The impact that you are able to make is shocking in many ways. Sometimes the person you least expect is the one you most impact. I will fly in on Friday, go to B'nai Shalom services which I love then stay with dear friends that weekend before going to Camp on Sunday. Camp finishes on Friday at noon, and I fly home that afternoon getting home right at sunset.

We went off as a family on Thursday and Friday - a rare treat. We went shopping in Holmes County - Amish country on Thursday and had a great time. It was so nice to go somewhere and just relax and have fun as a family. Then Friday, Daddy took a soap making class. Now, he can teach Momma and I. While he was in class, Momma and I relaxed at our motel. We enjoyed a movie, going for a walk, and researching a few things on the Internet that we don't normally have time for. I got to drive home which I loved, and we stopped by Fin, Fur, and Feathers (like a Cabelas) too!

Well, I must go now..need to go pull some weeds then going for a walk before the sun goes to bed.

Busy, Busy, Busy...as a Bee

Shabbat was very relaxing for our family. We listened to Rico's teachings on the Salt Covenant which was very interesting. Our congregation has been studying the various forms of covenant in preparation for Passover.

Sunday was a good day of getting a lot done...

Yesterday, I was able to meet a friend for lunch which was nice.

Then today, I had my bi-weekly cleaning job. After getting home, I went for a walk with Momma and enjoyed our beautiful 70 degree weather! I then caught up on e-mails and other computer stuff.

I think the highlight of my weekend was posting my first ministry YouTube video. It is on the topic of Natural Cures for a Cold which you can watch by clicking here.

Shabbat will soon by here...

I’ve had a very good week and am greatly looking forward to Shabbat. I had captured the final piece of my first YouTube video this week, so I have been working on editing it. It is all done, I’m just waiting to get permission on using the intro and outro music from the musician, then I can post it! J I’m really excited about getting this all done.

Today, I had my cleaning job which I do once a month. I always enjoy this family. They are a sweet homeschooling family with six children. The children are all very intelligent and inquisitive which makes them an extra delight.

Wednesday, we ran errands as a family – post office, Lowe’s, thrift store, library, and Office Depot. I was able to get my camera case which will hold both my camera and camcorder for when I travel. This way I can keep both handy as I plan to start traveling with them that way I can do interviews!

We’re already partially cleaned for Shabbat and will finish in the morning. I cannot wait for Shabbat! Passover will be here in less than a month. Then one of my very close girl friends will be coming to visit about two weeks after that. Then about 5 weeks after that is Shavuot, and Brad Scott will be here speaking. Then about 6 weeks after that is Camp Yeshua!!! What an exciting few months is ahead. That all will be followed by my birthday in August, Daddy’s birthday in September, and Sukkot in October! I truly love the Feast days.

Fun, Family, and Fellowship

This past week was a good week. I got a lot done, yet at the same time, I enjoyed some great family time. We went shopping one afternoon checking out various potential suppliers for our family bakery. That was a lot of fun, and we even got to eat supper at Chick-fil-A. Then while Daddy went to Dick's, Momma and I went to Kohl's and looked for shoes! She was in need of a pair of tennis shoes, and I was looking for closed toe winter dress shoes. We were not successful; however, we did have a very nice time!

Shabbat was our first March Shabbat gathering. We are now meeting twice a month which will be very nice. It allows us to have down Shabbats where we can sleep in and relax all day enjoying teachings as a family as well as more fellowship. The food was good, and then we studied the Blood Covenant which is very fascinating and part of our Passover Preparation Series.

Today, I have been working on getting everything done on my to-do list, and I've only got one more thing to do which I'm going to do when I finish this blog post. That makes you feel like your day has been very productive.

Also, today, we added 5 new kittens to our farm! Miss Gray had 5 adorable kittens. She had them in the barn where the cows and chickens are, so Daddy moved her into a cage up here in our house barn to keep them safe. They are so cute! I have enjoyed going out and checking on them quite frequently too.

What is a Girl to Do?

Statistically, young men and women are waiting longer to marry. The average age for a man to marry is 28, and the average age for a girl is 26. So what is a girl to do while she is single?

1. Do not sit around waiting. You typically complete your formal education between the ages of 18 and 22. Yahweh does not intend for us to sit around doing nothing for 8 or 10 years just wondering where our young man is. He intends for this to be a very productive preparation time in our lives. We are to learn how to serve our families, our congregations, and our community. This is also an excellent time to hone our homemaking skills such as sewing, cooking, cleaning, home decorating, handcrafts such as knitting and crochet, and so much more. This is also the time that we have the freedom to learn and study the Word of God. We can also have the freedom to go on mission trips, travel to see friends, etc.

2. Be a Sister. We are to be sisters in all purity to our brothers. Yes, one of those brothers will probably turn out to be our husband at some point; however, we do not know who that is! We need to treat each young man as another woman’s husband and our friend only. We can encourage them, listen to them, and serve them, but we do not need to chase them. Chasing guys will chase the good guys away leaving only the guys without good standards. Besides, you do not want to chase the guy and “win” them. That is the guy’s job!

3. Do Not Dwell on Young Men. No, it is not a sin to notice young men. That is totally normal for us as young ladies to notice young men especially when they are kind and willing to serve; however, we do not need to dwell on them. We especially should not be dwelling on certain young men and dreaming of what our life would be like if we were to marry them.

4. Yet Notice the Positive. Rather, we should take note of what makes us notice the young men that draw our attention. Is it because he willingly served His mom? That is a positive! Take note of what draws you to various young men and begin a list of qualities you are looking for in a future husband. Learn from your brothers.

5. And notice the Negative. Negatives are helpful. Notice what turns you off from a young man. Is he flirty? If he is, then realize he’ll flirt with all the girls even when you are married. I do not know about you, but that is a quality, I definitely do not want. So I will put that on my list as something I do not want. I’ll also look at the opposite which is faithfulness and put that on my list. I want a husband who is faithful to God first then me second only to God. Again, learn from your brothers.

6. Pray. Prayer is very crucial during this time in your life. Pray that Yahweh will develop you into the Godly young woman that He wants you to be, and pray for the same in your future husband. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from the book Praying for Your Future Husband which is on this exact topic allowing God through prayer to mold you and your future spouse. And do not hesitate to pray for him in specific ways as you feel led such as health, spiritual life, etc.

7. Be under authority. Another key part is to be under the authorities in your life. They are there for your protection. They have lived much longer than you and learned many things that you and I have both yet to learn, so they can provide guidance and insights that we often miss due to “lack of experience” in this area. They can also help prevent us from wearing “rose-colored glasses” resulting in a distorted view. So keep talking to your parents, listen to them, and be willing to submit to their guidance. It will save you much heartache.

In the end, Yahweh has a beautiful life story painted for each of us whether or not it includes a special young man. Keep living that and stay in His will.