Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning, I woke up to this beautiful display of cupcakes

It was such a pleasant display to wake up to. The specific cupcake I chose, I enjoyed after lunch and it was delicious!

I so look forward to the days when I have the means to do special little things like this. Thanks Allison!

Also today, I got a package from my parents! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Missing my sister a lot lately, which is kind of weird if you know the relationship we had as young children, but I am so thankful to the Lord for strengthening us. I love her so much and am proud of the young lady she is. She is so beautiful, but not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. I am proud to be her sister, and am so excited to see how the Lord is going to use her gifts and talents for the furtherance of His kingdom. Sarah Joy, I love you and miss you.

the happenings of this week...

I would say that overall, this has been a good week. I got a lot accomplished, the kiddos at church were well behaved, I have laughed, slept, and had some good time with the Lord! This afternoon and evening, the biggest thing that has been on my mind is how much I miss my sister. Related to that topic, I signed up for my school to observe at over break, and it is only a couple of miles from my sister's high school, so I am hoping to be able to drive her to school and pick her up, and add some special sister time in there too.

As I mentioned above, the kiddos at church did so well on Wednesday. Taco Bell was on the menu, and the children were just much more calm and listened so well. I am so proud of them. I taught about Joseph and so we did a craft of making his coat colorful with various items: felt, ribbon, pipe cleaners, etc. I was a little nervous about giving them so many options, and the glue. Anyone who knows 4-5 year olds know they are at the stage of becoming independent so they want to do the glue. Instead of just saying "no, I will do it" I try to watch them and encourage them so they can do it by themselves, but they can do it responsibly. Another thing I love is the respect those children give me--I am an adult to them, and they look up to me. I love being able to teach them more then just stories, but stories from the Bible, and teaching them life lessons. I just love all those kiddos so much and am so thankful for the opportunity God has given me at this dear church.

This week I have been working super super hard on drinking more water, and good granny. Do you know how hard it is to drink the amount of water you are supposed to? Well let me tell you, it is very hard! My faithful pink nalgene has come in big handy as I try to keep track. I challenge you, try it!

I am super excited as well, because I get to go home in 21 days for spring break and to do my week of public school observations. If it is like last spring break at a Christian school, it is an absolute blast, but it is extremely exhausting. I love being being a teacher, and in the classroom. Praying that the classroom I am placed in works out well and I learn lots of positive 'stuff' over break. Also, in 29 days, I get to see Daniel. I decided to fly down to VA to see him at the end of my break, and the beginning of his break. I am looking forward to that time with him and his parents!

Last weekend, the weather was beautiful, I had my window open, with the crisp spring breeze blowing in, but Tuesday night, I walked to dinner, and this is what I found...

I will give it credit that it is beautiful, but after having the taste of spring, I am more then ready for spring to come and stay.

Anyways, I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I am looking forward to a productive day tomorrow working on an art lesson plan, and a few other projects. Remember that our sole purpose in life is to bring glory to the Lord! Feel free to send me a note-I would be more then happy to reply.

my week in review

My week started out with a fun package from my Aunt Dar including a Halloween card and a bag of festive almond kisses. It was fun because I had a little candy mug on my 'coffee table' which had those peppermint wheels in them, but she sent my festive chocolates, so it is much more seasonally appropriate...thanks Aunt Dar!

Wednesday night was the Harvest Party at my church, and how cute the children were all dressed up (see a few blogs down). We had two Woody's, two fairies, Elmo, a kitty cat, ninja, and a Transformer (whatever that is, haha). They loved dressing up, and enjoyed their costumes. I had to take a few items away during the story, but once those distractions were taken away the children were much easier to talk, and they paid much better attention. They were all so excited about the party, and so after the lesson, we worked on a memory verse, ate some apples and caramel for snack (yum!), and then played a game, and played with musical instruments (fun for the children, instant headache for the teachers). They were a rowdy bunch due to the party, but I am thankful that their most calm time was during the lesson.

I only had one test this week (to which I feel I did well, but have yet to get the official results), and the rest of the week was 'slower' in the sense of studying. We had several Mission's Conference meetings, and I have been doing a bit of work related to that. I had two larger written assignments due Wednesday and Thursday and then the bulletin board due Friday. I actually really enjoyed doing the bulletin board and am mostly pleased with how it turned out.

My parents have been away all week celebrating their 25th anniversary (which was last summer), and I am so happy they have had this opportunity, but my word have I missed them. Either this week has been different, or I tend to call my mom a lot. I can't tell you how many times I reached for my phone to call mom either to tell her something or just to chat because I had a few minutes, only to remember she wouldn't be able to answer. I have found myself missing both my mom and dad a lot this week, and look forward to having them home so mom is more readily available to call. But don't get me wrong, they deserve this, and I hope they are really enjoying this vacation as a vacation and for just the two of them! So thankful for the awesome example they have set me with 25 years!

I have enjoyed a relaxing Saturday, before the craziness begins tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, I leave bright and early to head out with a bunch of other students to help with childcare at a church that is having a big celebration and would like having all of their church people to be able to attend the main service/celebration. Tomorrow evening missionaries begin to arrive for the conference, and Monday morning I attend a President's breakfast with the steering committee, president, and missionaries. This is kind of our kick-off of the conference. If you think of it, prayers would be appreciated in the following areas...

• Safety and health of missionaries traveling
• That all of the finishing touches would be finished in time
• The hearts of those of us attending conference

Thank you for your prayers, and for reading about my week. I pray you are doing well and that you too were able to have an enjoyable weekend!

the little things in life

My handy dandy white board being used to study the curses. Don't mind my little pictures--they helped me tremendously.

And now being used to study Psychology.

I got a package from the lovely, Miss Hall, and it was....

...a scarf she knitted! This is the first scarf she has ever knitted. You wouldn't know.

I personally just think this is so cozy. The chair is on loan from a friend of mine who doesn't have room for it in her room, and the coffee table is well, storage totes. The comics are compliments of my mother!

On the same day I got a package from Beek, Mom sent me an amazing Get Well/Thinking of You package complete with honey, cough drops, tea, and let's not forget the cookies her and Sophia made me that are SO good!

There are just some of the small things going on in my life that have lifted my spirits, along with your prayers! Hope you enjoy.

a lovely day

I am only ten minutes into my shift and am already bored out of my mind. Homecoming weekend and not a soul in the lounge, wow. The fridge and freezer sure do sound noisy this afternoon (as well as my typing). I am thankful that it is Friday though! The weather here is absolutely spectacular. Right before I work I was able to take a walk down to the pond and enjoy a lovely conversation. The sun was so soothing and provided a wonderful atmosphere, even if I sadly did kill a woolly bear.

We had no classes today which was such a blessing. We had sessions this morning, one of which I worked nursery and got to hold the most precious baby girl, and this afternoon involves sports games. Tonight is the banquet for seniors and alumni, so the rest of us get to go to the other side of campus for dinner. I am already on page four of four pages for a paper due on Monday, which has me quite excited. I am hoping (hoping being the key word) for a slower weekend, but we shall see.

Wednesday night we had several VERY wound up children who had a hard time paying attention and listening to directions, but still it was a lot of fun. The Lord never ceases to amaze me with the excitement those children have for memorizing Scripture. I am so excited with what He is doing!

This week has been more of a struggle as I have been under the weather, but as you can read in earlier posts, the Lord has sent much encouragement to me through the little things in life. I am holding strongly onto Him for all my strength, and He is carrying me through this hard semester. One blessing I have seen through these struggles is that it has pushed me to my knees in prayer, and I love that. I know I will look back on this semester having learned a lot and been blessed, but in the heat of it, I often find myself tired and discouraged. Thank you all for helping lift my spirits through prayers, cards, and calls. Each are so very much appreciated. I hope you all have a lovely weekend and are able to rest a bit.

more special mail

As I mentioned a few blogs ago, Sophia and her mom sent me some mail. What an encouragement it was, putting a big smile on my face! Sophia drew me two pictures, that have since been put up on my wall.

So thankful for encouragement

I am constantly amazed with how the Lord uses people in my life to encourage me at the very moment I need it. Three specific times I can think of right off....

• At church yesterday, apparently I had a 'tired' look (we all know that means 'not good'), and a dear woman came over to me who I highly esteem a godly example, placed her hand on my back and asked me how my week really went. She was so encouraging as I shared the hardships, as well as the good times. She left the conversation with telling me she would pray harder for me this week and to remember that she loved me. She didn't know (though I may have looked) that I was having a hard day, but she allowed the Lord to use her to encourage me.
• After the church service yesterday, my little man from church ran over and while batting his eyelashes said "Hi Miss Rebekah". He caused a big smile on my face as his mom asked if I had heard him earlier. I hadn't, so she explained that when Pastor got up at the end of church after the closing song, he had just realized I was sitting a little bit in front of him, and yelled "It's Rebekah!"
• The third occasion was today. It has not been the easiest of all days, and I went to check my mail, not expecting anything when I got a letter with familiar handwriting (the best!). I quickly told my friends to hold on a second so I could open it up and show them. I had gotten a picture and note from Sophia back home with a note from her and her mom. What an encouragement that was. I called mom to talk to her about some other things when all of a sudden I hear Sophia pick up my mom's cell. Another encouragement it was just to hear her voice. When I asked if I could put her picture up on my wall, she informed me that I could do whatever I wanted to with it, haha.

I am so thankful to the Lord for the little things in life that are such an encouragement, and that pick me up when life gets busy and hectic. God is so good to me, and has blessed abundantly with wonderful people in my life. I have been reminded lately the power of prayer when I hear of how many people are praying for me. If you are one of those people who faithfully prays for me, I thank you so much. Your prayers are felt, and so very appreciated.

I hope you all have a great week, where the Lord teaches you something spectacular about Himself that you hadn't really ever noticed before!

I have arrived

Good morning!

I am here, and had a great time getting here. My sister (nor brother) was not able to join us on the trip, which was sad, but gave Dad, Mom, and I some good time together. On our way down, we stopped in Lancaster, PA to see Joseph with Sight and Sound, and it was SO good. I love Lancaster and so it was special to spend a few hours there. After the show, we hit the road, and got a few hours of driving under our belt before we stopped for the night. Thursday morning we got up bright and early and headed south...Alabama. It was so good to spend some time with Tim and Beth and see where they will be calling home for a while. They have a beautiful apartment right now, that we were all able to comfortably "squeeze" (it wasn't much of a squeeze though) in. My sister-in-law is pregnant expecting my first niece/nephew and I hadn't seen her since May, so my little niece/nephew has definitely grown since then, which was such fun to see. It was a very a relaxing time with the two of them, and I enjoyed that fellowship. Monday morning, we got up at 4:30 central and were on the road around 5:15 to get here close to 2:00. It has been good seeing old friends, and meeting new ones. I am so excited for what God has in store for me this summer, and how He is going to change me into a more likeness of Him. I will try to add pictures to this blog a little later, but for now, I need to get back to organizing (will it ever be organized?) I trust you will all have a lovely day, and please, always feel free to drop me an email (rebekah.hewitt@abc.edu) or you can email me for my snail mail address (which has slightly changed since last year)! What college students doesn't like to get mail?

They were just so cute in the mini carriage. I wish they made mini cars...nevermind, no I don't!

The three of us in front of Sight and Sound.

My beautiful parents.

My future niece/nephew is about 13 inches right now (according to average). Can't wait to meet this little one.

it's Friday...hooray!

Well, I can't believe it's Friday (and you thought I was going to say "I can't believe it's not butter"). This week has flown by with just different things going on around the house. At the beginning of the week, I thought I had my math CLEP test on Thursday, but it ended up that I won't be taking that until the middle of August.

Monday, I had a blast and got to spend my day with the beautiful Sophia, and Tuesday was spent studying for the CLEP exam (at that point, I was still planning on taking it Thursday). Wednesday was rather productive with little things such as continuing to unpack from college, balanced my checkbook, and went through all of the notes I had gotten during my spring semester at college. It is nice, because I had forgotten about a lot of them, therefore they were encouraging to me all over again. Yesterday was a lazy day as I was not feeling well, but I did get my prayer cards for the summer done with a ton of help from Tim. Today's agenda includes some studying, and then this evening I head over to some friend's house to help them organize some things to go on ebay.

I am sure many are wondering what I am doing summer job wise, and I would be happy to tell you (even if you aren't wondering). This summer, the Lord opened the door for me to be a summer missionary with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) doing 5-day clubs throughout the state of Vermont. Training starts a week from tomorrow (June 19-26) and then the clubs start July 5, and my last day of clubs is August 6. The beginning of my summer has been spent with a lot of time at home just trying to lighten the load for Mom by taking over on the cooking, and doing a lot of housekeeping, along with doing odd things such as helping Scott, going to work with Dad, babysitting Sophia, and working with this friend to help organize things for ebay. God has filled up my time in what I feel to be a productive way.

I would appreciate your prayers as I officially start my summer ministry with CEF. Some specific prayer requests would include:

• For the week of training June 19-26
• For the other Vermont CEF summer missionaries
• That I raise the required funds needed
• For churches to host the 5-Day Club
• That many children would attend
• That the children’s hearts will be softened
• That my life be changed for Him

Without prayer, my ministry is not possible. If you are interested in praying even more specifically then that, I am looking for people to commit to pray for a specific day of the week, each week that I am ministering. If you are interested in making that commitment, or interested in getting updates from me via email, please email me at rebekah.hewitt@abc.edu and I would be happy to give you the exact dates, and to let you know in advance if something special is going on that day. Each lesson we give, the gospel will be presented, and our ultimate goal with these 5-Day clubs is to further their walk with the Lord, whether that be through encouragement in the Lord, or through introducing them to the Lord. Please be in prayer for this ministry.

"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 19:14)

IMPACT, CEF, and a lovely care package

IMPACT weekend has finally arrived and I am so excited to meet my girls! Please be praying that this time we have with them (Fri evening through Saturday afternoon) is a life changing time for them. Please pray that their hearts be softened. I am counseling the girls from two churches (each church could be bringing only one girl, so I have no idea how many that means I have) and hoping they find both encouragement from my words, and The Word. This year's theme is Awaken and comes from Romans 13:11 "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

Also, I called about another job for this summer. I am seriously considering working as a CEF summer missionary in Vermont doing 5 day clubs. Please pray for me as I prayerfully consider this option.

Another tid bit of excitement for me is a care package from my mom (totally blog worthy). I was walking down to the post office hoping to get some good mail today and vaguely imaging the little laminated piece of paper that reads "You have a UPS package", and I opened my mailbox, and there it was--the little laminated piece of paper that reads "You have a UPS package". I was so excited. I gave it to Mrs. Chesley and she said "a big orange box" and I smiled and responded "must be from my parents, thank you!" I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I walked back to my room to open the lovely package. My mom is awesome--she sent me a package to help me make it through the last week and a half at ABC including: granola, banana bread, Dove dark chocolate, Vermont maple hard candy, Apple Cinnamon tea, M 'n Ms and a lovely note. I most definitely won't run out of my fill of sweets before they come and pick me up (13 days!). Anyways, I just wanted to remind you all of what a fantastic mom I have, and to let her know just how much I appreciate her and the package she sent me (Thanks, Mom! I love you.)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Enjoy meeting with God on Sunday!

The Little Things in Life

Sometimes, you are extra thankful when Friday has arrived. Today was one of those weeks when I was especially thankful that Friday had finally arrived. The semester is nearing its end, and my body is telling me that. Praise the Lord, I have been keeping up with sleep, and am not suffering tiredness like most college students are at this time. It is just the anxiousness to be done. In one sense this semester has gone by very quickly, but in another sense, it has dragged so slowly. This time next week I will be done with my first semester of college (as being a full time student)!

Since being a college student, I have learned that one of the highlights of my day is going to check my mail. It is so stupid, but there is just something about having your very own mailbox under ‘lock and key’ and having the responsibility to check it. Grandma is so good with writing me often and keeping me up-to-date with what is going on at home. I have learned about some very important things through her letters because Mom and Dad for some reason or another (probably because they are insanely busy) forgot to tell me. Aunt Dar is another person who keeps my mailbox interesting. She always has a fun sticker on the front, and tells me what has been going on that week for her, Uncle Reg and her parents. There is something special about the familiar handwriting of loved ones. Today I checked my mailbox to find a big envelope from my dear friend, Beek (aka: Becca). She had created a CD of some Christmas songs. That was just what I needed for this afternoon as I was bundled in my room. I have gotten so many fun little things in the mail including: fresh apples, drawings from Sophia, notes from friends at RACS, long letters from friends and family, cookies, and one of my personal favorites…my mom’s homemade granola. I say all of this to remind you that it is the little things in life that really matter. :)

7 more days until this semester is done! “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31