Precious People

! This week is one of my FAVORITE weeks of Summer.

Noo..it's not camp.

VB. Stinking. S.

(For all those deprived folks, that would be Vacation Bible School)

At first I weren't very excited because this year my sister, Abi and I got the Pre-K and K class. I looove babies but trying to get 1st-2nd graders (our usual forte) to clam down and listen to the lesson is hard enough, let alone these little humans. 

But...as usual God had a better plan in mind. 

The second all our little ones started flocking towards us I fell in love with each and every one of them.

Sure there's always those few boys that give you a hard time, but they're so stinking cute and obey you just enough that you can't hate them. 

and of course there are those sweet, sweet ones that are clinging to you by the second period.

This year God's put a wee bit of a challenge into our class. 

A tiny, precious, beautiful, human shaped challenge.

This little guy's two big sisters have been coming to VBS for two years and this was his first year. He doesn't speak English though so story time is kind of pointless for him. He's the most precious little guy ever and even though we can't talk much, it's amazing how trusting he is. 

{I did actually tell him to wash his hands, play a game, run, and asked if he wanted water and ice cream in Spanish. And he understood me. scoooore.}

Also..the power of body language is sorely underestimated.

Anyway...this little man is just precious to my heart. Melts it every time I see him. 

That first day of VBS I realized that because of the language barrier, the only way this little guy was gonna get a seed of faith planted was by the Holy Spirit. That my words literally meant nothing to him, but that the Spirit would be able to reach him.

So be praying for these little hearts to be opened to His word and for the Spirit to be ever present.

What's really exciting is when you see kids that have gone to Bible School in the past and are now helping.

[insert melting of heart here]

Seriously. It's just about the biggest blessing in the planet.

While my sister was telling the story the first day the kids were sitting around the table. We have four teachers for our class, us three that weren't teaching had a kkiddo on our lap. One of the teachers, Erika (she's come to Bible School for years and her big family of cousins and siblings have come too. She's thirteen or fourteen.) had a little girl on her lap. We were talking about how Jesus helps us. I'm not sure what the little one asked but I heard Erika reply without a bat of the eye "Yep, He can help everyone."

It seems like such a simple truth. But to hear this teenage girl who I used to see sitting in class be a teacher and now be the one telling about Jesus...again with the whole melting of the heart thing.

The youth at our church amazes me. The crap these young kids deal with is ridiculous. They're not even in High school and they face struggles with sex, drugs, and suicide everyday of their lives. These kids are some of the most loving people I know. The commitment they show by coming to Bible Study every week and helping with church events is just...amazing. They stinking amaze me! I can't even express how much I love these kids. It amazes me every time I see God working in their lives.

Conclusion...God amazes me. Pre-K and K kids are precious to my heart. My youth group is precious to my heart. VBS is preeeecious to my heart. Ahhh. I just love people! 

much, much love coming your way,

hannah dorothy

Your Grace Is Enough

Humph...

do you ever have those days where life just gets you down? Well today started out great but I guess it was just too good of  a day for Satan to be able to stand it. I can still feel those nasty words burning on the tip of my tongue and my head throbbing with regret. You know when people say "think before you speak." and "never speak when you're angry." well..don't roll your eyes next time. 

Cause it's true. 

After you've said those words, you wonder did those awful thoughts really come from the corners of my heart? You hope and pray those words didn't come out of the overflow of your heart, because if they did...well you need a serious make-over. Well..right here and right now is where God's amazing grace kicks you in the butt. Because the moment you realize that He is standing there loving you right through those ugly words you want to take it all back...and you just sit there with your little ugly words and humiliated heart with tears biting at your eyes. Well that was my evening...but lets not talk about that anymore;)

On a lighter note, my sisters graduation was this weekend. Being homeschooled we don't have a cap and gown but we do have a small(ish) fiesta at our home school assistance program. Her party was on Sunday and boy oh boy...do I love my family. My Mama grew up on a dairy farm with four older siblings and one younger. And I adore all of my aunts and uncles. They are precious. They love each other and fight for each other. Even though the oldest has kind of cut ties (not completely) they all still love each other. When it comes time for a wedding or a graduation party boy do they pull together. Two of my aunts (who happen to be twins) came out on Saturday to help us get ready all day long. Day. Made. I love them.

I also really just wanna say...

my mama means more to me than I'll ever be able to realize.

lately that's become apparent to me like never before.

I honestly don't know how I'll ever get married.

Even though it is a desire of my heart I don't know how I'll be able to leave my family. Of course I wont move ten thousand miles away {please, Lord, don't take that as a challenge} or completely cut them out of my life but honestly...the thought of leaving my mama and daddy and sisters just scares to bug juice out of me.

Is it becoming a leetle too clear what I'm getting at?

yes. I AM freaking out about growing up. I am a home body at heart. At the end of the day I'd much rather be at home with my family than anywhere else in the world. Sometimes life throws those shiny pieces of stuff at me and I go chasing after what I think I want to become but I always end up right back at the place that gives my heart peace.

my own precious Whispering Pines.

have a lovely night my dears.

love,

hannah dorothy

Winter to...April?

It's funny...I often find myself making a mental note to blog about the silliest things in life...but they all seem so important.

The first... of these is....those funny looks you get when driving to school. For real, what's peoples problems these days? Keep yo eyes on yo own ca. I guess it's worth mentioning the fact that we were driving in the pick-up...which happens to have a large snow plow attached to the front.
That's because it's winter. And in Iowa that usually means snow. This winter we haven't had a whole lot but my Daddy has to be ready for when it comes. He plows snow in the winter since you don't do a lot of trucking. Yep, my Daddy is an aggregate relocation technician....AKA he drives a dump truck =) 

Anywho...

Lately I've been struggling with loving everyone. Oh gosh...honesty time. Sometimes  a lot of the time I struggle with loving people when I think they're doing something wrong. They could be dear to my heart and soul and I could completely adore our time together but sometimes when I think I know a better way to do life I insist on telling them over and over what I think they should do. Honestly, I mean well. I want the best for people I love but sometimes I think that I know what's good for them better than God does. 

*sigh*

Wrong-o. God knows best. End of story. He may choose to use me to change the lives of the people around me but I do not act without His direction. Learning to love people through situations is one of my goals for 2012. And also learning to love people and get along with them even if they don't do things exactly like I do. 

Also...recently said trials have forced me to remind myself...

why do I believe what I believe? 

What has formed those beliefs? 

What do the people I trust think about them? 

What does God think about them?

Mainly I've been thinking about boy relationship beliefs. Where I stand and why I stand there.

Such as..why do I dress modestly? 

Because honestly...sometimes it would be so much easier to not care what I buy and how much little it covers. 

Well...how selfish. How stinking daggon selfish would that be to dress with excessive body parts sticking out? Women continually tell men to grow up and keep their eyes to themselves....as they sit there wearing shorts that literally only cover their butts and shirts that leave little to nothing for your imagination. We tell them to stop looking. If we want them to stop looking why are we giving them something to look at? Why, if it's hanging out is it not supposed to be looked at? If we think it's wrong for them to look at "it" why is "it" hanging out in front of the world and everybody?

Girls often wonder why boys act the way they do. Why they treat them like less than the ladies they are. Well, possibly one reason is because we don't dress like ladies anymore. We don't act like ladies. We're so caught up in being tough and thinking of quick come-backs we forget that a gentle and quiet spirit is what we're called to. {1 Peter 3:3-4}

Us ladies don't understand just how much our brothers struggle. A lot of them try desperately day after day to keep themselves pure. They try desperately to tear their eyes away from that girl with her short skirt. They think of their future wives and tell themselves "Don't look.". But it's not that simple. They're wired completely differently than we are. When they see a girl with so little clothes on their mind starts spinning out of control into crazy thoughts about girls. We honestly don't understand how hard it is for them to keep those thoughts in check with us girls walking around like we do. We can't understand that they need our help to keep them pure. Or rather we don't care. 
{From here on has been edited on April 28th, 2012, above text written during Winter months of 2011-2012}

Girls if we want pure and committed husbands it starts with us. It starts with what we walk out the door wearing. And it starts with us not being selfish. 
Because it's really up to us. Do we make excuses or do we decide to be the change? Do we decide to help our fellow brothers in Christ.
No more excuses such as 
"I want to dress modestly but I just can't find any clothes that cover me!" 
Girlfriend, I'm right there with you in your frustration, but honestly, it is very possible to find clothes that cover. Not easy, but rather, possible.

Modesty Tips and Suggestions
These are all things I live by, I don't  always follow them to the t, but nobody's perfect!
- As summer approaches it gets harder to be modest, but instead of just buying what is most available, namely shorts that literally cover your bum {isn't that what undies are for?}, get capris {which are also getting shorter} and roll them up or cut them off so they reach the bottom of your fingertips when on. These cover all your bum and are way more comfy that trying to deal with a weggie every time you move. For serious. Don't use the excuse that your arms are just really long, have your shorts hit mid thigh or a little below.
- Keep shorts loose so so you again don't have to worry about weggies just to look...cute?
- Shirts can be pretty easily made modest by adding a cami underneath. Just keep the crack and belly covered.
-  If a shirts straps aren't two fingers thick add a tank top or t-shirt underneath.
- To decide if a dress/skirt is too short, bend over. If you can see your bum in the mirror, it's too short. Add some leggings and roll with it.

Questions are loved and I'd love to hear what YOU do to stay modest!  
 I can promise you from experience that someday you're going to look back and ask yourself why on earth you were allowed out of the house in those awfully short shorts and low top. 
I've heard stories of young men/men expressing immense gratitude towards girls who dress modestly. They sincerely appreciate us helping them stay pure for God and their future wives.


And purity goes way beyond simply boys. It goes straight to and starts with God. We are pure only because He gives us His purity. Without Him we can't come close to what He asks of us. Purity is of the heart and mind, not simply the body. The body could maybe be called the outward expression of that inner purity.


I hope to soon write down some thoughts about purity and how it is so wrongly labeled to not having sex before marriage. 
What are your thoughts on modesty and purity?
love,
hannah dorothy