Thanksgiving Thoughts

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving and as I was sitting at the dinner table surrounded by my family and friends I was struck by how much I have to be thankful for...
An abundance of great food...

More desserts than you can shake a stick at.

The best company anyone could ask for.
The gift of laughter

and we laughed a lot that night

Yep I've got so much to be thankful for and I haven't even scratched the surface. But as I was thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for I was thinking of the children who have next to nothing to be thankful for.This is Alina. She is a bright, active 7 year old with a endless imagination. She's somewhat of a tomboy and prefers playing with cars than dolls. Now she may seem like an ordinary little girl but she's far from that; she's an orphan in Russia. Orphans in Russia live in orphanages where more likely than not the care is very bad.She is growing up without any love or proper care. When she turns 16 she will be sent out of the orphanage with nothing to support her. Her future is bleak. She truly has next to nothing to be thankful for. She is listed on a orphan advocacy site called Reeces Rainbows. I have signed up to be her prayer warrior. A prayer warrior prays for their child every day that a family will come and find her. Will you join me in praying that a family will find her quickly? Will you join me in asking our heavenly Father that next Thanksgiving she will truly have something to be thankful for? If you would like more information about her you can go to this link. http://reecesrainbow.org/11876/alina-b-15 Thank you all.
Rachel

Hawaii in a nutshell

Hi! I hope you are enjoying this crisp fall weather. This fall finds me rather busy getting ready for a huge adventure in my life. As most of you know I’m going to Hawaii!!! Of course not for a vacation but to be a volunteer at a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS).

My main job there will be as a nanny for very dear friends of ours from NY, the Keparutis’s. They have four great kids, ages 7 to 13 that are like cousins to me. Mr. & Mrs. Keparutis will be volunteer staff at the CDTS. We will be arriving one month before classes begin for training. The school itself will be from the beginning of January to the end of March.

For those of you not familiar with Crossroads it has a twelve-week lecture phase, taking place in Hawaii, and is followed by an eight-week field assignment. The Keparutis’s will be leading their group to Israel. The school’s focus is spiritual renewal and knowing God more intimately. I am going to be a nanny for the kids during the lecture phase and am praying about joining them in Israel.

I would really appreciate your prayers as I take this big step in my life. Some of the things you can pray for are:

- The flight out December 1st would go smoothly and safely

- As a homeschooler I’ve never been away from home much so would you please pray I won’t be too homesick.

- That I would be filled with love and patience as I care for the Keparutis kids.

- That God would use this Crossroads for His glory

- Wisdom for me as I pray about going to Israel with the Keparutis’ and the funding to pay for the trip if I do decide to go.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my plans. May God bless you this coming winter and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

10 days

It's 10 days before I leave for Hawaii. The fact that I'm using days to count down when I'm leaving, as opposed to weeks or months, makes that day seem incredibly close, that and the fact that I said good-bye to most of my friends last night. It will be completely different from the safe little life I know here. I have a feeling that my world will be getting a whole lot bigger very fast. I'm starting this blog to have an easy way to communicate to my friends back home; let them know what's going on and post pics of stuff around Hawaii. I can't think of a good way to close this post so I'm just going to close and write more tomorrow.