Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Lost in the Twilight

I think we all know what I'm talking about. Surprisingly, it's not just targeting "Twilight". This post is about three things:

1. Fear
2. Mean people
3. Twilight

I found three verses at camp that really spoke to me--- a lot. First one helps me control my fear.

Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me???

This verse says enough--- what can I add??? Trust in God when you are afraid, because it has been told that He'll make your paths straight. If you love God, what can anyone do to you? Nothing!

Psalm 57:6
They spread a net for my feet--- I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path--- but they have fallen into it themselves.

There's always that one moment that you get to have the last laugh. They may do and say bad things about you, but there's always that moment that they'll know they are wrong and everything will be okay in the end.

Psalm 59:1-2
Deliver me from my enemies, O God, protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men.

I don't know what you think of when you hear or read that verse, but I honestly think of Twilight. First, it talks about enemies, for protection from them, and then, it mentions "bloodthirsty men". And so, if the Bible even says that, it makes me think:

Did King David know about how life would be today? How did these verses perfectly match up with the 21st century??? The world may never know...

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Enjoy Your Life... While You Can.

Ellie Potvin is an eight-year-old girl from North Carolina. At a young age, Ellie was diagnosed with stage 4 relapse. (By the way, this story IS true.) Ellie did NOT give up. From what I've heard, Ellie's still a happy girl. She has a twin and parents--- a beautiful family.

But a few weeks ago, Ellie got VERY sick. She couldn't walk, and she couldn't walk because her leg had some problems. Surgery??? Possible. But she had 40+ tumors in her lungs, so they could not perform surgery unless the tumors were gone. While Ellie was still sick, had a high fever, and was even vomiting, Hospice told the Potvins that Ellie had three weeks to live, six weeks at the most.

During that time, Ellie received a scooter so that she could get around, but was too sick to care about it. Ellie would feel good some days, crabby others, but knew she was near to death. But NOWHERE does it say that Ellie gave up.

However, on Wednesday, June 23; while I was still at camp, Ellie passed away, and now the Potvins know her as their angel. Just eight years old. Didn't even live through her single-digit years.

Oh, how we all take life for granted sometimes, when people like Ellie, living in the real life "My Sister's Keeper", are fighting just to hold on to one more day in her life. 2,920 days: THAT'S how short Ellie's life was cut, estimated.

So enjoy your life... WHILE YOU CAN! Ellie enjoyed her life... WHILE SHE COULD!!!! Do you think the Potvins' work is done just because Ellie is gone? NO IT IS NOT! The Potvins' work has just now begun! But we know Ellie is in good hands, she IS a Christian!

"Tell the world that Jesus LIVES!"

Follow Team Potvin on Twitter today! (LiftUpEllie)

New News

Vacation was too fun! Today, I just came back from Missions Extreme 2010!!!! I have loads of pictures to post JUST for you!!!! I did not take any pictures at Missions Extreme, but I have vacation photographs to share with you!

At Missions Extreme, Abbie was my roommate. One kid from church was in my van, which would be Tyler. (We dressed him up as a girl, and he STILL has my pink armwarmers!) Tyler was a clown, but I was in human video #3. People in my group are:

HUMAN VIDEO #3
Abbie (Abigail)
Hope (Alfalfa, me.)
Noelle
Marcos
Jasmine
Daniel
Jonathan
Sara
Sammi (Samantha)

VAN #5
Tyler
Hope B.
Hope E. (Me)
Lynsey
Sammi
Abbie
Autumn (Alicia/KeKe)
Ricky
Nick
Luke

That's my two groups! I can't wait to share with you all that has happened to the 91 Missions Extreme participants!

-Missions Extreme missions trip 2010, Painesville Assembly Of God, Painesville, Ohio; Convoy Of Hope

Thursday, June 17, 2010

North Carolina & Georgia

I'm posting from the home of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics! I've already seen lots! Let me explain, and pull up a chair if you'd like.

In North Carolina, the trip there was a nightmare. It took 14 hours, nearly fifteen. And can you believe that we spent 2 of those hours just trying to find the house we were staying at??? Wow. The house was huge, but my favorite parts of the trip were eating graduation cake, going to church on Sunday, going to Bible Study on Tuesday, and taking pictures of the congregation. It was a super small church, and at Bethel they would've taken up maybe two pews, (however, our pews are quite long.) but that made NO difference. The people were even more friendly than some of my friends I've known for years.

No, we did not go to Myrtle Beach, but that's the next stop for next time. (hopefully, the oil will be cleaned up by then.) We didn't stay at a hotel, but hey! It was WAAAAY better than any hotel! The people we stayed with were actually some friends of my parents. My mom met them first, then it was my dad, and then they met me and Faith. (I think they already knew Charity from Okinawa or Salt Lake or something.) And I told them about my blog, I hope you're reading Ms. Shirley and Mr. D.! (and also you, younger Shirley!)

It was fun. Now, here in Georgia, I actually SAW the torch, but by the time I got my camera it was too late. I might go to the Georgia Dome where they held gymnastics in '96, or not go. But I know I will see the torch again, and take a snapshot of it, then I'll take a pic of the Fountain Of Rings, Cenntennial Olympic Park, and the circle of flags. This is my second Olympic experience!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Might Switch Gyms....

Gymnastics has been cancelled a lot lately, so now I am looking for other gyms, just in case my coach doesn't get better over the Summer. This is what I've been looking at:

TOPS
TWIGS
South YMCA
Dayton Academy Of Gymnastics And Dance

I narrowed my search to this:

-TOPS is too far away
-TWIGS is WAY too far away
-South Y sounds good, but is quite far
-Dayton Academy is nearby, but expensive.

So far, after that, I'm looking into:

-South Y because I think it's priced well AND good enough
-Dayton Academy because it's nearby.

We'll see what happens...

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Hello: Notice I Capitalized!!!

After all this blogging, I decided to take a break to just say hello. It's been a long week, hasn't it? Yes it has. Now, I want you to read my short little lecture.

I've noticed lately on Facebook, and even on small sites like AIM and Twitter, that NO ONE has capitalized, like, ANYTHING. And I questioned those people on why, and trust me, it's sickening and lazy.

I don't like to lecture people in person because it makes me mad every time and then I end up pulling my hair out or something like that. So I like typing better, because I know no one can cut me off or interrupt me, and that also means you have to hear the whole thing.

Okay, yes, I am using Becca Hoskins as an example. She and many others, including Kayla, Katie, and ESPECIALLY Maria say that capitalizing takes too much time. This is just my opinion, but if that's the reason they don't capitalize, it's not that it takes too much time, (because it doesn't, that's just a lame excuse.) it's not that it's because no one does it, it's just plain lazy!!!

And you can't disagree. I mean, HOW HARD IS IT to just press a simple button??? Not hard at all! And I must admit:

I am guilty just as they are. Back, WAY back, when I was around seven or eight years old, I had an AIM account, and never did I ever capitalize. I was lazy too. But soon, around eight-and-a-half or nine years old, I said, "What the heck??? I can't hold down a simple key??? I can't press SHIFT??? How will I get anywhere in life without proper English? I can't publish a book without proper English! I can't start a blog without proper English! I need to get out of my comfort zone and get used to capitalization!"

I did just as I said. And I have to be honest: All those straight A's I've EVER gotten in English were not taught to me from the book. I already knew all of it. I'm not bragging, but I'm saying how simple Language Arts can be with the right attitude!

I taught myself to use commas and apostrophes, and taught myself how to use semi-colons. And just then, I almost spelled 'COLON' wrong, but I taught myself how to spell basically every word I know! It's so easy--- You just need the right attitude! And now, I conclude this lecture at 1:16 PM.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Are You A Weed-Flower?




Look at Niagra Falls. It's beautiful. Look at these flowers. They're beautiful. But not everything is beautiful.

Now, tell me. Which one holds DARK secrets? The beautiful flowers or the beautiful water? Can you tell me???

You guessed it--- it's Niagra Falls. It's so beautiful, but just look at it deeply. You could take one more step towards it and fall in. (if you're dumb enough, or if you're blind.) You could easily drown in a second or two. In fact, many people have probably died aleady.

But a sweet little flower--- what harm could it do????? None! Maybe if you have allergies, but otherwise, no harm can be done. It's just beautiful.

Now, look at yourself. Are you a weed or are you a flower? And give yourself a straight answer. No 'ifs', 'ands' or 'buts'.

Just because you think you're a flower doesn't mean you ARE a flower. Is a rose a flower? Yes, no, maybe so??? Here's a straight-forward answer with no 'ifs', 'ands' or 'buts'.

They are weeds. Believe it or not, roses ARE weeds, and the thorns prove it. Didn't think so? Or did you already know? Either way, they look beautiful. But they hold some harsh secrets.

Not only do they prick fingers, but how could they make it into anyone's yard when they're WEEDS?! Because they're weedflowers. They're weeds, but everyone loves them, people have them on a date, at the prom, at a wedding, and the roses get away with it. But the secrets ARE revealed.

Just as you just found out the true identity of roses, soon, we shall all find out your sins. You can't hide it forever. But there's one thing you can do:

Pray for forgiveness. Once you do, in just a simple prayer of your own words, you'll become a flower.

We're all beautiful weeds and rushing Niagra Falls, but we can have a new beginning.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

FAITH Photos And Stuffy Stuff






Hello, Hope here! These pics took forever to post, so you'd better like 'em! The pics contain Lexi, (my dog) me, Becca, and whomever else you may see.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Interviewing... Vanessa Siegel!

Meet Vanessa Siegel, the very first exchange student YOUR BLOG has ever interviewed! Vanessa tells us about her life in both the U.S. and in Germany.

Q: So your hometown is in Germany. Is it different than the U.S. by a lot or a little?
A: Just a little bit.

Q: When you first arrived in the United States, was it hard calling America home?
A: Oh yeah, it is hard. It's still hard.

Q: What is the average response when you tell people that your home in the U.S. is not technically your "home" and that you call Germany home?
A: They usually are like, 'Oh, how do you like it here? Is it different...'

Q: What grade are you in in the U.S. and what grade are you in in Germany?
A: I was a senior here and I'm actually a junior in Germany.

Q: Do you ever get homesick?
A: Well, I miss my friends and stuff.

Q: Was it hard learning English as a second lagnuage?
A: Well, I was in fourth grade when I learned.

Q: Will you miss the friends you made at Wayne?
A: No. (sarcastic.) Yes, I will; totally!!!!

Q: Vanessa, if YOU had the chance to stay in the U.S. for another year, would you?
A: I would stay here. (she says that because the US is just that awesome! It's a party in the USA! U-S-A! U-S-A!)

Q: Was it hard watching the Olympics and seeing team USA but rooting for Germany--- Wait, did you watch the Olympics?
A: I didn't really watch the Olympics! (okay, let's cross out that question...)

Q: Teah us some German. What is your name in German? How do I say 'Hope' in German?
A: Actually, my name is just Vanessa in German! (she laughs.) How to say Hope in German? Uh... it's Hoffnung.

-Hoffnung Ezell

P.S. vanessa, your friends at Wayne will miss you, I already know, I've heard so much about you!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Huber Heights, Rejoice!

Monticello, Studebaker, Weisenborn, Wayne; it's time to rejoice! Tomorrow is the last---very last---day of school! Maybe you had good grades and didn't have to do any testing, but for those of you who couldn't exempt, this is the day we all cry 'Hallelujah!' (listen to the song "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley on my "best of the best blog music" playlist, this is the perfect mood.)

For Charity, tomorrow is the last day for OGTs! That also means my first day of testing:*( So I'll be done with school, but I have to take tests based on Science, Math, and English. Here's my say about each test:

Science: OMG, in third grade I had good Science grades, but HELLO! This is here, this is now, this is me; entering the SEVENTH grade. I have HORRIBLE grades in Science!!!!! NOOOOOO...

Math: Uh... uhm... let's skip this subject... Get it? Subject? LOL!!!

English: YAY!!! I love English!!! I get straight As in it! At least there's ONE good grade!!!

Please pray for me.....

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh Ooh...

Sorry, but I am unable to post my song video:( However, the song I sang is right here on this blog: In fact, you're listening to it right now--- "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real. This song is available on iTunes! I bought the song on iTunes before I even knew I wanted to sing it! When I made up my decision to sing a song, that song was the one I knew I would sing.

But then, other songs popped into my mid but still, I knew this was the one I wanted to sing.

And you can listen to the original version by Sanctus Real today!

Fun Fact: This song is exactly as long as Chasen's "On And On" also available on iTunes and both songs are on K-Love! (96.9)