Wow!!!! We serve an amazing God.....!!!! Thanks to everyone that was praying, I was able to sing at the school program on Thursday evening!!!! To top it off I was even able to help with the Hallelujah Chorus!!! I felt fairly relaxed the whole evening which is not usually the case even when I was healthy!!! :) Miracles REALLY DO still happen!!! An Now.... the whole week to relax at home, go to bed later, sleep in as long as I want!!!! YEEAAHHH!!!!

Tomorrow evening is the school's annual Christmas program.... something I always enjoy!!!! :) I plan to sing and am quite happy how practice went today.;) However, amidst the fact that I am VERY excited, I am also 'holding my breath' since my muscles tend to tighten up when I am nervous:( I would greatly appreciate your prayers:

~that I could sleep well tonight
~that my muscles would be relaxed (including the muscles you use to sing) :)))

You can also pray for each individual that has part... esp. the students and teachers.

For anyone who does not know, the program will be held at the Shady Grove church.
Services start at 7:00. Come ready to recieve a blessing!;)

Prayer Request....

I am going thru a medication switch right now.... I feel like if I can get thru it ok, it will be for the better, but my body is not too happy about it:( It doesn't help that, with Christmas coming life is pretty busy!!! I sooo badly want to be at school as much as I can... Christmas is my favorite holiday and it's so much seeing the children all excited, watching and listening to them get ready for the program, even enjoy the 'messed up' schedule as practice takes priority!!!!:)))With all my heart I want to be able to help sing in the program, bless my co-teachers for their encouragement and they even came up with a 'standing' arrangement in which I could sit to sing!!!! ::))))) I want to believe that I actually could, but my muscles tend to react more when I'm nervous and of course being in front of so many people I will probably be more nervous!!! I feel a special need of prayer in that, my medication switch would go ok, but even more in the area of trusting God, and not allowing satan to discourage me!!!!!

*Chorus to a song I just recently heard.....

I've seen dreams that move the mountains, hope that doesn't ever end even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen, silent prayers get answered, broken hearts become brand new....
THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO!!!!

I want that kind of FAITH!!!

It's snowing!!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!! Just think... each one of the tiny little snowflakes have their own unique shape. What a creative God we serve! :) It's impossible for the human mind to grasp the thought that, although there are trillions of little snowflakes coming down, God has the time and ability to shape each one and at the same time He hears EVERY prayer, He listens to EVERY heart cry of His children, He REALLY cares about each one individually!!! He can cry with those who are hurting and at the very same minute laugh with those who are rejoicing!!! WOW!!!!!! Soooo why am I worrying and fretting about how I am going to get the seemingly endless list of things to do, done? Instead, why not give that seemingly endless list to my Heavenly Father, He can and WILL help me do them in His time!!!! :)

Now, for an update...... umm as you probably have guessed by now considering the long "pause" between updates I have been staying quite busy. God has been so good in that I am actually able 'cope' with the busy schedule without feeling too much stress!!! PTL!!!! (ok so I should admit that I overdid it one time by partying a little too much and losing a bit more sleep than my body was able to handle which equalled a weary body physically and emotionally:( and (proly mentally too... ;)). The remedy= SLEEEP!!!! which I did;)...

I had a wonderful time in SC (Nov. 19-22). It was good to see my CBS dormie, Erica and my "couch potato partner" Anj!!!! Very relaxing vacation and amazingly enough the 12 hour drive didn't seem to wear my body out too much!!! We were in Lancaster for Thanksgiving. I actually ventured out to do go "Black Friday" shopping!! It wasn't exactly the smartest thing I've ever done, but it was fun!!! :) We are in the heart of practicing for the Christmas Program at school right now which definitely makes school life more hectic but I love it!!!! The youth gave their first Christmas program on Sunday. They gave it at a little community church, was fun being there even if I couldn't help sing. Valley Chapel had asked Dad to give a message for them last evening. It was suggested that his topic would be somewhat on my or our(as a family) "Journey" and sorta the thought also of how to deal with the hard things God sends our way! I wasn't sure I really wanted to go with but it was SO good for me to be there... hearing dad share.... esp.. reminiscing what my life consisted of back in May and June when it waas at it's worst!! Wow, I thank God once again for the progress I've made!!!! It made me realize anew the power of prayer!!!! The encouragment I recieved from different of the church people was what I needed. No, this journey is not over, I don't know when it will be over, but I do know that God's grace will go with me!!!

Sometimes it feels like things are kinda on a plateau right now and yet if I look closely enough, things are progressing, it's just hard at times to allow God to bring healing in HIS time. I catch myself feeling like 'come on God, hasn't it been long enough now', it's then that I must cry out to Him for grace and strength to keep going!!! Please continue to pray and especially pray that I would be able to be at my dear friend ,Melody's, wedding. She gave me the position of being 'point and shoot' photographer. I am really looking forward to it, but at this point my muscles are not relaxed enoough to get good pictures without them being blury from my shakiness unless I can rest my camara on something. The good thing is, I still have more than a month to improve, and I know that if it is God's will He will make a way. He has performed many miracles already and I have NO doubt that He can perform another one!!!! :)

May God bless you all with a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

I know I'm a little overdue on an update!!! :(

PTL, I had a visit with the herb specialist last Tuesday and discovered MY MONO IS GONE!!!!!! Still working to get the Lyme out, and also getting my neck to cooperate.:)

I declare I have the best group of students..... one of the girls told me she sees a difference in me everyday, for the better of course!!!!!:) How encouraging!!!!! Been having fun playing darebase with them and even got to help in a game of soccer!!!:):):) Thank-you God!!!! (For those of you who don't know... I am an aide in the high-school room (8-12)!!!!) 22 teenagers sure keeps life interesting, but love it soooo much!!! :):):):)

NOW....... for the exiting news!!!! Dad, Mom, my two youngest siblings an I have plans to travel to SC to be with some friends, Titus, Donna and family. There oldest daughter Andrea also had Lyme and was really sick!!! Her younger sister and I were in the same dorm at CBS this past term and got along quite well to say the least!!!! ;);) Thankfully Andrea is actually Lyme free right now but they are now treating her for two 'co-infections'. She has been much better the past few weeks. Please pray that things would continue to go well for her and especially this weekend!!! We have close to 12 hours one way. Please pray that God would grant us safety as we travel. We plan to leave tomorrow morning and come home either Sunday eve. or Monday morn.

May God bless you all with a great weekend, and remember, no matter what you are facing in life, God WILL be there for you!!!!

hhmmm.... not sure where I want to start... I had a full week last week!!!!

Well Monday I went SHOPPING!!!!!!! Colleen and I went met some of our friends in Selinsgrove. It was lots of fun and since I havn't gone shopping like that since I got sick last April it felt like an accomplishment!!!!;) We went in the Boscov's entrance and I spotted a :)Sears:) cart, since it works best if I have something to lean on for support:) I hauled off with it!!!!:) Was a bit interesting trying to get around in some of the smaller stores in the mall, but hey it worked!!!!:)

Tuesday, back to school.... (I still go Tuesday-Friday). I was a bit apprehensive about the week because it was 'report cards' week and I felt like we had lots to do to have them ready for Friday. I had asked one of my friends to come Tuesday to help with grading so I could work more on entering the grades. Colleen also came and helped after doing a few things at home. I found out Tuesday after I got to school that Melissa Troyer was there to help as well!!!:) I felt like a lot got done on Tuesday with all that help!!!! Thanks girls!!!!:) To make things things even better I found out that Melissa will probably be hired as part-time helper!!!!:) It was sooo nice having her there. Once more God knew just what I needed and intervened just in time!!!! Tuesday evening was chorus practice and I felt well enough to go!!!:)

Wednesday morning I had a muscle treatment. She has been working a lot on my neck and side muscles. My neck doesn't seem to have quite the pull it used to have!!!! PTL!!!

Thursday afternoon Melissa, Phil, and I hit the rerport cards hard! I think it was close to 10:30 when I get home and yes, the report cards were ready to hand-out!!!! Yeeaahhhh!!!!! Thanks to Phil's wife Jolene for bringing supper, and Martha (Melissa's mom) for bringing a snack!!!!:)

Friday morning I slept in. I got to school about 11:30 or so. Melissa came around 12 and helped wrap things up a little. Hopefully with her help I will be able to stay on top of things better, which would make report cards a lot less stressfull!!!! Friday evening the youth played v-ball. I felt well enough that I bumped the ball around a little!!!! :) Sadly tho, after being 'out of commission' for so long I kinda lost most of the little v-ball muscle I had.:( Gotta look at the good side and be thankful that with work and determination I can get it back!!!! :)

Saturday, just relaxed at home...hhhmm don't ask how much I got done!:)

Yesterday, (Sunday) I went to church after Sunday School. We had company for lunch. Colleen and I, along with 12 other youth went to Shade Mtn. (bout an hour away) to hear the West Haven Youth give a pragram. Enjoyed it a lot and thank God that I was able to ride an hour like that and my hair didn't look like I had just crawled out of bed when I got there!!!!lol:)

As I look over the past two weeks, wow, it hardly seems possible that I was actually able to be busy like that. I definatly didn't get the 9 hours (at the least) of sleep each night that I used to need in order to function. Another miracle sent straight from God!!! Thank-you God! Along with that, I found myself complaining more and it just felt like my relationship with God was more shallow, it seemed satan was attacking and I found myself giving in!!!! It was frustrating and discouraging!!! I thought about it a bit.... yes I still prayed, yes I still read my Bible, yet there was a difference. What was that difference???!!! For one, when I read my Bible, instead of concentrating on what I was reading and trying to see what God had for me, I just quickly read it more out of duty! MISTAKE #1!! When I prayed, it was more like me telling God, "Listen, this is what I need, oh and by the way, thanks for..... In Jesus name, AMEN, then my mind was off to...who knows where!:( MISTAKE # 2!!!! THAT DOES N-O-T WORK, THAT'S NOT HOW GOD INTENDED FOR IT TO BE!!!! God wants to have an intimate relationship with His children. How many of us like friends who never allow us to talk, friends who only need us when they are in trouble?! I sure don't and yet it can be so easy to forget God when life is going good:(!!!! What is your relationship with your Heavenly Father like?

Dr. visit went well...thanks for praying!!!! She upt my muscle relaxer a bit...it will proly take like 6 weeks till I'm on full dosage and will proly make me a bit more tired and ya may as well admit it...a lil more moody too!:( o well if it helps than I sure don't want to complain!:)