“Love” Holiday and Love Holiday

"Love" Holiday: Valentine's Day

My Valentine’s Day was not what Hollywood portrays it to be; I spent most of the day with my mom. (I was recently happily surprised to watch a great realistic love story in which Katherine Heigl plays a beautiful role: “Love Comes Softly”. I highly recommend it.) There is no one I would have rather spent this day with then with my mom. She has sacrificed so much and loved me so much. We had a great time. After a morning of hanging around the house, we ate lunch at a lovely, but over-priced, quaint café.

Here is the smile I inherited.

There's the cheeser.

We then wandered through a historic festival, where I was convinced to try on what women in the colonial days would have worn in Latin America, Guatemala to be precise.

On my waist is a bum roll, to make me look like I have big child bearing hips.

Unmarried women wore their hair down. Married women wore this bonnetish thing.

My mom and I then went to a memorial for my dad in the town where my mom, dad, and I lived. Because of the dressing trying on we were late. If I could go back and not try on the dress I would. My mom was not able to get recognized as my dad's wife because we didn't get there early enough. She said she didn't care, but I cared for her. I hadn't felt so bad in a long time.

Here is the little church we could see from my parent's living room window. The service was here.

A marble memorial was dedicated. You can see a corner of it, it's a pinkish red. It has my dad’s name and the first verse from his favorite Psalm etched on it.

“I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from, my help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1

The service included the mayor’s old Princeton roommate, my brother in the Lord, reading Psalm 91. I love that Psalm.

This picture reminds me of the song, "I'll Fly Away"

After the service and talking with old friends, I headed to Mexico, like I do every Saturday to teach my little ones about our amazing God. It was a blessing. I taught on how our families are blessings. I loved the memory verse for the kids and for myself. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8. Here are some recent pictures of the church in Mexico.

Pastor Ruben and his family

The Men of the Church



Ha! What an appropriate shirt for Val-day.

The best part of the day occurred at night when I was in line for customs to be able to come into the US. I bumped into two boys I had met before. They recognized me and we began to talk about the Lord. Both Jose Manuel and Jesus accepted the Lord! They need prayer so that they can withstand the attacks of the enemy that will come. How awesome that on the day of “love” two people would accept and surrender their lives to Him who showed Ultimate Love, dying for sinners like you and me, in the worst possible way for a Jewish person, to be hung on a tree and worst of all separated from His Father!

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice! Thank you Father for sending your son! Thank you Holy Spirit for filling me with Your power! What an Amazing Three in One God You are! The One and Only True God; I am honored to serve You.

This is the best Valentine’s Day I have ever had, one full of Love. I tried to sum it up in my first mass text message: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4 I pray you experience this Love today and always.

A friend of mine said, “I don’t like Valentine’s Day because we are not celebrating a meaningful event.” I agree (but I do like the candy I get 50% off that night. :)) Easter is my favorite holyday, by far, then Good Friday, and Christmas I love. I loved this Christmas break so much I wrote a a few pages on it. I hope you enjoy it. It recalls how love is shown in several different ways.


Love Holiday:The Twelve Days of Christmas Break

Day 1, Monday, December 22, 2008
My True Love gave to me: family and the opportunity share Love
After a sweet trip from Yuma to Baltimore, in which I got to hold my mom’s hand during the flight’s rough patches, we got to my sister’s in-laws: Bryan and Deanna and their twin children Branden and Bryanna. It was so nice to see them, my sister, her husband, (Jeff), and Mikaela. Deanna gave us yummy soup as soon as we got there, in the wee hours, and then we got to bed. Throughout the trip I got to give out candy canes with the following story:

One guy said, “I don’t have anything to give to you.” I answered, “It’s okay; Jesus already gave me a lot.” I think this man was waiting for it to be 12 o’clock so he could legally purchase alcohol at the gas station we were at… Another one of the people I gave one to was a flight attendant. She was so happy to get one, saying cheerful, “I love this story.” These things all happened yesterday. Today should be chill.

Day 2, Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My True Love gave to me: sweet stories
Chill, indeed, after a day of rest and playing with the twins, Deanna dropped my mom, Lucy, the baby and me, off at Lucy and Jeff’s condo in Pentagon City.

The Pentagon from my bedroom window

This morning, Lucy and I went to Costco to buy last minute gifts and ingredients for Christmas dinner. I met a neat lady who was also happy to read the candy cane story. She hadn’t heard it before; she was excited to share it with others.

I kept hearing the song, “Last Christmas I gave you my heart, the very next day…” I was reminded of my last boyfriend whom I dated at Christmas time last year, in disaccord with checks in my spirit the Lord had given me. I learned the hard way that I should stay in God’s perfect will. Even though I know we were not right for each other, I was a bit sadden recently, when I found out he had a girlfriend: the flesh. Thankfully, the Spirit grew stronger and joy came again. I pray they both grow strong in the Lord. But yes, this Christmas my heart belongs solely to Jesus, and it couldn’t be better. Maybe by next Christmas I will let someone in my heart, maybe never. I could be single for the rest of my life, if that’s the Lord’s will He will give me strength and joy. I have met women who are over 40 who are still single and happily serving the Lord.

While watching (of all things) sports news, I heard it was Hanukah, so I decided to look up what this holiday celebrated. I learned that the lights were symbolic of the time the temple was miraculous lit for days during the Macabean revolt, which I remember reading about while studying the book of Daniel. How AMAZING! I was also reminded of the 70 weeks prophecy, which is even more amazing.

Summed up:
The Seventy Weeks of Daniel
As Understood by Sir Robert Anderson in The Coming Prince
Daniel 9:24-25 says that from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah there will be 483 years.
7 + 62 "weeks" = 69 groups of seven years. 7 x 69 = 483 years
Anderson sees a prophetic year as 360 days. This is based both on ancient history and on Revelation 11:2, 13:5, 11:3, and 12:6 which indicate that 42 months 3 ½ years are equal to 1,260 days.
Therefore, 483 years x 360 days = 173,880 days
Artaxerxes started his reign in 465 b.c. The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given on the first day of Nisan, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes. In our calendar system (the Julian calendar) that date is March 14, 445 b.c. (Nehemiah 2:1)
Jesus started His ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius (see Luke 3:1). Tiberius started his reign in 14 a.d., so Jesus' ministry started in 29 a.d. Anderson believes that Jesus celebrated four Passovers during His ministry, one each in 29, 30, 31 and His final Passover in 32. With the help of lunar charts, we can calculate the exact date of ancient Passovers, so it is possible to calculate the exact day of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as April 6, 32 a.d.
From 445 b.c. to 32 a.d. there are 476 years on the Julian calendar
(not 477 years, because there is no year zero)
476 years x 365 days = 173,740 days
Adjusting for the difference between March 14 and April 6 adds 24 days
Adjusting for leap years over a period of 476 years adds 116 days
The total number of days from March 14, 445 b.c. to April 6, 32 a.d.
173,740 + 24 + 116 = 173,880 days
According to his calendar, Daniel told us there would be 173,880 days between the decree and the arrival of Messiah the Prince!
Jesus said to the Jews of this day: If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! (Luke 19:42) David said of this day in Psalm 118:24: This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

I love that!

Day 3, Wednesday, December 24, 2008
My True Love gave to me: laughter
My mom, Lucy, Mika, and I got picked up by Deanna and the kids and headed to do some last minute shopping. Before we hit the mall, Branden and Bryanna had a load of questions for me. When their mom told them I could answer questions about God, they said, “She’s too goofy to know about the serious things in the Bible.”
They had good questions, “Was Jesus there when the world began? Is God three in one? How?”
I shared this verse with them to address the two first questions, especially the first.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
Genesis 1:26
“Our” means more than one, so “our” here means God is more than one. He is Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus, being God the Son, was there when the world began.

How cool is it that we are made in God’s image. And indeed, we are three-in-one, too. Body, soul (feelings, thoughts, desires) and spirit (either clean and alive having surrendered our life to Jesus, or filthy and dead/empty living in rebellion to God).
To address the how question, I used the best illustration I could think for the Trinity: God is like water, in the sense that it can be a liquid, vapor, or solid, in the same way that God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I got to share scriptures with two other people. In the mall I had the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with two Jewish young men. I bought Dead Sea products from them(for once they were at a reasonable price; just a little more than what I bought them for when I was in Israel in February). After I asked them if they were Jewish, they asked me if I was. I told them, “I am not, but I love the country of Israel and the God of Israel.” I asked them if they had accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They responded no with a bit of anger and mockery. I told them how Jesus is described in the Old Testament. They didn’t recognize the Old Testament Scriptures I mentioned. I encouraged them to read two of the dozens of prophecies: Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. I pray they do. I left them with candy canes and the story mentioned above. They happily accepted them.

After our shopping, we got home and began to cook. I was in charge of cookies for “Santa”. I made Snickerdoodles. If I ever have children I may tell them I give Santa money to bring gifts. I will definitely tell them the true story of Saint Nick.
My brother Miguel came into town; mom got to have her three children with her. At night I went with the twins and their parents to look at the lights around the city. There were some very pretty homes. I think these are the homes many foreigners think about when they picture the U.S.: two story homes with big paned windows, façades with siding, red doors, and beautiful green lawns. I saw a few nativities, but no menorahs, which I was sad about, especially after reading the beautiful story of Hanukah. How neat would it have been to see both. I love Messianic Jews (Christians of whose race is Jewish.)

Day 4, Thursday, December 25
My True Love gave to me: Jesus
Merry Christmas! My sister woke up singing, “Happy Birthday Jesus.” Deanna made a delicious ham, Lucy and Miguel made an awesome Asparagus Au Gratin, and I made Giada De Laurentiis’
Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs--pretty tasty. Some of Bryan and Deanna’s friends, Nam and his wife came over for lunch. We got to eat, then Lucy and I took Miguel to the airport. We came back to play Cranium. It was fun to watch petite Vietnamese Nam sing, “Like a Virgin”. Lucy and I won.

My Mama laughing at her gift: a picture of her and Mika sleeping

The Twins Opening Their Gifts

Breanna was soooo excited to get a princess rug.

Day 5, Friday, December 26
My True Love gave to me: the opportunity to see the faith of a child--I want that dependent faith
The kids woke up with the desire to make a book about God. They found a gold sticker and said their book would get this “medal”. Their mom is studying to be a librarian and the twins are often reading Newberry Award winners. They made drawings of Noah’s ark and family and Abraham’s genealogy down to Jesus. How cool is that! I helped with the names and smiled as they excitedly drew little people.
After a yummy lunch we watched three movies in a row, in this order.
27 Dresses: cute. I missed the “falling in love” part because Divya called. It was nice to catch up with her. I am glad I missed the getting together part because it may probe me to think about the boyfriend I don’t have.
Lakehouse: the most unreal movie I have ever watched. I don’t recommend it due to it’s non-sequential and illogical plot.
Something New: okay, but I wouldn’t watch it again. It had a few close your eyes parts. I didn’t like that or the fact that the main couple was living together without being married. I did like this message: it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks of who you marry, if you know he is a good man.

Day 6, Saturday, December 27
My True Love gave to me: chicken, of the baked and fried variety
What a morning. The Gonzalez/Stalnaker clan went to watch little Branden wrestle. It was quite intense, especially for little guys.
We then went to Chickfilet. Yummo!

Day 7, Sunday, December 28
My True Love gave to me: the Bible
We hung out as usual, but then I went upstairs for some quiet time with the Lord. I had a nice time reading the Bible. I rejoined the clan downstairs and hung out for awhile before heading back to the apartment.
Instead of going to church Lucy and I chose to watch a teaching online titled, “You’ve Got One Week.” http://www.calvaryftl.org/AWMedia/MediaDesk.cfm?fn=C3619 It was based on 1 Peter 4:8-12:

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen

I thought the five things the Pastor said Christians should be doing, if we had one week or one century to live, were great:
1. Pray seriously.
2. Love fervently.
3. Practice hospitality.
4. Serve effectively.
5. Communicate Scripturally.

Day 8, Monday December 29
My True Love gave to me: residency in a very blessed country and the rekindling of friendship
After a late start on the day, my mom, Lucy, Mik and I went to the Mall. We walked a lot, especially for my mom. We started off by seeing the Washington Monument, then went through the World War II Memorial. We continued walking along the reflecting pool to the Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, where I got lost. Thankfully, I was able to borrow someone’s cell to call my sister, who had my cell. My mom was exhausted, so instead of heading to the Ethiopian restaurant we had planned, we ate at a nearby Potbelly’s. The sandwich and soup were yummy. We had Dunkin’ Donuts for dessert.

As soon as I got home I showered and changed for dinner with Zack, a friend from college. I was excited to see him and eat at this Spanish restaurant that is named after a painting, whose print I have in my room. Well, it turns out El Jaleo was closed, but I got to spend time with Zack, which was much more important anyway. He is doing well, analyzing data for DC public schools. We caught each other up to speed with ourselves and our ex-roommates comings and goings. It was great to see him. I told him he looked all grown up; I think I sounded like a grandma. These 3.5 years after college have gone by so fast. It’s neat to see how people are in relationships and how some people have taken unexpected paths. The most surprising update was that one of Zack and my freshman dormmates is in Divinity School. Since he had been involved in politics I just assumed he would still be doing that or getting a further degree in public policy. I look forward to communicating with him.

Zack and I got on the same metro to go to our respective homes. I asked him what he would do if he had a week to live. He said he would visit those he loved. I responded I would do the same, that and pray seriously. However, now thinking about it, I would also tell everyone I know, loved ones or not, how much God loves them, He: “sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10. All things I should be doing right now, and showing it through actions of love.

Day 9, Tuesday December 30
My True Love gave to me: transportation, good conversations and good food
After a chill morning of hanging out with my mom and packing, I got on the metro--craziness. When I looked at the metro map, I saw a blue line running into Chinatown. Well, it turns out that line was green. I got on a train that took me to my destination in a round about way, with a line change. I prayed for a timely arrival. While waiting for my transfer train, I asked a metro attendant if he was a Christian; he said yes. I asked him to pray for me to get to my stop on time. I think he did. I ran my little heart out and made it. I was the last person to get on the bus. The driver closed the door after I got on. There were tons of people without a ticket outside. If I didn’t get on then, who knows how long it would have been before I could get on the next bus.

I sat next to a young woman in the very front seat. We hit it off when we laughed about me thinking someone wanted to find a bug and keep it. I said something about collecting bugs. The person looking for the bug just wanted to make sure it was gone. We talked about our jobs. I must say I was a little intimidated when she told me she was a 4th year med student going into psychiatry; I thought if she is not a Christian, she will not want to talk about the Lord. Well, I was wrong, me of little faith. I remember mentioning how God was good to me in keeping his promises, such as: Delight in the Lord and He will give your he desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4. We ended up talking the entire 5 hour trip.

She asked a lot of questions I did when I started to look into the Christian faith. I was blunt about sex, how anything outside the marriage bed is sin. She also asked me how I became a Christian, which I gladly answered. I was also able to share what I think is most important, the facts, how several prophecies about Jesus birth and death came true. For some of them: http://livingluzly.blogspot.com/search?q=messianic. When she got off the bus she said this: “I don’t normally like to talk to people on the bus, but it was nice to sit next to someone that is intelligent, but has different beliefs than mine. You have given me a lot to think about.” Praise God!

I am sure it brings the Lord joy when we use the talents He has given us, such as becoming a doctor, but more importantly I know He is more pleased when we are open to His Word, to Him. He knows the only way we will be with Him for eternity is if we accept who He says He is: Lord, who we should follow while we are here on earth; and Savior, the only one we need to trust for our salvation from hell because He paid the penalty for us on the cross. His perfect self was the only one that could pay the price; we could/can never earn our way to heaven. Thank you Jesus! Oh, and He is so much more: Friend, Comforter, Shepherd…

I arrived to Li’s building around 8 and piggy-backed in behind a delivery man right to the door of her apartment door. I got to give him a candy cane with the gospel. Li’s apartment, like her, is cute. After catching up and giving her gifts, some of which I have had for months, we went to Joe’s Chinese food. We ordered soup filled dumplings and orange beef; they were tasty. We went back home and watched shows on the travel channel, most shows were about food from different countries. We were craving fruit so we went to a nearby market and picked up some groceries.

While checking out, the man in line ahead of us gave us each a card with one of my favorite Bible verses: For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 I got to talk to Scott about prophecy and when he got saved; he was 33 when he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior, the same age Jesus was when He died.

Li and I came back home and ate while watching some more travel channel shows. One show was about two Americans: Mark and Olly, who go to the island of West Papua and end up wearing what the locals do, not much. It was quite unfortunate to see so much paleness. Mark and Olly said they were the first white men there, but also said that there had been Christian missionaries. Maybe the missionaries were brown. J They may have been the translators for Mark and Olly, which we never heard. The locals spoke in their language than Mark and Olly spoke in English immediately after; it was a little strange, but did save time. We ended up going to bed past 2.

Day 10, Wednesday, December 31, 2008
My True Love gave to me: a beautiful, friend-filled, snow-filled, end of the year
I woke up to flurries. It was wonderful to look out Li’s living room window and see snowflakes gently falling down and sunlight flooded the room. Li and I got ready and sat down to a pleasant breakfast of cinnamon bread with strawberry jam and fruit. On our way to meet Divya we made a quick stop to see Rockefeller plaza and took this picture. It was windy and cold outside.

We went up Divya’s apartment to drop off my things and better prepare ourselves for the weather. I got to see all the members of Divya’s family. I love her parents. They are so kind and hospitable. Jai, her brother is as God Word says: wonderfully and fearfully made. Divya, Li, and I went to get pedicures and manicures, for $27. The woman who did my nails, Grace, was a Christian from South Korea, she told me she was going to church for New Year’s Eve.

The girls and I wavered a bit on where we should eat; we finally agreed on my first suggestion: A Salt and Battery. My sister and I had a watched a Throwdown, a show on the Food Network, in which this restaurant was featured. Before I left to NYC my sister reminded me that I should eat there. Wow, everything in this Britain inspired restaurant was fried: fish, fries, veggies, even a Mars bar. After being astonished by the menu we decided on a couple of things: fish and chips, of course, and fried sausage. Yup, that’s right, fried fat. “Go big or go home” was our motto.

After our fried feast we headed in different directions; Li went to her home and Divya and I went to hers. Divya and I sat on her couch and listened to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and classic country, then watched Flight of the Conchords. That show reminds of Napoleon Dynamite, painful, but funny. Time flew and we soon had to get ready for dinner.

The restaurant was laid back, but nice. It was perfect for our get-together. It was so nice to see Joanie and Lacey. Joanie, looked chic, as always. She is busy with her job and her side projects. I hadn’t seen Lacey in more than two years. She is her same bubbly self. Her big blue eyes and large smile and laugh are so precious. She came with her boyfriend, Andrew. I love that name and told him so. He smiled and said, “Andres.” I then told him the reason I liked it: because Andrew in the Bible always brought people to Jesus. Li came for a bit and had to leave. All the girls looked lovely, right now all I have are mental pictures to remember that evening ( I lost my camera). Oh, and the food was delicious; I had never eaten such tasty black beans.

After dinner, Divya, Joanie, and I said good bye to Andrew and Lacey and headed in different directions. Lacey was so cute she turned around and wanted to exchange “schmoos”. We shouted the word out and smiled. In less than 10 minutes, thanks to quick NYC cabs, we were out of the cold and in a warm apartment. I had a great time hanging out with a Divya and Joans and Div’s past and present post-college roommates. Six girls ate a bunch of yummy dips, carbs, and cheeses, and watched the Times Square countdown on TV. I was glad I was laughing with girls I love and not freezing my fanny off at Times Square. Apparently, you have to be in Times Square by 6 am if you want good spots, 6 pm if you want okay spots.

Day 11, Thursday, January 1
My True Love gave to me: renewed hope
The best day of my trip. You wouldn’t think so from the first event. I got in a cab assuming the credit card reader right in front of me worked. Well, I assumed incorrectly. When I went to pay, the cab driver informed me that I had to pay cash. I told him I would have to go to an ATM machine. He let the meter run. The ATM machine didn’t work. I told him I would pay him $10 when we found an ATM, but to stop the meter. I didn’t think it was fair that I had to pay extra because his machine didn’t work. We finally found an ATM that worked. It would have taken me less time to walk than that trip. Pierre asked for twenty dollars. I refused. He said he misunderstood me. We agreed on $15. He knew I was a Christian because we had been talking about God. At first he said he believed Jesus was God, then said he was Jewish… I hope he saw kindness, but also good shrewdness/ intelligence. I left him a candy cane and the story.

I finally got to meet with my good friend from college, Stella. She was quietly sitting on a stool near a window reading a book, when I smashed my lips into a kiss on the cold Starbucks window. She smiled and soon we were giving each other a great big hug. It had been far too long since I had seen her. She has the best big smile and BIG cookie monster, fold-your-head-backward-laugh. We got to catch up on life. She is deliberating on what to specialize in, but more importantly knows who to ask: God. We talked about the Lord for more than three hours, about His love and faithfulness. I got to tell her about how the Lord had changed my life and allowed me to forgive and love people I hadn’t been able to. Most of which I covered in an essay I sent to Harvard in order to get $12,500; it’s hard to believe I got it talking about God; but that’s my God. (http://livingluzly.blogspot.com/search?q=slapped)

I shared with her different scriptures the Lord has given me and the comfort he gave me when my father died. I was able to remind her that we don’t know where anyone is, because we don’t know their heart. Like my dad, many might have thought one thing about him, but I know He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior a week before he died. The Bible does say we can judge a tree by its fruit, so if we see a “Christian” who is not acting Chirstlike, bearing His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faith, meekness, and self-control. When I see the lack of that fruit in myself or others I pray for God to draw closer and give wisdom and strength.

Stella's enthusiasm and desire to know more about God was so encouraging. It filled my sails, in a way that they hadn't been filled in a long time. I think the last time I was so excited was when New York Times Best Selling Author Joel Rosenberg talked about visiting town where 500 hundred people accepted the Lord after having visions (this was Muslim town of 1,500). God is so good! Stella and I walked down the street towards the subway and talked about the 5 languages of love, all of which Jesus demonstrated:
gifts
acts of service
quality time
touch
words of encouragement.
They are all good, but some people feel much more loved with one language over the other-- that's important to know. :) As we walked and talked we took a picture in front the "ball dropping" area of times square. I'm the ball.

This is my favorite picture of this trip (besides the ones of my family and me at Christmas).

I'm very excited to see how the Lord has will fill Stella with His love and flow through her to touch others. I pray she keep influencing a teenage girl and her family (she didn't know she was ministering to, just with her presence.) More than anything, I pray we both are continually in the Lord's presence until we meet again.

Another hustle to get on a bus. Mr. Mani was so sweet to take me to Penn Station. I told him I was fine getting off where all the buses were lined up. Well, I didn’t realize my bus was down the street and around the corner. I once again booked it, this time it was literally freezing outside. I got on the bus, took a seat, and 5 minutes later, at 5:17 the bus took off. 13 minutes early! A couple of minutes before the bus took I heard, “Luz”. Mr. Mani had come to make sure I had gotten on the bus. :)
I sat in the middle of a group of seven girls speaking in a foreign language. I realized it was German after they said danka sane. They were for the most part sleeping or listening to music, so I didn’t get to talk with them until we were getting off in DC‘s Chinatown. They were all au pairs. I thought about being a nanny once. It didn’t happen.

On my metro ride home I met a man named Jim. We began to talk about the Lord. Jim knew quite a bit about the Bible, but was not currently attending a church. When I asked him if he was a Christian, he responded, “depends on what that means.” I told him, “It means follower of Christ.” He said, “People should be doers.” We went on to talk about when Jesus would return and take up those who love Him. Before I knew it, I was at my stop. I told Jim to get into fellowship with other believers because it is hard to fly like an eagle if we are constantly surrounded by chickens. I remember telling one of my old roommates that, and she said , “I have been hanging out with the chickens.” As I walked through the doors I said, “Remember you are an eagle.” He smiled.

I arrived to Pentagon City around 9. Everyone was there, including Bryan and his family. The twins had made me a beautiful letter/ drawing God and talking about how great He is and how much the love Him and how they think I am funny. They wrote, “You look like God.” They meant to say I am like God in character. That is the best compliment: You are Christ-like.

I pray Mika will choose to follow Jesus. I am praying Ali be like Abi(gail) of the Bible: a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance (called by other people) and servant of the Lord (described by herself).

Since the twins were sleeping on my bed I was going to sleep on the couch. My mom however, asked me to sleep with her. I laid down next to my mom and she hugged me. God blessed me with having my mom show me my love language.

Day 12, Friday, January 2
My True Love gave to me: joy…
My final day in DC was nice. All the ladies and kids went out to lunch at Thaiphoon and ate a yummy family style lunch. After lunch we headed back to Maryland. We got to making Jeff’s birthday meal: egg rolls, hamburgers, and a cake. I found out one can sauté coleslaw to make yummy egg rolls. We stayed up watching some 80’s comedy. I said goodnight to people as they went to their room and I stayed up a little after the last person went to bed going through Bryan’s pictures, which are where most of the photos included here are from. I finished looking through them at 2 am. I remember this loved filled break with much fondness, remembering God’s many ways of showing me His love.

Jeff's birthday gifts (one nicely wrapped in Victoria Secret's bag)

“Every good and perfect gift is from above…”
James 1:17