Rejoice Evermore!

Wow, a lot has happened in the months since I last posted!

The Bible conference in Dillon was SO good! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. God was speaking through every message, the fellowship with other Christians was really good, and I saw amazing answers to prayers.  That whole week was just one of those times that I could never forget even if I tried.

People have been forcing me to sing lately and you know what? I’m starting to enjoy just belting songs out Thank you people for forcing me to jump out of my “bubble”.  I’m still working on guitar, though I really should spend more time on it. Still fill in playing the piano at church sometimes. I found a flute for $5 at a garage sale a few weeks ago. I need to stop procrastinating and get it polished and repaired.

I’ve had some pretty amazing times this summer hanging out with friends. I’ve become close to a lot of people who I didn’t really know before. Can’t mention everyone or this would be like 20 pages long. But, Aimee–you are just plain amazing!!!  Remember, Lauren, Flynn, and Stephanie that we must be Ezer Kenegdos! All my other awesome homeys–I’m really blessed to know ya!!!

My parents 25th Anniversary party was incredible last night. Some friends from Glendive who we haven’t seen in forever stopped by for a few days. Good times.

Job stuffs: No, I”m not going to college this fall and I probably will never go. No, I don’t feel like I need to get out and get some other job. I’m very happy  “just” babysitting.

My Dad finally built his shop/garage this summer. he wants to start selling woodstoves, chimneys, etc as soon as he can. During the construction of the shop, I was playing around in what will be the attic, when I stepped on a piece of plywood that wasn’t screwed down and fell. God let me catch a rafter and escape injury. That same day, David almost fell off a ladder and Luke also came close getting hurt.

Oh, I just remembered the amazing camping trip to Olney with Aimee, Stephanie, David, Joanna, and Bethany. Joanna helped me let out my crazy side

Luke is headed back to PCC this fall for his Senior year as a history major/ political science minor. Joanna is transferring to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She’ll probably fly there in the beginning of 2010. Josiah is still working at Northwest Fuel Systems. Dad is still working at Home Depot.

Men: what an intense subject. The source of many tears and trying times, mostly due to my own stupid sinful ways.  I wish I could just be a nun my entire life, but I’ve tried and I just can’t let go of my God-given desire to someday get married. Right now I’m trying to focus on “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” and “Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart”.  I’ve repented for times when I have failed my Saviour by being too flirtatious, non-trusting of Him, and putting other things before Him. His mercies are new every morning and I believe that he has given me a clean slate and that his “Grace is sufficient for me” and His “strength is made perfect in weakness”. I ask all my friends and family to also let go of all preconcieved notions about me, because I long to be transformed by Christ and to become like Him in all my thoughts and actions. I have made a conscious decision to trust God in all matters of relationships.

Thanks for listening to my ranting.

King James Version: Romans Chapter 5

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

I had a pretty insane week at the capitol! Very fun, but very busy. Matter of fact, the busiest ever in Helena for messages. Most of the phone messages were from people who wanted a horse slaughtering facility for sick or old horses. Here’s the week in chronological order:

Sunday, February 8

I hopped in a truck with Stephanie Henson and Lauren Hartley and rode down to Helena. We arrived in the evening and met the people we were to stay with (Duane, Connie, and Jamie Grimes). They are very nice, Christian people, I’m so glad that we could stay with them.

Monday, February 9

We arrived at the office where we would be working at about 7:30 A.M.  After a few tours, we began sorting messages. By the end of the week, we had organized and delivered over 20,000 yellow slips of paper to the representatives desks. To check for new messages, we walked up and down 72 stairs. The messages were usually checked every 15-20 minutes. A debate about a gun law made the afternoon session interesting. The last picture is the view of the representatives desks from the “hot seat”, or the seat of the page whose turn it was to help the next representative who wanted some errand done for them during the session. I sat and listened in on a committee meeting for revising the rules for minors using tanning beds. We were let loose at 5:00 PM.

Tuesday, February 10

Lauren didn’t go to work this day because she was sick. Sadness We met with Secretary of State Linda McCullough. For most of the afternoon session, I sat at the “lobbyist table” and relayed messages from them to the representatives.

Wednesday, February 11

It was fun to see a few friends of mine from Kalispell at a meeting about an abortion bill. After we met the governor, I addressed a few envelopes, got a paper cut on my lip, ate some free ice cream (by the way, we got candy and cookies all week long ), put together some “what to do in Emergencies” pamphlets, and went out to dinner with my coworkers.

Thursday, February 12

Brian (one of guys I worked with) played a few jokes on the Senate pages. He sent them to a room that didn’t exist and he sent them toast. Most of the House pages went to dinner at the “Staggering Ox”. It’s a really cool place. They have a couch hanging from the ceiling and their bread for sandwiches is made in the shape of tin cans.

Friday, February 13

We got a tour of the Montana Supreme Court from one of the Justices. The last day went by pretty fast and pretty uneventfully.

Saturday, February 14

After playing some Dutch Blitz with Jamie, he headed home to Kalispell.

Last little tidbits:      The House of Representative’s security guards are very fun people to work with. Why do we have to do everything they say? “Because I wear the badge”.            My sponsor (Representative Scott Reichner) is a Christian with 9 kids.

4:44 AM this morning, I was awakened rudely by my alarm clock. I’m not a morning person. No human being should get up before 6:00–ever! It’s been a long, good day. We (Bethany, Dad, and me)started hiking just as it was getting light. We didn’t see anything on on our first hike. The second hike, we saw a cow elk that ran away before it could be shot by Bethany (who has a cow elk tag). As soon as we saw the elk, my nose started bleeding. Not a good moment for that to happen. Very strange. I tried everything I could while continuing to hike, but it didn’t stop for quite a while. My vision was affected some after that. Nothing significant, but not fun while you are hunting. Saw a few crazy whitetails on the way out. The next hike was the good one. We started up the mountain at about 1:30. Saw a large black bear about a third of the way up that my Dad tried to get a shot at, but couldn’t. I don’t exactly like predators and neither does Bethany. So we tried to convince Dad to give up and go back to the truck. He said we were going to the top of the mountain. I’m insanely thirsty, slighty dizzy, it’s raining (blah, blah, blah, I complained more than usual). We were almost to the top (it’s about 2:30 or 3:00 at this point) when I saw what I thought was a deer head with antlers on it 200 yards away. I rested on a stump and a backpack, told my family to pray, and started blasting away. My scope was fogging up which was more than annoying. It stayed bedded down while I sent 3 bullets around its head. Miracles happen because it showed it’s neck (which is a bigger target) and I hit it on the fourth shot. I got plenty of exercise dragging it out. I’m really thankful that most of it was downhill. We reached the truck about 4:30 (a good hour before dark, I was happy about that).

Dad and me dragging it out

Two weeks ago Bethany, David, and I boarded a train for Wisconsin. After 30 hours of sitting in one place (You think you’ve been bored before, try that) and a two hour car ride, we arrived at our aunt’s house. Throughout the next 8 days, we visited relatives, fished with our Grandpa (we caught a ton of fish after Grandpa almost drowned his vehicle) , went to Lake Michigan, drove around aimlessly with our aunt for hours, watched hours and hours of TV, went to the birthplace of ice cream sundaes, attended a Christian concert, went for a few short walks through the woods, saw the zoo, drove to Lambeau Stadium where David and Bethany saw escalators for the first time, and visited Madison, WI (a place with way to many people and sky scrapers) where all three of us saw our first revolving door. Then we hopped back on the train for another 30 hour trip back home. The train ride back was a million times better than leaving because every second I was getting closer to the mountains that I had missed so much. I cannot believe how homesick I got on this vacation. I’ve never missed home, family, mountains, friends, and exercise (I was a couch potato the entire time) so much in my life.

It’s really quiet around here ’cause the boys and Dad are gone bow hunting for a few days and Joanna and Luke are at college. Joanna and Luke had an interesting trip down to Florida. They hit a deer in Eastern MT, got a flat tire, and barely missed a hurricane. By God’s grace, they managed to escape injury from their adventures. Unless you count the food poisoning that I heard they got.

A major change of my plans happened when I was away from home. I might write a post about it later. Every time I think I have everything figured out and I start getting comfortable, God changes everything. I’m trying to give it all over to him because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He always has a reason.

I’ll try to add some more pictures later

Watching TV