Jon and I taught Sunday School yesterday for Children's Church. We taught about Haiti, and the kids were totally into it. At the end, we had a question and answer time. This was filled with typical kid answers/comments, such as "What language do they speak?", "Do they like soccer?", or "I make really good cookies". We were having fun answering all of them, and then I see cute lil' JoJo's hand up ever so patiently. I call on her, and in a completly serious voice she says, "You can't give Haitian people money, because if you do, they'll buy drugs."
Ha!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The way of the world...
Last Sunday, January 26th, American Aid Worker Cyd Mizell was kidnapped in Kandahar, Afghanistan. An English teacher at the local university, and an embroidery teacher at a girls school, Cyd worked with the Asian Rural Development Foundation in an attempt to better Afghanistan. A Christian, she was known as a "ministering angel" to many women in the region. As of today, there are no leads as to who kidnapped her and her driver, and there has been no contact with the kidnappers. I urge you all to pray for her safe return, and for a bold witness as she has a chance to minister to those that might not otherwise hear the gospel.
And of course, this is super depressing. I mean, no one's heard anything in 5 days? That's horrible. But here's the amazing thing. Yesterday, 500 women came out and protested her kidnapping and urged the government to find her captors. And that wasn't in the US, that was in Afghanistan. Isn't that amazing??? Can you imagine 500 burqa-clad women in the streets protesting for, esentially, their rights? What an impact Cyd had on these women.
I only hope that by the time I'm gone, my life will have counted for something. That I'll have left a legacy and been an active shower and do-er of my faith, and love.
So keep her in your prayers...and let her challenge you to really live out your faith!
And of course, this is super depressing. I mean, no one's heard anything in 5 days? That's horrible. But here's the amazing thing. Yesterday, 500 women came out and protested her kidnapping and urged the government to find her captors. And that wasn't in the US, that was in Afghanistan. Isn't that amazing??? Can you imagine 500 burqa-clad women in the streets protesting for, esentially, their rights? What an impact Cyd had on these women.
I only hope that by the time I'm gone, my life will have counted for something. That I'll have left a legacy and been an active shower and do-er of my faith, and love.
So keep her in your prayers...and let her challenge you to really live out your faith!
Friday, January 25, 2008
And the winner is...
January is the offical Month of Marathon Movies in the Coulter household. Apparently. So, in honor of all the movie watching that has been happening in the midst of all this lovely rainy weather, here are my favorites from each set.
Pirates of the Carribean.
Pirates, Curse of the Black Purl. For anyone that knows me, this is obvious. I almost don't even consider the other two worthy of being counted.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man II. Oh man, this one moved me. So brilliant, not overdone, and without the millions of villians the 3rd movie possessed. There were even Christian overtones, a brilliant addition in my book.
X-Men
X-Men the original. The 3rd one was just sad (not in the teary way, but in the pathetic way), the 2nd one has the scary boy/girl, but the 1st one? Golden.
Shrek
Shrek 2. This movie is so funny. I remember watching it with Michael and Farah and just laughing and laughing and laughing...
Indiana Jones.
Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. Possibly one of my favorite movies. I grew up on this movie, and it probably was my reason for always wanting to be an archaeologist. I actually never even saw the 1st two films until college. And the 2nd one still scares me. Seriously, someones heart should never be pulled out of their chest.
Harry Potter
Ah, Harry Potter. I actually love all these films, and each one holds a special place in my heart. But, it seems the last one always ups the ones before it. So, at the moment it is the Order of the Phoenix. The relationship between Harry and Sirius is so beautiful, and the movie as a whole really set the stage for the rest of the books.
Back to the Future
Now, I always loved the 2nd one. But everyone else always hated this. Why is this? I still can't see why, and it remains my favorite to this day.
The Oceans Trilogy
Oceans 11 is golden. And to my surprise, I actually didn't like Oceans 13. I probably watched Oceans 11 with Drana about 20 times because it was her favorite movie to just "have on".
The Borne Movies
After each one of these movies I say, "I can't believe it, it's better than the last one." They are so wonderful. But, the first one was so new, so original. As wonderful as the other ones are, this one easily takes the cake.
Mission: Impossible
MI III wins by miles and miles. It took the series to such a completely different level. An easy win.
Star Wars
Having never grown up on these films, I'm not obsessed. However, in recent days I have developed a taste for them. That being said, Star Wars I The Phantom Menace is really wonderful. I love Ewan McGregor, and Liam is just wonderful as Qui Gon (really no clue how to spell that...). And it was even before Anikan's horrible acting. An all-around win.
Lord of the Rings
Ah, my college obsession. I do love all these movies but the 1st movie is so amazing. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that I probably watched it, oh, I don't know, 20 times senior year with Angela as we fawned over our loves (mine Aragorn, hers Legolas...) and stayed awake all night with Almond Roca Mochas. And just so you know, you all are missing out if you haven't seen Angela's Gandalf impression. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
Amazing Race
The hardest of all to declare winner. So many golden seasons, teams, and moments. But, I think my heart is always with Season 5. With such wonderful backgrounds such as Russia and Egypt, the eating of sooo much food (3 pounds of caviar, anyone?) Colin and Christie (the most intense team to ever play), and well, Charla and Mirna (harump), this season wins. That being said, since TAR 12 is done, this Sunday begins re-runs with TAR 5. Yes Michael, that means you guys can come. Charla will once again grace our television.
Okay everyone, what are your favorites of those movies posted above, and those I didn't mention.
PS. Genesis finished. Exodus beginning.
Pirates of the Carribean.
Pirates, Curse of the Black Purl. For anyone that knows me, this is obvious. I almost don't even consider the other two worthy of being counted.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man II. Oh man, this one moved me. So brilliant, not overdone, and without the millions of villians the 3rd movie possessed. There were even Christian overtones, a brilliant addition in my book.
X-Men
X-Men the original. The 3rd one was just sad (not in the teary way, but in the pathetic way), the 2nd one has the scary boy/girl, but the 1st one? Golden.
Shrek
Shrek 2. This movie is so funny. I remember watching it with Michael and Farah and just laughing and laughing and laughing...
Indiana Jones.
Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. Possibly one of my favorite movies. I grew up on this movie, and it probably was my reason for always wanting to be an archaeologist. I actually never even saw the 1st two films until college. And the 2nd one still scares me. Seriously, someones heart should never be pulled out of their chest.
Harry Potter
Ah, Harry Potter. I actually love all these films, and each one holds a special place in my heart. But, it seems the last one always ups the ones before it. So, at the moment it is the Order of the Phoenix. The relationship between Harry and Sirius is so beautiful, and the movie as a whole really set the stage for the rest of the books.
Back to the Future
Now, I always loved the 2nd one. But everyone else always hated this. Why is this? I still can't see why, and it remains my favorite to this day.
The Oceans Trilogy
Oceans 11 is golden. And to my surprise, I actually didn't like Oceans 13. I probably watched Oceans 11 with Drana about 20 times because it was her favorite movie to just "have on".
The Borne Movies
After each one of these movies I say, "I can't believe it, it's better than the last one." They are so wonderful. But, the first one was so new, so original. As wonderful as the other ones are, this one easily takes the cake.
Mission: Impossible
MI III wins by miles and miles. It took the series to such a completely different level. An easy win.
Star Wars
Having never grown up on these films, I'm not obsessed. However, in recent days I have developed a taste for them. That being said, Star Wars I The Phantom Menace is really wonderful. I love Ewan McGregor, and Liam is just wonderful as Qui Gon (really no clue how to spell that...). And it was even before Anikan's horrible acting. An all-around win.
Lord of the Rings
Ah, my college obsession. I do love all these movies but the 1st movie is so amazing. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that I probably watched it, oh, I don't know, 20 times senior year with Angela as we fawned over our loves (mine Aragorn, hers Legolas...) and stayed awake all night with Almond Roca Mochas. And just so you know, you all are missing out if you haven't seen Angela's Gandalf impression. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
Amazing Race
The hardest of all to declare winner. So many golden seasons, teams, and moments. But, I think my heart is always with Season 5. With such wonderful backgrounds such as Russia and Egypt, the eating of sooo much food (3 pounds of caviar, anyone?) Colin and Christie (the most intense team to ever play), and well, Charla and Mirna (harump), this season wins. That being said, since TAR 12 is done, this Sunday begins re-runs with TAR 5. Yes Michael, that means you guys can come. Charla will once again grace our television.
Okay everyone, what are your favorites of those movies posted above, and those I didn't mention.
PS. Genesis finished. Exodus beginning.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Oh, so much really...
Well, it seems that quite a bit has happened and I'm going to now attempt to catch everyone up. First things first...
-Congratulations to my hips, TK and Rachael, for winning The Amazing Race 12! I'll be honest, I didn't think you guys could pull it off at the beginning of the season. But I rooted for you the whole time and am happy to see that once again, hippies take the cake.
-Although yesterday evening television provided wins I appreciated, the afternoon did not. Tears go out to my San Diego Chargers who lost gallantly (well...) to the Patriots. I love you guys, but next time, get a touchdown. Also, the Packers were defeated by the Giants which now means I have no interest in the Super Bowl this year whatsoever. Boo.
-Congrats to Brent and Crisha who had a super cute baby boy earlier this week. Ezekiel, it's so nice to finally have you here!
- Hannah gets to go to Nepal this summer to work in an orphanage. Enough said.
-50. That's the number of books I own that I haven't read. Seriously? And that was being nice. I didn't count books that I've read part of, or that Jon owned, or travel guides/books from all the foreign cities we've visited. Yikes. So, going along with this year of simplicity, my goal is to read them and then re-organize. My guess is that I won't want to keep all of them. Simplicity. Wish me luck.
-I am bad at resolutions, especially when I attempt to read through the Bible in a year. I always get to somewhere around Ezekiel, and lose it. So this year, I am trying again, but in a quite leisurely manner. No set number of chapters a day, just reading and trying to get the meat out of it. But I need your help. Keep me accountable. I'm in Genesis, so in a week or so, make sure I'm out of Genesis and on to Exodus.
-I'm going to watch Newsies. Ah, Newsies...have a great Monday everyone!
-Congratulations to my hips, TK and Rachael, for winning The Amazing Race 12! I'll be honest, I didn't think you guys could pull it off at the beginning of the season. But I rooted for you the whole time and am happy to see that once again, hippies take the cake.-Although yesterday evening television provided wins I appreciated, the afternoon did not. Tears go out to my San Diego Chargers who lost gallantly (well...) to the Patriots. I love you guys, but next time, get a touchdown. Also, the Packers were defeated by the Giants which now means I have no interest in the Super Bowl this year whatsoever. Boo.
-Congrats to Brent and Crisha who had a super cute baby boy earlier this week. Ezekiel, it's so nice to finally have you here!
- Hannah gets to go to Nepal this summer to work in an orphanage. Enough said.
-50. That's the number of books I own that I haven't read. Seriously? And that was being nice. I didn't count books that I've read part of, or that Jon owned, or travel guides/books from all the foreign cities we've visited. Yikes. So, going along with this year of simplicity, my goal is to read them and then re-organize. My guess is that I won't want to keep all of them. Simplicity. Wish me luck.
-I am bad at resolutions, especially when I attempt to read through the Bible in a year. I always get to somewhere around Ezekiel, and lose it. So this year, I am trying again, but in a quite leisurely manner. No set number of chapters a day, just reading and trying to get the meat out of it. But I need your help. Keep me accountable. I'm in Genesis, so in a week or so, make sure I'm out of Genesis and on to Exodus.
-I'm going to watch Newsies. Ah, Newsies...have a great Monday everyone!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Birthday Girl
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTANY MAE!
Today is Britt's birthday. For those of you that don't know Britt, let me just say that you're missing out. Brittany is one of the kindest, most genuine souls I know. She never has a bad word to say about anyone, always encourages her friends onto greatness, is the best older sister I've ever seen, and is always up for a new adventure.Britt and I first became friends during our Haiti training. Our friendship was securely anchored during that first week in Haiti between crab, sleeping in the hottest room in existance, playing in the rain and the Carribean, and attempting to be supportive to our staff. Since then, we've been a bit inseperable, and I'm just fine with that.
Britt loves to travel, the color pink, her boyfriend Mike, anything vintage, Milk Tea with Boba, "Hairspray", Harry Potter, yoga (don't lie Brittany!), and her friends. And I truly feel blessed to be counted among them. So, Brittany, on this very ospicious day, I hope all your dreams come true. You truly deserve it.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Home...
...is where the heart is?
...there's no place like it?
...sweet, home?
Lately, I've been thinking about what a 'home' means. Maybe it's because I've been away so long, maybe it's because I'm in 'organizing mode', or maybe it has something to do with SouleMama's '30 Days of the Everyday'. Whatever it may be, my mind has been churning. Different images conjured up, thoughts, sights, smells, concepts. All these and more embrace the concept of 'home'. And I'm trying to establish them firmly.
My goal for this year is to simplify. SIMPLIFY. Although I feel my home almost always contradicts this ideal, it is something I will strive for. I want to surround myself with love and those things that I love most. I think that's a good goal.
So I'll leave you with two thoughts. The first is a quote by Kaylynn Devene, a photographer.
I look, too, for domestic patterns and arrangements, practiced daily routines that make us feel at home or that confirm - or conform to - our ideas of what home should be.
The second is a question. Over the next week I'm going to be coming up with ideas, items, anything that exemplifies the concept of home. If you all were to make a list of what home means to you, what would be on it?
...there's no place like it?
...sweet, home?
Lately, I've been thinking about what a 'home' means. Maybe it's because I've been away so long, maybe it's because I'm in 'organizing mode', or maybe it has something to do with SouleMama's '30 Days of the Everyday'. Whatever it may be, my mind has been churning. Different images conjured up, thoughts, sights, smells, concepts. All these and more embrace the concept of 'home'. And I'm trying to establish them firmly.
My goal for this year is to simplify. SIMPLIFY. Although I feel my home almost always contradicts this ideal, it is something I will strive for. I want to surround myself with love and those things that I love most. I think that's a good goal.
So I'll leave you with two thoughts. The first is a quote by Kaylynn Devene, a photographer.
I look, too, for domestic patterns and arrangements, practiced daily routines that make us feel at home or that confirm - or conform to - our ideas of what home should be.
The second is a question. Over the next week I'm going to be coming up with ideas, items, anything that exemplifies the concept of home. If you all were to make a list of what home means to you, what would be on it?
Monday, January 7, 2008
Lost in Translation
I honestly think this picture sums up my past two weeks. Me, delirious from no sleep and attempting to make myself alert with caffeine. Obviously, it's not working, but it somehow has made me look enchantingly stupid. Score one for me. I can't even begin to describe all that happened in the past two weeks; places visited, number of beds I slept in, gallons of coffee consumed, lessons learned about not only Turkish culture, but American culture, and well, culture in general. So, a list will have to suffice. Oh, and by the way. Happy New Year.- A more appropriate name for America is Freedom World.
- $15 for a Starbucks is absurd. Not that that makes me happy about $5 for one.
- No one should ever attempt Christmas, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Years, San Diego, Disneyland, and LA in a two week period. Ever.
- Gifts from the heart mean the most. Hand knit sweater? Sending girls in Afghanistan to school? Score two for me.
- 8 person Mario Kart may be one of the funnest things ever.
- 8 person Mario Kart at 3 am? Certainly one of the funnest things ever.
- All we know about vampires is wrong. Edward will teach you.
- Cupcakes with marshmallow in the middle rock.
- San Francisco has good hills.
- Las Vegas has Jersey Boys. Score one for Vegas.
- I think evangelism is one of my spiritual gifts.
- Driving a ridiculous amount of hours on no sleep is one of Jon's gift. Well, that and giving.
- Turks have a lot of assumptions about America, which is pretty funny because I think most Americans don't have any assumptions about Turkey.
- I am now, more than ever, confused by the Turkish culture.
- I am now, more than ever, intrigued by the Turkish culture.
- Individualism kinda annoys me. I never thought I'd say that.
As for this whole 2008 nonsense...make it a good one.
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