Protest Planned Parenthood

 

 

I did something a little bit out of the ordinary on Saturday. I joined the Protest Planned Parenthood movement! I am still processing why I did it since I've never been overly vocal about being pro-life before.........

All my life I've been pro-life. I believe that God's Word is clear regarding the issue of abortion. Life begins at conception and God has knitted and formed that baby from the very beginning. Abortion is not an option under any circumstance. I've just never really done anything extraordinary about it. 

Have you seen the videos? I've only seen 3. The last video literally made me sick. Seeing the little babies being dissected was repulsive. I started sharing all the videos and different links to conservative bloggers on the issue on social media and using the hashtag defund planned parenthood. I don't really know what good that did, aside from the fact of probably annoying all my unbelieving friends who are more concerned with the rain forest and Cecil the lion.

So when I heard there was going to be a protest and that there's a Planned Parenthood clinic only 15 miles from where we now live, I thought I could at least check it out. I went Saturday morning with my sign that I did not put much thought into. I stood side by side other professing Christians, many who attend conservative churches in the surrounding area, and held my sign. The majority of people driving by didn't react, many honked and cheered us on, and we only got a handful of middle fingers in the air. That day, the clinic cancelled all their appointments. 

I asked some of the protesters why they were there. Many said to bring awareness to this issue, others said maybe by standing here we can change the mind of one woman, and others said it's the right thing to do. 

Will I do it again? I don't know. I read John Piper's post below on Saturday's protest and he had some great thoughts. I don't know that I can totally agree with his first point but I can definitely relate to the rest of his points, particularly the one on Freedom on Public Property. No chance in Russia this could ever happen.......you'd need a permit from the government and I doubt it would ever be given.

Piper on Planned Parenthood Protest

 I don't know how much will change regarding the abortion issue in this country. Our leaders are immoral and have no regard for God or life. The United States is not the promised land and there are no promises in scripture held for America. I know that as a Christian I have a responsibility to vote, and most of all the biggest responsibility to pray for our leaders that God has put over us!

Psalm 139:14a For I am fearfully and wonderfully made.....

 

 

Favorite Quotes

Once a month in our PSP we have a special guest speaker during our moms' time. Last week we had an elder's wife come and share some parenting tips as well as answering a lot of our parenting questions. I don't know how we got into the topic of social media but she was once heard the above quote from a friend and I think it corresponds perfectly to social media. She also mentioned how being on social media so much is like being a busy body. We all know what scripture has to say about that. Even though in the passage it's referring to widows, I think that there is an application to women in general. I Timothy 5:13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. I was totally convicted and this past weekend I took a Facebook fast......something I need to do more often.

My Crazy COKE Addiction

Last month I drank a can of Coca-Cola every. single. day. Some days I even drank up to 2 or 3 cans. I wanted to see how it made made feel both physically and emotionally. Here are some things I noticed:

- it made me pretty crabby
- I felt "on edge" a lot
- I felt stressed out
- I wasn't sleeping too well
- I felt sluggish every day
- my body always ached.....my joints felt weird

So, in January I decided to kick the Coca- Cola habit for the month. Actually, I am not drinking any soda at all this month. I am definitely feeling better in every single way......plus, it's definitely helping with my weight loss. All the tips I've read on losing weight always recommend that you never drink your calories.

I definitely miss my Coca-Cola but I am drinking a ton of water and when I feel like drinking something different I drink lemonade or some Crystal Light. I know that I definitely need to cut down on my soda intake so in February I plan to only drink it on special occasions.

New Year - New Goals

As the new year rolls around everyone usually sets their resolutions. Some people can be pretty negative about the whole idea but I see setting goals or resolutions as something positive. It just so happens that a new year is a great time for many people to re-evaluate their lives and try to make changes. I think the problem is when we try to accomplish these goals on our own strength and will.

There are some things in my life that I definitely need to work on. One being my quiet times with the Lord. In the last couple of years I have done a reading through the Bible plan which I still plan to continue. While we lived in Russia I had the privilege of teaching in my small group and in a couple of other wives' groups........this kept me accountable and also allowed me to really dig into the Word and actually study it. I have to confess that I haven't been so great at studying Scripture since we've moved back. So, I am starting "The Book-A-Month Bible Study". The study can be found here on the TMS Seminary Wives link. You will just need to scroll down to page 5. I am personally going through the book of I Peter in January and I am super excited about it.

Another area in my life where I need to really make some changes is in my diet and exercise. Seriously, how in the world did 30 extra pounds creep up on me since I've been married??? I suppose it's age and metabolism but the bottom line is that it's also self-control and discipline!!!

Lately I haven't been wanting to have pictures taken of myself or I hide behind my kids. I'd like to lose 10 pounds by summer time and I'll set another goal then. I'm blogging about it because I figure it doesn't hurt to have this blog as a chronicle of these goals and to periodically check in about them.

There are many other goals or resolutions I have and I pray that in the Lord's strength that I will be able to maintain faithful to working on all of them. After all, in Philippians 2:12 the apostle Paul encourages us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" meaning that I am to constantly be pursuing obedience in the process of my sanctification!

How about you, how do you feel about resolutions or goals in the new year? Have you made any?

Here are two encouraging articles on New Year's resolutions and Jonathan Edwards' resolutions.

Paul Tripp on Ringing in the New Year

Matt Perman on How to be Productive in 2013

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards



Posted also on: Weekly Wrap - Up

The Year in Review - Part 2

Now for the other half of the year.......

JUNE
In June we continued to unwind from our time overseas while Jon also began searching for a job. Little did we know how difficult the job search would be with one moment getting our hopes up and the next being let down.

We enjoyed a couple of days at the San Diego Zoo.

Then we explored the San Diego Safari Park

We capped off the trip to enjoy Star Wars Days at Legoland.

JULY

Nathan turned 6! He's not so little anymore. We also did some exploring around Los Angeles and we got to see some friends visiting from Russia.

Katya and I at the Japanese Gardens.

AUGUST
By August Jon had closed in on a job and thankfully started working for a small firm near our home.
It was a lot of work as he had to begin studying for several exams in order to be licensed as a financial planner.......he is still in the studying process but thankfully has passed 2 real big exams.

I got to go to the X Games with my two sisters.

Celebrating the birthday of one of my closest friends.

And of course we celebrated August birthdays.......there are 5 family birthdays in August.

SEPTEMBER
It's back to school. We actually joined a homeschool group this year since we are Stateside and the boys and I really enjoy it.

I hosted a table at our fellowship group's annual tea.

OCTOBER
I got so used to 4 seasons while we lived in Russia so I was a bit disappointed as October rolled around. Although I am not complaining about the beautiful warm weather in California I did miss the crisp cold air and changing foliage.

We headed to the San Diego Zoo but this time with friends.

We also visited a couple of pumpkin patches.

A trip to the Griffith Park Observatory

We finished the month off with some trick or treating!

NOVEMBER
This was the first Thanksgiving in California in over 8 years! We were definitely thankful to be with family again.

We are definitely thankful for my mom who has opened up her home to us.

DECEMBER
The last month of the year! It was a crazy month. So fast paced and a bit stressful but we did enjoy this season being back in the States.

With my husband by my side I am looking forward to 2014 and all that the Lord has in store.

Even though I know I don't have so many readers I do want to wish my readers a Happy New Years from Nat and the boys!

The Year in Review - Part 1

It was around this time last year that I was really dreading the New Year.  I knew that as soon as I turned the calendar to January the countdown to our departure from Russia would start.  There were also so many unknowns regarding our future.......I knew 2013 would be a test of my faith.

I thought it would be fun to recap the year month by month.


JANUARY

Happy New Year of course. 

January is a festive month for Russians. Russians take the first 10 days of January off to celebrate the New Year. In the above picture the boys and I headed to Kuibashev Square to enjoy all the New Year decorations and ice sculptures. It was really cold this day and I remember my toes felt like they were going to fall off.


FEBRUARY

Women's Conference

The biggest highlight of this month was the women's conference with Pam Hardy. So many months of preparation went into these two days. The first day of the conference also happened to be my birthday! I turned 39.........the last year of me being in the 30s!!!


MARCH

What a difficult month this was. Our days in Samara were getting shorter. This is the month where a lot of the good-byes began. The times we spent with friends were sweeter and we hung on a little longer to the minutes. 

This good-bye to our teammate came a lot sooner than we ever thought it would.

The play dates were longer and more often.

Saying good-bye to our teammate and friend at our wives' group.

APRIL
The days were getting more and more stressful as we started selling our furniture, giving things away, and packing. And the good-byes still hurt as I write this.

Our neighbors, teammates, and friends.

One last evening with the men from the program.

Our dearest friends since the very beginning.

And these ladies......well words will never express how much they mean to me.

The remaining teammates who were not only friends but also family.

MAY
Back in California and the unknowns begin. We were grateful to be back in California but there were truly so many unknowns at this time. At this point we really just needed time to think, relax, and take in all that has transpired the last 8 1/2 years of our lives.  I really wasn't myself this month. I had so many emotions going through my mind. I missed my friends in Samara, I missed our way of life in Samara, I felt guilty, I felt bad for leaving, I was happy to be back at church, I was excited to be with family, and I was also so worried about our future. I was a wreck but by God's grace and strength I was able to get out of bed every day and still praise Him.

My niece graduated from Heritage High School

So fun being with family once again.

This happened more than once.

Reunited.

A much need family trip to San Diego.

To be continued.................

I'm Back....

It's been a while since I have posted! With school starting again and all the activities at church, time has slipped away from me! I can't even believe that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. It's been 9 years since we spent Thanksgiving stateside and with my family........can't wait!

It has been quite fun doing some new things these last couple of months, from going to Bible studies, pumpkin patches, being a part of women's ministry at church, and visiting new places.

The boys are enjoying their homeschool group and absolutely loving AWANA! I have to admit that it is so weird that they are attending AWANA...........I was an AWANA clubber myself at the very church we're going to now.

Lots of things to be praising the Lord for this season!

Psalm 63:3
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you!

Blog Name Change

Well it's finally happened......time to change the name of this blog. I thought for now I would just change it to my URL. About 1 week ago we set out from Samara and headed back Stateside. I can't believe it's been 1 whole week already! The tearful good-byes are just as fresh in my memory like it happened yesterday.

We continue to wait on the Lord's timing and direction during this transition period but for now I'll be blogging from California.

List 1: Top 5 Questions We're Asked

 Since we are in the countdown mode of our move back to the States and since I love making lists, I thought I'd periodically do a round-up of lists. Today's list contains the top 5 questions that we have frequently been asked.


1. Which country is better, America or Russia?
This is probably the most common question I am asked. I don't ever give a solid answer. I just tell people that there are great things about Russia and there are great things about America. That's it!
 
2. Do you like Samara?
This is a tricky question. It is much like the which country do you like best question. In all honesty, most Russians would answer, no! Truth is I do like Samara, actually I love it. Sure, it is a very dirty city. There isn't a whole lot to do here. Russians who move here from other cities are constantly complaining about it. The air quality is awful. But, I do love it.  A lot of people I care about live here. There are some great stores here. The Volga River is in Samara. This city actually has some amazing history. There are some real beautiful sites and museums. I strongly believe that you must make the best out of everything. 

3. What do you miss the most?
This is an easy question to answer.......my family! There are a lot of other answers I can give but what I miss the most is my family. Target comes in a close second.
 
4. What has been the hardest thing about living here?
Another easy question with another easy answer..........the language! Russian is a very difficult language to learn. Even Russians themselves agree that the language is quite difficult.

5. Is your wife Russian?
All the times that Jon has been pulled over by the police, the officer takes one look at his passport then peeks into the car and asks Jon, "Is your wife Russian?" They assume that an American man living in Russia must be married to a Russian. I am also asked if I am from the 'stan nations.....such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tarjekstan, etc. I think it's because of my darker complexion and dark hair.

 

Saturday Adventure, Part 2

After our time at the post office we headed to KFC. This is one of our favorite places to eat and thankfully there are a few located around the city. During our lunch we discussed the Colonel's secret recipe. A while ago Jon told the boys that KFC has a secret recipe and for some reason the boys are so curious about it. Today Josiah said during our lunch that no one on the earth knows the Colonel's secret recipe but that God knows it because nothing is a secret to Him.  Then Nathan said that Colonel Sanders and his mommy were the best chefs ever! The boys have been saying some pretty funny things lately.

From KFC we headed out for some dessert to a brand new Baskin Robbins. There have been several Baskin Robbins around the city but I noticed recently that several have closed down. This one has it's own store whereas the other ones were just small stands at the mall. They even had Jojo's favorite flavor..........ROCKY ROAD!!!

We then headed to the market since Jon is coming home soon I thought it would be a good idea to fill my refrigerator. I haven't been there in a couple of weeks and the vendors I regularly go to were wondering where I've been. I took a couple of pictures even though you really aren't supposed to...I'm bad.......really bad.

This is the candy kiosk.....one of my favorites of course. I love

it because you can pick what you want and in whatever amounts

you want. Plus they also sell real yummy fresh cookies.

This is as we were leaving the market and as you can see 

there is meat on those counters. I have never bought any

meat from those vendors because I am terrified. It's always

a bit shocking to me to see slabs of meat on there or a pig 

hung up on the hooks. The boys are always so wide-eyed 

as we walk through that area. I love it though and the "rinok"

or market will be one of the things I will miss the most here.

Saturday Adventure Part 1

In order to make our weekend go by faster I thought we'd get out on Saturday and run some errands. So, we headed to the city center which on a Saturday via transport is only 10-15 minutes away.

We rode our favorite mode of transport.....the tram. In Russian it's called, "tram-vy" but I would always say it wrong and call it "tram-by". After hearing me say it wrong for a long time my trusty friend Heather finally corrected me. I suppose it must have gotten on her nerves. Josiah looks so serious in this picture because there was a person inside a big yellow inflatable hippopotamus suit advertising something on the corner. Everyone on the tram was laughing and pointing at the poor person.


Our stop was right in front of my cell phone carrier's store which was very convenient since going there was on my to-do list.

Our cell phone carrier is MTC (MTS in English). There are no monthly phone plans here, it is a pay as you go system which is extremely convenient. There are kiosk machines everywhere you go where you punch in your cell phone number on the screen and insert however much money you want to give. My balance was actually negative and after a certain negative amount you can't make calls or send texts so I wanted to make sure I deposited enough money. We always try to go to a MTC store because you aren't charged an extra fee to deposit money whereas the kiosks in the malls and stores will charge you about a dollar tariff.

Then we were off to the post office to mail our thank you notes from Christmas! Yep, I'm that late. In my defense though going to the post office is a pain here. I have waited up to 1 hour just to get stamps on my mail. There are no machines to buy your stamps from. So we went to the city's main post office which has had a total makeover and is probably the nicest post office I have seen anywhere in the world. I went to a corner entrance where there was a small counter in a store and bought my mailing stamps there but after I bought them she tells me I had to go to the main entrance and get my letters stamped! I was like, what? So, we went to the main entrance and waited 25 minutes just to get my envelopes stamped with something I couldn't even make out or read. But, at least we got to see the beautiful office. As you come into the door you go to an automated kiosk and get a ticket with a number on it. Then you wait your turn. We had L179 and I noticed the workers were on L173 so I thought it would be real quick......yah right! Oh well. Thankfully the boys behaved.

I wish I could have taken more pictures but I didn't want to get yelled at. Plus I noticed there were hidden cameras above.

This post has gotten to long so I'll do a part 2 tomorrow!

March 8th - Women's Day

This past Friday it was Women's Day which is a huge celebration everywhere except the United States. My husband likes to call it Feminist Day considering that the origin of this holiday was tied to the Socialist Party to bring about awareness for the women's suffrage movement and equal rights to women. Nowadays though it is generally a day to appreciate women even though it still has definite political ties.

Of course we don't really celebrate it plus Jon is never home! If you ride the tram on Women's Day though you don't pay the fare so we made sure to do that on Friday. So, Sharon and I headed out to the park and let the kids run wild around.

Most Russians give the women in their life flowers. The yellow flowers above are called "mimosas" and you see them everywhere on this holiday. The meaning of these yellow mimosas are "secret love". The van was selling tulips which are also very popular. I asked the vendor where the tulips were from and they are actually from a warmer region in Russia whose tulips have already bloomed! I wanted to buy some but the day before I got a bouquet of them so I didn't really need them! The pictures are pretty blurry........ I couldn't stop to take them because it was so crowded around there with men buying flowers!!!