Reflections

it was a pretty good retreat i have to say. Relaxing in some ways, and tiring in others. It went by pretty fast… here are some pictures…

This isn't from retreat, but Phyllis made me really good pumpkin breadish thing... cake? i forgot what she called it : ) but it was reallyyy good

vania, tina, and i did devos together on the first day. and if you can tell... there's the blaring sunlight which we tried to avoid... but i guess it's just tina's halo haloo... haha jk

teaaammmm watermelons : ) thanks Hanson for leading our group... that's supposed to be a watermelon cape, but it could ALSO be a watermelon apron... so ingenious!

yes, i know... vania totally blinked... but the thing is... this was our second try, cause the first time... vania totally covered her own face with her hand... lol... so i guess this is the lesser evil : ) Thanks for the conversation we had the previous night...

Bolivia girlsss : ) our beanie kept us warm... and made leslie and i look like boys. at least we look like pretty boys. : )

on the way back from retreat, we dropped by Julian and bought two apple pies! They were REALLY good and totally worth going! We also had apple cider... yum... the little town was so cute too!

And after we got home, we celebrated vania's 22nd birthday with hotpot... it was pretty awesome...

SO, my camera is painfully unused, and i feel bad that my mom bought me a camera about a year and half ago in Japan, and i RARELY use it! After my first camera broke, i guess i just stopped using it. So here’s my attempt. I love looking at people’s pictures when i’m super bored. It helps me relate to them… and you try to sympathize with the other person… or when you’re nosey, you try to find out who the other person is dating… cause i KNOW you all do that.

So here’s the beginning of my picture blog… hoping that i’ll take a few pictures everyday…

This picture is dedicated to my boyfriend, cause he thinks apple is from the devil, and that i'm a sell out. So i took a picture of ALL my mac products. So far, the mcp hasn't given me any problems AND it's pretty. My itouch is the death of me, esp. all those game apps... esp. the VERY addicting ones. I make myself delete all of them, because i play for hours trying to beat my best competitor--myself. i am sad.

I'm going on a harvest retreat for the rest of the weekend, and this is my attempt to pack. And if you can see, i only have a pair of sweats in there... my attempt is fruitless, but at least i'm trying...

This is one of the few pictures i took (well, i didn't actually take it... my camera did) when i went up to NorCal this past summer. Third wheels are awesome no? : ) and yes, this is an old picture... i just figured if you're only on my blog to find out my secret relationships, that i'd make it a little harder for you. For all you know, i'm not dating EITHER. just kidding... my boyfriend's the best : ) and emerson... the best for Or.G... lol

okay, i’m done! I will TRY to take as many pictures as i can this weekend at Pine Valley! I’ll be painstakingly detailed… that you’ll want to throw a rock at me and my camera… (and then you can buy me a new one! yay! what a win win)

Even though life has been stressful as of late and i’ve been finding myself faithless, I’ve been seeing how good God’s been to me. He’s been giving me what I need and taking away things I don’t. And I finally realized that God has answered the prayer that I’ve been praying– to hear Him. And even if I don’t hear Him yet I know that God’s just preparing my heart and my ears to hear. So, He first takes away the distracting noise of my computer, then reliance on the relationships around me, my pride in thinking that “I could…” on my own, and the arrogance in thinking that nothing bad would happen to me and if I did I would continue strong in my faith. I’m learning slowly to turn the noise down and the music of God up. I’m learning to remind myself that God does all things to love me and not to harm me. So, my car being broken in is only God reminding me that He’s breaking into my heart. Until then, I will wait.

the greatest truth that i have learned this year is that you can never outsin Gods grace…

It’s been a lot easier to live life when i recognize the little blessings i have each day. Sometimes it’s that nice parking spot in Hopkins or even having my laptop break on me (i still cry a little bit inside… : ( ) God’s been good, and He’s been taking away things that i don’t need and replacing it with things that i do.  He takes my computer away to take distractions away and replacing it with peace. He takes other dependencies so that i’d depend on Him. He tests my patience and my humility by giving me opportunities to practice patience and humility, and then, when i fail to be patient or humble… God shows me how much i need Him for those. That’s all!

– Nina

p.s. why is bml so hot.

p.p.s. and i thank God for my itouch.

The two points in this evening’s text are—a mournful sleepiness and a hopeful wakefulness. I sleep. Through sin that dwelleth in us we may become lax in holy duties, slothful in religious exercises, dull in spiritual joys, and altogether supine and careless…With a perishing world around us, to sleep is cruel; with eternity so near at hand, it is madness…My heart waketh. This is a happy sign. Life is not extinct, though sadly smothered. When our renewed heart struggles against our natural heaviness, we should be grateful to sovereign grace for keeping a little vitality within the body of this death. Jesus will hear our hearts, will help our hearts, will visit our hearts; for the voice of the wakeful heart is really the voice of our Beloved, saying, “Open to me.” Holy zeal will surely unbar the door.

– Morning&Evening, Spurgeon

1. Never hold your pee

2. When it comes to making curry, listen to anyone else but yourself

3. Never take a nap longer than an hour

4. Don’t take three hour long classes unless necessary. Or, don’t take three hour long econ classes… unless necessary.

5. Don’t eat if you’re not hungry!

the end.