Just a Little Sumthin Sumthin

So, I realized I have not been so great recently about keeping up with my paper challenge.  I think the recent addition of an MBA to my schedule has altered some of my priorities a little.  But, alas!  Sometimes you can't help yourself when it comes to crafts.  


So, here is the most recent paper product:

So, just so you know: this is the back of a cereal box!

I love being limited in recourses.

I made this by cutting the corners off of the box.  

Then, I traced the words that I wanted onto the box after I found a font that I wanted to copy.  

Next I traced the words in Sharpie.  

Then I stabbed the letters in the middle with scissors, and using those holes, I cut out the letters not bothering to keep the dots in the middle of the "e" and "a".

Then I just glued a little newspaper on the back, and added some newspaper flowers on the front, and ta-da!

You're done!

Well I hope you're having a good day!

Grenada

This last Friday I had the opportunity to travel the entire country of Grenada.  After living here almost two months, I was grateful to see a bit more of the beautiful country. I haven't been too far out of the St. George's Parish (which is 1 of the 7).  On Friday at 10, a group of 30 of us piled into a bus, and started on our bobbling way.  The roads in Grenada are like anything else I've experienced.  They are windy like at home, narrow like in England, but steep like no where I have traveled before.  Thus making these roads in my mind purely Grenadian roads. With the bus creaking and jerking from the automatic functioning, we were off.

Our first stop was in St. George's (the capital).  But, we traveled up to the highest point in the town to see Fort Matthew and Fort Frederick.  From there we got great views of the city, and got to learn a little bit of history from the Grenadian War.

This is the Grenadian Prison.

This is a view of St. George's from the hill.

It was also at this site that the US military accidentally bombed Fort Matthew instead of Fort Frederick.  At the time Ft. Matthew was being used as an insane asylum.  The mistake cost lives of innocent victims.  Unfortunately, the forts are less than 1 mile apart.

Our next stop was at the northern most tip of the island called Carib's Leap, and the one I was most grateful for.  After an hour of crammed jerking and bouncing everyone was feeling sick.   It was here that a group of Grenadian natives leapt to their death instead of being killed by the French who were taking over the island.  But there are also beautiful views of the islands Carricou (1 of the other 2 islands of Grenada).

My favorite stop was the next, Belmont Estate.  This estate has been owned by several different families, but today is owned by the Nyack family who uses the estate to make AMAZING organic chocolate!

This is a display of Grenadian fruit.  

Fermenting the cocoa beans is a part of the chocolate process.

A cocoa pod.

Roasting the cocoa.

Turning the cocoa.

And the tasting :)

After this tour, we stopped off at Pearl Airport, the abandoned airport in the north.  By this time it was 4:30!  So, even though the entire island is only 24 miles around, the trip took us 7 hours in total.  God's creation is beautifully diverse & tasty!

Our Identity is Christ

It is easy to get caught up in the flow.  It's easy to get distracted.  It's easy to forget who we really are.  It's easy to think that when you look in the mirror you're seeing what you get.  That's it.  


It's not true.  This isn't it.  


The last two Sunday's we've been talking about identity.  Oddly enough, it has since been coming up over and over again.  I've been believing lies about who Satan thinks I am, and been caught up meandering in the stream of life.  But what Satan whispers to us about our worth, about our daily routines is not truth.  This is what Scripture says:


Ephesians 1: "To the saints...and faithful...in Christ."


1 Corinthians 9: "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?"


Psalm 139: "For you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mothers' womb, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."


2 Corinthians 5: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."


Behold!  Look who you are in Christ!  You are redeemed, transformed, new, adopted, free, known, loved...you are a Saint! YOU ARE IN CHRIST!


A metaphor was spoken to us this weekend: 
I am living in Grenada.  But I am not Grenadian.  I know I will not be here long.  This is as it is for us.  We are in the world.  But we are not of it.  We will not be here long.  We are waiting to go home.


If you have the time, I urge you to read through Romans 8 in light of all this.  With a special focus on verses 19-24.


Do you groan with creation in eager longing for the redemption of you body? For your adoption?


I turned 23 a few days ago. I got to celebrate all weekend with my loving husband and loving friends.  But better than all of this will be the fulfillment of the promises to come.  I'm not just 23.  I'm a daughter of the king.  Living on earth.  But I belong to the heavenly kingdom.