Missions Trips and the planning......

So I'm taking the youth of my church on a mission trip to Crownpoint, New Mexico! I have 4 adults committed to going with us and have to get the actual youths to sign up yet. I have been writing letters furiously, planning information breakfasts and trying to think of creative fundraisers to help get us there and back again.
I have never actually been on a missions trip before, let alone plan one for a group, but we're going through a mission trip organization, so at least I don't have to plan the actual mission itself. Whew!! I'm super excited about going. We'll be working on the homes of elderly people on a Navajo Reservation there, fixing things and installing running water and bathroom facilities! It sounds like an exciting challenge to me, and I think that the youth are going to be able to learn a lot through the whole process as well as be able to give a lot of themselves to these needful people.
So here is my best effort at being creative. If it works, I'll post a picture of what I manage to do.
Since we're going to be doing plumbing projects, I bought a couple of new plungers (the cheap red kind) and I'm planning on sanding the handle so that it is super smooth, then burning some words into it (like: St. Luke Youth Missions 2008) and then staining it with polyurethane to make it shiny. Then, if it works, I'll have the youth make these and sell them to people in the congregation and elsewhere as a fundraiser for our trip!
The missions organization is sending me a booklet of other ideas so hopefully we don't have to rely upon my crazy schemes.........
:) Here's to the plunger project! Cheers!

This is Marty Guild, my newest child, just kidding! I named it Marty, after all. I just liked the name. She has a beautiful rich and bright sound with deep low tones. Mmmmm. So nice! (the guitar in the background is not mine, I took this picture at the music store...)

One of these days I'll figure out how to post videos and I'll play something with Marty.

Merry Christmas!

My last month at Wal-Mart

I have been working at Wal-Mart for 4 years and 3 months almost to the day. I have worked from 11 pm to 7:30 am the entire time with the exception of the one week that I tried to work there during the day shift - that was such a drastic mistake I have never tried to do it again!

I have been blessed with that job and the and the friends that I have made. The people that I work with are some of the dearest people on the planet. They have beautiful flaws that I appreciate, and I'm so glad that they have endured my own. I will miss them quite a lot. It's hard to believe how much care a group of people can have for each other, and I'm so glad to have known that care from them and to have given back to them with that same commitment. 

After all this time there, I am ending my employment. My last day will be around the 15th of January. I am very sad to leave and I'm also excited to be leaving. I am not sure where else the Lord will be leading me, especially financially..., but I am trusting in Him to supply all of my needs. 

Isaiah 14:27

For the LORD Almighty has purposed,
and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out,
and who can turn it back?

I'm loving the bits of Isaiah that make sense to me. It's like anywhere else in the Bible, really, when you're reading and then suddenly, SNAP, understanding hits you or an idea just clicks in your brain. This verse is such a strong verse that it did that to me. Here are the thoughts that I have on it.

The LORD Almighty purposes to do something. It may be something we see as good, it may be something we see as bad. It may be something we can't understand. But since we serve a perfect God and He is good, he can't be bad. Here's the cool thing. The LORD GOD Almighty is ALL-MIGHTY. Nothing can change or stop what He intends to do.

Destruction we may look at with terror (as we should) but it is for the glory of GOD. If He is wiping out the Amalakites or the Philistines or some other nation of idolatry and wickedness it is to demonstrate how HOLY HE IS. And we should tremble at knowing how powerful and wonderful His destruction is. If He hates evil so much that He will make a nation extinct (with no one to stop Him) then we who have been saved from His own destruction by His grace (with no one to stop Him - praise the LORD) should be spurred on even more to live holy and blameless lives to honor Him. And if His destruction is so complete, then we should know from this example that the destruction of the evil in us will be completed in us as well before we enter His presence in heaven. It is through Jesus Christ's sacrifice that the LORD Almighty views us now, and through Jesus we are able to approach the throne of GOD in prayer, praise, and petition.

I am so glad that there is none to thwart the LORD and that none can turn back the hand of the LORD. If there were such a being, then we would be lost. Our hope of salvation would be gone. But since the Lord is Almighty, perfect, holy, blameless, and glorious, we can be assured that the grace that He gives through Jesus Christ, is rock solid. None can thwart the salvation of the LORD, no one can turn back the hand of grace extended to those who choose to accept it.

The last thing on my mind about this verse is that the power of God is overwhelming. His strength and love are unmovable, unchangable and all-powerful. He conquers death.

Breakthrough and high school music

Okay, so first off God is so awesome! Second....God is so awesome!

I was able to really spend some time alone with Him today, preparing my heart for Wednesday's funeral and praising Him for whatever He has in mind. I am thankful that I don't know why these kids lost their dad and why a wonderful woman lost her husband. I know that I couldn't handle the information and it lets me off the hook for explaining the reasons to everyone. God has a perfect plan and I'm deciding to trust that plan, cause He knows best. I'ma just gonna follow His lead and obey the direction He gives me. Thanks, ladies for your prayers, I've needed them. This ministry gig has been overwhelming so far, and the second I think I've gotten a handle on things, in walks the next big dilemma and spiritual battle that goes with it. I've been fighting depression more than I'd like to admit this year. The mood swings of teenagers are absolutely monstrous. (My parents had it easy let me tell you!) ;)

Speaking of teenagers..... I attended the high school orchestra and choir concert this evening. I was pretty impressed with their performances! It amazed me though that once the orchestra was finished performing, they left and so did their audience! I really felt bad for the choirs (who rocked, by the way) who performed for half of an audience because they were the second half of the concert....... Well, the string people missed out on good music and a comical moment when one of the girls lost her shoe under the riser as she was walking on stage. She didn't fall, thankfully. She then grabbed her shoe and kept walking! What else could she do?

It was an interesting experience for me. Memories flooded back of my choir days, and I miss them, somewhat. I liked watching the different personalities of the choir girls and guys. That was fun to see and think about. It must be a challenge to be a high school teacher. To all you teachers, I appreciate what you do and what you deal with every day! 

Down and overwhelmed with stuff

I think that I can't write what I'm feeling right now. It's a mix of happy and depressed and tired and bewildered and dread. Who has an adjective for that! I have to wake early to be at an orthodontist appointment tomorrow and I really don't want to have my mouth hurting me for a week, this week. Oh well. I'm  such a whiner tonight. It boils down to my disappointment at not being able to talk to a close friend tonight who I've been wanting to talk with for months, had a set time to talk and because some people weren't on time to pick up kids I wasn't able to talk. So the conversation is postponed yet again. I'm sure that there's a reason for it all, but I'm pretty disappointed. I really want a hug. I wish I could retreat somewhere where there are people that I trust and can relax with. O sweet fellowship that I desperately long for.

The funeral service is set for Wednesday morning and I'll probably be singing or playing guitar or something for it. I just hope that I don't lose it, cause I know that the people I'm close to that will be there will be crying a lot. 

There. Hopefully I'll have a funny blog tomorrow. I'm going to read some Psalms and put myself to bed.

Life has some saddenings....

Two of the kids in my youth group lost their dad on Saturday. I knew him personally. He was a funny man with a strong personality. He'd respond to the pastor in the middle of the sermon sometimes with a great one-liner and the whole congregation would erupt in laughter. I will miss him. 

Even in hard times, though, some good is coming or is in process. I've been able to support and love on those kids and their family. I hope and pray for the strength needed to minister to them through the holiday and the upcoming year which I know will be difficult for them. Hopefully they will be encouraged with my company and prayers.

Beautiful Guitar needs a name!

Yesterday I purchased my 6th guitar. Yes, my 6th. I am donating one of my older guitars to my sister, who technically owns part of it anyway. I no longer play it because it hurts my left wrist too much, so it has been hanging out at my house for no other purpose than to collect dust on the protective case. :( How sad for Ruby, she really needs someone to play 'her' now and then.

My new guitar is an acoustic, steel-string Guild, and is a beautiful sunburst brown with maple edges and rosewood back and sides. I'm looking for an appropriate name to give it. I've had suggestions from my students today: Caramel Mocha, Smoky, and I came up with Marty, with no real reason behind it. I can hardly put it down. It's a lot of fun to play and it stays in tune, which is a definite plus! :) I'll take some pictures of it sometime soon.
I hope to do some recording with it this year, and make some progress on the worship album I've been longing to record. Hmmmm......perhaps I should give it a Biblical name for inspiration.....
It's a thought, anyway!

Jacob and Jean

I thought that I'd explain the address of my blog. Jacob and Jean's refuge refers to Isaiah 27:5-6 where God is delivering Israel and God declares that He is a refuge to those who would make peace with Him. "Jacob" refers to the people of God and He is their refuge. Since God is also MY refuge, I share with Jacob when I'm in the presence of God! I am so thankful that I have a place to go when I am lonely, afraid, worried, confused, and otherwise incompetent. The LORD is a strong tower, and in Him I put my trust no matter what the weather.