The Greatest Love Story of All

When I think of the true meaning of Christmas, I don't simply think of the Baby in a manger. I consider Who gave that gift and what that baby went on to do. I will never fully comprehend why a great and powerful God would send His only Son to earth as a mere human, destined to die a horrible death. I can't understand why we sinning humans are worth it; how He could love us SO much. When I think of the love of my Savior, I am awed into silence. I will never understand it but I am more than thankful for it. I can only wish that I could love Him that much in return, if a human were even capable of such love.
This Christmas, I consider the love of a Father for His children. I consider the love of that Baby in a manger. That precious Baby we see in nativity scenes, Christmas cards, wrapping paper, and decorations is my powerful and loving Savior, Jesus Christ. My prayer for this Christmas is that everyone will realize that the true meaning of Christmas is not to give presents or even to be with family, but it is to remember the greatest love story of all. I pray everyone will accept this great gift and will develop a lasting and meaningful relationship with that Baby in a manger, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.
~Hannah

Simple Joy

Since Autlan, I've wanted to write about my experience at an Indian camp we went to. I finally got the chance to do this when we were required to write a college admissions essay in AP English. So...here it is:

I searched my surroundings and felt a deep sense of sympathy as our team filtered into the poverty-stricken Indian camp. I knew that by coming to Mexico, my eyes would be opened to a very different culture, but I didn’t realize then how much it would affect my life. I first noticed the homes in which the migrant workers resided, remembering what the leader of our group told us: the buildings were owned not by the residents, but by their employers. They worked day by day to earn just enough to provide for their families; from paycheck to paycheck they struggled to make it through each day. Their houses reminded many of us of prisons rather than homes. I then noticed the residents’ tattered and dirty clothes as they stood watching us with dirt-caked faces. I observed their faces, their eyes. In the adults’ eyes I saw uncertainty; the mothers were willing, yet slightly hesitant to allow their children to follow us and hear the story we had prepared for them. In the children’s eyes I witnessed a sense of confusion; they could not understand why we gringos would leave our home to simply tell them a story and play with them. But most of all, I noticed fear in everyone’s eyes. A fear that we, like the majority of Mexican citizens, would also discriminate against and persecute them simply for their different ethnicity.
However, instead of giving into their fear, they decided to trust our word and follow us to the community basketball court where we had set up a puppet show for the children. We soon experienced their lack of good behavior; two boys started a fight in the middle of the story while many other children threw rocks at a local pastor who shared a story with them. Our team members struggled to control the wild kids but only partially stopped them with a promise of dulces, or candy, for the ones who obeyed. Once the story was over and we brought out the chocolate, the children mobbed around the candy-bearer, hands and arms desperately reaching toward the prize. As best as we could, our team ventured to distribute a piece of candy to each child. In a whirlwind of energy, the children demanded that we spin them around in circles, take pictures of them with our “fancy” cameras, and participate in hand-clapping games. One older woman tried to earn a few extra pesos by selling handmade tortilla warmers to the females in our group. All too soon, it was time for us to leave. We quickly hugged our new friends goodbye and piled into our suburban. But, as we attempted to drive away, the kids jumped onto our vehicles, demanding more candy. One of our team members passed bags of rice through the open windows, hoping they would fall into the hands of girls who would bring the food back to their mothers. Finally, as we waved adios to the adults and children of the Indian camp, we drove away, contemplating our recent experience.
The memories I have of that evening are as fresh in my mind today as they were then. I can still see the faces of the children. I can see their hesitance, their confusion, their fear. But the most vivid picture I have in my mind is not of their despair, but their joy. The joy that comes from simple things in life: a piece of candy, a friend to play with, a smile, a hug. I remember their smiling faces as they heard of the love greater than any other. When I am tempted to complain about some insignificant thing in my life, I think of the impoverished lives of those children and remember their simple joy in the midst of their hardships.

Living by the simple joy we have in HIM alone,
Hans

Content in His Love

I have come to the realization that I am horrible at blogging. So I apologize for that. :)
At the moment, I am sitting on my couch, sipping a mocha, taking in the rainy fall weather and feeling quite content. It's been a long time since I've blogged so I'll quickly recap what has been happening in my life:
1) I helped out at our Church's VBS- Outrigger Island, at the end of July. I led the songs along with Tay and my mom and we had tons of fun being "hula girls" together. The kids loved it and it was great to be a part of.
2) On August 8th, 13 people from Bethany, including myself, went on a 10-day missions trip to Autlan, Mexico where we assisted the Bruggemans in their ministry at a Regional Training Center there, a facility which hosts missions groups and different events. In Autlan, we led a VBS at local church, visited an Indian Camp where we shared a bible story with the kids and showed them Christ's love for them along with ours, and we helped out with different projects around the center and at another missionary family's house. We painted and cleaned bathrooms and did dishes and swept and fun stuff like that! Another awesome thing we did was lead conversation clubs at a local Christian Coffee House, La Roca. There, English students from La Roca came to practice their english by having conversations with people from our group. We met two teens named Fani and Rafael there so if you could, please remember to pray for them that they will both come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal savior. The trip in Autlan was absolutely amazing: my eyes were opened and God reaffirmed my heart for missions once again. I met some awesome people- adults and kids- and I was reminded once again that Mexico is my second home. After the group left, Jarren and I were privelaged to spend an extra week with the Bruggeman family. It was so amazing to have a week to hang out with Jess and our friendship grew even more. We had tons of fun eating tacos, watching movies, going to La Roca, shopping, stargazing, "bat" chasing, splatter painting, etc. I was sad to leave and I'll never forget those two and a half weeks I spent in Mexico this summer!
3) School started again... I was sad that the summer had to come to an end, but I was ready for school again. Classes aren't that bad and I'm surviving the homework load for now. I'm excited to see what my senior year holds for me.
I've been sick for a few days, so that really stinks. Colds are not fun but I'm hoping I am coming to the end of it. Today, I am heading to Portland to see one of my best friends, Sarah, whom I haven't seen since I was in Mexico! (That's two and a half months- way too long!) So I am pretty psyched about spending the night at her dorm with her in Multnomah.
Last month was a strange one for me; I went through a few struggles and was down a lot. Now, I am once again reminded that my God always knows the plan- HIS plan. I learned to rely on Him in hard times and to let Him be my strength. I can't hold all my burdens alone, and I learned that when I give it over to Him, I will recieve His peace. Right now, I am content in the love of Jesus and I am feeling very grateful for many things: amazing friends, a supportive family, an incredible church, the comforting feel of fall: leaves changing colors; hot dirnks like coffee, hot cocoa, and apple cider; the smell of the autumn air; wearing comfy sweaters; seeing pumpkins and haystacks and apples around; the list goes on and on...
I am so excited for fall- my favorite season. It's hard to explain but there are so many things about fall that just make me feel so content and thankful. I can't wait to see what's going to happen and I will try my hardest to keep you all more updated! Sorry again for the delay!
All for HIM,
Hannah :D

Gray Clouds

Okay, now for serious stuff again… As I write this, I am in the car, somewhere in Montana, headed back home from Wisconsin. I was there for about a week with my family. And I’ve got to say, as much as I love my friends in Salem, I was so happy to get away for a bit and be with my family. I came to a point where I needed to get away, clear my head, be with family and have no communication with anyone else. So I decided to be technology free for the week: no cell phone, no Facebook. It was so nice. On the road, I have been listening to music and looking out the window at God’s creation. I’ve learned that Montana is an absolutely gorgeous state! I like to think it’s a mix between Texas and Oregon- the wide plains and big skies of Texas with the trees and mountains of Oregon. I guess it’s the best of both worlds. I’ve had a lot of time to think and pray and even though some trials still exist in my life, I feel completely content. God has taught me so much in the time I’ve been able to spend with him. While I was sitting in the backseat of the car, looking out the window, I found myself studying the gray clouds in the sky. Then a thought occurred to me. Those gray clouds were like the trials God puts in my life. They don’t seem very friendly, and I get discouraged easily when I’m around them. But I need to remember that it is those clouds that make the plants grow, just as those trials in my life help to grow and mature me. I was listening to a song called Airplane by Bethany Dillon when I was thinking about this and in it, she sings, “When the sky is gray, I want to believe that when the sun is hiding, it still exists.” Although I love the sun and feeling like everything is perfect, those bittersweet clouds are needed in my life. I’ve known this for a while, but this is just a new way to think of it and I wanted to share it with you. So even if you feel discouraged when the gray clouds are above your head, remember that they play an important part in God’s prefect plan and the sun will come out again. I’ve had a great time with my family this week- going to Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Devil’s Tower, Deadwood, Wall Drug, watching God’s 4th of July fireworks show of thunder and lightning, relaxing in hot tubs, having fun at a water/theme park, eating dinner together, etc. I didn’t want to come home again until I felt like my mind was cleared and refreshed and I can now say that I’ve come to that point. I’m in a great place now and I couldn’t be more content. I’m excited to see my friends, go to youth group, and get ready for my 3-week trip to Mexico!! Thank you all for being a part of my life and I love you all very much. I hope you are all enjoying God’s blessings this summer and I’m praying for you.
~Hannah

Good Ol' Northwest

Something funny that I’ve realized going to Wisconsin is that the Northwest is very addicted to coffee. I’m sure you’ve all realized that there is a coffee shop every half-mile, and usually a Starbucks on every corner. I just assumed it was like that all over the United States, but I guess not. When I get coffee, I always order the same thing: a black-white mocha. This is a mocha that has half a shot of regular chocolate and half a shot of white chocolate. No matter what coffee shop I go to, they always know what a black-white mocha is. But as you go further east in the US, you’ll realize that the coffee shops begin to get more limited and the baristas don’t know as much of the coffee jargon as they do in the Northwest. The further east I got, the more I had to explain what a black-white mocha is. When I asked for a black-white mocha in Minnesota, the lady just stared at me with a blank expression. I realized she had no clue what I meant so I had to try and explain what I meant. I could tell she still didn’t get it that much when I drank the coffee she gave me and it tasted different than the normal black-white mochas I usually get. It didn’t bother me at all, but I just thought it was funny and it made me realize how caffeine-happy the Northwest is. It’s kind of pathetic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. ☺
~Hannah

Non-Serious Blog for Jack

Ok, my friend Jack says all my blogs are too serious. So here is a non serious blog for Jack. Ok, so here is a funny joke: So there are two muffins in the oven. The first muffin says, "Boy it's getting hot in here." The other muffin says, "Ahhhh!!!! A talking muffin!" Umm....what else is not serious? Today at youth group, Andrew ate a live cricket!! That was crasy insane! He was like Bear Grylls. Speaking of him, that guy is hardcore. Although, I heard it isn't the real thing. I hear Bear sleeps in hotels when he's filming. But still, if he eats live bugs and drinks the water out of elephant dung, I'd say that's pretty legit. Wouldn't you? Anyways, I like the summer. It makes me happy. I have been feeling a lot like a child lately. I've been playing games I played in my childhood and just loving life. it's pretty nice. Oh wait, this is getting a little serious...
Soooo....I got to hold a newborn baby today! That was fun. Kinda scary, but it was cool. He was so tiny and cute!! Guess what time it is as I'm writing this? It is 2:09 am!! What is wrong with me?!? It's ok, it's summer. i can stay up as late as I want. I'm really not that tired right now though. Not sure why. I went to bed at 2:00 am last night too. Maybe I'm becoming nocturnal. But probably not. Whatever. Ok, I'm running out of random, non-serious things to say. Happy now, Jack?

Junior Humanities

Well, this past year has been the busiest of my life. I had so much homework in my class called Humanities. It was an block class with AP US History and Honors American Literature. We had so many projects, papers, assignments and homework to do. I got super stressed and thought so many times about quitting that class. I'm so glad I didn't, though. Looking back over the past year, I'm amazed at how much i've learned. not only that, I've made so many memories. This class of ~63 was like a family ( a very large, interesting family; but a family nonetheless.) I've come away from this class with so many memories, inside jokes and a great understanding of what to expect in college. Looking back, I have no regrets and although the people I've complained to about this class may think I'm crazy for saying this, I absolutely loved Humanities- the people, the teachers and just the environment. I could have lived without the research paper, DBQs and AP exam, though... 

Anyways, although Humanities was fun, I'm also glad to be done with it. I just have mixed feeling about the whole thing. But it sure is nice not to worry about homework or studying constantly. but I'm definitely looking forward to this summer and I will be sure to keep you all posted! Love you guys!

~Hannah