Memory Verse #17

I can't believe how fast this year is passing!  It's already SEPTEMBER, and that means one month closer to the SSMT Celebration hosted by Beth Moore & her daughters, Amanda & Melissa!

September 1 came with a bang...we've had a busy week with starting our homeschool co-op in Nacogdoches & hosting a Choir party & preparing for Ethan's birthday celebration with the family...And then I got really sick in between all of that.  That put me a little behind on posting my memory verse.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -Proverbs 4:23

I came across this verse on one of the blogs I read (and I can't even remember which one now) this week and thought that might be a good verse to memorize this time.

So I looked it up in my study Bible and found that I had highlighted this whole passage as some point the past.  It seems like a great passage to hide in my heart and to keep on the refrigerator for the whole family to work on!  This goes right along with the character verses we are working on in school this year.

Proverbs 4:23-27
"Above all else, guard your heart, 
for it is the wellspring of life.  
Put away perversity from your mouth; 
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil."

Missing My Malakoff Friends

Last summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to study Ruth (by Kelly Minter) with this group of sweet ladies. Kristie, Kim, Flo, Brandi, Penny, Kristi, Jenna, Jennifer (with baby Chase in tow), I miss you and love you each dearly!

During the study, we decided to not just fellowship, eat together, and study God's word but to also DO something...we helped wash clothes for a family that didn't have running water and we helped with a few other projects. It was during one of our lllooonnnngggg conversations one night that Jenna first mentioned to the group that she wanted to go on a mission trip to Uganda with Visiting Orphans.

She asked us to pray about joining her on that mission trip.

Fast forward about 10 months and 4 of the girls from our Bible study group plus 5 others from our Malakoff church joined 20-something others in Washington DC & headed to Uganda, Africa for two weeks to love on orphans!

As I read their blog posts & facebook posts while they were there, I could tell this was not your normal “feel good” mission trip. It was a very emotional and heart-wrenching trip. They loved it and I’m sure they are changed forever! They are ready to share their experiences & advocate for more support for these beautiful children. You can read about some of their experiences here and here and here.

And if you are close to Malakoff tonight, you can hear them share about their experiences at 6 pm. I SOOOO wish I could be there! I wanted to make the trip to visit them, but I am not ready for school to start Monday like I need to be. I need to focus on my lesson plans, so we will have a great start to a great year of learning!

Jenna, Flo, Kristi, Brandi, Kasey, Marci, Madi, Cassie, and Carla, I am so proud of you for giving of your time and money and heart to minister like God says in James 1:27! “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Finding JOY in the journey,

Kim